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CLARA STOOD NEXT TO ANAKIN IN HER NEW ROOM, UNCERTAINTY COURSING THROUGH HER.

"I know this is scary," Anakin cleared his throat. "I, uh...we're not supposed to talk about it, it's wrong to dwell on the past. But as a kid, I was on Tatooine, and I was brought here when I was nine. I had to give up...everything I'd ever known. I know what you're going through."

Clara looked to Anakin, eyes watering. "This is so weird for me," she whispered. "My whole life, I've thought of you as...perfect and amazing and the man of my dreams and now...I'm in front of you in the Jedi Temple and I get my own room and I have power and..."

A dust of pink flushed Anakin's cheeks and if she weren't a mess, she'd think it was cute. "I appreciate that," he stood a bit straighter, but not from confidence, more from awkwardness. "The Council put you across the hall from me. I...didn't have anyone there because most Knights are off being Generals, sleeping on ships. It's rare we spend more than a few days in the Temple. The last occupant died."

"Oh, so I'm in for some good luck," Clara retorted.

A wry smile played at his lips. "Yeah, I suppose so."

"Thanks," Clara tucked hair behind her ear. "I...appreciate you believing me with all of this. And calming me down earlier and everything."

"Of course," Anakin nodded. "I won't be here all the time, and when you learn a bit more of your abilities, I'm sure the Council would be on board with you joining me on missions. But when I am here, you're welcome to come and see me. I don't mind."

"Really?" Clara asked hopefully. "It's just that I don't really...know anyone. I mean, I do, but not—not in the way I do, you."

"That doesn't make any sense," Anakin smiled. "Half of what you say...makes no sense."

"Sorry," Clara smiled sheepishly.

"It's okay," he looked over her face. "You'll be okay, Clara. Whatever you need, I'm here. And if I'm not around, Obi-Wan will be happy to help. And I can introduce you to my Padawan tomorrow, if you'd like."

"Ashoka?" Clara's eyes lit up. "Ashoka Tano?"

"So unsettling that you know that," Anakin remarked, smiling tightly. "Yeah, I think you two will get along."

"Okay."

"Right," Anakin cleared his throat, nodding again. "Goodnight, Clara."

"Night, Ani."

Anakin froze, looking at her for a moment. "What?"

"What?"

"You-you called me Ani, no one calls me that."

"Sorry," Clara whispered. "Habit."

"Why's that a habit?"

"Hard to explain."

Anakin stared at her for a few minutes before shaking his head, turning and leaving, the door closing behind him.

Clara groaned to herself, walking to the bed and plopping down on it.

It was more of a cot than a bed, and she missed the ones back home. She missed her posters and pictures and fairy lights. The room was plain and simple and exactly what she expected from a room in the Jedi Temple.

But most of all she missed Peter.

She hoped they won against Thanos.

She hoped he was okay.

—

Clara was up early, changed into clothes the medical droid had left her. They'd decided to give her Jedi robes to help her blend in — and because they didn't really have other options — but Clara didn't wear the outer robe, sticking with the undertunic, the outer tunic swallowing her stomach.

"Do you think I can get a lightsaber?" She asked Anakin as he met her outside her room. "Eventually?"

A smile pulled at his lips. "Someone's eager," he remarked. "If you become a Jedi, sure. But it's a long process."

"But they'll totally let me in this young, right?" She grinned, raising an eyebrow.

Anakin chuckled — Clara's heart sped up at the sound — and he nodded. "Exactly. You'll be a Jedi in no time."

"Cool, thanks for the assurance."

Anakin laughed again, leaning a bit towards her. Despite being so close to her, he still towered over her. He had to be at least over six feet, tall and lean and...bring your thoughts back, Clara, she reminded herself.

"I can train you if you want," he winked at her surprised gasp. "You figure out your...blue hand thing and I can train you with a lightsaber."

"Seriously?" She asked excitedly, grinning widely.

"Seriously," he nodded. "Don't tell anyone. Our secret. Orphan stuff."

"Orphan stuff," she nodded, smiling as they walked down the halls.

"Snips!" Anakin called out. A Togrutan turned, looking exactly as Clara pictured her to look like, only younger than the animations claimed. She walked towards the pair in confusion.

"Uh...hi, Master," Ashoka greeted, eyes looking to Clara curiously. "And...person I haven't met."

"Manners, Snips," Anakin chastised.

"Sorry," Ashoka winced. "Ashoka Tano," she bowed her head. "And you are?"

