Chapter 34 – Reunions

Author's Note: Tying things together. There's only one more chapter. :')

Final chapter: December 14th

~ Amina Gila

General Grievous is here, as if Anakin needed any further reasons to back out of it. He won't, but he still almost wishes he could. Grievous is... Grievous, and he's a monster. Dooku, for as dark and awful as he is, has had some limits, and at least this time around, he obviously somewhat cares for the future of the galaxy.

Grievous just cares about his kill counts.

This is the first time Anakin and Ahsoka have been anywhere in a while, and he misses it. He misses everything about being free, but still, somehow, Anakin feels freer now than he ever has.

The negotiations are on Mandalore, the same time they were halfway through the war in Anakin's time. He hadn't been there then – he'd been elsewhere and sent Ahsoka in his stead. That hadn't been an ideal situation when she had a Death Watch run in.

It makes Anakin wonder whether or not his Ahsoka will meet Lux somehow, if that's one of those things that's destined to happen or not. They'd cared about each other, and he hopes they do again.

Mina Bonteri is here, on the Separatist side, and the only one that Anakin readily trusts.

Padme's there. Anakin feels her the moment she arrives.

And... so is Rex. As are many of the 501st.

It must've been a legal headache that Anakin missed everything about to even agree for both clones and droids to be here, but Rex is here, and Anakin can't say how grateful he is for that. He wants to talk to him again. Rex is... the only one Anakin is certain won't... leave him.

He doesn't really think Padme will, either, but she had no idea what he was when they married. He isn't the person she married anymore, either. He's changed, and she doesn't remember any of it.

"Rex is here," Anakin tells Ahsoka, leaning closer to keep it quiet.

"Here?!" she squeaks, eyes widening, though she lights up instantly. She isn't nearly as close with Rex as she once was, but they're still friends, and Anakin has no doubt they'll get far closer.

Anakin nods. "Yeah. Do you... want to talk to him?" It's going to be complicated, and he has no doubt Rex will be upset about why they're here – though it was necessary. Dooku... isn't wrong that they're going to need Jedi present to keep things from blowing up. Ventress is here, too, though Anakin lost sight of her a while back.

Probably, the Republic only agreed to let Ventress be here – Grievous is staying in a ship on orbit off Mandalore – was so they could send in Jedi, too. Anakin knows the Jedi want the war to end, but they don't always think clearly when Sith come into the picture. Anakin certainly didn't. If he did, none of this would've happened. Maybe – there's not time to think about it.

Finding Rex isn't hard, and Anakin senses his shock the moment he catches sight of them.

"Sir?"

"Rex," Anakin nods, approaching with an almost ridiculous level of hesitation. It's been a while, and he'd understand if Rex was angry at him, though that's never happened before. Can't imagine it'd start now, either, but it's still an ever-present concern.

He pulls off his helmet, and Anakin feels a nearly ridiculous amount of relief at seeing his face again. He looks – is – the same, even if it's been a while, and he's alright. Nothing else matters. Anakin had been so worried for so long. He had no way of knowing if something happened to Rex or any of the boys that he was close with. It isn't like anyone would be talking about it. If they died, he'd never forgive himself.

"We're okay," Anakin tells him immediately, "Are – it's been a while. Are you and the boys...?"

"We're fine," Rex answers with a shrug, "We actually haven't gone much of anywhere since you left. Then we got sent here."

Anakin smiles faintly at the faint frustration in his voice. "You don't sound too happy about it."

"We aren't trained for peace negotiations," Rex reminds dryly, and Anakin smiles faintly. He steps forwards to touch Rex's shoulder, ignoring the desperate part of him that wants to hug him, because they're in a public place, and that's... inappropriate. The clones are sticky about that, and Anakin respects it. The Jedi are the same, even if he and Ahsoka have always been extremely clingy with each other.

"That's true," Anakin agrees, "But the war will be over now. Things will... change."

"Sir," Rex says, and there's something cautiously wary in his voice now. Anakin knows there's something else troubling him, the conversation he knew would be coming from the start. "What they say about you... is it true?"

"I was helping Dooku," Anakin admits right off. There's nothing to hide. "He offered to help me find Sidious, and that could end the war. That was as far as it went. That's... still what I'm doing now." He can imagine what many people see his presence here as, but this has never been about fame. He doesn't care about it. All that matters is his family.

