AN: Hello ner adate, so I got lots of great feedback, only most of you asked for the character beats I have planned. Cody is ten years from being born and Plagueis does have a plot but he is not jumping out soon when Sidious was cut down so quickly.

KEYNOTE: Koska Reeves in the Mandalorian hanging out Bo-Katan in the Mandalorian TV show.

Chapter 21 - Home

Obi-Wan woke in a cacoon of warmth between Master Ali-Alann and Quin. On the single bed, it was a tight fit. Ali-Alann had his back to the door, his large frame draped half over Quin and almost entirely over Obi-Wan. Quin was drooling into Obi-Wan's hair and Obi-Wan had literally no desire to move.

Creche Masters were the best. Even in sleep, Master Ali-Alann's shields were filtering the Force around Obi-Wan and Quin.

After battling the Force, his shieldings, his instincts… this was paradise.

Ali-Alann woke before Quin did.

Obi-Wan leaned into the Master and Ali-Alann brushed the Force against his mind in greeting.

Obi-Wan let the bond between them strengthen, it was typically discouraged, but he was drowning, and though he had been friends with Mace, there weren't now, and it would take time to depend on him.

But here Ali-Alann was, offering him a life line, and the entire reason point of coming home was to get help.

And he was too tired to fight people out anymore.

Ali-Alann projected safety and calm and opened them up to the Force, the light shining through them.

Obi-Wan closed his eyes, soaking it up like he had been too long without sunlight and he needed to chase the cold from his bones.

Quin woke then, his personal shields, then let go, and Obi-Wan found himself caught in a feedback loop that echoed all of their relief and happiness of being reunited after so long.

Another twenty minutes passed when Ali-Alann finally moved to get up, "Come, younglings, you both need to get food."

Obi-Wan groaned and Quin smothered a laugh in his shoulder.

"Why is everyone so determined that I eat more?"

"Because we can feel your ribs," Quin said.

"And it is Master Che's orders," Ali-Alann said, laying a kiss on Obi-Wan's temple. "Behave, Obi-Wan. I'll be in the creches if you need me."

Obi-Wan nodded, blushing slightly when he needed Quin's hand to steady him as they sat up.

Ali-Alann gave him a wary look.

"I'm fine," Obi-Wan lied. "Thank you, Master Ali-Alann."

Master Ali-Alann tucked his hands in his sleeves, "May the Force be with you both."

"And with you," Obi-Wan and Quin said in unison.

Ali-Alann bowed to them and they ducked their heads in return. The Master smiled at them before leaving.

Quin turned to Obi-Wan with shit eating grin, "Ready to eat until you feel like puking?"

Obi-Wan smiled back, "I hate you."

Quin nodded solemnly and said in Yoda's voice, "Hate, the truth often is."

Obi-Wan pushed him off the bed.

oOo

Obi-Wan made a real effort to tune out everyone in the mess hall, to make eye contact with anyone as he collected his tray and Quin piled on extra sweets.

And he was almost successful, almost.

"Hey, Kenobi!" Siri Tachi called.

Obi-Wan sighed, and turned with his tray in hand, to see his old friends.

"You don't have to do this," Quin whispered to him.

"Rather get it over with," Obi-Wan answered under his breath as they approached his agemates.

He was pleasantly surprised to see Bruck Chun sitting next to Siri, along with Garen Muln, and Reeft. Galen and Bruck wore the Explorer Corps insignia, while Reeft had the Agricorps and Bant was Medicorps, which meant Siri was the only Padawan. And yet here they were all sitting together.

Obi-Wan found it interesting that the Medicorps that had always worked with the Knights who were training to be healers, but healers were in the Knights Crops. Now that all of the branches were closer together, Healers, while still holding the ranks of Knights and Masters, were overseen by the Medicorps.

He and Quin sat down across from them. As they were all facing the main entrance of the mess hall, he suspected strongly that they had been waiting for him.

"Hello," Obi-Wan greeted them. Like Satine, despite have known his crechemates, loved them even, he found that he didn't have much attachment to them.

He was just glad Bruck had stayed with the Order and that they had all found their way that didn't necessitate being a Jedi Knight.

"So," Quin said as the silence continued. "This is fun."

"Shut up, Vos," Siri said. "Kenobi, don't you have anything to say for yourself?"

Obi-Wan quirked a brow, "My dear, you haven't asked a question."

Quin snorted and Galen cracked a grin.

"You deserted the Order and faked your death," Siri spat.

"That still isn't a question," Obi-Wan said.

Siri's face went a bit red, "Why did you betray the Order?"

"I didn't betray the Order, Siri, I left it," he said.

"But you didn't tell anyone, do you realize all the people you hurt?" Bant pressed, her compassion the reason for her anger toward him.

