AUTHOR'S NOTE In Revenge of the Sith, Anakin mentions something to Padmé about "Outer Rim sieges" in the very beginning once he and Obi-Wan are back on Coruscant. This chapter takes place directly before they go to rescue Palpatine from Dooku and Grievous, so I'm interpreting the search as their Outer Rim assignment.

Please don't hate Obi-Wan for this!

DISCLAIMER I made up Alar (with Lauren's help), but everything else belongs to Tolkien and Lucas.

…

Obi-Wan followed Legolas through the forests outside Rivendell. His senses told him how to find his friends, but the Elf had insisted on coming with him as he searched for the landing site. Part of him hoped that they would never find it.

Suddenly Legolas stopped and put a finger to his lips. "Listen."

"What?" Obi-Wan whispered. He heard nothing but the birds in the trees.

"Voices," Legolas whispered back. He pointed. "This way." He led them down the overgrown path that Obi-Wan had once worn down by traveling to his wrecked ship. After a minute or so, Obi-Wan too could hear the voice of his former Padawan.

"I'm telling you, Senator, he's alive."

"Anakin, look at the ship! There's no way he could have survived a crash like that."

Sorrow and grim determination rippled through the forest, hitting both Legolas and Obi-Wan. "I'm not convinced. An apprentice can feel it if his master dies," Anakin said.

There was a pause. Then Bail said sadly, "You are not a Padawan anymore, my friend. And you said yourself that the Force is different on this planet. If Obi-Wan died here, it's possible that not even Master Yoda would have felt it." There was silence for a minute, then Bail continued softly, "You yourself said you cannot sense him here."

Reluctantly, Anakin said, "I know."

Obi-Wan stood next to Legolas, the two of them hidden in the dense brush. All he had to do was turn around and go back to Rivendell. Arda's strange Force presence would hide him from Anakin's senses and if Anakin and Bail made it to Rivendell, Aragorn would surely conceal him. Anakin would go before the Council and tell them that Master Obi-Wan Kenobi was dead. No one would ever come looking for him again and he could spend the rest of his life with Aragorn on Arda.

But his sense of loyalty and duty was quickly fighting back. As a Jedi Knight, he had a responsibility to the universe that he could not just turn his back on. He had fulfilled his promise to Qui-Gon Jinn – Anakin was a Jedi now – but to abandon the boy that Qui-Gon had given his life for also felt like betrayal. Not to mention Anakin's stubborn belief and hope that they would find Obi-Wan alive.

He knew that there really was no choice. He looked Legolas and said, "Tell Aragorn that I am sorry. And I love him."

Legolas frowned, but his eyes quickly began to close as Obi-Wan reached out into the Elf's mind. Soon, Legolas was fast asleep on the forest floor. "I am sorry, Legolas Thranduilion," he said sadly. "May you someday forgive me."

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, picturing Aragorn and Mara and Alar. He wished that he had held Alar more often, or made Mara laugh by levitating her toys, or kissed Aragorn one last time. But now was not the time for regrets. There would be many long hours in hyperspace for that.

He began pushing his way through the underbrush. The distinctive snap-hiss of a lightsaber made him smirk and he briefly thought of igniting his own, but decided against it. When he finally emerged into the clearing to see the two friends he had held most dear in his old life, he could not think of anything to say.

Thankfully, Anakin broke the silence. "Master?" he asked. He dropped his lightsaber and the blade extinguished as the metal hilt hit the ground. "You're alive!" He ran to Obi-Wan and grasped his shoulders. "I knew you were alive!"

"I must have trained you well," Obi-Wan replied.

Bail joined them with Anakin's lightsaber in hand. "Not so much in the weapons maintenance department."

Obi-Wan laughed. "Not for lack of trying." Anakin blushed.

"I am so sorry it took us so long," Bail said. "All Anakin could get out of your last transmission was the Outer Rim."

Obi-Wan frowned. "You don't mean – you've been searching the whole rim?"

