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Chapter Text

Mortis, Obi Wan had come to find, was a stranger place than first thought. Not only did the Seasons change on a whim, the geography warp and separate them with little to no warning, but it also seemed to have no concept of time. Once he had gained the dagger with the Daughter, he suddenly found himself alone, nothing suggesting that time was moving. The trees did not sag, the wind did not blow, even his own breathing seemed to have stopped. 

Before him stood a woman whom he didn’t know. 

She was dressed in a way that was totally unsuitable for tropical environments, all rags and dusty cotton derived from desert planets. The rough-spun dress held no shape, drawn in at the waist only by a belt and little more. She was covered in dust, a spot of grease or two on her cheek, dark hair pulled back in a sensible braid bun. And she was crying. 

“Did you look after him well?” she asked, voice almost a whisper. Obi Wan blinked, staring. 

“What?” was the only eloquent thought he could manage. 

“Do you love him as your own? Care for him as your own son?” she asked, tears slipping from deep brown eyes. “Does he know?” There was something familiar in that determined gaze, the ever-present sadness often hidden. 

“I’m sorry, I don’t...” he started. The woman turned away. Blood covered her wrists, bonds of chains and leather cutting so deep they bled. A cut had appeared on her cheek, her hair now in disarray. 

“Please,” she said. “Tell me he is loved.” 

And with horrifying clarity, Obi Wan saw who he was speaking to. Saw, for one brief moment, the depths of a mother’s despair. 

“Yes,” he whispered, pouring out feelings he had tried to bury deep. “Yes, he is loved.” 

“But you did not show him.” Anakin’s Mother had turned away, not looking at him. Blood dripped from her wrists, each precious drop never reaching the ground. “He does not know.” 

“I...” 

“He is the most precious thing in the world,” she whispered. “The most precious and most broken.” Obi Wan had no words, nothing to tell her other than objections he knew were lies. 

“Wait-!” Obi Wan started, watching as she started to walk into mist that had appeared before them. “Wait, I’ll tell him! I’ll show him how precious he is, I’ll help! Just... Just tell me how!” He wasn’t sure where the desperation came from, the uncharacteristic desire to do something spontaneous and grand, how to bury those feelings once more that he had denied for so long. “Just tell me how to be a father,” he whispered into the silence once she was gone. 

When they left Mortis, the memory of Shmi Shywalker’s face was still imprinted in his dreams every night, whispering, “Does he know?” And always, Obi Wan had only the wrong answer to give. 

It had been weeks since Mortis, since they had lost only minuets rather than days. Obi Wan felt far older than a few days or weeks, however, felt as if they had spent an eternity there. Something nagged at the back of his mind, something important that he couldn’t quite put his finger on. They returned to the Temple, went out on missions, back to Coruscant, and all the time, Obi Wan had a nagging feeling, poking and prodding that he had missed something important. 

It was before he left for Utapau, saying his goodbyes with Anakin, that the feeling prompted him to suddenly ask, “Anakin... Have you spoken with you Mother recently?” 

His old padawan’s face froze like shattered glass. 

“Master?” The tone was odd, cold and cruel and cut off, as if wondering if Obi Wan were mocking him. 

“I... I know we haven’t spoken about her,” Obi Wan started, not sure what was leaving his mouth. They hadn’t spoken of her since... before Anakin’s knighting. Has it really been that long? He wondered. She had been all Anakin could speak of for ten years, then nothing for five. He ought to have caught on sooner. “I promise, I won’t be angry if you have,” he tried to offer, awkward and clumsy as he hadn’t been since he was a padawan himself. “I just... Never mind, it’s silly.” 

“My mother died,” Anakin said shortly as Obi Wan turned away, having seemingly decided that Obi Wan was not teasing, but merely stepping where he wasn’t warranted. Obi Wan froze, foot halfway off the ground. “Just before Geonosis, the first time.” Something cold settled down his spine and he slowly turned back. Anakin was looking down at his feet, face hidden by a curtain of hair. 