"Clara Parker," she smiled kindly to Ashoka. "I'm a Youngling. In training to be a Jedi."

Anakin laughed at her, elbowing her and shaking his head. "Stop it, Clara," he scolded her. "Ashoka, this is Clara. She's going to be staying at the Temple for awhile. She's a...friend of Obi-Wan's."

"Good one," Clara rolled her eyes. She put her hand up to her mouth to block Anakin from seeing her lips and stage-whispered to Ashoka. "I'm actually Mace Windu's childhood best friend."

Anakin chuckled again and Ashoka smiled despite her confusion. "Clara, stop it. Snips, she'll need company if you're not with me. She's to be with you, me, Obi-Wan, or Master Windu or Plo at all times, got it?"

"Yes, Master," Ashoka nodded, looking at Clara curiously. "You're not actually a friend of Windu's, right?"

"Oh, no," Clara shook her head. "But I'll make it a goal to make either laugh so hard he cries or get so mad he screams. Whichever comes first."

"Psh," Ashoka rolled her eyes. "Put him in a room with Anakin for five minutes and the latter happens."

"Hey!" Anakin frowned.

"I believe it."

"Okay, I don't like this," Anakin looked between the two with a playful scowl. "This is you and Padme all over again."

"Ooh!" Clara perked up, looking at Anakin excitedly. "When can I meet Padme?"

"No," Anakin shook his head, laughter leaving his face. "Not happening."

"Please?" Clara asked, looking up at him hopefully.

Anakin sighed, shaking his head. "Not yet," he relented. "One day."

"Yes!" Clara fist-bumped the air. "I love it here."

—

"Do you meditate, Clara?" Obi-Wan asked her as they walked to the gardens.

Clara shook her head. "I get bored. Fall asleep, usually."

He smiled softly, looking over her face. "Have you meditated with anyone else before?"

Clara thought of the time she and Wanda tried once. They ended up kissing.

"No," she shook her head. "Not that I recall."

"I'll meditate with you," Obi-Wan offered, guiding her to two cushions in the gardens. "Please, sit," he gestured.

Clara did as told, sitting cross-legged and sighing. "My legs will fall asleep."

"Not if you forget your body," Obi-Wan reminded her, sitting across from her. "You're tense, what's occupying your thoughts?"

What was occupying her thoughts?

Palpatine.

Peter.

Anakin.

Ankin's fall to the Dark Side.

Darth Vader.

Padme and what would happen if she found out Clara had the biggest crush in the history of ever on her husband.

How attractive Obi-Wan was.

Too many things.

"Stuff," she settled on.

A fond smile pulled at his lips. "You remind me of Anakin," he confessed. "When he was young. Restless, worried about the future. If he only learned to live in the present, he'd be far better off."

Intrigue filled Clara. "I remind you of Anakin?" She asked curiously.

"In many ways," he nodded. "He's quieted a lot as he's grown. And he's turned into a fine mentor for Ashoka, albeit the reckless behavior he encapsulates and pushes onto her. But, you and he are both full of energy. Never sitting still. Too caught up in your own head. Brushing off concerns with laughter and masking fears and worries in sarcasm."

"Damn, Obi-Wan," Clara frowned. "Call me out like that."

"Pardon?" He asked, confusion filing his gaze.

"It's...nothing. What about you?" She asked curiously. "What were you like as a Padawan?"

Obi-Wan chuckled, a fondness in his gaze. "My Master was, em...unorthodox."

"Qui-Gon?"

He nodded. "I keep forgetting you can do that," he paused before continuing. "I was very by the book. They were going to give up on me, but Qui-Gon was the only one who took me in. He was hesitant at first and...we didn't get along for quite some time. Eventually, I saw his path and things changed." He smiled sadly. "I miss him dearly."

"I'm sorry," Clara replied softly. "I can't imagine how hard it must have been to essentially raise Anakin and become his mentor after only just becoming a Knight yourself."

Obi-Wan sighed. "It was hard," he admitted. "But I...trust Anakin implicitly. Being his mentor was the greatest honor of my life."

"He's your brother," Clara pointed out quietly.

Obi-Wan observed her for a moment. "How much have you seen? Of our pasts and futures? How much do you know?"

"Too much," Clara replied sadly. "I'm sorry about so much of your life."

"He falls, doesn't he?" Obi-Wan asked softly. "Anakin?"

"I can't," Clara whispered, tears filling her eyes. She always loved Vader — and totally simped for him — but after meeting Anakin and making him laugh and talking to him...things were different now. "Don't make me tell you that."

