Anakin POV:

After letting Obi-Wan comfort me through my breakdown, I was reluctant to leave the safety of my room. I cringed thinking about my sudden outburst in front of everyone and how I just stormed off like a child after throwing a tantrum. Of all the embarrassing moments I've subjected myself to, this is definitely at the top spot.

But I especially felt bad for Ahsoka; hardly five minutes after her arrival and I'm already ruining it for her.

"I wouldn't worry too much, Anakin. It's not like she hasn't seen you throw tantrums before." Obi-Wan smirked as we prepared to leave my room.

I rolled my eyes, "You're not helping. Besides, it's been a long time since we've seen her, and this is the impression of myself I've given her. I'm her Master, she shouldn't have to see me like that." I shook my head.

"You're not her Master anymore, Anakin." Obi-Wan reminded me gently. "And I don't mean that in a negative way, I simply want you to remember that she's moved on from the Jedi. She's grown and matured on her own path, and I could easily see that just by spending a few minutes with her. I also want you to remember this so that you don't feel pressured into putting on a perfect formal persona for her like you used to." He smirked from whatever memories he was reliving of my early days as a Master.

I smiled, "You're right. She has matured, and her confidence is far beyond what it used to be back at the Temple. I remember how hurt I was to watch her leave, but I see now that it was the right choice for her." And I mean that. No one truly realized it at the time, but she saw through the lies and hypocrisy of the Council and decided to do something about it. That takes guts; leaving behind the only life you've ever known for an uncertain future. But I'm proud of her for standing up for herself and transforming her life for the better, despite the situation with the Empire.

"But regardless of where she is now, she'll always be my apprentice at heart." I'm not much of a sap, but Ahsoka is one of the few important people in my life who I'll be one for.

Obi-Wan nodded once, smiling admirably. He sighed and tilted his head towards the closed door in front of us, "Are you ready now to face the music?" He asked half-heartedly, referring to the rest of the group who were still in the main room.

I didn't even attempt conceal the cringe that crept onto my features again. "Or I could just crawl back under the covers of my bed and never come out?" I suggested, making my voice slightly higher at the end for extra effect.

Obi-Wan smirked and shook his head, "Nice try. You should know by now that I would drag you out there either way."

"Of course you would." I grumbled. I understand that he's just trying to help, but it doesn't change the fact that I made a complete fool of myself. And the knowledge that (y/n) is here; actually here and alive, is making my stomach churn. I have no idea what to expect.

As if reading my mind he wrapped his arm around my shoulder and gave it a quick squeeze, "Remember I am with you, Anakin. Everything will be alright."

I chuckled, "What did I do to deserve a brother like you?"

"I ask myself the same thing every day." He deadpanned with a dramatic sigh.

I rolled my eyes, playfully knocking my shoulder into his. In all seriousness though, I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for Obi-Wan. He raised me, picked me up when I've fallen, called me out on my mistakes even when I didn't want to hear it. I'm grateful for every moment.

We quietly exited the solitude of my room and prepared to re-enter the main room. I had hoped that everyone had dispersed to different areas of the house by now so that I could further avoid seeing them after that scene I caused, but the faint voices I heard from the other side of the walls told me my hopes were crushed. But something that caught my attention about the voices was the increase in volume. I know for certain I heard Padmé's voice, and it sounded like she was....surprised? Happy?

Then as we walked down the hallway I heard more voices from everyone who was already here, but it sounded like there was a fourth voice coming from the main room. That was the part that confused me. The only people inside were Padmé, Elijah, and Ahsoka.

And then it hit me.

I stopped in my tracks as we were about to turn a corner into the main room. I wasn't expecting to see her; (y/n). I'm not ready to see her. My abrupt stop caused Obi-Wan bump into me from behind.

"Anakin, what—"

I spun around brought my finger up to my lip and shushed him, but contradicted my intentions since my shushing was louder than I had hoped. He furrowed his brows in confusion, and before he could say anything or I could explain, we heard another voice from the other room.

"Anakin? Obi-Wan? Is that you?" Ahsoka's voice asked.

All the chatter I previously heard from the main room stopped. Shit.

"Uh, no! We're not here." I called back, instantly regretting it when I saw Obi-Wan's expression which practically screamed, 'What the hell are you doing?'

My eyes widened; I'm such an idiot, why would I say we're not here while literally giving away that we're here?

"I mean yes, we're here. But also no." I responded again while cringing. It's the umpteenth time today I've cringed at myself.

Obi-Wan pinched the bridge of his nose, "Dear Lord, Anakin." He sighed, pushing past me.

