Hey all! I'm still alive and writing, I promise. Sorry it's been a while. I've had to step in to many different roles at work because of Covid cases and I've been completely exhausted. Every time I thought I'd have time to write I got called in last minute and ended up not being able to. And, by the time I got home I was so tired that I'd fall asleep at the computer ? Anyways, I finally found the time and got it done!

Summary: Iyla teams up with Anakin and Ahsoka to give Obi-Wan a lifeday party. Iyla goes on a search for the perfect present and Anakin learns that doing projects with a 5-year-old is exhausting and a lot harder than he anticipated.

This chapter is suuuuper fluff and cheesy cuteness. I felt like we all deserved it after the rollercoaster of the last two chapters. So, enjoy some sappy family time! Also Iyla's behavior was largely inspired by the 5-year-olds I had to step in and teach to for the last two weeks.

Chapter 10: Papa's Party

Anakin and Ahsoka were talking quietly at the kitchen table while Iyla played on the floor in the living room. They'd been talking for a while and she noticed that their heads were close together as if they were trying to keep a secret. Iyla was curious and tried to listen in to hear them but was too far away. Slowly and carefully she picked up her dolls and moved closer to the pair hoping to get in on their secret. Neither Jedi noticed her and she smiled to herself, pleased that she was successful in her sneakiness. She leaned in and listened carefully.

"You know he doesn't like to make a big thing of it," Anakin said.

"I know, but it's his first official one after the war and after everything calmed down. And last year was a bit hectic because of Iyla's arrival," Ahsoka replied.

"I'm pretty sure last year he forgot," Anakin chuckled.

"All the more reason to do something this time. Nothing big. But we can at least acknowledge it. Master Obi-Wan deserves to have something done for his lifeday," Ahsoka insisted.

Iyla froze. It was her Papa's lifeday? Why did she not know? And last year he forgot? How does someone forget their lifeday? Did he at least get any presents or cake? Did anyone sing to him?

She suddenly felt sad that her Papa had missed his lifeday last year and didn't get to celebrate. She got to have a nice party for her lifeday but he didn't. That wasn't fair. She frowned as she pretended to play with her Twi'lek doll and kept listening.

"I agree, Snips, but Obi-Wan doesn't like a lot of attention. He doesn't even like celebrating his lifeday. He says it's unnecessary and frivolous. You know how he can be when it comes to personal things. He'd rather throw someone else a party than have one for himself," Anakin said.

Ahsoka scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Typical Obi-Wan," she said affectionately.

"But then again this is a milestone lifeday. Forty standard is a big deal and Force knows he deserves to be doted upon for once," Anakin said looking thoughtful.

"So, you're considering it?" Ahsoka asked looking excited.

"Maybe. Nothing too big though. We don't want to scare him off."

"Of course not, Master. Nothing big. Just a small get together," Ahsoka agreed.

"Ok, start brainstorming and we'll talk more about it later. We have about two weeks so there's time," Anakin replied.

Iyla looked up from her spot on the floor and smiled widely. "We gonna give Papa a party?" she asked.

Anakin and Ahsoka looked at each other warily. They planned to keep the "party" a secret and that would be very difficult if they let a 5-year-old in on the process. But on the other hand, she'd probably find out anyways. Maybe they could get all the arrangements done before she spilled the beans and Obi-Wan found out. Then it would be too late for him to do anything about it anyway.

Anakin turned to Iyla. "Yeah, kiddo. We're planning on it," he replied.

"Cool! Papa's gonna get lotsa pwesents and cake and it's gonna be so much fun!" Iyla said excitedly.

"Whoa, whoa, kiddo. It's not going to be a big party like you had for your lifeday. Obi-Wan doesn't like big things like that. We're just going to invite a small group of friends and probably have some food and such."

"No cake, Unka An'kin?" Iyla asked looking shocked. "And no pwesents?"

"Maybe some dessert," Ahsoka suggested. "And I guess people can bring presents if they want."

"I'm gonna get Papa the bestest pwesent ever! And we gonna have yummy bezert! He's gonna love it! I'm so esited!" Iyla said bouncing in anticipation and smiling widely.

"Ok, little one. Calm down," Anakin chuckled. "I'm glad you're excited but we have to keep it a secret."

"A secret?" Iyla asked.

"Yes, a secret. We don't want Master Obi-Wan to know, so it can be a surprise," Ahsoka answered.

"He hates surprises though," Anakin said.

"Well, we can't tell him or else he'd find an excuse to not come. Better to keep him in the dark. As much as he may not like it," Ahsoka replied. "So, we need to make sure he doesn't find out, ok kiddo?" she asked turning to Iyla.

"I not tell him, Soka. Pwomise!" Iyla said seriously, sticking out her pinky.

Ahsoka smiled and locked pinkies with the girl and Anakin reached over and did the same. Both of them traded skeptical looks, not convinced that she won't say anything, but there wasn't much they could do about it anymore.

"Ok, so we have our assignments," Anakin said. "Ahsoka and I will work on details."

"And me, Unka An'kin? What's my signment?" Iyla asked.

"Your assignment little one, is to make sure your Papa doesn't find out."

Iyla looked disappointed. "But I wanna help you and Soka wif Papa's party."

"I'm not sure how you can help, kiddo," Anakin replied.

"Ok," Iyla said sadly lowering her head.

"But, maybe Anakin and I can think of a job for you," Ahsoka spoke up, not able to stand the sad look on the little girl's face.

"Really?" Iyla asked looking up hopefully.

"Yeah, we'll figure something out," Ahsoka answered.

Iyla smiled widely and clapped her hands.

"In the meantime, though, your job is to make sure Obi-Wan doesn't find out about the party and to find him a great present. Sound good?" Anakin asked.

"Uh-huh! I'll do a good job, pwomise!"

"I know you will, little one," Anakin smiled.

"I'm gonna go fink of ideas," the 5-year-old said seriously. She grabbed her datapad and headed to the couch with determination.