“Ani...” The endearment slipped out before he could stop it, something breaking inside him. Weeks he had mourned Qui Gon, with a small presence bright and understanding beside him. That same boy had mourned alone. “Why...?” 

“It didn’t matter. Doesn’t matter,” Anakin started, quickly covering up for himself, hiding all that pain away. “Attachment is forbidden and with everything else that had happened-” He was cut off by Obi Wan enveloping him in a crushing hug.  

“That rule is banthashit,” Obi Wan half-growled into Anakin’s shoulder. The boy had grown taller than he years ago, but he crumbled now, bending into Obi Wan in a way he never had. Obi Wan had never known how to be a Father, had tried to be a good brother instead and failed at both. “You should never have had to hide that from me.” 

Grievous would have to wait, he decided as Anakin clung to him, not crying but not happy either. The Council could complain all they wanted: he had some words for them. But first... 

“Come, I believe now is time to see Senator Amidala.” Anakin was silent, following like a small child, face pale, as Obi Wan took him by the hand and led him out of the Temple. 

Master Windu was scowling as Obi Wan finished his report, having left a startled Senator Amidala and pale Anakin alone. He would not have Anakin suffer through yet another meeting where he would be spoken to like a child. The man was married, and hadn’t that been an interesting conversation, with a child on the way- the last thing he needed was pressure to spy on an old friend. One who, it would seem, had been dripping poison in his ears for over a decade.  

“And this is why you have decided to  not  track down Grievous and end the war?” Windu stated flatly. Obi Wan refused to bow his head. 

“Yes,” he said simply. Yoda looked pensive. 

“And you believe that young Skywalker’s relationship with the Chancellor could be detrimental to our mission?” Plo Koon asked, almost for clarification. Obi Wan nodded and the Master leant back. 

“Concerning, this is, that this has not come to our attention sooner,” the Grand Master mused out loud, rubbing his chin. “To a Mind Healer, Skywalker must go, to be sure.” Obi Wan blinked. 

“I don’t think-“ he started but Yoda cut him off. 

“The leader of the Sith among us, Dooku said. Careful, we must be, to ensure the health of young Skywalker. Great peril we will be in, should fall to the Dark Side, he does.” Obi Wan stared, a cold feeling trickling down his spine. 

“Anakin will not go quietly,” he pointed out.  

“Take him myself, I will,” Yoda declared. “Take over his mission, you will. Call in an old friend, you must, to ensure Senator Amidala’s safety.” Half the Council twitched at that, as if they hadn’t known. Obi Wan wondered what else they had missed. Five years, he thought hollowly, five years since she died, and I never knew. Anakin never said. The Force only knows what else he might have hidden, even from himself.  

And, it had to be said, the Council had never endeared themselves to his young Padawan. 

“I will call her immediately,” Obi Wan said with a bow. He didn’t ask for permission to leave, nor did he sit. There was no point after the display he had already made. 

Chancellor Palpatine seemed more surprised than displeased to see him when, an hour or so later, he turned up at the man’s office. 

“Master Kenobi!” the man greeted him with a genial smile. “What can I do for you?” 

“My apologies for the short notice,” Obi Wan said, ducking into the man’s office. “I’m afraid that Anakin has been detained at the Mind Healers.” He watched as the man’s face devolved into a perfect facsimile of concern. “Your protection has been placed under my care for now.” 

“Oh dear,” Palpatine simpered, offering him a chair. “I hope it is nothing serious?” 

“No, just some irregularities in his reports.” The lie wasn’t even that- all of Anakin’s reports were irregular. The cause being that their missions were so, none of it Anakin’s fault. “The Council was concerned for his mental wellbeing and so it has been decided he be taken off of active duty for a short while to recover.” An acceptable explanation for a short while. He may have to big it up if their investigations took a long while. 

“I see,” Palpatine said, looking almost sad. “I do hope he feels better soon.” 

