Apologies about the wait! Hope this makes up for it, and I hope you enjoy it. It closes off this story arc, but there's still one or two more chapters to come, just to finish off what happened.

Please, please, please reveiw. I'm really hoping to hit 100(!) reveiws with this chapter- it'd be an absolute dream come true to reach that goal!

Chapter 13

"Never thought I'd see you again. What brings you here?" There was distrust in the cyborg's voice.

"It's not on Dooku's orders, if that's what you're thinking. I was hoping I could rest here a while."

Grievous swung the door wider, welcoming her inside. "Who's mad at you now?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" She'd taken no time at all curling up on his couch.

"You're here to hide. And I want to know why."

"I'm only staying for a night. Just to rest. Then I'll go back."

"Back where? Dooku?"

"No. The Jedi Temple, if you can believe it."

"Why would you go there? Better question, why would you go back there?"

"It's a very long story, but to get to the point, my loyalties aren't to Dooku anymore either."

"So you give your allegiance to the Jedi?"

"I told you it was a long story. Just let me sleep, okay? I just helped kill a sith lord, and I'm tired."

"Answer one question first."

"Shoot."

"Why are you here instead of the Temple? Just rest there."

"Ehhhh… I broke a few rules. They didn't kick me out, if that's what you're thinking, but I can't face punishment yet. I told you, I need to sleep."

"What sith lord did you kill?"

"That's more than one question." Her eyes slid open a crack.

"My house, my rules." He growled. "What sith?"

"Sidous. I'll tell you how we killed him tomorrow."

"Does this whole Jedi thing have anything to do with Kenobi?" Ventress pretended she had gone to sleep. She had the feeling Grievous wouldn't like that answer to that one, and it would lead to more questions. Eventually, he clanked out of the room, and she drifted off to real sleep.

~~~The morning~~~

"What do you want with her, Jedi?" Grievous's angered voice could be heard from out of the room, and it woke her. Kenobi?

"I just want to talk to her. I swear." It was Skywalker's voice, much to her disappointment.

"what do you want, Skywalker?" She called, still tired. Was a night's sleep too much to ask?

Grievous must have let him in, because he waltzed into the room like he owned it. "I'm here to bring you back to the Temple."

"Why?"

"What do you mean, why? You're loyal to us now, right?"

"Well, yeah. Why are you here? I thought they'd have sent Kenobi."

Anakin looked uncomfortable. "Obi-wan... hasn't woken up yet. Still out like a light."

Her eyes widened. "Obi-wan… Ok, we're going back. Now. And how the hoth did you find me, anyway?"

Anakinn shrugged. "Wasn't that hard. We knew you'd go someplace to rest, and Grievous is the only person you trust, outside of any of us. We knew Grievous had abandoned the separatists in favor of his home planet, and therefore, his home village. All I had to do then was ask for the whereabouts of a cyborg."

"Then I've betrayed Grievous. If you Jedi know where he lives…"

"We know where he is, sure. That doesn't mean we're coming to kill a cyborg who managed to escape mind control."

"Hm. I guess you Jedi aren't as merciless as Dooku said. Now let's go." Ventress and Skywalker had both started for the door, but Grievous blocked it.

"You promised a full story."

Asajj sighed, knowing that as much as she'd prefer not to tell him, he deserved to know. "Ok, but it'll be quick. If Obi-wan's still passed out-"

"If? What, you think I'm lying?"

Ventress narrowed her eyes. "Just let me tell what happened so we can get back to him."

Grievous looked slightly surprised. "Kenobi's involved, is he?

Anakin butted in. "Of course he's involved. He's practically the main character."

Ventress ignored him. "Obi-wan was at the ship for only a few days after you left. Dooku ordered him killed, and I helped him escape. Then we started meeting again so that I could give him information."

Anakin snorted. "That's obviously not all you were doing if-"

"Shut up, I'm telling this. So about half a standard year ago, I came to the Temple to escape Dooku, but while I was there we uncovered the identity of the second Sith. We killed him, and I flew here to rest, and Obi-wan's still knocked out."

"Oh, and the hige gaping plot hole? You forgot that part."

"I… have a son."

The look in Grievous's eyes was part disgust, part anger, part pure disbelief. "Please tell me Kenobi is not involved in this part of the story."

"That's what I wanted to hear." Anakin put in. "And of course, Obi-wan goes on to explain about how they've been married for years and they just loooooove eachother."

"Of course he's involved in this part. He's involved in all of it, really."

It was always hard to tell Grievous's expression, but right now, it was most definitely disgust. "I thought that by now you would have managed to shake off the Jedi scum by now."

"Kenobi may be a Jedi, but he's still my Jedi."

"You're going to spend your whole life with Kenobi because of Dooku's stupid plan?"

"No, not because of Dooku's stupid plan, because I want to spend my life with Kenobi."

Grievous coughed. "You have fun with that. I'm living right here, where I want to be."

"Well…" Ventress was thoughtful for a moment, then finished, "Corausant certainly isn't where I want to be. To be honest, I hate the place. But I'm with Obi-wan there. And… that makes it home. Know what I mean?"

Grievous stared at her for a moment. "No. I don't. Now you and Skywalker get out of my house and get back to your precious Kenobi."

She smiled slightly. "Thank you Grievous!" For all his lack of understanding, obnoxiousness, and disgust at the idea of herself and Kenobi, Grievous was still someone she could count on. Asajj followed Anakin out to his ship. Obi-wan's starfighter, which she'd 'borrowed', was already in the cargo bay. Anakin, as she'd expected, took the pilot's seat.

The thing that she had in common with Anakin- well, among many really; as Master Windu had mentioned, they were both too stubborn to get along with eachother- was an appreciation for ships. For how they flew, how they handled, cornered, and accelerated, and how they felt. There was always a certain feel to certain ships, and she could feel something in this one- a sort of 'Broken-down-junk-that-has-been-fixed-to-near-perfection' feel.

"Hurry up."

"Yeah, yeah. I know." There was silence for a few minutes as Anakin flew. "You know, I think I just realized something. You really love my master."

"It took you this long to figure that out?"

"Well, I knew it, but… It always just seemed to me like here's Obi-wan, and he just looooooves you, and you're just amused by the whole thing."

One eyebrow arched. "You seriously think I'd be kissing Obi-wan because he amused me?"

Anakin just shook his head. "You actually like him."

"Yes, Skywalker. I love Obi-wan." Before, she wouldn't have wanted to admit that. Not to anyone. Not even to Obi-wan. Not even to herself. It was a weakness, something to be ashamed of. But now… The instant they were back with Obi-wan, she wanted to tell him. As soon as he woke up…