Anakin and Ahsoka watched her go looking amused then turned back to their own planning.

Iyla had to be very sneaky to hide her planning for her Papa's present. She wasn't often left alone which didn't leave her time to do research. Instead she had to resort to slipping away for small moments and seeking out other Masters and friends of her Papa. That way she was always with a grown-up and was less likely to get in trouble. She praised herself for her cleverness and pulled out her small datapad from her robe. Each crècheling was issued a datapad suitable for little hands and growing minds. Iyla loved it and had already figured out how to use it to store ideas for her Papa's party and present.

She looked down at her pad and the list she'd written about some of her Papa's favorite things.

Tee, reedig, cowsl, saybrs, gardins, berdgrs, caff fuj, Mama, Iyla

Her first bit of research came when she decided to learn more about tea. Master Windu and Master Billaba agreed to help her. They told her it was best to leave Master Yoda out of the conversation though because her Papa really doesn't like Master Yoda's tea choices. They gave her a list of some of her Papa's favorite teas and a few that were close to his favorites that he might like to explore. Master Billaba even suggested a few tea mixtures that might be fun to try too.

The problem was that she wasn't allowed to play with her Papa's tea and she didn't have any credits to buy the new kinds the Masters were talking about. In the end, she thanked them for their time but left slightly disappointed.

A visit to the Archives and a chat with Madame Nu didn't seem to help Iyla either. It wasn't special to get him any books since he could come anytime and load them on to his pad whenever he wants. Madame Nu was fond of Iyla though and made sure she didn't leave the Archives completely empty handed. She loaded some children's stories and fun folklore books on to Iyla's pad and sent her on her way.

Since she had no money and no way of leaving the temple to buy anything, Iyla had to reluctantly cross off the nerfburgers and caff fudge from her list. Maybe someone else would bring her Papa those.

After talking to Master Alann about how Jedi get their sabers, Iyla was disheartened once again. Jedi get their lightsabers when they are young and usually don't get new ones unless they break or get lost. She knew her Papa still had his and didn't need a new one. But maybe he wanted a different color. Master Alann just smiled at her question though and told her it didn't quite work that way either. The colors come from a crystal and the crystals come from a far away planet and have to be picked by the Jedi themselves. Iyla's shoulders slumped at this since there was no way she would be able to leave the temple to go to a planet for a crystal. And she couldn't even pick it herself. How was it supposed to be a secret if her Papa had to pick his crystal? That night she pulled out her pad and sadly crossed sabers off her list as well.

She sought out Masters Koon and Fisto the next day to ask them about what she could do to give her Papa a present that had to do with the Council. He went there everyday and stayed for a long time, so he had to like being there. Maybe there was something she could give him to help him like it more.

Both Masters were nice and tried to be as helpful as possible but they were having a hard time coming up with ideas. Master Koon steered her away from the idea of a blanket, teasing that her Papa would just fall asleep during meetings if he had a blanket to cuddle with. Iyla giggled at the thought and agreed. She then thought about making his red chair prettier and the seat more comfy but Master Fisto said that his seat won't always be his seat and would be given to someone else when he gets too old to be a Councilor one day. Iyla thought that this was a very real possibility as her Papa had already started to get some white hairs on his head and that was a clear sign that he was indeed getting old. She'd also learned a hard lesson about making pillows prettier the year before in the crèche with her friends. She didn't think Master Yoda would be happy if she painted cushions again.

During her next trip to the gardens, Iyla was determined to finally find something for her Papa's present. She knew the gardens were his favorite place and she had a feeling she'd figure out what to do when she was there. She spent a long time walking around and collecting flowers, colorful leaves, and even some pretty rocks, sticking them in her robe pocket along with some dirt. Her plan was to put the dirt in a pot then plant the flowers in it so they could grow big and tall. Then she'd add the leaves and rocks around the bottom to make it look pretty.

Iyla's pockets were bulging with various types of foliage by the time she got back to her friends and her face was lit up in an excited smile. She told them of her plans and showed them her findings from all around the garden. But Shona looked to Flynn who looked the Nari and they all looked back at her with sad faces.

"The flowers are already dead, Iyla," Shona said gently.

"You can't plant them if they got taken from the ground," Nari echoed.

"Only seeds can make flowers grow," Flynn replied. "Those flowers are just gonna got flat in the pot."

Iyla's happy face crumbled into despair at her friends' words and tears came to her eyes. She was so excited because she thought she'd finally found the perfect present for her Papa's lifeday, but somehow she'd failed again. With a loud sniffle and a small hiccup she reached into her pockets and started throwing the dirt, leaves, and flowers on the ground in front of her. Her friends tried to discourage her and tell her that she could still give her Papa the flowers but she wasn't listening. She gave an angry huff and a hard stomp on a crunchy leaf then ran from them and hid behind a large rock next to the fountain to give into her sadness in private.

Iyla sat and cried, hugging her dirt smudged knees to her chest and putting her grass stained and filthy hands over her eyes. The gardens were the last thing on her list of ideas for her Papa's present but now she had to cross that off too. How was she going to get him the best present if she had no more ideas left? She felt a long pointy rock she'd picked up pushing uncomfortably against her leg through her robe and she reached into her pocket to take it out. Looking at it again, she realized that it wasn't even as pretty as she first thought it was. What kind of present was a rock anyways? Her Papa deserved something special and a pointy ugly rock wasn't special at all. She scowled at the rock and threw it with all her might into the pond at the base of the fountain. It hit the water with a satisfying plop.

"Ow!" a voice exclaimed suddenly.

Iyla looked up in surprise and saw Master Eerin rising up from the water and rubbing her head.

"Who threw that?" she asked looking around.

Iyla's eyes widened in fear. She'd hit the Master when she threw the rock into the pond and probably hurt her. She bit her lip anxiously and waited to be scolded for her carelessness.

"Iyla?" Master Eerin asked. "Did you throw something in the pond?"

The 5-year-old's lip trembled and she nodded miserably. "A…r-rock, Masser," she replied. "S-Sowwy. I not know you was in t-there," she cried.

