Beta: Nauze is incredible. Fact.

Chapter 13 - A Betting Game

Ahsoka had argued with Anakin when she said she couldn't return to active duty. She was a Commander for Force's sake. She should have been able to do something.

But Kix said that going back, even as an advisor would put her through needless stress.

So, of course, she continued to argue.

Which is when Rex came in.

Rex, who had very nearly given his life for hers.

Ahsoka didn't know why she thought Rex would have been on her side, Fives certainly seemed somewhat moved by her arguments.

But High General Rex?

Ahsoka wasn't sure if it was his military training or if being put on the High Council came with the ability, or maybe the prerequisite, of being able to talk the person down, to scream without screaming, to simply-

Ahsoka couldn't remember ever being chewed out that badly before.

Rex had been less angry with her wanting to rejoin the field, though he had flat-out forbade it, which he had the power to do now, and angrier about her fighting him when the bombs went off in the Senate building.

She hadn't meant to fight him, it was just a knee jerk reaction to being tackled.

But Rex did not seem to care for that argument.

When the bombs went off, you went for cover.

When help was offered, you took it.

It was a very black and white argument, and no argument she could come up with swayed him in the slightest.

Finally, she had bowed her head and apologized.

"Don't apologize," Rex had said, "Do better next time. For now, do as Kix says and take care of yourself. Trust us to take care of the rest."

Her cheeks had burned with shame.

That night, Barriss climbed onto her cot with her, "It's going to be okay."

Ahsoka could only nod, feeling like a child who needed to be taken care of. She felt helpless and utterly useless.

Some Jedi she turned out to be.

Luke was almost sure Obi-Wan and the clones were trying to kill him.

The Concordia Academy of Mandalore had been constructed in record time. Luke found himself exactly where he wanted to be all his life.

He was truly happy, and seriously getting his butt kicked. Luke's brothers were having him try out every obstacle course they could dream up while his 'Master' was having him find his limits.

As Luke was discovering, his limits existed past his endurance.

Everyone seemed a little too happy assisting him building up said endurance.

Luke slipped, sliding into as he avoided being hit by a moving wall. Then dodged as a ceiling beam came down toward him.

Appo called it. Smirking down at him, he asked, "You good, little Kenobi?"

Luke swiped his sweat-drenched hair back, "Sure, feel like dragging my corpse back to my quarters?"

Obi-Wan dropped down from the viewing stage, "Unfortunately, necromancy is not among the Jedi's talents."

Luke sighed, "I can't move."

"Sure you can," Appo said, "You've only been at this for," he checked the time, "five hours."

Luke shut his eyes, "I'm coming. If Anakin was here, he would take pity on me."

Obi-Wan sat on the floor crossed legged, "Doubtful, but I'm sure telling him about the time travel will have him come running."

Luke shook his head, "I'll tell him after we've killed Palpatine. No need to traumatize the man."

Obi-Wan patted his knee, "Come, sit up, just meditation for today, then you can rest."

Luke pulled himself up with a groan, his muscles shaking, "Do I even want to know what you have planned for tomorrow?"

Cody grinned, sitting down to meditate with him, so far, it was only Cody and Appo who had come around to enjoying meditation, the rest of his brothers had not been quite as content with being still for that long.

"That would depend," Commander Cody said.

"On what?" Luke asked with accurate amounts of suspicion.

"On whether or not you want to have nightmares tonight."

Luke sighed and said with real feeling, "I despise you all."

They laughed.

Things had not exactly been going well for Anakin. Sure, the civil war was at a stand-still and slavers were getting picked off like the vermin they were, and the Hutt Empire was on the frits now that their strongest weapons, their Mandalorian bounty hunters, were now turned against them.

But on the flipside, his mentor outside the Order, his friend, the man he had trusted more than anyone outside of Padme, was almost definitely a Sith Lord.

There was nothing they could do about it without the Republic turning on the Jedi Order, which would spark a second civil war, which, in turn, would only benefit Count Dooku.

Then there was his Padawan, who was breathing and healing, but also hurting and more depressed than he had ever seen her.

More than two months had passed, and Kix said she was healing remarkably well, yet she remained unable to stand without aid.

It broke Anakin's heart.

Padme's arms came around his bare waist, as he sat on the edge of her bed waiting for dawn to rise. "Today's a new day, Ani, every day she gets stronger."

Anakin ran his hands over hers, "I think it's time we move her to Mandalore. I wanted to wait until she was walking again, but…" he sighed, "the front is starting to re-engage. Dooku's allies are getting restless, and the Hutts have been funding some of those ties."

