#something something taking on this child as your padawan despite your initial reluctance

[is-that-sand-in-my-waffles]

I was so caught up in the Anakin/Ezra parallels I didn't even consider the Obi-Wan/Kanan parallels...

[gffa]

Here’s how good STAR WARS fandom has been this last month: I still have half of Queen’s Shadow to read and yet fic still manages to pull me away and distract me with all these wonderful stories! Sometimes happy and sometimes heartbreaking and sometimes just really fascinating worldbuilding, the fandom has been pretty damn amazing this month and I would like to yell about all these feelings the Star Wars fic has given me with everyone. You know how, when you’ve read a good fic, and you get that sated, lazy, warm tingly in your brain feeling because everything is just so good? That was me about a dozen different times this last month, every time I would go on a fic-reading binge and I need to share that with everyone who will listen for at least five minutes. STAR WARS FIC RECS: TIME TRAVEL RECS: ✦ I thought I fought this war alone by stonefreeak, obi-wan & qui-gon & cast, time travel, 3.7k    Obi-Wan is thirteen years old, just about to start learning Ataru from his Master. Obi-Wan is sixty-one years old, dead and one with the Force since four years back. Obi-Wan is both, and neither. ✦ Grave Accents by primeideal, anakin & leia & mace, time travel, 1.5k    In retrospect, Mace decided, it had mostly been Qui-Gon’s fault. He was measured enough not to blame the master for the entire state of affairs; after all, it was not Qui-Gon but chance or the will of the Force that had brought young Leia to Jedha. ✦ The Road Is Made By Walking by the_rck, obi-wan/luke (maybe), time travel, 6.9k    Eventually, it occurred to Obi-Wan that figuring out Luke’s motives might be some sort of test. Simply understanding that it was a test would mean accepting that Luke was a teacher. ✦ Runaway by Fairleigh, luke & shmi, time travel, 1.2k    Shmi Skywalker befriends a boy who has run away from home. PREQUELS RECS: ✦ Master by CJinn, obi-wan & anakin, 27.5k    Obi-Wan Kenobi had always wanted to become a Jedi Knight. What he didn’t expect was to become a Master merely days after his own Master died. Adapting to his new role as the mentor and Master of the quite unusual Padawan Anakin Skywalker became a bumpy road. ✦ Supreme Chancellor Obi-Wan Kenobi by stonefreeak, obi-wan & anakin & padme & palpatine & bail & cast, 6.8k wip    By an old Republic law, all members of the Jedi High Council are senators in the Galactic Senate, and can thus be voted in as chancellor. ✦ Am Bushed by SingManyFaces, obi-wan & anakin & ahsoka & rex, 1.6k    During the war, sometimes special tactics are required to make sure The Team gets the sleep it needs. ✦ A little idle talk of this and that by victoria_p (musesfool), obi-wan & iroh & aang & cast, 4k    On his way to Tatooine with Luke, Obi-Wan makes an unexpected stop for tea in Ba Sing Se. ✦ Ghosts of the Present by randomlyimagine, obi-wan & yoda & caleb & siri & plo & aayla & jedi & cast, 8.2k wip    Every single Jedi killed during Order 66 becomes a Force ghost, often before their bodies even hit the floor. ✦ The First Trial by Raven_Knight, obi-wan & qui-gon, 2k    Accompanied by his Master, Qui-Gon Jinn, young Obi-Wan Kenobi undergoes his first trial and rite as a Padawan Learner on the frozen planet of Ilum. ✦ adust by TheFreakWithTheWings, obi-wan & anakin, ~1k    adust: scorched, burned; Obi-Wan had never liked to think of himself as cruel. Practical, yes. Ruthless, sometimes. ✦ untitled by stonefreeak, anakin & ahsoka & yoda & cast, 2.7k    Returning to the Temple seems almost unreal. Despite everything going on in the galaxy, the Temple has always been a point of calm, the eye of the storm. But now when Anakin walks these familiar halls again—his second home, the