A/N: There will be some reflections on what happened in There's Always Hope so if you get confused with what's going on I would recommend reading that. Hopefully it's clear enough. There's also references to several episodes from The Clone Wars. If you are curious which ones just message me.

Chapter 14

Somewhere in the outer rim.

Back aboard Obi Wan's and Ahsoka's eta class shuttle, piled high, the spice awaited them securely packed in the back of the shuttle. In a corner, Anakin kept out of the way as they make contact with Choira.

Choira face appears on the puck's monitor with his beady, black vacuums for eyes scrutinizing them, "What happened to the other two?"

Obi Wan steeled himself and put on his game face as he casually stated, "They had other things to attend to." The trandoshan and weequay were currently occupied drifting aimlessly in space.

Responding with an unconcerned look, "Fine. These are the coordinates to drop off the cargo. Make sure to head directly to Savareen. Tamper with the puck, and it'll explode, deviate from the set course, and it'll explode, failure to arrive with the spice, and a bounty on your heads will be so large you won't be able to show your face anywhere in the known galaxy again. Got it?"

Obi Wan responded cheekily, "Oh, is that's all? Sounds easy enough."

Choira bristled, "I don't know how you guys got this far without getting yourself killed, but you're going to need a lot of that luck to get you through this next part." Obi Wan caught Choira shifting uncomfortably as the bith slipped a fleeting glance to someone offscreen before signing off.

"That was ominous," Ahsoka stated plainly as she stood next to Obi Wan leaning her weight on her right hip.

Obi Wan pressed the side button on the puck and ended the transmission with a soft click as Anakin strolled out of the dark corner he was silently watching from.

"Let me get this straight. You were supposed to join two spice runners on the trip, got in a fight with them, ended up getting them sucked into space, and crashed your ship? And they called me the reckless one!" Anakin stated, astounded.

Obi Wan quipped, "You still have crashed far more ships than I ever had."

"From the sounds of it. You're quickly catching up."

Ashoka plopped down in a nearby chair, languidly swaying it back and forth with her foot, "Well, we got a brand new ship out of it, visited Plo Koon, picked up a stray, and now off to finish our mission. I think it's been pretty successful."

"A stray, huh?" Anakin scoffed as he crossed his arms, "I could go back home, you know. I have a nice massive office with a fantastic view. They obey my orders on Naboo. Yes, Captain. As you wish, Captain. It'll be done, Captain." He added with dramatic flair to his once Padawan, who rarely obeyed his orders.

"Oh, so you work with a bunch of droids?" Ahsoka surmised.

"Now now, Ahsoka. Don't give Captain Skywalker so much grief." Obi Wan stated as Anakin leaned against a nearby wall with his arms and legs crisscrossed, facing them with a deep scowl on his face.

But he also couldn't help but added, "You know how sensitive Anakin is about his droids." He couldn't finish the end of the sentence as he erupted in laughter and Ahsoka followed suit.

The frown on Anakin's face deepens as broad valleys formed on his forehead. "I hate you guys."

"Oh, Anakin! Lighten up! Hate leads to the dark side." Crossing the room, Obi Wan leaned next to Anakin with his arm around his former padawan in a comforting gesture.

Not feeling very charitable, Anakin's thick brows twisted together into one, "For you guys. I'll make an exception."

"Nonsense!" Obi Wan squeeze's his shoulder affectionately. "All joking aside. We are very proud of you." Leaning closer to make eye contact to emphasize his next point, "I…am very proud of you. You have become a far better man than I could ever imagine and you absolutely deserve your position. Naboo couldn't be in any better hands."

Obi Wan smiled proudly as the wrinkles around his galaxy weary eyes creased gently. A smile cracked on the younger man's face. He'll never admit it, but praise from this man meant so much to him. Obi Wan had raised him more as an older brother stumbling along the way as he tried to figure out how to mentor such a spirited and capable person. They had been through some very rough times and pushed through lingering resentments of their failures to each other. Palpatine had planted deep seeds of doubt in Anakin's mind about the Jedi and even Obi Wan's loyalty to him. Miraculously, their friendship survived that.