“I will pass on your regards,” Obi Wan said primly. “Now, the matter of your safety?” 

“Oh, no need to concern yourself too much. I know you must be eager to get back to your mission hunting General Grievous and putting an end to this war,” Chancellor Palpatine said, shuffling some papers. “I have adequate security enough for the short while it will take to detain him and I’m sure Anakin will return soon.” Obi Wan gave a polite smile. 

“With your recent abduction, the Jedi Council would sleep better at night knowing you were under constant guard by our own troops,” Obi Wan returned. “As for the mission against Grievous, Jedi Master Plo Koon has gone in my stead. It was felt you would feel more secure with a familiar, friendly face, albeit not as familiar as Anakin’s.” Something flittered across the Chancellor’s face, too quick for Obi Wan to catch. It felt Dark in the Force. 

“Of course,” the man said pleasantly. “And it is most appreciated.”  

Obi Wan could see how much he had to grit his teeth to get the sentence out.  

It took him all day to escape the Chancellor, the man suddenly finding new reasons for him to stay and there was a horrible, unctuous feeling dragging itself across his mind. If he had been younger and less experienced with the ways of the Sith, he would never have noticed. It concerned him and the report handed over by the Council regarding Anakin’s session with the Mind Healer confirmed several of his fears. 

Irritating further was the Council he was forced into after the heavy day he had already had. 

“Skywalker’s attachment with Amidala is concerning enough. With this information, I suggest isolation within the Temple,” Windu declared, hand shaking on his datapad. “We cannot lose the Chosen One to the Dark Side of the Force.” Obi Wan resisted the urge the throw his own pad at the man’s head. 

“Oh yes, removing Anakin’s attachments will definitely solve the problem,” he said sarcastically, not in the mood for his usual polite passive aggressiveness. “It is not as if this didn’t cause issues five years ago in respect to his Mother.” The Council flinched almost as one at that. 

“Master Windu does have a point,” Ki Adi Mundi started hesitantly, especially when Obi Wan directed his glare to him. “Attachment is a path to the Dark Side. Knight Skywalker is a Jedi- he must learn to let go of them.” 

“That will never happen,” Obi Wan pointed out, something he had been denying to himself for years. “Before Anakin came to us, he had nothing but his attachment, not even autonomy over his body and sense of self. Do you really think forcing an ex-slave into isolation and enforcing that rule is going to endear him to us? In what way does that make us better than the slavers we took him from?” All questions Obi Wan had been asking himself the last few days now.  

There was a brief moment of silence as the Council thought that through. 

“Isolation with Amidala, Skywalker will have. Sent to Naboo to await the birth of their child, they will. Go with them, you and Ahsoka, will do,” Yoda declared into the silence. His voice held no room for argument, despite Windu’s furious expression. The little green troll stared him down with a ferocious frown. “Point, Obi-Wan has, regarding Skywalker’s attachments. Consideration for the future, we must. Strong in the Force, his children will be, and careful, we must be, with the Sith at large.” Windu closed his mouth and stewed. 

It was the best he would get today. 

Chapter Text

Obi Wan had not been expecting the sudden sappiness that overwhelmed his old Padawan when they reached Varykino. Padme had been rather polite about being uprooted from her home and job on Coruscant and ordered by the Jedi Temple to go home to Naboo with her husband, a Jedi Master and one ex-Jedi Padawan. Ahsoka had just raised an eyebrow. Anakin slept most of the way. 

Padme’s family were excited to meet him, the girls running right up to Anakin for hugs and presents which he produced from  somewhere,  while Padme’s mother fawned over her, asking how she and the child were doing. Obi Wan found himself being interrogated by Pooja and Ryoo, both who wanted to know a startling amount about the ins and outs of the Senate. Apparently, Padme isn’t the only political member of the family. 

Ahsoka’s giggling in the background was not helping. 