one not build of sand and stone in the hottest of deserts, and not the one in an upper Coruscant apartment that smells of perfume—it seems as if the very air of it has changed. ✦ Arrival by CJinn, obi-wan & yoda & cast, 2.6k    Little Obi-Wan was only a few days old when he was brought to the Jedi Temple. His arrival caused some confusion among the Jedi. ✦ Trembling Brightness by Pandora151, obi-wan & ahsoka & cast, 2.3k    “I watched you die—twice. And I just can’t go through that again.” ✦ What Should Be by LessAttitudeMoreAltitude, mace & depa, 1.2k    Depa expresses concern about the effect this war is having on her padawan. ✦ The Song in the Soil by Ria Talla (ronia), aayla & quinlan, 3.1k    He had asked her to stay below in the ship, so she wouldn’t know where they were going, and then to wrap the cloth over her eyes before she could get a glimpse of where they’d landed. He always asked. And Aayla never turned down a challenge. ✦ The Lawful by Raven_Knight, obi-wan/satine & bo-katan & cast, NSFW, 4.2k    With the help of Bo-Katan, certain things go a little differently after Obi-Wan Kenobi arrives to rescue Satine from Darth Maul’s clutches. ✦ Don’t Bring a Blaster to a Lightsaber Fight by FireflyFish, obi-wan & anakin & luke & han & rey & dooku & maul & palpatine, 2.9k    a.k.a A Weekly Meetup for Local Force Users OBI-WAN/ANAKIN RECS: ✦ Wish upon a star by Paper_cut, obi-wan/anakin, modern au, 4.3k    Obi-Wan buys a lamp, gets much more than just a genie. ✦ Ashes of the Republic by mewgirl1995, obi-wan/anakin & obi-wan/padme (& some anakin/padme) & luke & leia & ahsoka & cast, nsfw, 96.7k    In the chaos of the fall of the Republic, the Jedi Temple is destroyed, hiding all evidence of what happened there. In order to protect the Chosen One’s children, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Padmé Amidala flee into hiding, hoping that they can find Anakin again. Meanwhile, Vader searches for those that he hopes will still be loyal to him and the new Emperor. ✦ The Missing Part by Nightstar269, obi-wan/anakin & ahsoka, modern au, 36.8k wip    Anakin Skywalker, a student of mechanical engineering, has always felt that his life was lacking something, a feeling that was made much worse with the deaths of his mother first, and of the woman he loved some time later. Still haunted by the pain and heartbreak, he tries to go on with his life as well as he can. When an initiative of the director of the university has the students attending the classes of another degree so as to enrich their knowledge, he will meet someone that will turn his world upside down. ✦ The Devil’s Own by lilyconrad, obi-wan/anakin & cast, regency au, 11.1k wip    Some whisper the Skywalker family is the devil’s own, and no tutors in the area will take on the orphaned Lord, a young man famous for his excessive drinking, riding, and dueling. The townspeople shake their heads at the arrival of the latest tutor, a London scholar out of money and other options, wondering how long it will be before this Kenobi is run out like all the rest. ✦ Sear me pale sun by liv_k, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, bittersweet themes, 9.8k    “So here we are, a failed Jedi, a Sith, and our imminent deaths. I leave it to you to choose how we will meet our demise, whether fighting or doing something else entirely.” ✦ Bedroom Hymns by orphan_account, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, modern au, spanking, bondage, bdsm, d/s, 26.6k wip    Anakin Skywalker is a young student with some kinky interests, and his search for a Dom leads him to Obi-Wan, a former professional. Obi-Wan has retired, but their purely professional kinky relationship changes the lives of both men. How long can they keep it professional? And what happens when they start falling for each other? ✦ Across the Darkness by xpityx, obi-wan/anakin & anakin/padme & rex & cast, 16.2k wip    Obi-Wan knew they had hit the temple’s inner security measures when Anakin went from calm to clutching both Obi-Wan and his lightsaber between one step and the next. ✦ Miasma by lilyconrad, obi-wan/anakin & rex & cody & fives & kix & cast, dark themes, 15.2k wip    Obi-Wan never believed his best friend and lover Anakin would die first. But he has. ✦ Physical Examination of a Submissive by orphan_account, obi-wana/anakin/padme, NSFW, medical kink, d/s, 2.7k    Anakin’s partners want to make sure he’s nice and healthy. ✦ What An Expensive Fate by FromDreamstoEmpires, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW sith!obi-wan, 1.3k    Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow at him, “But you like it when I tell you what to do.” He said softly, hand pulling on his curls until Anakin was forced to look at him, “Don’t you, sweetheart?” ✦ Shaak Herding for the Troubled and Lonely by protos_metazu_ison (larkspyt), obi-wan/anakin & anakin/padme & ahsoka, 22.4k wip    Disgraced Master Obi-Wan Kenobi was content to live out the rest of his life as a hermit until the Prime Minister appeared at his door, begging him to attend the Skywalker clan’s annual party. While reluctant to re-enter society, Obi-Wan’s always wanted to meet Anakin Skywalker, the most powerful Force-user in the galaxy. ✦ Things we never said by Gondolin, obi-wan/anakin, ~1k    “Stop lecturing me for ten seconds and think of yourself! I swear you plan to die still lecturing me. Well, you might as well give up now and rest, because I care, I care, I care! And it doesn’t matter how bad a Jedi this makes me.” ✦ To have and to hold by Gondolin, obi-wan/anakin, 1.5k    “Obi-Wan…” he whispers, focusing on that Force signature that shines like a beacon in the endless night of deep space. ✦ baby, put on heart-shaped sunglasses by destiny919, obi-wan/anakin & palpatine, 1.2k    Palpatine: I’d like to talk to Anakin. Obi-Wan, feeding Anakin bon bons while they lay on a plush chaise lounge: Tragic ✦ Soul by Gondolin, obi-wan/anakin, soulmate au, ~1k    Obi-Wan took a deep breath. He should trust the other Knight. He could trust him. He wasn’t a misbehaving child. “Is there a legitimate reason why you won’t accept my help?” ORIGINAL TRILOGY RECS: ✦ No Snowmen on Tatooine by HiNerdsItsCat (HiLarpItsCat), obi-wan & anakin & luke & han & chewbacca, 2.6k    Luke Skywalker spent his entire childhood on a desert planet. He might be a hero of the Rebellion and strong in the Force, but he isn’t handling the freezing temperatures on Hoth well at all. Thirty years earlier, Anakin Skywalker is in the exact same location… and having the exact same problem. REBELS RECS: ✦ Chess Across the Galaxy by ambiguously, hera & thrawn, 2.7k    Thrawn has his favorite opponent in his custody at last, and he has an offer for her. ✦ The Sea Has Ten Thousand Names by ambiguously, kallus/zeb, 2.6k    Living on a new planet is hard when you don’t know the language. SEQUELS RECS: ✦ we are here and it is now by victoria_p (musesfool), anakin & rey & luke, 3.5k    “So either you’re not here or you’re not living,” she says. “I’m definitely here,” he replies, and there’s amusement in his voice. ✦ find your way (back) by glorious_clio, rose & paige, 2.1k    Paige and Rose are separated by five years and not much else. As a unit, they navigate the rise of the First Order on Hays Minor, and their eventual evacuation and separation from their beloved parents. But they trust in each other and in the future. ✦ Flyboys by ambiguously, poe/jacen, nsfw, 18k    Poe Dameron goes to the Academy, learns to fly, and falls in love a lot. As you do. ✦ That’s Not How the Force Works by imaginary_golux, anakin & han & ben, ~1k    Han wakes up as a Force ghost, and decides to go and have a few words with his son. FULL DETAILS + RECS HERE!