Encouraged by Ahsoka, Anakin had opened up to Obi Wan in his darkest hour and his big brother came through for him. Together, Kenobi and Skywalker, the unstoppable duo known throughout the holoNet, had taken down the dark lord Darth Sidious. Once again, Obi Wan exemplified his faithfulness as Anakin stood before the Jedi Council as they chided him for breaking the rules of attachment. Proven wrong, Anakin always thought Obi Wan would choose the Jedi Order over him, but he didn't. After refusing the Council's ultimatum, they walked out together side by side. In his more despairing moments where he missed Padmé desperately, Anakin always imagined he would walk out the temple halls alone after leaving the order for her. In reality, his best friend helped him cross that barrier; heads held up high, together.

Ahsoka rose from her chair and strode over to Anakin to place an adoring hand over his and squeezed, "Anakin, for as long as I've known you, I've seen how wonderful of a leader you are. I had no doubt that you would find something amazing. You're going to do a fantastic job!"

The Padawan he never wanted but needed. It's true what he said that day to her; that the Force brought them together. Training her opened his hardening heart as he saw so much of himself reflected in her. Determined to give her the training he longed for himself, he gave her much free rein, and she always came through. Through this, he developed a newfound appreciation for what his own Master went through, the hard lessons he had to teach her, and the initial resentment she felt towards him. Part of him felt guilty for giving Obi Wan such a hard time as he was growing up. Another thing he'll never admit to Obi Wan.

Ahsoka was as close to a little sister as Anakin could hope for. They got into so much trouble together, much to the Council's dismay, but Anakin didn't see it that way. With her by his side, he was able to accomplish things he couldn't do alone. She had his back in every way possible. But that just made it that much harder when she left the Order. When she was backed into a corner and compelled to leave the Order. It was one of the final blows to Anakin's faith in the Jedi. Loyalty meant everything to Anakin and the Jedi Council betrayed their allegiance to one of their own. If it was Anakin instead of Ahsoka, he would understand their contention. They never really wanted to train him in the first place, but Ahsoka? She was raised in the Temple the right way and trained like every other Jedi. She didn't deserve their contempt. As he watched her walk down the temple stairs one last time, his heart closed in. He shut down and refused to let anyone else in. The Jedi, the war, all of it was taking away people he had cared about and it left him bitterly cold. The only love he had left in his heart was for Padmé, and even then, as the war dragged on, his undying love for her wasn't enough to push out the darkness encapsulating his soul.

But Ahsoka found her way back to him. Using Rex's private comm, she found a way to reach him when he felt so alone. Her life wasn't tainted with the bitterness and regrets that Anakin had. She radiated hope and forgiveness he had trouble with and possessed an undying loyalty to her friends, something she might have learned from Anakin. Looking back, he wondered if he would have sought Obi Wan's help if Ahsoka hadn't called that day. She saw the best in people even when Anakin couldn't. Now, after all that's said and done, she was still his bright and hopeful little sister. As she was somehow, miraculously unfazed with what happened to her by the Order. Sure, it wizened her, but in the year that she had spent with Anakin and Padmé, helping to raise their newborns, Anakin was impressed by how resilient she was. She still had much to offer the galaxy.

He placed his other hand over Ahsoka's and gave it an appreciative squeeze before pushing off the wall.

"Thank you, Ahsoka. I think we had enough of sentiments for one day. We should get going; otherwise, that puck might explode on us."

"Oh, heavens. We wouldn't want that." Obi Wan followed behind them.

Anakin and Ahsoka chuckled as the three made their way to the cockpit. Turning a sly eye to Obi Wan, Anakin couldn't resist and added, "Maybe I should let you fly the ship so you can crash this one too?"

Shaking his head, Obi Wan responded, "I couldn't possibly take your title of King of Crashes."

"I don't know. Obi Wan Kenobi-King of Crashes-has a nice ring to it." He spread his hands out in front of him, imagining the holoNet headline.

Obi Wan once again refused the pilot seat, giving way to Anakin to pilot. Ahsoka took her seat behind them in a comfortable position enjoying the present company. It's been a long time since the three of them were together in the same room and even longer since they had a mission together.

