The Jedi council ended the meeting to reconvene the next day to decide what place Anakin Skywalker would have with the Jedi or would he be counted as number 22 of the lost Jedi—the only Jedi's to ever leave the Order at its inception. Obi-Wan walked to 500 Republica, where Senator Amidala had a residence. Anakin sat comfortably on the sofa with Padmé resting her head on his lap. He was playing with the soft brown tresses manipulating it. He sighed deeply as he felt Obi-Wan's presence coming down the hall.
"Obi-Wan is here for tea. I have a lot of explaining to do." Anakin sighed.
"Don't worry, Ani, we will do it together." Padmé reassured him.
Anakin laughed as he remember that was nearly Obi-Wan said to him when they confronted Count Dooku on the flagship. Padmé lifted her head and gently kissed Anakin on the lips as he left to open the door before Obi-Wan knocked.
"Good afternoon, Anakin." Obi-Wan formally greeted.
"Come in, Obi-Wan." Anakin responded.
Obi-Wan pulled off his cloak and hung it on the coat rack next to Anakin's.
Padmé walked into the foyer and Obi-Wan bowed and shook her hand, "Milady."
The three friends went into the living room and Threepio served tea and fresh fruit, Anakin dismissed him.
Obi-Wan smiled and asked how she was doing. Padmé patted her stomach to help the baby to relax.
"The baby enjoys getting my attention; I've been driving Threepio absolutely crazy with my late night cravings. Now that Anakin's home, he will have the dubious honor." Padmé laughed.
"Oh, boy, and I thought fighting in the Clone Wars was arduous."
Obi-Wan smiled and then laughed.
"So, what are your plans?"
Anakin smiled and took a sip of his tea, wishing for just a moment that it was ale.
"We will return to Naboo." Anakin stated simply.
"Padmé, what about your career?"
"I've talked it over with the Queen, and she has agreed to allow me to have hiatus for a year and then I can decide on whether to continue as a Senator; she refused my resignation." Padmé smiled.
Obi-Wan looked at Anakin, it had been a very long time that he sensed warm, relaxed feelings from his brother, and he even had learned more about patience and understanding. Anakin had been a difficult padawan, demanding, impatient, and somewhat arrogant, but he looked at the young man now and he seemed a mature adult. Something happened to change his perspective, but what? He felt the need to explore this side of him more deeply, but knew that with Padmé here he would never get the chance. Even his master/padawan connection which had recently shut down was now fully opened and channeled.
"Milady, would you mind if Anakin and I went out for old time's sake?"
"No, of course not, if you happen to go to Dex's Diner, please get a cheeseburger with everything especially extra pickles okay, lots of extra pickles."
"Of course, milady." Obi-Wan smiled.
Anakin kissed his wife on the cheek and told her she could reach him on the communicator if she needed anything. Anakin and Obi-Wan pulled on their cloaks and went to the garage to retrieve Anakin's yellow speeder.
Obi-Wan sighed as Anakin jumped into the drivers' seat. Anakin still drove recklessly and loved the speed of the light craft.
"Please, Anakin, let's get there in one piece." Obi-Wan sighed with a hint of irritation.
"Trust me, Obi-Wan." Anakin smiled and took a nose dive and pulled up just in time to avoid hitting a passenger train. The people on the train screamed in terror as the yellow speeder flew past them, Anakin was laughing as Obi-Wan's face turned a pale green.
When they arrived in Coco Town, Obi-Wan fell to his knees kissing the ground, "Thank the Force, another happy landing." Anakin doubled over laughing as helped his former master to his feet, they entered the diner and Dex approached his favorite Jedi and hugged them both
"Take a seat; I'll be right with ya."
Anakin and Obi-Wan picked their favorite booth in the back of the diner it afforded some privacy. Anakin had a feeling that his master had a lot of questions to ask, it didn't take the Force to sense that. After ordering their meals and drinks, Anakin sat back and waited as Obi-Wan leaned forward.
"You seem different, Anakin."