Mostly? He just wants to get Obi-Wan's approval. And... maybe, if he ends the war, he'll finally succeed. Maybe. He can hope. That's... probably a bad idea, since it'll inevitably get shattered again, but he can't help it. Obi-Wan is – is so much to him, and Anakin has no idea how to deal with it if his master never accepts him.

He's constantly trying to be something, to mean something, but it never seems to matter.

Rex nods. "I understand," he assures, "This is what we fought for."

Anakin nods back, suddenly at a loss for words. "I'm... glad you're okay," he says finally, "I didn't know what was happening, or if something went wrong."

"I can say the same," Rex admitted, "I knew you'd find a way out, but we were still concerned."

And with good reason. They almost didn't.

Anakin doesn't know if now is the best time to explain to him about Palpatine or not. Maybe... later. He'll worry about it later when there's not so much tension, and he's not so afraid. That... would probably be better.

He catches another presence approaching. Padme. "If Dooku's planning to sabotage this, I don't know anything about it," Anakin adds, "We haven't heard either way." What his exact intentions are, Anakin doesn't know, though he can't get his hopes up too high yet. He doesn't even know if this'll work. He can hope, but that... may mean nothing, not as if he'd exactly be advertising it."

He doesn't sense anything, either. Not that he necessarily would – he wouldn't know.

Padme comes into his line of sight then, hovering a distance back, and he can sense her shock, though she's doing well to keep her face blank.

He can't imagine what it's like for her to just see him, walking free and safe, when she just heard that he was captured. She must've been so worried for him. It's been months, and no contact, and he's never had to deal with that before.

Not having to worry about the stress of hiding their relationship was relieving, admittedly, but it was still hard to have no idea if she's alright or – or what was happening to her. Anakin wanted... a way out of the Order. Mostly, he wanted someone, someone who made him feel like he mattered, someone he... cared for, not because he was supposed to, but because he wanted to.

That was Padme.

And then... he time traveled, and everything changed.

He doesn't really... know how to feel about this now. None of them are exactly the same. But Padme is still Padme, and that's more important than whatever time went down between them.

"We'd best go," Anakin says, shifting a little – he has no doubt this is just as much Dooku testing them as it is anything else.

Rex nods, though Anakin senses his disappointment. "Well, I guess we'll see you around."

Anakin nods, smiling. He feels calm, not quite at peace and definitely not happy, but maybe... that's not so far out of reach anymore. "Yeah. We'll find a way back."

Ahsoka smiles up at Rex, bright and cheerful. Anakin can hardly remember the last time he's seen her that happy.

"Master Skywalker," Padme says, as smoothly as ever.

"Senator Amidala," he responds, equally accustomed to the cover. They definitely don't need anything getting out now. Not when the situation is already tenuous. Ahsoka is already dealing with so much against what she's used to, and Anakin doesn't want to stress that. It's been hard enough for long enough, and Anakin isn't hiding anything from her exactly, but this just... isn't something she needs to know.

"May I have a word?" Padme queries, taking a few steps towards him, and Anakin glances around, nodding. There's no one in earshot if they keep their voices down, and they can't take long, but they're used to it. Anakin is, at least.

"Of course, M'lady," he replies. Hurt and confusion are swimming in her dark eyes as their gazes meet, but he can tell she's happy to see him.

Ahsoka watches, trailing a bit behind, but it doesn't really matter.

"Is this real?" Padme asks. "The peace negotiations?"

"I don't know," Anakin replies honestly, "I hope so. He seemed genuine, though I don't understand what's different now than it was... before."

"Are you okay?" Padme inquires, "I know what happened on Mustafar."

"Yeah," Anakin assures, "I'll be fine."

"Sidious is gone," Ahsoka chirps, "That's all that matters."

It still hurts to think about what happened with Sidious, no matter how long it's been. It's... not like it was with Ahsoka, at least, though the loss is still gutting. Palpatine is the one person Anakin thought would always be there. He doesn't know how to... deal with the sudden absence.

"There was a recording implying you were working with Dooku." It's worded as a statement, not a question, though he can still see the underlying questions. She wants reassurance that it wasn't true, but that isn't something Anakin can offer her.

"I... was," Anakin confirms, hating himself for saying it. "When he captured me, we... talked, and he told me who Sidious was. It wasn't something I thought I could ask anyone's help for. I... suspect Sidious was planning to play off that to get me to join him, but both he and Dooku were double-crossing each other, and it didn't work out."

