#i could talk about the kenobi series for hours

[caprisun89bakerstreet]

No one:

Me: *violently grabs shoulders and shakes* LOOK AT LEIA HOLDING BEN KENOBI’S HAND DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MEANINGFUL THAT IS, YOU SEE—

[fanfic-obsessed]

Responding to the Talk Shop Tuesdays post!

Leverage x Star Wars. Thoughts?

(I've had vague wonderings of leverage-style clone wars shenanigans but can't really get past "someone talks them into wrecking Palpatine's shit and they do" so I'm just throwing this into the air).

Alternatively, if you also have no thoughts there, favorite way you've written Palpatine accidentally shooting himself in the foot?

Oooh, Leverage and Start wars. I had not had that thought before…now I do. It’s legally required. 

I know you said during the clone wars but post Order 66 immediately came to mind. Let's start with our cast.

Mastermind: Cody (initially this was going to be Obi Wan with Cody being the hitter, but bear with me I think this will be even better). Cody deserts the empire, a broken man, lost everything. He thinks everyone he ever loved is dead.  A few years after his desertion, he gets his chip removed through a series of unfortunate events (though he never actually finds out what it is or what it does). He is drifting through life, doing just enough work to get the money to keep drinking. An honest man. And a smart one. 

Grifter: Obi Wan. After the Order goes out. After Anakin. After the birth of the twins, Obi Wan does spend a year or two on Tatooine. But Owen Lars makes a very specific good point, even a single slip up (and there are always slip ups), will bring the Empires attention to Tatooine (They believe Anakin is dead, so it is the Emperor’s attention that Obi Wan fears) and with that to Luke. It is better if Obi Wan is anywhere else. Owen is gracious in victory and agrees to updates up to four times a year.  So Obi Wan, Ben, loses himself. A new name every night, a new planet, a new voice.  The galaxy is a large place and Ben knows how to slip through and around the cracks.  Though no one has made the connection yet, a number Ben’s alias’s are wanted by the Empire, the Hutts, and the remaining Mandalorians (current total bounty’s, in credits, for all of his other aliases almost reaches the Empire’s bounty for Obi Wan Kenobi).

Hitter:  Boba Fett. Bounty Hunter. The only clone who wasn’t (who was a son). Often underestimated because of his youth. Alone by both circumstances and choice (even with Pond's death, Boba would be welcomed by most clones had he been willing to see them as sentient).  He is a teen when our team comes together and is still one of the most dangerous people in the galaxy. At first he barely considers any of these people sentient and is not sure why he is sticking around, but this is also the safest he has felt since his father had died. 

Hacker: Echo. After Tech’s death Echo found that he could not stay with the Bad Batch.  The ghosts of everybody he had lost draped around him, weighing him down, leaving Echo feeling he could not go back to the Rebels or Rex either.  He skimmed enough credits from various Empire accounts that he was able to buy himself a ship, which he then modified. He decided he would find, no matter the firewalls, every scrap of video or information regarding his lost brothers (all of them). That they would not be forgotten. When he found information that was pertinent to the Rebels, or the Bad Batch  he would send it along, but he now worked alone.

Thief: Reva. After the purge Reva hid for hours under the bodies of her friends. Before it was dark enough that her movement would not immediately give her away. Then weeks creeping through the lower levels of the temple before she could find a way to escape (All the while the giggles of her friend echoed in her head- This part of the temple had always been off limits and they had all talked about being big and strong and facing what was waiting in the dark-Reva did not feel big and strong now, but there was nothing more in the dark she feared). She taught herself to step soundlessly, barely touching the ground. She taught herself how to make herself small, or just big enough (just enough to wedge herself into a small, high, space).  It is amazing what one can learn if survival is on the line. Those hours coveted in the blood of her friends, the Force echoing with the horror her family was experiencing, then the weeks in the dark tunnels changed Reva irrevocably. Before she can be found by the Empire, she is found by a Master thief who sees in her his chance to pass on his legacy (Reva is just the right kind of broken).

Now that we have our cast, let’s look at how they come together. 

I love the Leverage Pilot, so let’s use that as a Framework.

Cody is drinking on Ord Mantell, approximately 14 BBY or 985 AAR,  when he is approached a Falleen Noble, who wants to hire him to run a job (though I do not know what the Falleen noble would say, I do imagine Cody saying Nate’s line “You know that part of the conversation where I punch you in the neck nine or ten times? We’re coming up on that pretty quick”). The Noble has hired Boba, Echo, and Reva as the rest of the crew.  The job is to steal back some plans (let's be honest this job does not matter much).  

The Job goes well, but when Echo mentions how well it went, he gets the brush off. Due to the fact that Cody still does not know about the chips, every other member of the crew has issues with clones. We speed run through the Falleen noble gathering them together for one last betrayal and an explosion. 

They wake up in a med ward. All of their DNA is being run. This is bad news. Standard panel would show that Reva is Force Sensitive (though no one else in the room knows that). It would also mark the other three as clones (Even Boba). Though the Empire does not particularly care about employing Clones, they would still pay handsomely for escaped clones.

This is where we veer slightly.  

Reva’s panic in the Force draws the attention of Obi Wan, calling himself Ben right now.  Enough time has passed (and enough has happened that all of their Force signatures had changed) that Ben only just recognizes Echo, and no one else.   For a single moment Ben hesitates, they are not his business (Ben also does not know why he was shot at) and are possibly his enemies.  But there was Echo, familiar if only just, and with him someone who was Force sensitive. A young force sensitive (in Ben’s mind anyone who is the right age that they could have been in the council room that day was someone to protect, because he failed those initiates). 

Ben is very good at grifting, so is easily able to get the four out of there (They also do not recognize him) and get them to a safe house.  There are several moments of uncomfortable silence before Ben greets Echo with a teasing, “Hello There Echo” in his real accent and voice. 

Cody is the one who frowns and peers at Ben (clean shaven), because it couldn’t be…

Echo asks who Ben is, Ben smiles sadly and says “I suppose it has been many years since Skako”

This told Echo next to nothing (he’s been back to Skako Minor a couple of times since the war) but Cody just straight up sits on the floor in shock (Trying to say general and Obi Wan and you’re alive all at once-it is a little unintelligible). When Ben looks directly at Cody for the first time (Ben can’t quite let himself focus on any of the clones, for fear of what he would see)  he realizes exactly who it is.

Ben, by sheer happenstance, manages to sit in a chair. This is followed by Echo needing to explain about the chips and order 66 (“There was what in my head!?!”/”You all had what in your heads?!?”).

I picture them absentmindedly destroying Falleen Noble, in a similar way to the show. They do it because he tried to kill them/did not pay them (Ben took that personally for all of them- Cody: He tried to kill us, that is a bit more important than not paying up Ben<waving a hand>:Trying to kill you is nothing, but not paying you is just rude.) 

I picture that they decide they might as well stay together, and grow into a found family (with Codywan being the exhausted parents) traveling around to help people ala leverage. They cannot and do not start going after the empire immediately. None of them want to draw the attention of the Empire, but if some of their jobs do include liberating people and occasionally planets, well they just have to be careful to not bite off more than they can chew and not to leave any tracks. They also do stop at Tatooine every so often (It turns out Owen likes Ben an awful lot more when he is not camped out in their backyard) so Luke knows them.  

I imagine that when Leia is kidnapped, a few years later, Bail is still able to reach Ben. The Leverage crew immediately go to save her. It is during this that it becomes known that Reva had been in the Temple, had been in the council room. This is very swiftly followed by the realization that Anakin Skywalker was Darth Vader (which none of the crew had known).

This…This is what circles them back around to take on the Empire (a cross between Leverage Season 3 and Leverage Season 4). They still work to help people, but it becomes more pointed. Throughout their new self appointed mission, Ben starts to train Reva, to help her overcome the trauma of the Purge.  

As they are now acting more deliberately against the Empire they begin to come across more familiar faces. Rebels (including Rex, Wolffe, and Gregor). Bail reintroduces them to Fulcrum (Ahsoka has mixed feelings about Obi Wan in particular. He challenges the way she remembers Anakin with rosy glasses). 

It certainly ends with Palpatine staring in abject shock as his empire burns around him.  Vader is being escorted to get correctly fitting prosthetics, from which he will go to prison. Bail ends up taking the Emperor position to start working on turning the Empire back to a Republic. 

Our team keeps going on finding people who need…Leverage

My favorite way that Palpatine shot himself in the foot is in Read the Fine Print  where Palptines first domino was his last, because he did not pay attention to a sub clause in the treaty. 

That was fun. Thank you @somestorythoughts

[inquisitor-apologist]

hi I would personally LOVE to read thousands of essays on your thoughts about the inquisitors, so if you feel comfy posting them just know they will be received with gratitude :)

Alright, I’ve got a 4-hour car ride, so nothing but time.

The first thing that I’d say is absolutely essential to my understanding of/obsession with the Inquisitorius is that they’re expendable. Both in-text and out-of-text, they’re disposable and that is absolutely essential to their whole existence.

On the Doylist level, the Rebels team created them/reincorporated them to canon to be the replaceable early series antagonists. They're there to build the characters up to face the real threats of Maul’s temptation to the dark and Thrawn’s existential threat to the Rebel cause. The rest of the Star Wars media that shows them only reinforces this.

In Kenobi, they're there in the background, to set up Reva (who is, in the show, functionally not an Inquisitor) and Vader, in J:FO they're scary bad guys meant to be defeated and killed for Cal's growth (though, notably, J:FO is one of the only pieces of Inquisitor media that views them as victims worthy of empathy), and, while I haven't read (all of) the Vader comics, they're in the Vader comics, not in their own stories.

On the Watsonian level, they’re a sort of… buffer between the true power of the Sith and the public. They’re the one attacking the regular Force-sensitives and taking babies (someone much more qualified than me could probably talk a LOT about the very interesting ways the Jedi, Empire, and Inquisition (like, come on) parallel and draw from Judaism and historical antisemitism) and they’re the ones the Rebellion direct their anger about the Jedi Purge at. It’s easy for the two masterminds and main perpetrators to hide behind the atrocities of a dozen faceless subordinates.

This is really clearly shown in Kenobi, where the Inquisitors are dismissed as “Jedi who turned to the dark side. Now, they hunt their own kind”. They’re not seen as victims who’ve been forced into self-destructive monsters, but as the perpetrators of their own genocide, personas that they readily claim. I mean, Reva is literally a survivor of the Temple Massacre who was turned into one of the Inquisitors that Obi-Wan dismisses as traitors. They’re very convenient, effective, scapegoats.

That’s honestly a very underrated part of Palpatine’s genius; one of his most important traits is his ability to manipulate the media. By creating the Inquisitors and delegating most of the work of completing the Purge to them, he distances both himself and Vader from any public outcry against the actions of the Inquisitorius (and, to some extent, their own actions), allowing Vader to be seen as a more legitimate military officer and extension of the Emperor’s will, which is itself legitimized by that distance.

The lines between the Emperor, Vader, and the Inquisitors are also very important. There's a very clear distinction between the Sith and the Inquisitors in of autonomy, which is the second thing that defines my view of the Inquisitors. The Inquisitors are largely pawns for Palpatine’s ends, manipulated and indoctrinated kids, and as such there’s kind of a spectrum of the Empire’s Force-sensitive hierarchy between Sidious, Vader, and the Inquisitors.

Sidious is the first extreme, where he chose everything; he Fell on purpose, became a Sith on purpose, consolidated power and killed the Jedi on purpose, became Emperor on purpose. And then there’s Vader, who very much chose to Fall, kill the Jedi, and become a Sith, but he was manipulated and pushed to it by Sidious. He chose, but Sidious kind of underlies all those choices, driving him to them. Lastly, the Inquisitors chose nothing; they were hunted and persecuted by Vader and the Sith, then tortured and indoctrinated to serve Sidious, brainwashed into continuing to serve. It’s really a gradient of autonomy, if you think about it; Sidious is the only Dark Sider afforded full choice, both by the narrative and in-universe.

The Inquisitors are, fundamentally, kids ripped from their family and people, tortured and indoctrinated into self-loathing and anger. They don’t get names; they’re told they were born wrong and tortured until they believe it, then pressed into service, because, while they might have been born wrong, they were also born useful.

This is why I kind of hate the idea of Inquisitors who choose to join, and one of the reasons I’m not particularly inclined to read the new Inquisitor book (also it apparently implies that the tortured inquisitors were actually just. Force-brainwashed??). One of the most interesting and most fundamental things about them is that they are victims of horrific genocide coerced into becoming their own oppressors. If you take that away, you make them so much less interesting—they turn into stock evil traitors.

The protagonist of the new Inquisitor book is, from what I’ve gathered, a jerk who was already half-fallen in the Clone Wars and who seized the chance to gain more power with the Empire. That’s just diet Vader, and I, personally, have seen too much of both real Vader and diet vaders, so I’m not interested.

So, uh, @stellanslashgeode, you asked me for my thoughts on Iskat Akaris, here they are. Sorry it’s probably not what you wanted.

So, like, there’s my opinion on the fandom-and-canon obsession with Inquisitors who chose the Empire. We literally haven’t seen pretty much anything about how the normal inquisitors join, can we focus on the actually interesting stuff? The Inquisitors' lack of autonomy, their lack of choice, is a huge part of what fascinates me so much about them, because it's very unique. Let's not take that away.

Another piece of why I think the Inquisitors are so interesting is how their abuse at the hands of the Empire shapes them, though this part has more speculation than the stuff above due to lack of clear information.

In canon, we know that inquisitors go through fucking hellish initiation criteria (“Isolation! Torture! Mutilation!”), stuff that absolutely breaks them until they no longer believe that the Empire can be stopped at all (“You can’t stop the Empire!” “She said something about becoming an Inquisitor… like it’s inevitable”). We also know that, however it happens, it's very fast and effective. The Vader Comics are set just months after Order 66, and there's already at least ten fully initiated Inquisitors.

Unfortunately, we never directly see the exact initiation protocols the Inquisitors are subject to, but we do get quick glimpses, like in the flashbacks from J:FO, and with Reva in Kenobi. Right now, I want to look at what those flashbacks from J:FO, together with the dialogue above, tells us about what exactly happens to Inquisitors.

In the flashback, we see Trilla, strapped to the torture chair that Cere's in later in the flashback, being subjected to Star Wars' favorite kind of torture, weird electricity chairs. I'm going to call them shockseats, just to distinguish them from real-life electric chairs. We transition from the torture to some time later, when Second Sister has been fully turned, wearing the Inquisitor uniform and everything.

That, annoyingly enough, is all we get to work with. It's basically the "Being tortured makes you evil" trope, but Ninth Sister's dialogue gives it some nuance. She says "Isolation! Torture! Mutilation!", and, well, we just saw the torture part, and I'm guessing the mutilation is the whole thing in the comics where Vader teaches the Inquisitors by cutting their limbs off, so that leaves isolation, which I think is probably a very significant part of the process.

Based on the vault vision and the Fortress Inquisitorius section in J:FO, most of the Fortress's prison has a kind-of panopticon feel, with see-through energy shields, guards everywhere, and several prisoners in one cell, so I'm guessing there are probably some deeper isolation cells. The isolation is probably where most of the indoctrination happens, because we never hear anyone saying anything during the torture scenes.

This is mostly headcanon from the scraps we get, but I'd say initiation probably goes something like this: 1. a survivor is captured 2. They're taken to Nur, and tortured on the way there (per Rebels) 3 The timeline here is annoyingly unclear but I think the ‘isolation’/indoctrination comes before the rest? 4. They're tortured in an attempt to get them to turn to the Dark Side 5. They're somehow fully initiated into the Inquisitorius with their full title and uniform 6. They're trained ('mutilation') 7. They're a full Inquisitor

obv I have headcanons (ie a full-on not-really canon-compliant system that I think works better than the disjointed 'being tortured makes you evil' bits we have now, but I'm trying to stay as canon-compliant here as possible) but I think this is about what we get in canon, and it’s kind of necessary to have a vague idea about what probably happens in order to understand them, and dang is this very important to basically their entire self-concepts.

In Kenobi, Third Sister is hated by all the others, probably for not going through what they did. We see throughout the show that she’s just as good, or better, than most of them, but because she wasn’t tortured (or, at least, not to the same extent), the rest despise her. She does the exact same things we've consistently seen all the other Inquisitor's do, but she's punished and derided for it. In J:FO, Second Sister goes out and threatens civilians in order to draw Cal out, and everyone’s fine with it, but when Reva does it, everyone hates her.

There’s no rational reason; she does exactly what they do , what she’s been taught to do, but she’s treated differently. The only reason for this, in-universe, is that she’s the only Inquisitor we know of that wasn’t brought in for being a Jedi—she explicitly hides that she was one. The rest of the Inquisitors clearly do hate each other, but it’s on a different level with her, because they do not see her as one of them. She wasn’t a Jedi, and thus she didn’t go through the same things they did. There seems to be a sort-of trauma-induced bond between the other Inquisitors. They hate each other, but they all see each other as Inquisitors, largely the same as them. They don’t share that with Reva because whatever happened to them didn’t happen to her, to the same extent.

Connecting to my earlier point about Inquisitors who chose to join, I think that that's WAY more interesting than a bunch of jerk coworkers who just decided to be evil.

These people were family in the Jedi, and then their whole family died as they watched and heard and felt it in their brains, and they were chased and hunted and tortured until they broke and brought back together, warped and different and told to call each other siblings—and at this point, aren’t they? They were raised together in the bowels of Nur, subjected to the same horror and misery; they’ve been through everything together, in the worst way possible, constantly competing and fighting and killing for anything they can get. Who else could understand them in any meaningful way?

I'm getting off-topic, but the physical abuse and torture of the Inquisitors seems fundamental to their identity, even if we don't know exactly what it entailed. 

So, with the isolation and indoctrination, I think it's fair to say that there's probably quite a lot of mental abuse there. The Dark Side, in itself, is pretty horrible mental health-wise (the Jedi actively use cognitive behavioral therapy just to prevent the possibility of the Dark) and being literally tortured and forced into it must be like. so much worse. Plus, isolation has been shown to be really fucking awful for your brain and the Inquisitor’s utter hopelessness (they literally do not believe that the Empire can be stopped and are really angry at anyone who tries) kind of seems like the whole being unable to believe that things can be better and getting angry at people who try to help part of depression? 

Basically I don’t really know enough about mental health to say definitively, but I’m guessing a core part of Inquisitor Initiation is like. Insane mental abuse to get them to crack.

This last bit is less supported, and I know even less about it, so I’m going to keep this real brief, but I think there’s a possibility of some sexual abuse as well? This is a pretty big thing in fanon with the Grand Inquisitor, and then there’s all the creepy pervy stuff with Seventh Sister that she did not learn from the Jedi, but that’s as much as I’ll say for that because I know nothing about this kind of thing.

So, those are really the three things that define the Inquisitors to me: their expendability, lack of autonomy, and how their abuse defines them. I could write more on this, but this post took a fucking month already, so I’ll stick to those points.

[catnipaddictt]

No plan

wc: 3k

series masterlist ⭑ co-creator @memoiich

Getting out of Qui Gon’s van, you finally reach the Alderaan apartment complex. You climb the 4 flights of stairs, unlock your door, and effectively fall inside. Flicking on the old light switch, the overhead lights flicker into action, illuminating the space. You shed your bag and kick off your shoes before making a beeline towards the shower. You let the hot water wash away the memories of the stressful day you just had, trying to forget about your most prized possession; Shelby. After your shower, you make your way over to your bed and collapse into it face first. Today has been long and hard as well as a bit of a disaster. And lucky you, you get to do it tomorrow and the day after that, and then… you try not to dwell on it. Suddenly tiredness hits you like a truck and you fall asleep quickly.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Your alarm goes off. Great. But today will be more bearable, you only have to call into work for 2 hours tops. Rex only has one meeting today meaning you can do most of your work remotely. You swing your legs out of bed and dress quickly, grabbing your bag and piece of slightly burnt toast as you head out your door. Having realised that walking to work isn’t going to go well in the long run, you pull out your holo, searching for public transport options. Fortunately there is a shuttle that runs to almost exactly where Paper Force is. Even though Mr. Kenobi and Jinn offered you a ride to work today, you felt bad, and you weren’t completely hopeless.

