Hey, everybody. Back with another chapter.

Let's get to it.

Chapter 7- Confiding in Friends

Anakin shifts anxiously on his feet as he stands in one of the hangars of the Jedi Temple. After the strike team that tried to go capture Palpatine returned to the Temple, Anakin heard that they had just received word from Obi-Wan that he was almost back to Coruscant. Anakin was now waiting in one of the hangars, eagerly waiting for Obi-Wan to land. Anakin wants to see his master not just to reassure himself that Obi Wan is okay, but also because, after consulting with Padme, Anakin had decided to tell Obi Wan the truth.

Ahsoka walks up beside Anakin. "You're excited to see him, aren't you?" she asks.

"After everything that happened, I just need to see him and know he's okay," Anakin says. He knows that after all that's happened, he needs all of his support web around him.

Ahsoka nods, then says, "And we'll need him if the Jedi are going to recover."

Anakin nods in agreement. With Order 66 no longer active among the clones, and clones across the galaxy beginning to remove their inhibitor chips, the Council has started getting firm ideas on how many Jedi were killed and how many survived. There were about 6,500 Jedi deployed across the galaxy. Current reports suggested that at least 5,000 Jedi had been killed, and there were still about 500 Jedi that were unaccounted for. COmbined with the losses they had sustained in the attack on the Temple, they were looking at possibly almost 6,000 Jedi killed. With the Jedi Order only numbering around 8,500 individuals at that point, the Jedi was at less than a third of its previous strength. The Council was relieved they had gotten Order 66 cancelled as soon as they did, and that the attack on the Temple had been repelled, or there could have been less than a thousand overall survivors instead of between 2,500 and 3,000.

As Anakin and Ahsoka are reflecting on that, they hear the sound of an approaching starfighter. A second later, general Grievous' starfighter flies into the hangar and lands. A second later, the canopy slides off, and Obi-Wan jumps out of the fighter.

"Master!" Anakin cries out in relief. To the surprise of both Obi-Wan and Ahsoka, he runs up to Obi Wan and embraces his old master.

Obi-Wan looks at Anakin in surprise before slowly returning the embrace. "I'm glad to see you too, Anakin," he says, his tone showing his surprise at Anakin's reaction to seeing him again.

Anakin pulls back. "Sorry, Master. Just, after all of this, I'm just relieved you're alive. When we didn't hear from you for a while, I thought you'd been shot down en route," Anakin says.

"I'm not caught that easily, Anakin," Obi Wan says with a smile. Almost immediately, he sees Anakin's mischievous smile, and knows what Anakin is thinking. Obi Wan quickly puts a finger in Anakin's face and says, "Don't you dare, Anakin."

Anakin laughs. "Sorry, Master. I can't help but tease you," he says.

"I know. But it still drives me crazy," Obi Wan says.

Anakin laughs a bit more, then grows more serious. "Master, I need to have a word with you and Ahsoka. Privately," he says.

Obi Wan raises an eyebrow. "Right after my return? Must be serious. Well, let's go over in the corner," he says.

The three Jedi walk over into a corner of the hangar where they will not be overhead by anyone. When they stop, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka turn to face Anakin. "Alright, Anakin. What is it you need to discuss with us?" Obi Wan asks bluntly.

Anakin looks at the two of them, struggling with his nerves for a moment before summoning his courage, "I don't know how else to say this, so I'm just gonna come out with it. I'm married."

Obi Wan and Ahsoka stand there in silence. Ahsoka is completely shocked, but Obi Wan doesn't look as surprised as Anakin expected him to be. After a moment, Obi Wan asks, "It's Padme, isn't it?"

Anakin feels surprised that Obi Wan figured out who so quickly and doesn't seem as surprised as he thought his old master would be. "You knew?" he asks.

"Kind of," Obi-Wan replies, "I knew that you and Padme were unusually close. Over time, I grew a little suspicious of the relationship you two had. Although I didn't actually believe you were married, hearing you are is not a surprise."

"Wait, how did this happen?" Ahsoka blurts out, still stunned by this revelation.