Bant's face softened and she climbed out of the pond to approach the little girl. "Hey, it's ok, Iyla. I'm not mad. You didn't mean to hurt me, I know."

"I…I frowed the rock cuz I was mad and sad. But I know good Jedi not 'sposed to let their 'motions get the best a them. Sowwy I hurted you cuz I'm a bad Jedi," Iyla apologized and lowered her head to her knees.

Bant carefully sat down next to Iyla and put a hand on her shoulder. She watched as the girl wiped her eyes to get rid of her tears, smearing dirt across her face.

"Everyone gets sad, little one," Bant began. "It doesn't make you a bad Jedi or a bad girl."

"But I'm not a good girl, Masser Eewin. I'm bad at finding pwesents for Papa and I don't got anymore ideas," Iyla sniffled.

"Presents for your Papa?"

"Yeah, his lifeday is soon and I wanna get him the bestest and most specialest pwesent ever! But I got no more ideas on my list."

"Can I see your list, Iyla? Maybe I can help. Your Papa and I were best friends growing up. I know him pretty well," Bant said.

"Ok, Masser Eewin," Iyla said reaching into her pocket for her datapad.

She pulled it out and her tears nearly started again when she saw it covered in dirt and grime from the soil and plants she had in her pocket.

"Oh no! My pad's all dirty! Papa and Masser Al-an gonna be mad! Then Papa's gonna take it and see all my ideas for his pwesent and his party. Then Soka and Unka An'kin gonna be mad cuz the secret will be ruined!" Iyla looked up at Bant in a panic. "Uh-oh, I not 'sposed to tell anyone about the party! I pwomised Soka I keep it quiet. But...but now I spoiled the beans and…and…" she trailed off and began to sob.

"Oh, little one, shhh, it's ok," Bant soothed scooting closer to her side.

"I always m-mess fings u-up!" Iyla wailed. "That's why I'm b-bad! I'm not good at secrets a-and I'm not good at p-pwesents and I'm not good at m-motions and now P-Papa's lifeday is gonna be bad c-cuz of me!"

"Nonsense, Iyla. Your Papa is going to love his lifeday and his present. No matter what you give him because it comes from you."

"B-But my ideas are all g-gone," the 5-year-old said waving around her dirt covered pad.

"Can I see this?" Bant asked reaching for it.

Iyla sniffled and nodded wiping more dirt and tears across her face. She watched as Bant gently shook the pad and wiped it clean then tapped the screen. She brought up the list and smiled at the childish spellings of some of Obi-Wan's favorite things. All but two had been crossed out and her grin grew wider when she saw the last ones on the list. She suddenly had an idea.

"Not all of your ideas are gone, Iyla," she said pointing to the screen.

"But it just says Mama and Iyla. Mama went away to the Force and I'm wif Papa all the time. That's not special."

"I think he'd feel differently, young one," Bant smiled.

"But it's not. I'm not a pwesent. And I wanna give Papa a good pwesent cuz he's the bestest Papa in the galazy and I love him times a billion. And a billion is lots and lots!"

"Hmm, that is a lot, you're right."

"And I not got any credits for tea or burdgers or fudge and Papa can get books easy from the Argives. I not allowed to leave the temple to get a new crystal and I gotted in trouble for painting cushins in the crush so I not fink Masser Yoda be happy if I paint Papa's cowsul chair. And the flowers I picked was dead so I not be able to plant them so now I gots only stupid ugly rocks," Iyla replied taking out three rocks from her pocket and scowling at them as if they'd personally offended her.

"Do you like painting, Iyla?" Bant asked.

"Yes. But I not very good at it. But my Manlorian friend Sabine gived me some paints for Yule so I can practice."

"I might have an idea of a present for your Papa," Bant said.

"You do, Masser Eewin?" Iyla asked looking at her with hopeful eyes.

"Yes. It involves painting and you and your Mama. And maybe these ugly rocks too," Bant teased.

"Papa not gonna want rocks," Iyla said wrinkling her nose.

"The first present your Papa ever got from Master Qui-Gon was a rock. He still has it too."

"Ganpa Qwi gived Papa a rock?" Iyla asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes," Bant laughed. "And it's very special to him. Just as these will be when we are done."

"How?" Iyla asked.

"Well, in order to answer that question, we need to go see a friend of mine. They live here in the temple. Would you like to go see them?"

"Yes please, Masser," Iyla replied.

"Great. Let's get you cleaned up though," she smiled indicating to her dirt smudged face. "You have dirt everywhere."

Iyla giggled then took her hand and followed her to the pond.

"Ok, Iyla. Ahsoka and I found a very important job for you. This is going to be very helpful for the party," Anakin told Iyla a few days later.

"What is it Unka An'kin?" she asked practically vibrating with anticipation.

"You, little one, are going to be in charge of inviting the guests to the party," he replied.

"Wow, cool! But…how do I do that? I not know all of Papa's friends and I not have time to see them all."

"We don't either so we're sending out invitations to them. That's what you're going to help us with," Ahsoka said.

"I'm helping wif ivitashins?"

"Yes, it's a very important job," Ahsoka said. "Do you think you can do it?"

Iyla nodded seriously and looked at her with wide eyes. "Yes, Soka. I can do it."

"Good girl," Anakin smiled. "Now, here's what we want to do with the invitations. We plan to send them through the temple holonet system to the different comms of your Papa's friends. And they're going to be sent by you."

Iyla frowned and looked disappointed. "But I not know how to use the holonet and I not spell or write so good. Will you help me, Unka An'kin?"

"Of course we'll help you, kiddo. But you won't be writing anything. Ahsoka and I want to do a holovid invitation. It's more personal."

"Plus who can resist an invitation to a party from a cute little kid?" Ahsoka asked with a smirk.

"I'm gonna make a video?" Iyla asked looking excited.

"Yes, and I'll tell you what to say so you just have to repeat after me. We'll do as many tries as we need to. I'll go through and edit it to get the best takes later," Anakin said.

