I appologize in advance to any Grievous fans, as he and Asajj have another, more serious spat in this chapter.
I really went a bit nuts with the length of this one. almost ten pages in Word! and it's soooo fluffy. And long. timeframe at the end of the chapter is like two months from the end of the last one. O.o - that's an interesting face.
I don't own. I just admitted it. so you can't sue. ha ha, lawyers of the world. ha ha.
Chapter 4
Asajj was tossing and turning, attempting to sleep on the cold hard floor…and through her nightmares. She'd always been a very light sleeper, waking very easily and immediately ready for a fight. Living in a place like Rattatak had taught her that, and with Jedi everywhere, she sometimes didn't even feel safe in her own quarters. So when something brushed her arm, she woke instantly, and her initial reaction was one of terror. General Kenobi was standing over her. She started, drawing in a sharp breath, and drew out both of her sabers, which she always kept beside her bed
"It's just me." Obi-wan's features were outlined in red.
"Well sorry," she muttered, embarrassed slightly. She drew in the blades and laid her sabers back on the floor. "I see a Jedi standing over me, I prepare for attack. It's a natural reaction."
"Yes, but you know I'm defenseless, and you know I wouldn't attack you even if I was armed."
"You wouldn't need a saber to kill me Kenobi. You could kill me with your bare hands if you wanted to." She shivered slightly. It was foolish to fear him, but she was still uneasy from her nightmare. Always she was the cornered unarmed one, while dark, faceless shadows pursued her.
"I'd never hurt you." Kenobi gazed down at her as he spoke. "That's something I promise on my own, no matter what Dooku does." The Jedi thought he saw a slight smile on her face.
"I appreciate it Kenobi." And she did.
Slowly time passed. They grew more used to their new living arrangements, and they grew used to eachother. They took turns sleeping on the floor, and they talked whenever they could, as Asajj was gone for training most days. It was about a month after Obi-wan's arrival when Dooku finally expressed his annoyance with the lack of results from previously mentioned Jedi.
"Yes, my Master?" Asajj lifted her head from her deep bow before the holo-communicator, where Dooku's glowing blue silhouette stood, stern as ever.
"I'm not pleased with you."
"I apologize, Master." Couldn't he just tell her what was wrong? Sometimes, her master was so…irritating.
"We have held general Kenobi captive for almost a month."
"Yes, master." For crying out loud, just tell me what you want!
"And he has told us nothing."
"No, Master."
"And you can't feel the slightest hints of darkness about him?"
"No, Master."
"And you're not…"
"No." She cut him off abruptly, not wanting to hear his next statement.
"I was hoping by now you'd have gotten something from him. He's bound to let something slip."
"He's quite careful Master. I believe he will eventually give me something, but his guard is still up."
"Then you must take it down. Do whatever you can. I want to know the location of the Republic's next attack. If you don't have that when I speak to you again in the next standard planetary rotation, there will be consequences."
Asajj dragged her feet on her way back to her rooms. She had twenty-four hours to convince Obi-wan that he should just hand over whatever information they needed. She considered torture for half a second, but dismissed it immediately. She couldn't do that to Obi-wan, even if he would have broken. Mental torture, perhaps, but she still couldn't do that to him. Especially considering that he planned on doing exactly as he'd sworn to in protecting her. It would be wrong to hurt him. She'd have to trick him into slipping it out, or she'd have to do what Obi-wan was so well known for doing: negotiating.
"Kenobi." She acknowledged as she sat down near him on her own bed. The Jedi had both eyes closed, most likely attempting to meditate, even with his cutoff from the Force.
"Hmm." He didn't open his eyes.
"I was wondering something."
"Oh?" Obi-wan didn't bother looking.
"You know quite a bit about… oh, say, Republic battle plans?" Obi-wan's lips twitched slightly, but other than that, he didn't move.
"I suppose." He knew what was she getting at.
"Could you maybe tell me, perhaps, the location of your next attack?"
"Don't think so, my dear." If he met her eyes, it would've been hard to say the words so casually, but now it was easy.