"You just did," he sighed, a troubled look on his face.

Silence fell between them. Both knew the extent of it and what could happen if they acknowledged it. They cared equally for Anakin, in entirely different ways. Clara couldn't imagine what Obi-Wan was feeling. Thinking he'd failed Anakin. But this was before his fall. Perhaps if Obi-Wan could understand the issues with his training Anakin, the failures of the Council for him, and the hope she had for him...

"What do you need from me?" He asked, cutting through the pause. "How do I help you stop it?" His eyes met hers, a determination there that sent shivers down her spine. "I'll do anything, Clara. He's my brother."

Clara smiled softly, relief flooding her.

One step at a time.

"We'll start with meditating," she took a breath. "I need to master these...powers, if I'm going to be any use."

"As you wish," Obi-Wan nodded, reaching his hands out, palms towards her. "Place your hands in mine. Close your eyes. Focus on my presence. Not my physical presence, but the energy that surges through you from me."

Clara did as told, resting her hands on his and closing her eyes. She didn't really feel anything.

"Feel the wind on your face. The sun in your hair. The warmth of the Force. Feel all living things around you as they are. Don't seek them out, let them come to you."

"This is confusing."

Obi-Wan chuckled. "Take a deep breath." Clara did as told. "And repeat after me."

"Okay."

"I am one with the Force."

"I am one with the Force."

"And the Force is with me."

"And the Force is with me."

"Good." Obi-Wan praised her. "Repeat that in your head. Softly. Allow the words to consume you. Relish in the feeling they provide you. Seek stillness that follows each thought. If thoughts arise, let them glide away, effortless. Do not dwell on them, but don't push them out. Just observe them."

Clara did as he requested. The pair sat in silence, the words reverberating across her mind. They sat together until Clara's nerves began to tingle, but she followed Obi-Wan's words for not allowing her body to interact with her. Forget her physical form.

She was greater than that.

She was one with the Force.

"Good," he praised her again. "I can feel you relaxing yourself. What do you see?"

Clara focused, but he stopped her.

"Don't focus on something specific, just tell me what you see as it comes to you."

Clara repeated the mantra again.

I am one with the Force.

The Force is with me.

Over and over again until her body felt weightless.

"What do you see?" He asked softly.

Clara allowed the thoughts to pass her by, following the soft tugs in her that seemed to pull her chest in different directions. It was not like her thoughts, which made her feel like she was running in circles, but instead something softer, gentler.

"Anakin," she whispered. "I just...I don't see him...per say, but I can...feel him."

"What does he feel like?" Obi-Wan asked her calmly.

"Warm. Whole. It's like...tugging in my chest. And when I see him it...goes away. I just feel whole. Quiet."

"Alright, good," Obi-Wan stated. "Do you see anything else?"

"Blue," she said softly. "I see lots of blue. And...something heavy."

"What's heavy?" He inquired softly.

"I don't know," she answered softly, eyes fluttering open. She blinked at the light of the sun.

"That was very good," Obi-Wan complimented, smiling encouragingly at her. "You're a natural. How do you feel?"

Clara looked down at her hands. "Calmer," she admitted. "But I don't see how this will help with powers."

"When we teach Younglings," he started, "we don't teach them the mechanics of a lightsaber or the best way to use the Force in battle. We start small. Meditation. Nothing can be beneficial without first finding stillness. Oneness in yourself is the precipice for understanding your own capabilities. And, in meditating properly, a person can develop a resistance to the darker parts of your mind and the Force."

"I understand," Clara nodded. "Thank you."

"Of course." Obi-Wan squeezed her hands softly — she hadn't even realized they were still touching — before letting go. "How much time do you think has passed?"

Clara thought for a moment. "Twenty minutes?" She guessed.

Obi-Wan smiled, looking upwards. "Four hours."

"What?" Clara exclaimed in shock, mouth falling open. "No way!"

Obi-Wan chuckled, standing and offering her a hand. She took it, standing and stumbling at the numbness in her legs, falling against him. "Hang on, my limbs are asleep."

"A regular occurrence, you'll find," he mused. "Welcome to the Jedi Order."

"Really?" Clara asked excitedly, looking up at him with a grin.

"Honorary," he smiled down softly. "Our little honorary Jedi."

—

ekkkkk hopefully you guys liked this!!!
i love ani sm it hurts ugghhhghghghg.
we won't get padme for a while but eheheheuuuehhh get ready babygirl is FLIRTY.
also ashoka <3 my favorite girl of all time in anything ever.
literally have a tattoo of her k bye.