Anakin almost chuckles at Ahsoka's reaction, but explains himself, "When I met Padme again right before the start of the Clone Wars, I couldn't help but fall in love with her. In a way, I think I had fallen for her long before but being around her again, I couldn't restrain my feelings. Over the following weeks, we fell for each other, and soon after the Battle of Geonosis, we married in secret on Naboo."

Ahsoka just stands there, dumbstruck, while Obi Wan is looking at him thoughtfully. After a few moments, Obi Wan asks, "Why are you telling us this, Anakin?"

"A couple reasons, Master. First being it's been so difficult keeping this secret. And given that I told Rex a while back, it's gotten harder to keep it from you two knowing Rex knew," Anakin says.

"Wait, Rex knows?" Ahsoka blurts out again.

This time, Anakin does chuckle. "Yes. I told him some time ago, and he has been helping cover for me when I've gone to see her or tried to communicate with her," he says.

Obi Wan smirks a bit. "Well. That explains a few things," he says.

"Yeah. Say what you will about his skills as a soldier and leader, but Rex isn't always the best at acting," Anakin says, and they share a chuckle.

Anakin then resumes his explanation, "There's a few more reasons why I'm telling you. One is that…Padme's pregnant."

This time, Obi Wan looks just as surprised as Ahsoka, and they both exclaim, "What?!"

"Yes. She told me she was pregnant right after the Battle of Coruscant. She's been trying to conceal it with the clothes she wears, but both of us know that when the baby is born in a few weeks, it's going to change everything. We knew that it would be near impossible to hide our child, and we didn't want to be apart when our child is growing up. For that reason, I'm planning to tell the Jedi Council about our marriage," Anakin says.

Obi Wan and Ahsoka stare at Anakin in shock. Before they can say anything, however, Anakin continues, "There's something else too. Palpatine's been trying to manipulate me. I've been having dreams of Padme dying in childbirth, and Palpatine either sensed them in my mind, or actually sent me those dreams, because he's been trying for weeks to make me think that the Sith have the power to save Padme from dying. When Master Windu went to confront him, I might've gone to stop him if…" Anakin pauses, not feeling that it's right yet to tell Obi Wan about Qui Gon, then thinks fast and comes up with, "a memory hadn't resurfaced, and I realized that Padme would never accept it if I did such a thing. It helped me realize Palpatine was lying to me, but I'm afraid that the Council won't see it that way."

Obi Wan is quiet for a while, while Ahsoka is still, trying to process all this. Then, Obi Wan breaks the silence and asks, "Why didn't you tell me before, Anakin?"

"No offense, Master, but you're not the maverick that Master Qui Gon was. You've always been very by the book, and I didn't think you would accept it," Anakin replies. He pauses, then says, "After you told me about you and Satine, I thought maybe you would understand and I almost told you, but I couldn't bring myself to. I was still too afraid."

Obi Wan is quiet, feeling a bit hurt he had presented himself as someone his old Padawan couldn't trust with information like that, but also understanding why Anakin didn't say anything. After a moment of gathering his thoughts, he says, "Anakin, I hold to the Jedi Code, but you are like a brother to me, and been through things I never have. Yes, I may have had some words to say about it, but I wouldn't have just left you at the mercy of the Council."

Anakin looks at his old master skeptically. Then, Obi Wan says, "But, what might have happened is behind us. What may happen yet is another story. When you tell the Council, my friend, I will be right there with you to defend you."

"As will I," Ahsoka says firmly.

Anakin looks at his old master and Padawan gratefully as he says, "Thank you. Thank you both. I've been so afraid of coming clean for so long. But I'm glad I chose to do the right thing, not the easy thing."

"When did you get so wise?" Ahsoka asks jokingly, drawing chuckles from all of them.

The three of them are quiet for a few long moments before Obi Wan says, "I know the Council is waiting for my report. How about we all go up, and once we're there, you can tell them the truth."

"Okay, Master," Anakin says with a nod, still not looking forward to this.

And, I'll end the chapter there. I hope you liked this one.

So, Obi Wan and Ahsoka now know, and soon the Council will too. They're gonna be a lot harder to convince, obviously, but you'll have to see how it actually goes soon enough.

Next chapter will be up soon. Until then, please leave a review and stay tuned!