"She will be okay. Obi-Wan and Luke will be there for her," Padme said, kissing his shoulder.

He leaned into her embrace, "Ahsoka isn't going to want to go."

She rested her head between his shoulder blades, "It will help, more than it will hurt. She is going to heal and get better."

He sighed, "I know. But it feels like everything has changed, and yet…"

"Going back will feel the same?"

He turned to her so he could pull her into his arms, "It won't be the same, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka won't be with me, and Rex is somehow my superior."

"You aren't actually bothered by that, are you?"

He smiled slightly, "Only in regards that I can't moan about the Council like I did before. The six new Council members, Aayla included, are so different from the rest of the Council."

"Different from Obi-Wan, you mean," she said softly.

Anakin looked at her, "I miss him."

"I know."

"I even miss how he used to be. I know this war was pushing him some, but I didn't realize quite how much. But then I guess there are a lot of things I don't know about him."

"Ani," Padme said hesitantly.

"What is it?" he asked, his attention focusing on her.

"Did you ever think that maybe if we had told him, he might have been…"

"More open with me?" he asked, resigned, "Yeah, I do, but I don't think I was wholly wrong not to tell him either. He didn't get married, he said he didn't even know she was pregnant until Luke was born, then he gave his son up. He did right by the Order."

"He also checked up on Luke," Padme said softly.

His heart ached, "He could have kept up with my mother too, if I had known."

"What would you have done in his place?"

He sighed, "I don't know. I respect him more for taking his son as a Padawan, and I respect him for leaving the Order, for marrying Satine publicly, but-" He sighed again.

Padme touched his face and prompted, "But?"

"But I'm an adult now. Obi-Wan and I will always be friends, family, but I couldn't abandon Ahsoka. She was so close to be knighted, but now…"

"She needs you."

He kissed her palm, "I won't take her back into active duty, not even as a consultant, she needs to rest."

"Ahsoka understands, she might not like it, but she understands that her injury is such that she is lucky to be alive."

"I somewhat feel as though that was Rex's doing."

Padme sniggered, "Kix almost dragged him out by his ear."

"She does understand but I don't want her to feel like I'm giving up on her sending her to Mandalore."

"Mandalore is the hot bed of change and major target for this war and with the ongoing campaign against the Hutt empire, it isn't exactly like you are sidelining her, you're just bringing her directly into battle."

"You don't think Mandalore is safe?" he asked, his heart picking up speed.

"No, no, I just mean that she isn't going to feel out of the loop."

He nodded, but it was hard not to hold on the worry

Padme sat up in his lap as the sun began to rise; she was so beautiful in the morning light that he couldn't help but be distracted from his worries.

He bent to kiss her.

Padme was better than meditation any day.

When they parted, she looked up at him with such emotion, he could feel her trembling within the Force.

"Padme?"

"Something wonderful has happened."

He frowned about to ask when she continued.

"Ani, I'm pregnant."

At first, he didn't comprehend what she was saying.

Then he understood.

Hope.

Briefly a flash of worry and then…

He was standing twirling her in his arms.

"What are we-"

He cut her off with a kiss, when they parted he said, "We aren't going to worry. This is the happiest day of my life."

Padme's smile nearly broke his heart, "I love you."

"I love you too."

"I-" she cut herself off.

Setting her down on her feet, he cupped her face in his hands, "Ask, whatever you want, it's yours."

Because right at that moment, if she asked him to leave the Order, he would have.

But she didn't ask that, instead, she said, "I want to tell Ahsoka."

He kissed her forehead, "Yes."

Ahsoka was pissed.

She was a Jedi Padawan.

She was going to be a Jedi Knight.

Her Master was Anakin Kriffing Skywalker, the Hero With No Fear, and her Grandmaster was Obi-Wan Karking Kenobi.

She was the most powerful Padawan of her generation.

Yet she couldn't manage to stand on her own two feet despite there no longer being anything wrong with her legs.

Ahsoka glared at the two handrails.

"It's okay, Ahsoka," Barriss said softly.

Ahsoka shook her head, "No, it isn't." She squeezed the handrails so tightly her knuckles ached. She understood why Kix had told her the wheelchair would be easier. There was nothing wrong with her upper body, she had lost everything she had ever learned and worked for with her hands and arms.

It was her legs that were useless.

She could hold herself up all day, yet she couldn't manage to find her balance on her own feet, couldn't take a step without falling.

"I think we should take a break-" Barriss started to say.