~~~Jedi Temple~~~

He was already awake. "Anakin, did you- Ventress!" His face lit up from the hospital bed. "You're alright?"

"Yeah. She shuffled her feet for a moment, feeling awkward, then launched herself at him. "Obi-wan, I love you."

Obi-wan was silent, startled. "I love you"s from Ventress were quite scarce. Usually in response to an "I love you", he'd get "mmm", "Yeah", sometimes "Feeling's mutual", and far too often, "mmmmhmmmrrrrrrmmm", usually when her face was against her pillow and she wasn't inclined to lift it. Sometimes she'd even give him an affectionate "I hate you", which he'd learned to interpret into a sign of fondness.

"I love you… too, Darling."

"You say it as though-"

"It's unexpected, is all." He explained. There was another pause- one that might have been quite romantic, if it weren't for the fact that Anakin stood awkwardly in the doorway, staring idly at the ceiling.

She dropped her voice to that tone, the 'I'm-going-to-embarrass-you-but-do-it-very-sexily-and-just-between-the-two-of-us' tone. "So, is Master Mindi's comment true?

"What comment?" Obi-wan replied wearily. He recognized the tone.

"Oh, he just mentioned that he knew you always had a 'thing' for me." Obi-wan swallowed. "Always, Kenobi? Always?"

"Well…"

"I thought this all started when we were married, this whole feelings thing. Apparently not."

"Hey, you're the one who choose me out of all the Jedi."

"Touché." She whispered, smiling. "But at least I wasn't so obvious that the Jedi council picks up on it."

"I'm not obvious. Anakin, am I obvious?"

"Huh?"

"Anakin refused to believe we were together even after I told him."

Ventress wrinkled her nose. "You can't count him, he wouldn't know obvious if…" At that moment, Kit Fisto entered, holding Terralon gently. The little boy was asleep.

"He doesn't have a name, does he?" Obi-wan asked quietly. Ventress shook her head as Kit held her son out to her.

"Yes, he does." Kit interjected. "I started calling him Griphon while you were gone, and… it stuck."

"With the whole Temple?" Obi-wan's eyes widened.

"Yes. He's quite a popular little guy. We've never had a youngling this young before, so he's the center of everyone's attention. And he's such a happy little boy, rarely fusses."

While it was lovely to know that... Griphon... was welcome in the the Temple, it was still a little upsetting that he was the last person to see his own son. Ventress was gazing down at him now, and Anakin was standing at her shoulder, his desire to see his master's son overcoming his disgust towards his master's wife.

And he was sitting in the hospital gurney, one foot in a cast, completely unable to see.

Finally Asajj held... Griphon... out to him, with a whisper of "I wish he looked more like you."

"You want it to be completely and totally obvious that I'm his father?"