Varykino itself was beautiful. The gardens were an excellent place to meditate, which he insisted Anakin join him in for at least an hour a day. Anakin was oddly compliant in this task, Ahsoka joining them more often than not. Most of their time was taken up by decorating the nursery, Padme dictating from the ground as he and Anakin painted walls basic colours and put together furniture. A scan had revealed twins, prompting a brief discussion of buying a separate cot until Anakin’s blank horror in the Force became too much and Obi Wan suggested that perhaps the one would be large enough for both until they were a bit bigger. Ahsoka helped paint a desert sunset, complete with twin suns, on the wall opposite the large doors which opened onto the veranda overlooking the lakes. Anakin added symbols to both the wall and cot. 

Obi Wan was fascinated by the explanation. It also explained Anakin’s occasional odd expressions once one realised Basic was  not  his first language. Or even his second. 

It took two weeks to complete the nursery and by then, Anakin seemed far lighter than before. He and Ahsoka had returned to their old banter, finding odd new things to do, Padme having banished them to the garden when they got a little too rambunctious. Obi Wan was still wincing at the mess the wrestling match in the library made. Padme sat with him on the side of the lake, settled in a lounge chair with Anakin and Ahsoka splashing about in the water. The Force was light all around them. 

“He seems much happier,” she murmured, sipping the juice that they had brought with them. “Thank you, Obi Wan.” He blinked, surprised. 

“I don’t believe I did anything,” he said, confused. “I just asked a question.” Padme smiled. 

“You did far more than that,” she said warmly. “With everything going on, the war, the Council... I was worried I’d lose him. One way or another.” There was something dark there, something the Force warned they had avoided by a hair. Or perhaps, he thought with a jolt, by a question. 

It did nothing to ease his worries in regards to this change. 

Rex arrived three days after the birth of Luke and Leia. Padme and Anakin, tired and exhausted already from either the birth or midnight feeding (because Anakin simply refused to let his wife do all the work), were both still asleep when the clone stumbled out of a smoking transport, face pale and shaking. He spared a glance at Obi-Wan and Ahsoka and flung both blasters into the lake before falling to his knees. 

“G-Good s-soldiers follow orders,” he gasped, fingers flexing convulsively around blasters that were not there. “R-Report for you, sir.” 

Obi-Wan could not stop the alarm that rang through his head and the Force, feeling Anakin stir. In the nursery, Luke and Leia wailed. It was all the warning they had. 

The screaming in the Force forced him to his knees. Vaguely, as if from a great distance, he heard Ahsoka cry out and someone shouting something about Anakin. Jedi cried out around the universe as they joined the Force, betrayal and terror running deep. Even the younglings... Obi Wan shuddered, staring at Rex in dawning horror. At the realisation of exactly what the clone had just overcome in an attempt to bring them warning. 

Padme’s alarmed shouts kicked him into gear enough to do something about it. 

It was the careful work of mere moments to find the chip and disable it through the Force. Later, much later, he would remember to remove it. Right now, with the clone giving a short, concise report as he leant against his shoulder and the echoes of pain in the Force, he made his way to find Anakin. The sight that met him wasn’t good. 

Anakin’s eyes had rolled back in his head as he twitched convulsively on the floor, the agony in the Force affecting him the worst. Ahsoka had rolled him onto his side in an attempt to stop him from choking on the spittle and foam that had formed within his mouth. He murmured things as he seized, things Obi Wan didn’t understand because he didn’t speak Amatakka and Padme only had the basics. Ahsoka had been taken from slavery at such an early age she no longer remembered it. Feeling helpless and useless, he tried to push past the pain and comfort his old Padawan in the Force. 

He found a supernova fighting off a Dark presence, lingering wounded and aching in the Force, trying to reach two small lights. Obi Wan, realising he was no use here, spread himself as a shield between the two wailing children, frightened and hurt and so, so young. The defensive Soresu to the justified and violent Djem So of his brother.  

