Sienna was signing the last of her medical paperwork when Obi-Wan and Anakin walked through the doors to the hospital.

"Good morning, Sienna!" Anakin called, skipping into the room.

"Good afternoon, womp rats," Sienna greeted in return. "It's nearly 1500 standard, silly. Not morning."

"Well, I only just woke up like two hours ago, so basically it's morning," Anakin said, bouncing up onto the cot. He perched himself next to his friend, swinging his legs back and forth over the edge.

"Hmm." She glanced up from the document she was skimming, and Anakin's footwear caught her eye. "Oh, you got new boots. Did you and Obi-Wan go shopping yesterday?"

"Um, not exactly," Anakin said. He glanced at Obi-Wan uncertainly.

Sienna raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, 'not exactly'?"

"We went sight-seeing," Obi-Wan said.

"Oh yeah? What sights did you see?"

"We saw some very nice nice mud," the man said cheerfully. "Extra sticky, high quality stench. We even got a close-up of a ghest's teeth."

Sienna stared at him. "What did you do, get lost in the swamp?"

"Yup," Anakin said.

Sienna looked from Anakin, to Obi-wan, to Anakin again, trying to gauge whether they were being serious. When it became clear that they were, she burst out laughing. "Of course you did."

"Obi-Wan almost got eaten!" Anakin exclaimed.

"It was a real full-immersion experience," the man agreed. "A once in a lifetime trip."

"And you didn't invite me," Sienna tsked. "I'm offended. Come on, Kenobi, I thought we were starting to become friends."

"Next time I find myself trudging through a swamp, fending off hungry reptiles, I'll be sure to call you," Obi-Wan promised.

"Good. It's the least you can do."

Anakin giggled, the tension in his Force-signature fading away as the two Padawans bantered. He was happy to see that neither Sienna nor Obi-Wan seemed mad about the swamp incident. Obi-Wan hadn't seemed mad exactly, but being not obviously mad didn't mean he wasn't mad. But if he was joking around with Sienna, that meant that he was happy, and if he was happy then he probably didn't hate Anakin, so that was good.

Sienna picked up on the positive shift in Anakin's mood and ruffled his hair with a smile. "Doc says I'm good to go, but I have to be careful not to rip the stitches. Anakin, you're in charge of reminding me not to accept hugs around my middle. Think you can do that?"

Anakin nodded seriously. "Yup! No hugs for you."

"Thanks, kiddo." She ended the ruffle with a flourish, then turned to Obi-Wan. "What's our plan now?"

"A ship has been arranged for us. We are to set course for Coruscant as soon as you're ready."

"Then let's head on out."

The trio left the hospital and set off for the hanger where the ship was waiting. Anakin stopped on the way to shout goodbye to the sea slugs under the city, insisting that they were his friends now and it was impolite to leave without doing so.

"What was that about telling Anakin to remind you of no hugs?" Obi-Wan asked curiously, while the boy ran around and tried to use the Force to find the creatures.

"That's how I'm keeping Anakin from doing his normal run-and-pounce hug," Sienna said. "If I told him to be careful and that he couldn't hug me for a few days, he'd forget as soon as he got excited. But if I give him a task, he's more likely to remember, and less likely to take it personally."

"That's smart," Obi-Wan commented. "I wouldn't have thought of that."

"I've been around him long enough to know the Anakin Skywalker life-hacks."

"Got any good ones for keeping him from diving headfirst into trouble?" Obi-Wan asked.

She snorted. "Oh, there's no keeping him out of trouble. It finds him no matter what you do."

"Hah. Good to know."

Anakin did manage to find the slug. He wished it farewell, then turned and dashed back to the waiting Jedi, pushing himself between them so that he was walking in the middle. At some point, he slipped his hands into one of each of theirs, humming happily as they walked.

Sienna glanced down at him with a fond smile. He was glowing in the Force, his presence swirled with cheerful yellows, and he seemed relaxed. It was probably the most relaxed she'd ever seen him, come to think of it. He felt safe sandwiched between the two Jedi, like nothing in the world could hurt him.

She glanced up at Obi-Wan and saw a vaguely amused smile on his lips. He was looking ahead, scanning the crowds, noticing every detail like a good Jedi should, but a tendril of his focus remained on Anakin. It almost seemed to bask in the boy's warmth, soaking up his joy.

