Sorry for taking so long to update.. here it is!

…

"Anakin? What on earth are you doing?"

The ten year-old padawan spun around guiltily. He hastily shoved his latest pet project off his desk as he turned to face the now well-known disapproving stare that was his master's trademark.

"Nothing, Master," he said innocently. Obi-Wan snorted.

"Padawan, the day that answer is actually true is the day Master Windu dances a jig naked around the Council chambers." The Knight's brow lifted ever so slightly as Anakin's face split into a wide grin. Never a fan of the serious Korunn master, the boy delighted in imagining Master Windu's carefully constructed stoicism shattering. Preferably in public.

"Well," said Anakin slyly, "I guess I'll have to make sure that someday that answer actually is true!"

The corner of Obi-Wan's mouth twitched ever so slightly. "I know you don't think too highly of the Council, Anakin, but even you might want to spare them that sight. Now, put that droid away, yes I can see it, and tell me, have you finished your homework?"

Fidgeting in his chair, Anakin responded, "Yes! That's why I was catching up on my real work," he said grinning again.

Obi-Wan sighed. "I know History of Galactic Theater isn't your favorite class Padawan, but it is important. Presentations like the one you'll give tomorrow teach you valuable skills. You need to learn how to present yourself properly, speak with articulation…."

Anakin nodded obediently as his master provided another lecture on the importance of school or patience or something. He let his attention wander, nodded every now and then, and then eventually checked back in to see if the lecture was nearing its end.

"…put forth your best effort so that you get the most out of these classes. Understood, Anakin?"

"Yes, Master!"

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. He doubted his Padawan had really listened, but it was late, and he could always exact his revenge through extra meditation later. Well not revenge, he thought to himself. That was unbefitting. Just a bit a masterly discipline, really.

"Now, Anakin, do you need help rehearsing your monologue?"

Anakin shook his head, his short braid waving erratically . "I'll be fine! I already rehearsed." Well sort of. He had skimmed through the script and then started to play with his droid, but honestly, how hard could it be?

Obi-Wan frowned at him. "Are you sure you're ready, Padawan? Even with extensive preparation, it can still be very difficult to pull a monologue like this off."

"I'll be fine, Master," Anakin assured him. He would look through the script one more time before he went to bed and he would be fine. Even he could handle some dumb theater piece.

"Well if that's the case then, I will head off to bed. Some of the other masters and I will be listening in on the classes early tomorrow to see how they're progressing. Perhaps we might even visit one of yours."

"Aw, when I become a Knight, am I gonna have to go back to those classes?"

Obi-Wan quirked a smile. "Learning never ends my very young Padawan. Now change your clothes and get to bed."

Anakin nodded and moved over to his drawers. Before his master left though, he called out one last question. "Hey, Master? You had this same assignment when you were a padawan right? How was your presentation?"

Obi-Wan seemed to freeze and Anakin could've sworn he saw his normally serene master's eye twitch.

"It was… quite memorable, Padawan. Now go to sleep."

…

Anakin woke up the next day to the aggravating beeps of his alarm. He groaned and rolled over when he felt a sharp pain in his ribs. Adjusting his covers, he propped himself on his elbows and found the source of his pain: his datapad. Anakin frowned. He was a little absent-minded, sure, but why had he left his datapad in bed…?

The speech. He had been "practicing" his speech.

And had fallen asleep.

Scrambling out of bed, Anakin began throw his clothes on as his eyes frantically skimmed through the monologue. He was supposed to playing the role of some down on his luck teacher whose wife had left him. It was a horrible role. The guy never smiled, always complained, and bored his students to death…

Anakin could really only imagine a Master Windu, but with more hair, probably.

Clutching the datapad, Anakin bolted into the kitchen of his and Obi-Wan's apartment. His master had already left, gone to observe classes as he had mentioned, so Anakin was left to throw together a hasty breakfast as he quickly tried to memorize his lines.

Poodoo! There was no way he was gonna memorize this in the ten minutes he had before class. Anakin groaned. Obi-Wan would find out he hadn't actually done his homework and would subject him to some horrible cruel punishment like meditation or a lecture.

Furiously skimming the datapad, Anakin instead chose to memorize a few key points the teacher had said and decided to wing the rest. For all Obi-Wan said about preparation, a good Jedi had to be able to improvise too, right?

Plan in place, Anakin gulped down the rest of his breakfast and flew to class. He settled into his seat just as Master Nu began calling the list of presenters. Just his luck. He would present third.

"Now class, remember this. This assignment is meant to teach you how to speak with articulation and conviction. While memorization is certainly an important component to demonstrate your preparation, the bulk of your grade will be determined by the actual manner of your delivery. Those of you that have a less than adequate grade currently," Master Nu said with a pointed look at Anakin, "Would do well to keep that in mind. Now, Darra if you would be so kind as to go first…"

Anakin squirmed in seat, his mind racing furiously. It looked like his plan would work! He just had to put some power into the words and he should be fine. Then he groaned silently. Too bad his character was one of the blandest, more boring people who had ever graced the history of theater. All too late, Anakin understood what Master Nu had droned on about "inspiration."