"No," Ahsoka snapped, and instantly regretted her temper at the hurt in her friend's gaze. "Barriss, I'm sor-"

Barriss was shaking her head as a knock came at the door, she hit the button to open the doors, bowing to Anakin and Padme before slipping out without another word.

Ahsoka couldn't even chase after her.

"Is she okay?" Padme asked.

The answer was no, Barriss wasn't okay, but despite spending the last two months together, Ahsoka couldn't figure out why . Something had changed in her friend.

She didn't know what, but something had.

When she didn't answer, Anakin asked, "You just going to hang there all day, Snips?"

She glared at him, "I'm going to walk today if it kills me."

"Ah," her Master said with both mirth, sorrow, and anger in his eyes, he really was the most emotional Jedi she knew, although Plo said his own Master was infamous for his temper and raging moods, "well, I'll just stand here and you can come to me then."

She glowered at him and Padme who joined the bastard.

Crossing the space that was less than three yards of railing on either side of her was nothing to cross. She could just move on her hands across the space in no time at all.

But that was the point, the point was getting the noodles that had replaced her legs to walk the space.

She looked at the space, twitched her feet, and felt as if there was an abyss before her. So to distract herself, she asked, "Why are you two so sparkly?"

"What?" Padme asked.

"Your presence in the Force, you're both glowing."

They smiled at each.

Kriffing lovebirds.

Ahsoka wasn't sure how she had missed it before, but at this point, if they told her that they were married, she wouldn't be surprised.

She had asked Kix about it, and found that the 501st had a betting pool going.

She had put her food-flavour rations on Anakin having married, or at least committed his relationship with Padme while still having been Obi-Wan's Padawan.

There wasn't anyone betting against the conclusion that Obi-Wan knew about this affair.

"Well, Snips, we wanted to tell you something," Anakin began, fidgeting.

"Something we should have told you sooner," Padme added.

Ahsoka looked at Anakin expectantly, letting him sweat.

"Padme and I are married."

Ahsoka gasped dramatically, "No? Really!? Are you telling me you broke a Council edict? I'm scandalized." She looked at Padme, "Some role model you turned out to be."

Padme covered her lips to suppress a smile.

Anakin glowered, "Ahsoka, we aren't joking."

She rolled hers, "Did you just get married? Is that why you're sparkling?"

Anakin crossed surprised, "You could at least act surprised or happy for us?"

She raised her brows at him, "I love you both, but I might have been surprised two years ago. Now? Come on, Master Obi-Wan brought his kid into the Order, got himself exiled by the Chancellor, took the 212th Battalion with him into exile, and then got married. And that was Master Kenobi , any rule he can break, you've probably broken too."

Anakin blinked at her as if he had just had his lightning stolen.

Padme laughed and put a hand to her belly, "We are also having a baby."

This time Ahsoka did smile but before she could say anything Kix walked into the room, "Have you been to the doctors yet, Lady Amidala?"

Anakin stiffened, "Kix, this is-"

"Confidential, I understand, but I assure you, I can check on the health of your baby, General, without sharing it with anyone."

Anakin gaped at him, "You aren't surprised either?"

Kix smiled, but looked at Padme, "Senator?"

Padme bowed her head to the man offering her hand to him as he approached, "No, but I would be honoured if you looked me over, Healer Kix."

He took her hand, gently pulled her to her feet, "I'm just an army medic, but I worked with the incubations long enough to help with prenatal diagnosis, though you should still go to a gynaecologist when you are further along."

Padme nodded, "As the doctor orders."

"Right this way, Senator," Kix directed before pausing to look at Ahsoka, "Either put some weight on your poor neglected legs, Tano, or take a seat."

Ahsoka stuck her tongue out at him, then she asked, "How come Padme gets bedside manners?"

"Because unlike you and General Skywalker, Senator Amidala actually respects my diagnosis."

Padme nodded, "My intelligence can be quite burdensome at times."

Kix patted her hand, "Your husband doesn't lack intelligence, just common sense."

Padme nodded solemnly, "Here's hoping the baby takes after me."

"Padme!" Anakin exclaimed as Ahsoka broke into giggles.

Padme blew him a kiss as Kix led her to a curtained off section of the room.

They could still hear each other and at least until they were all set up, Anakin stayed where he was instead of following after his wife.

"Alright, Snippy, let's see it," Anakin said, as if this was a normal spar, as if they were simply practising her Form.

And perhaps it was the normalcy, or maybe it was time, or maybe she was just sick of feeling sorry for herself.