I turned around and all but scrambled after him, subconsciously fixing my hair after we passed by a mirror at the end of the hallway. When I quickly turned the corner into the main room, I saw that everyone was in their same spots as before I left, and to my relief they were all looking at us with amused expressions rather than angry or disappointed.

And that's when I noticed her. Standing next to Ahsoka. I couldn't describe it, she looked so different yet so similar from when I last saw her. But even more beautiful if that was possible. Her hair grew longer, and it fell elegantly over her shoulders and down to her stomach. I was taken back to our last interaction, which unfortunately was a fight. Things changed so quickly after that, but looking at her again it feels like nothing changed at all. Her stature was confident and poised, like she was ready to take on the world at any given moment. Whether or not she feels that way is a whole other question entirely, but either way it's clear that she's way better at holding herself together than I am. Her eyes were locked on mine and she wore the same amused expression as everyone else. As if all these months of pain and heartache never happened.

How did I not sense her presence here? Or even before she and Ahsoka got here, for that matter.

"I assume the storm has settled?" Ahsoka joked. I was especially happy that she didn't seem too upset anymore about my outburst since I took my anger out on her.

I chuckled, shaking myself out of the trance I was in while staring at (y/n). "Yeah, totally." I shrugged. "I'm all good now." I tried seeming casual by leaning back against a small wooden table, only I didn't realize it was the kind where the legs could be folded. So the entire thing folded and slipped out from under me, causing me to fall on my behind, half sprawled out as I instinctively scrabbled at the wall for support.

I scrambled up off the ground and picked up the vase that had been knocked onto the carpet from the table. I laughed awkwardly while inspecting it for any cracks, and then wiped it with my sleeve when I found none, "Ah, good as new." I placed it back on the table after I had picked it up and straightened out the legs.

I felt a trickle of hope in my chest when I saw (y/n) biting back a grin. Padmé laughed and shook her head, "Never a dull moment with you, Anakin."

"Never a peaceful moment either." Obi-Wan added, clearly entertained by my misery.

I rolled my eyes and walked side by side with him farther into the room. By now the humorous atmosphere had left the room and the tension was beginning to settle in. Obi-Wan spoke before I could, "(y/n), I'm so happy you're—"

"We'll have to catch up later." She interrupted.

I saw a flash of hurt appear in Obi-Wan's eyes, but it disappeared as quickly as it came. I felt an ache in my chest for him. He and (y/n) were best friends at one point, but that connection shattered the day we abandoned her.

That must be why I couldn't sense her, I realized. Yoda mentioned it a long time ago; when our connection is broken, it's as if the force is thrown off balance. And we can't feel each other at all.

"We all need to discuss the matter at hand, which is how to take down Palpatine." She explained. I saw Ahsoka shoot her a disapproving look after she interrupted Obi-Wan, before nodding her head in agreement.

"Well, Palpatine is a Sith, correct?" Obi-Wan asked, returning to his spot on the couch next to his boyfriend. He didn't give anyone time to answer, and instead answered his own question, "Perhaps the key to fulfilling the prophecy is defeating him, and in turn bring balance to the force." He explained simply.

The prophecy.... We haven't talked about that in a long time. I'd forgotten about it completely.

'Light and darkness will collide, two will become one, and one will bring balance to the force', is what it was, I believe. Even after all this time I still don't fully understand it.

(y/n) bristled. "No." She shook her head. "We're not going down that road again. That sham of a prophecy is just a fairytale they probably told us so we would be good Jedi and comply with their bogus code."

"Is that truly what you believe?" Obi-Wan asked.  "(y/n), you are a chosen one. No matter where your path leads, a prophecy is not something you can just run from."

(y/n) rolled her eyes and huffed, leaning in to whisper something to Ahsoka. I couldn't clearly hear it all but it was something along the lines of, "I'm too sober for this."

Ahsoka sighed and rubbed her forehead with her thumb and index finger.

Elijah must've heard her, because he held out his full champagne glass with a sympathetic smile.

(y/n) chuckled through her nose and took the glass with an eye roll.

"Do you day drink often?" I joked, hoping to lighten the tense mood. Those weren't the first words I wanted to exchange with her after all this time, but I could tell how quickly the atmosphere was spiraling already.

She shrugged and took a sip, not looking at me. "Only when I'm depressed, pissed off at the world, or both."

I blinked. "Okay." I nodded slowly.

Does this mean that she was just as upset about me as I was for her? As bad as it sounds, I was hopeful at that thought; that would mean that she still cares. And that I still have a chance to make things right with her or at least apologize. She's here now; alive. I don't plan on messing things up with her again. I have the opportunity to make up for my mistakes, if she'll let me.