Anakin thought, "Ha! If he only knew, how different it was possible to become when traveling nearly twenty years into the future and meeting his children Luke and Leia, even the man called Darth Vader, the man that he would become if he gave into the Emperor. He was so glad that Obi-Wan had severed the man's head, the thoughts of doubt, fear, and anger seemed to dissipate that very moment. A huge burden had been lifted from his soul and it felt lighter, carefree, and even dare he say it, optimistic? Even if the Jedi Order allowed him to resign, he would still feel the same, at last he felt in charge of his destiny he was no longer a slave to Watto, a servant to the Jedi Order, and now to never become owned by the Sith, he practically felt like dancing. Obi-Wan wasn't used to seeing his former padawan so damn happy, lately he seemed to be cutoff, lost, and increasingly brooding and depressed. The twinkle in Anakin's bright blue eyes has miraculous returned.
"Anakin, what's going on?"
"Master, whatever do you mean?" Anakin mischievously answered.
"You have changed, even your Force signature isn't the same, and it seems a bit brighter, and our connection is now more open and free-flowing, for the last several years you had cut-off your connection to me it was as if you were hiding from me."
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you, Obi-Wan." Anakin replied.
"Try me." Obi-Wan smiled.
Anakin smiled as his ale arrived and took a small sip as did Obi-Wan of his drink.
"Can you hear me master?" Anakin sent telepathically.
"Yes, you know I can."
"Are you sure you want to hear this?"
"Yes, please."
Anakin relayed the story of how just prior to they landing on General Grievous' Ship he had disappeared in to a worm-hole and lived in the future. Qui-Gon had opened the time portal twenty years into the future, to change Anakin's fate as well as the fate of the Jedi Order. He told Obi-Wan that he met his children, Luke and Leia and himself only instead of being a Jedi he was a Sith Lord Darth Vader and he was enslaved to Chancellor Palpatine, Padmé was dead.
He described the huge fight on Mustafar between himself and Obi-Wan, helping Yoda train his son Luke as a Jedi and met his beautiful daughter. After the battle of Endor, Anakin returned to the exact moment he left fighting by Obi-Wan's side. Except now he had learned to carefully manage his feelings of hate, despair, and anger, the three things that if were allowed to manifest themselves fully would lead to the dark side. He described how Luke missed him his entire life and never knew his father intimately and that's when Anakin knew that he had to change his outcome and raise his family with Padmé with or without the Jedi approval.
Obi-Wan was absolutely speechless, he never heard about any worm-holes that allowed for time travel, but he knew that Anakin wasn't exaggerating or lying.
"Does Master Yoda know about this?"
"Qui-Gon told me that he and I would retain our memories of this future, so I imagine he does know."
"Well I guess that explains why the council wants time to digest all this before making a determination."
"Yes, Obi-Wan."
The meal arrived and Anakin put in Padmé's order of a cheeseburger with everything including lots of extra pickles.
"Dex, why don't you just give me a container of pickles by itself?" Anakin sighed.
"Will do."
Anakin and Obi-Wan left the diner and returned to the apartment.
"Thank you Obi-Wan for everything."
"You are welcome, my friend. See you tomorrow morning."
"Okay." Anakin opened the door and found Padmé watching holovision and she was crying over some sappy love story.
"Padmé, what's wrong?"
"Damn hormones, I just start watching this and I started crying."
Anakin flicked it off with a twist of his wrist and handed her a bag of food.
"Here you are my angel."
"Thanks!" Padmé opened up the bag and found a separate container of only pickles piled high.
"Wow, thanks." She ate her burger with immense pleasure.
Anakin laughed kissing his wife on the cheek, "I'm going to get a shower and turn in, and I'm exhausted."
"I'll join you as soon as I finish this."
Anakin fell into a deep sleep as soon as his head hit the soft pillow. Padmé cleaned up and joined her husband in bed. He snuggled up next to her and she felt his warm sweet breath on her cheek. As he slept he kissed her tenderly and resumed his quiet snoring. Padmé felt incredibly safe and happy in her husband's arms, they no longer had to hide their feelings for each other and could be openly married and even if he had to give up the Jedi Order, she knew that he would still be happy as a husband and as a father. She smiled as she fell asleep.