"Ok, we gonna do it now?" Iyla asked.

"Yeah, but let's try to do something with your hair and maybe straighten your clothes a bit. You look like you rolled around the crèche playroom all afternoon," Ahsoka said leading her to the 'fresher.

"I did," Iyla replied.

"Well that explains it. Come on, let's go tame that hair."

"Papa says it's a loss coz. That means it not be gonna be fixed no matter how hard we try," Iyla told her looking resigned.

Ahsoka laughed and pulled her along anyways.

After several attempts to style the wild curls, Ahsoka deemed Iyla's hair as acceptable as it was going to get and brought her back out to the Skywalker/Tano living room where Anakin was setting up a holocamera. He directed Iyla to stand a few feet away and adjusted the lens a bit. Ahsoka straightened Iyla's tunic and fixed her belt then stood back to get out of the shot.

"Alright, kiddo. Let's go over what you're going to say," Anakin said.

"Ok," Iyla replied.

"Let's start with: 'Greetings, this is Iyla Kenobi,'" he said.

"That's easy," Iyla smiled widely. She looked at the camera and made sure to stand straight and still. "Gweetings, this is Iyla Kenobi," she said then gave a wave after seeing Anakin make the gesture for her to do so.

"Great job, kiddo. Now let's keep going. The next part is: 'requesting the honor of your presence at the lifeday party for my Papa, Obi-Wan Kenobi.'"

Iyla's confidence slipped away in the face of the big words and long sentence but she raised her head and decided to try her best. "Kwesting the honor of pwesents at the…uh…lifeday party…uh…"

"Let's take it a few words at a time," Ahsoka suggested. "Try: 'requesting the honor of your presence.'"

"Kwesting the honor of pwesents."

"Of your presence," Anakin corrected.

"Kwesting the honor of your pwesents."

"No, not 'presents,' little one, presence," Anakin said.

"Pwesents."

"Presence," he said emphasizing the 's' sounds.

"Pwesentssss," Iyla replied.

Ahsoka covered her mouth to hide her giggles and shook her head. This was going to take a while. They hadn't even finished a sentence yet. Force help them.

Several hours, two meltdowns (only one of them Iyla), and a lot of editing later, Anakin and Ahsoka were finally satisfied with the holovid invitation. They sat in the living room long after Obi-Wan had come to pick up Iyla and watched the recording one last time before they would send it off to everyone. Anakin pushed the projection button and the video played out before them.

A grinning holovid Iyla stood still and straight in front of them looking every inch the proper Jedi youngling she tried so hard to always be. She looked at the camera and began her speech.

"Gweetings, this is Iyla Kenobi," she said as she waved, "kwesting the honor of your pwesents at the lifeday party for my Papa, Obee Kenobi. The party will be on Saturday at five pee emm in the Cowsul Chammers. You can bring a gift if you wanna but it's not qwired. There will be food and drinks and it's gonna be lots and lots a fun. You not gonna wanna miss it!" she exclaimed with a shake of her head.

"Please R-ess-deev-pee to the comm nummer below," she said as she pointed down with both of her fingers, "and tell my Unka An'kin you gonna come."

"I hope to see you there! Oh and member, it's a secret," she said putting a finger to her lips and making a 'shh' sound, "so pwomise to not tell Papa!"

"Fank you and May the Force be wif you!"

She finished with a bow, a bright smile, and a tiny wave. Then she looked up and away from the camera and asked, "Did I do good, Unka An'kin?" before the recording stopped.

Ahsoka sat back and smiled looking satisfied. "I think it's perfect," she said.

"I'm still not sure about that last part. I feel like I should edit it out," Anakin said with a slight frown.

"No, Master. It's more endearing and real that way. Plus it's adorable. People are going to be hard pressed to turn down an invitation from a dimpled 5-year-old with a cute speech impediment."

Anakin sighed and agreed before sending the video off to his list of guests.

Obi-Wan was simultaneously insulted and amused at the lengths Anakin, Ahsoka, and Iyla were going to to ensure he wouldn't find out about the party they were planning for his lifeday. Insulted because they must really think him dim if he couldn't figure it out after all the obvious signs and terrible cover-ups. Amused because they actually thought they were being sneaky. Anakin was probably the least subtle person he had ever met and Ahsoka wasn't far behind. Although it wasn't really Iyla's fault. She was only five after all. In her mind, storing special notes and ideas on her datapad under the title "Papa's Seecrit Partee" was the ultimate act of discretion. She likely never considered or was even aware of the fact that he took her datapad from her bag every night and scanned though it to keep up with her schooling and special notes from her Crèchemasters.

One night he'd noticed it was dirtier than usual and he shook his head in exasperation. What had she done with it? Dipped it in mud? He wiped it off and then sat down to look through it. The first thing to pop up was Iyla's list of ideas and he chuckled. So that was what they'd been up to for the past week. He knew they were hiding something from him but he wasn't sure exactly what it was. A lifeday party. Great. He hated parties. Especially if they were for him. He thought about confronting them about it and demanding they drop all their plans but it seemed as if Iyla was pretty heavily involved and he couldn't stand to disappoint her by ruining everything. He sighed and resigned himself to attending the much dreaded party then went back to checking the rest of her pad.

A week later he knew the day had come. Iyla was vibrating with excitement and couldn't sit still all through dinner. Master Alann had said she was very unfocused and distracted during lessons also. He caught Anakin and Ahsoka's eyes from across the table and they both looked away quickly and awkwardly, clearly trying to keep from saying anything on accident. Anakin was fidgeting with his napkin, a sure fire sign that he was nervous, and Ahsoka kept bringing her hand up to rub her left lekku, a habit he'd noticed over the years that indicated she had something to hide. Oh, yes. Today was definitely the day.

He played the oblivious Master and Papa for their sakes and smiled to himself when all three of them exhaled in relief that he didn't start questioning them. He had to seem a bit interested and suspicious though when they started to head for the Council Chambers after dinner.