"Not even to save your own life?"
"Sorry. No."
"Obi-wan, I have no doubt that Dooku plans to kill you."
"I don't doubt that he does. But revealing something like that puts my troops' lives at risk, as well as the lives of my fellow Jedi." His own death would be no great shock to the others. He was already classified as 'Missing, Assumed Dead' according to the headlines of a newspaper he'd managed to scrounge from Asajj. He'd also noticed, with a wry smile, that the acronym of this was 'mad'.
"How about MY life Obi-wan? Ever considered mine?"
"Of course I have. But I still cannot betray my troops and my friends." Asajj barely restrained a growl of frustration. He spoke only as the Jedi taught him to, like a machine. He was far too disciplined. It was then that she decided that even if she could not bring darkness into him, she would break that discipline.
"And how about if they received one of their best generals back to help them?" Obi-wan opened his eyes for the first time in their conversation.
"You'd let me go?" His mind suddenly flooded with images of himself arriving home, greeting friends, free again, sinking into his own bed…
"Well, I'd have to ask Dooku, but I think… I think so." It was a lie. Dooku wouldn't let a Jedi escape this easily.
Obi-wan heaved a great sigh. "Take me to see him then." He wore the same look of submission she remembered him wearing on their wedding day, less than a month ago. The image flooded to her mind.
Dooku had read a bunch of rabble about sickness and health, then Obi-wan, in his torn dirty Jedi robes- undoubtedly torn from being dragged here by droids- had sighed, "I do." And then Dooku had asked her the same question, and she'd spit the same words out with a rage she'd never felt before.
And then came the final insult: Dooku had looked at them with humor on his face and mocked, "You may now kiss the bride." She and Obi-wan had both glared at him with stony coldness. It was a look she'd mastered, but the effect had been ruined on Obi-wan by his fierce blush.
Asajj felt slightly guilty as she led Obi-wan down hallways to Dooku's office. Obi-wan couldn't sense that she was lying, as he still wore the force suppressing cuff, as well as a pair of old Jedi robes that were far too long on him. Grievous gave him a look somewhat like a sneer as they passed, and she scowled at him. She hadn't forgotten his insults.
"So, the Jedi has consented to telling us?" Dooku tapped the tips of his fingers together as Ventress led the handcuffed Kenobi forward.
"He has. Go on, spit it out."
"Ryloth." Obi-wan said dejectedly. "We're planning a surprise attack in only a few standard weeks."
"Very good." Dooku responded, then waved a hand towards the door. "You may leave."
"But I want you to release me, Count." Ventress cursed under her breath. The man was going to get himself killed.
"I don't think you'll be leaving this base alive, Kenobi."
"Ventress said you'd release me."
"I said he might." She retorted. Obi-wan stared at her for a second in disbelief.
Dooku snorted. "She lied, obviously. But it doesn't matter, as long as we have what we want. Leave." This was no command to be taken lightly. Asajj practically dragged Obi-wan out by his handcuffs, but at the last minute Dooku added, "Ventress, let me have a word with you alone."
"Of course, Master." She handcuffed Kenobi to a bar in the hallway before she slipped back into her master's office, ignoring the Jedi's look of cold fury. She'd lied to him. He'd trusted her, like the fool he was, and she'd lied.
"Well, well, what have we here?" Obi-wan recognized the voice at once. "Chained to a wall, are we Kenobi? And how are we liking this?"
"I don't know about you, Grievous, but I'm not liking it a bit."
"Well then, perhaps I'll cut you free." The cyborg slashed through the handcuffs far too close to Obi-wan's skin, leaving a slight mark. The Jedi was beginning to see what was going on here. This was Grievous's best possible situation: his least favorite Jedi, unarmed, alone in a Separatist base, and cut off from the force.
