Hello, hello — just a reminder I'll be posting exclusively on AO3 from now on! Thank you :)

Other than that, I just want to say one final thank you for reading and farewell. It's been a pleasure sharing this story with you over the years and I'm grateful for all the love and support. You were all along with me on a ride more personal than I've ever shared with anyone in real life, and if you made it all the way to the end, I owe you my gratitude. Thousands of hours went into researching, writing, editing, rereading, brainstorming, plotting this story. Absolutely worth it. I've come across a stray mention of Asylum here and there on the internet over the years, which is absolutely mind-blowing. No matter where I end up in life, this will always be one of my greatest accomplishments.

That's enough of my sentimentality — except it's not because I got a whole chapter of it for you. Enjoy, and may the — oh, you know how it goes.

When Obi-Wan was finished surveying the lower depths of the palace on Serenno, he found Anakin not where he'd left him, but rather outside, perched upon a fence, staring out at the dark forest. In him, the Force was murky and muddled, confused and deeply emotional. It was hard for him, Obi-Wan knew, being back in this place, but they had been unable to evacuate due to the space battle. It took Anakin several long moments to realize Obi-Wan was there, and then several more for him to swing back into reality from wherever his psyche had been lurking.

Once Obi-Wan was sure Anakin had come out of an understandable dissociative state, he gently put a hand on his friend's shoulder. Briefly, he nodded to Captain Rex, who had been doing Obi-Wan the personal favor of keeping an eye on Anakin while he was gone, and with a salute Rex left them alone.

"How are you feeling?"

Anakin just shrugged.

"We've received word from the fleet," Obi-Wan said, leaning against the fence. "The battle is done. Which means at long last, the Clone War is over." He couldn't suppress a relieved smile, one that Anakin did not return. "And not a moment too soon."

"What did you find?" Anakin asked abruptly, staring again off into the distance. Obi-Wan did not need to ask what he was talking about.

"I have clones datamining the archive in the security systems," he said. "The Council will have to comb through the information retrieved. I expect it should take some time." It was not until Anakin locked eyes with him that Obi-Wan reluctantly answered his question. "I don't want to make you feel worse than you already do."

Anakin's face darkened. "There's only one person who could do that, and I just killed him."

Obi-Wan nodded. "There are…recordings. Plans, medical reports. Progress logs." Without even closing his eyes, he could picture what he had seen with precise clarity. Anakin, fastened to a horrific torture device, stripped of his autonomy. Owned again by others. Little more to those around him than a lab animal. Nothing more to the Sith than a slave.

Suddenly, Obi-Wan had to fight off a great wave of sorrow on behalf of his friend. He felt an urgent need for Anakin's forgiveness. "I should not have watched. Anakin — I'm so sorry."

"Don't," Anakin said, though not angrily. "Don't apologize. I wouldn't be here if not for you. You're the only reason I'm Anakin, not Vader." He swallowed hard. "Not Darth Vader. Knowing you've seen it, I feel like…I'm not so alone anymore."

Obi-Wan moved to sit uncomfortably on the fence next to him, placing a loving hand on Anakin's back. "I just need you to be aware," he said carefully, "That this may not remain a secret forever. I cannot keep this from the Council, and it is not impossible that someone with allegiance to the Sith has copies of the everything. I need you to be prepared for the possibility that some day, knowledge of your time here may become public."

He allowed Anakin a moment to take this in, and watched him grimace and bow his head at the thought. "I promise you," Obi-Wan continued, "If that time comes, the Jedi will protect you. I will protect you."

"Thank you," Anakin said quietly, and then something seemed to overcome him and he looked wildly into Obi-Wan's eyes. "Really, thank you. For taking care of me…for everything."

Obi-Wan smiled at him. "Our journey does not end here, my friend. We may yet have more trials before us."