As Anakin sat down in the pilot seat, he flipped a couple of switches while he asked, "So that bith on the puck, Choira? He's the one overseeing the spice smuggling on Rori?"

Ahsoka nodded, "it seems like he's currently busy with other black market trades, but we were referred to him for spice smuggling."

Anakin narrowed his eyes, "I'll have to talk to him."

Lifting up a finger to Anakin, Obi Wan sat down in the co-pilot seat, "After we are done here if you don't mind."

Ahsoka stretched her aching back in her chair, delighting with the chance to relax. "So how did Naboo get involved in all of this?"

The engine fired up and the control panel came to life in front of Anakin, "It was my Commander Ageeli who stumbled on this. He caught some discrepancies between the mining logs and ship manifests."

Obi Wan relaxed back into his chair, indulging with the familiarity of sitting next to Anakin once again in a cockpit, "He seems like a very astute person."

Anakin beamed at the compliment, "Oh, he is. He's very smart and capable. I'm glad I promoted him"

"Oh. So you chose him, yourself?" Ahsoka couldn't help the slight uptick of her voice.

Anakin raised an eyebrow looking back at her. "You jealous?"

Ahsoka clicked her tongue, "No! Why would I be jealous?" She stated more quickly than she intended.

Making a pouty face and speaking in a voice usually reserved for his children, Anakin teased, "You'll always be my Padawan."

She looked away, annoyed, "Anakin, you can be so immature sometimes!"

Anakin flashed a knowing, cocky smile in response before returning to the controls, shifting between the different prompts.

"So, besides the current fiasco you two got into what have you been up to lately?"

"Obi Wan has been slumming it as a drunken vagabond it at Dex's diner." Ahsoka retorted, trying to change the subject as she unintentionally took out her frustrations on Obi Wan. She meant it more jokingly than it came out.

Obi Wan whipped his head around and glared at Ahsoka, "Having lunch with an old friend hardly accounts as slumming it."

"How many cups of Ardees did he drink?" Anakin stated as he didn't miss a beat.

"Just one that I saw. He could have had more before I got there." Ahsoka smiled back.

Obi Wan was not amused.

"Dex even offered him a job as a bounty hunter."

"Oh, yeah? I hear the pay is great!"

"That's what I said!"

"Alright, you two, that's enough!" Obi Wan snapped, frustrated.

Anakin and Ahsoka didn't have to look at each other. This bothered Obi Wan even more as he watched their individual faces share the same fiendish grin. Give Anakin a Padawan, they said. It'll help him mature, they said. Double the trouble is all that Obi Wan got out of it.

Obi Wan crossed his arms as he cleared his throat. Two can play at this game. "Seems like Ahsoka has taken a new level to your teachings."

"What do you mean?" Anakin was genuinely perplexed as the grin on Ahsoka's face dropped into concern.

It was Obi Wan's turn to flip a mischievous smile, "She even taken after a Senator just like you did."

Concern flashed across Anakin's face as his eyes darted between Obi Wan and Ahsoka with his eyebrows furrowed tightly together. "Wait, what are you talking about?"

Ahsoka mollified hissed through her teeth, "Obi Wan, are you serious?"

Obi Wan knew he shouldn't say anything. Ahsoka should tell Anakin on her own accord; at the right time and place where Anakin and Ahsoka were alone to discuss this in private. He knew he should do this. It was the right thing to do.

"Do you remember Lux Bonteri?"

Anakin looked down, his eyes searching his memories, "Bonteri. Why is that name familiar? Wait. You mean that rebel on Onderon? That kid?!"

"He's not a kid!" Ahsoka found herself defending him even though she didn't completely understand why.

"Yes, he is, and so are you!"

"Wow, Anakin, really? After all this time, you still view me as a child? After everything we've been through." She huffed, visibly disappointed with Anakin.

Anakin rolled his eyes and set the autopilot as he swiveled his chair to face Ahsoka, "I'm sorry. That's not what I meant. I just don't really like this guy. He's too smooth."

"If I remember correctly, you said that he was a bright young man that'll help Onderon build a promising future. You told me this after I returned to Coruscant," Ahsoka admonished him as she narrowed her eyes distrustfully.