He straightened. That's it! He just had to be inspired, that was all. He grinned. And he had the perfect model to emulate.

Bouncing in seat, Anakin listened to the presenters before him as he waited for his name to be called. He probably should be trying to cram a few of lines into his head before starting, but hey he had the general idea of what was going on, right?

When it was his turn, Anakin leapt out of seat and dramatically turned to face the class with a scowl. He crossed his arms over his chest and stood with his feet slightly apart. With a disapproving stare at the class he began to speak.

"When my wife left me, I bawled," he said seriously. "You can't tell, because I obviously seem like a heartless and boring old guy but it's true."

Ok, so he was definitely ad-libbing here, and, judging by Master Nu's disapproving stare, had likely not come to the same interpretation of the text as she had, but honestly, that was what the guy had basically said.

His classmates, on the other hand, were looking at him with some interest. Anakin's first line was spoken with a very distinct cadence. Coupled with his intimidating stance and stare, they couldn't help but notice some resemblance between the young padawan and certain well-known master…

Master Windu, to be exact.

Ignoring Master Nu's hard gaze, Anakin continued. "But since I'm a big tough guy with no hair, I fought my way through and decided to keep torturing my students with my long boring lectures."

A few giggles could be heard in classroom. Between the sparkling imagery and Anakin's perfect impersonation, no one could really deny who it was that had "inspired" Anakin. Master Nu, at any rate, did nothing to stop him. Anakin chose to believe that it was because she secretly agreed with his flawless interpretation of the teacher.

And so Anakin continued, delivering a dramatic and honest portrayal of the lonely teacher who just so happened to bear a striking resemblance to Master Windu.

When he finished, the class politely clapped as they did with all presenters, and Anakin gave a triumphant bow. He had done it! Straightening from his bow he beamed at his classmates before realizing that one lone clapper had continued to applaud slowly, though everyone else had stopped.

Turning his eyes toward the door, Anakin's legs turned to jelly. There stood Master Obi-Wan, who had mentioned that he would join some other masters in observing the classes today.

Apparently, those "other masters" included Jedi Master Mace Windu, clapping by the door.

From which he and Obi-Wan had watched his whole performance.

"Master Windu, Master Kenobi, what a delight to have you here," said Master Nu with a tight smile. "I hope you enjoyed Padawan Skywalker's performance."

"Oh yes, Master Nu," said Master Obi-Wan. Though he had come to recognize what most of Obi-Wan's faces meant, Anakin couldn't quite decide if his master was livid or… amused?

Master Windu, on the other hand, proved fairly easy to read. "Quite," he growled. "Excuse us, Master Nu, but would you mind if we borrowed Padawan Skywalker for just a moment?"

Anakin spun to look Master Nu, looking at her with the biggest, most innocent eyes he could muster. Ignoring him, Master Nu replied, "Of course you may, Master Windu."

Gulping, Anakin made his way to the doorway to join the two masters. Looking at the floor, he felt Master Obi-Wan firmly grip his shoulder and steer him down the hallway. He dared to risk a glance up toward his mentor, his pleading eyes begging him to have mercy on his poor soul. Master Obi-Wan, however, continued to look forward with an unreadable expression, leaving his unfortunate apprentice to ponder his fate.

Reaching the end of the hallway, Master Windu turned to face the young delinquent. "Well, Padawan Skywalker," he began, "Care to explain?"

…

Present Day

Ahsoka hadn't laughed this hard in years. Despite his normally controlled demeanor, Obi-Wan couldn't stop the chuckles that escaped him either.

"Well, I think that definitely takes the cake!" Ahsoka laughed. "What happened after?"

Anakin snorted. "Master Windu yelled at me about respect or something for like twenty minutes before making me scrub the Council chamber clean. With a toothbrush."

Obi-Wan stopped laughing enough to address his scowling former padawan. "Honestly, Anakin you could have gotten off much worse. That was quite a performance you gave."

Anakin glared at him. "You didn't even help! You just stood there while he went crazy and sentenced me to my doom!"

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. "I am so glad to see that your dramatic side hasn't abated since then." He grinned mischievously. "And to be perfectly honest, the reason I didn't say anything was because I thought I would burst out laughing." He chuckled. "As disrespectful as it was, it one of the most hilarious things I had ever seen. You really did do a quite accurate job."

Anakin's eyes widened. "Really?"

Obi-Wan nodded, smiling. "If you recall, I didn't even lecture you after that." His eyes darkened a little. "It was the first time I had felt like laughing that hard since Naboo," he said quietly.

Anakin looked at him in surprise, a little stunned at the confession. Then, he face split into a grin and he slapped Obi-Wan on the back. "I'm glad all my scrubbing was worth it then."

Obi-Wan smiled. "Indeed it was."

Ahsoka looked between them, feeling the warmth of their bond. Then, grinning, she clapped her hands. "Well, I'm glad I'm not the only one with acting troubles. Let's go spar, you brigands."

…

Thank you all for reading and reviewing! Had to add some FLUFF there at the end for my overprepared nerd and underprepared drama queen. I hope you enjoyed! Feel free to leave comments or suggestions!