Obi-Wan sighed, "I wasn't of age to leave without the Order's consent and my goal was to keep the Mandalorians and the Jedi apart."

"Did your Mama and Daddy take you back?" Bruck sneered. "Bet they were rich and you just wanted a life of luxury."

Obi-Wan laughed.

Quin caught his hand under the table, and his voice held heat, "You don't have to answer that."

Obi-Wan shook his head, "No, they should know. They are right, I did hurt people, and they should know what I was fighting for."

Siri crossed her arms, "Alright, Kenobi, let's hear about your parents."

"To be clear, my birth family is different from the people who adopted me," Obi-Wan began.

Siri's eyebrows shot up, "You mean you left the Order to live with complete strangers? You weren't there for a day!"

Obi-Wan smiled, "I knew a bit more about Mandalore's culture and politics than you do, Siri. My ba'buir, my grandfather is public figure."

"You trusted a politician?" Galen asked with a frown.

Obi-Wan shook his head, "No, Jaster Mereel is a clan leader and the Mand'alor. The Mand'alor is more than an elected position, it is earned, like being tapped for the High Council."

"It's more organic than that, isn't it?" Quin asked, showing that he had been researching since last they met.

"Not always," Obi-Wan said. "It has a mixed history, but for Jaster, yeah, it was earned fairly."

"And you just happened to find the leader of a major faction in a backwards village?" Siri asked.

"It was an agricultural town," Obi-Wan said, "Stewjon provides one-third of the Mandalore system's crops."

"Whatever, your parents were farmers," Siri snapped, avoiding eye contact with Reeft who was in the AgriCorps.

"My birth parents were retired warriors who didn't expect or want me. Apparently I was born early and small, so they named No-One from Nowhere. When they figured out I was Force sensitive, my birth mother tried to drown

me in a river and she murdered the boy who called the Jedi to come save me. I was told this by the boy's father who murdered my parents in revenge for killing their son. I honestly think he might have killed me too, but Death Watch, the terrorist orginzation my clan has been at war with bombed my village. My adoptive family found me in the wreckage."

Quin was squeezing his hand tight, and Obi-Wan held onto him, realizing that he was only going into detail for Quin's sake.

His agemates were properly horrified and it was Bruck who asked, "Then why would you stay with those people?"

Obi-Wan let out a long breath, "Because the Force… It protected me. I shouldn't have survived, I probably shouldn't have stayed, but the Force showed me what would happen if I hadn't gone… I don't regret doing what I did, though I regret the hurt I caused."

Quin cleared his throat, "He's basically been on an extended mission. He was the one who saved Master Tahl on Melida/Daan."

Bant blinked fast, "Really?"

Obi-Wan nodded but before he could answer, someone yelled his name, "Obi-Wan!"

He turned in time to be tackled by three little girls.

Micah followed them at a more leisurely pace, messing up his hair in greeting as all three of the Reeves girls began talking rapidly, completely dominating the conversation.

Asara, the youngest, sat herself in Quin's lap, Koska in Obi-Wan's, and Kalli, the oldest, sat between Micah and Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan was able to eat as the girls began talking a stream that when one took breath another began talking.

When all three girls finally took a collective breath, Obi-Wan made introductions while signing.

"This is your family?" Siri asked, her voice confused.

"My clan, my aliit, yes," Obi-Wan concurred.

"But Koska is an initiate and her father has been working in the Temple…"

"Mandalorians and Jetiises are not mutually exclusive," Kalli lectured, her sisters nodding in agreement.

Koska curled herself more securely in Obi-Wan's arms. And Micah left them without saying goodbye, only to come back with a second serving for Obi-Wan.

He glared at his friend.

Micah grinned and then shared a high five with Quin.

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes.

Koska pulled on his hand, her darker skin, dramatically different from the paleness of his, that was paler thanks to his current state of poor health.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

He nodded, "Of course, I am."

Koska asked, signing as she spoke, "Then why aren't you eating?"

Quin and Micah started laughing, Micah's particular laugh louder and ear catching so that everyone in the room turned to look at them.

Obi-Wan turned red, and let himself be successfully guilted into eating. Quin upheld the conversation and attempted signing where he could with the Reeve girls correcting him as they went on.

Micah's smile was real all the way through, he was always happy when someone made the effort to try and learn sign in a sincere way.

That Quin was so easily being accepted by his clan made Obi-Wan feel… feel like all the impossible things he had wanted for many years were possible.

Obi-Wan went looking for Jango. Quin had to go meet with Master Tholme and Micah had to take the girls to their classes.

Jango didn't answer his comm, and when he couldn't think of where else he would be, he went to the hanger bay to the Salvation I.