"That doesn't mean you should have a personal interest in him! I mean, guys like that have one thing on their mind." Anakin realized the irony of his comment as Obi Wan and Ahsoka flashed silent judgment of his comment's apparent ridiculous nature. "Ok, you told me you are trying to figure things out for yourself. Remember? You said that before you left for Coruscant. I just think right now is not a good time for you to be in a relationship. You're still too young to starting dating anyone."

Ahsoka's jaw dropped as her hands came down by her side, leaning forward in her chair, "I'm eighteen now!"

"That's too young!"

"YOU got married at nineteen! Remember?"

Anakin sputtered, "That's different!"

"How?" Ahsoka spatted out in a high pitch shrill.

Anakin's face flushed and reddened with frustration as he pointed a judgmental finger at Ahsoka, "You're not dating him!"

Ahsoka scoffed and looked away, "Well lucky for you. I'm not."

"You're not?" The relief in his voice surprised even him.

Ahsoka solemnly replied, "No. We aren't dating."

There was a deathly silence as Ahsoka refused to look at her former Master's face.

Anakin studied her, mouth gaping open and close several times before he responded, "Good." That was all he could mutter as he ran his hand through his hair as he often did when his emotions ran high.

Out of the corner of Anakin's eye, he found Obi Wan hunched over in his chair, stifling his laughter.

Anakin sneered, "You're enjoying this way too much."

Obi Wan murmured through a devilish grin, "Oh, indeed I am. For all the years I had to deal with you, Anakin. Yes, I truly am."

Streaks of white and blue danced past the cockpit as the soothing still emptiness of space contrasted starkly against the palpable tense and suffocating silence in the cockpit. Over an hour had passed before anyone said anything.

Tapping his boot, Anakin couldn't stand the silence anymore as he fidgeted in his seat. Clearly, no one was in the mood to start a conversation. He would have to speak up first if he was going to break the unending silence.

"So." He started awkwardly. "You guys ran into Master Plo Koon? How's he doing?"

Obi Wan rubbed his temples and moved into a more comfortable position in his seat before he responded, "He is reestablishing the Baran Do Sages. Many of the Kel Dor Jedi followed him home and they have been recruiting Force sensitive individuals on Dorin for their cause."

"Huh. Really?" Anakin considered thoughtfully.

Obi Wan amused by his reaction, questioned, "You don't agree?"

Anakin perked up as he responded, "Actually, it's the opposite. I think it's fantastic. Honestly, I've always thought that the Jedi should train anyone who's Force sensitive. Despite their age."

Anakin resented his first encounter with the Jedi Council when he was nine years old. Enthusiastically, he entered the chambers thrilled to finally live out his dream, only to be met with apprehension and even resentment for him being there. Shockingly, they told him he was too old. It didn't matter that he had just accomplished something rarely done by a human, winning a podrace. They didn't care about his skills or talents. He was judged mostly so because of his age, what it stood for, and that's something that stayed with him his entire Jedi career. He was an outsider and he never felt like he belonged there.

Obi Wan was well aware of Anakin's feelings about this. "The Jedi showed mercy by accepting young Force sensitive children before they show attachments to their families. It's more difficult to cleave a child once they've known their families."

"You mean they're more malleable," Anakin stated with his tone low and even. "Force forbid they have their own mind." He added sarcastically. "The Jedi should be more flexible and understanding. It isn't a crime to have some life experience. I think it'll only add to a Jedi's resourcefulness."

Obi Wan brushed his fingers through the mostly grey hairs in his beard he's earned in his advancing age, "That may be so but a Jedi's loyalty should be to the Order first. Attachments to family and friends can be used against them. Some would argue having conflicting loyalties will tempt some to the dark side."

Anakin scoffed, "Did you forget about Dooku? He grew up at the temple and yet he still fell to the dark side. That's just an excuse!"

Obi Wan frowned as he tucked his chin to his chest, reminiscing sorrowfully at the bleak reality of Anakin's words.

"You temper hate with love. You can't bottle up your feelings and expect them to go away. It's going to come out one way or another." Anakin refuted. It was something Qui Gon taught him while he was deep in meditation at the Jedi Temple. In need of guidance after meeting with Chancellor Palpatine at the opera, he reached out to him. It was a fateful encounter with long lasting repercussions even now. "Don't spew at me about having attachments again. It's not a weakness. It makes you stronger; more resilient.