"Where are we going?" he asked warily. "Why aren't we heading back to our quarters?"

"You're needed in the Council Chambers, Master," Ahsoka said.

"The Council ended their session hours ago. And I didn't get a notification about another summons. What's going on?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Masser Window has'ta speak wif you. He tolded us," Iyla replied very convincingly. Should he be alarmed at how well his 5-year-old can tell a lie?

"Well, alright. Then go with Anakin and Ahsoka back to their quarters and I'll come get you later," he said.

"Ok, Papa," Iyla replied sweetly and took Anakin's hand.

Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes at them all suspiciously then turned to enter the chamber doors. He felt nervous anticipation for what he'd find on the other side. A room filled to the brim with people? Garish and bright decorations? An overabundance of unnecessary gifts? Cookies in the shape of his face? Ok so maybe that last one was a stretch but the first three were a very real possibility.

He could feel Anakin, Ahsoka, and Iyla lingering behind him but he paid them no attention. He hesitated for a second and took a deep breath before opening the doors and entering the dim room.

Obi-Wan was surprised when he wasn't immediately met with shouting and cheering. He stepped a bit farther in and called out hesitantly.

"Mace?" he asked. "Iyla said you needed to see me…"

"Come on in, Obi-Wan," Mace's voice called from the shadows.

"Aren't you going to turn on the lights? Or do you enjoy having ominous and creepy conversations in the dark?"

"You want the lights on?" Mace asked with a hint of amusement.

"Well, yes. I would think that wouldn't be a strange request."

"Alright. You heard him people, turn on the lights," Mace called out.

Obi-Wan flinched and covered his face when the bright lights switched on suddenly. When he had recovered he took a good look around the room. There were decorations and some gifts but they were modest and didn't seem too extravagant. The room also wasn't filled to the brim which he was extremely grateful for. And, although there were various desserts laid out, none of them were in the shape of his face. Perhaps this wouldn't be such a dreaded event after all.

"Happy Lifeday, Papa!" he heard Iyla squeal from behind him.

"A lifeday party?" he asked playfully. "You gave me a lifeday party?"

Iyla ran to his side and squeezed him tight around his middle. "Uh-huh! Me and Soka and Unka An'kin maked it. And it was a secret and we keeped it for a long long time. I not tell anyone and I never spoiled the beans for you, not one time!" she said excitedly.

"You are a very good secret keeper, little one. I'm very impressed that you didn't…spoil the beans, did you say?"

"Yep. It's when you tell a secret and ruin a sup'ise. But I didn't, Papa. I was good!"

Obi-Wan chuckled and ruffled her curls. "Yes, you were," he agreed.

Iyla beamed with pride and started leading him over to the big table of sweets in the center of the room chattering excitedly.

He was greeted enthusiastically by Cody, Rex, and the vode who all wished him a 'Happy Lifeday, General' and raised their glasses of an unknown but most likely alcoholic beverage in a toast to him.

He noticed that the guest list had been modest and he relaxed slightly. Although he didn't care for parties, at least it was with people he liked and considered family.

"Happy Lifeday Obes!" Quinlan shouted from across the room.

Obi-Wan winced and sighed. He loved Quin and considered him a close friend, but he was a complete maniac at parties.

"Thanks, Quin," he called back.

"I'll be calm tonight, promise," he winked.

Obi-Wan chuckled and raised an eyebrow.

"I will! Think of it as a lifeday present from me."

"Alright, Quin," Obi-Wan smiled.

"Do you like your party, Papa?" Iyla asked from next to him. "I avited all your friends."

"You invited?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Yeah, I sended out holovid ivitashins."

"You did?"

"Well, Unka An'kin sended them out but I maked the video," she said proudly.

"And a wonderful video it was," Kit complimented as he walked by.

"Yeah, I don't know how anyone could resist that invitation," Garen Muln replied.

"Garen!" Obi-Wan said in shock. "I thought you were off planet."

"Just got back yesterday, but I couldn't turn down one of the best invitations I've ever received. Plus I couldn't wait to see your face when you saw that you were being thrown a party," he said with a wink.

"You should watch it when you get a chance, Obi. It's pretty adorable," Reeft agreed.

"And Reeft too? Well, then I guess my little one's invitation was extremely special if it got my two oldest and most notably temple-absent friends to come. That must have been some video," Obi-Wan said smiling down at Iyla.

"It was," both men agreed and smiled at her as well.

Iyla ducked her head shyly. "Fank you, Massers…"

"Master Muln and Master Reeft," Obi-Wan prompted.

"Masser Mull and Masser Weef."

Both Masters chuckled and bowed to her.

"Siri sends her regards. She's on a diplomacy mission in the Core Worlds," Garen said with a wrinkled nose.

"I don't envy her in the slightest," Obi-Wan replied.

"The Negotiator doesn't like diplomacy missions?" Reeft asked.

"Just because I'm good at something doesn't mean I like it."

"Fair enough, my friend," Reeft replied with a pat to his back as he walked off to head to the snack table.

Obi-Wan stayed and talked with Garen for a few minutes but Iyla grew bored and skipped off to see Depa, Kit, Plo, and Mace instead who entertained her with stories about her Papa's past lifedays.

Soon the music started and the party officially kicked up. The atmosphere was warm and inviting and, despite his reluctance to be the center of attention, Obi-Wan allowed himself to bask a bit in his friends' and family's doting and affection.

Anakin sought him out while he leaned against a pillar and sipped his drink.

"Thanks for being so great about the party," he said. "I know you don't like a lot of attention and you hate surprises and parties, but Ahsoka and Iyla were so excited and I didn't have the heart to let them down."

"It's alright, Anakin," Obi-Wan said as he smiled affectionately at the two girls dancing in the center of the room. "Though I do remember saying that I didn't want anything done this year. I even told the Council myself because I knew a few of them were going to try to plan something."

"Yes, well, your fellow Council members and I recognized that you made a decision. But given that it was a stupid-ass decision, we elected to ignore it," Mace said as he came to stand next to them.