"I still can't believe Palpatine was Sidious," Padme admits finally, "He seemed..."

"I know," Anakin assures, touching her shoulder. He wants to hug her, to hold her close, but that'll have to wait until they're not in this tight timeframe. "I believed in him, too."

I wanted to, until last minute, when I shoved him into a lava river where he burned to death, and I don't know how I did that what is wrong with me whydidIdothat –

"You could have explained it to me," Padme adds finally, after a few moments. She's trying to process, and he doesn't really know what to say. There's just... too much.

"I didn't want you or Ahsoka to get dragged into it." Anakin wishes he could've done something, but he... understands now there wasn't really anything he could have done. Regret is natural, normal, and this isn't something he can fix. He wishes he could, but there's... nothing he can do. "And I didn't think there was anything anyone could do about it. I know I should've told the Council, but I didn't, and all we can do is live with it."

"We can trust each other," Padme objects.

"I know," Anakin tells her, ignoring the quiet, dark part of his mind arguing otherwise. "But this was... different. It was Sidious, and I couldn't endanger you. Either of you. Besides," he has to add, even if he hates it, hates how things are with them sometimes, "We knew there would be things we can't... explain to each other." He keeps it from going too far, to avoid dropping it on Ahsoka so fast, even if he wants to.

He's tired of hiding.

His marriage shouldn't be something he has to hide, something he has to be ashamed of. He's not ashamed of it, Jedi or no. He... he's supposed to be free, and he wants to make his own choices now, to be able to choose something or someone.

He never... chose Ahsoka, even if he wants – needs her. The same is true for Rex and Obi-Wan.

"What are you doing here?" Padme asks, "I thought you'd be imprisoned somewhere."

"Dooku gave me an offer to try ending the war, and I don't trust him, but it's – it's something, and I didn't want to refuse." Not when Ahsoka was in question, too. He didn't want to do it, but he had her to worry about. He has to protect her, even if he doesn't always like what that entails. And he often won't, but that's not enough to stop him. It can't be. They can't afford that.

"Just be careful," Padme requests tiredly. When they married, she didn't realize what would come with it. She deserves better than the... the mess he is. He hadn't even realized it at the time either. If he had, he... wouldn't have. Palpatine told him he needed to make choices for himself sometimes, and he'd tried to do that.

Palpatine had helped him, and what did Anakin do for that?

"We'll be fine," Anakin promises, throwing a glance at his padawan, "Ahsoka and I will protect each other."

She gives him a bright smile in response, and Anakin returns it.

"Can you leave?" Padme asks.

"I don't know," he answers, shaking his head, "Knowing Dooku, he's keeping a close eye on us. If he sees us leaving, I don't know what he'll do. If the war ends, we shouldn't need to worry about it."

He hopes.

He doesn't think this'll be the last time he sees Padme. Things are going to change, significantly, but Anakin is certain they'll be together again. They'll be around each other again. They'll be... alright.

He needs to talk to Obi-Wan, though, and that's one conversation he's wary about having.

**w**

Obi-Wan doesn't know how to feel about the fact that he senses Anakin here.

Here, on Mandalore when they're supposed to be holding peace talks.

He's free, and he's alright, but he doesn't know what exactly those things mean. He already was working with Dooku, and Ahsoka got him captured, and Obi-Wan has no idea what happened or changed with them since.

It just reminds him jarringly of how Anakin time traveled, and he's no longer the person Obi-Wan remembers. Anakin changed, and Obi-Wan doesn't know how or why. He wasn't there. He didn't see it happen. If – if something happened, and Anakin... changed in the future, he wouldn't know.

Which, probably, is why Anakin has been doing half of what he was since Christophsis.

He didn't tell the Council about the time travel, or about Sidious, or Dooku's offer, or any of that, and Obi-Wan knows time traveling itself would be a little... jarring, but not like that. It doesn't sound like Anakin felt alone from being in the past – it was that something happened and changed that Obi-Wan doesn't know about.

Anakin was angry at him for something he doesn't even understand, and he can't answer for it if he doesn't know. That is one thing Anakin never explained in detail.

Maybe he'll get answers, but even if he did, it wouldn't make sense.

It's not like Obi-Wan lived that future.

He hasn't, and never will. Doesn't mean it's that easy for Anakin to understand that.