You were completely hopeless. You somehow managed to get on the wrong shuttle and ended up at the other side of the city, the opposite of where you needed to be about 10 minutes ago. Running a hand through your hair you scroll on your holo, locating what shuttle you need to get on to get to your office. Finally you figure out what one to take, wave it down, pay probably too much, and take a seat.

20 minutes later you arrive at the office, thankfully still having just under half an hour before the meeting begins. “You’re late again” Rex. “I’m so sorry sir, I took the wrong bus” You say, slightly terrified. “Is this going to be a common thing?” He asks. “No, it won’t happen again”. “Good, now please go set up the meeting, office 8”. You scurry down the hall and into meeting office 8. The long table is almost set up, all you need to do is connect the powerpoint and wait for it to begin.

Not even 10 minutes later, your co-workers entered. You took your seat off to the side, next to Rex, who would sit at the head of the table. You made eye contact with Obi wan. He smiled back and started walking over, only to be beaten by the Zabrak from yesterday. He sat down quickly and glared at Obi wan. 'Odd' was all you could call it. Maybe you had judged the Zabrak too early, You tried to introduce yourself “ hey, I'm y/n”. He looked up, stared at you for a bit and looked back to his computer he had set up before him. "I know, Rex has been screaming it for the last 2 days” he gave you a bored yet judging look.

You heard a long drawn out sign. You looked up to where the sound came from and saw Obi wan with his head up and his arms crossed above it. He looked at you while changing his posture “Maul isn’t very talkative, I'm afraid" he whispered to you, now leaning over the table, arms still crossed. The Zabrak next to you, known as Maul, let out a grumble. “He also doesn't warm up” he added. “I do, but only to people with talent” maul spoke up “you don’t have any, Kenobi”. Obi wan rolled his eyes lazily. Rex walked in with the blue twi’lik behind him. Obi wan scouted back, sitting normally.

You were here to write everything down, it was quite fun for you, a bit of a challenge sometimes but enjoyable. Orn Free Taa took his seat at the other end of the table. The meeting began and you started typing away. It was about 20 minutes in when you noticed the Zabrak next to you glancing, his eyes kept trailing to your typing hands. When he looked over again you quickly turned so you caught his gaze. He looked surprised and maybe embarrassed you mouthed a question; “what are you looking at?” He turned his eyes away and made a typing impression with his hands beneath the table and then a thumb up, it was definitely a bit awkward but you nodded. He was impressed by your typing. How nice. You were talented.

You started up with a satisfying smile. A snort left the man in front of you, looking at him confused. He made an overly dramatic gesture, somewhat like a schoolgirl who just got a love letter. You were still very confused. He leaned back a bit while swiping his hand in the air, in a “it's not important” kind of way. You let it go and went back to typing. Obi wan got called by Rex, who looked annoyed at him. He quickly went into his explanation of the deal. It was quite impressive how he transitioned so smoothly.

The meeting ended soon after, since Orn Free Taa was almost immediately convinced by Obi Wan's explanation, but there was still a lot that needed to happen for the merch. So maul was taken off the project and Obi wan was put as main associate for paper force. Maul didn’t get time to mourn since he would now work on the next deal with Dathomir imperium. To your surprise you were also appointed to the job since it seemed that the salesmen were horrible at planning.

You were a bit nervous to work on this new project, you dwelled on it for a bit but were pulled out of your thoughts by Maul suddenly appearing in front of you. ”When can we work on the project?" he asked “I normally work alone but I know Dathomir well and they don’t appreciate waiting, so you might be useful”. Dathomir imperium was a women owned hobby lobby that was mainly well known for their high quality inks they produced in house. “I can't work this evening but tomorrow evening may work” you said. Maul huffed and scratched something down on a piece of paper. “that's my number I won’t be in tomorrow, call me” Maul said handing you the little paper, and then he walked off.

Obi Wan appeared behind you. "He seemed to have taken a liking to you” he spoke, spooking you, you hadn’t noticed him. Turning around you answered ”he was impressed by my typing” while mimicking the typing with your hands.” Good with your hands huh” obi wans words had just left his lips when his eyes widened and he started to sputter “i-i didn’t mean to” you cut him off “it's alright". You were already laughing at how quick the cool and calm façade slipped. “I am indeed good with my hands“ you bit back .

Obi wan was flustered, very very flustered. He didn’t mean to flirt but he wasn’t regretting it, not one bit. “Should I walk you to the door?” he asked still very flustered. “To the door? Are you kicking me out, Obi Wan?” you asked back, glinting with mischief. "No no, I wouldn’t dare to” he said with a roll of his eyes “I simply am not allowed to leave, Rex would hunt me down himself” he started walking towards the hallway and you followed .

He opened the door to the outside. “What are plans for tomorrow?” he questioned with a smile on his face. "I have to come to work and then I might have a work-date with Maul” you answered. Obi Wan's smile fell for a second and lifted back up straight after “well then good luck with that, I need to go back up" and with that he turned and walked away. You started your commute home.

It was only midday so you decided to stop in at a small bakery on the way back to your apartment to get your lunch. The outside of the bakery is a light blue, with white shutters and wildflowers growing in the barrels outside, it looked like something out of a fairytale.

When you walk inside a bell dings above you, signaling that someone has entered the shop. An older man with longer hair and a pointed beard looks up from the book he was reading behind the counter. “Hello miss, what can I get for you today?” He asks rather sternly. “Well...I…uh” you reply looking at the cabinet of available food, It was filled with breads, pastries, pies, sandwiches, and other baked goods. Another ding of the bell signals someone else has walked in. You look back up at the man, “I’ll just have a Ryshcate please, and a coffee to go”. He nods and pulls out the pastry, and places it in a brown paper bag. You pass over the credits, tell him your name and he points to a seat where you can sit and wait for your drink. The man calls out a name; “Padme, coffee to go please!”.

A beautiful young woman enters from a door behind the counter . Her long brown hair flows perfectly behind her as moves. The next customer who you almost forgot about moves towards the counter. You don’t see the person’s face but you immediately recognize his voice. The irritating mechanic from yesterday morning. He smiles and greets the man “Sio, how are you?, haven’t seen you around here in a while”. The older man, called Sio, returns the pleasantries, you can tell that the mechanic is most likely a regular. “So what will it be today?” Sio asks. “Just the usual, oh and and a crumble-bun for Soka” Sio speaks to Padme who looks at the mechanic. She glares, he smiles.

The mechanic turns away, and spots you, he must recognize you as he raises an eyebrow. He pushes off the counter and moves towards you. “It's rude to ease-drop, you know.” You don’t reply and he rolls his eyes. “I ordered the parts for Shelby” He states. “You remembered her name” you say surprised. “Yeah well”. Padme speaks your name from the counter and you stand up to collect your precious caffeine. The mechanic moves as well, seeing that his order is also ready. You take the paper cup from her and smile, saying a polite ‘thank you’. You turn away clutching your paper bag and mug. You hear the mechanic and Padme exchange words as you head out the door, beginning your trek home.

“Hey miss!” you hear from behind you. What does he want now, you internally sigh. “Do you want to come by the shop? I have a few things to go over with you, if you aren't working that is?” The mechanic asks. You look down at your holo, realising that it's only just after midday, maybe visiting Shelby will make your day better. “Okay” you reply to him. “Great, I'll give you a lift, you don’t have a rental or anything do you?” The mechanic asks. “No”. Now that you think of it, it would have been wise to look into getting a rental while Shelby is in disrepair. He seems to hear your thoughts as he speaks; “You should probably look into that”. You nod before he begins to guide you towards the same pick-up as yesterday. “I hope you don’t mind teenagers”.

You sit in the back seat of the pickup truck as said teenager talks to the mechanic. Who’s name you now know; Anakin . The two chatter away about some engine related thing you don’t understand as you chew your food. The pastry is good, you will definitely be returning there in the future.

After a 20 minute drive the truck pulls up to the MustaCar building. You take in its faded sign and sad selection of plants, no weeds, in the small garden out front. Anakin parks the vehicle and you undo your seatbelt, hopping out of your seat onto solid ground. “Your car, sorry Shelby is this way” The teenager, called Ahsoka, speaks as she points her head towards the garage. You follow Ahsoka and Anakin as they walk and talk; “So she’ll probably be here for a while, shipping is slow this time of the year” Anakin says. He opens the door and there she is. Your Shelby sits there looking as wonderful as ever, you can’t help the small smile that grows on your face. You never realised how much of a constant your car was in your life, and it had been over 24 hours since you had last seen her.

Ahsoka moves around Shelby, pointing and explaining things that seem alien to you. You must look dumbfounded as she starts to use simpler terms. You watch Anakin as he rolls up his sleeves and opens your car’s engine, gesturing for you to come look. As you make your way over to the engine you really take in the whole garage. It's clearly very old, but still has a charm. Pinned posters half fall off the walls and the smell of car oil is overpowering. You can see that a main seating room is to the right of the work space, as well as a reception and hallways with what you suppose are offices. A few other mechanics stand in the corner by a table, sipping in their drinks. One catches your eye and lets out a low whistle.

You quickly move to Anakin and he yells something at the other man. “Ignore them, unless you like the attention, '' he grins. After Anakin tells you what he is going to need to do to Shelby he wipes his slightly greasy hands on his jeans and straightens up. “Do you need a ride home or do you want to walk in the rain?” He gestures to the outside, where in fact it has started raining. “I'll walk” you state, still not impressed by his overall attitude and demeanor. “It was rhetorical sweetheart, I'll drop you off, but you are gonna have to get a rental, not everyone is your personal taxi-driver” he sneers. You scoff at his comment, “I'd rather walk” you reply. You were getting sick of his talk.

He turns and jogs a few steps, disappearing behind a corner. I guess that's that then, you think to yourself. You thought too soon as he appeared again with a rather sad looking umbrella. “at least take this, then you will have to come back in at some point, your new fan-club would like it” he nods towards the group of mechanics in the corner, letting out a small laugh. You roll your eyes and take the umbrella from him. You utter a thanks and turn on your heel, making a beeline towards the door. “Leaving so soon?!” One of the mechanics calls out as you leave, you hear Anakin speak as you step outside into the downpour; “hey, leave her alone man”.

Your walk home is, well, rather depressing. The rain only gets heavier as you walk through puddles of water collecting in the uneven footpath. When you reach your apartment, you are completely soaked, the umbrella not really helping as the wind was pushing the rain on a diagonal. As you make your way to the kitchen where you seat down your bag before, going to your rooms to change into something dry. When you return you reach into your bag, retrieving some slightly soggy paperwork to complete. The 20 plus pages full of fine text stare back at you. It was going to be a long afternoon and probably night.

“Why are we going back again?” she says as Anakin stares straight ahead. “Because, snips, we are on a special mission” he tries to lighten the mood, but his body language says otherwise. “I can’t believe Palpatine is getting us to spy on them” Ahsoka grumbles. “We aren’t spying as such, we are just checking it out” He replies. “So spying”. Anakin rolls his eyes.

Pulling up to a parking spot, Ahsoka swings open the door hopping out. Anakin removes the keys and exits, they close their doors in unison, Over the few years Ahsoka had been Anakin 's apprentice they had formed a close bond, some would even comment on how they bicker like siblings. They had their ups and downs but overall got along very well, but the breaktime gossip sessions did help. The pair walk the few blocks to Sith Auto Dominion, slowing down significantly outside of the shop, trying to not make it obvious that they are looking so intently. It doesn’t work.

A woman walks out of the Shop; “Skywalker and his little friend” she sneers. “Asajj, you look lovely as ever” Anakin says. Asajj Ventress was a mechanic, and a good one at that. She was half the reason that MustaCar was bringing in low profit. Her skills were good, too good. The dathomirian placed her hands on her hips glaring at the pair, “this is the 2nd time I have seen you around here, why don’t you skitter back to your cute, little shop” She speaks the last part in a babying voice. Ahsoka lets out a loud huff at the comment. “That's not very welcoming, I thought we were friends Asajj” Anakin says, putting on a fake smile. “And here I thought my shift would be unpleasant” Ventress replies, “What is it you really want Anakin Skywalker?” She speaks his name with a tone of disgust. “Do I really need a reason to visit you?” Ventress raises her eyebrow before speaking “Run along, you are wasting my time, and my time equals money, something you aren’t familiar with”. Anakin 's expression flickers slightly, before he grins “Lovely as always, I will make sure to stop by more often” Anakin nods his head at Ahsoka and they turn to leave. Anakin looks back “And Ventress, that shirt really does your eyes wonders”.

[yourneighborhoodporg]

The Guardian

Chapter 8: Blackened Water (Part 2)

Obi-Wan Kenobi x Reader

Warnings: Angst, hurt/comfort, fluff, banter, migraines, a tiny reference to drugs, self-sacrifice ish, skechy neighborhoods, brief stalker (?), very concerned Obi :(

Summary: After this morning's incident in the Starfighter, you go on an afternoon run to clear your mind. Of course, your track of choice is the seedy underground neighborhoods of the outer Senate District— a decision that will prove to be full of twists and turns.

Song Inspo: Black Water — Of Monsters and Men

Words: 7.5k

A/n: All I’m gonna say is, hella foreshadowing and hella symbolism. I’ll let you decide what that means 🫡

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Series Masterlist

The thought was this: that all my life had been murk and depths, but I was not a part of that dark water. I was a creature within it — Madeline Miller

Your loosely booted foot smacked against the damp pavement, splashing apart shallow puddles that collected in the occasional crevice with each sprinting step as you made your way deeper into the alleys of the Senate District. The flickering, golden glows of periodic street lamps illuminated the path ahead, just enough to avoid tripping over scattered waste piles that dotted street corners. It forced your eyes to remain alert as you maneuvered around them and below the thick, interwoven cable squiring across miles-long under-street ceilings like an infinite den of snakes.

You glimpsed at your chilly sleeves without a hitch in your bounding steps. The slate-gray of your robe had soaked into a deep, inky black from the afternoon’s drumming rain. One that had already enveloped the region by the time you first launched this trek into the neighborhood’s bowels at hour’s dawn.

But dampened earth wasn’t your reason for keeping to empty passageways and abandoned tunnels. Coated in shadowed light as distant clatters atop metal rooftops trickled down into groans that bellowed from the surrounding walls.

No.

You were clinging to shadowy covers because, once again, you’d chosen to embrace that long-held, Hoth tradition of keeping a low profile.

And, having spent your entire existence hiding from the world, it’d proven to be a bit of a hard habit to break.

It haunted you as you flashed down each narrow passageway, eyes shifting like chosen prey vigilantly watching for their predator— an action that reflected your utmost desire to keep your Jedi identity concealed. Yet you continued to engage the Force, fueling nearly supernatural sprints down new corridors and twisting avenues. Movements that would usually garner unwelcome attention in any other zone.

But not here.

Not in the underground neighborhoods of the Senate District.

It was where you’d discovered the only way to engage the Force without revealing yourself in public. Through the obscurity of its gloomy locales that credibly camouflaged you from searching eyes.

But besides your decade-long custom of concealment, you knew that these days, it was still vital to remain cautious.

More than ever.

Ever since your arrival, you’d been engaging with more diverse characters every day. Most of whom were uninformed about your real purpose as a Jedi. The Council believed it would be safest to conceal your real identity, name and all. And even though that was quite the adjustment from the fanfare you were expecting, you still felt inclined to agree with them. At least at the Temple, individuals who’d become all the more threatening by learning your secret were weeded out before they could even reach the front door.

But not here.

Not down seedy boulevards or dimly lit backstreets that characterized the forlorn neighborhoods of the outer District, slinking with suspect figures whose watchful gazes peaked out of hooded wear.

Sometimes they’d observe you pass, bodies still with eerily calm attentiveness as they watched on. Others would wriggle far back into the cover of darkened crannies, their jittery silhouettes talking lowly with other, unseen beings of the shadows during their retreat.

Still, in spite of the uncertainty that surrounded this quarter, you took the risk.

It was necessary, you convinced yourself. Mindless movement seemed to work as some sort of binary treatment for your persistently taxing migraine. That was why, following this morning’s planet-side return, your first order of business was to be right here.

In this moment.

In a No Man’s Land of deserted corridors and limited natural light.

Despite the downpour which greeted you on an otherwise tepid day, that instant the Starfighter touched down at the Temple hangar, you knew exactly where you wanted to be.

By yourself. On the street. And running.

You thought back again to those fleeting seconds following your return from Anakin’s piloting lesson. How you were so quick to open the cockpit’s hatch with a click, the engines just barely starting to cool as you agilely hopped out, toes gracing the stone below while you made a beeline for the inner Temple.

All to facilitate your confident escape.

Yet despite your resoluteness in slipping away, you still felt a chilly twinge of remorse dip your stomach. Especially when the distant, resounding tick and whir of the fighter’s opening canopies subtly announced your flight companions’ perfect view of your departing form.

Of your decision to leave them behind without even a goodbye.

Guilt encircled your ears like curiously buzzing blood flies, forcing you to at some point realize that engaging in some mad dash of endorphins wasn’t your only motivation for this morning’s speedy retreat.

You did it because, if you knew anything, you knew Anakin.

Yes, you’d only met him a little over two weeks ago. But Maker were you beginning to grasp his mind as well as your own.

Recently, the two of you had been spending a lot of time together.

Or at least, many hours more than your Hoth upbringing supplied.

Intense sparring sessions, the occasional evening supper that would devolve into its more charming discourses when Obi-Wan joined halfway through. Not to mention those rare, yet revealing conversations with Anakin about his past. The most earnest of which transpiring that night above the garbage pit, when he revealed to you his mother’s passing, and let slip his pervading turmoil on the matter.

And in the end, it didn’t take long for you to recognize that the summation of all those wholehearted interactions, those sundry dialogues amidst quality time, was a sharper ear for his thought process.

For how his heart beat for others.

This morning in the Starfighter, you knew the instant Anakin heard your painful exhale that the cogs of his feeling mind began to whirl. Further propelled to miraculous speeds when you tersely instructed him to bring the ship back in seconds later.

Then, during the reentry, you knew how he was, in all likelihood, anticipating to relay those four, troubled words the moment you two stood face-to-face.

What happened up there?

Of course, throughout that entire, sedated descent, you knew he was thinking about what to say next. Particularly, which words to use if you tried blowing him off again with another two, dry syllables. A phrase that’d drifted from your lips as popularly as each breath during this past week and a half.

I’m fine.

All of this pervading his mind right up until your door unlatched behind him, shocking him out of his stupor, you imagined. Coaxing him to leap out of the cockpit just as swiftly as he heard you do from behind.

But you didn’t give him the chance.

You refused to even glance back to check. To see if he was about to chase after you.

You couldn’t.

You just flicked on your robe’s hood, tugging its gradually dampening form tightly around yourself as your footsteps abandoned the landing platform.

You didn’t even hear what he said next. That is, if he’d said anything at all when you entered the hangar bay. But whether that was due to the clamoring headache that’d momentarily incapacitated you or your pervading questions surrounding this affliction running wild, you didn’t know.

You just blocked it all out.

Deafened your ears to any immediate surroundings, like scattered hangar workers and hammering repairs, as you hastened your evasion of the ditched trio.

But, no matter the shame that tugged at your chest afterward, you were still confident in the reasoning behind your withdrawal.

As of now, you were still trying to investigate the cause of this harassment. And you recognized that until you found some answers, involving Anakin or anyone close to him would put The Chosen One in a land of uncertainty that you weren’t quite comfortable with.

And that just wouldn’t do.

