First chapter = disclaimers.

It has been a very long time since my last update. First, I got a temporary job. Then my dog got sick and died. My muse has been subsequently unpredictable.

My apologies. I lost my creative stroke on this story, so I had to use what I had already written. It is not my best work, but I have finished this story so you won't be left hanging. My thanks for your support. You were a great group of readers.

{telepathy}

`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

 As he sat once again in the small living room on Tatooine, Obi-Wan glanced from one face to another of his family. Desperately, he looked at his Master who stood calmly beside him.

"I think that we have a multitude of problems," he began his accent rougher due to recent strain. "The most prevalent of these problems is how to get me home. The second is the fact that I as a Jedi cannot withhold information that will harm the Republic. I am sworn to protect it. This will, of course, either erase this timeline or simply create a parallel universe. In either case, I will not see you again. I am… sorry for your loss, but your son will be better off remembered as he was. He will have a good home."

Qui-Gon discretely coughed into his hand. {That was a very inventive way of using the standard crèche recruiting speech, Padawan.}

{It worked, Master. I don't think anyone can handle the complexities of my origin right now. It is best for them to simply separate Obi-Wan from Ben in their minds.}

{And yours also?}

{I believe I will need much time in meditation after this.}

Luke closed his eyes for a moment and then refocused on Ben, "I know you're right, but you'll forgive me if I say that I'll have a hard time losing you for the third time."

Obi-Wan smiled, "You hardly know me as me. I'd disappoint you either way. I can never be the free spirit that was your son, nor would I be the consummate Jedi Master you knew. I think I'd bore Mara to death after a while. I'm quite stuck in my ways."

"This coming from a guy that jumped out of a three hundred story window," Han remarked.

Obi-Wan smiled, "I will do what I must."

{Oh, breaking down to quoting your master young Padawan?} Qui-Gon practically beamed.

{Enough Master, or I'll cut your hair in the middle of the night.}

Mara shook her head, "I don't think you'd bore me, kid. But, we're here to say our goodbyes aren't we? I mean, Anakin is working on your ticket home in the next room. You're going we're staying, and we might not survive it. But if we don't we'll never have existed in this way, so we won't regret your decision."

Han scratched his head, opened his mouth for a wisecrack and then closed it. Leia smiled at her husband gratefully. She stood and walked over to Obi-Wan, "Both you and Master Jinn have been a gift of knowledge. We will all miss you."

"Thank you, Senator," Qui-Gon bowed at his waist while Obi-Wan nodded his head from his seated position.

Tahiri got up from her seat with tears in her eyes, "I don't know whether to be sorry that I helped cause this or if I should be happy. Goodbye, Ben. Mr. Jinn."

Jacen and Jaina said their goodbyes together, the former mentioning Tenel Ka's best wishes.

Han and Chewie grunted their goodbyes with some sort of lewd humor that Leia distinctly did not approve of.

Qui-Gon smiled and motioned towards the doorway with his hand, "I believe that Luke and Mara would like to say their farewells in private. Perhaps we should leave."

"Actually, that won't be necessary," Anakin's said as he came into the room.

"What? Why?" Luke queried.

"Because, it would disrupt the time stream. I sent a small holorecorder through the portal to make sure it wouldn't scramble them on their way back, and I found out something interesting. The two of them are already there. Apparently, the vortex we used to retrieve Ben actually duplicated them. One set stayed in their original places. The other came here."

"You mean that we are virtually stuck here?" Obi-Wan's voice had a slight squeak to it.

"Hey, we aren't that bad," Han responded.

"Of, course not. I did not mean to malign you, it is just that I will never see my friends again or set foot in the temple or see my own room. It is a bit of a shock," Obi-Wan apologized.

Luke smiled, "I don't think that there's a need to apologize. You've been through a lot. So have you, Master Jinn. Since it appears that you can't go back, you are more than welcome to join the new Jedi order. I'm sure we could use your insights. Your historical knowledge would be most helpful."

Qui-Gon smiled a thin smile, "I do not see that we have much of a choice, Master Skywalker. Our only other option is to become smugglers and given your track record, we would eventually become recruited anyway."

Mara snorted, "That was easy."

"Not all decisions in life are difficult," Qui-Gon replied.

````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

Obi-Wan Kenobi looked out over the forest below him. His new room at the Jedi Temple on Yavin IV sported a small balcony much like the quarters that he used to share with his Master. Absently, he rubbed his thirteenth birthday present between his palms. He was glad that he had it with him on the day he was taken back.

He was glad it was with him, even if it was only a copy. Even if he was only a copy…

The Force could have a cruel sense of humor, he decided.

Qui-Gon silently slipped up from behind his apprentice, "You are thinking too much on your future and your past. You need to be focused on the present."

Obi-Wan spared his master a small grin, "At least you have not changed, Master. I, I do not think I would be able to bear it if I had lost everything. Is it wrong to be happy that you share my fate?"

"Not wrong, Obi-Wan, merely human. And, unlike the council, I have no problem with you being human. I have no doubt that this time and this place will yield many different challenges to us than what we are used to, but think of the positives, no more settling petty disputes for the council, no more being berated by the council for our solutions,…"

"No more council period?" Obi-Wan laughed at his master.

"Ah, Obi-Wan you always bounce back so quickly. You've already started to make fun of me again."

"Well, I have been here before, Master."

"Indeed you have, and together, we will see if we can't teach these new Jedi a thing or two. After all, you still have an apprentice that needs to be taught proper Jedi etiquette."

Qui-Gon's laughter and Obi-Wan's groans were heard throughout the forest as they began their new journey.

```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

The End