Anakin laughed and Obi-Wan scowled.

"Yeah, Mace, Plo, Kit, and Depa were all too excited to jump on board," Anakin replied.

"Typical," Obi-Wan scoffed.

"You are enjoying yourself though, right? I mean, if you're not having fun we can always end it early," Anakin said nervously.

"No, it's fine. I am having fun actually. You did a great job, thank you, Anakin," Obi-Wan replied.

"No problem, Master. You deserve it," Anakin replied and bumped his shoulder affectionately then immediately ran to the center of the room and scooped up Iyla to dance with her.

Obi-Wan watched fondly as his family laughed and spun around wildly to the music. Iyla's hands were in the air as Anakin twirled her around and Ahsoka bounced along next to them. The Force around them was content and happy and he let himself relax in the warmth and light permeating the room.

"You're a lucky man, my friend," Mace spoke up.

"Blessed, Mace. Very blessed," Obi-Wan replied with a wistful smile.

"Refill?" Mace asked holding out a pitcher.

"Tea?" Obi-Wan asked.

Mace nodded.

"The good kind?"

"If you mean the snooty flavors you always have, then yes, the 'good kind,'" Mace replied with an eyeroll.

Obi-Wan smirked and held out his cup.

After nearly 20 minutes of dancing and twirling around the chamber, Iyla came running up to her father looking excited. She was panting, her face red, strawberry blonde curls stuck to her forehead, and big blue eyes shining brightly.

"Unka An'kin said it's time for pwesents!" she said with a bounce.

Obi-Wan marveled at her energy and allowed himself to be dragged to his red council seat. He saw someone slip Iyla a cookie and wondered just how much sugar she'd had so far.

"Pwesents was not qwired but some people bringed them," she explained as she set down some colorfully wrapped packages at his feet. "Mine is this one!" she exclaimed pointing to a lopsided present covered in a patchwork of three different wrappings with flowers, speeders, and what looked like tooka cats. "I wrapped it all by myself. I not have any help!" she stated with a proud smile.

"Wonderful job, darling," Obi-Wan complimented. "Shall I open it first?" he asked.

Iyla nodded enthusiastically and placed the present in his hands. "I hope you like it," she said twisting her hands in her sleeves nervously.

Obi-Wan beckoned her to sit on his lap and ran a hand through her curls. "I'm sure it's lovely," he smiled.

Iyla watched anxiously as he unwrapped the paper and took out the gifts of three painted rocks and a handmade tea cup. When he didn't immediately comment Iyla jumped in to explain.

"Masser Eewin helped me make them, Papa. See, that's you on the rock wif your saber, and that's me and Bawney on the other one, and that's Mama on the last one and I writed our names wif the paint all by myself. I used the paints Sabine gived me and I did my very bestest even though I not that good at painting. And Masser Eewin's friend helped me make the cup and I degorated it too. I tried my hardest to make them nice," she rambled and looked away from him shyly.

"They're beautiful, my love," Obi-Wan said hugging her close and kissing her head. He sent her a wave of reassurance to soothe the anxiousness leaking out of her Force signature.

"You really like it?" Iyla asked with big eyes and a wide grin.

"I love them, dear. I can tell you worked very hard on them and you did so well."

"I fought a rock was a funny pwesent but Masser Eewin tolded me that Ganpa Qwi gived you a rock for a lifeday pwesent a long time ago and you liked it."

"That is true."

"So I listened to her and taked her idea. She said you guys been friends since you was little in the crush and that's a long long time so she knows you very well."

"Yes, she does," Obi-Wan replied smiling at Bant. "Did you ask her for ideas, love?"

"Well…kinda…"

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow.

"I actually frowed a rock and it hitted her. On assident!"

"Threw a rock?"

"Yeah, cuz I was mad and sad. I goed to lots a people for help wif your pwesent but it not work out. I not have any money for tea or fudge or burdgers and I not allowed to go to other planets wifout you so I not get you a new saber crystal and it easy to get new books from the Argives so that's no fun. And I not fink Masser Yoda be happy if I paint your cowsul chair plus Masser Fisto said it not gonna be your chair forever cuz when you get too old to be on the cowsul your chair gonna go to someone else. And you already gots some white hairs, Papa. Like here and here," she pointed to his temples and a few hairs on his chin. "So maybe that will be soon."

The group around them started to laugh and Obi-Wan made a sad face. "Are you calling me old, little one?" he asked as he tickled her sides.

Iyla laughed and twisted away. "No! Just that you gots white hair."

"Hmm, well I can think of a few people who gave me those white hairs," he mumbled, side-eyeing Anakin and Ahsoka who put on their most innocent faces.

"Did'ya see what I writed on the cup, Papa?" Iyla asked once she caught her breath.

Obi-Wan held up the brightly colored cup decorated in pink and purple flowers and hearts. "Galaxy's Bestest Papa," he read with a smile.

"Cuz you are! And you can bring it to the cowsul meetings and put your tea in it and use it when you read on the couch or when you medtate. And everyone gonna know that you the bestest Papa in the galazy!"

"And they'll know that I have the galaxy's best daughter as well," he whispered in her ear as he pulled her close to his side and kissed her cheek. "They're lovely presents, dear and I will love them forever."

Iyla turned and kissed his cheek as well then gave him a big hug. "Happy Lifeday, Papa. I love you," she whispered to him.

"And I love you, my little light. Forever and ever."

"Forever and ever," she replied.

Obi-Wan looked at the childish rock paintings and bright mug with misspelled words and backwards letters and smiled affectionately at them. Precious treasures from his baby girl that he'd cherish forever.

"Ok, now the other pwesents!" Iyla exclaimed once she let go. "Then bezert, then you dance wif me, Papa?"

"Of course, love," he replied.

"Yay! Ok, next one. Oooh this is pwetty paper!" she said thrusting a shiny package into his hands.

Obi-Wan turned to Bant who was standing over his shoulder and smiled at her.