Your striking heels continued to clobber the decaying trails of the outer District’s underground streets, bringing the chatter of leather on wet concrete into a strange harmony with the increasingly beating rain that danced upon the streets above. Centering yourself in another Force-amplified hurdle, you again reminded yourself of the important fact that influenced your decision to keep this secret. The conclusion that you knew would reduce any chance of complications to your duty.

It’s not his job to worry about you.

However, it was technically the responsibility of your ‘new Master.’

Maybe that’s why, at the end of last week— following four, stretched-out days of irregular headaches— you found justification in approaching Master Windu for counsel. Because no matter your efforts to quell this silent beast, through extended rest or quiet meditation, its burning onslaughts ferociously prevailed.

In other words, at some point, it became utterly clear that you required a much wiser opinion.

In many ways, you were confident in the stoic Jedi. And by that, you meant that you trusted him to keep the matter private. Even from those who associated with The Chosen One, and especially from Anakin himself. In fact, at the outset of your conversation, he assured you that he’d only divulge a discussion between Master Advisor and Jedi if it concerned the Council.

And you had no reason to believe it did.

You thought back to that chat while pivoting down another slick alleyway. This one grew narrower than the last, its spotted lamps decaying in luster and prevalence as you dug cavernously into the belly of the beast-like web of tunnels while your mind wandered.

Master Windu had already separately arranged to meet with you once every week. At least until the Jedi were called back to the battlefield, he was sure to clarify. It was time to be spent preparing you for what was to come in this mystifying conflict. To guarantee that its distractions wouldn’t impact the primary reason for your presence.

For your existence, really.

However, of the two sessions you’d already had, the powerful Jedi spent little time on combat training. Rather than correcting your form or educating you on Separatist capabilities, his focus was instead driven toward scrutinizing the closed doors to your mind. All during hours-long, joint meditation sittings in which Master Windu attempted to meticulously probe your life force with the gentle influence of his signature on your forehead.

Sometimes, the spells would last so long that, in the end, you were often left with the sensation of a phantom touch. Though it always faded eventually, so imperceptibly that it felt more like a shift in temperature than a disappearing force.

Although the two of you ended up making little progress, you still enjoyed these opportunities as a way to get to know your new Advisor. Exchanges regarding his unwavering faith in the Order’s ideals reminded you of your own lifelong commitment to a similarly demanding prophecy. The Master also seemed to share a kindred distaste for politics, conveying briefly his disapproval of the Jedi and Senate’s interwoven nature, hastily drawn at the outset of war.

Most importantly, however, the two of you shared a distinct displeasure for the Senate’s conversion of Jedi into generals. You’d been struggling with this concept of converting Jedi peacemakers into soldiers for weeks now, and it appeared that Master Windu held common sentiments. All in all, it was a moment that made the Order feel just a little less foreign to you after a lifetime of studying its older, more contrasting ways.

Perhaps that’s why, despite previous reticence about receiving a ‘new Master,’ you found yourself gradually opening up to the idea.

Besides, you could tell Master Windu was experiencing some kind of similar development.

You’d discovered from Anakin this past week that the wise man had long disapproved of Jedi who acted outside the Order. From that, you easily acknowledged that despite offering to advise you, the traditional Master likely remained biased against your nature.

In fact, you fleetingly surmised that the only reason he put his name in the hat was so he could keep a closer eye on you. On the Gray Jedi that came from a long line of counterfeiters against the Order he held in such high esteem.

Yet, as your sessions progressed, you sensed a subtle shift in the Jedi Master. How the crease of his brow subtly slackened with each passing hour. How his openness to your questions became faintly readable.

Though whether that was because he’d momentarily forgotten about your past or had become lost in his analysis of your mind, you didn’t know.

What you did know was that you appreciated the sagacious Master’s relatable convictions, allegedly burgeoning tolerance, and outright professionalism.

And that was enough for you to test the waters in requesting his guidance.

It was at the tail-end of one of these forums that you narrowly untangled these painfully strange migraines, focusing primarily on their unpredictability and continuance rather than each occurrence’s raging ferocity.

And in the end, you found the effortless flow of his counsel to be uniquely compelling.

“Meditate on these irritants. But do not only acknowledge their existence. Observe their nature. If you give these headaches a name derived from your inner impressions, it may aid you in identifying and extinguishing their source.”

So, you did just that.

In the days that followed into the start of your second week at the Temple, when that familiar pulsing tingle began to crawl across your hairline, you made a routine out of stopping whatever you were doing to search for a quiet alcove. Then, after locating a corner of the Temple free from distractions, you’d lower yourself into crossed legs, all to funnel your accessible energies into discerning the exact nature of this eccentric affliction. You’d reach out to the Force, drawing in its swirling ecosystem through tingling extremities, astutely wielding it to dive into the yawning depth of your inner being.

And for those few days, you explored branching elements of your mind, tracing each errant twig to sense its perception of the boundless, clawing twinges that relentlessly contested your focus.

It was arduous work. Attempting to observe the irritants’ nature would eventually lure you toward sensing its more distinctive effects. But at the same time, the action often amplified your tenderness to those countless cerebral spasms. They were still quite bearable, of course. But it certainly did nothing to speed along your investigation.

That was until the third day in. When you finally found a pattern.

Even now, you starkly remembered how the discovery permeated your body with untapped endurance simply from the realization’s excitement alone.

On that day, you were able to eventually comprehend that, while your skull’s outline felt the stitching thrums of the week before, the sensation was marginally dissimilar in its influence on your life force. Here, you still felt the indiscriminate, unpleasant taps against your spirit, but with a nearly imperceptible caveat.

You rooted out their tendency to unfurl on impact.

So, with the next pounding ache, you were empowered to recognize it again, snatching the sensation with agile fingers. The savage smack quickly plunged into scattered fragments, like drops of water thrashing apart from a violent impact with stone.

That was it.

It was like raindrops, pattering against your mind.

Yet, it wasn’t the refreshing sensation that you associated with such weather. Not that electrifying stimulation you felt in this very instant while you sustained your urgent, whirlwind dash down another curving passage harboring hints of gaseous fumes.

No.

Rain was vitalizing, giving life to despairing vegetation and beasts alike. For you especially, its cooling effect on balmy Coruscanti afternoons calmed your mind. It ventilated you in a chill that provoked cherished memories of soaring amid whispering snowstorms during those afternoon duels with Qui-Gon on Hoth.

Yet this was different.

These drops were draining. Heavy. They weighed down your soul. Blackened your connection to the Force through a permeating pain that enveloped the branches of your mind and sucked the sap of your thoughts.

Yes, blackened.

Master Windu said to give it a name. An association. And, finally, you felt confident enough to put words to this strange disorder’s influence on your inner being.

Black Water.

If you only knew what a mistake you’d made.

Somehow, following this identification, the migraines spiraled into a realm of greater frequency and brutality. They would linger in their pervasion. Graduating from hours to afternoons of ubiquitous discomfort. And then, when you tried to find familiar solace in the quelling nature of a meditative state, you harshly discovered that doing so now only magnified the pain’s potency.

You recalled it so clearly. How the shock of that realization jolted you at your very core, ripping you violently from your connection to the Force like a toy snatched from the hand of a youngling.

It was something you had never experienced before.

And it forced you to learn the hard way that for the time being, it was best to avoid meditation.

Instead, you found it easier to unearth the medicinal properties of attaching your mind to another matter.

And your poison of choice?

Running.

You weren’t sure why it lessened your cranial discomfort more than any form of meditation or training. Maybe it was the fresh air. Or the exploratory element. Or the dichotomy of the District’s underground shafts which swayed darkly on even the brightest of days.

Maybe it was because, in a way, sprinting combined the two Jedi practices. It did encourage you to physically tap into the Force for access to greater speeds, and simultaneously unclogged your mind of worldly distractions.

Still then, it was only enough to center yourself. Never to the degree in which the migraines’ kindling was fanned into embers.

Whatever the reason, it didn’t change the fact that mere minutes into this afternoon’s excursion, you were able to finally relish in the flood of relief that followed. One that washed over you as sprightly legs carried you into a mystic realm where stabbing pains were faintly dulled by the rule of constant motion.

The past week of experimental sprints into Coruscant’s veins had become your drug of choice. Providing additional relief just from the realization that occupying your mind would temper these moments.

Now that made you hum retrospectively. It was hard not to wonder if perhaps this notion subconsciously motivated you to join Anakin’s short-lived piloting class this morning.

You ruminated about those spiraling seconds in the cockpit once more. Even then, in the midst of intrusively distracting g-forces, you were powerless to ignore that your headaches still somehow stirred with new vengeance, threatening your theory on how to properly address the affliction.

You descended another set of echoing stairs, this time entering a residential tunnel that reigned sleek with standing water gradually leaking through cracked roofing. Though the hazard never assuaged your volant charge past the streams of identical, stonewashed doors on either side. Landmarks that supplied forward guidance as you thought carefully about the day’s earlier incident.

With another burdened exhale, you compared the fighter episode to all the others, quickly deciding that this morning’s occurrence was the worst to date. If you were being perfectly honest with yourself, it was the first time one of these vast headaches really threatened your ability to function in the moment.

And that spooked you.

Either way, it was clear in its aftermath, that it was time to return to old habits.

To what worked.

You swiveled left, the squeak of your twisting heel reverberating off the slender walls as you rushed down another flickering tunnel of rundown apartments. You were thankful that the potency of constantly coarse splits at your forehead’s center had eased into a duller pound, so much so that it permitted your mind to wander during this impromptu outing.

However, you weren’t expecting to become so consumed with inner musings to the point of becoming lost within a labyrinth of snaking neighborhoods, forgotten by the Senate District’s lavishly living surface inhabitants. In fact, as you glanced around the residential tunnel, you soon realized that you couldn’t even remember how you entered this quiet zone. One that didn’t follow any semblance of rational architecture to hint at a way out.

So, with no signage to guide you in your search for higher ground, you did the only thing you could do.

You followed the quivering lights, lodged every few meters into the decrepitly, sinking ceiling.

A luminescent road out of the darkness.

That was your plan for the last ten minutes, anyway, until a deep-toned snap zipped past your ears, reverberating across every door as it traced down either wall.

You ground to a halt, dribbling boots faintly whimpering as they fought the floor’s slickness in your attempt to reel toward the noise.

A few heavy seconds passed you stared back into the tunnel's murky depths, trying to discern the source of the sound while labored breaths rung out from your body and colored the eerily barren chamber. It was difficult to focus your vision, finding that the barely perceptible shapes hidden in shadowed corners were playing tricks on your eyes the longer you stared at their forms.

Another crack.

But this time, you could markedly tag its source.

Far down on the opposite side of the shaft, another brittle light in the ceiling’s row numbed like the death of a star.

Great.

You whirled back around, launching yourself into an energized bolt as you tried to escape the coming darkness.

In all sincerity, you should have assumed something like this would happen. You had found the vacancy of these quarterly halls odd. It was midday in a residential area so some activity was to be expected. Beings would usually be on their lunch break around now.

Yet, there were none around.

But the partial flooding? The unstable roofing?

You sighed, powerful legs carrying you blisteringly quick while you connected the dots ahead of the accelerating demise of weak, mechanical stars.

This underground neighborhood was breaking down.

It must have been evacuated.

And now?

They were cutting the power.

Drawing on the effortlessly fluid stability of the Force, you catalyzed your stride, hoping to get a better sense of where you were before being immersed in utter blackness.

Luckily, the opportunity to do so appeared to lie just ahead.

Fairly soon into your run, you noticed the fork in the road, pinned to the tunnel’s far reach. How the illusionary dead-end wall, in fact, split into two, opposing paths. All you needed to do was get there fast enough for a cursory glance of either end before the last light at your disposal became the limited glow of your grayed lightsaber.

You picked up the pace, the reflection of your form in the waterlogged stone flying like loose leaves trying to catch up with you as it too bolted from the ensuing pattern of light fixtures snapping off.

Soon, there were only a few left as you neared the hall’s end, impelling you to power one last thrust of your leg into the junction. You swiveled your head down both corridors as your heels squealed to a halt before the stone wall, catching sight of a larger industrial door just meters into the second corridor as the final fixture above cracked into nothingness.

But that was all you needed.

It didn’t take you long to maneuver your way toward the exit in the pitch dark, lugging open the croaking apparatus only to be met with an ascending staircase illuminated by the scattered, gloomy rays of a showery, Coruscant afternoon.

You jogged up the concrete steps before encountering a wide, open-aired avenue, dotted with as many road lamps as hurrying beings who scampered from industrial cover to cover in an effort to avoid wetting their clothes. The walls of buildings encapsulating this strip stood in an unornamented, brutalist fashion, which effectively limited their options. It was quite the contrast to the streets of the Entertainment District. But that was all you could really say about it. Your observations remained sparse as the continuous downpour did little to reduce the haze.

Pivoting to your right, you followed the road’s natural path, immediately feeling the cool sprinkles pelt your face as you slowed into a crisp walk. You tugged at your biting, saturated robe, bringing it closer to break the slight draft.

As you turned down a wider street doused in equal cloud cover, you decided that it was time to return to the Temple. If anything, at least to give your body a break. You’d been running for close to an hour, and those stretched lungs and burning legs were sure to thank you for the short respite.

Perhaps you could return to the Archives for some easy reading. Your headache had dissipated enough to certainly make that possible now. And you had to admit, you were feeling a bit behind on your knowledge of Separatist technologies.

It was only twelve minutes into your return hike when you began to embrace that peaceful rumination on future plans. Twelve minutes for your mind to drift to lighter musings. But also twelve minutes for those thoughts to be swiftly dashed from reality by a new intrigue.

There were many beings who dusted the streets. All of which you simultaneously kept a close eye on. Of course, special attention was dedicated to those who’d decide for a period to amble too close for comfort. But even then, it usually held no matter. As always, they’d eventually divert onto a path of their own as wandering, city walkers did.

An example was the being that had been sauntering ten meters behind you for the past five minutes. One you didn’t give much mind to. Until they were oddly quick to tread on the heels of your latest deviation from the main road. Which was…odd, but not enough of anything to concern you.

Yet.

You swiveled down another detour, this one more unusual than the last given the District’s layout. It was part of your usual route of choice, since it avoided most of the neighborhood’s major hubs, but still powered enough street lamps to guide you back to the Temple in the evening.

Or in this case, on a rainy day.

Either way, you knew from experience that this was usually when any unintentional tails would break off to continue their lives on a road to elsewhere.

Maybe they were returning home to a waiting family after a long intergalactic trip. Running late for a business meeting because of the rain. Or simply exploring the city’s landmarks with their free afternoon.

These were all activities you imagined civilians had the freedom to enjoy. Freedoms that you certainly fantasized about in your younger years. And freedoms that you later learned you’d have to sacrifice to protect.

You smiled thoughtfully to yourself. It always helped to have a gentle reminder of the good you were doing. These elements of peace you were maintaining. It even allowed you to take a relaxing breath as you continued along the path not taken.

Until the creeping stranger’s presence fully seized your attention by following you down this second detour.

You fought the urge to look back, despite their presence jumping to the forefront of your mind. If that being really was tracking you, you didn’t want to raise any suspicions that you’d caught on.

Not yet.

Even now, after back-to-back questionable activity, you still needed to make certain that your misgivings were accurate. Thinking about it, you would’ve sensed this individual before had they been following you during your run. So why would they suddenly trail you now? You hadn’t done anything topside to give your identity away.

Then, this might have still all been just a simple misunderstanding.

Right?

Only one way to find out, you told yourself.

Keeping an even pace, you scanned your surroundings, quickly catching a narrow alleyway that lay just a few steps ahead to your left. Narrowing your eyes through the gloomy lighting, you soon realized that its width would at most fit two and a half people stood side-by-side. In other words, this gap was sure to lead to a dead-end. One that any city dweller would know not to enter in a neighborhood like this. And one that any traveler would have the instincts to avoid.

From this, you comfortably concluded that a bona fide passerby would have no reason to follow you inside.

Unless, it was you they were after.

So, you swiftly ducked in.

You jogged a few meters down the pitch-black crevice, nimble toes putting some distance between you and the fissure’s entrance before briskly finding a secure spot from which to spin around and face it. You shoved at the midsection of your robe with the back of your hand, nudging it away to make room for stiff fingers to envelop the cold metal of your belted saber.

Your silent, hot breath fogged the cold air just below your nose as you waited out those few, tense seconds. A careful quietness encapsulated your form despite your prediction that this stranger would likely pass.

It was always best to be cautious, you reminded yourself.

But, of course, you had no such luck.

On high alert, thumb hovering over the hilt’s activation, you observed as the being sidestepped in after you, their face and figure obscured by the rift’s absence of light. Watchful steps characterized their form while they inched deeper into the crevice, head tilting side to side as they tried to discern their surroundings with blurry fingertips gracing the left wall to keep them centered.

Strangely, you perceived an air of delicacy from their cautious outline. A meaningfulness in each of their carefully selected motions. However, you still had difficulty in sensing their motivations. Whether it be malice or geniality, their presence felt too calm to point to either direction definitively.

And you were not one to take chances.

So, with the flick of the wrist, you snatched your saber from its resting place with a clink, unfurling that familiar gray glow as you stepped back into a lunge to whip the blade up before resting it inches from the figure’s face.

Instantly, its luminescence unveiled from the twilight a familiar set of bright blue, yielding eyes, accompanied by an auburn beard dewed by drizzles. The plasma’s heat had stirred the man to raise his hands calmly, feigning surrender as a curious expression tickled his cheeks.

You sighed, adrenaline evaporating from your veins while your blade dropped a few degrees.

“You’d think after a lifetime as a Jedi, you’d know it wasn’t a good idea to sneak up on one,” you voiced, raising a brow.

Obi-Wan lowered his hands, offering you an affable expression as you deactivated your saber and snapped it to your belt.

“I’m always willing to take a chance for a friend.”

You shook your head in mock disapproval while you moved to pass the Jedi, unintentionally brushing your upper arm against the weight of his similarly soaked cloak. It didn’t take long to reemerge on the outer end of the gap, cascading you in the brighter light of the still-overcast street.

“What are you doing out here?” You asked, vision centered on a pair of beings strolling near the far end.

“Looking for you,” he stated matter-of-factly while following your form out onto the road.

You leisurely turned, now able to better see his face as he phased into the muddled daylight, his hair sleek with water and eyes dulled by the hidden sun.

“Why?”

The relaxed Jedi paused before you, creasing his brows as he spoke tactfully.

“Anakin came to see me earlier.”

You looked away, choosing to draw your attention to the street ahead before leaning into a quiet stroll.

Though the Master was quick to follow, matching your pace as he glided beside you.

“He was concerned,” Obi-Wan continued, stitched gaze never leaving your face. “Something about a reaction you had during his piloting lesson today?”

The understatement tugged at the corner of your mouth, though your eyes remained tethered like anchors to the raindrops exploding into puddles below.

“Did he also tell you he took the fighter into an Aileron Roll with the gravity dampers off?” You emphasized, waggling your brows in a challenging, yet light-hearted manner.

His eyes widened for a brief moment, cycling through all the stages of what you could only assume was Former Padawan-related grief before capitulating into an expression of experienced resignation.

His gaze fell to the ground, mirroring yours.

“He did not.”

You breathed in deeply, absorbing the momentary silence flooded only by the pitter-patter of cooling raindrops. It had aerated the street of this morning’s blistering heat. And as a creature of the cold, it had the effect of alleviating your exercise-induced, clammy skin deliciously.

“Silvey,” Obi-Wan began gently. “Anakin isn’t the only one.”

You blinked toward the subdued Jedi who must’ve sensed the motion as he quickly met your gaze. Both pairs of cloud-shaded eyes locked for a moment, enabling you to stretch into the space before signaling for him to continue.

“I’ve also noticed that something is affecting you.”

You sighed.

You began wracking your brain for some excuse. Any excuse that you could throw out at this moment. All so that you didn’t need to explain your strange yet nuanced predicament to the man beside you.

You searched the falling droplets for answers, reminding yourself that finding a solution before anyone close to Anakin learned the truth was for the best.