Closing her eyes, she lifted a foot, feeling as if she were moving through goo, her legs stinging from the newly healed muscles being healed.

But Kix had cleared her. She could be as hard as she wanted, push as hard as she needed to, it wasn't her legs that needed to get better, it was her head.

She set the foot down and gave her weight to it, not letting herself listen to the muscles that couldn't remember what they didn't know but what she knew was possible.

Her legs could hold her weight.

She could stand.

She could take another step.

Anakin didn't cheer her on, there was no intake of breath or intense emotion in the Force as she made her painstaking way across the floor.

There was only her will, her feet moving sluggishly beneath her as she kept hold of the railings, and the sound of Kix talking to Padme about the baby.

By the time Kix said it was a girl, Ahsoka had reached the end of railing.

When she reached the end of the railings, she didn't expect her Master to be there when she opened her eyes, but he was.

And he was looking at her with such pride and relief that she felt tears prick her own eyes.

"I am so proud of you, Ahsoka," he said quietly.

She shouldn't feel all mushy, after all, she had been walking all her life, but the last few months had been humbling. She knew she still had work to do, knew there was still much she would have to relearn, but there was no more doubt that she was capable of recovering now.

Ahsoka tried taking another step forward, and promptly tripped without the railing to hold onto.

Anakin caught her and pulled her into a hug, "We're going to be okay, Snips."

She hugged him and let herself do something she hadn't allowed herself since waking up.

She let herself cry.

Somewhere among the tears, she managed to say, "Congratulations, Anakin. You're going to be a great dad."

Obi-Wan felt much more whole as Anakin, Ahsoka, Padme, Rex, Fives, Echo, and several others from the 501st disembarked than he had since last seeing them.

Yes, there were still nights where he woke up with nightmares, but seeing as he now only ever slept with his wife, differentiating between reality and nightmare was rather simple.

Reality was Satine wrapped in his arms, nightmares were things he was actively rewriting in the current timeline. This knowledge, along with actively rebuilding Mandalore into a society that could withstand just about anything, was both challenging and fulfilling.

Of course, he had learned how to be bored on Tatooine, and then Luke had shown him that no matter how 'boring' a planet could be, there were always dangers to be found.

The Mandalore system was many things, but no one had ever accused it of being boring.

Even as they waited for their guests, Satine was saying, "The protesters must be allowed to continue but I don't know how to ensure their safety."

"Maybe you could open a discussion board at the Academy? It would be a better platform than in the street," Luke suggested.

Satine sighed, "But they want to be heard."

"Maybe broadcast it then," Luke said, "But I don't think you or Obi-Wan should be a part of the panel, the protesters want their fellow Mandalorians to support them more than they seem to want to argue with you."

Anakin was close enough to hear that and said, "Are the Duke and Duchess training you to be a Jedi or a politician?"

Luke grinned at them, "Obi-Wan is both, why can't I be?"

Padme laughed, stepping forward to greet him, "Ah, Obi-Wan you raised him right."

Obi-Wan bowed his head to her before kissing her hand, "Thank you, my Lady." Her approval meant far more to him than she would ever understand.

Obi-Wan smiled next at Rex, "Welcome High General Rex, it is an honour to have a Council Member among us."

Rex nodded a bit subconsciously, "Thank you, Sir."

Appo grinned, "Talk about making history, eh, Captain?"

Rex spared him a small real smile.

By the time greetings got to Ahsoka, he could see the young Torgruta poised in her wheelchair, ready to be defensive, likely for if someone asked her how she was doing.

Obi-Wan had come to despise that question at moments throughout his own life.

But Luke beat everyone to the punch, "Ahsoka, do you want to see the Academy? It's not far from here."

Her shoulders slumped in relief and her eyes brightened at Luke's tact of not remarking on the wheelchair or her recovery. "Sure, I would love to, Appo has been messaging me about it."

Appo winked at her, "Enjoy the tour, Commander Tano, you will be spending most of your time there."

Luke smiled, "Between Ahsoka and I, you won't be able to wipe the floor with us."

Obi-Wan grinned at him, "We will see." Then pulled the twin lightsabers from his belt and came forward to kneel by Ahsoka's side. "I made these, but from the first, they were meant for you."

She blinked at him, before reaching out for the hilts, "You made me lightsabers when you went to Ilum?"

"It was how the Force instructed me to build them, the grips aren't meant for me."

Her hands, however, settled over them as if she were sliding on a favourite pair of gloves. "Thank you, Master Kenobi, mine didn't survive the attack on the Senate building."