"Oh, I'm pretty confident the worst part of my life is over," Anakin said wistfully. He stared off across the darkened forest, not really seeing it. Obi-Wan felt the Force swirl around his friend, magnified in him as it always was. "I never expected to actually be optimistic about the future, but…the Force spoke to me today. And it was so beautiful. Do you feel it, Obi-Wan?"

He did feel it. "The Force is in balance."

Despite a clear mental unrest from the events today, the lingering effects of all the ailments that plagued Anakin, mentally and physically — Obi-Wan sensed something he'd never felt in his friend before. A sense of fulfillment. A feeling that for once in his life — Anakin was satisfied. For once, he did not want more.

Anakin closed his eyes and turned his face skyward, at peace in a way Obi-Wan had never seen him. Had never even felt for himself. "So am I."

On a permacrete plain close to the Senate dome, a crowd of people swarmed. There were holocameras and Jedi, military officers, Senators, reporters, all waiting for the same thing. Like all of them, Padmé had her eyes trained at the sky, searching for — there. Three huge triangular Republic star destroyers, descending slowly. More of them as well, farther away. The crowd buzzed with excitement, stood their ground as the cruisers touched down with enormous creaks of metal, blowing musty air through the onlookers. She could hardly see around her and craned her neck, thinking why did she have to be so short. More people joined the crowd. Clones, Republic officials, more clones, a few Jedi but not the ones she was looking for….

There. There he was. Mingling with soldiers, shaking hands with the boys of the 501st. Padmé wondered if this was a goodbye for them. No one knew what would become of the clone army. After the control chips and everything that had happened to them, and to the galaxy…. Mindlessly, she approached them, romantic music playing in her head….

And that was when he spotted her, and his eyes lit up just a second before his smile and a moment later she had her arms tight around his shoulders. He was laughing as he wrapped his arms around her, lifted her a few inches off the ground and twirled her around. Suddenly she forgot about everyone else, forgot the crowds and the Jedi and the media, and the star destroyers and the sun and the moons and this planet, forgot them because this was the only thing that was important right now, her and Anakin in each other's arms again, at last. At long last.

Her feet were on the ground again and they moved a little more apart, still in each other's arms. She looked up at him and he looked down at her. She said, breathless, "Everything all right?"

He nodded, exhilarated. "Everything's good."

"Obi-Wan and Ahsoka are okay?"

"They're right over there, they're great."

"And you? Are you okay?"

Anakin grinned. "I'm great, too. Are you?"

"Yes," Padmé said, unable to look away from his beautiful blue eyes. The ones that had seen too much. Him, he had seen and done so much, but still he had it in him to smile at her the way he was now. "You know, I would really like to kiss you."

He blinked, not quite prepared for the bluntness of her statement – and then a moment later, he moved in and then she moved in and then, finally, finally finally finally –

It was – too good for words. Amazing. Incredible. Perfect. It was so good, so purely wonderfully undeniably good. Stomach fluttering, heart pounding. She was transcending, to her own universe where all that existed was the two of them, a universe made out of nothing but her love for him. She had so much of it that felt like she needed an entire universe to fit it all, so much that it hurt. So much that she might burst. All of her senses felt so overwhelmed, it was as if she was a receptacle for the thoughts and feelings of everyone in the crowd that swelled around them. It was so...much.... In fact, she realized hazily, it was kind of what she imagined having the Force would feel like.

Abruptly, they broke apart, and it took Padmé just a few seconds to find her way back to reality. Once again, she looked up and him, and he looked down at her.

With complete certainty, Padmé said over all the voices around them, "I love you."

Across his face was a flash of hesitance, like he wanted to say it but didn't trust himself. And that was okay. Padmé withdrew one arm from around his shoulder and put it over his heart. "It's all right," she said honestly. "My feelings have never changed, and I never expected you to feel the same. It's an unusual situation, and I don't know what's going to happen from now on, but I need you to know that I will support anything you do, even if it doesn't involve me."