[lurkingcrow]

So I was reminded of one of the bits in my WIP folder and finally got inspired to finish it off. This is a direct sequel to a ficlet I wrote a long while back, and won’t make much sense without having read that first.

I hope you all enjoy :)

It feels like one of her dreams. How many times has she found herself in the old days, chasing after her master as they rush through empty corridors, only to wake to a much colder and darker reality? Except, the Anakin in front of her seems a fraction smaller than Ahsoka remembers, a little more worn and much more subdued, and none of her dreams include the face of a small blond child grinning at her from his perch on his father's shoulders.

Luke. Anakin's son. Anakin has a son. Anakin is alive. The thoughts keep running around in her head, even as she automatically takes cover to avoid a wandering patrol. It won't be long now before they find the body, and they need to be gone soon if they want to avoid lockdown.  Which brings her right back to the beginning because how could she ever have expected this?

There’d been rumours about the Inquisitor being on the hunt, and at first Ahsoka had been convinced they’d been careless and he was on her trail. But a few near misses and it became obvious that the former Jedi was not his quarry this time. That alone might have been enough to warrant putting the current mission on hold while they investigated, but the fact that as they followed him from port to port that it became apparent the Inquisitor was acting alone, without anyone else to take the credit? That meant whatever, or whoever, he was after? Was a big deal.

And wasn't it ever?

She'd been almost bemused when her stake out of the Inquisitor’s ship had ended with him dragging a frantically struggling child into the hangar. Kidnapping Force sensitive children was somewhat routine for the Emperor's hunting hounds, and even if this boy was unusually strong it hardly explained the Inquisitor’s secrecy.  Ahsoka had readied her blaster in preparation for a rescue (ideally she could sort things out without leaving evidence of a Jedi presence, bit if not her sabers were at her side), but then the doors had opened again and…

Anakin Skywalker.

She still can't believe it.

Her wrist comm vibrates softly and she lets out a foul curse as she reads the message.

“Language Snips! Luke, you didn’t hear that.”

Ahsoka wants to laugh at the absurdity - Anakin Skywalker, chiding someone else for their language! But she suspects that if she started she would never stop and now is not the time. They have too to worry about right now.

Anakin's attention is still focused on the corridor ahead, but she feels a gentle prod along their long silent bond as if to make sure everything is ok. She holds back the tears that threaten to fall at the once familiar sensation. It feels right in a way her world hasn't been for the better part of a decade. But, no, she has to hold it together. She has to stay focused. Just a little longer.  Soon she can stop and process it all. Once they're safe - at least for a moment.

“Sorry Skyguy. Just got word from my partner - our ident’s been compromised and he’s had to make a quick exit. Any chance I could get a lift offworld?”

Anakin turns his head to lock eyes with her, and Ahsoka swears she can feel his gaze piercing her very core as he speaks his next words with unshaking conviction.

“Ahsoka, you are always welcome with us...Besides, I only just found you. If you honestly think I’m about to let you disappear again, you have to be crazy!”

The small blond head on his shoulder nods vigorously. “You're family!” Luke chirps. “And family look after each other.”

This time it takes all she has not to start sobbing right there and then. Luckily it is at this point that several alarms begin to blare through the central comms system. Looks like they found the Inquisitor then.

She isn't the only one to make that connection, and Anakin grins at her.

“I think that's our cue, Snips.”

And they're off again.

It can only have been a minute or two before they reach the landing bay, a battered freighter with its engines engaged impatiently awaiting their approach.

With a burst of Force assisted speed they speed up the boarding ramp. Before the door is fully closed Ahsoka can feel the shift as the ship initiates lift off. It's not the smoothest of departures, and she waits a minute or two for the ship to stabilise before attempting to move.

Beside her Anakin finally lets Luke down from his arms, kissing him on the forehead before whispering something in his ear. She's too far away to hear but she sees the boy nod before scampering away into the depths of the ship.

There's a moment of silence, as she and Anakin just look at each other, drinking in their presence. She opens her mouth to speak, to let the torrent of worlds come flooding out but there is a shuffling noise behind them and Ahsoka turns to meet her former Master's partner and…

“Anakin, what have I told you about keeping a low profile?”

No no no no, she IS dreaming, she has to be, because she KNOWS that voice and this is too much, too close and she feels herself break.