"Cookie, anyone?" Padmé asked with a smile, holding out a plate of cookies she grabbed from the side glass table next to the couch.

I grinned in appreciation of Padmé's skills of adjusting any conversation.

"Don't mind if I do." I used the force to bring the entire plate into my hands, and began snacking instantly.

"How do you manage to eat so many cookies and still have a perfect body?" Elijah asked with a stunned expression.

But it was easy to tell that he was, like Padmé, attempting to redirect the tension in the room with a silly question. Though he's not wrong, I do have a perfect body.

I shrugged, "It just comes naturally." I winked, hoping to get a rise out of Obi-Wan.

And it must've worked, because he glared at me before turning to Elijah and asked, "But you love my body more. Right, darling?"

I almost choked on the cookie I was currently eating as I held back a burst of laughter. Even (y/n) began smiling again. Granted, she was probably only smiling because of Elijah, but it's better than her being angry.

"Only yours, Kenobi." He grinned in amusement and pinched Obi-Wan's cheek, leaning in to kiss him. As if forgetting the rest of us were present, he responded instantly by placing one hand on the back of Elijah's head to pull him in further, and using the other to grab his thigh.

Horny bastards. I thought with an eye roll. They can hardly keep their hands off of each other for more than a couple minutes.

"Okay." Ahsoka cleared her throat, grabbing everyone's attention again. "As much as we would all love to watch this," She smirked at how flustered the two men had become, "I think we should get back to my idea."

"Of course, Ahsoka." Obi-Wan agreed. "So, what is it exactly that you are suggesting?"

She hesitated and darted her eyes over to (y/n), then to me, and finally back to Obi-Wan, "Actually, do you mind if I go over this first with just Anakin?"

I rose an eyebrow, slowly crossing my arms. This ought to be interesting if she wants to talk to me privately.

Everyone willingly stood up from their spots on the couch and began to disperse. (y/n) stayed in her spot and looked at Ahsoka with a skeptical gaze, "Why don't I get to be here?"

Ahsoka shook her head, "I promise I'll fill you all in later, but Anakin and I need to talk first. Alone."

(y/n) sighed tiredly, and downed the rest of the remaining liquid in her glass, "Whatever." She placed her glass on the small side table atop a coaster. "I'm going to look for the liquor cabinet."

"Actually, (y/n), I was hoping to speak with you." Obi-Wan commented from where he stood at the hall that led to the front door, gesturing to it with a head tilt.

(y/n) scoffed and leaned against the wall on her shoulder, "And I was hoping for a lifetime supply of whiskey. But we can't always get what we want, can we?"

"(y/n)." Ahsoka scolded, narrowing her eyes.

(y/n)'s jaw clenched. She glanced at Ahsoka with a look that said "Do I have to?" Ahsoka nodded and shooed both her and Obi-Wan out of the main room and towards the front door, which led to the docks by the lake, leaving just us in the main room.

I chuckled drily when we were alone, "I'll go out on a limb and assume she didn't want to be here?" I asked sarcastically.

Ahsoka shook her head with a frown, "It took a lot of convincing her that we were doing this solely for the purpose of saving the galaxy. Aside from that I wanted to see you all, of course, though I don't think she was ready quite yet since we left to come here right after I told her you guys were staying here. I feel bad for rushing her, but I wanted to get here as soon as possible so we could figure something out." She explained.

I nodded, "It makes sense. I just....I don't know, it was weird seeing her after all this time. Especially since everyone believed she was dead. Even I was leaning towards that theory. But now that she's here and alive, I don't know what to do or how to act."

Seriously, I feel like I'm back in my teenage years when I never knew how to act around girls. But I always know how to act around girls, which is why this feeling is so unsettling.

A small smile tugged at her lips, "Just give her some time, Anakin. I trust that she'll come around eventually. But you have to apologize to her and explain yourself." She said sternly.

"I will, snips." I smiled reassuringly. That's what I planned to do as soon as I have the chance. "So, did you have some sort of plan?" I asked, rerouting the topic back to the main point.

She shrugged and began to slowly pace, "Honestly, I don't know if I'd even consider it a plan, but rather just a thought."

"Hey, a thought is better than nothing." I reminded her. At this point, we'll take what we can get.

