By the time the Organas began arriving home from work, Obi-Wan had sketched a rough outline for Anakin, including the first week's worth of lessons.  He was quite pleased with himself, satisfied that they had made a good start.

Anakin sensed the family's arrival and reappeared almost immediately, bubbling over with tales of what he had discovered in the enormous manor house.  The Organas listened attentively as Anakin told them all about their own possessions, old furniture, broken toys, the detritus of previous generations tucked away into long forgotten corners.  Suddenly Anakin wheeled on Obi-Wan.  "And I found your picture, too!"

Surprised, Obi-Wan frowned.  "Were you poking around in the Prince's room?"

"No.  It was in a hallway full of 2D pictures.  I saw Bail, and Mimi and Papa Vil, and about a million other people."  He whirled around to face Bail's parents again.  "Are they all your family?"

"Many of them are," Papa Vil explained, "and others are friends."

Turning back to Obi-Wan, Anakin continued, "I saw several of you and Bail, but I didn't see any of Qui-Gon."

Obi-Wan paused.  "He didn't usually come to Alderaan."

"Why not?"

Obi-Wan had no desire to go into a full explanation, so he settled for, "Bail was my friend, not his."

Anakin considered for a moment, and Obi-Wan feared he would probe further, but instead he asked, "So I won't be coming with you, either?"

Obi-Wan hadn't really thought about it before.  "You may if you wish to.  Qui-Gon didn't come because he had his own interests, not because he wasn't welcome."  In truth, Alderaan had been Obi-Wan's retreat, a place for him to get away from Jedi responsibility and spend time with Bail.  It had not occurred to him that now, with a young Padawan in tow, he might no longer escape his duties on Alderaan.  Qui-Gon had not really been a part of his relationship with Bail. What role did he want Anakin to play now?  He was not at all certain.

The Organas, however, didn't seem to share Obi-Wan's concern.  They delighted in Anakin's presence and were happy to let him ramble on about whatever entered his mind.  Obi-Wan was accustomed to thinking of Bail as talkative, but the Prince could barely keep up with Anakin.  The boy's pace never slowed, even at dinner, and Obi-Wan thought it must be some kind of miracle how Anakin could have food going in and words coming out at the same time.  He told the Organas all about his day, asking questions and making comments all along the way, even talking about his life on Tatooine, and after a while Obi-Wan began to feel a twinge of jealousy.  In his short acquaintance with Anakin, the boy had never opened up to him the way he had with the Organas.  Then again he had not exactly been encouraging.  The Jedi highly valued silence, and Anakin's present garrulousness would have been viewed as undisciplined at the Temple – another reason why Obi-Wan was glad they had left.

After dinner, Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Bail retired to the Prince's personal study, where Obi-Wan handed Anakin a datapad of the lesson plan he had worked on that afternoon.  As Obi-Wan reviewed the outline, Anakin grew more and more agitated – as did the Prince.  At last Bail exclaimed, "Good heavens, Ben, what can you have been thinking?"  Taken aback, Obi-Wan shot him a warning look which Bail ignored.  "Not everyone in the galaxy educates their youngsters as thoroughly as the Jedi.  By the time you were fourteen, you had the equivalent of what most of us would call a university education."

"Anakin has a lot of catching up to do –"

"He didn't grow up at the Temple, Obi-Wan," Bail flared.  He grabbed the datapad, scrolling down the screen.  "Look at this: you have him studying algebra.  I didn't begin that until I was twelve.  And for history you've assigned him Stubart's 'The Rise of the Republic.'"

"I read it when I was his age," Obi-Wan protested, struggling to control a sudden outburst of temper.

"I read it when I was a junior in secondary school, and it bored me to tears then.  If you give him this, he'll be dead by the second chapter!"

Up until now Anakin had not been sure whether to be insulted or relieved by Bail's tirade, but for some reason this statement struck him as funny, and he snickered.  Both men looked at him, Obi-Wan with disapproval, Bail with sympathy.

"Anakin, do you like music?" Bail asked, apropos of nothing.

"Uh – yeah."

"Why don't you go to that cabinet over there and look through my music collection?  I'm sure you'll find something you like.  Personally I could never study without music playing."

Anakin glanced an inquiry at Obi-Wan, who reluctantly nodded.  Eagerly he scrambled out of his chair and went to the cabinet, trying not to look too relieved at having escaped Obi-Wan's lesson plans.

With the boy distracted, Bail turned on Obi-Wan in a low but furious whisper, "Are you completely out of touch with reality?"  Obi-Wan opened his mouth to answer, but Bail cut him off.  "He was a slave, Ben.  He's never had a day of formal schooling in his life.  Anakin is a bright, clever boy, but if you assign him this course of study, you'll make him feel like an idiot."

"He has to learn!"

"Of course he does, but there are ways of teaching him other than force-feeding him textbooks."