At his children being shielded, Anakin seemingly stopped holding back. Obi Wan forgot to shield himself in time. 

Consciousness returned slowly to Obi Wan. Someone was shaking him in alarm and distress, the soft voice of Padme trying to soothe them. Larger hands left his sides and someone laid something cool against the back of his neck. He groaned, relaxing into the cool relief from the ache in his head. A baby gurgled, as if laughing at him. 

“I think he’s ok, Skyguy,” came Ahsoka’s voice, oddly relieved. “What did you do?” 

“I don’t... it was instinct, he wanted the children...” It had been a while since he heard his old Padawan so uncertain. “I didn’t mean to almost kill Obi Wan.” It took some effort to force his eyes open, wincing at the bright light. 

“That,” he groaned, “was on me. I ought to have known not to look.” Anakin looked frazzled for someone who, several moments earlier, had been seizing on the floor in the midst of fighting off a Sith Lord. He couldn’t even say that what Anakin had drawn upon was either Light or Dark. It just... was.  

The only thing preventing Anakin from jumping up to make sure he was ok was Leia in his arms. Padme had hold of Luke, bouncing the baby softly as he drifted to sleep. Leia seemed to need a little more convincing from the way she clung tightly to Anakin’s organic finger. 

He didn’t even attempt to sit up, knowing it was a bad idea. Instead, he reached back to remove the cold cloth and move it over his eyes.  

“Look at what?” Ahsoka asked. “All the... all those who...” Her voice trembled and Obi Wan winced. 

“No,” he sighed. “Anakin... I can’t explain it. He was fighting the Sith Lord through the Force and I didn’t shield myself...” He winced again even remembering the fight. “There was something familiar about them...” 

“It was Palpatine,” Anakin said quietly. Obi Wan squinted through the light to look at him. He was glancing down at Leia in his arms, face so open and vulnerable and young. “The Sith Lord was Palpatine. He... He wanted them and I... He would have become Depur to the whole galaxy...” Obi Wan wasn’t sure what he was talking about. Padme plopped down on the sofa next to her husband, snuggling in. He realised someone had moved him to the other couch.  

“It was on the holonews an hour ago,” Padme said quietly. “Palpatine is dead. Heart attack the news is saying but... The Clones say he was the one who gave the order...” 

“Order?” Obi Wan said, feeling lost. Rex coughed above him, changing the cloth for a new, cold one. 

“Order 66,” he said grimly. “The order to kill all Jedi on sight, no matter their age. The chips were damned hard to fight off, the others didn’t think they would be able to do so and give the report.” He went quiet for a moment and Obi Wan got the sense he was biting his lip. “You’ve been out for three hours, sir.” 

Obi Wan winced at the devastated look on his brother- no, his son’s- face. 

“Anakin,” he said, holding out a hand. Anakin slithered off the couch, Leia and all, curling into a ball of his own by Obi Wan’s head. He stroked the boy’s hair gently, running fingers through the dark blonde waves. “It wasn’t your fault. None of this was. Palpatine tried to attack your children, your family, your... valar.” Anakin twitched at the Amatakkan word and Obi Wan hoped he had used it right. They had had so little time to talk about the language and all its nuances. “The damage he would have wrought alive outweighs the short-term damage caused by his death.” 

“But, you-” Anakin started, voice strained. Obi Wan shushed him gently. 

“This was my own fault, I told you. I saw what you were doing, I knew you were strong in the Force, knew you were capable of great things even before Mortis.” Anakin twitched, most likely remembering the time spent on that odd place. “I should have known to look away after shielding the children. I knew why you were holding back and gave aid voluntarily. My idiocy to not shield myself is on me, not you.” 

Anakin sobbed. He drifted back to sleep holding the new father close, reassured by the Force that they were all safe for now. 

Chapter Text

They returned to Coruscant slowly. Occasionally, there would be a snuffing out of Light in the Force, causing the twins to begin crying, shielded as they were by their Father and Obi Wan. Padme, unsure of what to do, fretted over her husband and children both, showing amazing resilience considering the state Anakin was in. Ahsoka did the best she could, along with Rex, but there was little they could truly do. 

