FIVE YEARS LATER

CORUSCANT

"Taun We, Taun We, Taun We!" two voices screamed in unison. The Kamioan turned around and saw a pair of small figures hurtling towards her. Quickly, she put out her long arms onto their heads, blocking them from knocking into her.

Two blond haired, blue-eyed teenagers struggled against her grasp, laughing. They both wore the braid of a Jedi Padawan. Easily, to a stranger's eye, the boys could have been brothers.

Suddenly, the one on the right began to bounce. "Hold still, Luke," laughed Taun We. The boy obeyed and she took her hands off both of their heads. Studying them, she remembered what Obi-Wan had told her last night about the boys and grinned, realizing what the two thirteen-year-olds were excited about. "What is it?" she asked anyway.

"Our masters are taking us on our first missions!" cried Ani.

"Together!" added Luke.

"Well, should you really be surprised?" Taun We asked. "Those three get assigned to almost everything they do together. No shock, after how well they did with the Sith."

"No, I guess not," agreed Ani.

"Where's Boba?" asked Luke. "I want to tell him."

"He's at Dex's. You'll have to wait for your masters to find him."

"Let's go get them!" cried Ani, and both boys ran off.

Watching them, Taun We smiled. The two had become close friends after Sidious had been defeated. They were quite a handful for their masters, and Padmé often commented how lucky the pair of Jedi were to have each other, and their friends, to help them.

It was indeed true. Although Taun We claimed it was because she had Boba to take care of, in truth, she didn't want to leave her friends on Coruscant for Kamino. And Padmé and Jar Jar, for the little help the Gungan was, both took care of the boys quite often. Even Dex was willing to help out occasionally.

The closeness of the boys' masters didn't harm their relationship either. In fact, by now, they did nearly everything together. Not that their masters minded. They were often like that as well.

Ani and Luke seemed almost to be twin brothers, to people who didn't know them. Although the Council had ruled that only Jedi Knights or Masters were to know the truth about their universe, few of even those knew that Ani and Luke were father and son. It just didn't seem possible, no matter how you considered it.

"Taun We." A voice from behind startled the Kamioan out of her memories. She turned around to face Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Qui-Gon.

"Have you seen the boys? We seem to have… umm… lost them." For all his attempts at seriousness, it was obvious that Obi-Wan, as usual, didn't have the slightest idea how to manage these kids.

"They just went to look for you," answered Taun We. "They're probably running around wondering where you are right now."

"And, of course, we'll most likely spend the rest of the afternoon scampering around the Temple in circles, looking for each other and constantly missing each other," complained Anakin.

"Silly, of course we will!" exclaimed Taun We. "What else do you think we do with our time?"

"Nothing of importance, I'm sure," muttered Qui-Gon. "Nothing like defeating Sith or helping people or protecting the peace. None of those boring, useless things people think Jedi do."

"Like be sane?" asked Padmé, who was halfway through sneaking up behind them. Jar Jar, who had become very much the loyal comrade to her, was standing a few feet away, looking as if he was wondering what she was doing.

Anakin turned around in mock terror. "You scared me!"

"Oh, shut it, you big sissy," retorted the Senator primly, but she was laughing.

"Shut what?" teased Anakin. "Shut the door? Shut the window? Shut the…"

He continued on like that, trotting after his friends who had already begun the search for the boys.

"So what mission are you taking them on?" asked Taun We, looking at the Jedi who weren't babbling like a moron.

"Taking who on?" asked Padmé, who obviously hadn't heard the news.

"Taking Ani and Luke on their first mission," explained Qui-Gon.

"Oooh, Oooh!" cried Jar Jar. "Theysa's gonna be so excitened. Has yousa tellened them yet?"

"Yes," answered Obi-Wan. "We… tellened them."

"What did they say?" asked Padmé.

"Well, naturally, they were very excited," answered Obi-Wan. "I think, anyway. Actually, I'm not quite sure what they were thinking. They didn't say much. They just sort of… squeaked and ran off."

"They were excited," confirmed Taun We. "They came straight up to me and told me. That they were going, that is, not that they were excited."

"And now they're running around the Temple looking for us, and we're running around the Temple looking for them," commented Qui-Gon. "If this didn't happen so rarely, if it happened, say, every other day or something, I'd suggest that we arrange something for situations such as these. Not that it happens very often, of course. Nope. Very rare indeed. So rare we might just think that…"

"Alright," growled Obi-Wan. "I get it. This happens a lot. No need to rub it in. It's not as if they'd listen if we suggested something for this."

"In one ear and out the other," agreed Anakin happily. "That's them! Never listen. Nope. Never, ever."

"Shut up," instructed Padmé.

"Yes sir!" answered Anakin, giving her a mocking salute, which he held until she passed, and then making faces behind her back. She ignored both gestures.

"That's exactly the problem," continued Qui-Gon, referring back to the other conversation. "They never listen!"

"Qui-Gon," said Taun We pointedly. "You've had the most Padawans here. Have you ever taught anyone who ever listened to you?"

"Well, no. But that's not the point!"

"Actually," pointed out Obi-Wan. "The point of this conversation is the problem with what's going on. And the problem, as you just stated yourself, is that Ani and Luke never listen. So, if that's the problem, then it must also be the point. So either it is the point, or it's not the problem."

"No, it is the point," snapped Qui-Gon. "My past Padawans are what is not the point. Ani and Luke never listening is the problem."

