It seems like I keep doing this, but I apologize for the wait! Thank you for your patience. Your wonderful, faithful reviews mean the world to me! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

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Padme walked beside Obi-Wan as they headed for the Room of a Thousand Fountains. She had learned a lot in visiting the Creche. One thing was for sure – the children raised in the Temple were loved and cherished. They were normal, happy children. It had been interesting to visit the four and five year olds and see toys floating through the air! But one thing that really struck Padme was how much the children seemed to adore Obi-Wan. Whenever they had entered another room, excited children would run up to greet him.

Padme had spoken with one of the toddler Creche Leaders about the response of the children. The woman had said, 'The children love Obi-Wan because he shows them that he cares. He takes an interest in their progress and makes them feel important. And it isn't just the younglings who adore him. He is well-loved and respected by Jedi of all ages.' Padme knew that to be true through what Anakin had told her. But Anakin had made it clear that he resented it. Padme now knew that there was no reason for Anakin to begrudge the respect and love Obi-Wan received from others. It had been earned.

"Here we are." Obi-Wan gestured for Padme to enter the room first. Seeing the Room of a Thousand Fountains for the first time was a special occasion. He expectantly studied her face for her reaction.

Padme looked around and gaped. The room couldn't even really be called a room it was so massive! It was breathtaking! It almost had the feel of a tropical rain forest, but without the stifling humidity. There literally were fountains of every size and shape imaginable. All the fountains were connected by streams of water, bubbling and flowing over rocks and down inclines. Small arched bridges allowed passage over the streams. The fountains and the pathway were surrounded by tropical trees, ferns and bushes. "Oh, Obi-Wan, it's magnificent!"

Obi-Wan grinned at her. "This isn't even the best part!" He decided to take her the long way round to the highlight of the room.

Padme tightened her hold on his arm as they started down the curving path. "How in the world can you top this?"

"You'll see." Obi-Wan breathed in the clean, crisp air. Entering this room always rejuvenated him. He set a deliberately slow pace, wanting to lengthen his time with Padme in this peaceful setting. "This is probably my favorite place in the entire Temple. I've always loved it in here. There's nothing like the sound of water to bring about a sense of inner quiet and contentment."

"I know what you mean. I would spend hours by the waterfalls on Naboo. It gave me a good place to clear my mind and think things over. I can't tell you how much I've missed that since being here on Coruscant."

Obi-Wan smiled knowingly at her. "What? You don't find our great city planet calming or quiet?"

Padme chuckled. "Not exactly!"

"Any time you would like to come here, feel free."

"Thank you. That means a lot." Padme had the feeling that she was going to need to clear her head and think about things while she was here. Walking arm in arm with Obi-Wan through this idyllic setting felt like something out of fairytale. She never wanted these moments to end. And that, in and of itself, could be a problem.

Obi-Wan was thoroughly enjoying this quiet time with Padme, despite the fact that he really needed to get back to the Ops room. He felt very content in her company – in a way that was quite unexplainable to him. "I'm probably going to be getting home late today."

Padme had a feeling that was coming. "Remember that Mace and Yoda are joining us for dinner this evening."

"I remember. Will 7:00 be too late?"

"No. I'll try to time it so that dinner is ready right when you get home."

Obi-Wan smiled softly. "Thank you." He was thoughtful for a moment. "I met with the head of the Republic Adoption Network this morning."

"How did it go?"

"We had a bit of a disagreement on how best to go about finding Kira a home. She wants to use my name to draw attention to Kira's plight, which is something I'm not willing to do."

Padme studied his pensive face. "Not even if it would increase the chances of her being adopted?"

"The focus of the media attention would be on me, not on Kira. And that wouldn't really help her."

"Ah, I see." Padme did understand. The media would probably focus all their attention on how wonderful Obi-Wan was for helping Kira, leaving Kira's plight as a mere footnote. "But the media could still be useful in helping her to find a home."

Obi-Wan grinned mischievously. "Which is why I suggested that SHE go to the media to bring attention to Kira's situation and keep my name out of it."

"I should have known you would think of that." Padme sighed contentedly as they strolled. "How is the search for the boys' parents going?"

"I've been in contact with Naylon's Prime Minister and two of the senators. They assure me that finding their parents will be a 'high priority.'" Obi-Wan rolled his eyes at that. "In politician-ese, that means 'when I get around to it.'"

Padme giggled. "You really do love politicians, don't you?"

"Is it that obvious?" Obi-Wan grinned at her. "But I plan to make quite a nuisance of myself. They'll get to the point where they'll be willing to do just about anything to get rid of me." Obi-Wan could tell that they were getting close to the others. "Prepare yourself for the highlight of the Room of a Thousand Fountains."

Padme could hear the sound of rushing water. It sounded like there was a waterfall. As they headed down a small incline, the sight that opened up before them took her breath away. It was an indoor lake! And there WAS a good-sized waterfall that poured over huge rock formations and into the lake. All of the streams that meandered through the room fed into the lake from various locations, creating smaller waterfalls. She could see the shallows and also where it dropped off into deeper water. The lake was encompassed by many varieties beautiful plants and flowers.

Obi-Wan enjoyed watching Padme's reaction. "I bet that someone is thinking of Naboo right now."

Padme turned her happy smile to her friend. "As a matter of fact, I am. The beauty of this place is almost enough to make me think that I'm back home."