It’s not his job to worry about you.

And that went for Obi-Wan too.

“Is it Qui-Gon? I understand his death may be fresh for you. I’d be happy to lend an ear—“

“No, it’s not that,” you interrupted.

Instantly, you recognized the falsehood in that statement.

“I mean…”

You shook your head at yourself, hoping to shake the right, jumbled thoughts into alignment.

“I can’t deny that he’s been occupying my mind more than most things…”

Your jaw hung loose as you tried to catch the words buzzing in jumbles above your head. But, for some reason, they just kept escaping through your clawing, slippery fingers.

“But that’s not…it,” you uttered.

You glanced back up at Obi-Wan.

His eyes had abruptly softened while he listened to your voice intently. Vision piercing your very soul as if he was hoping to look right through you.

And you weren’t sure why, but that penetrating expression suddenly took you off guard.

Your brain stumbled as you tried to refocus on the conversation. You supposed you weren’t expecting him to have had such an empathetic reaction. Right? Maybe you just hadn’t really made a point to notice how kind his eyes could be. At least, not before now.

But here? In this instant?

You could see their radiance so clearly.

Even among gradually strengthening raindrops that blinked into streams after colliding with the chiseled face of the Jedi before you. They did nothing to dissuade the thoughtfulness that shone from his features.

But then again, wasn’t that always the rule with Master Kenobi?

It was those same eyes that had shared with you looks of encouragement when you were first struggling to pass the thoughts of large crowds. Those same bright blue eyes that happily guided you to the Sparring Arena during your first full day at the Temple when you were terribly lost. Those same entertained eyes that would glance at you briefly after throwing a sarcastic remark at Anakin to lighten everyone’s moods. Those same, unwaveringly concerned eyes that trailed your figure every time you unexpectedly removed yourself from his company, always to deal with another burning onslaught of pulsing stabs that gradually became more pronounced on your features.

Those thoughtful eyes that were first to check if you were okay, despite the Master Jedi having taken the brunt of your full-speed collision, during that shuttle escape from Hoth.

Those unflinchingly kind eyes which, for some unknown reason, seemed to crack a chink in your conviction.

Enough to let out a sliver of splintering light.

Your feet stalled underneath you, bringing both you and Obi-Wan to an aimless rest as your heart raced. You curved fully toward the soaking Jedi, lips parted in thought as you searched for the words to begin explaining your situation to the man waiting ever so patiently.

You weren’t sure whether it was from the buildup to this long-held secret’s reveal or a side effect of your body’s fatigue. But the moment you glanced up, the moment your gaze locked once more with those two, perceptively azure orbs, you suddenly felt…

Very

Very

Naked.

“I’ve been having…headaches.”

Master Kenobi’s head tilted slightly in disquiet confusion, subconsciously inciting you to tighten the robe’s wrap around your torso with crossed arms.

“Headaches?” He asked oddly.

“I think?” You dithered. “But they aren’t…normal.”

Exhaling, you redirected your gaze to the surrounding building’s upper structures and the gloomy gray of Coruscant’s atmosphere as you rammed through your next words, leaving behind any care of making sense as the wall you had so carefully built began to chip under his still engrossed stare.

“At first, they’d show up…randomly. Last for hours no matter what I did. Until I asked Master Windu for his input. He told me to give it a name the next time I meditated. He said it would help. That if I could pinpoint the feeling, it would root out the source of getting rid of them. So, I did.”

You shrugged.

“But, for some reason, it made everything worse. The times, the duration, the pain. And it doesn’t feel like a regular headache either. It’s-“

The bridge of your nose creased in thought as you drew imaginary lines from rooftop to rooftop with your eyes.

“Deeper.”

The silence that followed, no matter how short, felt utterly deafening. Even the quiet showers around you seemed to stall into white noise.

Until Obi-Wan sighed.

Pensively.

His furrowed brows never left your form as he raised a hand to tensely stroke his mouth for a moment.

“Is that what happened in the fighter this morning? One of these…headaches?”

Your gaze shifted back to his as you breathed.

“Yes.”

He hummed, resting his fingers upon the beard. “And when did they start?”

“About a week and a half ago.”

The Master Jedi allowed his hand to laxly fall, chin rising unexpectedly as his brows faintly furrowed. He’d now given room for his earlier concern to sparkle a bit brighter off ocean eyes that suddenly burrowed into yours.

“I’m taking you to the infirmary.”

Your stomach dropped, unsure if it was dragged down by your displeasure in making this situation a bigger deal than you believed it to be, or by the complete confidence with which the man before you voiced his plain alarm.

You began to question yourself. Were you misjudging this affliction? Were your symptoms really that bad?

Honestly, you thought, you’d had far greater scares on Hoth.

Qui-Gon’s gray hairs could attest to that.

And although most of your heart was beating a bit faster to the rhythm of these circulating thoughts, you couldn’t help but be enveloped by the small fragment that warmed at Master Kenobi’s caring sentiment. So much so, that it pulled you from your uncertainty before guiding your voice into a sweeter lull to address him.

“Obi—“

“This is not good, Silvey,” he interrupted firmly. “And I don’t like leaving such matters unresolved.”

You exhaled, shaking your head in disbelief as you backed down from his solid stance. Instead, you angled back toward the path ahead, resuming that same calm stroll with heavy feet. Again, Obi-Wan fluidly followed, his creased expression peaking at yours, which remained impassive despite your inner thoughts.

“I can’t.”

Master Kenobi dissolved into further unease as he acknowledged your response puzzledly.

“I don’t understand.”

“You’re right,” you began, neck angling toward him coolly. “I don’t understand what this is either. And it could be dangerous or it could be nothing. But what’s fact is that the more I involve beings from the Temple, the more likely this will all get back to Anakin. And I can’t have that.”

You huffed, sending a feeble kick to a passing puddle underneath you while building winds began to zip around the surrounding structure’s corners, nudging you both by the edges of your robes.

“I’m his Guardian, Obi-Wan. The last thing I should be doing is dragging him into unpredictable matters. He has enough to deal with right now, and I’m not adding to it-“

A sudden weight warmed your shoulder, guiding you to pause mid-stroll in the midst of finishing your thought. Still, you followed the slight tug, turning toward the man whose gentle hand rested assuredly by your throat like a sudden fire on a cool afternoon.

“So your solution is to travel through rainy streets in dangerous neighborhoods? Are you hoping to find the answer at the wrong end of a phaser?” He questioned sarcastically, retrieving his limb to gesticulate to your surroundings as a sudden chill nestled in its place.

You defended yourself, throwing back that same trickle of wit that briefly oozed from his figure with a cheeky grin. “Running has proven to help. Besides, I’d never pass up the chance to hone my combat skills. We are in a war, you know.”

You tried to suppress your chuckle at his unimpressed stare.

Still, you couldn’t help the gravity of the situation overcome you once more as his expression carefully hardened.

“And what if something happens because this wasn’t addressed sooner?” He argued. “I agree. Right now, it’s best to not tell Anakin. And I can make sure that he won’t find out. I certainly won’t tell him, and you can trust the doctors at the Temple to do the same. But you owe it to the Galaxy to at least sit through an examination. If the prophecy is true, we will all need you at your best.”

You exhaled, realizing fairly quickly that you were on the losing side of this battle.

“Please,” he emphasized.

You watched as Obi-Wan raised both hands, delicately resting each on your upper arms with their encapsulating heat.

Then, he leaned in.

Just a few inches, but enough to pervade your eyes, filling all the edges of your vision with his cautiously encouraging expression. He spoke lowly, in a deep, smooth tone as the hotness of his breath brushed across your wet cheeks.

“Allow me to accompany you to the Infirmary.”

The sensation of your throbbing heart had now reached your fingertips, shooting down your arms so boldly that you were surprised Obi-Wan couldn’t feel the beats through his steadied palms. Though his confidence in his ability to keep this matter private had eased your stirring veins slightly.

A quick checkup itself wouldn’t do too much harm, you supposed. As long as it remained just that. Still, this was all assuming Obi-Wan could keep you under The Chosen One’s radar until the matter was fully resolved. As you stared at his confident demeanor, you also had to admit that you’d been a bit concerned about how this exchange would end. For a brief second, you thought that as soon as you explained your affliction to Obi-Wan, he’d whip right back around to inform his former Padawan. He’d certainly known him for many more years than you, you surmised.

But that wasn’t the case.

Master Kenobi respected your motives. And he seemed assured enough to support you through these small sacrifices that you’d always need to make as Anakin’s Guardian.

As long as you were also getting the help you needed, it appeared.

But, deep down, you knew that wouldn’t always be possible. Save this exception.

Is that why telling him, even after all of these assurances, still felt so wrong?

No, there was no need to remind Obi-Wan of that reality at this moment. You were comfortable enough to let those blue eyes get the win they so strongly fought for.

Tugging on the seam of your robe, you spoke softly.

“Alright.”

And in return, the Jedi Master offered you a grateful, almost relieved, smile.

After presenting Obi-Wan with this small victory, you couldn’t help the sudden confusion that overcame your mind, born from a latent realization. A perplexing thought which transformed into one more question that you needed to ask before surrendering yourself to the trained hands of Jedi physicians.

“By the way,” you spoke up. “How did you find me? I didn’t tell anyone where I was going.”

The Master sent you a look so pointed that it blared across rooftops one undeniable judgment:

That he knew you were not going to like this.

“Apparently, Anakin was having trouble finding you for those unplanned sparring sessions the two of you enjoy so much. Mostly, because he hasn’t been able to sense your presence.”

He exhaled.

“His solution was to place a tracker in your robe.”

Your jaw dropped, a drop of rain catching your marginally exposed tongue.

“That little-“

“Don’t worry,” Obi-Wan announced in that thick, Coruscanti accent.

“I told him to turn it off.”

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[sinisterexaggerator]

Headcanon...?

Spoilers for a fic I will write eventually?

Do not read if you do not like made-up, author-indulgent backstories for characters who exist in the GFFA. This one is almost hard to post because it's kind of personal. Like, a story so plot driven that I am nervous people will hate my interpretation and my ships. Oh well, I guess, it's happening.

A discussion in the Duros hoes chat, and then between me and @allsystemsblue, got me thinking about what is Cad Bane's real name? It sure as hell ain't Cad Bane. A lot of the fandom seems to agree on that. "Cad" and "bane" are both words in the dictionary that can be defined.

Cad: a man who behaves dishonorably, especially toward a woman. / scoundrel / rogue / rascal.

Bane: a cause of great distress or annoyance. / scourge / ruin / death.

We shall come back to this.

I have a scene mapped out for Stars Above in which I want Cad to run into his sister. I have a plan for his backstory that does not include this particular fanfic, but another, a series I am working on that will be entitled "Annuals of an Outlaw," and is essentially a collection of works I have outlined that will contain my version of Cad Bane's "story" from his beginnings on Duro in the Descent Ghetto, to after the Clone Wars and beyond.

Yes, it will have smut. And angst. Lots and lots of angst. Many character will appear, including Jango, Hondo, Aurra, Bossk, Embo, Zam, Dengar, Todo 360, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and even Boba at some point. Oh, and let us not forget Shriv Suurgav. :)

Yes, Shriv.

You cannot stop me. Don't even try. This is my magnum opus, and by God it will make sense narratively. Just you wait. Or don't. I don't care. I am still going to write this thing if it's the last thing I ever do.

First of all, I enjoy playing around with Star Wars name generators. That is how I came up with the name of my OC, Zulara. I started sifting through them, piecing last names together with other first names, and voilà, a new name appeared to me that caught my attention.

Originally, I was looking for Durese words that maybe meant something in relation to his occupation or personality, but none of them called out. It appears others had that same idea in the past, so it makes sense to go with something new.

Anyway, my name for Cad Bane is Lumoon Troks.

Here are the outpouring of thoughts I had on the matter before I could stop myself. I came up with this over the last hour or two, and I am digging it so far. Who knows, maybe I will change my mind. It's helping me to fill in a lot of gaps, anyway, that I had in the plot, and I am happy about that.

So, I am giving Bane siblings. Two much older sisters, two brothers who are 1-2 years apart, and a younger sister who is four or five at the time Lumoon finally leaves home.

His siblings call him Lu, or Moon for short. When they want to be annoying, they call him Moody Moon, or "Lemon" because of his sour outlook ( lemons are "canon" in SW, I checked).

To sum things up briefly, Bane's mother was a kindhearted woman and his father was a gruff workaholic. They both were employed in the factories and rarely had time to spend with their family, but had too many mouths to feed.

Cad gets into trouble quite often. He runs wild in the streets from a young age. Maybe he hooks up with the wrong crowd. Nothing too menacing; some petty theft, vandalism, etc, etc.

His father's angry about it. He refuses to take on work in the factories with him. He wants more for himself. He's not about that grind day in, day out life. Things get so toxic between them that he leaves to make his own way, stops coming home, worries his mother sick, and his little sister to boot.

So much so, his little sister ( talking maybe preschool / kindergartener age ) decides she has to "bring Moon home" and takes it upon herself to find him. She loves her big brother and sorely misses him.

This does not end well. At all. The worst possible scenario unfolds. The first of many tragedies in Cad Bane's life. It deeply affects him. He tries to go to his mother; she isn't the same Duros any longer. She coldshoulders him, ignores him, and she suffers from a broken heart.

Cad blames himself. "She went out to find you and never came home." This time, he really does leave and never returns. I am sure there is a final fight between him and his father that maybe seals the deal. He takes up random jobs, anything that pays, from sex work, to being hired muscle, to thieving, to murder, you name it, as long as the pay is good and it keeps his mind off his own problems.

He learns skills along the way, and he also learns from his mistakes. Things start being a little too easy. He's tired of being bossed around. He wants to be his own boss. So, that's exactly what he becomes.

He decides to try his hand at bounty hunting. He begins to make a name for himself, except, he hasn't. He needs a new one, something intimidating, striking, and rememberable. Plus, he doesn't want his birthname floating around; that makes him vulnerable, as well as the rest of his surviving kin.

Bane's mother, in the early days of his youth, used to scold him for misbehaving. She called him the equivalent of a cad in Durese, and it translated that way from basic, something along the lines of "Lumoon! Quit being such a cad, you naughty boy!"

It means something to him. He feels it embodies what he has become. It is also a tribute to his mother as well as a punishment; something he has to live with and that he brought upon himself.

The next thing you know, one of his many enemies makes a snarky comment, saying to him, "you are the bane of my existence," or simply, "you are a bane!" From there, his new name takes shape in his mind. He thinks if you put two and two together, it sounds kind of nice. It sticks. He starts to introduce himself like that, when before he had only referred to himself as Cad.

Another misfortune befalls him, which I mentioned I wanted him to run into his sister. This would happen off-world somewhere, years later, and during the reign of the Galactic Empire. She would say something to the likes of: "Mom died. She never gave up on you. She waited for you to come home, everyday. I didn't have the heart to tell her I had seen your wanted posters."

It tears him apart for awhile. His second great tragedy. Never getting to reconcile with the Duros who raised him and whom he loved. He harbors this for the rest of his life.

Of course, running in the streets, he learns not to trust people. He's jaded. He gets fucked over a time or two, badly, and by people he thinks he can trust. He develops a shell; a way of looking at the world that allows him to keep his guard up for his own protection.

In that same vein, I believe Bane can love and that he can love hard given the right circumstances. One of the many reasons he's kept from saying it, is because every person he has ever cared about has either turned on him or dies. The galaxy is a harsh mistress. He's afraid of a repeat scenario; he doesn't let himself get close. He tells himself he's better off alone, doesn't need anybody; he prefers to run without a pack.

That is, until he meets Jango.

And, that, my friends, is a whole other story, but I want to add that Cad Bane has bad dreams. Nightmares, even. Visions. Terrible things happen, old memories replay, he is haunted by his past. The sister he couldn't save; the mother he thought had stopped loving him; the father he was never good enough to please.

Hondo compares himself to a sun, and Bane is the moon. This would fuck with him psychologically, and cause him to react unexpectantly should the nickname stick - one that is reminiscent of his childhood. It is Hondo Ohnaka in my story that saves Bane from himself after Fett meets his untimely end.

Jango, Hondo, and Shriv may call him moody from time-to-time, or grumpy, but that also does not sit well, either, considering his past.

Once Jango dies, and once he fails at training Boba, Cad is even more a wreck than before. In my story, he also does not get to reconcile with his old partner and mentor after their falling out. He drinks himself stupid in the presence of Boba to the point the boy gets fed-up and they have their duel.

Bane, in my mind, can't accept Boba as Fett's son; he is a clone; he could never accept the clone contract from the get go - it put a rift in their relationship. This adds more fuel to the "look out for yourself" fire that is his quote in the Book of Boba Fett.

Sorry this got so long-winded, but, I had to get that out as it came to me. Now, to actually write the story all these ideas are for!

[bylightofdawn]

This week's episode of Mandalorian went hard. I have so many thoughts but I cannot put them into words because I watched it at like 7am when I woke up, watched it, went back to sleep so it feels like half of it was a dream.

I have made the executive decision that I am calling out from work today as a mental health day/I need more fucking sleep. I also kinda like the idea of having, yanno, two days off in a row. So even though it's going to fuck my paycheck (because I am not making up these hours GDI) I think I need it.

EDIT: Spoke with work and I guess with the new attendance policy they just put down you can elect if you want them to use your PTO or personal time. So I actually can get paid for today. Which yay. Lets me burn some of my banked PTO so I don't lose it as I'm still actively exploring new jobs and I think I have like 6 days banked at this point. And then 2 days of unpaid personal time.

I'm going to go catch a 3pm showing of D&D movie. I was super tempted by the new Mario Bro's movie since I've heard it's a serotonin-filled colorful spectacle but I don't want to deal with kids talking and being...yanno kids. At a kids movie. That might be a late night only showing sorta situation.

So yeah, I'm going to do that, hopefully catch a nap and re-watch Mandalorian and come back with a more cohesive thought than just keyboard smashing.

Non-spoiler thoughts. I'm kinda getting a little tired of this recent trend of SW shows where they have some vague meandering plot for most of the season, get to the last two episodes and I guess have a collective 'oh shit we only have two more episodes? LETS SHOVE EVERYTHING INTO IT" and they got super hard.

For two episodes.

What about that random series of very dragging, could have prolly been cut down a bit episodes where the heroes have to do some kind of fetch quest or whatever? TBB Is INFAMOUS for this but honestly, last two seasons of Mandalorian have been, TBoBF suffered the same thing. Fucks sake it twook almost 1/3 of it's run time to dedicate to Mandalorian Season 2.5.

Andor I feel like didn't suffer AS MUCH with the pacing. I'm sure some people could argue the whole prison thing went on maybe a bit too long but it was such a glorious ride we all loved it and Andy Serkis too much to complain. Also Andor is one of the best SW series to ever be put out.

And I honestly could not tell you what the fuck happened in Obi-Wan Kenobi even thought I think it's been less than a year. I need to re-watch it but I want to say it had the same problem. Like last two eps were fire, what the fuck happened up till that point? Fuck if I can tell you. Something-something Kenobi was brooding and eternally suffering. Something-something Leia was sassy and does anyone at Lucasarts know how to write a kid who is just a dumb kid? Like, have you ever tried to reason with a five year old when they are tired and cranky? It's filled with escalating tantrums, tears and a lot of sulking. Which gets worse because eventually the kid gets so upset they forget how to actually communicate with their words and they are just a bundle of emotions.

I loved Leia but she was only like five or six and acted like a 10+ year old except for a couple of scenes. So yeah Star Wars has zero idea how to write kids. Prolly because kids are lowkey terrors and they would prolly trigger PTSD in half their audience if they made it too realistic.

Also wow that was a tangent.

My point being, not loving this waiting till the last two episodes to make these huge impactful plot bombs and maybe they need to work on their pacing and cutting of extraneous bullshit.

[kitsune024]

Star Wars Fanfiction

Double Agent Vader by Fialleril

The one where Vader turned double agent for the Rebellion about three years after ROTS, and Leia is now his primary contact with the Rebellion.