"And the fact that nobody ever listens to their masters is very closely related to Ani and Luke never listening to their masters, since Ani and Luke are part of everybody."

"I thought you said it was nobody," pointed out Anakin, who was following the conversation with a cheerful amount of random interest.

"But nobody is everybody!" exclaimed Obi-Wan, and then paused, as if realizing how wrong he was.

"Well… You know what I mean!"

"Su-u-ure we do, Obi-Wan," said Anakin sarcastically. "You just keep telling yourself that.

"Shut up."

Grasping another chain of thought and abandoning his argument with the other two, Qui-Gon suddenly turned to Padmé.

"Have you heard anything about Dooku yet?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Nope. We still haven't decided anything except to bump it back to that Council. Apparently, it's officially a Jedi issue."

"And didn't the Jedi decide that it's officially an issue for the entire Republic?" asked Anakin, completely lost.

"Yes," agreed Padmé wearily. "We've been bumping it back and forth since it started. Nobody wants to decide, and nobody wants to admit that they don't want to decide. It's getting annoying."

"Honestly!" exclaimed Taun We in exasperation. "I already thought that politics were slow, but this! They've been at it for five years, and they still haven't decided anything except that it's complicated."

Anakin nodded sagely. "Since Dooku helped us, they don't want to completely decide that he's a Sith and must be instantly killed. But he sort of… well…"

"Is a Sith?" commented Obi-Wan wryly.

"Yeah. That. But nobody wants to agree on it, because they're politicians, and they don't want to ruin their reputation by agreeing, because that's not what politicians do. No offense, Padmé."

"None taken."

"Actually," pointed out Obi-Wan. "It doesn't matter if they agree, because there isn't anything to agree with! Nobody has decided anything!"

"We know," snapped Taun We. "Anakin just said that, and Padmé said that right before him, and we already knew!"

"Alright, alright. I'm just trying to make a point."

"And we get it!"

"Okay! Fine."

"At least Dooku appears to be comfortable for the moment," commented Qui-Gon after a short pause.

Everyone grinned, thinking of the dark Jedi's suddenly cheerful nature. Somehow, without ever seeming to, he managed to be useful. He spent most of his time in the Archives, studying just about everything there was in there. Jedi who had something they needed to know were just as likely to ask him as the grouchy old Archive Keeper. Many of them were more likely, but that didn't seem to bother her.

Dooku had also made friends with most of the Jedi in the Temple, albeit though odd means. Each month, the Council selected a new pair of Jedi to guard him, in case he reverted to his old ways. Instantly, Dooku would become friends with the pair, and thus knew almost everyone in the Temple very well.

No matter how often they switched who was supposed to be deciding his case, they just kept him in the Temple, which everyone seemed fine with.

"Well, I suppose he'll be alright. I mean, they have to decide sometime, don't they?" commented Qui-Gon. Everyone seemed to agree.

Taun We watched her friends, smiling. They all looked different than they had five years ago. Qui-Gon had a bit more gray in his hair. Obi-Wan had finally begun trimming his beard. Anakin had cut off his Padawan's braid shortly after the incident with Sidious, and now wore his hair long. Padmé seemed older, but Taun We couldn't quite place it. And Jar Jar somehow managed to look a bit more mature, in a Gungan way.

She barely had time to think all that before three small figures came charging down the corridor towards them. It only took a moment before the adults realized that the trio wasn't going to stop.

Quickly grabbing one, Taun We saw that Obi-Wan and Anakin had grabbed the other two. But, when they looked down, all three realized that each of them had the wrong child.

"Switch," they said in unison. Taun We passed the one in her grasp to Obi-Wan, as he passed his to Anakin, and Anakin passed his to Taun We.

The Kamioan glanced down at the boy, to make sure it really was Boba, before saying "I thought you were supposed to be at Dex's."

"I never left. I was trying to figure out… something."

"Something?" she demanded, recognizing the guilty tone.

"Well, if you poke a wasp's nest, the wasps come out and sting you. But how do they know? Is it some sort of wasp thing, or is it something else? So I went around poking all sorts of nests."

She noticed several scratches, bit marks, and stings covering his face and hands, and his clothes were ripped in several places.

"They probably notice because their home suddenly starts shaking, and maybe a stick pokes through the wall," commented Taun We.

"Oh, yeah."

"Hey, Padmé!" Ani was saying. "Did we tell you what our masters decided?"

"No, what?" asked Padmé, although she knew already.

"We're going on our first mission together!" cried Luke, wiggling from Anakin's grasp.

"Get back here!" cried his master, chasing after him while Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon laughed. Obi-Wan stopped laughing after Ani slipped away from him, and he had to chase after his own apprentice as well.

"Why are you laughing?" Qui-Gon asked Boba as the others watched them run off.

"Once they turn the corner there, they'll be on slippery ground!" howled Boba. "We poured water all over the floor!"

"Can you three ever not be in trouble?" asked Taun We.

"Well, why would be want to do that?"

100 pages, 125 reviews, 32 chapters, and I'm done. A sequel, you ask? Maybe someday. Keep on the lookout!

And thank you, everyone who ever reviewed. Since last time, we had Alley Parker, StarDrifter, Child-of-the-Dawn, Phoenix Red Lion, Mikey15, Storyteller Person, Babe Bunny, doreenthatshot, and Fell Dragon.

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