The next morning, Anakin awoke to see the bright line of the sunlight pierce the window, Padmé was asleep and he quietly moved without disturbing his beautiful wife. He went downstairs and pulled on his black cloak and sat on the porch and meditated as he tried to do every morning. Padmé awoke to find Anakin sitting cross-legged on the porch, his black cloak swirled around him. "Don't go." Anakin softly called.
"I don't want to disturb you."
"Your presence and that of our unborn child are soothing."
Anakin stood and pulled Padmé into an embrace folding his cloak around her small form.
"I forgot how nice this felt, Ani."
Anakin smiled and lightly kissed her.
"You have an appointment this morning with the Jedi, don't you?"
"Yes, but don't worry no matter what happens, I'll always be with you." Anakin smiled, squeezing her tenderly and went to get dressed.
"You are going to need some new clothes, Ani."
"No, I hate shopping; it's an evil Sith trap." Anakin laughed, after dressing, Anakin pulled on his cloak and his hood.
"See you later, Angel."
"Behave, Anakin."
"Why should I start now?" Anakin laughed again. Obi-Wan met Anakin at the entrance of the Jedi Temple.
"Good morning, Anakin."
"Morning, Obi-Wan."
Anakin and Obi-Wan walked to the Council Chamber as Obi-Wan sat in his council chair, Anakin felt suddenly alone waiting for his fate to be decided.
"How feel you?" Yoda asked.
Anakin softly stated, "Calm and serene." It wasn't a lie, Anakin abhorred liars and had zero tolerance of them, he truly felt as he stated. Yoda sensed a change in Anakin's force signature as Obi-Wan had, before it was chaotic swirl of both negative feelings and positive, it seemed odd but the only thing swirling around Anakin now was a bright yellow feeling of optimism, and a more accomplished, serious manner about the young man. Yoda of course had learned about Anakin's travel into the future, through Qui-Gon and told him that it was time for a major overhaul of the Jedi rules about attachments; Padmé brought a sense of balance into Anakin's life.
Yoda walked straight up to the young Jedi Knight and Anakin knelt down to the diminutive master, bowing his head. Yoda pulled Anakin's lightsaber to his own hand and ignited it. Anakin didn't move or attempt to bring the weapon back to him, he patiently knelt there waiting. As he kept his eyes to the floor he heard several more lightsabers igniting, he remained humble and quiet.
"How feel you?" Yoda asked again.
"Confused, my master, this is an odd way of saying goodbye." Anakin whispered.
"Goodbye? Wish to leave do you?"
"No, but I broke a most serious tenet of the Jedi Code, the rule of attachments. I'm a married man and with a child on the way."
"Yes, the council has discussed this long and hard, Anakin; you brought the end to the tyranny of the Sith, its master was destroyed. Chosen wisely you have, you gave Count Dooku a measure of mercy, despite what he has done to your hand. You sought out mercy instead of revenge, proud of you we are, the quick and easy path was laid meticulously at your feet by Darth Sidious, and you chose the light. You are indeed the Chosen One, Anakin. It was a final trial prior to attaining Master status."
"Master? You want me as a Jedi Master?" Anakin was overwhelmed.
"Yes, strong are you with the Force; it is the will of the Force and of this council to promote you, congratulations." Yoda deactivated Anakin's lightsaber and dangled it in front of his face.
"What about my family?"
"Go to Naboo you will, raise your family and spend your time with Padmé and when your child is ready to become a Jedi, you will return."
"Master we are talking a number of years, you know."
"Yes, stay in contact with us you will for a weekly meetings and events. The Force will always be with you, Master Anakin Skywalker." Yoda replied.
The bright yellow light that was Anakin Skywalker's force presence increased so brightly that it nearly blinded the rest of the Jedi.
Obi-Wan smiled, "Master Skywalker that has nice ring to it."
Anakin beamed and pulled his mentor into an enormous hug, "I couldn't have done it without you, Obi-Wan."