Anakin turned his heard as Ahsoka muttered something under her breath before he continued.

"Temptation can happen at any point in a Jedi's path. The lure of the dark side shouldn't be viewed as an exception but a natural part of a Jedi's growth. We should be more understanding so that if someone is tempted, they feel comfortable seeking out guidance through it."

Obi Wan grimaced at the thought. It hit close to home as Obi Wan so often felt ill equipped to handle Anakin's struggles. Growing up comfortably at the temple, he couldn't really understand how much Anakin had missed his mother. He regretted not listening to Anakin's nightmares about his mother and her eventual death. Dutifully, he followed the Jedi's code about no attachments and yet it failed him when it came to Anakin. Obi Wan still felt responsible for Anakin killing those Tusken Raiders in a fit of heartbroken rage. A fit of rage that could have been prevented if Obi Wan was more present. Looking back, he knew if Qui Gon was Anakin's master, things would have turned out different. Qui Gon would have left him go save his mother and the thought humbled him deeply.

Anakin seemed to sense his dear friend's thoughts. "It's easier to come back once you know what you are fighting for. It gives you clarity with what's really important."

There was a sorrow in Anakin's words as he hinted at his own path to the dark side and how closely he slipped into it. A part of him wondered if Obi Wan could ever understand what it was like to dance with the dark side and come back. It gave Anakin a perspective about the Force very few Jedi could understand. He knew deep in his soul that love was the answer to the darkness. Yes, he was fearful for Padmé's life and had bouts of jealously that lead him to do regrettable things, but that didn't make loving someone wrong. Undoubtedly, caring enough for another person's life to intervene can change the course of the future like a pebble thrown into a lake, causing substantial and course altering ripples. And it worked the other way around too. Sacrificial love, to throw yourself in harm's way to help protect the ones you love from doing something disastrous or shielding them from peril. These are the pivotal, grand gestures that shift the currents of destiny. The darkness can have no hold in the presence of love. Love is the fuel from which hope is ignited.

Ahsoka leaned forward in her chair, gesturing with her hand, "He has a point you know." Despite not currently being the biggest fan of Anakin, she bit back her irritation and put her personal feelings aside for the conversation. "Maybe following the Force is somewhere in between. You know? A balance between passion and serenity."

Anakin simply answered with, "There is no light without the dark."

Obi Wan sat up straighter in his seat. "Anakin, I never said I disagreed with you." He took a deep balancing breath and pursed his lips as he slowly let it out before he continued, "The two of you share revolutionary ideas of the Jedi. Perhaps you should start a new Jedi order." He added lightly.

Not missing the hint, Anakin sensed his former Master's discomfort and respectfully didn't push him further; he shifting the mood into a more jovial tone. "We would let you in. After an initiation, of course." He teased with his well known half smirk.

"I would expect no less from you, Anakin." Obi Wan chuckled as he peered out the forward viewports, shoulders relaxing as he appreciated Anakin's gesture. "Something has stuck with me since I was last at the Jedi Temple. Something that Madame Jocasta Nu said. She made a point to mention the Old Republic Jedi."

Anakin stated, surprised, "The Old Republic? That's thousands of years ago! Our archives barely covered that era. I know! I spent a lot of time looking up any information about them I could."

"I thought you didn't like studying in the library," Ahsoka inquired, slightly bewildered.

"That era I actually liked reading. It was before the High Council and many different perspectives on the Jedi existed. Requiring initiates to be a certain age before entering the Jedi Order came about after the High Council was established. Other factions allowed marriage, some disagreed with combat training altogether, while others disagreed with a formal council to decide a Jedi's path and that the Force should be the guiding factor. It was a very diverse and inspirational time."

Craning his neck and loosening the tension in his shoulders, Obi Wan responded, "The Jedi are scattered throughout the galaxy now seeing where the Force will lead them. Perhaps at one point, they will also train more to follow whatever way they find. You may find that the Jedi will revert back to those times with different Jedi factions." His voice didn't betray any opinion for or against the idea.