Eventually, they had to return as Padme was called back to the Senate.  

Master Yoda, Senator Organa and a dishevelled Master Windu met them on the landing platform. Windu sported several lightening scars. Obi Wan, having recovered mostly from accidentally witnessing Anakin in the Force, stepped carefully down the ramp in full Jedi Master robes, keeping an eye on a very nervous Rex who had been entrusted with Luke. The poor Clone Captain looked terrified to drop the baby, shuffling in small baby steps forward. Anakin had hold of Leia as Padme swept down the steps, neither dressed in any kind of formal clothing. Babies and clean clothes were apparently not a combination that existed, and neither could be bothered to take the effort which would take them away from their children. 

“You are just in time for the voting of a new Chancellor,” Organa said in lieu of a greeting, smiling gently instead. Padme nodded, pressing a kiss to her children’s foreheads and husband. She and Organa left quickly, Anakin watching her go forlornly. Obi-Wan laid a hand on his shoulder, offering what comfort he could. 

“How bad was it?” he asked quietly, when no one else made a move to start. Windu’s face twisted, his grief open in the Force. 

“Masters Fisto, Tiin and Kolar are dead,” he reported dutifully. “I would have been too, if Skywalker hadn’t... done whatever he did.” He offered Anakin a begrudging nod of respect. Anakin gave him one back, holding Leia close. Luke giggled within Rex’s arms, batting at his chest armour. 

“Captain Rex came to warn us as quickly as he could about Order 66,” Anakin said blankly, exhaustion leaking through the Force. “And we felt what happened at the Temple...” 

“Many younglings, lost they were,” Yoda said sadly. He reached one small hand to gently touch Leia’s head. She made a squeaking sound. “Yet, great light, still to be found, there is.” Anakin’s smile wobbled. 

“What about outside the Temple?” Ahsoka asked quietly. She was gripping her sabers tightly in both hands, despite not supposed to have any. “How many did we lose there?” 

“Too many,” Windu said grimly. “We’ll be lucky to number a third of our numbers prior to this. Sidious planned it well.” Obi Wan swallowed, nodding. A third. Only a third of us left. 

“How many of us are left, from the Council?” 

“You’re looking at them,” Windu stated. Anakin blinked, as did Ahsoka. Only three? Or four, if you count Anakin’s brief stint before being sent away. It was too little. And the Council may have already booted Anakin off for having a wife and family. 

Their little bubble of peace hadn’t lasted long. 

“I see,” he said, slumping in some defeat. “Perhaps we ought to take this somewhere that is not a public landing pad?” They nodded, moving to enter a speeder. Luke seemed to love the fast travel, Leia had her mother’s disapproving look. Anakin, who for once had forgone driving in favour of sitting back with his little family, bounced her gently as Ahsoka weaved through traffic as carefully as she ever had. 

The Temple was still smoking when they arrived, rubble and bodies lying about. Volunteers made up of conspicuously no Clones were helping to clear it, faces grim and desolate. The Force was full of pain and grief. The children whimpered and he felt Anakin wrap them up tight in a little cocoon under his shields until they settled. His face was pinched, almost in pain himself. 

Palpatine’s betrayal had cut his son deep.  

“I don’t think it will do the children good to stay within the Temple,” Obi Wan observed quietly. Everyone heard him anyway. Yoda nodded, ears drooping. 

“Stay with their parents, they will. Temporary housing, for the surviving younglings, we must find,” he agreed. 

“I’ll talk to Padme,” Anakin croaked. “And...” he trailed off, wincing. “Padme should know a good place for them to recover.” Obi-Wan heard what he had been about to say and winced himself. 

The younglings were never going to trust a Clone again. 

