Synopsis: Vaessa has her birthday, but she really doesn't want to acknowledge that fact.

I woke up, stretching. Today was going to be easy. No missions, no assignments, no distress calls... the best day ever. I got dressed and left my room. "Morning, Vaessa," Obi-Wan greeted.

"Morning, Obi-Wan," I replied. "No missions today."

"I know," Obi-Wan said. "What are you going to do?"

"Practise my sparring, meditate, catch up on some reading, that kinda stuff," I said.

Obi-Wan frowned. "Really?" he asked. "When Anakin was seventeen, he'd never spend his free time on jedi things. He'd always go exploring Corusant with his friends or something reckless like that."

"Yeah, well, Anakin was never really a normal jedi, was he?" I asked.

Obi-Wan nodded. "Good point."

I grabbed a cartoon of blue milk and began my trip to the archives. To my surprise, when I got there, I saw none other than Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano. "You know, you two are just about the last people I'd expect to see here," I told them as I sat down.

"Oh, did Obi-Wan send you here too?" Anakin asked, his eyes glazed over.

"No," I answered, pulling out my datapad. "I went here by choice."

"I don't get reading," Ahsoka said. "Why read when there are lives to be saved?"

"Don't go looking for trouble where there is none," I warned her. "It won't get you anywhere."

"Wouldn't you rather spar or something?" Ahsoka asked.

"Maybe later," I responded.

"Why?" Ahsoka asked. "Why not now?"

"Because I want a somewhat peaceful morning," I told her. "I don't want to have to think about combat until at least 1100. Speaking of which, since when are you two awake at 0730?"

"Since the 501st got into pranks," Ahsoka said darkly. "Hardcase and Fives have been waking us up at 0300 every day since Zygerria."

"That bad, huh?" Ahsoka and Anakin nodded. "Well, at least you don't have to go on a venator every day with Waxer and Boil."

"Most days," Anakin corrected me. "We have to put up with the 'prank squad' 24/7."

"How come?" I asked.

"We gave Rex keys to our quarters," Ahsoka said glumly. "Fives took them, and we still haven't been able to get them back."

"Ah," I said. "Have you tried the barracks, or..." Ahsoka opened her mouth, but just then a small blue youngling arrived in the archives, headed straight for me.

"Daniyelle!" I said happily, looking at my younger friend.

"Hey, Vaer," Daniyelle smirked. "Happy birthday."

"Birthday?" Anakin looked at me in shock. "You never said today was your birthday!"

"I told her," I said, gesturing to Ahsoka.

"You said your birthday was in a couple weeks," Ahsoka corrected me. "You never mentioned a precise date."

"Slipped my mind," I said through gritted teeth.

"How old are you turning?" Anakin asked.

"Anakin, are you dumb?" I asked. "I'm turning eighteen, as eighteen comes after seventeen. Basic knowledge."

"Hey, I had to be sure!" Anakin said. "Wait, you're turning eighteen? But you're still a padawan!"

"Oh, not this again," I groaned.

"I was a knight on my eighteenth birthday," Anakin boasted.

"I know, I was there," I snapped.

"I'm turning fourteen tomorrow," Daniyelle said. Yes, we have birthdays back to back. It's a really weird coincidence.

"I'm turning sixteen next month," Ahsoka said happily.

"I turned twenty seven months ago," Anakin said.

"Show off," Ahsoka smirked.

"How is that showing off?" Anakin asked.

"Please stop," I groaned.

"Stop what?" Daniyelle asked at the same time both Ahsoka and Anakin said 'why'. Oh force.

"Just stop going on about birthdays," I told them. "I'm very much over it at this point."

"How can you be over your birthday?" Anakin asked.

"In my clan, we never celebrated birthdays," Ahsoka informed us. "I don't think Kel Dors celebrate them. So technically, I was always over it."

"Look, eighteen years old... it's just not the biggest deal for me, okay?!" I snapped, and I left to go to the practise hall. Suddenly, I was ready to spar.

"Do you mind - ah - telling me - ah - what you're so upset - whoa!" Emeryx ducked a particularly powerful blow.

"I don't wanna talk about it," I snapped, swinging my lightsaber at him. I won with him at my knees and my lightsaber at his neck. The ratio between the two of us has become more level over the years, but I'm still lightyears better than him.

"Okay," he said, getting up. "But, does it have anything to do with Dooku, or..."

"No," I said immediately.

"Oh - okay," Emeryx said.

I sighed. It guessed it wasn't his fault. "To everyone else, my birthday is the anniversary of the day I was born," I said quietly. "But to me, it's the anniversary of the day my life took a huge turn for the worse."

I left, running to my room. I sat down on my bed and pulled out my treasure box. Every jedi has one, it's where you 'store away your attachments'. I didn't have many storable attachments, so I didn't have many things in my box, but I did have a couple. The medallion my birth parents left me and a lock of Daniyelle's hair. Apparently, it's a symbol where she's from. Where she's from, the holder of your hair is your brother or sister - sibling adoption, if you will.

I closed the box and put it back. I never knew my parents, and I never needed to. Or I would tell myself I didn't.

"Ahem?" Daniyelle was standing in the doorway, looking sheepish.

I nodded. "Come in," I told her.

She sat on my desk chair, looking at her surroundings. "You have a very tiny room," she commented.

I laughed. "Yeah, that's being a padawan for you."

"Very cramped spaces, or..." she looked at me for elaboration.

"Getting less than you got as a youngling," I said softly. "Even if you were promised more..."

She frowned. "Uh... okay?" she sighed. "Look, I know why you don't like celebrating your birthday, but... could you at least try to have fun?" she paused. "For me?"

I looked at her, slightly annoyed. She knew I couldn't say no if she says that. "For you," I promised.

Her face lit up in a bright smile. "Come with me!"

I followed her down corridors to a room I recognized as the Dewback practise hall, except the lights were out. "Uh, okay...?" I asked.

"Surprise!" three different voices cried out, and the lights flicked on to reveal Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka Tano.

My eyebrows shot up. "You're joking," I said.

"Nope," Ahsoka said.

I looked at them. "You know this is drop dead cringy, right?"

"Yup," Ahsoka laughed.

I looked at Daniyelle. "Did you plan this?" I asked.

She nodded. "Yep," she said proudly.

"I helped," Anakin said.

"I'd say we make a pretty good team," she said, and they fist-bumped.

"Well, that's a nightmare in the making if I ever saw it," I said.

"Happy birthday, Vaessa," Obi-Wan said, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Thank you, master," I said happily.

"Am I even gonna try to get why you don't like your birthday out of you?" Ahsoka asked.

"Nope," I answered.

She smiled. I smiled. And, for the first time in eighteen years, I had a good birthday celebration.