Sienna was glad the two seemed to be getting along. Anakin could be difficult to handle at times, but he also had a huge heart. Despite yesterday's protests and accusations, she knew that he looked up to the other Padawan. If Obi-Wan had rejected him, the boy would take it deeply personally, and would hold that hurt deep within him for a long time. But it seemed like whatever escapade they had in the swamp yesterday had been a bonding experience, and each of the guys seemed to have accepted the other. Good. Anakin needed more positive role models in his life.

"You were my brother, Anakin! I loved you."

Sienna froze. She felt her arm jerk as Anakin tried to keep walking, oblivious to the fact that Sienna had stopped. Obi-Wan was the most graceful of the three, and he used his grip on Anakin's other hand to keep the boy from falling over backwards.

"Is everything alright?" Obi-Wan asked, giving the other Padawan a puzzled look.

Sienna didn't answer. She reached out into the Force, trying to grab whatever that was, but it had slipped away as suddenly as it had come, leaving behind a vague impression of immeasurable suffering. But then the Force lapped against her conscious like a gentle wave, washing away the traces of death that clung to her mind in the wake of the voice.

What was that all about?

"Sienna," Anakin tugged at her hand. "What are you doing? Come on."

She shook herself. "Right, sorry. I thought I heard something."

They continued walking. Anakin forgot all about her strange behavior and struck up a conversation with Obi-Wan, asking questions about where they were going and who would be there and whether he would get to meet more Jedi. Obi-Wan answered them patiently, but Sienna could feel the curious and mildly concerned glances that he cast her way. She flashed a smile, the same one she used when she told him not to worry about the 'fabric of existence.' He rolled his eyes, but seemed to let it go.

And then his gaze landed on the place where her shirt was mended, and he frowned,

"Is that the same tunic you were wearing when you got stabbed?" He asked.

She gave him a puzzled look. "Yeah, why?"

"Is that the only shirt you have?"

"Yes."

"Are those the only clothes you have at all?"

"Of course not," She said. "I have other clothes."

Obi-Wan's expression relaxed.

"...They just all got left behind in the whole stab-and-run deal."

His face scrunched into something akin to exasperation. "And are you planning to spend six days of space travel with only one set of clothes?"

"I've done it before."

"Why does that not surprise me," he muttered. He turned down a side street, his grasp on Anakin's hand forcing the boy and Sienna to follow.

"Yo Obi-Wan, hanger's that way," Sienna said, jabbing her thumb over her shoulder.

"And I saw a clothing shop this way," he replied.

"Cool, but I don't have any credits on me."

"I have credits," Obi-Wan said. "The Council gives us allowances on missions. And seeing as your current attire has suffered knife and blood, and Anakin only has one more set of spare clothes, I think this is as good a use for it as any." He glanced back at her and raised an eyebrow, daring her to argue with his logic.

To his surprise, it was actually Anakin who tried to protest. He let go of Obi-Wan's hand, anxiety spiking in the Force around him. "It's ok, Obi-Wan sir, I don't need anything. I know how to wash and mend my own clothes, and it's all my own fault my other ones got ruined."

Obi-Wan looked down at the boy, brow furrowing in confusion. Anakin had gone along with getting new boots earlier today, why was he suddenly anxious? What was the difference between that and getting another set of clothes?

Sienna squeezed Anakin's hand gently. "Obi-Wan wants to buy you clothes, Ani. It's a gift. You won't have to pay him back."

Anakin looked at her, then back at Obi-Wan. "A gift?" He asked suspiciously.

Obi-Wan nodded, smoothing his features and trying to look as sincere as possible. "Of course. Nothing fancy, just a set of tunics and a pair of pants to replace the set I threw away."

"Aren't the Jedi gonna be mad at you for buying me things? I'm not even a Jedi learner or anything."

"No," Obi-Wan said, "why would they be mad?"

Anakin didn't answer, but he glanced back at Sienna again. They seemed to have a silent conversation, and then she gave him an encouraging smile and a nod.

"Well, ok," Anakin said.

"Thank you, Obi-Wan," Sienna said. "Lead the way."

They stepped into a shop and Anakin looked immediately overwhelmed. Sienna looked out of her depth too, but she put on a confident face as she brought Anakin to the section where the kid-sized tunics were.