"Thanks for helping her, Bant," he said.

"No problem, Obi. It was my pleasure. Anything for the daughter of my old friend," she smirked.

Obi-Wan made a face at her. "Shut up, Eerin. You're not far behind."

Bant laughed and playfully smacked his arm. "Open your presents, Kenobi."

Once all the presents were opened, it was time for dessert. No one was more excited for that than Iyla and she stood close to Obi-Wan's side as he picked out his favorite dessert from the table. He saw her little hand reach up and go for a brownie and he chuckled.

"How many sweets is this so far, little one?" he asked.

Iyla looked at him wide-eyed and smiled nervously. "Um…"

Obi-Wan laughed and put a brownie in her hand. "Last one, darling. Seriously," he said.

"Yes, Papa," Iyla replied sweetly.

"That goes for the rest of you too," he said turning to his friends. "No more sweets for Iyla, please. I will not have a repeat of the Council meeting incident."

Plo and Kit looked guilty and nodded their acceptance.

Obi-Wan was barely able to finish his cookie before Iyla was pulling him out to the center of the room to dance. He really wasn't a fan of dancing and especially not with an audience but there was no way he could resist those excited and sparkling blue eyes, blinding Force signature, and bouncing curls. He set aside his self-consciousness and took Iyla's hands in his as he started to twirl her around the floor. He had to bend slightly at the waist to move along with her and he winced slightly when she stood on his feet but he didn't dare let go or pull her off. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Anakin and Ahsoka pulling out their holocameras and he smiled to himself at their insistence to take pictures of everything.

"You a good dancer, Papa," Iyla said looking up at him.

"Thank you, dear one," he smiled.

As the music got slower their dance became more of a sway, he felt Iyla slumping against him a bit, clearly being lulled by the rocking motion. Obi-Wan smiled fondly down at her and chuckled to himself when he saw her starting to blink slowly. He leaned down and picked her up and felt her legs and arms wrap around him.

"Sleepy, my love?" he asked.

"Nuh-uh," she insisted.

Obi-Wan laughed and continued to sway and rock her to the music. "Maybe you'd like to lay down for a bit."

"Wanna stay at the party," the 5-year-old whined. "Keep dancin'."

He chuckled and readjusted her in his arms but never paused his dancing. The Force hummed happily around them and wrapped the pair in a loving embrace. Despite Iyla's insistence that she wasn't tired, he soon felt her head fall to his shoulder and her even breaths against his neck, the warmth and comfort of the Force pulling her into sleep. He craned his head to peer down at her and saw her completely passed out. Obi-Wan looked up and caught Anakin's eye and they both shared an amused smile. Carefully and gently he walked to his former Padawan and handed Iyla to him so he could go drop her off at the Skywalker quarters with Padme.

Iyla stirred slightly during the transfer and Obi-Wan shushed her. "It's just Uncle Anakin, sweetheart. He's going to take you to Auntie Padme to rest. I'll come get you when I'm done here, ok?"

"Party's over?" she mumbled.

Obi-Wan and Anakin shared a look. "Yeah, kiddo, almost," Anakin lied.

"Kay," she said then settled down against his chest.

"Come on, little one. Let's get you to your auntie so you can get some rest," Anakin said with a smile.

"Night night, Papa," she replied. "Kisses?" she asked drowsily.

Obi-Wan's heart melted at her sleepy voice and sweet question. He leaned over and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

"Goodnight, love. Sleep well," he said then watched as Iyla snuggled against her uncle as he carried her from the room.

Anakin returned to the Council Chamber to find everyone gathered around the center of the room watching a holovid. He noticed it was of Iyla's invitation and he smiled as he joined the group.

"She did a great job," he said coming to stand next to Obi-Wan.

"That is a lot of big words. I wonder how long it took to put this together," Obi-Wan replied.

"A very long time," Ahsoka interjected. "Plus we had to allow for meltdowns. Only one of them was Iyla," she smirked at Anakin.

Anakin leveled her with an epic glare.

"Meltdowns?" Obi-Wan asked. "Wish I could have witnessed those."

"Well, I only managed to catch two of them along with some great outtakes. Do you want to see?" Ahsoka asked.

"Oh, yes please," Obi-Wan grinned.

"We don't need to see those, Snips, really," Anakin said.

"Nonsense, Padawan. I'd love to see the process behind this wonderful video. Plus, it's my lifeday after all. Don't I get to call the shots?" Obi-Wan smirked.

"Brat," Anakin muttered and folded his arms across his chest.

"Skywalker can pout while we watch the outtakes," Quinlan said looking giddy in anticipation.

The rest of the group looked excited for it as well while Anakin scowled. Ahsoka picked up the holodisc in the center of the room and pushed a few buttons before putting it down again and backing away. Holographic Iyla stood there fidgeting with her tunic sleeves.

Anakin's off-screen voice spoke up. "Alright, kiddo. Let's try again. 'please RSVP to the comm number below,'" he prompted.

"Please R-des-eev-bee to the comm nummer-"

"No, kiddo. R-ess-vee-pee."

"R-ess-vee-pee."

"Good, now put it together. RSVP."

"RFDV."

"RSVP."

"R-ess-pee-vee."

"VP."

"Veeb-ee."

Irritation started to creep into Anakin's voice. "No, vee-pee. RS-vee-pee."

"R-ess-veed-pee"

An exasperated sigh. "I don't understand. You just said it like a minute ago."

"I can't, Unka An'kin! It's too hard!" Iyla said with a pout.

"No, it's not. Let's try again."

"But I don't wannnaaaa," Iyla whined.

"No whining, kiddo. You wanted to help."

"Not anymore. Wanna be done wif the video!"

"No, we're not finished yet," Anakin said firmly. "And we won't be finished until you get this right. Now, let's do it again."

Iyla's face crumpled and she burst into tears. "Please don't m-make me d-do it 'gain!" she sobbed.

"Oh, kark," Anakin muttered.

"Perhaps we should take a break, Master," Ahsoka's voice said from behind the camera.