"Obi-Wan!" This time it was Devin who ran and made a flying leap into his arms. "Yoda said that we can go swimming in here sometime! Will you and Padme take us? Huh? Will ya?"

Obi-Wan chuckled as James and Kira ran over and joined in the pleading. "Okay, okay! I promise we'll take you swimming."

Padme leaned in towards Obi-Wan and whispered, "You old softie…"

Obi-Wan tried to look indignant. "Old?"

"Okay, young softie!"

"That's better." Obi-Wan nodded as Yoda and Mace came up to them.

"Enjoy visiting the Creche, did you?" Yoda looked rather pleased with himself, as he already knew the answer.

"I did very much. I learned a lot." Padme turned back to Obi-Wan with a sly smile. "Do you have any pictures of yourself as a child?"

Obi-Wan gazed at Padme with a questioning look. "A few. I'll have to see if I can find them." He had to wonder what that particular smile meant.

"Some pictures of Obi-Wan, I also have." Yoda looked quite happy. "Bring them tonight, I will."

Obi-Wan opened his mouth to question the tiny Master about those pictures, but didn't get the chance. Yoda quickly floated up the path towards the exit. "See you tonight, I will," he called back.

Mace gazed at the disappearing form with narrowed eyes. That little troll is up to something!

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When Obi-Wan got home that evening, Yoda and Mace were already there. He looked at the chrono. 7:20. Blast! The table was all set and everything looked ready. Obi-Wan greeted everyone, but made a beeline for the kitchen. Padme was obviously working to keep everything warm. Obi-Wan felt terrible! "Padme?"

Padme looked up after closing the oven door. She looked a tad frazzled. "Oh, good, you're home!"

"I'm so sorry I'm late! I was on a call that ran long. I should have kept a better watch on the time."

Padme could tell that Obi-Wan really felt bad for being late. "It's okay, Obi-Wan, I understand. Don't worry about it."

Obi-Wan was relieved by her graciousness. "It smells wonderful!"

Padme gave him a wry smile. "What, no wisecracks about my cooking?"

Obi-Wan grinned at her. "I figure I better not push it."

Padme chuckled. "Good choice." She started to get everything back out of the oven. Obi-Wan quickly moved to help her. Together they set everything out on the table. "Dinner's ready."

Obi-Wan eyed the children as they hurried over to the table. "Some of us need to wash our hands first." The children moved quickly to obey. He followed close behind to wash his own hands.

Yoda and Mace had watched the entire scene with interest. Mace glanced at Yoda, who had a warm smile on his face. Mace shook his head in amazement. In such a short time together, they seemed completely comfortable with one another and their situation. They were acting like a family! But more than that, they were acting like they'd been a family for a long time.

After an enjoyable dinner, everyone adjourned to the living room, with the exception of Obi-Wan and Mace, who volunteered to clean the kitchen. Padme sat eagerly near Yoda on the sofa. "You said you were going to bring pictures of Obi-Wan?"

"Oh, yes." Yoda used the Force to call a holodisk from the coffee table. "Many pictures of Obi-Wan I have, from an infant up to the present."

Padme grinned. She didn't know why she was so excited about this! The children gathered around, also excited to see the pictures. Padme leaned in as Yoda turned on the holodisk and displayed the first picture. She immediately recognized the eyes. They were just as vibrant as a baby! "What a cutie!"

James wrinkled his brow. "He sure didn't have a lot hair, though."

Yoda chuckled. "Slow to come in, his hair was."

Padme could just see the reddish colored peach fuzz on his head. "How old was Obi-Wan when he first came to the Temple?"

"Four months old." Yoda displayed the next picture.

Padme guessed him to be about six months old. He had a bit more hair. The next picture was at his one-year birthday party, thrown by the Creche leaders. He had a beautiful smile, even then. The pictures then went into Obi-Wan's toddler years. Padme thought he looked absolutely angelic!

Mace and Obi-Wan came out of the kitchen and moved into the living area. Obi-Wan paused when he saw what had everyone's attention. "Oh, geez." Mace snickered at his friend's reaction. Obi-Wan hated being the center of attention.

Obi-Wan sat down next to Padme. Kira immediately plopped herself in his lap. Yoda was now on a picture of Obi-Wan at eight years of age. "Oh, boy, do I remember that day. That was the day we were to exhibit our science projects for the whole Temple to see. I was late and decided to run, even though my project was pretty bulky. I lost my balance and sent it flying down the stairs!"

Padme giggled behind her hand. "Oh, no! Were you able to make it up?"

Yoda poked his finger towards Obi-Wan. "Saw the whole thing, I did. Learned he did, not to run in the Temple!"

Obi-Wan snorted. "Boy, did I! Not only did I have to pick up, by hand, the gazillion scattered pieces of my destroyed project, but I also had to run three miles around the large exercise room AND do the entire project all over again!"

Mace smiled knowingly. "Yeah, Yoda always was a major task master! Believe me, I know!"

"Hmph. Needed it, you often did." Yoda hit the button to show the next picture.

Padme smiled at the young boy in the picture. Obi-Wan looked to be about eleven. He was adorable! She couldn't get over how sweet and innocent he looked. She glanced over at Obi-Wan, who had his chin resting lightly on Kira's head. Well, I guess some things never change.