"I want it to involve you," Anakin said, his hands still snug around her waist, and suddenly he seemed more sure of himself than she had ever known him to be. "It will involve you. I just need to figure some things out about myself first."

"What do you mean?"

His gaze shifted away from hers like it often did when he tapped into the Force. She wished she could feel it, too, just to be closer with him. "I know now that I was put here for a reason," he said with perfect clarity. "I never wanted to believe in destiny because it was just another thing I couldn't control. But I was made for this. It's just…true. Now I've fulfilled that purpose, and I feel like I don't know who I am without it."

Anakin did not seem upset by this. Rather, he seemed…peaceful. Content. Thoughtful. So far from the impulsive, passionate, insecure boy she had fallen in love with on Naboo, or the broken and tortured man he had become. There was still plenty of each in there, she was sure. His traumas would not leave him just because the origin of that trauma was dead. But something else had happened besides the death of his abuser, something that brought him this clarity, and whatever it was, she was so grateful for. She could not have been happier for him.

Padmé leaned up to kiss him once more, softer this time, and it did not feel like a goodbye. She had waited this long, she could wait a little longer. "Take all the time you need," she whispered. "I'll be here."

He smiled warmly at her, and they held hands as they made their way through the crowd to Obi-Wan and Ahsoka, each of whom she hugged tightly. A moment later, the four of them were faced with Masters Yoda and Windu and a handful of other Jedi Council members in tow. Yoda, with both hands on his walking stick, nodded kindly up at Padmé before turning to her friends.

"All of you, a job well done," Yoda said. "For nine hundred years have I been a Jedi, and never have I known the Force to feel this way."

"On behalf of the Jedi Order, we thank you all," Windu said in agreement. "The end of the Sith brings a new era of peace to the galaxy. Each of you has contributed to this. The Republic is in your debt."

"Skywalker," said Yoda. "Wish you still not to be a Jedi? Confer upon you the rank of Master we will, should you return. Earned it you have."

There was no hesitation in Anakin's face. Just a small, humble smile. It appeared the clarity he'd had when talking to Padmé had not faded. "Thank you, Master Yoda," he said. "Truly. But I'm done seeking power for myself. I already have everything I need."

Padmé did not know Yoda very well, far from it, but even as an outsider looking in she could tell the wizened Jedi Master was satisfied with this response. "Nevertheless," he replied, "A home you shall have in the temple. Welcome there you are, always."

"Thank you," Anakin said again.

"Padawan Tano," Yoda said, turning to Ahsoka. "How feel you?"

Ahsoka seemed surprised to have attention turned on her. "I am peaceful, Master."

"Grown much you have since the start of the Clone War. Trained you well, Skywalker and Kenobi have. The rank of Jedi Knight you have earned, but keep you as a Padawan we will for now. Learn first you must to be a Jedi in peaceful times."

"I understand, Master," Ahsoka said, bowing. "And I am honored. Thank you."

"May the Force be with you," Yoda said to all of them, and the members of the Council bowed away.

Padmé playfully hit Ahsoka's arm. Next to her Anakin was practically buzzing with pride. "Look at you!"

"I'm kind of relieved," Ahsoka said, letting out a deep breath. "I feel like fighting is all I know. I wouldn't even know where to begin if I was sent to solve a trade dispute."

"Then we had best start learning," Obi-Wan said, smiling.

Ahsoka put a hand on her hip. "Maybe a break first, Master?"

"I'll do you one better," Padmé said, feeling a great big grin take over. "How about a vacation?"

The four of them travelled shortly thereafter to Padmé's family's lakeside estate on Naboo, and Anakin didn't think he had ever seen a place so beautiful. He had, he learned, been here before, but if there was one advantage to his condition (there weren't many) it was rediscovering this beautiful place for the first time.

