Please read my notes at the bottom. :)

The Protector

Epilogue

"How do you feel?" Anakin stepped up beside Obi-Wan as he readied himself to descend the ramp. They had arrived back at the Jedi Temple after an uneventful trip back to Coruscant.

Obi-Wan glanced at Anakin. "Ok, I think." He didn't really know how he felt, maybe a bit nervous.

"We're here for you if you need us, Master Kenobi," said Ahsoka, standing beside him.

He knew that and he appreciated their effort. "I think I need to do this on my own."

"Are you sure?" asked Anakin.

Obi-Wan nodded. "I am." He wiped a hand through his hair. "I left Coruscant on my own terms, my own choice. I need to return by myself."

Anakin patted him on the shoulder. "You know where we will be if you need us."

"I know. You'll be waiting up here," he answered, a slight smile pulling at the top of his lips.

Obi-Wan pressed a hand to the control panel, opening the door. He took a deep breath and started to walk forward. The ship had landed inside the Temple hanger. At the bottom of the ramp, several metres away from it, waited Yoda and Mace Windu, both who had come to meet him. He stopped in front of them, and bowed before them. "Masters."

"Welcome back, Obi-Wan," smiled Windu.

"Good to see you, it is," said Yoda, looking up at him.

Obi-Wan swallowed. "It's good to be back." And he meant that, because he did.

"Healed you are," assessed Yoda. "No longer tainted by guilt or darkness are you. Away from the Order, good it was for you."

"Thank you, Master."

"And you defeated General Grievous, ending this war and bringing peace to the Republic," added Mace Windu. "The Jedi Order has a lot to thank you for."

He didn't know what to say. "I'm just glad I've been able to return here after everything that happened to me."

"Doubt that you would return we did not," said Yoda. "Knew you would, I did."

Obi-Wan cocked one eyebrow. "I didn't know this myself, yet you did?"

"Pure heart you have. A Jedi you will always be. Your home the Order is. Come back eventually you would have done," said Yoda, leaning into his gimmer stick.

"I sense there is something you would like to ask us," said Mace, looking at Obi-Wan straight in the eye.

"Well, two things actually," replied Obi-Wan, feeling self-conscious about it. "You read my report I filed?"

"We did," confirmed Windu. "You would like us to help your uncle?"

"I do. I don't know if we can be much help… but my father will not press charges against his brother for his actions on Stewjon. He's a damaged man and I want to help him… If his remaining years left to him can be one of peace and tranquillity, then I want to help him. He may have given me to the Jedi Order all those years ago… but he did save me in the end," said Obi-Wan. "I'd rather see him be given a second chance then to destroy himself in his own misery over what he did. I know I could have done that if I hadn't had the help I did on Stewjon."

"We can do what we can for him, but whether our healers can help or any doctor on Coruscant can, remains to be seen," Mace explained. "We will do what we can to meet your request."

"Thank you." Obi-Wan hesitated.

"Mentioned two things you did?" queried Yoda, peering up at Obi-Wan expectantly.

Obi-Wan sighed. "I would like this scar removed from my cheek. It's a last reminder of what I went through but I've come to terms with that and I do not need the physical reminder of it every day. I thought I deserved to have that deformity that Dooku inflicted upon me… Now I think differently."

"That can be easily arranged for you," answered Windu serenely. "Where are Skywalker and Tano?"

Obi-Wan motioned back towards the ship. "I wanted to come out on my own. They are back in the ship." He reached for his and Anakin's newly restored bond. Anakin? I think Master Windu would like you to come out.

Anakin appeared as soon as Obi-Wan had sent the request.

He noticed the two Jedi Master's looking at him.

"Your bond is restored?" queried Windu.

Obi-Wan shrugged. "We repaired it which I gather is unusual?" he added noticing their expressions.

"Unusual it is for a bond to be restored after broken it is," replied Yoda, "but unusual circumstances you had. Glad am I that forgiveness and healing has restored that last part of you."

Obi-Wan didn't know what to say so he inclined his head. He took a deep breath, feeling more at ease then he had felt as they had entered the atmosphere of the planet. He cast his eyes around the hanger. It was mostly empty save for a few workers. And then he saw Padmé. She was standing off to the side, watching them.

He walked over to her. "Padmé? What are you doing here?" He hadn't seen her in a few months.

The Senator of Naboo smiled. Her hair was tied back in a bun and she wore a ceremonial dress. "I'm here to welcome you back, Obi-Wan. I asked the Council if I could be here. They agreed."

"Oh." It still astounded him that Padmé still wanted to know him after he had stabbed her with his lightsaber.

"You know I don't blame you for that."

She seemed to be able to read his thoughts. "But-"

"No. You are not saying it, Obi-Wan Kenobi," she interrupted him, almost sternly. "Forget it. It's in the past."

"I know," he said. He gave her a small smile.

"Didn't Anakin tell you? I can still have children," she said warmly.