"Nor my tinkering," Anakin admitted a bit sheepishly.

Igniting the blades, Ahsoka gasped, "Why are they white?"

"I found them on Ilum, but they had already belonged to another. I will tell you the story when we have a moment."

She blinked at them, "They are healed, aren't they? I can feel… they've come a long way." She extinguished them, folding her hands on her lap.

Obi-Wan touched her knee, "So have you, Padawan, and you still have many adventures ahead of you."

She smiled at him, "I've missed you, Master."

He smiled back, "I've missed you too, little one." He stood and Anakin tossed him his saber, "Thanks, Padawan mine."

Anakin bowed his head, "Anybody ever tell you you're a strange man, Master?"

Obi-Wan chuckled, "Aside from you? Many."

Luke came up behind Ahsoka's wheelchair, and instead of merely wheeling her toward the nearest hovercraft, he started into a run then put a foot on the bottom of the chair to use it as a scooter.

Ahsoka whooped and Anakin called out, "Luke!"

Satine laughed, "Relax, Luke won't hurt her."

Obi-Wan smiled broadly, now that Luke was out of earshot, he bragged, "Luke survived Darth Maul."

Anakin spun on him, "Wait, what? I thought you killed him, that's what Rex told us."

"Oh, he did," Cody said, "But Luke clashed blades with him and didn't die."

Padme shook her head, "How long had he even had a lightsaber? That was months back."

"A week," Obi-Wan said, bursting with pride.

"How?" Anakin asked, gaping.

"He listens to orders," Appo, Cody, Greger, Waxer, and Boil said in unison.

Anakin blinked at them, "What?"

Obi-Wan patted him on the back, "Appo commanded Luke to run away, so he ran away."

"Without back talking," Cody said.

"Or cracking a joke," Appo said.

"Or hesitating," Boil said.

"He just listened," Waxer finished.

"Huh," Fives began, "what was that like?"

"Finally having a Padawan who listens?" Appo clarified, "It was like having trust in the hierarchy."

Rex snorted, "Well, we know he isn't a Skywalker at any rate."

Appo and Cody exchanged a smirk.

Anakin put a hand to my chest, "Ouch, Rex. I thought we were friends."

Obi-Wan smiled at him, "You've just conditioned us all to expect the unexpected."

"What, so much so that someone following orders is a surprise?" Anakin asked.

Everyone aside from Satine and Padme said devinatively, "Yes."

"Tano isn't much better," Fives said, "she takes after you."

Anakin crossed his arms looking at his new captain, "That doesn't sound complimentary."

Obi-Wan laughed, "Anakin, it's why we love you, but on the topic of congratulations," he turned to Padme, "Congratulations."

Padme blushed, "You Jedi with your magic, I'm not showing yet."

"No," Satine said, mischief on her beautiful face, "but you have that glow about you. Tell us, is the father your crush from your school years." Coming forward to take Padme's hand, "That handsome artist? What was his name? Palo?"

Padme froze, her smile stilling as she flicked her gaze to Anakin.

Obi-Wan knew that Satine knew because she admitted that Padme had confided in her, but Anakin didn't know that Satine knew.

Just as he hadn't picked up on Obi-Wan knowing.

Obi-Wan was going to make this hurt, he thought with glee.

"No," Padme recovered, "no, not Palo."

"Oh, come on," Satine said, "you described him in such detail to me. Dark curly hair, dreamy eyes. Your first love. It would be so romantic if you two found each other again."

Anakin had frozen rooted to the spot, and given the smirks on the 501st's faces, Obi-Wan knew that they were in on this too.

Only Anakin was being too stubborn to realize his biggest secret was anything but.

Obi-Wan glided to Padme's other side so they ushered her forward trapped between himself and Satine with Anakin left to hover behind them awkwardly.

"My credits are on Clovis," Obi-Wan said with a smile, "that handsome Senator who always had a fancy on our Nubian Queen."

He felt Anakin's burst of jealous rage in the Force. Padme glanced back at him worriedly before catching Satine's gaze and giving her friend wide eyes in silent plee.

But Satine just smiled with a wicked twinkle in her eye, "Clovis? Oh, you mean, Rush, oh he is a handsome fellow. Isn't he a baron?"

Which is when Padme caught on to the game, and may it never be said that Senator Padme Amidala didn't know how to act.

"Clovis?" she stuttered, "Why would you- I mean I haven-"

Obi-Wan hugged her, "Nothing to be ashamed of, my dear, Rush makes for a very noble figure indeed."

