Anakin climbed the steps of the Jedi Temple in a bit of a daze. He'd just come back from the Senate and his most recent meeting with Palpatine. It had taken a good twenty minutes to get back to the Jedi temple and he still couldn't seem to wrap his head around what had just happened. A series of events that he just… couldn't seem to comprehend.

He passed the guards, walked through the large doors and into the main entrance hall, not really seeing any of it or the Jedi he passed by.

Someone calling his name brought him out of his mild trance and he looked around. Siri approaching him was not unwelcome, especially after his Senate duty. He was surprised she hadn't met him on the steps, as per usual, now that he thought about it. Then he noted the literal bounce in her step and sharp, ear-to-ear grin. She only smiled like that when…

It all clicked together in his head and he made a bee-line for her.

"So, how was the Senate today?" she asked in a cheerfully innocent tone.

She didn't fool Anakin for a second.

"What did you do?" he practically hissed, trying to keep his voice down so as not to be overheard. His tone may have still come across as incredulous and he may or may not have had more than a little awe in there too.

Somehow, her grin only widened.

"Got him that badly, huh?" she asked, not even bothering to continue the innocent act.

Anakin just stared at her as they walked side by side for several seconds before he could find his voice again. He hadn't been expecting her to own it. Not like that.

"Got him?" he finally repeated, still incredulous. "I don't remember ever having seen him that… flustered before! Not without him going into a full-on Sith Rage." He felt a vindictive grin begin to tug at the corners of his mouth. "That he hasn't snapped yet is a true testament to his self-control – ironic as it isn't a normal Sith trait. But… the Bantha cub that Saved Life Day?" He shook his head. "I swear I heard the theme song at least a dozen times and he only had enough time to smile and wave at me. How did you get that on his comm? And his back-up com? And his datapads? Even the one he bought this morning? I… Seriously, how?"

Siri paused in the fairly empty corridor they'd begun down, then looked around to make sure no one could hear them before grinning down at him. "I got Vos to make a worm specifically for him. Once it implanted into his data pad and he logged into any of his accounts, it infected everything tied to those accounts. He has the choice of losing all of his data or trying to deal with the worm and his new… theme song." She giggled. "It will change tomorrow. It's a new program on Coruscant television – Sparkle Moon Princess is the name, I believe. We have four or five songs along those lines that will cycle indefinitely.

"Oh, and we got quite a bit of information from him first. I'll be going through it for a while, but even if it isn't submissable in court, it gave us a good direction to go in to find something. Or at least it should."

His first thought went something along the lines of, You would have made a good Sith. That kind of creative torture… that could drive a person mad without ever hurting them at all. However, he also doubted she'd want to hear that. Besides, he doubted the sheer awe he felt at this move would be healthy to indulge in for long… and yet, how could he not utterly appreciate the sheer audacity and thought that must have gone into it?

"How was the worm delivered?" he asked.

"Stuck a miniature delivery bot onto one of the Senators. Remote activated when they got inside the office." It would have had to have been shut down when the Senator (he wondered which one) went into the office so it couldn't be detected by scanners. The solution was a little brilliant… and more than a little scary.

"So there is no way to trace it back to us?" he asked slowly.

She shook her head. "Sent to and from an account made and deleted specifically for that purpose, accessed literally across the world—"

"That's where you went the other day?" he asked.

She nodded as she continued, grin still splitting her face. "– From a public terminal with multiple encryption and misdirections through routers on a dozen random planets before it even came back here. Yes, Anakin, we're about as safe as we can get."

He shook his head, grin falling just a little. "That doesn't mean much with him."

He hated to put a damper on the mood, but it needed to be said.

She sighed. "I know. But we did take precautions."

Anakin nodded, still thinking back on the tight face of the Chancellor as the song broke out from his comm yet again. It was a memory he would cherish.

He did have one more question, though.

"You said Vos did this?"

Siri nodded. "On my request."

The younger time-traveler nodded, but paused as another thought came to him. "How much did you have to tell him?"

The other cleared her throat. "A lot. A…" she paused again and looked around, then lowered her voice, "A Sith in the senate, the Sith have returned, he's a high-placed Senator… etc. No time-travel, hardly mentioned you at all, so that's all still under wraps."