Anakin appeared on the video bending to his knees and pulling Iyla into his arms. "Sorry, sweetheart. You're probably tired, huh? Want to take a break? Get a quick snack?"

"You g-gots muja cookies?"

"Yes, Padme bought a brand new box yesterday. Want some?"

"Yes please, U-Unka An'kin. Maybe a ch-choco stick too?" Iyla asked flashing her teary blue eyes and jutting out her lip in a pout.

Ahsoka paused the video and smirked at her Master while Obi-Wan shook his head and laughed. "She's got you wrapped, Padawan."

"She was freaking out, Master! Any sensible person would have caved," Anakin defended.

"Sure, General," Rex teased.

"Like you're one to talk," Anakin grumbled.

"Enough squabbling. Time for more outtakes," Garen said. "This is highly entertaining. Can't wait for Skywalker's meltdown."

Ahsoka pushed another button on the holodisc and several scenes played out before them.

Iyla getting distracted mid sentence. "Fank you and May the Force—oooh look at that pwetty birdie!" she exclaimed pointing to the window.

"So close," Anakin moaned.

Another scene of Iyla squirming and bouncing and Anakin's tired voice, "What's that? Why are you moving so much? Try to stay still, ok, kiddo."

"Kay."

"Good, now let's keep going."

Iyla nodded but continued squirming. "I hope to see you there! And…umm…Unka An'kin I gotta go potty!"

From off-screen Ahsoka snorted out a laugh and Anakin sighed heavily.

The room erupted in laughter clearly more amused than sympathetic to poor Anakin's plight. They watched as another scene came up.

"There will be food and drinks and it's gonna be lots and lost a fun! Oooh, wait are we gonna have bezert? I gots a story about bezert! This one time for snack we gotted a cookie but it was not a normal cookie, it was a saber shape and mine was blue like Papa's saber and Flynn gotted green but he wanted blue and Nari had blue so he wanted to trade but Nari said no and Flynn got mad and Shona said he gets what he gets but Flynn not like that so…"

"Yes?" Ahsoka prompted.

"Oh, uh…so then we…um...we goed to Masser Alann and…and…" there was a long pause.

"Aaanddd…" Anakin prompted.

"And, and…so we goed to Masser Alann and then he said…he said that…umm."

"Is this ever going to end?" Anakin whispered.

"Crècheling stories can go on for ages," Ahsoka whispered back.

"Force give me strength."

Another scene appeared with Iyla flying around a toy speeder and singing a song. "The engine on the speeder goes voom, voom, voom, all frew the town! The horn on the speeder goes honk, honk, honk, all frew the town! Unka An'kin on the speeder yells-" the song was cut off by a long beep and Anakin rushing into the frame to cover her mouth.

Quinlan, Garen, and Reeft were nearly on the floor while Obi-Wan brought a hand to his face and Rex and the vode were practically wheezing.

"Speeder rides with Master Skywalker sound very…colorful," Plo said in his calm and even voice that held a hint of teasing.

Kit, Mace, and Depa started laughing and soon the rest of the room was roaring as well.

"Snips, I think we've seen enough. Let's turn it off," Anakin said advancing toward the holodisk. Obi-Wan grabbed his robe and pulled him back. Anakin gave him a betrayed look and Obi-Wan just smirked impishly.

"No! Master! There's just one more. And I saved the best for last," Ahsoka replied.

"Yeah, we still need to see Skywalker's meltdown," Quinlan said.

"Your wish is my command, Master Vos," Ahsoka smiled and pushed a button on the holodisk before Anakin could break from Obi-Wan's grasp and grab it.

Iyla appeared again looking off into space and playing with her lip while messing with the hem of her tunic.

"Ok, little one. Almost done. Let's focus," Anakin said.

"Kay. Ready!" she said straightening up.

"And…action."

But before she could even open her mouth a high pitched wailing sounded from off-screen.

"Uh-oh. The babies are cwying!" Iyla said looking concerned.

"Don't worry, kiddo. It's time for their feeding. Auntie Padme will take care of it."

"Ooh, yeah, cuz she gots special milk, right?"

"Uh…yes."

"And it comes from here," Iyla said pointing to her chest. "That's why they're so big! They gots to hold lots of milk for the babies."

"Umm…"

"But mine not big like that. And I gots no milk. But Soka's got kinda big ones too. Does she got milk in hers? And why are mine so small? Is it cuz I'm a kid? Will mine be big when I grow up? Will I get milk in them too? Unka An'kin? Why you look like that? What's wrong? Where you going? You taking a break?"

A very faint "Ahsoka!" was heard before the video stopped on Iyla's confused face.

"Oh, Force! That was the best one!" Garen wheezed. "Well done, Tano!"

"Thank you, Master," Ahsoka replied smugly.

Anakin scowled and leapt for the holodisk before anyone got anymore ideas about seeing the rest of the outtakes. He shoved it into his pocket and sent an epic glare around the room to the laughing guests. His gaze landed on Obi-Wan though and his face softened. His Master was nearly doubled over in laughter wiping tears from his eyes. Anakin couldn't remember the last time he'd seen Obi-Wan laugh like that. Despite his annoyance at being the butt of the jokes, he reasoned that it wasn't so bad if it meant seeing his best friend so happy. He'd endure a bit of teasing and jabbing in exchange for Obi-Wan's loud and genuine laughter. It was his lifeday after all. He deserved it.

Did anyone catch the Nick Fury reference I threw in? 😉 Also, I totally got the idea for the mug from the Lego Star Wars Holiday Special when Vader gives Palpatine the Galaxy's Best Emperor mug, lol. And 'spoil the beans' was inspired by my 6-year-old nephew who used to have weekly Facetime calls with me while I was watching Clone Wars and was sure to always ask what episode I was on because he didn't want to 'spoil the beans' for me 😂

Thanks for your reviews, favorites, and follows! You are the best and I appreciate you all so much! Next chapter will be out sometime soon hopefully!