“Master Kenobi?”

Her voice is weak, quivering in a way that and she feels her knees collapse, but Skyguy is there to catch her hold her up as that last impossibility stares at her in shock. His hair is greyer, he’s missing the beard, but it is still undisputedly Obi-Wan Kenobi standing in front of her, framed by the now open door.

“Ahsoka…”

Her name comes out in a disbelieving breath and then there are two sets of arms around her holding her tight, murmuring words against her skin.

(our padawan, you're safe, you're here, we missed you)

She allows herself to open to the Force and is bask in the mingled waves of relief and joy and love that reverberate between them all.

She is home.

It seems like an eternity that they stay there, but eventually reality returns, in the form of a young voice chirping up behind them.

“See Leia? I told you! It's Ahsoka!”

Luke’s enthusiasm is practically vibrating in the air as he speaks to his companion.

“From the stories?”

The equally childish voice sounds somewhat skeptical, and as she turns to look at them Ahsoka is glad she is already on her knees.

Luke is there as expected, impossible, adorable Luke. But he is holding the hand of a tiny dark haired girl, expression held in what is instantly recognisable as Anakin Skywalker’s face of cautious disbelief, dark eyes piercing Ahsoka’s very core.

Despite her size, she looks to be the same age as Luke, and that means…

She laughs helplessly.

“Twins, Skyguy? Only you!”

Her outburst seems to snap the others out of the moment and though they seem reluctant to disengage. Anakin grins proudly as he unlatches one arm to beckon the children closer.

They take no time at all to race forward, insinuating themselves between their father and Obi-Wan.

“Yeah, these are the Twin Terrors - you’ve met Luke, and this is Leia. They…”

Before he can get any further Leia interrupts in an imperious tone.

“Daddy! You’re not doing it right!”

She turns to Ahsoka, regal as a queen and oh. Oh. She knows that look too.

“Thank you Miss Ahsoka for saving Daddy and Luke. It is much ap.. ah..”

Obi-Wan chuckles and oh how Ahsoka missed that sound. The fond look as he gently touches Leia’s shoulder brings back a wave of nostalgia. To think, he is still here, attempting to counteract Skyguy’s lack of manners one child at a time!

“I believe appreciated is the word you are looking for, my Dear.”

“Thank you Uncle Obi!” Leia turns back to Ahsoka and sketches a neat little bow. “It is much appreciated!”

“Yes! Thank you!” Adds Luke in a bright chirp with an honest smile before cocking his head to the side in confusion. “But Leia? Daddy did thank her before.”

“Oh.” The little girl seems to deflate slightly before raising her chin in stubborn defiance. “Good. Daddy sometimes forgets to be polite and then Uncle Obi and I have to make it right.”

Ahsoka can FEEL Anakin’s amused outrage and Obi-Wan’s suppressed laughter and oh no. She is doomed.There's no way she's going to be able to leave now!

(“as if you would” says the voice inside her that has lain so empty since that awful day. “as if you could. you are home. at long last you are home.”)

Ahsoka can feel the edges of her mouth beginning to hurt but she cannot stop the smiles, or the hint of tears on her eyes.

“That’s ok. Your Daddy never was so good at that. But please, there's no need to be so formal. We're family, right?”

The wave of emotion almost bowls her over again with its intensity.

“Yes Aunt Ahsoka!!!”

And suddenly there are two more arms wrapped around her chest and two more presences reaching out to her and…

She's not going anywhere.

.

It is only later, when the children have been sent to get some rest, that she finds herself sitting across from the men she once called Master. The silence is comfortable, and she is almost unwilling to break it, but there are questions she needs to ask.

No matter how afraid she is of the answers.

Anakin too seems to sense that it is time.

“So, Ahsoka, I know there’s a lot we’ve got to catch up on, and while Obi-Wan and I are dying to find out what you’ve been up to, I get the feeling there’s some questions you want to ask us first.”

She looks to Obi-Wan, who nods solemnly. Somehow that seems to give her the courage to go on.