"You two will make such pretty babies together," Satine gushed.

Obi-Wan glanced at Anakin who was stomping beside them, looking as if Dooku had just kissed his cheek. It was a true effort not to laugh.

Padme shook her head, "Oh, don't say it like that. The father of the baby, well, he's-"

"Does he not want to marry you?" Satine demanded, the picture of indignation.

Obi-Wan let his own expression fall into serious line, "I'm no longer a member of the Order, if you need to give this pretty boy a little talk-"

Padme shook her head, putting on an expression of desperation, "Oh, Master Kenobi, I couldn't ask you to do that."

"He's a Duke now," Cody said, "And just say the word and any of the 212th-"

"Or the 501st," Appo cut in.

"Would gladly help you, Senator Amidala," Cody finished, also glancing at Anakin.

Anakin, who was lost in his own frustration, had failed to sense the rising amusement around him as they walked through the palace halls, the sunlight making rainbow colours dance on the marble floors.

Padme touched her heart, "Thank you all, but I should be the brave one to keep Clovis accountable for his actions."

Anakin shot her a pained and betrayed look.

Padme, in turn, gave him innocent eyes.

Obi-Wan hugged Padme to him, "If you ever need somewhere safe for you or your baby to stay, Satine and I would be happy to help."

Satine nodded, "And I will be having words with Clovis if you don't have them with him yourself sometime soon."

Anakin looked as if he was having his heart stabbed.

Obi-Wan should have felt bad, he really should have, but the boy was doing this to himself and his 'secret' wife was endorsing it.

However, Obi-Wan did spare him a bit for his own curiosity, "Have you seen a medic or healer yet? How is the baby, or is it babies?"

Padme laughed, "Just the one, I'm not sure I could handle twins on my own. I saw her heartbeat and her hands just the other day, my baby girl."

Interesting , Obi-Wan thought, he was pretty sure that it was a bit early for Luke and Leia to have been conceived, which meant this baby girl might either be Leia or just another baby drawn to this life.

"We're so happy for you," Obi-Wan said, hugging both the women to him. Padme's death had hurt him almost as much as losing Satine had. He and Padme had never been in love, but they had been dear friends and love existed between them.

Obi-Wan had only understood how deeply he cared for her when she was fading. They hugged him back, Padme catching on that his well wishes were sincerely meant.

Honestly, Padme being sensible to the emotional needs of others was very necessary if she had been wedded to Anakin, the poster child for emotional personalities.

When he pulled back, he felt the levity pass him, cupping her face, he said, "Padme, you are going to be a wonderful mother. May the Force always be with you and your family."

Padme smiled up at him with honeyed eyes, "And with you, considering you and Satine are a part of my family."

Obi-Wan kissed her forehead, "Our little family is going to rain chaos on the galaxy."

"Especially as our little family consists of tens of thousands of Mandalorians," Satine said with a smile and a wink at Cody, "I think that statement is guaranteed."

"Speaking of which," Anakin cut in, seeming desperate to change the subject, "I'm a bit offended, Obi-Wan, you didn't invite any of us to the wedding."

"Why?" Obi-Wan asked directly, "You didn't invite me to yours."

Anakin's eyes went wide, and he breathed, "You knew?"

Obi-Wan crossed his arms, "That you were in love with her? About the same time I saw you lay eyes on her again, which was also when you started questioning my every choice."

"Wait," Cody interceded, "didn't he always do that?"

"No," Obi-Wan said, remembering that little sullen 'why?' when he said they would guard Padme and not seek out her assailants without fondness, "It wasn't typical, at least not in front of Senators or other Masters."

Anakin looked a little ashamed then, now that he had his own Padawan who talked back to him frequently, he understood that on some level, what he had done was a betrayal.

No, Obi-Wan didn't mind Anakin questioning him or even challenging him. But it had been the first true breaking of trust between. Not a childish rebellion, not a sneaking out at night, or getting into trouble, no, it had been a moment where his Padawan had sided with a Senator over his Master in such a way that was public and undermined their control over the situation.

It wasn't that big of a deal in and of itself, but what had then followed afterwards?

The lies, the secrets, the… breaking of trust and faith in one another.

Obi-Wan had loved Anakin too much at the time to see what was happening.

"You never said anything," Anakin said quietly.

"I did," Obi-Wan said, "You know I did."

"You told me it would be a betrayal to the Order."

"Being her lover would not have been a betrayal, letting your emotions blind you to the others you -as a Jedi Padawan or Jedi Knight- were tasked to serve and protect, would have been."