"Ah," Anakin said. That made sense. And yet, Vos had still come through. "Where is he?"

The taller blond shot him a calculating glance. "Why?"

"I would like to thank him as well."

The smile she sent him this time was smaller, but warmer for it. Like she approved of that answer, but then she shook her head. "He's gone."

Huh. Well, he supposed that he could understand that. Vos was a field Jedi from what he remembered. Likely a shadow. Still, her phrasing seemed a bit odd – terse. "Where?" he asked.

"He took his Padawan and is probably somewhere in the outer rim or unknown regions by now."

They fell into silence for a couple of seconds, then Anakin snorted. "I'll have to reevaluate him, then. He never struck me as smart."

Siri scoffed. "That's because he didn't want you to see his smarts. Vos is one of the more self-aware Jedi I've ever met. He's also very intelligent and pragmatic. But, he isn't perfect by any means and he made some mistakes last time. Lost his memories…" she winced, "a couple of times, I think. I'll leave him a message. Maybe we can avoid it this time…"

Anakin grinned up at her because as dangerous as what she'd done potentially was, it was also brilliant.

"Have you found anything yet?"

Siri's face fell a little and she shook her head. "Not with an initial search. And I doubt he'd be reckless enough to leave anything seriously important on his Chancellor's desk, but I plan on going through it with a fine-toothed comb. Want to help?"

The idea of going through data did not appeal to him, but he'd done many things in his life that did not appeal to him, and if it helped them find evidence to put Sidious away…

"Tonight? During our normal practice time?" They could give up one day of training a week to find what they needed to. Although, he had third meal right now and would be missed if he skipped it.

Siri thought about that then nodded as she turned away from him at the junction of the hallway they'd just arrived at. "See you then," she called over her shoulder.

"Indeed," Anakin replied after her. He watched her for a moment, shaking his head fondly. He really should be upset that she'd potentially put them at risk… but after that look on Palpatine's face, he just couldn't be.

Still, as amusing as it had been, it meant they'd have to be even more vigilant and careful now. That didn't stop him from smiling all the way to the commissary.

xXx

Anakin had to admit, he hadn't felt this… positive in a very long time. He felt light and airy, as if he'd (at least momentarily) escaped all of the pain and grief and horror and guilt that usually dragged him down. It would come back, he knew, but that he'd escaped it at all, even temporarily, was a minor miracle.

Funny, he hadn't thought he'd ever feel this good after seeing Palpatine. To be honest, He still felt like he was missing something, but either the lightness or the sheer support he'd received in the last few days had allowed him to see, for the first time, just how far he'd come. Part of the positivity, he supposed.

It boggled his mind, but he did his best to memorize the feeling and save it as a memory he could revisit when things grew difficult again – because he wasn't naive enough to think they wouldn't.

In a small daze he continued on his way towards the commissary.

"Ani!"

His name reverberating through the hall snapped him out of his reverie and he glanced behind him to see several familiar children approaching him. He couldn't help but smile at them. Even Coira was there, and his eyes widened when he saw the streaks of color in her hair – bright orange and blue. He knew that Master Xio had been resistant to Coira wanting to color her hair, but apparently the girl had talked her around to it. She flashed a huge smile at him as everyone hurried over.

"Did you hear the news?" Hik'te asked excitedly.

Anakin blinked. "What news?"

"They're getting rid of the age limit for Jedi Padawanship!" Darra said, bouncing with excitement.

The time-traveler felt his eyes widen. "Wait, what?" he asked.

She nodded excitedly. "And people can choose to go into one of the corps as early as nine now, if they want to!"

Anakin blinked at the red-head, then looked over at Maelee. He hadn't noticed, but she no longer wore only the light-colored initiate robes. Instead, she wore a blue tunic over her white pants and shirt. She smiled at him, one of the few truly genuine smiles he'd seen from her.

"Maelee's already chosen to go into the Education Corps and they accepted her!" Hik'te said unnecessarily, grinning as he threw his arm around his best friend.

Anakin felt his mouth pull into his own genuine grin. "Congratulations," he said to her.

The girl's smile widened. "Thank you," she said softly.