Obi-Wan bristled, but he couldn't exactly argue.  Bail was right.  The Jedi were taught study skills at a very early age.  Anakin needed to be taught a different way, but Obi-Wan didn't know how else to teach.

Calming down, Bail offered, "We'll all help you.  I can teach him history and astropolitics.  Papa can teach him literature and composition.  Mother – well, I doubt he would have much interest in intergalactic trade law, but I'm sure she can think of something useful.  We'll get him started on the basics, but you have to go slow with him."

Obi-Wan's eyes flashed.  "May I remind you that I am his master, not you?"

"Yes, and a month ago you were a Padawan," Bail shot back.  As soon as the words left his mouth he knew he had said the wrong thing.  Obi-Wan managed to look wounded, offended, and furious all at the same time.

"I'm sorry," Bail said.  "I didn't mean it like that."

"You have a point," Obi-Wan reluctantly admitted, but he scarcely seemed appeased, and for several long moments he stared in silence at his datapad.  "There's just so much to teach him, and I don't --."  He frowned, biting his lip.

"You'll do fine, Ben," Bail encouraged softly.  He raised his hand toward Obi-Wan's head, then stopped himself, realizing there was no braid for him to tug.  To cover his sudden pang of regret, he leaned back and called to Anakin, "Find anything you like, ti-bai?"

Anakin looked up, mildly peeved.  "Why do you keep calling me that?"

"It means 'little brother,' and that's what you are."

The boy relaxed at that.  "So what is 'big brother'?"

Bail smiled.  "I thought I'd never hear anyone call me that.  I've been a ti-bai all my life.  It's 'manu-bai.'"  He nodded at the pile of discs Anakin had collected on the floor.  "So what did you find?"

Grinning, Anakin gathered up his collection and dashed back to the table.  "You've got lots of great stuff!"

Bail fished through Anakin's selections, picking up one.  "You like Karvan?"

"He's wizard!" Anakin gushed.

"Is that so?  Obi-Wan loves him, too."

Obi-Wan shot Bail a horrified glance as Anakin said, "Really?"
Awkwardly, Obi-Wan muttered, "He's…an acquired taste."

Innocently, Bail offered, "You can have that recording.  I have others."

"Thanks!" Anakin enthused, before remembering to check with Obi-Wan.  His master wore a neutral expression, but underneath the table he kicked Bail sharply in the ankle.  In truth he loathed Karvan, and not entirely for his musical style.

Ignoring him, Bail continued, "I met him when he came on tour to Coruscant.  He and I became friends."  They had almost become more than that, in a well-publicized flirtation.  While Obi-Wan had always borne Bail's numerous affairs with some degree of equanimity, the fling with Karvan had been one of the few times Obi-Wan had almost lost control of his jealousy.  Bail had dropped the budding affair, but it did not please Obi-Wan now to have the Prince tease him about it through his Padawan.  Willfully oblivious to Obi-Wan's displeasure, Bail offered to Anakin, "Next time he goes on tour, I'll introduce you to him if you like."

"You're kidding!"

"You and I and Obi-Wan can all go and enjoy him," was Bail's impish reply.

Obi-Wan barely suppressed a grimace, and this time Anakin noticed. His smile faded, and he said, "You don't really like him, do you?"

With a serenity he did not feel, Obi-Wan answered, "He's not my first choice, but he is good to dance to."  He was lying, completely lying, but Bail had put him on the spot, leading Anakin on, and he did not want to disappoint the boy, who was so obviously trying to find ways to connect to him.  Instantly, though, Obi-Wan regretted the deception.  What kind of a Master was he, lying to his Padawan about even such a trivial matter? 

Anakin was sensitive enough to recognize Obi-Wan's prevarication.  "I shouldn't keep the recording," he murmured.

"Of course you may," Obi-Wan assured him.  "In fact, why don't you play it right now?"

"Or better yet, why don't I show you some of the other music Obi-Wan likes?" Bail suggested in an effort to cover his own faux pas.  "No studying tonight, eh?  Just music to celebrate your first day of training."

Reluctantly, Anakin let the Prince lead him back to the music cabinet, glancing back over his shoulder at Obi-Wan.  The Jedi stifled a sigh of irritation at having his planned evening so effectively hijacked by Bail, and resigning himself to the loss, got up and joined them in going through the recordings.

Not surprisingly, Anakin was unfamiliar with most of the music.  His tastes clearly ran to the kind of conventional pop that Obi-Wan despised so much, but he listened attentively to Bail's lesson in music appreciation, and he made a point of raving about anything Obi-Wan was hinted to like.

Eventually they shifted from the music lesson to dancing.  Bail seized Anakin's hands and taught him all the steps he knew, which the boy picked up quickly.  For the most part, Obi-Wan contented himself with watching, rarely joining in.  It didn't seem quite proper for him to dance with his padawan.  It was too…informal.  But he did not mind Anakin dancing with the Prince, and dancing was a perfectly acceptable form of recreation, teaching coordination, balance, and grace.