"I never-"

"Didn't you?" Obi-Wan snapped, losing his own temper by a fraction as he stepped forward to meet the other man's stance. "Luke doesn't have a tenth of your training, he doesn't even know me as well as you should have, yet Luke listened to me, and it saved his life."

"I don't see what your son has to do with this."

"On Geonosis, Padme fell from that air-craft-"

"Wouldn't you have followed after Satine?"

"And leave you to go after a Sith Lord by yourself?" Obi-Wan asked, "No, I wouldn't have, especially as both Satine and Padme are quite capable of taking care of themselves."

"But I didn't go after her, I stayed with you."

"But you didn't listen to me," Obi-Wan pressed, wanting to shake him. He knew that the timeline was changed, he knew that Anakin would never trust Palpatine again, just as Obi-Wan also knew that Anakin would refuse to acknowledge the dangers of being in love when being such a powerful Force user.

Anakin shook his head, "What do you want me to say? I'm sorry? That I was a dumb kid?" He shook his hand, "I lost my arm-"

"Yes, you lost your arm and you nearly got me killed and Dooku got away, in part, because you lost control of your emotions."

"Emotions are not evil!" Anakin yelled.

"No," Obi-Wan said without backing down, "They aren't evil, but you must learn to master yourself, Anakin. I don't want you to give up Padme or your child, nor do I want you to leave the Order if you don't want to, but as your Master, as your brother, as someone who helped raise you and loves you, I need you to listen to me. I need you to acknowledge the challenges balancing attachments in your life will create."

"What do you know? You're perfect! Everything always comes easy to perfect Kenobi!"

Obi-Wan very nearly struck him then, after everything Anakin had put him through, after the life he lived, after the hell he endured living through and witnessing Order 66. When next he spoke, his voice was soft, "I will always love you, Anakin, but I don't think you will ever know me or see me. And that is the price you paid when you choose the fear of consequences for your actions over trusting me."

Anakin's hands were fisted, "You wouldn't have listened, you never heard me."

Obi-Wan shook his head, "I have made so many mistakes in my life and paid dearly for them. I was too young to be the person you needed me to be, to hear what was unspoken, to read between the lines, to catch on to the ripples within the Living Force as Qui-Gon might have. But I will not keep apologizing to you for me not being my Master. It was never my goal to become Qui-Gon Jinn nor was I ever meant to be."

"But you always tried," Anakin retorted, "You always quoted him, and when Qui-Gon's advice was too vague, you just quoted the Code. You were always clear on no attachments, that the Jedi do not love."

Obi-Wan glared at him, "Are those my words? Your words? Or are they poison Palpatine poured into your soul, Anakin?"

Anakin froze, his face draining of colour.

He didn't stop, "Because I have never said that the Jedi do not love. I taught you to love all beings, I taught you to be compassionate, and to place others before yourself."

He shook his head, "You said to hold-"

Obi-Wan interrupted, "I told you to be mindful of your emotions and to let them pass, so that you can love a thing but not let your emotions uproot you when your peace of mind was needed. That is the life of a Jedi, duty to not yourself, defence of not yourself, but others."

"Don't put this on me, you fell in love too!"

"I did! But I didn't damn the galaxy with it!" Obi-Wan roared back, the images of the smoking Temple flashing through his mind. "The only mistake in love I ever made was loving you so much that I believed you incapable of falling! I trusted you!"

Anakin felt his heart break at the devastation he saw on Obi-Wan's face.

I trusted you!

Past tense.

Past. Tense.

Obi-Wan didn't trust him anymore. Because of Padme? Because he lied to him?

Or because he thought Anakin still trusted Palpatine?

Satine touched Obi-Wan's arm, and he turned to her, and it was like all that sorrow and devastation was pressed back.

When Obi-Wan looked back at Anakin, his face was emotionless, his voice pleasant and empty.

The perfect Jedi.

The perfect Jedi who seemed to be shattering on the inside.

"I am happy for you and Padme, I support your marriage. I cannot wait to meet your new baby, Anakin. But the people you love will be used against you, just as the people I love have been used against me."

"I have the power to keep them safe," Anakin said, unsure of what was happening, "If anyone dares-"

"They will dare. Force help us, Palpatine is the one who threw you two back together on a gamble that you might still have feelings for each other. So be careful when you retaliate, that when you destroy your enemies, you don't destroy that which you love along with yourself."

"I won't-"

Obi-Wan backed up from him, Satine stepping with him, their Mandalorian army shining in the filtered sunlight, "Sometimes, I don't know why I keep trying. Even now, you don't listen."