"And – and guess what!" Hik'te continued.

Tru cut him off with a laugh. "Calm down, Hik'te," he said.

The other boy pouted a little. "I just want him to know! It's exciting!"

Anakin almost snorted at the gossip-in-training. The blue-skinned boy did love to share everything he learned. And Thoran liked to learn everything he could. Probably why the two of them got on so well.

"What is it?" the blond asked patiently, a fond smile lingering even now.

"If a Master gets approved by the Council, they can take on more than one student!"

That almost made Anakin's jaw drop as he looked around the rest of the group for confirmation. Many of them nodded.

He blinked. "Wow. That's…"

"Awesome, right! Now we'll have more Jedi Knights than ever!" Hik'te cheered.

"We'll be able to help more people," Hale spoke for the first time, his dark eyes dancing.

"And rumor is, there will likely be even more changes!" Thoran said, rubbing his hands. Anakin shook his head at the boy. Bothans and their information gathering tendencies.

"Oh!" the furry boy said as if he remembered something, "and we have more theories to run by you!"

Anakin blinked. Theories? It took him a minute to realize that the children meant theories about his origins and history. This should be amusing.

"Oh?" he asked, tone encouraging the bothan to continue on.

"Well, there is something I forgot to ask," the boy said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Are you really human? I mean, I've heard of people out there who don't age but who look like humans. Are you one of them?"

Anakin raised an eyebrow at that, then wanted to snicker. "No, I am not one of them. As far as I know, I am completely human."

"Oh." Thoran deflated a little, but then he straightened in determination. "Well, you're really strong in the Force. Is it – everything you can do – a gift from the Force?"

The time-traveler frowned. That seemed a little vague to him, but he saw no reason to lie to them. "In the broadest terms, you could say so, yes."

The bothan's eyes lit up and his pointed ears twitched in excitement. "Then are you a manifestation of the Force?"

"Hey," Tru cut in, "that was my theory."

Anakin blinked, then truly pondered that. He didn't have a father, as far as he knew. He was supposed to be some sort of will of the Force in sapient form… but then, he was still completely human according to his DNA.

He needed clarification.

"What do you mean, by 'manifestation of the Force'?" he asked.

This time, Tru turned to him, silver skin glinting in the light as he grinned. "You know, like the Force made manifest – like you are what the Force would be if they were a sentient being!"

"Sapient," Anakin corrected him. "Animals that can learn and be taught are sentient; those with higher brain functions are sapient. And no, I am not the Force made manifest." And he didn't have to explain the whole 'chosen one' thing. Definitely a positive.

Tru deflated too, looking disappointed.

Then, to his surprise, Coira spoke up. "I came up with the idea that you astral projected to another universe and spent decades studying and meditating in the form of a spirit – so your spirit is thousands of years older than your body."

Anakin wasn't the only one who just stared at her. She stood on the edge of the group and, when she saw everyone else had turned their attention on her, she sniffed and turned her head away from them haughtily. With the eye not visible to the rest of the group, she winked at Anakin.

"What?" was all she said.

She'd made that up to cover for him.

'Thank you,' he mouthed to her before the rest of the group turned back to him, most shaking their heads. She just smiled widely at him.

"Hale's idea is that you're the reincarnation of an ancient Jedi," Hik'te went on, energy completely back to where it had been before Coira had spoken.

Anakin actually snorted at that. "Not to my knowledge."

Instead of seeing the typical let down expressed by the kids, they just seemed to get more excited. "But you could be," Darra insisted excitedly.

"Or," Coira spoke again, "he could be possessed by the ancient spirit of a Jedi who has passed him all of their knowledge, but not necessarily their actual memories."

Everyone stared at her again, although some of them looked thoughtful this time at least.

"What?" the light-haired girl asked in exasperation. "It's better than my third idea."

By this point, Anakin was finding it very difficult to not burst out laughing. "Your third idea?"

Coira nodded. "I come from Coruscant, but when I became a padawan, I could look up my family if my master allowed it. Master Xio thought it was a good idea. It turns out that my parents came from a world called Troinsh in the outer rim. They believe in local spirits called Konii taking on the forms of children to play with them when their guardians aren't around. When the children need protection, the Konii take the form of a terrifying monster and protect the children from whatever danger threatens them."