She grinned. "I want him to be handsome."

Obi-wan had been imagining the boy as a blend of himself and Asajj, which perhaps he was, but had some features all his own. There was a little hair on his head, a deep brown with a hint of red, and his skin was paler than that of a human, but deeper than Ventress's. "Kit? What color eyes?" He didn't want to wake Griphon up to look.

Fisto laughed. "What do you think? Blue, blue as anything."

~~~That evening~~~

"Anakin. And Ventress." Mace was glancing back and forth between the two. "Why do I get the feeling I'll be repremending you both quite a bit?" The rest of the council was seated, as usual, in a circle, but Ventress felt far less intimidated now than she had months ago.

Anakin shook his head. "No way are we doing anything together after this."

Mace was one of several who smiled rather knowingly- Obi-wan included. "Trust me. You two will indeed be together in your trouble-making, code-breaking, overall mischeif. I can tell."

"I certainly hope not." Obi-wan put in. "I'll keep an eye on them, don't worry."

"Now that there's two of them, they might finally be able to drag Obi-wan into some trouble. Which would actually be a refreshing change." Shaak responded.

"Obi-wan's in enough trouble for now, thank you Shaak." Mace asserted. Obi-wan wasn't really in trouble, thanks to Master Yoda, but many Jedi were still giving him the cold shoulder for his "affair" with Ventress, no matter how many times he explained that it wasn't an affair, and that they'd have to get used to Asajj being in the Temple.

"What's our punishment?" Ventress asked finally.

"Library work for you, Skywalker, since I know how much you enjoy it." Anakin groaned. Mace continued- "And Ventress, you technically were not under my jurisdiction when I told you not to come fight the sith, so for that, nothing. However, for your crimes against the Republic and the Jedi, you must continue your work as a spy. I know it's dangerous work, but I think you're capable."

She stared at him for a moment, shocked. "That's it? That's my punishment? All I have to do is continue spying, and I can be a Jedi?"

"She's used to far more... violent penalties." Obi-wan muttered, remembering suddenly her shaky body collapsing against him, lying on the bed while he tried to figure out what was wrong.

"I never said anything about Jedi training, but... the council has decided to allow it anyway- eight to three." Oh yes... there was an empty seat now. A council member killed. "My guess is that you'll be a tough apprentice- you'll have to un-learn the ways of the sith before you begin with those of a Jedi."

"Which is why decided to take you as my own Padawan, I have." Yoda announced, smiling. "Look forward to our training, I do."

"Master Yoda, I'm honored to..."

"Master, are you sure about this?" Mace Windu spoke again. "As I said, she won't be an easy Padawan- maybe even a hopeless case. You wanted a good Padawan so badly..."

"And found one, I have. Many skills, she holds. And turned from dark, she already is. Done for me, the hard part was."

~~~Night~~~

The healer had confined both of them to the medical ward- Obi-wan for the broken bone in his ankle, Ventress for having given birth and fought a sith within 24 hours of eachother. Miraculously, they'd managed to find a room empty of other patients, so they could at least talk.

"You wanted him to look like me?"

"Well, as soon as I was told he was a son, I was hoping, for, well... mini-you."

"Force, I'm glad he isn't."

"Better than mini-me." Ventress responded, closing her eyes. There was no reason to keep them open. The only thing to see was the ceiling. Obi-wan was several feet away, seperated from her by the metal bars on the side of the hospital bed.

"You never saw me when I was young. I was a terror of a youngling." he confessed.

"I can't imagine that, actually."

Kenobi smiled very slightly. "I was twelve, and Master Yoda was planning to take a Padawan. I had such high hopes, that even though I was young... he'd pick me. He didn't of course, and it made me realize that if I was ever going to be a decent Jedi, I'd have to straighten up. So I did, and I was the 'model Padawan' ever after."

"Until I came into the picture and ruined your perfect track record." He could hear amusement in her voice.

"Yes, until then." he returned affectionately. There was a silent minute, and she thought he'd gone to sleep. "You're lucky. Yoda hasn't had a Padawan since the one he picked when I was twelve."

"Mmm."

"A lot of Jedi will hold that against you too, sadly. Yoda's hoping they'll respect you for it."

"I have a lot ahead of me, don't I?"

He didn't respond right away, but this time she knew he was awake.

"I mean, working for the sith, undercover, training with Yoda, helping care for Griphon..."

Still no answer.

"You are satisfied with that name, aren't you?"

Nothing.

"We can change it, if you hate it."

Finally he spoke. "In all that, the training, and motherhood, and spying..."

He sent the rest of the sentence through their bond. 'Don't forget about me.'

'Never.'

D'aaawwww. Dat's the end of this chapter.