Obi-Wan's shoulders sank as he realized that Jango wasn't here. He should have known of course, the Force wasn't ringing with his presence. But Obi-Wan was having a hard time trusting himself, so he hoped he might have been wrong.

He sat in the kitchen at the table, closing his eyes to try and reach for the Force. It was there, just as it always was, greeting him like a tropical breeze. When he tried to translate it, he let himself sink into the feeling of fear and sorrow, and frustrated anger that his home rang with.

He blinked back tears.

He had saved his peoples, but at a large cost to the people he loved. He pulled his holo-comm out, flipping to the familiar frequency.

His ba'buir picked up moments later. The little holo image observed him closely before saying, -Bu'ad.

Obi-Wan swallowed hard before saying in Mando'a, "Ba'buir, I'm sorry."

Jaster sighed, -Obi'ika…

His Ba'buir sighed again, -We are here for you. We always have been. The only apology I want from you, is to let us help you.

Obi-Wan blinked back tears, "I-"

He cut off his own words, because all he wanted to do was continue to apologize.

Jaster didn't rush him.

Swallowing hard, Obi-Wan asked, "Did Jango speak to you?"

-Yes.

The word was clipped and though he couldn't tell if it was because he was mad at Obi-Wan or the things Jango had said, but either way, that was a tone he used when a line of conversation was over.

Which didn't allow much room for Obi-Wan to broach any of the topics he wanted to.

"How is Maul?" Obi-Wan asked finally.

-He was raised on Mustafar by a droid and occasionally by a psychopathic dar'jetii. Considering that, he is settling, relatively well.

Obi-Wan nodded, "I'm glad he has you. How is Mandalore?"

-Fine.

Obi-Wan winced. If the question was; is his Ba'buir upset?

The answer was; yes.

"How upset is Buir with me?"

Jaster raised a brow, -You haven't spoken with him?

"Not today," Obi-Wan said. "I can't find him."

Jaster looked off in a different direction as someone called for his attention. He looked back to Obi-Wan -Then he will find you. I love you, Bu'ad. We will speak later.

"I love you too…" Obi-Wan said as the call clicked off.

Leaving him alone in the ship that had been his home for years. Obi-Wan tried to do as Jaster had suggested.

Tried to wait.

He made tea, tried to meditate, but eventually, exhaustion ate away his patience.

He knew he could have commed Quin, or gone to find Master Ali-Alann, or even, Mace.

Master Che probably would have preferred he returned to the medical wing.

Instead, Obi-Wan retreated to his own room on the Salvation. He grabbed his blanket and pillow and settled himself on Jango's side of the cabin.

He underestimated how exhausted he was because no sooner had he shut his eyes, then he fell into oblivion.

Jango had to admit the Jetii Temple was a beautiful place. The pool rooms were beautiful, and Jango swam the morning away. Swimming laps allowed him to use every muscle and continue without injuring himself or sweating through his blacks.

No, when he finally exited the pools, where everyone had left him alone, he was clean and had worked out enough of his hostility to have an open discussion with his ad'ika.

Hopefully.

Jango cursed when he saw he had missed a call from both Obi'ika and Jaster.

Obi-Wan didn't pick up.

He called Jaster as he walked back to his ship to recollect the weapons he hadn't been willing to leave unchecked at the poolside.

-Jan'ika, have you spoken with Obi'ika?

"Today, no, not yet."

-I was a bit short with him.

"Why?" Jango asked, though he could think of a few reasons why that might be.

-Because his first words were an apology and I didn't have the heart to lecture him about his abundant stupidity.

"He's a Jetii Padawan now, I'm sure such lectures will be forthcoming in abundance."

-He was looking for you, Jan'ika.I think he's worried you will leave him.

Jango bit his tongue, because he was worried Obi-Wan would be the one to leave him.

-Jango, do not let your own worries get in front of the security Obi'ika needs. He is looking for the worst.

Jango let out a harsh sigh, "I will keep it in mind."

-Good, now go find him.

Jaster hung up and Jango knew he stomped his way back onto his ship.

He froze when he saw that Obi-Wan's favourite mug was on the drying rack,

"Obi-Wan?" Jango called out, checking the ship and found his son in their cabin fast asleep.

Jango sank to his knees, brushing back Obi-Wan's hair from his forehead. Obi-Wan seemed to release some tension but didn't wake.

Jango felt his own anxieties go.

Mace Windu had said that Obi-Wan had chosen him over the Jedi. He hadn't believed that, but here his ad'ika was.

Even within the Jetii Temple, they were home.

AN: In writing this, I missed the clones so I wrote Daughter of No One which is all clone fluff and time travel fun.

Please comment or review if you can, please?