If Hate Leads to Suffering... | Obi Wan Kenobi

Act II. ix (alternate)

"My wife and I always wanted to adopt a girl."

Xaela's mouth was dry.

"And what about the boy?"

She felt guilty for wanting something to drink.

"Hidden he must be."

How could she be so selfish for wanting a glass of water when her friends have just died.

"Take him to Tatooine, stay with him you must."

Getting water would be hard on Tatooine.

"Watch over the girl Xaela will."

Her head shot up. Xaela started at the ancient green creature.

"What?" She nearly seethed.

"Go to Alderaan you will, protect the girl you must do." Yoda nodded.

"But Obi-Wan is going to Tatooine with Luke." Xaela thought that if Padme named them with her dying breaths, they should have the decency to use them.

"Separate are your missions, divided are your paths."

"Missions!" Xaela nearly yelled. "What do you mean 'missions'!"

She felt Obi-Wan place a hand on her arm but Xaela threw it off and stood up.

"The Jedi were slaughtered! There is no Order left, don't you dare talk about missions as if it's all back the way it was!"

"Xaela." Obi-Wan stood up to grab her.

She didn't notice she had moved towards Yoda, and sat back down beside her old Master with her arms crossed. Yoda did not look pleased.

"Careful," he said, "smart thing to do what I say."

"I will no longer listen to you." Xaela didn't scream, but her voice was still hard. "I'm going with Obi-Wan."

"Attached you two have been for a long time. Regretful that I did not stop it sooner I am." The Jedi Master said and Obi-Wan was nearly visibly upset at his words.

But Xaela didn't care. She grabbed Obi-Wan's hand and intertwined their fingers, half to comfort him and half to piss off Yoda.

But he didn't say anything more, and he didn't say anything when Xaela boarded the ship with Obi-Wan for Tatooine. Leia had gone with Bail Organa to Alderaan along with the two droids Anakin was fond of. Xaela thought that was a fair enough deal, and she would not be leaving Obi-Wan.

She held Luke for the trip, but she couldn't look at him either. She knew if she did that she would start crying.

It was a solemn parting, giving the infant to his Uncle and Aunt with the brief explanation that there was no one else to take care of him. Obi-Wan did the talking, like he always did. But Xaela didn't mind so much this time.

And then they found their own place. Far enough from everyone that they could be alone. If there was one time they could understand the Jedi Code preaching no attachments, it was then, while they were alone with the heartbreak of losing Anakin. And that night, Xaela heard Obi-Wan softly crying. She didn't know what to do, she didn't have to enter his mind to feel his pain - she felt it within herself too. She didn't want him to cry, but she didn't know how to comfort him, so she turned over and ran her hand up and down his back, just so he knew she was there for him.

And they were there for each other.

Had she gone to Alderaan, both of them would have crumbled. Xaela didn't know if it was love that she had for Obi-Wan, because she saw what love did, but she knew that she couldn't live without him. She knew that despite the pain, he made life bearable and enjoyable.

And they grew old.

And Xaela slowly ran out of things to talk about. Obi-Wan slowly stopped prompting her to speak, missing the way she used to bother him with her endless conversations. They soon evolved into comfortable silence; small actions more than words.

Everyone knew the two old hermits, Ben and Ela Kenobi. Warriors a lifetime ago, but now live in solitude, rumour has it they lost a few dears friends along the way.

Then one day, Xaela got the courage to ask something that had been on her mind. She had a long time to think - years, at least - but no amount of time in her mind could give her a satisfactory answer.

"Obi." She called when he came home one night.

She immediately got his attention, he hadn't heard her call him that in a lifetime. And it felt so good to hear her say it, he felt like he was back in his old dorm with her in his arms again.

"Yes, my darling?"

She smiled at the nickname.

"I asked you this a long time ago, and I was wondering if you finally had an answer for me." He sat down in the chair beside her.

"You've asked me a lot of things." He grabbed her hand and kissed her knuckles.

"If hate leads to suffering, what does love lead to?"

He smiled such a soft, sad smile. The wrinkles around his eyes and the flecks of grey sprinkled across his hair and beard reminded her of the time that had passed. But he would always be as handsome as the day she fell in love with him.

"Love led me to you." He said. "And it is the greatest thing I could've asked for."