She nodded, and subconsciously started scraping her fingernails against each other. "I haven't told (y/n) this yet because, like I said, I don't think she's ready since we've only just gotten here. But I agree with what Obi-Wan said about the prophecy. I've thought about it for a while now, and it's all starting to click. If you two are supposed to bring balance to the force by destroying the Sith, then the only way you can do that is if your connection is rebuilt. From what (y/n) has told me, everything was in perfect harmony when your bond with her was strong. But when it wasn't, that's when everything fell apart. The force is only in balance if you two are in balance with each other."

That's definitely not a huge amount of pressure placed on our shoulders.

My eyebrows rose, "So you want us to....reconnect?" I clarified.

She nodded, "Yes. And that's why I wanted to only tell you my thoughts first. She isn't ready yet, and we can't force her to bond with you; that's not how connections are built. They build naturally, take time and patience, which is something you'll need if you want her back." Her expression looked at me as if to get clarification of her statement.

"Yes." I agreed, "That's the only thing I want. To get my girl back. Or at the bare minimum, for her to not hate me." I grinned sheepishly.

Ahsoka chuckled lightheartedly and patted my shoulder, "Then you've got some work to do, Skywalker."

Obi-Wan-POV:

When Ahsoka told me that (y/n) was angry with Anakin and I, she was not kidding.

Though (y/n) reluctantly agreed with my request to talk to her, she's hardly made eye contact with me and hasn't spoken a single word. Instead, she went straight to the edge of the docks and gazed out into the crystal clear lake below.

It truly hurt my heart to see her so dejected and angry, but I understand why. She believed for the longest time that we purposely abandoned her forever, but that isn't true at all. I only hope I remind her how much we love her, and that she'll let us both apologize.

"(y/n)." I tried. But she remained with her back turned to me. Like I wasn't there at all.

"Please look at me." I prompted in a soft voice, wanting in no way to anger her into storming off.

"Why?" She whispered after a few moments, surprising me at her change in tone. I assumed she was whispering to hide the crack in her voice, but I still heard it.

"So you can look me in the eye and see that I am being sincere. Please." I pleaded.

My hope to not make her angry shattered, as she finally whirled around. "You want to talk? Fine. But I'm the one who's going to be talking." She pointed to herself. "You were my best friend, Obi-Wan. And the one time I needed you the most is when you left me in the dust. How do you think I felt that whole week? Having to train with that stupid bracelet all by myself?" She questioned angrily, and stepped forward to shove my chest with both of her hands.

I stumbled backwards but kept my footing. Just from that push, I can already tell that she's gotten a lot stronger.

"I went through hell. Do you know how many nights I spent thinking that you both didn't care about me anymore? How often I wished I would've died when I was thrown off of the temple?" Her voice cracked once more. My heart was slowly breaking again from the weight of all her words.

"If you would have just been there for me," Another shove to my chest, "And stood up to the Council, then maybe we wouldn't even be here, stuck on this planet hiding from the Empire!"

"(y/n)." I croaked, feeling my own tears beginning to form. The memory does justice for sure; I feel so foolish now for wanting the Council's approval. It wasn't worth losing my best friend.

She shook her head, "No, I hate you." She started rapidly throwing punches to my chest and stomach. "I hate you!" She was sobbing now, and her previous dry and ignorant facade had fallen. All the walls she built had finally cracked and her emotions poured out.

Instead of continuously moving backward away from her punches, I grabbed her arms to stop her and pulled her into me. At first she tried kicking me in response but then instantly stopped when I hugged her tightly in my arms, like both of our lives depended on it.

She still wept into my shoulder but stopped attacking me, thankfully. I'm positive that I will have bruises in the next morning.

I could feel her shaking, trembling as she continued to sob quietly into my shoulder. I held her tighter, "I'm so sorry." I whispered soothingly. "You are my best friend, you always have been. I never should have treated you the way I did. I should have been there for you." Her sobbing gradually became just small sniffles as my words seemed to grab her attention. "We searched for you, and hoped with all our hearts that you were alive. We never stopped caring for you." I began to rub her back when she stopped shaking. "I cannot change the past, but I can try to make up for it. Please let me."

I pulled away from the hug and looked down to her red puffy eyes. She didn't look angry anymore. I felt relief settle in my chest at the realization that she was considering my apology. I know she doesn't truly hate me or Anakin—if she did, she wouldn't have listened to me at all—but I believe she was simply trying to protect herself by saying that.

She wiped her nose with the back of her hand, and nodded once, "Okay." She looked up at me with an earnest expression, "I believe you."

(a/n): Hope you like it!💕 I'm sorry this is so late btw, I meant to have this chapter done a while ago but life got in the way and for a hot minute I didn't have any time to write. But at least it's done now :))) and I promise some (y/n) and Anakin content in the next chapter❤️