“Padmé?” she asks hesitantly, because those are her eyes in Leia’s face and her lines in Luke’s smile, but…

Anakin smiles bright and bold and she feels her heart ease. “Safe back home. Probably missing us all, but otherwise fine.”

“Oh.” Ahsoka sighs with relief. “But how? The senate… and you! How did you get out?! I thought you were dead - I know you were at the Temple with the order hit and…”

“Wait, you know I was there?” Anakin says, eyebrows raised.

“Yes.” Here Ahsoka thinks a moment before deciding the knowledge is safe to share. “Katooni, one of the younglings you got out, she’s alive - hanging out with Hondo of all people and-”

“Hondo?!” She’s never heard her grandmaster sound so shocked. “Never mind. I’m sure there’s a story to that. Anakin I think…”

“...yeah, you’re right. Snips, there’s no way other way to put this. Palpatine is the Sith.”

“I know.”

Both Anakin and Obi-Wan look surprised, and she shakes her head ruefully.

“He’s the only one it could have been. No one else could have… could have made that order. And since then… the inquisitors aren’t the same, they’re more like Ventress than Dooku. It’s what I can’t work out - why hasn’t he made a new apprentice?”

Obi-Wan and Anakin look at each other, a wealth of information passing backwards and forwards between them with only a glance. They seem to reach some conclusion, and Anakin sighs.

“Because Snips, he’s waiting for the one he always intended. Me.”

She can’t speak. Shock holds her features in place while horror fills her very soul. No. He couldn’t. He wouldn’t!

Anakin holds out a hand “It’s a long story, but it’s ok! We’re ok! We’re all fine! Well, as fine as we can be when someone,” he glares at his former Master, “had the bright idea to hide on a certain Force forsaken dustball I swore never to willingly set foot on…”

“And that is why we have remained safe and uncaptured for all these years. You’re welcome.” Obi-Wan rebuts and Ahsoka can’t help it, the familiarity, the revelations overwhelming her, and she reaches out - whether to seek comfort or to check this isn’t a dream she isn’t sure.

Two sets of hands clasp hers, and a pulse of reassurance runs through her.

(they’re here. they’re together. the rest can sort itself out.)

“I’m so glad.” she says.

Again there is a moment of silence before Obi-Wan continues.

“Er…” The Negotiator seems to be struggling with composure himself. “Well, that’s about it, I’m afraid. Padmé and the children usually stay behind while Anakin and I make the occasional run out into the galaxy proper, but rumour had it there was an Imperial Delegation due for negotiations with Jabba, and we thought it wiser to take the children with us just in case… although that did turn out as planned”

Anakin groans. “She is never going to let us forget this!”

“Oh I think Padmé will forgive us just this once.”

There’s a familiar light in the old Jedi’s eye as he looks meaningfully at her and Ahsoka laughs. It’s barely a heartbeat before Anakin and Obi-Wan join in.

The mood lightens, and when he next speaks there is no longer the echo of pain in her old Master’s voice.

“So now you know. Why we haven’t made contact with the anyone, why the Inquisitor wants me, wanted Luke, so badly.”

He pauses, hand fiddling with his glove.

“I need to thank you again. You were amazing Snips - without you there I know things would have turned out very differently! I know that things… didn’t go the way we planned, but I want you to know, I am so, so proud of you!”

No, no, she’s not going to cry, not this time. Even if those are words she has dreamed of for so so long.

Thankfully Anakin doesn’t seem to take notice of her turmoil.

“So tell us, Ahsoka, what have you been up to?”

She thinks of those early days in the wake of Mandalore, the running and hiding and desperate moments as men she once trusted with her life became enemies beyond reason.

She thinks of Bail, of the Rebellion, of the small disparate groups all working towards the same goal, hoping, trusting that one day it will be enough.   

She thinks of the comm on her wrist, the dear friend waiting on the other end, who will never believe the impossible has happened, of the treasures she has found.

Or maybe he will. Rex has never been one to underestimate the Kenobi-Skywalker team after all.

She smiles.

(she is home)