This is a collection of oneshots that all fit into the same universe, but posted in no particular order. Updated when the muse strikes me.

Part 1. Shape-Changer I Chapters: 1/1 I

His Master liked to say that Vader was born in fire on Mustafar. But Ekkreth was born in the desert.

Part 2. Words in the Heart I Chapters: 1/1 I

“XF-53,” he said, “will your programming permit me to tell you a story?” “There is no prohibition against that. A story cannot do damage.” “Is that what he thinks? Good.” (Or, what Anakin was up to during those four hours between meeting the Grandmother and finally contacting Palpatine in Shape-Changer.)

Part 3. (Words in the Heart) Cannot Be Taken I Chapters: 1/1 I

For the first time since everything changed on Tatooine, KD-7, the droid officially known as XF-53, must make a report to Emperor Palpatine. And then receive the standard memory wipe. Or, Kadee and Anakin are faced with the first terrifying test of their secret new freedom.

Part 4. The Slave Who Makes Free I Chapters: 1/1 I

Ekkreth wears a hundred thousand shapes and has a hundred thousand tricks, and the chain has not been forged that can hold them. (Or: Meanwhile, on the Tatooine freedom trail...)

Part 5. Decryption Codes I Chapters: 1/1 I

Newly appointed Senator Leia Organa meets Darth Vader for the first time. And then she meets Ekkreth.

Part 6. A Larger World I Chapters: 1/1 I

In which Leia discovers she is Force sensitive, finds herself a teacher, talks politics with Darth Vader, and reaches all the right conclusions…about the wrong parent.

Part 7. The Emperor's Speech I Chapters: 1/1 I

Leia hates the Emperor's interminable speeches. But they're slightly more tolerable when she has someone to mock them with.

Part 8. Optimal Functioning I Chapters: 1/1 I

Ahsoka is planning a major Rebel action, if only she can be sure Darth Vader won't interfere. Leia thinks she knows someone who can help. Fulcrum, meet Ekkreth.

Part 9. Trickster Steals the Moon I Chapters: 1/1 I

This is the story of how Depur stole the moon from the sky, and how Ekkreth the Trickster stole it back thrice over. (But that's no moon...)

Part 10. Flowers for the Emperor I Chapters: 1/1 I

Someone is sending the Emperor seditious flowers. Senator Pooja Naberrie is delighted.

Part 11. Bedrock I Chapters: 1/1 I

“And now, Your Highness, we will discuss the location of your hidden Rebel base.” (Leia's Death Star interrogation in the double agent 'verse.)

Part 12. The Only Verdict I Chapters: 1/1 I

In which Darth Vader prevents Leia from Force choking someone (yes, really), Leia swears revenge, an escape plan is hatched, and Luke Skywalker finally makes an appearance. Or, the destruction of Alderaan in the double agent ‘verse. Because this is Star Wars, and everything is pain.

Part 13. Aftermath I Chapters: 1/1 I

“I don’t blame you,” she said fiercely. “For Alderaan. I want you to know that.” (Leia meets with Vader in the aftermath of the destruction of Alderaan and the Death Star.)

Part 14. Trophies I Chapters: 1/1 I

In which the Emperor is far from pleased with the destruction of the Death Star, Darth Vader remains a bit of a disappointment, and Obi-Wan Kenobi’s death serves more purpose than he ever could have imagined. Or, Palpatine’s point of view following the events of ANH.

Part 15. Children of the Force I Chapters: 1/1 I

In which Leia begins training in the Force with Luke in secret, continues to mourn Alderaan, and says goodbye to Ekkreth. Now featuring a bonus cameo by Han Solo, dweeby schoolboy with a crush.

Part 16. Empire Day I Chapters: 1/1 I

Three birthdays with Leia Organa.

Part 17. The Unstolen Child I Chapters: 1/1 I

Every Force sensitive child must be registered with the Imperial Inquisition. When the time comes, they'll be collected for training. Ahsoka is determined to make sure that doesn't happen. And she has some unexpected help.

Part 18. Rocks and Water I Chapters: 2/2 I

Anakin builds a lightsaber, and Leia gets a delivery...and some surprising revelations with it.

Part 19. Sometimes as Many as Seven I Chapters: 1/1 I

Leia and Han talk about the Force, philosophy, and that bounty hunter they ran into on Ord Mantell. A short coda to Rocks and Water, written as a tribute to Carrie Fisher.

Part. 20. Apology Accepted I Chapters: 1/1 I

What really happened to Captain Needa.

This is the story of how Depur stole the moon from the sky, And how Ekkreth the Trickster stole it back thrice over. Based off of @fialleril‘s Double Agent Vader au WHICH YOU ALL NEED TO READ BECAUSE IT’S SO SO GOOD here’s the link 

I’m not even kidding the world building of the Tatooine slave culture is absolutely phenomenal, and the depth and symbolism throughout the entire story is magnificent, and the characters are delightfully well written, and the writing itself is absolutely beautiful, and omg the irony throughout the whole thing is painfully perfect and there’s so much thought put into this and everything about it is just !!!!!!!

[anakinskywalkerog]

real talk you will never see me say one bad thing about the Kenobi series on this page, no matter what

on the one hand, I would have been happy if the show was just hayden and ewan drinking tea in jedi costumes for 6 hours—I would watch it if it were just them on a green screen. I would watch a show about them sleeping LOL

on the other hand, what they’ve done with this show is better than I could have hoped—the story is so sweet and earnest 🥹 they have given us such a stunning emotional arc from obi-wan, and having him bond with little leia (whose portrayal is literally perfect in my mind) adds so much depth to the original trilogy. the focus has been heavy on the angst between obi-wan and anakin, which is exactly what fans of the prequels wanted. they’ve shown us some very interesting new settings/planets. hayden’s portrayal of vader has been fucking terrifying. i know fans like to discuss which episodes they like and what they don’t like, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but i’m personally just not interested in saying anything negative about this show. i’m just so grateful they’ve come back to tell this story. that’s where I’m at, and I’m going to continue to sit in my gratitude. I wish it didn’t have to end 🫠

[gudfornuthin]

Can’t Take My Eyes Off you (part 2)

Padawan! Obi-Wan Kenobi x padawan! reader (use of she/her pronouns)

You can read part one here.

A/N: thank you so much for the support on part one. I loved writing it and I loved writing this part even more. I have an idea of where I want to go with this so I may be turning this into a mini series :)

Obi-Wan strolls down the long corridor; pleased with his overall training that day. Luckily Master Qui-gon let him off easy for arriving later than expected. There was still one person he couldn’t get out of his mind; the girl. The way she held herself, how skilled she was, her smile. So bright and genuine. Obi-Wan wonders if she’s thinking about him. He shakes his head, the Jedi code beginning to overtake his mind. He shouldn’t be having these thoughts.

He continues walking and turns the corner, subconsciously heading towards the room he saw the girl in before. Maybe he’d catch another glimpse of her. Stopping by the room, he peaks through the entrance, finding it empty. He sighs, wishing he’d asked for her name.

“Y/N is not here,” a sharp voice sounds from behind him.

Obi-Wan turns back around, coming face to face with Master Botos, holding the same expression she had only hours ago.

“I’m sorry, who?” He questions.

Master Botos rolls her eyes, becoming impatient with the young padawan trying to play dumb. She could see right through it.

“My apprentice, the young girl you were gawking at this morning.” Obi-Wan winces at her tone. “I asked her to practice some more outside, the fresh air will do her some good.”

Master Botos stalks around Obi-Wan, walking into the room and glaring back at him.

“I suggest you do the same thing, young one. Alone. I would not want your mind to become… clouded with unnecessary emotions,” her words cut him like a knife, sending shivers down his spine.

She slams the door in his face, and he feels like he can finally breath again. Master Botos had always been a strict woman, making everyone aware of her authority, but Obi-Wan never truly experienced it first hand. He wasn’t planning to again.

Moving back, he carries on walking and eventually makes it outside. The name Master Botos had mentioned sticks with him. Y/N. He’s surprised by how he’d never heard of her before. Just the thought of her once more creates those forbidden feelings he desperately tries to oppress.

“Y/N,” Obi-Wan says her name out loud.

He smiles.

“Such a beautiful name.”

“That’s very sweet of you Obi-Wan, thank you.”

He freezes, the sound of another voice startling him. He turns and is met by a pair of bright eyes. The girl from earlier, who he now knows as Y/N, stands before him, smiling wide. Obi-Wan’s mind is blank, embarrassed that she overheard him and now unable to form a coherent sentence.

She saves him by speaking up again.

“It’s so nice to see you again, sorry we weren’t able to chat before. Master Botos doesn’t appreciate when my training is interrupted. Although I wish you’d have stayed.”

Obi-Wan is completely captivated by her. Realising she had stopped talking, he blinks and clears his throat.

“That’s quite alright, I was late for my own training anyways. You are very skilled if you don’t mind me saying. Pretty too,” his eyes go wide. He didn’t mean to say that last part aloud.

Y/N laughs, seeing the poor boys face turn red.

“Thank you, and thank you. You’re very pretty as well,” she jests. She did mean to say that last part aloud.

If Obi-Wan’s face wasn’t red enough already, it certainly was now. He dreads to think what his and the girl’s masters would say if they heard this conversation, but he didn’t care much. It was harmless.

“Do you want to practice with me?” Y/N asks him, talking out her lightsaber.

Obi-Wan nods, grabbing for his own lightsaber.

“I would love nothing more, dear,” the innocent pet name has Y/N blushing.

He’s pleased to have caused that reaction from her.

They begin sparring, completely oblivious to the pair of cold eyes watching them from a distance. Master Botos stands on a balcony, staring down at the young pair, smiling and laughing with each other. She rests her hands on her hips and turns to walk away. She couldn’t allow this ‘relationship’ to go any further.

[caprisun89bakerstreet]

The recap of the prequels at the start of the kenobi series never fails to give me chills

[lady-djarin]

only a sith deals in absolutes - pt. ii

obi-wan kenobi x senator!f!reader (two part series)

PART i HERE

warnings: inappropriate use of the force, smut, p in v sex, use of the title master, edging, semi-public sex, slight dom behavior bc who doesn't love daddy-wan kenobi, minors dni 18+

word count: 1,757

a/n: so i really just went nuts here, i know this is not canon accurate as to how the force works or anything so don't come after me, oh and this is all rots obi-wan btw ;) and i know this is kind of short so im sorry!

* ｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆　｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

You were at a long table in one of the meeting rooms in the senate building on Coruscant, Padme on your right and Obi-Wan and Anakin in front of you both. The four of you were looking through holopads with every move documented from the war. You were trying to find a way around sending more clones to their deaths, which will accomplish nothing. You all had been there for what felt like all day, finding no alternative plan. You were beginning to grow frustrated at the lack of a breakthrough.

“Maker, why is nothing making any sense,” you rubbed your face in annoyance.

“I feel like there is no way around it, wars are won with soldiers, not talking. We have to send them in,” Anakin was always the more...brutal, of your group.

“General, with all due respect, we could send a thousand troops into this war and never make any headway,” Padme was always the peaceful one.

You all spent some more time debating the matter while all growing increasingly frustrated. It had been a few days since your encounter with Obi-Wan,  it had been really the only thing on your mind. The feeling of his fingers curling inside you and his mouth on your skin still made your knees weak. Ever since, you and Master Kenobi had been catching eachothers eyes all day, trying not to let your gaze linger very long. As your debates started to die down, you were all feeling a little tense from sitting for too long. You started to roll the tension out of your shoulders as you felt the familiar feeling of someone watching you, a presence that lingered around you. You looked around, finding no one else in the room except the four of you.

You had learned a little about the Force from the Jedi you had worked with but had of course never experienced it for yourself. With two Jedi in the same room you thought maybe you could be feeling something from them but both men looked to be focused on something else. The feeling was almost like a pulsing thickness in the air, something that coated your skin. After a few minutes of it not going away, you started to feel slightly ansty.

Obi-Wan was noticing your nervous behavior and knew you were feeling his efforts. He knew he loved to see your reactions to his teasing, he wanted to take it a step further. He reached out through the Force, sensing your presence and washing a feeling of calm over you. He instantly saw the reaction you had to it and a small smile cracked on his face. He decided to take it a step further.

You felt a soft sensation climb up your legs, almost like delectae fingers tracing up the inside of your thighs. The sudden feeling startled you at first, thinking something was under the table. You looked around the table at your companions, who seemed like they felt nothing. Your gaze met Master Kenobi’s to find him smiling at you with lust in his eyes. You quickly caught on to what he was doing, smiling back at him.

You had no idea the Force could be used in this way, something physical another person could feel. You quickly caught on to what he was doing once you felt the ghost sensation go up towards the apex of your thighs. Your body was betraying you and reacting to his movements, you couldn't stay still as he teased you. This went on for almost an hour, Obi-Wan using the force to create soft touches on and around your core. You were fidgeting in your seat the rest of the night, Padme often leaning over to ask if you were alright. One particular moment you felt a harsh pleasure inside your walls, mimicking when his fingers made that curling motion. You lurched forward and a loud inhale made its way past your lips in surprise. Everyone looked at you, making sure you were ok.

“Sorry, must be a stomach ache…” you grabbed your stomach in fake pain, giving Master Kenobi a warning look.

“You know, I think we should all get some rest,” Padme stood from her seat and said her goodbyes. Anakin quickly followed to ‘make sure she got back alright’, as usual. As soon as the room was empty you let out a relieved moan as you sunk down into your chair. Obi-Wan couldn't help but smirk at your reaction, loving how it all affected you. He rose from his chair, circled around to you all while keeping up his use of the Force to torture you in the most exquisite way. His large hands landed on your shoulders as he lowered his mouth to your ear, his delicious voice leaving goosebumps along your skin.

“You did very good for me, little one,” he peppered your neck with kisses as the invisible touch was building pleasure in your pelvis. All you could do in response was whimper and grip the edge of the table for dear life. You were quickly tumbling towards your release and Obi-Wan knew it, and he also knew that he could be a nice guy and let you finish, but he wasn't feeling very nice right now.

“Oh Maker, Obi-Wan don’t stop,” your voice was a hushed moan. If Obi-Wan wasn't so determined to drag this out, your plea would have almost worked. Right as you were about to fall apart he withdrew his Force signature and watched as you whined in response. You cried out in frustration, got up and grabbed the Jedi Master’s robes that were across his chest to pull him into a heated kiss. Your hands were on each other in no time, trying to feel as much of each other as possible.

“You’ve made me wait long enough,” you pulled away just enough to give him a dirty look before he grabbed your waist and put you on top of the table. All your clothing was quickly stripped from both of your  bodies. You were sprawled across the table with your legs wrapped around his waist as he slowly dragged the blunt tip of his cock through your wet folds. Your wanton moans dragged a low growl from his chest then he quickly buried himself in your needy cunt. The long awaited feeling of having Obi fully seated inside you made you both groan with pleasure. The slowness turned to hard thrusts of his pelvis into yours that drove you mad, you couldn’t help the noises coming from your throat.

“You have to be q-quite love, or i’ll…have to stop”

His hips never let up in their harsh pace while his hand grabbed the back of your neck. You were really trying to hold yourself together but it was getting harder as your climax grew closer.

“Are you going to be my good girl and stay quiet?”

All you could do was nod and hum in response. You felt like a woman possessed. Your body was not your own, too strung out on pleasure to have any semblance of control. The hard thrusts of his pelvis into yours was drawing needy moans from you, your own body disobeying his orders. He clapped his hand over your mouth to trap your noises behind his palm as the other grabbed your wrists. Obi-Wan held your arms over your head as he continued to pound into you relentlessly.

“You keep these h-here for me,” he squeezed at your wrists. “C-can you do that - fuck - little one?” he ground his hips into yours slowly, hitting the very spot inside you that deepened your pleasure.

You hummed in response and screwed your eyes shut in ecstasy as the Jedi returned to rutting into you mercilessly. In an attempt to keep your hands above your head as instructed, you held onto the other end of the table for dear life. You reveled in the way the esteemed Jedi Master looked above you, unraveling as he bathed in your pleasure.

You felt the pressure of your release building in your core when Obi-Wan began to draw small circles around your throbbing clit. You wanted so badly to scream out his name but quickly remembered the building might not be empty. The thought of someone finding you here only made your heart rate kick up and lower walls clench around his length.

“Mmm, fu-fuck me, you feel so g-good… darling,” that beautiful accent made every word off his toungue sounds like honey. “I can feel you about - mmm maker - about to cum for me.”

“Ple-please, I want to cum,” every word was punctuated by his hips slamming into yours, both of you chasing your impending highs. “Please, Master…”

Your blissed out facial expression along with his formal title made Obi nearly lose his mind. He decided then and there that you moaning his name was like hearing angels sing. He loved the way he affected you, watching you react to his ministrations. His fingers picked up the pace as well as his hips, somehow moving faster than before.

“I w-want you to cu-cum for me love,” his voice was barely a breath at this point. Your hips angled up towards him now, making him hit the most devastating spot inside of you. That accompanied by his expert fingers had your orgasm crashing down on you faster than you expected. You writhed under him, your muscles clenching around him as you rode out your release. Seeing the esteemed Jedi Master above you, face twisting in pleasure and hair now messy with sex, made your climax even stronger. Obi-Wan kept his fingers moving in tandem with his hips as he felt his pleasure come to a peak. In the midst of your pleasure, you almost missed how he went to pull out.

You quickly locked your legs around his waist. “No, p-please. In-inside me, I'm safe.”

“Oh fu-fuck--” His hips stopped as he coated your walls in his release. The feeling made your muscles clench around him again, triggering an aftershock in your pelvis. The low rumble of his moan vibrated down your spine as he collapsed onto your chest.

Before you had a chance to fully catch your breath, a voice carried down the hallway. “Master? Are you still here? I have a question…” As the voice of Obi-Wan’s padawan made it's way closer to the room, the two of you scrambled to find your discarded clothing. Grabbing your dress, you bolted to the nearby closet when Obi-Wan grabbed your arm. Planting a kiss on your still kiss-swollen lips.

“Meet me in my quarters, love. I'm not done with you yet.”

MASTER LIST

[riselioness]

I went in to the Kenobi series with very low expectations, because there was no way it could be as good as we wanted it to be, right?? (And also it was a measure of self-protection as I knew it would almost certainly contradict some favourite head canons.

But this article made me start to think it might be my kind of thing (EMOTIONS, you guys). And then in the podcast roundtable Ewan McGregor talked about how well Deborah Chow ran the set, how they always got a day off and finished at a reasonable hour. And that made me hopeful because it seemed like they knew what they were wanting to do, and that the team were being looked after.

And it has surpassed my wildest dreams, with its stunning and moving character work, excellent acting and fantastic script. It’s so clear that they do indeed know exactly what they’re doing and how to do it. They know the characters so well - where they started, where they are now, and where they’re going to be. And I think Deborah Chow’s confident and measured direction shows through in the space they give the character moments - looks and exchanges and gestures that get just that beat longer, the actors are able to really sink into the moment and bring out what’s there. I can’t imagine the quiet Obi-Wan and Leia moments in particular being they way they are in a stressed set.

I cannot believe that for our long-awaited Kenobi event we are getting THIS. Maybe I should temper my expectations for the final two episode, but I’m not going to because a) I can’t and b) the previous four episodes give very good reason they’re going to stick the landing, and then some.

It is absolutely top quality Star Wars, and I LOVE IT.

[tennessoui]

if you wrote obikin for #4 with anakin as a single parent and obi-wan as luke and leia's teacher i would simply die happy!!

here it is!!! thank you so much!

4. Teacher/Single Parent AU (modern!AU)(DinLuke shows up as little kids)(2.4k)(whoops)

Anakin stares across the table at Luke, who gnaws on a slice of grilled cheese, carefully leaving the crusts behind. Oh god, he’d forgotten to cut them off of Luke’s sandwich, had cut them off of Leia’s instead, even though she didn’t mind them. And of course they hadn’t told him either. He can’t tell if he’s been forgiven for his error or if it will come back to haunt him later tonight when he tries to put the twins to bed at eight.