If Ahsoka had listened to him, things wouldn't have gone this far. Anakin would never have been captured, and they could've worked this out before anyone found out about Sidious and whatever all Anakin has been doing.

Anakin is here, and Obi-Wan doesn't know why, but there's a... dark part of his mind worried that Anakin's presence here is just proof of his collaboration with Dooku.

Obi-Wan doesn't want to think about it, but Anakin is here again, and that's what counts.

Anakin was angry at him for something, and Obi-Wan doesn't know if it was in his time, or Obi-Wan's. He knows Anakin was... unhappy about things sometimes, but Obi-Wan did the best he could, as Anakin's master. He couldn't be what Anakin wanted him to be.

Sometimes, he wonders anyway, with the overwhelming protectiveness he feels whenever he thinks about Anakin. It's not something he's ever felt before.

The talks are undergoing, and Obi-Wan is keeping watch on security – there's really nothing else he has to do here. He needs to keep an eye out in case the Separatists... try to interfere, or if some of Sidious's still living supporters do.

It's really hard to know which side he needs to be watching closer.

And there's where he is when the door opens and Anakin steps inside, Ahsoka flanking him. They look wary, cautious, but they're here, and for all that he knew Anakin was alright when he sensed him, it's still different to see.

"Anakin."

"Master," he replies. He looks simultaneously relieved and wary.

"You look well," Obi-Wan says evenly. He doesn't know what else to say. That's what he was worried about most.

"Yeah," Anakin offers hesitantly, "We've been fine. Surprisingly."

"What are you doing here?" Obi-Wan queries.

Anakin shrugs. "Dooku evidently trusts us enough to expect us to make sure these talks go through to completion."

"Apparently," Ahsoka echoes.

Obi-Wan doesn't know if he can trust them. He once would have without question, but a lot has changed. "You allied with him."

"To destroy Sidious," Anakin replies, "I... didn't know what else to do."

"You could have spoken to the Council of the information he gave you," he objects, "We could have taken far faster action."

"I know," Anakin says, "I know I shouldn't question the Council, but... some things happened in my time, and I can't trust them like I should."

His time. Another reminder of how they don't really know each other anymore. "The Council of your time isn't the same as ours."

"I know," he repeats, "But it's done. I can't change it, and at least like this, the Senate won't be able to blame all the Jedi. I took the fall for it alone."

"Aside from how there are many attempting to label us traitors for actions we were entirely unaware of." He didn't consciously realize he was angry until he saw Anakin again. They could have... anything could've gone wrong, because Anakin was insistent on trying to do this himself. "The Jedi have been removed from the war effort. That is making it significantly harder to bring an end to the war."

"We're Jedi," Ahsoka pipes up, "We're not supposed to fight."

"A Jedi is to respect their master," Obi-Wan throws back, "And if you had listened to me instead of searching for Anakin by yourself, you would not have been captured."

Ahsoka jerks back, visibly stung.

"Master," Anakin interjects, stepping forwards and half in front of her as if to shield her, "Ahsoka made the right choice. She arrived barely in time to save me, and if Dooku hadn't captured us, I doubt I would have made it. He came prepared for an emergency."

"Emergency?" Obi-Wan repeats.

"Master Skywalker was... injured fighting Sidious," Ahsoka offers quietly, "He barely made it through."

He feels cold. Icy. Empty somehow. He's had nightmares of Anakin dying over and over since the time travel – it's what apparently happened in Anakin's time – but he doesn't want to think about it. Anakin is too important to Obi-Wan and to the galaxy to just die. He can't deal with that. Qui-Gon's death had been hard, but he had Anakin to focus on.

If something happened to Anakin... he wouldn't have anyone.

"I'm fine now," Anakin reassures, "I made it. We'll be fine."

"I can speak to the Council when you return," Obi-Wan offers at last. Things have changed, and he hates how awkward everything in their relationship feels now. "You made mistakes, but it isn't unheard of for Jedi."

Anakin and Ahsoka exchange glances again. "Master," Anakin says slowly, quietly, "I... I'm not sure we want to come back."

"What?" Obi-Wan demands incredulously, and it's very ineloquent, but it's all his mind seems physically capable of concocting right now.