The Prince, however, was not content to let him sit and watch.  He extended a hand to Obi-Wan, a mischievous leer on his face.  "Don't just sit around, Bendu.  Get up and show the boy what his Master is made of." 

"No, thank you," Obi-Wan demurred.  "I'll leave the dancing lessons to you." 

A flicker of confusion disrupted Bail's features, then he smiled and turned back to Anakin.  "It seems knighthood has made Obi-Wan into a stuffy old man," he confided.  "But I happen to know that he can be a lot of fun.  I think you and I should work together to make sure he remembers that he's younger than me.  What do you say, ti-bai?"

Anakin beamed up at the Prince, blossoming with Bail's confidence in him.  "Sounds good to me, manu-bai!"

Bail laughed in delight, kneeling to Anakin's level and ruffling the boy's hair before turning a saucy look on Obi-Wan.  "I like being a big brother!"  Anakin leaned against the Prince, comfortable and happy, and something about the sight disturbed Obi-Wan.  He did not begrudge Anakin's happiness, but it felt like Bail was appropriating the boy's affections.  Bail would be the friend and confidant, and Obi-Wan would be the sullen, stodgy old master, the authority figure.  He had already learned that Anakin did not particularly respect authority.  The last thing his apprentice needed was to be influenced by an overindulged Prince accustomed to getting his way.

Abruptly Obi-Wan stood and said, "It's time for bed, Anakin."

Anakin hesitated, glancing up at Bail who put on an exaggerated expression of indifference, then looked back at Obi-Wan.  "But I'm not tired."

"Yes, you are, and you will be tomorrow unless you develop proper sleeping habits."

"You have to teach me how to sleep, too?" Anakin protested, scowling.

"Apparently I do."  Obi-Wan could feel his patience wearing thin.  For a moment he thought Bail was going to protest, but mercifully he remained silent.  "Go on to bed."

Anakin silently fumed, visibly struggling with the order while Obi-Wan waited.  But then the Prince spoke up.  "Go on, ti-bai.  We still have to go over your lesson plans."

The tension in Anakin's frame abruptly eased, and he made a face up at Bail.  "Good night, manu-bai!"

"Good night," Bail called as Anakin skipped from the room.

As soon as the door shut, Obi-Wan wheeled on Bail.  "Never do that again!"

Startled, Bail took a step back.  "What?"

"I am his Master.   He must learn to respect my authority, not yours."
"I was only trying to help—"

"Your kind of help will do more harm than good.  If you have suggestions or advice, bring them up to me privately, but never contradict me in front of my padawan."

"I backed you up," Bail protested.  "I told him to go to bed."

"That is for me to decide, not you.  And you contradicted me earlier."  Obi-Wan was angry but calm, his words spoken quietly but with force.  "Never dress me down in front of my padawan.  Never mock me or tease me.  He must learn to respect and obey me, and he will never do that if you are undermining my authority."

And with that, something closed between them, a door shut, and Bail realized things had been forever changed.  He had already begun to suspect it, but he had hoped he was wrong.

He had not often seen Obi-Wan angry, but always before that anger had been personal, the result of one of their rare spats, the anger of a passionate young man, of an ardent lover – as in the incident of Bail's near-affair with the pop singer.  But this was the righteous ire of a Jedi Knight concerned with propriety, completely impersonal and passionless.  Bail Organa was just a disruptive influence to be curbed and contained.

But once before he had been chosen for his influence.  Another Jedi Master had selected him to be the friend and companion of his serious padawan, and Obi-Wan, dutiful as always, had entered into a relationship with Bail because his master had implicitly ordered it.  That master was dead now, and Obi-Wan was no longer obligated to honor his request.  Bail was quite simply no longer needed, cut off like a padawan braid that once meant something but now was just a symbol of the past, a stage that had been completed, outgrown.  Obi-Wan might keep him as a friend for old times' sake, but that was all.   He no longer had a role to play in Obi-Wan's life.  He was excess baggage.

Mustering up his professional diplomatic voice, he said, "I understand.  I apologize.  I meant no disrespect."

Obi-Wan relented just a bit.  "I know.  Just remember: he may not have grown up at the Temple, but he needs to learn to behave as if he did."

"Yes."  Bail suppressed a shiver of dread.  Would this lively, open-hearted boy be straight-jacketed into a cool, impersonal…Obi-Wan?

"Let's review the lesson plans tomorrow," Obi-Wan suggested.  "I'm going to turn in as well.  Good night."

He was out the door and gone before Bail could answer.  No kiss.  Bail realized Obi-Wan had not kissed him since arriving on Alderaan.  There would be no more kisses for him.  He had always known this day would come.  No point crying over it.  Bail didn't believe in love anyway.

No, he wasn't crying.  The stinging in his eyes just meant he was tired.  Time for him to go to bed as well.