His memory had gotten a lot better, over time. He remembered Tatooine and his mother quite well, and decent chunks here and there of training with Obi-Wan. More recent events, like the majority of the Clone War, were more sporadic in his recollection, but he had come to find that he didn't mind so much anymore. Like he had just told Yoda, he had what he needed. The love of his three friends and a deep, personal connection with the Force. He was content.

"I have some news," Obi-Wan said as he sat down at the dining table after they had all gotten settled and begun to relax.

Ahsoka had already begun to eat, but she dropped her fork to look at Obi-Wan in curiosity. "What is it, Master?"

Anakin already knew what his friend was going to say, so he smiled down at his lap as Obi-Wan said, "I've resigned from the Jedi Council. I had my last meeting with them yesterday."

Padmé looked impressed, but Ahsoka's jaw had dropped. "But why?"

"I no longer agree with their views on attachment," Obi-Wan said simply. He looked at Anakin fondly. "I have seen firsthand that it can lead people to do great things."

Ahsoka was frowning. "Then shouldn't you stay on and try to change their minds?"

"Even if I could, I would not wish to," Obi-Wan said. "The Council isn't wrong, Ahsoka. It will always be true that uncontrolled attachment can lead to jealousy and fear. That is the philosophy of the Jedi Code. However, I have come to accept that the Code is but one interpretation of the will of the Force. Now that the war is over, I'd like to spend some time shaping my own interpretation."

"How did they react to you leaving?" Padmé asked, reaching for a roll.

"Surprisingly well," Obi-Wan said thoughtfully. "I think they knew it was coming."

"Are you staying in the Order?" Ahsoka asked, drumming her fingers on the tabletop.

"Don't worry, I will not abandon my Padawan," he said with a smile. "But I won't rule out that leaving may one day be in my path."

Ahsoka looked down. "But what if it was in my path?"

"Then I will support you in whatever way I can," Obi-Wan said simply. "If that is what you want, I understand. Just make sure that is what you truly want. Don't be impulsive."

She nodded thoughtfully into a bite of her food, then put down her fork again. "Can I just say…I always thought about the Jedi as my family, and of the temple as my home. But it's not true, because I realized this, right here —" she tapped at the center of the table with her finger "—this is my real family. All of you. We've been through the most insane things, like…killing all the Sith, for example, and I'm pretty sure we were all extremely depressed at one point." They all laughed, realizing it was true. "It's crazy. I mean, you're a queen, you're a…slave turned Jedi turned Sith turned Chosen One, apparently, and you're…the Negotiator."

They all laughed again. "Don't remind me," said Obi-Wan.

"My point is, you are my family," Ahsoka said passionately. "And I'll go wherever you go. That's where I belong, that's my home."

They finished eating in a comfortable silence, content just to be in each other's company. Anakin sensed that agreement to Ahsoka's words was unanimous. Padmé picked up her drink glass and said dreamily, "I've been thinking, too, about some changes. I don't think I'm there yet, but one day soon I will leave the Senate. I've never really had a chance to do my own thing…none of us have, I guess. The four of us, we've always served, haven't we? I think maybe in a few years…I'll be ready to do what I really want."

Obi-Wan said, "And what is that?"

Padmé took a sip of wine. "Well, move back home, that's for sure," she said, looking around fondly at the room. "After that, I don't really know. I…I want kids one day. I spent some time with my sister's kids not too long ago and it got me thinking about it. And now that the galaxy is a safer place, I'm not so afraid to raise one anymore."

She twisted a lock of hair around her finger, daydreaming.

Obi-Wan turned his head and said, "Anakin? What is it that you want from this new era of peace?"

That was an interesting question. He wanted a lot of things, wanted them intensely. He wanted to fly, wanted good health, wanted to be with these three people, right here, forever. After thinking a moment, though, he knew. "I already have what I want."

"What?" Ahsoka said.

Anakin turned his gaze away from the twilight sky beyond the balcony, a deep cloudy purple. He looked at them and all his worries seemed to melt away. He smiled. "I'm free."