“Luke,” he says carefully. “I think I’m just a little confused.”

Leia looks up. She loves when her father is a little confused because it means Luke is probably a bit in trouble and she gets to be the one to set the record straight for him.

Which isn’t to say Leia is a tattle-tale. Anakin’s seen her watch Luke hit another child upside the head with a toy train and then say absolutely nothing when questioned by the daycare instructor.

Daddy’s interrogations are just a special case where she can become a guilt-free turncoat.

“How did you get a Unicorn sticker in art class?” he asks.

The Unicorn stickers, of course, mean unsatisfactory.

He pays extra money for his children to be coddled and kept away from words like Fail and Unsatisfactory, even though that’s what all the parents know the stickers mean. As long as the children don't yet.

“And I don’t understand the rainbow sticker at all,” he continues helplessly, regarding the piece of artwork in front of him, where a handful of dried macaroni noodles are lacklusterly glued to the page.

“The Unicorn sticker means it was bad, but the rainbow sticker means that Mr. Kenobi forgives him,” Leia pipes up, leaning across the table to take the icky crusts from her brother’s plate and dipping them into her tomato soup.

“But it was dry macaroni,” Anakin says incredulously. Luke’s eyes start getting misty as he stares resolutely down at his plate. That’s the last thing Anakin wants. But he just doesn’t understand. Luke’s the most creative of both of his children, has seemed to take after Anakin in that way. Last Christmas, Anakin had given him a model train set that he’d put together inside of a week. If he can do that, he can do a self-portrait in dry macaroni.

“He gave Din all of his noodles,” Leia reports.

“Didn’t Din have any?” Anakin asks, feeling completely out of his element and also sort of like a detective trying to solve a cold case.

“He wanted to save them for his puppy,” Luke mumbles. “They just got him and they can’t figure out what he eats, so Din thought he could try macaroni because I told him I like macaroni and cheese a lot.”

Anakin is on the cliff of despair, but he can’t exactly ask whether or not this Din knows there’s a difference between the dried macaroni from art class and boxed macaroni and cheese from Kraft. He’s not sure he even wants to know the answer.

“And then Luke didn’t have a lot left for his picture,” Leia finishes the story and her soup in one fell swoop.

“Couldn’t you have asked Mr. Kenobi for more?” Anakin asks Luke who shakes his head but doesn’t seem to want to elaborate. Anakin turns only slightly pleading eyes to Leia, who is the expert on anything her brother doesn’t want to say.

“Mr. Kenobi sits at the front, and Luke sat at the back today so it was really far.”

“But you always sit at the front!” Anakin says, appalled. Sure, he hadn’t managed to make it to the most recent round of parent-teacher conferences due to an unfortunately timed shift at the garage, but he knows where his kids sit in a classroom.

Luke mumbles something into his bowl.

“What was that?” Anakin asks.

Leia translates. “Din doesn’t sit at the front,” she says.

Anakin sits back in his chair and runs a hand over his mouth. Luke has a crush. His son, Luke, has his very first crush on a boy and he’s already doing stupid things in order to see the boy. Oh no. Oh god. Of all the things to take after Anakin on, it’s this one.

“Okay,” he says, mostly to himself. “It’s okay. Unicorns aren’t so bad.”

“Way better than giraffes,” Leia tells her brother bracingly, seeming to know instinctively that the gossiping part of this conversation is over. “And you got a rainbow, which means Mr. Kenobi isn’t mad.”

Anakin wonders, with the context, if that’s actually what the rainbow means, or if Mr. Kenobi isn’t just incredibly observant.

“TV time, kids,” he says, only feeling sort of bad about the screentime or whatever, as Luke perks up and runs with Leia into the living room.

After five minutes to make sure they’ve successfully turned on and found a child-appropriate show, Anakin gathers the dishes and loads the washer. Then he sighs as loud as he can without disrupting the kids.

Then he pulls out his phone and the school directory and finds the email for one Mr. Obi-Wan Kenobi, art teacher.

It takes him twenty minutes to figure out an email that doesn’t sound too judgemental, harsh, worried, skeptical, or angry. It takes another five minutes to figure out how to sign off on it. Kind regards? Best? Thanks? Sincerely? What is the etiquette for emailing your son’s art teacher to arrange a meeting because you’re worried your son will fail the class simply because he’s inherited terrible genes from his father?

It takes ten minutes, in the end, for Mr. Kenobi to email back, and he does so with a very straightforward message. He’s available to chat after school hours tomorrow, if it works for Anakin.

Anakin pulls up his work schedule. He’s supposed to work until five in the evening tomorrow, has already booked a slot at the after-care program for the twins. But.

He texts Ahsoka to ask if she could cover the last few hours of his shift. She texts back a string of rather offensive emojis, but settles down when he tells her it’s for his kids. Technically, he isn’t even lying. He’s just being overbearing.

He spends another fifteen minutes trying to compose a response email in between making sure the kids brush their teeth, wash behind their ears, and have their bags packed for the morning. He’s so stressed out by it that he’s not even sure he includes a signature at all before he hits send. God. Meeting Mr. Kenobi had better be worth all of this stress.

---

Finding Mr. Kenobi’s classroom is almost more stress than the correspondence from the night before had been. The only reason Anakin doesn’t sit down and cry against the garishly yellow brick lining the hallways is that he keeps telling himself that if his two seven-year-olds can do this, Anakin surely can.

The art classroom is tucked away in a forgotten corner of the school and it takes three wrong turns and one accidental entrance into a thankfully deserted first grade room for Anakin to find it. He knocks on the open door and then decides he should call as well to announce his presence. “Uh, Mr. Kenobi? I’m Anakin. Skywalker. We talked last night?” He takes a couple of steps into the room, which is lined in children’s art and paint-stained tables.

A man emerges from a backroom, dressed in a very loose and paint-flecked denim shirt over a white tank top and a pair of slacks. He’s wearing a pair of thick glasses that he takes off as soon as he sees Anakin. His beard is neatly trimmed and his hair, a sort of bronzed auburn, neatly combed.

He’s holding a paintbrush in one hand, and still, of course, Anakin’s dumb brain overrides the part of him that’s saying, This is clearly Mr. Kenobi in favor saying, quite politely, “Oh! I’m sorry. Is Mr. Kenobi back there?”

The man who could not possibly be more obviously the art teacher raises an amused eyebrow.

Look. No one told Anakin that elementary school art teachers could be so attractive. He’d not done anything to prepare for this.

“You must be Luke’s father,” Mr. Kenobi says, waving him forward.

“What makes you say that?” Anakin asks, a tad too defensively, thinking of his own self-deprecating thoughts last night about Luke taking after him when it comes to being sort of stupid around people they liked. He’s just being paranoid.

“The...last...name,” now Mr. Kenobi is definitely trying to hide his smile and Anakin wants to die. “Would you like to sit?”

Anakin does so rather graciously, given the circumstances. He even makes sure he keeps their chairs very far apart. Mostly in order to preserve his own dignity, but he thinks he should get credit for his self-control at this spur of the moment single-parent-hot-teacher conference.

“I’m sorry for my appearance,” Mr. Kenobi says, pulling the oversized button up closed over his tank top. “I must admit, I mostly forgot you were coming by. I was working on one of my own projects.”

“You paint?” Anakin asks.

Mr. Kenobi tilts his head slightly and flicks his eyes around the room as if in answer.

Anakin flushes but digs his heels in. “Well, I don’t know,” he mumbles mulishly. “Do math teachers do math in their spare time?”

This startles a laugh out of the teacher, which makes some long forgotten part of Anakin’s psyche sit up and preen. “I’m sure some of them do,” he says. “No, I do art mostly for the town right now. I’m working on a series of pieces for the public library at the moment.”

Anakin tries his hardest not to obviously melt, but Mr. Kenobi has not looked away from his face much so surely he can see it in his eyes.

“That’s quite. Nice,” Anakin says, coughing into his fist.

“And what do you do?” Mr. Kenobi asks in a way that’s just on the other side of polite. Anakin has the strange thought that if they had cups of coffee between them, he’d feel like he was on a very casual first date.

He has to shake his head to rid himself of that idea. “I’m a mechanic,” he says.

Mr. Kenobi looks interested, of all things. Most people don’t. Most people make some sort of assumption about him, about his life, his ability to parent his children, as if they’re not the ones rolling into his shop at 5:54 pm because their car is “making a funny noise”.

But Mr. Kenobi just looks interested.

“Oh?” He says. “That makes sense. Leia is always talking about how her father can fix anything.”

“Well,” Anakin blushes and looks away. “You know kids. Turn it off and turn it back on usually blows their minds.”

Mr. Kenobi smiles indulgently before clearing his throat. “You wanted to talk about Luke?”

“Oh! Yes!” He had come here with the express desire to talk about Luke with Mr. Kenobi. Not secure a date with Mr. Kenobi. “I saw that Luke got a... unicorn...and a rainbow on his last project, and it made me worry.”

It sounds very, very overbearing coming out of his mouth. This is an elementary school art class. Why did he think that he should come in and talk to a teacher over his son’s bad grade? Especially when it was pretty clear Luke deserved it.

Mr. Kenobi tilts his head in confusion. “Well, yes, I suppose I usually give Luke two suns on his work, so I understand if the change was upsetting to you.”

“And we’re saying that two suns are good?” Anakin checks, feeling very out of his element here.

“Oh, yes, very good,” Mr. Kenobi assures him. “But his last project wasn’t. Well.”

“He says he got distracted,” Anakin mutters, rubbing a hand down his face. “Over a boy.”

“Haven’t we all been there,” Mr. Kenobi murmurs, sounding very amused. Anakin peeks over his fingers at this declaration.

“Yeah,” he says roughly. “That’s sort of exactly what I thought.”

Mr. Kenobi clears his throat again. “Well. That’s why I gave him the unicorn then. It was a bit of bad work, but a very rare showing of it. And the rainbow, to signify that I know he’ll be back to normal again next time. You shouldn’t worry about this one project either, Mr. Skywalker. I do give final grades holistically, not weighted by any one assignment. This is, after all, a children’s art class.”

Anakin wants to thunk his head on the table in front of him. “You do know that all the parents think unicorn means unsatisfactory, right?”

“Why?” Mr. Kenobi has the nerve to look shocked.

“They both start with U, I don’t know,” Anakin says, waving an agitated hand through the air.

“Well, sometimes parents can be quite stupid,” Mr. Kenobi says primly and then looks horrified at himself. “Please don’t tell them I said that.”

Anakin laughs and gets to his feet reluctantly. His worries over Luke have been dealt with, but he finds himself very reluctant to leave.

“Well,” he says slowly, eyes firmly looking only at Mr. Kenobi’s face, “Thank you for meeting with me. I guess you don’t get many frantic parent-teacher conferences over a unicorn sticker.” He ducks his head and rubs the back of his neck with his hand in embarrassment. He can admit now that perhaps he had overreacted.

Mr. Kenobi places his hand delicately over the hand Anakin still has on the table, just for a second, squeezing it with enough pressure that Anakin has to look up at him again. “Only the best parents,” he says with a half-smile.

Anakin finds himself grinning back, unwilling to move his hand now that Kenobi’s touching it. “And, um. If you ever take the kids on an art museum tour or something, and you need chaperones….give me a call.”

“Would I have to wait that long?” Kenobi asks innocently.

Anakin’s never shaken his head no so quickly before. “Any time,” he tells the man very seriously, already backing out of the room. “Before you think too much about it and decide not to would probably be preferable.”

Mr. Kenobi laughs. “I’m sure I’ll think about it a lot,” he says as he turns to go back to his art studio. He calls over his shoulder. “In bed, tonight.”

Anakin trips over a child-sized easel with a loud clatter and an even louder curse, and he can’t decide which of the two should be more thankful school is out for the day. Probably Mr. Kenobi. Yeah. Probably definitely Mr. Kenobi.

[tommysparker]

Never Forget You [Chapter 3]

Obi-Wan Kenobi x Jedi!Reader

A/N: hey y’all! thank you for your patience with this chapter. enjoy!! :) [also totally didn’t have this in my drafts then forget to post earlier pfftttt whaaaatt?]

Warnings: angst with a tiny amount of fluff. anakin finally makes his debut in this series. it gets better just stay with me. long italic paragraphs = flashbacks

Anakin Skywalker had witnessed many things over the years. 

Giant beasts? At least once a week. Sith Lords? Becoming too common. Droid armies? All year long. Looking death in the eye? Simply another day in the life of a Jedi. 

Nothing could ever have prepared him for the sight he was currently witnessing. 

Obi-Wan Kenobi, his Master, The Negotiator, the Jedi Council’s most prized Jedi…sulking.

It has been a full week since You returned to the Jedi Temple and Anakin couldn’t help to think his former Master’s mood and your arrival were connected. He was vaguely aware of your past friendship, only hearing bits and pieces of the adventures you had together as Padawans. 

During his days under Obi-Wan’s apprenticeship he would often hear about how “a wise Jedi I once knew” would do certain things. He wanted to know more about this oh-so-great Jedi, however, any time the young boy asked his Master would always brush him off with a mournful look in his eyes.  

He didn’t understand at the time but now he’s beginning to piece together that perhaps there was something more between the two of you. 

“You think Master Y/l/n and Master Kenobi were courting?” 

“Keep your voice down, Snips,” Anakin hushed.

“Sorry, sorry. But Master,” Ahsoka lowers her voice, “what led you to that conclusion? I’ve hardly seen them together since Master Y/l/n came back. What makes you think they could be lovers?” 

“That’s just it, Ahoska. They’ve been avoiding each other like the Rakghoul plague. Obi-Wan told me they were such good friends, and now that they’re back they can’t stand to be in the same room as each other? I don’t buy it.” Anakin looked back to where Obi-Wan sat with Commander Cody, no doubt brainstorming new battle tactics and liberation plans. 

“So what do you suppose we do? Set them up or something?” The look her Master gave her made her regret her words the moment they left her mouth. 

“Come on, Snips. It’s a good idea. We get them to stay in the same room so they have no choice but to confront each other and talk things out! It’s genius.” Anakin smiled, his eyes still on his former Master. He had a feeling if Obi-Wan were to find out about this plan he would be in for a major lecture but he couldn’t bring himself to care at the moment. He couldn’t stand to see the old man look so miserable, not if he can do anything about it. 

Ahsoka crossed her arms and followed her Master’s gaze. Something was clearly different about her Grand-Master. He had put his full attention into ending the war, which wasn’t new. However, she could tell something was off. He no longer came out to the landing zone to greet returning fighters, stayed away from the meditation and training centers as well as the Jedi Archives which was the most off-putting observation considering that was where he spent most of his time.

Anytime someone needed to find Obi-Wan Kenobi, the first place they would check was the ancient history section of the Jedi Archives. 

“I don’t know why you find so much interest in these old books Y/n/n,” Obi-Wan complained from across the table. “Can’t we go practice our lightsaber skills instead?” 

You smiled. “Nuh uh, mister. If I won the wager you promised to sit with me during my reading time. Now shush, and read.” You pushed the unopened textbook toward the pouting Padawan. “Maybe you’ll actually learn something.” 

Obi-Wan stuck his tongue out in a childish manner, sighing dramatically when you gave him a certain look and reluctantly opened the cover and began to read Tales of The Old Republic. 

Safe to say from that point onward, Obi-Wan would join your daily Archive visits with zero complaints. 

You close the book, careful to make sure no pages fell out and gently push it back into its place on the shelf. Using the force, you carefully push the ladder you were currently standing on over to the next column and begin nitpicking through the array of old texts. 

It took a few days for you to settle in and readjust to the Jedi Temple life. Once you had, however, things quickly took a turn. 

Master Yoda requested that you help train some of the younglings who were having trouble advancing into the next stages of becoming a Jedi. In all honesty, you much rather have had the freedom to roam for at least one more week, but the new role presented an excuse to not be around a certain blue-eyed Jedi. 

“Looking for something?” 

The voice startled you, causing you to jump and lose your balance on the ladder. You yelp as you begin to fall towards the ground, bracing yourself for the hash impact and the bruises that would add to the collection on your side still currently healing.  

Instead, you feel a pair of arms catch you, one under your back and the other behind your knees in a classic bridal style. The hold felt secure instantly, and you instinctively clung to the tunic of your savior. You look up to thank the person for preventing any injuries, but the blue eyes staring back at you made your mind go blank. 

Obi-Wan stared back, unsure of what to say. This was the closest he has been to you since you left a decade ago. He longed to have you in his arms, to hug you, to regain that safety net you provided he knew he could always fall back on.

“Um...thank you, General.” It came out as more of a question, your mind still reeling from almost falling and also the fact that the man who you had been actively avoiding just happened to be in the same place you spent hours of your youth together. 

“Obi-Wan, please. No need for formalities, darling.” The old nickname slipped out, and he was about to apologize when he noticed the light blush that spread across your face. Perhaps not everything about you has changed. 

“Right...Obi-Wan. Well, I’ll be on my way then,” You rushed, trying to pass by him but he stopped you once again by the call of your name. 

“Y/n/n’s wait. Whatever game you’re playing, frankly I am not a fan of it.” Obi-Wan crossed his arms and furrowed his eyebrows. 

“What are you talking about?” You turned around and looked at him confused. 

“You were the one who summoned me here,” he stretched his arms out, “here I am and now you’re trying to run away again. I hardly think that’s fair.” He was beginning to get frustrated. He came in with his heart on his sleeve, ready to finally talk to you after so long and find out why you’ve been keeping your distance. Now, all he felt was betrayal and irritation at the ongoing dance you insist on doing around each other. 

He preferred to dance like you did in your youth, but alas this was nothing but another sign he needs to get mind out of the past.  

You scoffed lightly. “Again? What is that supposed to mean exactly?” You knew exactly what he meant, but you didn’t want to admit it. You’ve been denying it for ten years and Force be damned if you’d admit it now. 

“You’ve been avoiding me since your return--” You open your mouth to protest but he ignores you and continues “--and then you send the youngling to bring me here, only to try to flee upon my arrival,” He frowns, lifting his elbow and resting it on his remaining crossed arm. “I know our history can make things...difficult in the present time,” He glanced around cautiously as he spoke,”but I would appreciate it if we make an agreement simply to not speak from now on. No more games.” 

You blinked, head tilting slightly as you waited for him to finish. “Obi-Wan, I didn’t ask for you to come here. Nor would I ever involve younglings in personal matters.” He should know that, you thought. But should he really? 

His face fell from annoyance to embarrassment, his arms falling to his sides. “Oh.” He wasn’t sure what to do now. It was his own fault for getting his hopes up. I should have known better. 

You purse your lips and nodded slowly. “Well, I’m glad we at least came to an agreement. Goodbye, General Kenobi.” You took your leave, forcing yourself not to look back as you felt his eyes watching your figure. 

Obi-Wan let out a frustrated sigh, knowing he just ruined any and all changes of reconnecting with you. In his defense, however, you were the one avoiding his attempts at friendly conversation and refusing to meet and make up for lost time.  

Still, something didn’t feel right about this. 

“What the kriff was that?” 

Ah, there’s that something. “Anakin, please tell me this was not your doing.” 

Anakin smiled guilty, Ahsoka coming out from behind the bookshelf to stand next to her Master. 

“It was Snips' idea.” Anakin shrugged, flinching when he felt her punch his arm. “Ow!”

“You were the one who came up with the plan, and now look! Master Y/l/n and Master Kenobi will never get together--” Ahoska stops herself, realizing she said too much. “Oh no.” 

“I beg your pardon?” Obi-Wan looks at them both incredulously. “First of all, Master Y/l/n and I are simply…” he wanted to say friends, but even that was a reach at this point, “acquaintances. We knew each other in the past, and in the past our friendship shall stay. As for ‘getting together’, you both know very well any implication of that goes directly against the Jedi Code.” He crossed his arms tightly as he scolded. 

