A/N: ok, here's the last chapter. I'm going to post this and the Epilogue together because they are so closely related (and the Epilogue is short). Get your insulin shots ready, readers; it's going to get very sweet and sappy. But they deserve it after what they went through in the war, right?
Chapter 10
Morning broke over their naked bodies, even further entwined while they slept. Obi-Wan roused first and opened his eyes. He slowly remembered the previous evening-the fight, the sex. He turned his head slowly and cautiously to look on Anakin's sleeping form.
Everything he had wanted. He had it here, in his arms, in his bed. He was content.
He brushed some stray wisps off of Anakin's forehead to better study his relaxed visage. Murmuring quietly, Anakin began to stir.
"Morning, love," Obi-Wan whispered in his ear. Anakin's smile broke radiant across his face before he even opened his eyes. His lips sought out Obi-Wan's for a long, lingering kiss.
Finally, the blue of those eyes was visible in the light-filled room. Obi-Wan sighed. His partner was so beautiful. He was a lucky man indeed.
Anakin was thinking the same things-beautiful, lucky, love. "I can't believe I almost lost this," he confessed, leaning in for another kiss. When he pulled back to look Obi-Wan in the face and toy with his bangs falling over his green eyes, he added, "I almost lost what I didn't know was the very thing I wanted most of all. Us."
Obi-Wan's eyes sparkled as he felt the heat radiating off of Anakin. "No, you didn't. You just had to work a little harder for the thrill of a lifetime." His sly smile turned into a laugh for both of them.
When they quieted, Obi-Wan asked his burning question, "What made you change your mind?"
Anakin nuzzled into Obi-Wan's hair and replied, "I didn't change my mind-I listened to my heart." He paused to kiss along Obi-Wan's hairline to his jaw. "We're all adjusting to a different galaxy. Some of us are just slower to see our true paths. Thank you for waiting for me to catch up." He smiled into his lover's eyes.
Obi-Wan kissed him gently and said, "It was my pleasure."
"It will be," smirked Anakin, and kissed the tip of his Master's nose. Then he sobered with a sigh, "I knew that I couldn't stop change, but I was resisting it."
"I know," Obi-Wan replied with empathy. "It's frightening to step into a new arena like this-changes in the Order, changes in the galaxy. All this feeling is just so emotional!" Obi-Wan chuckled and trailed a finger down Anakin's chest.
"But, as you have always been, my Master, you are my guiding light. You brought me around-" he hugged Obi-Wan tightly enough to make the man grunt, "And thank the Force for that."
"Anakin. Oxygen," Obi-Wan managed to gasp out. They shared another laugh.
As Obi-Wan snuggled into Anakin's warm embrace, he became aware of a growing development between them. He looked up at Anakin, eyes sparkling, and said, "Well, may I help you with that, Padawan?" He tilted his hips to indicate his meaning.
"Fuck me, Obi-Wan Kenobi! You're my only hope," Anakin replied cheekily.
"You're hope-less, Anakin!" he laughed into Anakin's mouth. He let out a moan of pleasure as their groins came into alignment, his own cock responding to Anakin's. "But I can try," he reasoned.
This time, Obi-Wan took his time exploring the endless canvas of smooth skin that covered Anakin from head to toe. He found sensitive spots and ticklish spots, scars and birth marks. He mapped the planes of his lover's chest and flat abdomen. He breathed exclusively Anakin for minutes on end, feeling the younger man wriggling under his lips and fingertips.
They made love face-to-face and heart-to-heart, finding a rhythm that matched the pulsing of their blood. And then they talked. They shared and dreamed.
"So is this all there is to this family? Mind-blowing sex?" Anakin asked as he played with Obi-Wan's tousled bangs again. They were sated-for now-but not exhausted. Obi-Wan was pillowed on Anakin's shoulder, their bodies purposely entwined as much now as they had been unconsciously overnight.
Obi-Wan guffawed. "For now," he agreed. "But I do want more." His eyes flicked up to Anakin to check his reaction, and the younger Jedi's face was all eager anticipation. He continued, "I was thinking we could either move out of the Temple or at least request a bigger apartment-if any exist. Make it more a home than a stopping point between missions."
"And what about missions?" Anakin inquired. "Will we still be sent separately for months on end?" He tightened his grip on Obi-Wan. "Because I'd miss you if we were."
Obi-Wan nodded, "Well, that's something the Council has been discussing. We'll have to adjust our duties to accommodate family commitments now. Just like any other organization that wishes to be 'family friendly.'"
Anakin raised his eyebrows, showing his surprise. "You've been busy, my love. Getting the Council to put the needs of Jedi above those of the Republic. Astonishing really."
Obi-Wan knew that Anakin had never begrudged his duty but also had not liked the Council's insistence of putting the Republic above everything else. Forcing Jedi to lead war campaigns had been a final straw for both the lovers and the Council. They had been pushed too far from their own ideals and tenets.
"And?" Anakin prompted him again.
Obi-Wan lifted his head, "And what?"
"Well, if memory serves, you said something about kids? Our kids?" Anakin goaded with a mischievous smile.
Obi-Wan rolled toward Anakin and rested his chin on his broad chest. "I did. You've got me." He paused and drew nervous circles on Anakin's skin. "Would you like to have some?" he asked tentatively.
Anakin rubbed Obi-Wan's shoulders. "There's only one small problem I see with them. You and I can't reproduce. So that leaves us with adoption?" He didn't seem unhappy at the prospect. Force knew there were a lot of orphans from the war.
Obi-Wan had thought the same thing. "Yes, especially Force-sensitive children who need guidance." Anakin's face suddenly became a little clouded. "Not to necessarily become Jedi, love. They would be our children, not our Padawan." Anakin relaxed.
"However," Obi-Wan continued. "We do know some rather talented geneticists who could help us with our handicap of both being male . . . " he trailed off, allowing the implications to sink in.
Anakin squeezed his arms together gently and then harder and harder as he began to imagine a little blond child with Obi-Wan's freckles running into the room shouting "Daddy! Daddy!"
"I would love that, Daddy-Wan," he whispered, keeping his voice low to avoid dispelling the magical image. He leaned up for a kiss to seal the deal. "I love you," he said tenderly.
"And I love you, Anakin," Obi-Wan responded.
TBConcluded in Epilogue