"But I thought-"

"Not in that way," she laughed. "I can't carry them, no, but Ani and I haven't really spoken about that yet. We have options that we can consider but both of us decided not to have children until this crisis is over. Medical technology here is very far advanced. Transplants are relatively common and many are successes. Or even cloning. The Kaminoans can create new organs for people from their own genetic material; anything is possible in this galaxy."

"There is a miracle for everything," he answered.

"I'm glad you've come back. We were worried about you when you left," said Padmé.

Obi-Wan gently smiled at her. "I needed the time to get my head straight. I think it worked. Though I've got Anakin back in my head again. I'm not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing."

"I heard that!" Anakin yelled from behind him.

Obi-Wan smirked. He had intended his friend to hear that.

A few days later, Obi-Wan sat in his quarters, legs crossed, meditating. He felt calm, at peace and he felt at home in the warmth bask of the Force.

He thought he could sense a familiar presence, that of his former Master, Qui-Gon. He knew that within his meditation he could always speak to him, but today, now, he didn't feel he needed his guidance. He could do this on his own.

He searched his own aura looking for any signs of darkness, finding that his own Force presence was pure. He was healed and he could feel that.

He sensed a familiar presence close to him and drew himself out of the Force, opening his eyes and slowly turning to find Anakin standing behind him. "Hello, Anakin."

"They did a good job then," stated Anakin mildly.

"You had to focus on that, didn't you?" sighed Obi-Wan.

Anakin chuckled. "Of course. You wanted that scar removed. You did. It's gone. I'm merely saying that the healers did a good job of leaving no trace of it."

Obi-Wan traced a hand down his cheek where the scar had been, now removed. His skin was soft and slight bristles of beard were beginning to grow again. It felt right to no longer have that physical reminder of what he had gone through. What Dooku had done to him was in the past and he had accepted that, growing from that experience. "I guess you are here for a reason?"

"Master Yoda asked me to find out if you were going to join the Council in session. They've kept your seat for you, not replaced you. Are you ready to go back?" asked Anakin, watching his former Master carefully.

Obi-Wan swallowed. He had had minimal contact with Jedi since returning to the Temple, and hadn't yet sat in a full Council session. Mace Windu had told him that he did not need to return to his position on the Council until he felt ready to, but Obi-Wan knew that if he kept delaying it, he would find it harder to go back. Carefully, he stood up, brushing some dust off of his clothes.

"I've got to be ready, haven't I?" This was the last step. The final step: returning to full duties.

"I'll escort you," smiled Anakin. "Unless you don't want me to?" he added.

"I think I can manage, Anakin," responded Obi-Wan lightly.

"Good luck, Master."

He stood outside the doors to the Council chambers, heart beating fast in his chest. The meeting was due to start any minute now. Was he really ready to return to his seat on the Council?

Yes. Yes I am.

Taking a deep breath, ensuring his robes were straight, he pushed open the doors to the chamber. He knew it would be hard, but the reward would be worth it in the end.

Steeling himself, he strode into the chamber, watching as the eyes of the Jedi Council tracked his progress the room.

He reached his chair, and sat down.

Looking around the room, every Master was watching him until…

"Welcome back, Master Kenobi." That was Ki-Adi Mundi, which was then echoed around the room by the other ten Masters that sat on the Council.

Obi-Wan inclined his head in a nod of respect to all of them. "It is good to be back, Masters."

He breathed out, relaxing his shoulders as he settled back into his old chair.

He was healed.

He had returned to the one place he hadn't thought he would come back to.

He was home.

And he felt that he belonged once again.

The End

Please let me know what you think!

Well, this is now the end of 'The Protector'. This chapter was what I had originally written for the end of 'Dangerous Games' but I thought it would be better to actually see Obi-Wan's healing rather then not. So 'The Protector' was born because of this original epilogue to 'Dangerous Games'. I actually think this works better as two stories, because Obi-Wan takes two very different journey's in both.

He is now scarless and he now feels he can return to his duties as a Jedi. I didn't go into detail as to whether Michael found healing for his condition in this epilogue because I felt that it doesn't really need saying. I hope this is a satisfactory ending for this story.

I do not think I will be writing another sequel. Everything is dealt with and cleared up. Padme and Anakin can have children - there are ways for them to do it - and a few people have asked me whether Luke and Leia will still exist. I'm going to leave that up to you to decide. In my world and in my mind, they do. But there is no Empire, the Jedi Order is still around so their lives are relatively normal from this point on.

It has been quite a journey writing 'Dangerous Games' and 'The Protector'. And I am sad to leave this universe behind, especially since turning Obi-Wan to the dark side in a realistic way is a very difficult subject to tackle and get right - it appears I did and for that I am thrilled that, that storyline worked well for so many of you.

But I am still going to be very active in the Star Wars fandom. I have several stories in the works, one of which I am posting now. And another I hope to begin posting in the next few months. I regularly update my profile about what I'm working on as I think it is important to let people know where I am and what I am concentrating on.

And I think that is it from me...

Thank you to everyone who has followed, favourited, reviewed or just read this story. It has been great to write this story, not just for myself, but for you guys who have stayed with me since 'Dangerous Games'. :)

May The Force Be With You!

the-writer1988