More staring.

Well, Anakin thought, she's not wrong about the monster part… It was nice to think that and not feel the normal pain and guilt that accompanied it. He doubted that would happen again.

"I like that one," Maelee said with a firm nod.

"Hey!" Hik'te spoke up, looking at his best friend, betrayed. "Anakin's not a monster!"

Coira shrugged. "I think anyone can be a monster if they're pushed too far," she said, then looked over at Anakin, expression understanding. "He's just… our monster. And we wouldn't want him any other way."

Anakin appreciated that.

"You're kind to say that, even if you don't know everything," he said to her, both as a reminder and as an acknowledgment of the acceptance (that he still didn't deserve – what was wrong with these children?).

Coira opened her mouth, then closed it. "I… suppose I don't. But… Anakin what you were doesn't matter. It never has. What you are? That's what we care about. Right guys?"

The others looked confused, and back and forth between them for a moment. "Um… yeah, I guess," Hik'te finally said. "You're awesome, Ani."

The rest of them nodded emphatically.

"I still don't think you're a monster though," the blue-boy said with another pout.

Anakin could have lied, but he hadn't wanted to outright lie for a long while, and he didn't want to start back up again now.

"I am…" he said softly, then he looked over at Coira, who had bitten her lip in worry, probably wondering if she'd pushed too far. "Or, I was. But… if that's something I have to be to protect you all now… then," maybe… just maybe, "I think I can live with that."

Coira's worry evaporated and she grinned at him. "Just, don't go too far, and you'll be fine."

Anakin nodded firmly. "Never again."

The other girl's grin widened. "Good. We'll hold you to that."

Then she turned to the rest of her friends. "Well, weren't we heading to dinner?" With that, she turned and began to trot down the hallway, a visible bounce in her step.

Anakin and Maelee exchanged fond glances before they began to head after her. Behind them, Anakin heard the other kids fall into line, whispering loudly enough for him to hear.

"What did she mean, 'what you were'?" someone asked.

"She knows something," Thoran whispered suspiciously. "Either he told her or she figured something out… or maybe Maelee figured something out and she told Coira?"

"Then why didn't she tell me?" Hik'te asked, a little hurt.

"Why does he think he's a monster?" someone interrupted, keeping them on task.

A girl, Darra then seeing as the others were either with or ahead of Anakin, answered. "She said he shouldn't go 'too far'."

"What is 'too far'?" the other whisperer – likely Tru – asked back. "And he said never again… Did that mean he's gone too far once?"

Well, it seemed he'd let a little more than he'd intended slip again. Part of him still couldn't allow himself to feel down about it, though. He was determined to keep his good mood until the end of the day at least.

Although, for the millionth time, he wished he had an adult brain that didn't allow his mouth to go racing off on its own.

xXx

AN: Thanks to Anne-athema Codex, Laura, Half_Baked_Bunny and Khalthar for this chapter, and Carradee and Quathis for beta reading. Seriously, my discord community really helped with this chapter. I know I don't always ask for help, but knowing I can come to fans and ask for their opinion has been a big relief to me. LOL

Apparently my word program doesn't like the word 'positivity', but it fits in this instance.

I did not come up with The Bantha That Saved Life Day, I got that from a series of one-shots and absolutely loved it. So yeah, no claim by me... The one-shots were on AO3, in second person (strange, but they made it work)... But I couldn't find it. If someone knows what I'm talking about, please let me know so I can credit them here.

So, we're going to be getting a couple more of chapters like this (I'm thinking 2? maybe 3?) before... well... Before. ;) So yeah, some more prep and then hopefully some action. :D

For those of you who don't want to go to Discord, I have a forum going up here on ffnet if you'd like to visit it. Trying to see if there's any interest. www dot fanfiction dot net /forum/Obi-s-Gaming/231366/ (dot = . and no spaces) It's named for gaming right now, but that could change depending on what people want to talk about. Please check it out. :D Thanks!

For those of you who DO like discord, discord dot gg/8tJXPY8j (Same deal as above)

Thank you for reading!