Bail nodded. "System by system."

"For two years?" Obi-Wan asked. "Am I really that important to the Republic?"

At that, Anakin and Bail sobered. "The Republic is in trouble, my friend," Bail said. "A new leader has emerged within our enemies."

"Grievous," Anakin said darkly. "And Master Windu just contacted us. Grievous has kidnapped the Supreme Chancellor."

"Palpatine?" Obi-Wan asked.

"We need to return to Coruscant," Bail said. "As soon as possible. A rescue team must be assembled." He raised an eyebrow. "Another rescue team."

Anakin cast a doubtful eye at the wreckage of Obi-Wan's ship. "I suppose you'll have to come in our ship," he said. Then he looked around. "Where's Artoo?"

A lump formed in Obi-Wan's throat as he pointed to the stone construct that served as the droid's mausoleum. "Artoo's power cells failed over a year and a half ago."

Anakin walked over to the tomb and ran a hand over the stones. "Did you build this yourself?" he asked.

"Uh, a local man helped me," Obi-Wan said.

"Is that where you've been staying for all this time?" Bail asked. When Obi-Wan nodded, Bail added, "Why didn't you send out a distress call?"

"Arda has no technology at all," Obi-Wan said. "And I couldn't call out through the Force. I'll tell you all about it on the way home."

Anakin nodded. "Fair enough. Let's get Artoo and get out of here."

"Shouldn't we at least thank the people who took you in?" Bail asked.

"No!" Obi-Wan said quickly. "No. It's not necessary. I – I thanked them once I saw the ship land."

The senator seemed to accept this and set to work helping Anakin deconstruct Artoo's enclosure. Obi-Wan held back tears as he remembered the day that Aragorn had helped him build the structure. It took less than an hour to load the silent droid onto the ship and power up the engines.

"You know Master," Anakin said as he checked the ship's exterior gauges, "this is the ninth time I've rescued you."

"Ninth?" Obi-Wan frowned. "I remember only eight."

Anakin shook his head. "Nine. Cato Neimoidia, remember?"

"That doesn't count."

Bail saw Obi-Wan pause on the ramp and look back toward the forest, a heartbroken expression on his face. "Are you okay, old friend?"

Obi-Wan jumped at his voice and the expression disappeared. "Yes, I'm fine. Let's go."

As they broke the atmosphere and shot out into space, Obi-Wan stared out the bridge window at Arda hanging like a mottled jewel below them. Across the very small bridge, Anakin set a course for Coruscant. He grinned. "Time to go home."

But his words rang empty in Obi-Wan's heart. He watched Arda shrink behind them, the same image that he had seen long ago in Galadriel's mirror, and knew that he was leaving the only home that he had ever known. Or ever would. A cursory glance told him that Anakin and Bail were occupied with the ship and Obi-Wan allowed himself a few silent tears as he whispered, "Namaarie, my love."

Behind him, Anakin pulled on a set of levers. The stars streaked into blue starlines and the ship disappeared into hyperspace.

In the twins' playroom, Mara suddenly put down the doll that Elladan and Elrohir had made for her and began to cry. Alar too put down his toys and ran to his sister's side. "Mara?" he asked.

She looked at him, her green eyes wet with tears. "Papa!" she cried.

Aragorn appeared at the door just in time to hear her word. A sudden fear gripped his heart as he picked Mara up. The little girl wrapped her arms around his neck and sobbed uncontrollably into his shoulder.

Elrohir and Arwen appeared at the other end of the hallway and rushed to Aragorn's side. "What happened?" Arwen asked.

"What's wrong with her?" Elrohir asked.

Aragorn could not answer at first, for a breath of air had just brushed his cheek and seemed to whisper, "Namaarie," in his ear. Mara looked at him, nose and eyes red from crying, then buried her head in his shoulder again.

It took a moment for the sudden lump in his throat to disappear. Finally, he looked at the children of Elrond and said, "Obi-Wan is gone."