He can't read the look on Anakin's face. Doesn't know why this conversation is giving him a strange sense of déjà vu, either. Maybe it reminds him of when Ahsoka left the Order in a lifetime he no longer remembers. "I'm sorry," he repeats, "I know the Order gives us something, lets us help, but there are many that... are out of the Jedi's reach. Like how I once was. If you hadn't chanced on Tatooine, I never would have gotten off."

He wants to argue, but it's the truth, and there's really nothing Obi-Wan can say about that.

"What Dooku did – it made sure I'd never be able to go back to the Republic. They wouldn't accept me, at least not until this blows over. I'm not sure if that's a risk we should take."

He's changed. There's something significantly more settled about Anakin, as opposed to how Obi-Wan remembers him being. He's found some form of balance, without Obi-Wan, without the Order, and that makes him feel a strange sort of empty resentment that he doesn't know how to deal with.

"Anakin, think about what you're doing," he admonishes.

"I have," he insists, "For weeks now."

Obi-Wan looks to Ahsoka, who looks even more unwilling to back down. "I am going with him," she replies.

The empty resentment he feels is something Obi-Wan knows a Jedi should never feel.

When he got a padawan for Anakin, he never expected that they'd walk a different path, something without Obi-Wan.

"I'm sorry," Anakin tells him quietly, "But after everything that's happened... I don't know if I can just go back. I've changed, and I don't know if I can keep... serving. The Force will lead me to wherever I need to go."

He doesn't want to let Anakin go, but Anakin is a Knight now, and Obi-Wan needs to get used to letting Anakin make his own decisions. "Are you sure this is what you want?" he asks. This happened once before – Anakin was planning to walk away from the Order, but things changed, and he didn't. He came back, and a desperate part of Obi-Wan's mind hopes he'll do the same now.

"Yes," Anakin tells him, exchanging another unreadable glance with Ahsoka. "This... is what we want to do. We can come back, if we change our minds, can't we?"

"Yes," Obi-Wan confirms. He sounds slightly strangled. He needs to stay calm, unemotional, as a Jedi should, but this is Anakin, and he's talking about walking away from the Order. The Order was half of what defined their relationship. Qui-Gon Jinn was the other half.

"It doesn't have to change anything," Anakin adds, approaching him, "You're still my master. And... even if we're away, we're still fighting for the same thing. In my time, the Order was becoming something that I wasn't. I know things can be different here, but I want time to see. To figure out."

It's not much, but it's something.

**w**

Ahsoka doesn't really feel comfortable telling Master Kenobi about this, but they made their choice, and things have changed.

After hearing what happened to her in the future, she needs... time.

He's not Skyguy, but he's still her master, and it still feels like she needs his... approval? Agreement, at least. She doesn't really know him or understand how to talk to him. "I need to know why future-me did," she explains.

"That's not who you are," Obi-Wan objects, "That future will never be."

"But we're still the same people!" she insists firmly. Maybe their lives diverged, and it's strange to think of herself like that, but it's true. "If I made the choice in Anakin's time, I could do the same now." She knows she hurt Anakin, and she – it's not something she wants to think about. He's been so kind to her. He's... something Ahsoka never knew the Jedi had or were missing.

The fire, the passion draws her in, and she never wants to let go or stop seeing it. She shouldn't be so attached to him, but she is, and she... wants to know.

She doesn't want to go back to the Temple and... pretend that nothing of Anakin's future will happen. Something's changed inside her, and she doesn't really feel safe there anymore. Doesn't know where she does or where she belongs, but there's something. Somewhere.

And she wants to find it.

"It doesn't matter," Anakin cuts in, "If you ever need us, for anything, Obi-Wan, we'll be there. That's... the most I can offer."

Ahsoka isn't entirely sure she wants to be.

She wanted to be a Jedi, and that was the only thing that really mattered. Then, the war happened, and she became a padawan. She thought it would be exciting, never mind that Jedi aren't supposed to feel that, but it... was more terrifying than anything else. The responsibility, the... it isn't something she wanted.

She never wanted to be a Commander.

She never wanted to work herself to the ground to have to mean or be something. That was supposed to come with being a Jedi.

It's not fair for her to judge the Council, and that's way out of her knowledge or – or anything, but she doesn't want to stay, if there's really a chance of her being expelled.

Maybe it won't happen, but it still feels like it might, and Ahsoka doesn't want to go back, pretending that war that shaped so much of her meant nothing.

They'll... find it. Somehow.

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