Anakin felt heat go up his cheeks, "Which is it, Master, attachments or no attachments, emotion or no emotion? What do you want from me?"

"Balance," Obi-Wan said, his voice light, "I want you to find balance within yourself."

"Oh, yes, bring balance to the Force, but even you don't know what being the Chosen One means, not really," he said bitterly.

Obi-Wan sighed, shaking his head, "Believe what you like. I wanted to believe my Master, that prophecies were real, that there was a reason for suffering, but maybe there isn't, or maybe I'll just never live long enough to see it resolved. Luke has just as much potential as you do, so perhaps the words of a dying man truly meant nothing. I do not know."

Anakin crossed his arms, "Well, that's refreshingly honest."

Obi-Wan glared at him, "But what I do know is that Force is able to use your emotions to make you a slave to its power. I know that is the fate the Sith wished for you."

Anakin gritted his teeth, "Chancellor Palpatine, Darth Sidious , did not break me."

"No," Obi-Wan agreed, "he kept you broken. He kept you dependent, hungry for praise, for belonging, for being more powerful, for deserving recognition from others rather than yourself. He was always there in your thoughts, driving the wedges in deeper between us, between you and the Jedi Order."

Anakin shook his head, even as memories of hours spent in Palpatine's company gave weight to what Obi-Wan was describing. It hadn't seemed weird as a child, because the only people who had ever been kind to him had praised him, unlike Obi-Wan who was constantly pushing and challenging. Nor had it seemed strange as an adult because Palpatine was both familiar and trusted.

Obi-Wan's gaze flicked to Padme before meeting his gaze again, "Do not misunderstand me, Anakin, I am proud of you. You are a good man and an exceptional Jedi Knight, but a part of you will always be that little boy we met on Tatooine."

Anakin felt his cheeks redden, both because Obi-Wan was quoting Padme and because Obi-Wan had intended that comment to hurt.

Because no matter what he did, Anakin had never been able to outrun or defeat his past.

It occurred to him that his Master had never tried to hurt him before now, not with words, not on purpose.

Obi-Wan bowed low to him and then to Padme, "My apologies, I did not intend for this conversation to happen. I will retire for the night to avoid saying anything else regrettable."

"Obi-Wan," Satine said, reaching out but he was already striding down the hall.

Anakin felt something in the Force around Obi-Wan as if there really was more going on here than met the eye.

Satine turned to them, "I'm sorry, but I can't leave him alone like this, Appo and Gregor can give you a tour and-"

"Is he okay?" Padme asked.

Satine hesitated, then said, "Anakin isn't the only one who has visions and nightmares," before exchanging signals with the clones that were more complex than the signs that Anakin knew. "We will see you all at breakfast."

The blonde haired Duchess turned jogging down the hall Obi-Wan had departed from, Cody and Waxer following her.

There was a decidedly awkward silence once they were out of sight.

Anakin wasn't really sure what had just happened, the last in depth conversation he had with Obi-Wan hadn't ended so poorly. But maybe that's because he had been holding back.

I trusted you!

What had Obi-Wan seen to cast such sorrow over him?

Appo broke the silence, "Just out of curiosity, did you two get married before or after you were Knighted?"

"Before," Anakin said, feeling a bit chastised, because yes, Obi-Wan had kept the fact that he had had a son hidden from him.

A son whose mother had died, a boy that was nearly a stranger to him until this year.

But that wasn't quite the same as eloping and lying to his best friend for years afterward, especially whenever Obi-Wan attempted to prod at the subject.

No, Anakin supposed that wasn't the same at all.

A few of the clones cursed in Mandalorian while others smirked.

Fives whistled, "Tano was right, I knew she would be."

Anakin looked at them all, "What are you talking about? What was my Padawan right about?"

"The 501st and the 212th have had a betting pool going on for months on when exactly you got married," Fives explained.

"Ahsoka only got in on the pool a week or so after she woke up," Rex said.

Anakin stared at him, "You're in on this too? You were betting on when, not if I got married?"

Padme started laughing.

He turned on her, "This isn't funny."

She waved her hand at him, "We've been trying to keep this secret for years, mainly from the Council and Obi-Wan. But Obi-Wan knows, so does Rex, both are or were on the Council, and now tens of thousands other men know too." She continued to laugh as his men joked with his wife.

Anakin pinched the bridge of his nose.

AN: Thoughts, reactions, ball pythons, or feedback, pretty please?