"Mmm, something smells good!" Ben uttered, as he made his way to the kitchen table. "Do you need help cooking?"
"No," Padme replied. "But you can do the dishes when we are done." Ben sat down, and she gave him a stack of pancakes to eat.
"That was delicious!" Caleb said gleefully, after finishing his breakfast.
"Why, thank you, Caleb," Padme responded.
Facing Ben, she added, "At least someone here likes my cooking!"
"My mouth is full right now!" Ben defended himself. He swallowed his food and told her,
"You're a great cook."
"Okay, you are off the hook," Padme said teasingly. "Caleb, please put the dishes in the sink."
As he did this, Padme reviewed the day's plan with Ben.
"I will head home, and meet with the realtor. You keep Caleb entertained until I call out to you. Hopefully, I will get a buyer quick. Then we can leave Tatooine behind for good," she explained.
"You may leave Tatooine behind, but it will always have a special place in my heart," Ben sighed wistfully.
Padme held his hand. It was not fair. Ben never got to meet any of his family members.
"It's fine. You, Caleb and Leia are my family," Ben replied, knowing her thought.
They landed on Tatooine. Padme headed to her childhood home, while Ben and Caleb went exploring all over the planet. They saw Mos Eisley Cantina, Jabba's Palace, the Sarlacc Pit and other places of interest.
They arrived to the cave that was Obi Wan's home. Ben hesitated momentarily, but Caleb pulled at his leg and said,
"C'mon, let's go inside!" Ben shook his head and followed the boy inside. The cave was just as Ben had left it years ago.
"Did you know that the first time Padme and I met in our dreams, I was in this cave?" Ben told Caleb, after they checked it out.
"I know," Caleb yawned. He was tired from all the walking they did. Ben scooped him up and laid him down on the bed.
"Get some rest, little one," Ben told him. Within minutes, the boy was fast asleep.
Ben decided to step outside for some fresh air. There was not a soul around. He closed his eyes to meditate, but was surprised to hear a male voice say to him,
"Hello there!" Ben's eyes quickly opened. He scanned around, to see where the voice was coming from.
"Ben, do not be afraid. You and the boy are guests in my home," the voice said to him. Suddenly, an older gentleman appeared, illuminated with light.
"Obi Wan?" Ben gasped.
"Yes, it is I," Obi Wan replied, smiling at his grandson. Ben did his best to not collapse to his knees.
"I must be a disappointment to you," Ben finally managed to say. He was ashamed of all the evil things he had done.
"Your assumption is wrong. You just went off the path for a little while. But now, you are fulfilling your destiny."
"Are you sad that I am no longer a Jedi?"
"No. You did not have a choice. Your mother realizes it was a mistake to have Luke train you as a Jedi. Since you are no longer a Jedi, this means you can be a husband and father someday."
Ben nodded his head. He was planning on proposing to Padme once they reached Naboo.
"I will be a father, and hopefully a husband, too. If she says yes," Ben admitted sheepishly. "Will you come to the wedding?"
"Of course," his grandfather assured him. "I would not miss it for anything."
"I just wish I could have met my mother and grandmother."
"They are very proud of you, Ben." Obi Wan was planning on a special surprise for Ben and Padme on their wedding day.
"I did not know Satine was pregnant. Otherwise, I would have left the Jedi order, and raised Sobina with her. But the Force had a different path for me," Obi Wan confessed.
The men talked for a while, before Obi Wan vanished. Ben felt at peace, knowing that he had met his grandfather.
He waited until Caleb woke up from his nap to pack up their hiking supplies. The boy rubbed his eyes and asked Ben,
"Was he nice?"
Ben gave Caleb a puzzled look. Caleb raised his eyebrow.
"Ah, you mean Obi Wan? Yes, was very nice," Ben uttered in realization. "Come, we need to get going."
"Can you please put this in the knapsack?" Caleb handed Ben a small golden book. Ben was surprised. It was "The Theory of Force Bonds" book! He smiled. This was the book he and Padme were reading, before they fell asleep and met each other for the first time.
"I thought this was gone forever!" Ben said in amazement.
"Can I give it to Padme?" Caleb asked.
"Yes, but only if she agrees to marry me, and only as a wedding gift."
"She will say yes."
They left the cave, and headed back into town. They went to a local jeweler, to design the engagement ring Ben would give Padme.
"It's pretty!" Caleb exclaimed. Ben had the jeweler take a piece of the four lightsabers they had to form petals of a flower, with a diamond in the center.
"Do you think she will like it?" Ben asked nervously.
"Yes, because it is from you, Ben," Caleb replied. He gave Ben a hug. He was happy that he was a part of Ben and Padme's family.
"You will always be a part of our family," Ben vowed to the boy, patting him on the head.
Padme called out to them. It was time to head back to the house. She greeted them at the door.
"We have a buyer!" she said cheerfully. Ben hugged her, and Caleb jumped up and down.
"It's Cliff Antilles," she explained. "He's a distant relative of Wedge Antilles. He's married with a pair of twins around Caleb's age."
"When do they want to move in?" Ben asked.
"As soon as possible. Cliff's wife is expecting another set of twins soon."
"Wow! I guess we better start packing then."
"Tomorrow we start packing. I'm exhausted from being on my feet all day!"
"How about you get some rest? I will feed Caleb and put him to bed."
With a mischievous wink, Ben added,
"Then I will put you to bed."
"You are so bad," Padme thought to herself in amusement. Caleb looked at Padme and asked,
"What did he do wrong?" The adults chuckled when the boy said this.
"You will understand when you are older," Padme told him.
Ben cooked dinner, and Caleb begrudgingly ate it. It wasn't very tasty. After dinner, Ben drew a bath for the boy. He watched Caleb play with his bath toys. Afterwards, Caleb put on his pajamas and crawled into bed.
"When are you going to ask Padme to marry you?" the boy said to Ben's mind.
"Once we get to Naboo, I will propose to her," he replied. "Now remember, this is a secret you MUST not tell."
"I won't. I promise."
Ben gave Caleb a kiss on the forehead, tucked him in, and turned off the lights in his room. As he closed the door, Caleb smiled to himself and said as he closed his eyes,
"I am glad to be a part of their family."