“I can tell you harbour feelings for them, Obi-Wan. You don’t need to lie to us.” 

“Whatever feelings I may or may not have for Y/n are unrelated. You must understand your responsibilities as a Jedi. No matter what emotional sacrifice we must make.” He made a point to look at Anakin at the end, knowing he won’t follow the implication but at least hoping he’ll get the message.     

“We’re sorry, Master.” Ahsoka looked down in shame not at what they had tried to achieve, but at the cost and clear damage they caused. 

Obi-Wan sighed, running a hand over his beard before resting it on her shoulder. “It’s alright young one. You meant no harm. Perhaps some things are better left forgotten.” 

Oh, if only it were that simple. 

A Padawan approached the three of them quickly. “Excuse me, Master Yoda sent me to tell you he and Master Y/l/n are waiting for you all in the council room.” 

Of course, these things never are. 

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heres a box to put your heart pieces in  -> []  :) 

Taglist: @queenariesofnarnia @dwarfplanet69 @katsukink @blondekel77 @generousrunawaydonut @fandomtrashwhore @fortheloveofaqueenfan @mrskenobi19 @mellowstatesmanhandsempath @hotleaf-juice @emiijemii @neji85 @doctor-warthrop @ayamenimthiriel @lizzy-95 @lovelylostminds 

[djarin-skywalkers]

Turning the Tide - A Star Wars Fanfiction

Title: Turning the Tide

Rating: General

Fandom: Star Wars (prequel era) and canon divergence.

Summary: Canon-Divergent. On the eve of Anakin's darkest hour, he has a decision to make. Could an old friend's appearance change the fate of everything?

References to the Clone Wars and Kenobi series.

Read on AO3

Anakin paced through the halls of the Jedi temple, his mind reeling with the information he had just discovered and how he had a decision to make.

An important decision that not only affected the Republic and the war but himself and most importantly, Padmé

His stomach churned at the thought of what might become of her. 

He couldn't lose her but how could he save her?

And what of the betrayal he now faced by someone he had trusted? 

His heart raced, his blood pumping hard and fast through his veins.

He knew what he was meant to do and his feet were taking him there to do it, the Force was guiding him but something stirring deep inside, hot and building with every second, was telling him not to. 

"Anakin!"

Anakin froze at the familiar voice that he knew was supposed to be several systems away. 

He slowly turned around to find his former Padawan standing there, her chest heaving in determination, her eyes wide and frantic. 

His brow furrowed together as he stepped in toward her. "Ahsoka? What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be on Mandalore?"

She shook her head and advanced toward him quickly. She stopped close to him and looked up at him intently. 

"We captured Maul. Rex and Bo Katan are going to handle handing him over. I had more urgent matters to attend to." 

His eyes narrowed inquisitively. "Here on Coruscant?"

She nodded, her eyes never leaving his.  "Yes, urgent matters I need to discuss with you. Can we talk somewhere privately?"

His eyes widened slightly, and he looked over his shoulder toward where he knew he should be going. The Jedi council should know that the presence of the very Sith Lord they have been searching for was right under their noses.

Stay.  

A strong but soft voice spoke to him and his feet felt glued to the ground. He slowly looked back at Ahsoka who was looking up at him insistently. He could sense the tension in the air between them. 

They had not gotten the proper chance to talk before and for whatever reason, she wanted to talk now. His previous worries were momentarily pushed to the side and he focused on Ahsoka. 

"Yes but I can't speak for long."

Ahsoka's shoulders visibly relaxed and she nodded. "I only ask that you listen to what I have to say. It's important, Anakin."

He nodded with a frown and then gently placed a hand on her arm and led them to a secluded room just down the hall. 

"What's wrong Ahsoka?" He asked, turning to her once they were safely alone. 

His fears were now directed to his friend who seemed worried and kept looking at him as if she were waiting for something to happen. 

She sighed and pressed her lips together as she approached him slowly.  "Obi-Wan told me what the Jedi have you doing."

Anakin's jaw tensed and his fingers twitched at his sides.  "Spying on the Chancellor you mean."

"Yes." She breathed. "I know you don't agree with it and I'm not convinced it's the right thing to do either but, Anakin," she sighed again, her deep blue eyes imploring him, "I'm worried for you…"

His heart lurched up into his throat and he swallowed thickly, crossing his arms. "Worried about me? Why?"

"Maul said he had a vision about you."

Anakin narrowed his eyes but said nothing. He knew all about Force visions and how they came true and though he did not trust Maul, he certainly trusted Ahsoka. 

"That is why he attacked Mandalore. He didn't expect the Jedi to send me, he wanted you and Obi-Wan. Anakin, he wanted to draw you there and kill you."

"Kill me?" His heart lurched again but he almost laughed. Maul? Kill him? "For what reason?"

"He believes…" Ahsoka trailed off and he eyed her inquistively. It was not often his former padawan was hesitant to speak her mind but whatever Maul said to her clearly had her troubled. "He believes that you will become Darth Sidious' new apprentice."

Anakin's body tensed as his mind shot back to the information he had only just discovered. The conversation flooded his memory and he once again felt that heavy pit in his stomach. 

"So I came here to warn you to watch your back because Sidious is out there, Anakin and if he wants you…" Ahsoka trailed off again and Anakin frowned at her deeply. 

Ahsoka may have been aware of Sidious but she clearly had no idea how close he was to Sidious and how much Sidious had been involved in his life. 

Another flood of rage and fear pulsed through him and he clenched his jaw so hard his teeth hurt.

"We need to discover where Sidious is..." Ahsoka started urgently.

"I know who he is." Anakin cut her off, his voice low and even, betraying the raging emotions swelling inside of him and Ahsoka froze, her eyes widening, her jaw slackening.

"What?" She whispered and stared at him as she processed the information. Then she straightened up in attention and stepped toward him with purpose. "You do? How? Where is he?"

"He's here, on Coruscant." He knew he probably should have told the Jedi before telling Ahsoka but Obi-Wan was not there and Ahsoka knew more than anyone else at the moment and he certainly trusted her more than he trusted anyone else. "He told me himself."

Ahsoka's breath caught and she took a faltering step back in shock. "He's here?" She breathed in terror and then a look of fierce determination crossed her features. 

"You were right." Anakin continued, lowering his arms to his sides and he took a few steps forward, finally breaking eye contact with her as he walked around her to look out the window over Coruscant.  "I did not agree with the council's decision to have me spy on the Chancellor but as it happens it may have been for the best." He paused and then turned back around. "Chancellor Palpatine is Darth Sidious."

"What?" Ahsoka whispered. "The Chancellor?" Her mouth hung open for a few seconds and then her eyes flashed in rage as she shook her head. 

"We have to go stop him!" She walked forward toward him. "We have to tell someone and have him arrested!"

The conflict that had been warring inside of him came rising back to the surface. He started quivering as he thought of Padmé and his visions and what Sidious had told him, of powers that only the dark side held, powers that would save Padmé. 

"Anakin…" Ahsoka eyed him warily, feeling the sudden shift in the air around them and the look on his face. "Please tell me that Maul's vision isn't true."

His eyes lifted to meet hers and he could feel the anger and fear burning behind his eyes as hot tears and Ahsoka gasped softly.

"Anakin...please…" she walked toward him slowly and she reached out for him. "This isn't you."

"He has power Ahsoka, power that I need." His voice shook with every word, his hysteria growing and her eyes widened.

"Power?" She scoffed incredulously. "Anakin, you're the strongest Force User I have ever known. What power could he have that you need that badly to...to turn away from everything you are!" 

His chin tilted down, he looked up at her over his eyelids, through blurred vision but said nothing. 

Her face softened in deep concern, her eyes pleading. "Whatever it is, you can tell me."

His lips twitched in a small snarl, the secrets he held inside of him for years banging to come out and he held them in desperately. "You wouldn't understand. You can't understand!" 

"You don't know that if you won't tell me!" She raised her voice in desperation. 

He pressed his lips together firmly, his body shaking and he once again turned away from her, his fists curling. He could see her watching him out of the corner of his eye, watching him with a patience, understanding and care that he wasn't sure how to deal with. 

No one, except Padmé had ever asked him to confide in them. 

But the more he stayed silent the more he felt it bubbling up inside of him until he could no longer hold it in. 

"I have to save her!" His voice broke in desperation.

Ahsoka blinked in quiet surprise. "Save who?"

Anakin shut his mouth again, clenching his jaw. He knew he shouldn't have said it but he needed to say it and what else could he say? Could he give up his and Padmé's secret?

The only other person who knew was Sidious, he realized with another sudden stab of betrayal, of hurt and rage. Palpatine had always been there telling him what he always had wanted to hear that the Jedi never would. 

Ahsoka stood before him now, offering the same support, without the betrayal.

"Anakin…" She continued to approach him and didn't stop until she was beside him and placed her hand on his arm. 

"Tell me. I can help you. Whoever is in trouble we can make it right."

His jaw quivered with the intense emotions he was trying to hold back. 

"She's going to die.” He finally confessed and Ahsoka frowned. “Just like my mother. I saw it in my visions. I can't let that happen." He growled out the last words and Ahsoka moved to stand in front of him. She gripped tight onto his arms, forcing his attention on her. 

She held his gaze, her face stern and focused. "Tell me who." 

"I can't." He whispered and looked away from her again though he longed to tell the one person beside Padmé who felt like family and who wouldn’t reprimand him for his feelings.

“You can’t?” Ahsoka’s face screwed up and then slowly slackened as realization swept over her. "Is it because you're a Jedi? Anakin, you may be but I am not and I will keep your secrets. You can trust me."

He looked back at her slowly. His heart was hammering in his chest. 

She was right about one thing, and her words had confirmed any last doubts he was holding onto. She was no longer a Jedi and she never gave him a reason not to trust her. If anything it was he who let her down and still she came back, and there she stood in front of him, begging him to let her help.

He tightened his jaw, sucked in a breath and nodded. "It's Padmé." Saying it aloud to someone else released a certain weight off his chest. The weight of the secret he held for three years.

Ahsoka's eyes widened slowly. "Padmé?" She whispered but as soon as he said it, it all made sense and the barest hint of a smile tugged at her lips. "You were always soft on her."

Anakin breathed out a scoff and rolled his eyes slightly and for a moment Ahsoka’s eyes twinkled up at him in faint amusement but then her face dropped seriously, her brow furrowing in concern.

Padmé was not only his wife, but her friend. Of course she cared.

"Did someone threaten her? She's a senator, and a highly valued one at that! We can protect her, the Jedi can…"

"No one has threatened her." Anakin answered sharply and Ahsoka shut her mouth slowly, eyeing him inquisitively.

He swallowed thickly, his chest tightening as he admitted his other secret, "She’s pregnant." 

Ahsoka’s eyes widened and he continued, “And she's going to die in childbirth. I can't stop it." Tears once again burned at his eyes no matter how hard he fought them back. "Ahsoka I can't but Palpatine, he told me of a way...a way to manipulate the Force to save a life to...to stop death!" 

“Stop death?” Ahsoka repeated incredulously. “Anakin that….that’s not right, it's not natural.”

“He said people would think that way.” He answered, his voice hard and suddenly cold and her nostrils flared, her eyes flashing as she once again gripped tightly at his arms and he looked at her in surprise. 

“And you’re going to listen to him? A sith lord? The one who has been manipulating this entire war? Who has killed in the name of this war? Who has manipulated you?” 

“The Dark Side of the Force is something the Jedi are too afraid to explore!” He countered and she stared at him, her eyes hard with a glare. 

“With good reason, Anakin.” She tried to explain calmly and he scoffed. 

“Look what it has done to Count Dooku, to Maul! You can’t listen to him, Anakin! Can’t you see what he’s trying to do? He doesn’t care about saving Padmé or your child. All he wants is you, to exploit you, to exploit your power, because you are powerful Anakin but there are certain things you just can’t do.” 

Through his near blinding rage he knew deep down that she spoke the truth and the truth only cut deeper. Palpatine had always encouraged his power, his talent, but for what gain? 

“I don’t know how else to save her, Ahsoka.” His voice dropped from hysterical to a desperate whisper.

Ahsoka frowned and rubbed her hand along his arm up towards his shoulder. 

“Is Padmé sick? Has she been to the medcenter? Do you know what is wrong with her?” 

He swallowed thickly and he shook his head slowly. “She’s not sick, not right now. She says that she is perfectly fine.” 

“Then why are you so worried?” 

“I had a vision, Ahsoka.” He repeated a little impatiently. 

“Visions aren’t always true…” She tried to argue.

“Mine are!” He cut her off roughly and she winced. He was silent for a long few seconds and then released a hard sigh. “I had a vision that my mother was dying and the Jedi...the Jedi told me to ignore it, to ignore her, but I couldn’t and when I found her…” He grit his teeth together and his body shook in rage at the memory. 

Ahsoka’s face softened into a frown. “I’m so sorry about your mother, Anakin…” she said, her voice soft in care. 

“It was the Jedi who kept you from going to your mother when you sensed that she was in trouble.” 

Anakin’s eyes narrowed slightly as Ahsoka worked through the facts and her thoughts. 

“Do you believe if you had been there earlier you could have saved her?” Ahsoka wondered.

“I know I could have.” He answered vehemently. “If I had been able to act on my vision as soon as I saw it I knew I could have stopped those animals from harming her.” 

Ahsoka’s eyes lit up in dawning realization. “Anakin, you can see the potential future, not the certain future. There may be some version out there where Padmé dies but if you take the right steps to prevent it…”

“That’s what I’m trying to do.” He ground out in frustration.

She gave him a scathing look. “Turning to the Dark side of the Force is not the answer and I know deep down you know that. I also know you must be desperate to even consider reaching such conclusions for help. Anakin,” She squeezed his shoulders and looked into his eyes, “Darth Sidious is not the only one who can help you.” 

He let out a huff, his eyes narrowing slightly as he fought back the hot sting of tears that threatened the back of his eyes. 

Ahsoka only held steady, her grip on his arm tight but supportive.

“Padmé wouldn’t want you to resort to these methods, Anakin and I know you don’t want to either.”

"What do you know about what I want?" He hissed and almost instantly regretted it, though he didn't say it. 

He was angry and panicked that the only way he could see to save Padmé was being taken away. She was trying to take it away. 

Only she wasn't. And he knew that. Ahsoka just wanted to help. His clever young Padawan had a way of seeing things in a way far more rational than his own mind these days. 

She stared at him, lifting her chin confidently. "Because I know you, Anakin. The experiences we shared over the last few years…you're so much more than just my old master. You're like family to me. You're my brother."

She took a deep breath and took another step closer to him. "And I'm sorry that I left the way I did but I'm here to help you because I believe in you and I know you're better than turning to the dark side. I know you have the capability to find another way. Let's turn in the Chancellor, save the Republic and save Padmé. Let's do it together, Anakin, like we always have." 

She offered him a small encouraging smile, her eyes imploring him. He held her gaze for a long moment and then swallowed thickly before looking away and closing his eyes.

"I don't know what to do." He admitted, allowing himself to be vulnerable in front of her. 

Ahsoka took a deep breath and was silent for a few moments and then spoke confidently. "The first thing is to turn in the Chancellor. Inform the Jedi of his treason and then you and I, we'll figure something out." She squeezed his arm and he looked back at her. 

Fear still pulsed through him, trying to gnaw away at every rational thought but with Ahsoka standing in front of him, her sense of morality stronger than ever, he believed, maybe, there was another way. 

“Anakin, I promise.” 

--

"Anakin don't!"

The sound of his heart racing in his ears and Sidious’ maniacal laughter was the only thing he heard. 

There was a sudden crackle in the air and just as bolts of lightning erupted from Sidious’ fingertips, Anakin leapt  and blocked the stream that was headed towards Mace with his lightsaber. 

Sidious let out a loud groan as the lightning hit the lightsaber and returned to him, striking him in the chest. 

Anakin gritted his teeth and ground his feet to the floor. He swiped Mace's lightsaber out of his hand and used both lightsabers and all the power of the Force he could muster and pushed it back towards Sidious.

Over the roar of the lightsaber blades he heard Sidious’ screams of agony. He was blinded by light, by rage and by the full raw power of the Force that flooded through and around him. 

He wasn't sure how long he stood that way, those deafening sounds in his ears, his muscles straining, his blood pounding, but eventually he finally heard a distant voice.

"SKYWALKER!"

Then suddenly he felt a strong hand on his shoulder and he was slammed back to reality. 

The lightning had stopped and he simply stood there with crossed lightsabers, his arm and legs straining.

Lying where Sidious had once been was nothing but a pile of charred ashes against an equally as scorched wall.

“You have done it.” It was Mace Windu’s voice behind him, his hand on his shoulder. “It’s over.”

His chest heaved, his body trembled as he stared at the remains of the former Chancellor of the Republic. 

His grip slowly slackened on the lightsabers and they rolled out of his hands, clattering to the ground at his feet.

He took a stumbling step backwards and was immediately met with Mace Windu’s arms, reaching out to hold him up.

He reacted quickly, winced away from the touch and stumbled, still trembling, away from the body of the Chancellor.

He felt sick to his stomach and collapsed to his knees. 

It hadn’t felt like it did with the Tusken Raiders, where he was so overcome with rage it blinded him and he felt no remorse for taking the lives of those who had killed his mother. 

It felt more like when the Chancellor had ordered him to kill Dooku in cold blood, and he had done it. He knew he wasn’t supposed to do it but something had compelled him to do it. 

However, killing the Chancellor was on another level entirely. He wasn’t the people who had murdered his mother or a former Jedi and a Separatist. He was the Chancellor of the Republic, a man Anakin had looked up to for so long, a man who had sworn to help him, a man who had lied.

"What have I done?" He muttered under his breath. 

If there was a response from Mace or any of the other Jedi in the room he didn't hear one. 

Out of the corner of his eye he could see Master Windu disappear behind him and there was a cacophony of noise but it all sounded blurred. 

He continued to stare at the charred remains, breathing deeply, harshly, trying to quell the twisting of his stomach.

His chance to wield enough power to save Padmé was gone and he had extinguished it. 

After some time, he felt a few hands grabbing at him but he felt bolted to the ground, unable to look away from what he had done.

"He won't be moved."

He then felt a warm hand gentle on his back and a familiar presence kneel beside him. 

"Anakin… "

A gentle voice called through the haze and he blinked, slowly, a few times and then faster and slowly turned his head. 

He was met with the concerned eyes of Obi-Wan Kenobi. 

"I killed him." Anakin said, his voice void of emotion. 

Obi-Wan pressed his lips together and moved his hand to Anakin's shoulder, squeezing gently. "I know."

Obi-Wan's eyes flickered over to where the Chancellor's remains were but then looked quickly back at Anakin. He moved to kneel in front of him, blocking his view.

"You did the right thing, Anakin." 

"Did I?" He wondered if he had. Doubt still plagued him and he looked up at his master for wisdom and guidance.

"It had to be done.” Obi-Wan assured him with a nod. “The Chancellor wouldn't have come quietly and would have done who knows how much damage. Without Darth Sidious or Count Dooku, the separatists have nowhere to stand.” Obi-Wan squeezed his shoulder again. “The war is over."

His master's words felt empty, though there was relief in Obi-Wan's voice. It was the day the Jedi had been fighting for for so long, the last of the Sith was extinguished, and without Palpatine as the Chancellor the war could finally end.

Anakin felt no such relief. 

"You did precisely what we have asked of you. You reported to the council your findings and in doing so have taken down the last Sith Lord."

And the last chance to save Padmé. Anakin’s thoughts remained on her, as they always had. 

"Come, Anakin." He felt Obi-Wan grab a tight hold of his arm. "Let us leave this place. We don't need to be here."

He allowed Obi-Wan to help him to his feet. He couldn't help but take another glance over to where Sidious' remains were, no matter how hard Obi-Wan tried to direct his attention away. 