"How do I know if they'll fit?" He asked.

"Um," Sienna picked up a plain brown tunic and held it in the air. She glanced at Anakin, then back at the tunic, then back at the boy, and finally over to Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan took the tunic from Sienna and looked at it too. And realized he had absolutely no idea how to estimate shirt sizes for a child.

Apparently, they were all out of their depth.

"What size tunic do you normally wear?" Obi-Wan asked, looking at the tag in the shirt.

"Size?" Anakin echoed. "My mom makes my tunics. They're hand-me-downs from the older boys, and she alters them to fit me."

Oh. That made sense, actually, but it didn't help them here.

Luckily, the shopkeeper seemed to notice their helplessness and came to the rescue. She showed the Padawans how to measure the shirt against Anakin's back, and then how to measure the waist of a pair of pants around his neck.

"If it wraps like this, then you know the waist size is right," she explained.

Obi-Wan and Sienna looked on with matching levels of amazement.

"What a useful trick," Obi-Wan commented.

The shopkeeper asked if they needed undergarments too, which both Padawans agreed was a good idea, and she helped them find some based on the size of the pants Anakin chose and the new boots on his feet.

"Anything else I can help you with?" She inquired, once Anakin had a set of inner and outer tunics, pants, and undergarments in his arms.

The boy turned to Sienna with a grin. "Your turn!"

Sienna did her best impression of a startled duga duga. "Um, I mean, if you just have something that's basically the same as this-" she gestured to her tan shirt and green camo-patterned pants "-that'll work."

The shopkeeper led her to another section of the shop and helped her find something she liked. Anakin added his thoughts on colors, which Sienna managed to tactfully dismiss while still sounding like she took his suggestions into consideration.

She was NOT going to wear orange, no matter how much Anakin thought it was a good color.

"Do you want to try them on?" The shopkeeper asked, once Sienna had found a couple of shirts and a pair of pants.

The Padawan shook her head. "It's fine, I'll just alter them if I don't like the fit."

The shopkeeper turned to Obi-Wan. "And you? Do you need anything?"

"I'm alright, thank you," he said. But then he caught a spark of anxiety around Anakin again, and got an idea. "Actually, come to think of it, I could use another tunic myself."

That seemed to be the right thing to say, because Anakin calmed down significantly while Obi-Wan was shown to yet another area in the shop.

With everyone's clothes gathered, paid for, and tucked into Obi-Wan's backpack, the group set out again.

"Thank you," Sienna said, as they exited the shop.

"Thanks Obi-Wan!" Anakin echoed.

The Jedi smiled. "You're most welcome."

"Are we going to find the ship now?" Anakin asked.

"We are."

"Yippee! I can't wait to see it." Anakin slipped his hands back into each of the Padawans' hands, and they resumed their walk.

Upon arriving at the hanger the trio was met by a friendly Rodian pilot, who greeted them and led them to the ship they would be using. Anakin gaped at it, his Force-signature giddy with excitement. He stared at the wings, the wheels, the viewscreen, taking in every detail with fascination.

Sienna circled the ship, running a hand along the hull. "This is a really nice model," she commented. "It's in great shape, for an antique."

The pilot gave her a startled look. "Antique? This is last year's model. It's practically brand new."

"Er, right, of course," Sienna laughed nervously, "that was a joke."

The pilot eyed her, but he rattled off some specs and the preparations that had been done. He held out a datapad, which Obi-Wan signed.

"Enjoy your trip," the pilot said by way of farewell.

Obi-Wan bowed. "Thank you. May the Force be with you."

"Bye!" Anakin said cheerfully.

Sienna had already disappeared up the loading ramp and into the ship. She checked some controls, glanced over the monitors, and then made a beeline for the cockpit.

"It's been too long," she said, grinning as she slid into the pilot's seat and ran a hand over the console. Then, in a louder voice, "Starting pre-flight checks!"

Obi-Wan and Anakin appeared a moment later.

The boy ran forward, skidding to a halt in front of the control panel. "Wizard! A real starship!" He had been too busy fretting to fully appreciate his first flight in the Nubian cruiser, but now he could devote all of his attention to this ship.

"I take it you're flying?" Obi-Wan commented to Sienna.