Anakin relaxed back into his chair as he placed his legs crossed on top of the control panel earning an unappreciated glance from Obi Wan, who loathed when Anakin did that. If Anakin noticed it, he didn't react as he answered back, "Is that such a bad thing? I kind of like the idea of different Jedi factions having different areas of focus. I think it'll lend much better to each individual personality and give a broader scope to the Jedi as a whole."

Trying to ignore the dirt on the bottom of Anakin's boot that will inevitably fall on the console, Obi Wan replied, "From the little still known from the era, there was a lot of dissent between the different Jedi factions and a significant lack of unity. Through the High Council, we centralized and consolidated Jedi training that some would say gave Jedi an equal upbringing. In addition, instead of wasting time with infighting, we could focus on other aspects."

Tilting his head away, Anakin eyed Obi Wan cautiously. They were honest with each other in a way that was their own. This banter was nothing new to them, and though their views were different on many things, this was their way of deliberating ever since he was a padawan, and Obi Wan was his master.

"The way I see it, Darth Sidious got so far because of the 'unity' of the Jedi Order. We were easier to manipulate. Plus, we were more the police for the Republic than our own entity. How much of that was really following the will of Force? Isn't our role is to be guardians of the Light? To follow the Force first and foremost. The more we aligned ourselves with the Republic the less our Force abilities had become. Look at all the Force's abilities coming out now, like Master Plo being able to command the wind and storms. That hasn't been heard of in centuries and what other abilities will be awakened now?"

Obi Wan's interest peaked as he raised an eyebrow at Anakin's last comment. It sounded very personal to Anakin. "I didn't realize you had such strong opinions about the Force, Anakin."

Anakin crossed his arms over his chest as he dropped his chin onto his fist and thoughtfully collected himself, "It's something Qui Gon taught me." He added quietly.

Ahsoka chimed in and slightly smirked to herself at the surprising jump the two older Jedi reacted in response to her sudden vocation, "If we loosen our views on the Jedi, then that means you two are still technically Jedi." Obi Wan and Anakin shared a weary look at each other as Ahsoka continued, "I mean there's the obvious. The two of you refuse to wear anything other than your Jedi robes!" The two men shared a sheepish look. "We all still have our lightsabers and believe in the will of the Force and you can't just undo all the training we had in the past. We might not be a part of the Jedi Order or even a small faction of the Jedi but I know you guys feel it too. We're all still Jedi even if we don't really know what that looks like anymore."

Anakin gave Ahsoka an endearing smile. "You know I was wrong."

Ahsoka blinked at him. Anakin was too proud to admit he was wrong most of the time. She could count on one hand the few times he admitted it, "About what?"

"You definitely aren't a child anymore."

Ahsoka breath hitched and caught in her throat as she found herself tearing up the sweet sound of his praise, with her heart swollen full. Her lip quivered as she couldn't will her mouth to form words in response. Turning her head, she settled on looking out of the transparisteel viewport next to her.

Anakin settled on fiddling with the controls in front of him as he quietly lost himself in his thoughts. He couldn't consider doing anything with the Jedi, not until he could reconcile his thoughts and feelings about them. He had so many embittered memories and resentment. Ahsoka's ideas about being his own Jedi intrigued him, yet it wasn't something he could wrap his mind around at the moment. His children and Padmé were the central focus of his life right now. In addition, he had a duty to the NRSF. At this point in time, his cup was full at the moment. His thoughts drifted off to Qui Gon Jinn. What would he do?

Obi Wan spoke up above the solemn halcyon of the cockpit, "This had been an engaging conversation but we have some time before we reach Savareen. We should rest now while we still can."

Rising from his seat, he quickly patted Anakin on the back as his former Padawan nodded in acknowledgment and passed an endearing smile to Ahsoka, who watery eyes betrayed her as she bit her lip in a quick, barely noticeable agreement.

Somewhere in the cosmic Force, Qui Gon Jinn was smiling down on them.

A/N: So yeah, Obi Wan was a bit of a jerk to put Ahsoka's love life in the limelight. Grumpy Wan told me he wanted to do it even though it was petty. He's got some underlying issues, especially about love, he's not dealing with. We'll talk more about that later.