They stepped through ruined corridors, over discarded blasters and bodies, observing the damage to their home. Or, well, his and the Jedi Masters home. Neither Ahsoka nor Anakin lived here anymore (if Anakin ever had) and Rex lived in the barracks with the rest of his troops. It wouldn’t just be the younglings and Padawans who would need new homes as the Temple was rebuilt, let alone their image to the outside world. Palpatine had apparently tried to state that the Jedi had betrayed the Republic, that they had attacked him without provocation. Few had seen the statement, but there were those in the Senate who would see this as a step forward. Obi Wan was not looking forward to that ensuing argument. 

It would all rely on who became Chancellor now. He knew that some had wanted to push for Padme to lead, but she had turned them down. Not only had she been tutored by Palpatine from an early age, but she was now also a mother and wife. Her priorities had changed by the ending of the war, as had all of theirs. The Jedi now had to return to their everyday duties of peacekeeping within a galaxy still bleeding from the past five years. There was no quick fix for any of them. 

“We should go,” Anakin said suddenly, breaking Obi Wan’s chain of thought. He blinked, turning to stare at him. Then followed his son’s gaze. 

The volunteers were staring at Rex, the clone taking stiff, careful steps in order not to jostle Luke. Some younglings were staring too, hiding behind whatever pillars or rubble they could find, one ducking down to pretend to be dead. Rex no doubt had noticed them all, his Force presence sparking enough to alert Anakin. Rex had let his helmet off, but even with his face exposed, the air was full of fear at the sight of a clone within the Temple. 

“Of course,” Obi Wan said sadly. “I shall meet you back at your home.” Anakin nodded numbly. 

“Don’t be late. Padme would hate it if you missed dinner.” His gaze raked over Obi Wan’s face, poking gently at his shields. Obi Wan opened them enough to show the love and care he felt for his once Padawan turned son.  

“I’ll be as quick as I can.” He watched them leave the way they had come, as quick as they could. He tried not to wish he were able to go with them. 

The end of the day saw Organa voted in as Chancellor, with Padme as Vice Chancellor. She didn’t seem too pleased with the promotion, but since it was mostly a ceremonial office, she should be able to juggle work with caring for the children. Obi Wan had already informed the Council of his decision to stay with Anakin- Windu and Yoda were unopposed to the proposition. There wasn’t really anywhere else for him to stay, as they rebuilt. 

Another surprising announcement of the day was Anakin’s promotion to Master and official seat on the Council. Windu had slumped in his seat, defeated, as he said it. 

“He defeated the Chancellor far more than we did. He even saved my life,” Windu said tiredly, dragging a hand over the stubble growing on his face. He looked as if he hadn’t slept since the day it all went wrong. “I dread to think what his influence would have done to him, had he been kept on planet here.” He paused, glancing up at Obi Wan. “You were right, to speak up that day. Solitude within the Temple would have made his mental state worse.” 

Obi Wan had taken the admission with as much grace as he could.  

Returning home, he found that Padme had ordered from Dex’s. They all tucked into the take-out, even Rex who seemed to feel slightly out of place within Padme’s fancy apartment. He filled them in on the changes to the Order, Padme those within the Senate. After dinner, after the twins had been fed and put down to bed, they all slumped onto her sofas, Anakin and Padme cuddling together, Ahsoka curled up on a seat leaning into Rex. Obi Wan settled himself on Anakin’s other side, revelling in the calm silence. 

“So, what now?” Anakin asked, almost whispered tremulously. What now indeed, Obi Wan thought. It was a question that had plagued him all day. 

“Now?” he murmured, watching with the rest of them as the sun set over Coruscant and the Senate. Somewhere on the other side of the planet, people were either waking to the news, or had spent their night staring in horror at the Holonews. “Now, we rebuild.” 

He was jostled awake from his doze at dawn, Anakin extracting himself from their little tangle of bodies on the floor, where they had somehow migrated during the night, to feed the twins. Watching the sun rise, Obi Wan allowed himself to hope for a bright future.