As soon as he left this room, it was truly over and he wasn’t sure he was ready to face it. 

Before he knew it he was led out of the room, Obi-Wan keeping his arm around him. Without even realizing it, he leaned against Obi-Wan for support and Obi-Wan glanced down at him, surprise and concern flickering over his features. 

“We will need to inform the senate.” Mace spoke diplomatically as he stepped up beside Obi-Wan and Obi-Wan nodded his head in agreement. 

“We must handle this with the utmost care.” 

Anakin heard the words as the two Jedi Masters discussed the situation but Anakin only grew more numb by the second, the world seeming to fade in and out around him. His eyes focused on the floor, on every slow step he took forward, his mind drifting away from political discussions, and the outcome of murder of the Chancellor by his hands, and to Padmé.

All he wanted was to see Padmé.

"Anakin?" A familiar voice pulled him out of his head and he looked up, spotting Ahsoka standing just down the corridor. She glanced between all of the Jedi, eyes full of trepidation, before she finally settled on Anakin.

"It's over." He said quietly and only Ahsoka knew how deep that phrase truly ran.

Ahsoka’s eyes widened for a moment and then softened in relief and concern. She walked over to his other side  and slipped her arm through his.

"It's okay Master Kenobi, I've got him." 

Obi-Wan raised an inquisitive eyebrow and she offered a small, reassuring smile.

"I'm sure you have matters of the Jedi Council to attend to?” She sent a pointed look at Mace and then looked back at Obiwan. “Now that Darth Sidious is dead."

"Yes…" His brow furrowed. “But Anakin…”

“I think Anakin deserves some time alone to process what has happened before facing anyone. Don’t you?” Ahsoka’s voice was stern, her eyes imploring him, showing the hidden words she wouldn't say. 

Obi-Wan frowned at them. He knew there was something they were hiding from him. He glanced at Anakin and the look on his face only solidified that thought. 

Anakin had killed before and it never seemed to affect him, at least not in this way. This time was different and he had a feeling it wasn't just because it was the Chancellor. 

Anakin lifted his eyes to him and Obi-Wan at once saw the little boy on Tattoine who just left his mother, and his young Padawan always looking to him for guidance, for reassurance. 

Whatever Anakin didn't want to tell him - though Obi-Wan was almost certain it had something to do with the heavily pregnant senator - he would leave him to it. He had forced Anakin into this situation with the Chancellor and the least he deserved was a little bit of peace. 

He nodded and placed his hand on Anakin's shoulder, squeezing lightly. "Of course. Take whatever time you need, Anakin. You know where to find me."

Anakin nodded quietly and then watched as Obi-Wan disappeared down the corridor with Mace, the other Jedi following suit.

Ahsoka kept a tight grip on him, waking slowly until they were the only ones left. 

Then finally she turned to him.

“Ahsoka…” He began, his voice quiet and she stopped him by placing a hand on his chest and shaking her head.

“You don’t have to say anything. I found Padmé and we have secured a discreet location for you to see her.”

Anything he wanted to say to Ahsoka suddenly left his mind and his body tensed and straightened up, determined to get to his wife. 

----

"Anakin." 

Padmé's voice was sweet relief to his ears and moments later he felt her warmth against him as she threw her arms around his neck. 

He circled his arms around her waist as he drew her close, feeling the gentle curve of her belly against his forearm. 

He let out a shuddering breath, closing his eyes as Padmé's fingers threaded through his hair bringing him closer to her. 

"Oh, Ani…" she whispered against his ear, voice soft and sweet and comforting. His arms tightened around her and felt himself almost at the breaking point. His body trembled against hers and Padmé continued to whisper soothing words, her hands working like magic against his hair.

He couldn't make them out, the noise in his head was too loud. Even there in Padmé’s arms, all he could hear were the final screams of Sidious as his own lightning burned him alive.

"Padmé." His voice broke as he finally spoke her name and the fear and the anger and everything he felt finally released in wet, hot tears, rolling down his cheeks. 

She pulled back to look at him, capturing his face in her hands, wiping away the tears with her thumbs.

"What happened?" Her voice was quiet but urgent, determined, the woman he loved so fiercely. 

His vision blurred momentarily from the tears and his stomach churned violently. 

"I killed him, Padmé." He said, his voice sounding hollow even to his own ears and Padmé's eyes widened slightly in alarm but her gaze quickly shifted, softened to concern. 

"The Chancellor?" 

His jaw tightened and he nodded. She let out a breath and again wiped his cheeks. 

"Ahsoka told me everything." Padmé said, her hand once more drifting to his hair, running her fingers gently through it. 

It was then Anakin was reminded of his former Padawan’s presence and he glanced over Padmé's shoulders. 

His chest tightened in momentary panic that someone had witnessed his and Padmé's open affections and his grip tightened on Padmé's hips. 

Ahsoka stood by the doorway, her eyes focused on the ground until she felt his eyes upon her. Then she looked up and met his eyes. 

He saw no judgment in her eyes but compassion, understanding and love.

She nodded to him, the corners of her mouth twitching and she said nothing but she didn't need to, her stance spoke for her. 

I've got you. I’ll protect you.

He wished he could find the words to thank her.

Padmé drew his attention back to her. "He was evil, Anakin. You don't have to feel guilty for taking his life.” Her thumb caressed his cheek softly, comforting him, just as she had done on the Lars farm after he slaughtered the Tuskens. 

His jaw trembled beneath her touch. How could he tell her his guilt wasn’t about the murder in of itself but rather he mourned the opportunity he might have had? 

“You should tell her, Anakin." Ahsoka's voice was quiet but encouraging and for a moment his gaze flickered back to her. Padmé may not have known the whole truth but Ahsoka did.

He narrowed his eyes, the fear so well known to him growing inside his chest. 

"Tell me what?" Padmé wondered and Anakin shook his head.

"She knows already." He said sharply, dismissively. 

"Everything?” Ahsoka prompted, crossing her arms and tilting her head.

His lips twitched and he cursed Ashoka for knowing him so well.

Yes, he had confided in Padmé about his nightmare but he hadn't told her what he had been planning to do with Palpatine. Or rather, what Palpatine had been planning to do with him. 

Horror and disgust filled him and he suddenly recoiled away from Padmé, slithering out of her hold. Her brow furrowed in concern as her hand fell to his arm and gave a comforting squeeze. 

She glanced between Ahsoka and her husband. Ahsoka shook her head, gazing meaningfully at Anakin.

"Ani…" Padmé moved in closer to him and her loving nickname for him triggered something in him. Tears welled in his eyes and he scrunched up his nose as a tremor of fear rolled through him.

"Please talk to me." Padmé coaxed gently, tugging the fabric of his cloak. 

He slowly turned back to her and placed a shaky hand on her cheek, his eyes focusing intently on hers and her breath hitched at the intensity in his eyes. 

"You mean everything to me." 

Her brow creased as his thumb ran in continuous, anxious circles across her cheek and she lifted her hand to cover his. 

"I can't let you die." 

Her eyes widened slightly but her face softened in understanding and vague concern, her other hand covering her stomach.

"Your nightmare?" 

He nodded, clenching his jaw.

She let out a slow, controlled breath, trying to ground both herself and him. 

"I am concerned as well but I don't understand how that has anything to do with the Chancellor."

He closed his eyes tightly and bowed his head until Padmé's gentle, encouraging touch gave him the courage to speak.

"He said he was going to teach me a way to use the Force to save your life." He spoke slowly and her eyes widened and she shook her head. 

"You were going to listen to a Sith Lord?" She whispered and the horror in her voice was enough to rear his guilt back to flame within him.  

“Padmé…” 

Her eyes flashed in panic and rage and confusion and he hated being the one to put that look on her face. 

“What did he offer you?” She asked sharply. “Surely he was not going to do this out of the kindness of his heart.”

"No." He countered quietly, Padmé’s rage actually soothing his own. He and Padmé didn’t always see eye to eye but he always knew that Padmé had the best of intentions, she was the one who was good at heart, and if she was angry, then that anger was justified. 

"He wanted me to become his apprentice." 

Padmé gasped and she quickly scanned her husband's face and he knew what she was looking for. A sign that he had fallen away, that he had given in to his fear and anger. 

"And you were going to?" Her voice cracked with emotion, fear, betrayal pooling in her eyes and Anakin's head bowed, his face scrunching up.

"I saw no other choice, Padmé…” He admitted ruefully. “To save your life, to save our child…"

Padmé shook her head again, slowly at first then furiously as she processed all the implications. She stepped forward and grabbed his face in her hands forcing their eyes to meet 

"There is always a choice, Anakin and turning to darkness is not the answer to this."

"I know." He spoke with conviction and as he stood there with her, listening to her words, hearing the fear in her voice, knowing what he could have done and what he saved himself from doing, he finally felt relief. Relief that he had done the right thing, relief that whatever would happen, he had chosen to do good. "That is why I killed him."

Padmé blinked rapidly, her chest heaving as she stared at him. He looked back up at her, eyes full of pain and fear but also resolve.

“Anakin…” She gasped in relief and her eyes closed as she fell forward against him, pressing her forehead to his, tangling her fingers in his hair. 

His eyes closed and his arms once again surrounded her, holding her to him like his very lifeline.

"I was tempted, Padmé." He whispered against her ear and her grip on him tightened. "But I knew I couldn't…"

She shushed him quietly. "You did the right thing, Anakin. You saved us all."

He swallowed over the sudden lump in his throat. Even though he accepted that killing Palpatine, turning away from the darkness was the right decision, he still felt that overwhelming fear for Padmé’s life.

“I saved everyone but you.”

She lifted her head. "You don't know that. We don't know what the future holds for me." 

"My dream…" he tried to pathetically argue, because the image of Padmé crying out in pain wouldn't leave his mind no matter how hard he tried. 

The logical side of him remembered what Ahsoka had told him earlier, that his dreams were not an indication of a permanent future, just a possible one, and he did have the ability to change it. 

He had believed for so long that harnessing the dark side of the Force, finding that power, was his way of changing it. He knew now he was wrong, but he still felt completely and utterly helpless, sitting with the fear that she may die.

"I can't even imagine where your head is right now and how you must be feeling but, Anakin, right now, I'm alright. We are alright.”

Their bodies were as close as they could be with Padmé's pregnant belly between them. He felt the roundness that protected their child pressing against his own abdomen. She took his hands in her own and placed them on either side of her belly. “We’re safe.” She guided his hand over and across to rest on the very top, the spot she had been learning from their brief moments together while she was pregnant, was his favorite place to rest his hand.

Then suddenly there was a tiny but firm movement from within, pressing right against Anakin’s palm and they both gasped. 

Ahsoka lifted her head, eyeing them in concern.

But a smile spread across Padmé's face as she glanced down between them. She had been feeling movement from their child for quite some time and Anakin had felt it himself just a few days ago, in one of the only nights alone they had had together since the reveal of her pregnancy. 

They had spent the evening reveling in joy, discussing their future, and their baby as they felt the little life move within her. 

However, this felt different than any other time. This little kick was hard and pronounced, their little youngling making themselves known. 

"You see?" She said softly, reassuringly,  "Just fine.”

He let out a shuddering breath and closed his eyes and reached out in the Force.

Where he once had been surrounded by that pull of darkness, all that was left was the familiar light.

He stayed there, focusing on that feeling and began to feel the little fledging of another shift in the Force. It was very faint but it was present and he knew it was coming from the life that grew inside Padmé. 

A beacon of light, of hope, in the being he and Padmé had formed from their love. 

His eyes flickered open when he felt Padmé's hand against his cheek, her thumb brushing across the corner of his mouth where he hadn't even realized had turned up in a small smile. 

He met Padmés eyes and allowed himself to get lost within the sweet, compassionate, loving gaze of his wife. 

“This is our chance.” She spoke hopefully, her eyes conveying every bit of emotion she was feeling, hoping, begging for. “To start new, to do what we talked about and leave this place and be a family.” Her smile widened again and she glanced down briefly as another resounding kick from within her seemed to confirm her words. She looked back up at him, holding his gaze.

“I don’t know how, yet, but I know we’re going to be alright.” 

He let out a long, hard breath and drew her once again into his arms. He wished he could share the same unyielding confidence his wife had but for the first time since his nightmare, the fear wasn’t so crushing. For the first time, he did have hope.

"I promise, Anakin."

-

The Force was powerful, and force users spent many years studying, learning, meditating, trying to understand how it all was meant to be.

It was only when he finally let the Force guide him, instead of trying to demand of the Force what he thought was best, that Anakin truly began to finally understand the true power of the Force.

After the defeat of Palpatine by his own hands, after the birth of his two beautiful children by his strong and wonderful wife, after Padmé not only survived but had a flawless delivery; after he sat down with Obi-Wan and told him everything, after Obi-Wan gave him that knowing smile and confessed he knew his not so well kept secret. After he forgot about the desire for power Palpatine had been sewing into him and focused only on the love, joy and acceptance he received from his family. 

That is when he felt the true nature of the Force. That is when he accepted his designation as the "Chosen One”, and that it didn't mean being a Jedi Master, or bring in control of the Force, it meant simply that he had been the one Palpatine chose to be his apprentice and it meant he was the only one who could stop him and bring back the balance. 

There was peace. Amongst the Jedi and the republic, amongst the galaxy and most importantly, within him. Finally, there was peace.

All of those years training under Obi-Wan, years he looks back now on and appreciated, but it was the years afterwards when he finally learned to just be. 

The Force was his comfort, it was part of him, and he often took some time to sit and meditate and when he did he could lose his worries as he lost himself to the Force itself.

It was a low continuous hum that finally broke his focus and he opened his eyes to find a red and white Toy Droid hovering just in front of him. 

He smiled and held out a hand, and the droid landed onto his open palm.

"Well hello. What are you doing out here? Where is your owner, hm?"

The droid chirped and he chuckled softly and then looked over his shoulder.

"Lola!" A sweet but forceful young voice cut through the peaceful air. 

Moments later, his daughter appeared atop the hill, dressed in white and green play clothes. A smile split across her face once she saw him and she raised her hand and waved. 

He waved back with a smile of his own and chuckled as she raced down the hill toward him. 

She was only a little out of breath as she plopped herself down beside him and then grinned up at him.

"Do you have your droid spying on me?" He teased as he lowered his hands towards Leia. 

Lola chirped and flew out of his hand and into Leia's.

"Lola found you." Leia corrected, stroking her finger affectionately across the droid.

"Found me?” He raised his brow with a smirk. “I didn't realize I was missing."

Leia playfully rolled her eyes. "You are always hiding in any number of places.”

He chuckled softly and gestured around at the open space. "I wasn't hiding."

Leia nodded “Clearly. But Mom said to come find you and I thought Lola would be able to do it much faster than I could."

She smiled in appreciation and adoration of her little droid as it settled down onto her lap.

"Ah it was your mother's doing."

She looked up at him with pursed lips. "You were supposed to be back by now so we could all go on a picnic, remember?"

The picnic that his twins had been excited about and planning all week, the one they were preparing for as he left the house hours earlier.

He brought his hand to his forehead and shook his head. "You are right, Leia. I completely forgot."

Leia's brow pressed together, her head tilting in a way that reminded him so much of Padmé it melted his heart every time he saw it. 

She inched closer to him and stared up at him with her intense brown eyes. Eyes that seemed to be able to look into his very soul. Sometimes he felt like his children could do that, especially Leia. He sensed them growing in the Force every day but just as they both had their own unique personalities, they also seemed to be more sensitive to certains ways of the Force. Leia, in particular, always seemed very intune to how people felt. It was almost impossible to lie to her face, and that certainly held him accountable.

"Are you alright, Dad? It's not like you to forget our picnics."

A soft smile crossed his lips and he reached out to tuck a small strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm fine, Leia. It's just…" his jaw tensed as he looked over the sparking lake that had been his home for the last eight years.

On this day years ago he had almost lost everything. He tried not to dwell on it often, and he hadn't even had a prophetic nightmare since that day, but every year, on this day, he felt a little more withdrawn, and though the dark side of the Force no longer tempted him, he always would remember the feel of when it did. He spent many hours meditating in the Force, solidifying his place in all of it, surrounding himself in the light.

He thanked the Force that Ahsoka was there on Coruscant, he thanked the Force for Padmé's love, he thanked the Force for the existence of his children and he thanked the Force with everything he was he had the strength to turn away from the pull of the dark side and the sense to see what Palpatine was really up to. 

"Just what?" Leia prompted and his lips twitched as he turned back to her back. He knew she wouldn't give it up. 

He wrapped an arm around her and she leaned against him.

He hadn't often spoken about that time and Luke and Leia knew in fact very little about what happened that day. 

They knew, to some extent, because it was the day the clone wars had ended but he was always portrayed as the hero. The Jedi who defeated the evil chancellor Palpatine and saved the Galaxy. 

Little did they know how much he struggled.

He took a deep breath in and let it out slowly before speaking. "The war wasn't an easy time for me. War isn't an easy time for anyone, but I spent a lot of time being angry and being afraid.”

Leia scooted in closer and rested her hand on his thigh, looking up at him. "Afraid of the Chancellor?'

He felt his stomach drop at the innocent question from his daughter. To her, the chancellor was just a figure from the past, one who tried to create an evil empire and started the war. She didn’t know how connected he had been to her father since childhood. 

He pressed his lips together and stroked her back in slow patterns as he searched for the right words.

"Afraid of losing everything that was important to me." He answered finally and Leia’s frown deepened as she turned her head.

“Your mom, you and Luke…I didn’t want to lose you and that day, the day the war ended, I really thought I would.”

Leia’s brow creased and she slowly leaned in and wrapped her arms around his middle, her head resting on his chest and any negative feelings that memories of that time were beginning to bring up had melted away as he felt his daughter’s warmth against him.

"We’re here Daddy…” She whispered and the love that overtook him was indescribable. “We’re safe now.”

He closed his eyes and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. He held onto her for another minute and then looked down at her, bringing his hand to her cheek as she released him.

“I know, Leia.” He smiled softly. “And you always will be. I promise.”

Leia’s lips twitched in a small smile but her features then turned thoughtful and he knew whatever was about to come out of her mouth was going to be more insightful than a normal nine-year old. 

“I know there will be times we will sometimes be scared or in trouble…” 

Anakin held back a small laugh. Leia and Luke certainly knew how to test him at every turn. He couldn’t count the number of times they wandered off, or got into something potentially dangerous. A bit of a taste of his own medicine, he supposed. They were far too much like him and proved it all of the time. 

“...and sometimes, we get hurt and you can’t save us all of the time.” 

His smile began to fade and his stomach dropped. It was a lesson he was still learning, and he certainly didn’t want to jump into the fire as soon as one of those dark thoughts, that fear that something bad would happen to his family, infiltrated his mind, but he still couldn’t deny that small lingering feeling. 

Ever the intuitive one, she laid her hand on his arm and looked up at him, eyes so convincing, just like her mother, he’d believe any word she said. 

“I know you’ll always be there, Dad, if we do get hurt. You’ll be there to make everything better.”

“I certainly will.” He vowed and leaned forward with a smile and rested his forehead momentarily against hers. “I love you, Leia.” 

She let out a little giggle of delight and scrunched her face up, bumping her nose affectionately against his. “I love you too, Dad.” 

She pulled away as he did and though there was a smile on her face, it began to fade as her brow creased once again. 

“You said that you were angry and afraid and now you’re out here all by yourself…you’re happy now, aren’t you?”

He suddenly caught movement out of the corner of his eye and turned his head. 

A mop of blonde hair and bright smiles appeared on top of the hill. 

Padmé then walked up beside Luke, dressed in a beautiful blue flowing dress, her hair falling loose in waves over her shoulders. 

Her hand fell upon Luke's shoulder and she met his eyes across the distance and smiled, beautiful, and radiant and his.

His angels, all of them, were his angels. They brought him peace he never thought he would be able to experience.

"Yes, Leia.” He looked down at her with a smile, his eyes bright as he looked down at one of the loves of his life. “I am very happy now.”