She turned to pierce him with the most serious expression he had ever seen on her face. "Kenobi, if I am ever in a ship and not the one flying it, it's because I'm either dead or unconscious."

Obi-Wan snorted. "Well in that case, it's all yours," he said, sweeping his arm out in a dramatic bow.

"You got that right," she laughed. "Anakin, come here, I'll show you what I'm doing."

"Wizard!"

Obi-Wan slid into the co-pilot seat and started his own checks while Sienna walked Anakin through the different levers and switches and buttons. The boy listened with rapt attention, absorbing it all like a sponge.

"And when I press this here, you want to make sure that light there is green. That means our hyperdrive is functional. You always want to make sure your hyperdrive is good to go before you get too far."

"What if you forget?"

Obi-Wan smirked, and called over, "Then you might end up on a dust bucket trying to barter with a Toydarian for a hyperdrive."

Sienna laughed. "That, or a million other highly inconvenient scenarios. Hyperdrives are the lifeblood of cross-galaxy space travel. Even a pile of garbage bolted together will get you where you need to go if it has a good hyperdrive." She flicked one last switch. "Time to buckle up, boys, we're heading to Coruscant."

Anakin plopped in his seat and gripped the edge, leaning forward in anticipation.

The ship rose slowly and edged out of the hangar as Sienna got a feel for the controls. Once they were clear of the dome, she glanced back at Anakin with a mischievous grin. "Wanna see something cool?"

"Yeah!"

Obi-Wan shot her a look of alarm. "What are you-"

But she had already thrown the ship into a nosedive. Anakin screeched and laughed as the ground raced up towards them, only for the ship to pull up at the last second and skim the surface of the swamp. Sienna yanked the stick to the side, flipping the ship sideways, tilting and weaving between the trees. Some startled can-cells leapt into the air, zipping away, and Sienna copied some of their dodging motions. She then pulled the aircraft up, up, away from the swamp, and nudged it into a barrel roll.

Obi-Wan groaned, bracing himself against his seat. "I'm going to be sick."

Sienna just laughed, finishing the stunt with a nice loop, and then returned to even flying as they exited Rodia's atmosphere.

"That was WIZARD!" Anakin shouted. "Let's do it again!"

"Let's not," Obi-Wan said.

"Aww, don't like flying?" Sienna asked.

"I don't mind flying," Obi-Wan responded, "But I don't think that can be called 'flying.' More like tempting death."

Sienna smirked. "That's the fun part of flying."

"If you're going to do that every time we get on a ship, I may need to rethink my travel arrangements."

That earned a laugh. "Well, if we ever find ourselves flying together again, I'll be sure to pack you a paper bag."

Obi-Wan sent her a half-hearted glare as she punched in the hyperspace co-ordinates. Anakin's antics with the can-cell were starting to make a little more sense if this was who he had as a teacher.

They leapt forward into the blue of hyperspace. Anakin gasped, staring out the viewscreen at the long, blue tunnel of blurred stars.

Sienna leaned back in her own chair, tucking her arms behind her head with a smile. "Welcome to hyperspace, kiddo."

"It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen!"

She hummed in agreement. "It's one thing that never gets old."

They watched in silence for a while. The tunnel zoomed past, the streaks of light flashing by faster than the eye could capture them. A thousand stars, a thousand systems, blurred and stretched like strings, woven together to create the fabric of the universe.

Eventually, Sienna stood and carefully stretched. "I'm gonna go get something to eat. Ani, you're welcome to stay here and watch, you can even sit in the pilot's chair, just make sure you don't touch anything, ok?"

"Ok! Can you teach me more about flying?"

"Sure, later. We have six days of travel, plenty of time."

"Ok." Anakin hopped up into the pilot's seat as Sienna stepped aside, eyes still glued to the viewscreen.

She ruffled his hair, nodded to Obi-Wan, and disappeared from the cockpit.


A/N: And they're off to Coruscant!

A lot happened in this chapter, how was the pacing? There were some spots here and there that I struggled with, I'm always trying to balance putting in all the scenes I want while also not drawing things out too much. If you think there needs to be more detail (or less) please let me know! I'd love to hear your thoughts, things that made you laugh, things you'd like to see more of, anything. I'm even open to prompts/suggestions for interactions you'd like to see, or questions you would like answered within the story. :)

See you Saturday!