AS LONG AS THE STARS ARE ABOVE YOU [A CASSIAN ANDOR x READER STORY]

epilogue

600 words

Parents weren't meant to outlive their children. 

He always knew that. Losing you was a fear of his, but he was confident in his abilities to protect you from harm. Of course, the Force had plans outside of what he desired. The Force called you home before he was ready to say goodbye, but it would be selfish to stop you. 

And so he felt you leave the universe. The absence of you was a crushing blow to his very being that sent him crumbling to the floor, pained sobs leaving his mouth as he wailed into the rug he fell apart on. Never had there been a pain as great as this one.

"I've been waiting for you, Obi-Wan. We meet again at last." 

Pain. Obi-Wan had thought he was ready for this, the reunion between he and his brother. As he stared into the emotionless eyes of the black mask, flashes of memories of a smiling young man crossed his mind. He ignited his lightsaber just as Darth Vader ignited his; the conflicting colors bounced off the walls and reflected off the shininess of the robotic object in front of him. The piece of machine he once called a friend. 

"The circle is now complete. When I left you, I was but a learner. Now I am the master." 

"Only a master of evil, Darth," Obi-Wan replied. Their weapons clashed as they moved around one another. They weren't as quick in their steps in their older age, but neither held back as they fought. Darth Vader wanted him dead and Obi-Wan knew he wouldn't rest until that want was true. 

"Your powers are weak, old man," Vader sneered. 

"You can't win, Darth. If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine." 

The weapons crashed together, sparks of purple flying from where they met. Obi-Wan clenched his teeth with the effort it took to shove Darth away from him. 

"You should not have come back," Darth Vader warned. 

And so they pressed on. With every movement, Obi-Wan grew more exhausted. You were on the front of his mind. He felt your presence beside him, urging him to keep fighting. Soon he would meet you where you were, but not yet. He had to wait. 

"Ben?" 

The soft voice of the young Skywalker boy met his ears. Obi-Wan glanced to the side, where he saw the two he had longed to see together for a long time. Luke and Leia, reunited once again, both of them a threat to the reign of Darth Vader. He was able to exhale in that moment. 

Your mission was complete. The path was set, and Luke and Leia would lead the rest of the Rebellion to victory. 

Obi-Wan looked not at Vader, but behind him, where he saw the image of you. You were standing there, dressed in robes of soft grey, your hair cascaded in beautiful waves behind you. You reached out your hand for him. He saw, behind you, the boy you'd risked it all to save --- and he smiled. You were telling him to come with you. His time was up, your time was up, and it was time to rest in knowing that the galaxy would soon be at peace. 

Obi-Wan shut his eyes and raised his weapon. 

"Ben!" 

As the lightsaber struck him, he exhaled once again, feeling the weight of the wars and hardships melt away as the warm embrace of his daughter met him once again, pulling him into the stars. 

thank you all for reading AS LONG AS THE STARS ARE ABOVE YOU. i know that this fic is on the shorter side, especially compared to HEAVY IN YOUR ARMS, but i really just had this short story in mind for Cassian and the reader. i wanted to expand on his role as a fulcrum and i was really interested in using prequel characters as well! i hope that you liked this story, and i promise there will be more Cassian fics from me in the future once his series releases in 2022!

special thanks to sondercoyfish once again for making the edits showcased in this fic. she works really hard on those and they're always so gorgeous!

and thank you to Melonhead15 who once again was my editor, supporter, and idea giver as i battled with forming this story of a reader that was a Kenobi, a Jedi, and chosen by Ahsoka Tano to save the Rebellion.

and of course thank you to everyone else who supported this book by voting, commenting, or simply reading! i am excited to announce my next Star Wars fanfic VERY SOON!

much love to you all!