Alright, had you said the word, I would have left the Jedi Order. That kept playing over and over again in Satine's head without ceasing, never leaving her thoughts. Did he really mean that? Would he leave his friends, family, and mentors just for her? It was so unthinkable she had a hard time to believe him, but he had never lied to her. Why would he lie to her about something like that, especially in front of Merrik? She had a burning urge to ask him if he truly meant it, and she was going to, but Cody had walked in, and she changed her mind. Now she regretted it, since she couldn't muster up the courage to do it. Another thought struck her: What if he thought the same thing about what she had told him?

Nervously passing her hands through her hair, she started pacing in her quarters on the Coronet. What if she had scared him off? So many questions had bombarded her ever since he said those simple words, and she couldn't stop thinking of more. Oh, if he would just always speak his mind it would make things so much easier, but of course he couldn't. Just when she decided to go talk to him, a knock sounded at the door.

"Duchess?" Of course it was him, who else could it be? He always had the most convenient timing when it came to these sorts of things. "May I come in?"

"Yes," she replied, wringing her hands.

Slowly, her door opened and a shy and flustered general came in. Apparently he was just as nervous as she was, which in a strange way was comforting. Her headdress was in his hands, and she wondered if that was the only reason he had come and seen her. Better than not seeing him at all, she reminded herself.

Chuckling nervously, he offered a smile as the door closed behind him. After setting the headdress down hesitantly on her sleep couch, he turned and faced her with a red face and an impossible to read expression. "I... I wanted to talk to you. A-About earlier... when Merrik had you-"

"I wanted to talk to you, too," she said quickly, then bit her lip.

Despite having said that they wanted to talk, neither of them did. Which was expected, considering that one of them wasn't allowed to say what they had said to the other earlier. That one also happened to be extremely awkward when it came to this subject. That one also happened to be the one who went to the other first. Satine looked at the floor, then Obi-Wan, who quickly averted his gaze to the headdress on her bed. She followed his gaze and shifted on her feet, twiddling her thumbs. They looked up at each other at the same time and said each other's name, not being able to stand the silence any longer.

They both blushed. "You first," they stuttered simultaneously.

"Obi-Wan, I should go first-" She said after a while.

"No, no, I will," he interrupted, rubbing the back of his neck. Taking a deep breath, he continued, "I wasn't sure if you meant what you said, at first I thought it was just a distraction, but when I told you that it wasn't an appropriate time, the way you looked at me said otherwise. A-And I meant what I said, about leaving the Order. I won't be upset if you didn't mean what you said, but-"

Shock spread across her face at the thought of something so unconceivable. Apparently Obi-Wan noticed, for his voice trailed off as he looked expectantly at her. "Of course I meant what I said, why would I not?" she asked. "You of all people should know. I wouldn't lie to you about that. The year we spent together should be plenty of proof for that."

"Yes, I suppose it should." He didn't know what else to say. "I just... didn't know if you felt the same as you did all those years ago."

"Do you?" she asked, blurting out the question before she knew she was speaking.

Letting out a deep breath, he looked away. "Yes. I could only think about you this entire mission, my dear. Rarely anything is able to take my mind off of a task, but the single thought of you did it so easily. I knew it would happen, at some point, but I didn't expect it to be to this extent." He looked at her again, smiling sheepishly. "And I also meant what I said when I first saw you again. You really are stunning."

"You're too kind, general," she teased.

"You're right, I am." He winked at her to assure that he was joking.

More silence. The tension between them was so evident you could cut it with a lightsaber. A question was burning in Satine's heart, and she tried to keep it tucked away, as if she could keep anything that had to do with him tucked away. Nevertheless, she tried to squander it, to no avail. "Would you still... leave the Order?"

The internal conflict was evident on his face, the way he looked at her with his now completely blue eyes (they did that when he was in a saddened mood). Exasperated, he ran a hand through his hair and exhaled. "When I first left Mandalore to go back to the Temple, I would have in a heartbeat. Now... I'm a bit more reluctant considering what a significant role I play in the Republic. I'm a general, their best negotiator, part of the Council..."

Satine's hopes sank. She hadn't expected him to actually say that-

"But I will leave all of that behind if you wish."

Her mouth fell open, then she quickly closed it, not wanting to seem as shocked as she was. So many thoughts swam in her mind. Would he leave now? How would he react if she asked him to? She'd feel awful for being the reason of him leaving behind practically his whole life. She hadn't realized she was crying until he walked up to her and wiped her tears gently with his thumb. "Would you... ?" Would you leave now? she wanted to ask.

Obi-Wan seemed to understand her unspoken question, and he smiled, a wonderful sight to see. "Yes, I would leave now if you wanted. After we have all this ordeal with the Senate sorted out, I will stay by you side for as long as you can stand me."

Through tears, she returned his grin and took his hand in hers. "Will you?"

He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it. "As always, my dear."