"Scum." All pretext of a friendly conversation was dropped, and Grievous sent Obi-wan flying with one powerful swipe down the hallway, farther from Ventress and Dooku, his only hopes of living. He staggered to get back up, but Grievous was too quick. His large metal foot slammed hard into the side of Kenobi's ribs, knocking him sideways. Obi-wan let out a whoosh of breath and gritted his teeth against the pain in his side. Nothing was broken, for Grievous wasn't yet ready to kill. He'd rather make his prey die slowly, kicking with far less than his full strength until he tired of the game.
Kenobi scrambled up from this one, hoping he could get past the cyborg to Dooku's office, but this was a hopeless mission. Grievous kicked him back again and again, until at last he lay panting, finally unable to get up. The cyborg got him up forcefully, gripping his throat and shoving him back against the wall.
"Time for you to die, Jedi fool." He could feel himself losing breath as the metal claws tightened around his windpipe, stars were swimming in front of his eyes…
"Drop him, Scrap metal." Obi-wan felt the claws loosen a bit, but they still held him tightly.
"What do you care for the puny Jedi? You benefit as much as I do in killing him."
"I care for following our Master's orders." Truthfully, she did care for the Jedi. A spear of cold panic has seared through her heart when she'd seen Obi-wan, struggling for breath while Grievous laughed. It made her hate Grievous, something she'd never done before. They usually got on alright.
"I care for killing Jedi." He caught up one of Obi-wan's hands, which were prying at the cyborg's claws, and twisted Kenobi's arm backwards. The Jedi let out a whimper of pain that pulled at Asajj's heart.
"I said drop him. Now. Or I make you."
"You think you can make me?" he retorted, but he let go of Obi-wan, who lay gasping for air where he hit the floor.
"It's a possibility." She was glaring up at him with a look in her eye that was positively vicious. "I'm getting tired of you pushing other people around. Just because you're bigger and stronger, you think you're the boss of me, and everyone else around here. And you think you can break whatever rules you like and attack defenseless prisoners. And I've had it." For a few seconds, Grievous stared down at her with narrowed, cat-like eyes, and she thought he might give in. Then he toppled her over with one hard backhanded swipe to her jaw. Ventress scrambled back up quickly, as Grievous was already advancing towards Obi-wan's still body. She shot in front of him, lightsaber ignited.
"I mean it." Her voice was an angry hiss.
"The trouble, Girl, is that I have sabers as well." He lit all four sabers, advancing towards Asajj and Obi-wan, but Asajj force-shoved him backwards. His metal body clanged as it hit the wall, and he regained his footing almost immediately. Grievous could have easily beaten her, but at that point decided a fight wasn't worth it.
"Very well. Take your Jedi. But I will kill him. You can't keep him safe forever." He clomped off angrily, leaving Asajj alone with her Jedi.
"Thank you," Obi-wan said graciously as he got to his feet, still breathing hard. Asajj blushed slightly at his kind words, but she said nothing. All the bitterness between them was forgotten, and from then on they were closer than even before. Both knew what Grievous had said to be true. She couldn't always protect him.
Dooku, of course, couldn't be content with the bit of information she'd gotten him. Over the next several days, he pestered her for more. What else did Kenobi know? Did he have any plans memorized? Would there be any new attacks in the next few days?
The answer she very much wished to give him was "shut up, Dooku." This was a very bad idea, however, as she very much wished to keep her head. So she had to suffice with a simple "I don't know. He's very closed off."
This wasn't exactly true either. Obi-wan had never let one thing slip about battle plans, no matter how many times she brought it up. But he was certainly not closed off. Obi-wan had opened himself up to his lonely jailor. He wanted her close, more for her sake then his own, because he somehow felt that she needed him. She needed someone to care. And he would be- always had been- that person. And of course, he liked her close. He wanted her friendship, and, if he was truly honest with himself, her affection. He'd been attracted to her since the day they'd met.
Asajj's rooms were neat, always had been, and she did whatever cleaning was needed herself. But Obi-wan soon got in the habit of cooking; something she'd never had the time to do. Obi-wan had great quantities of time while she trained in the daytime, and they were both sick of ration bars. Asajj would come home to find Obi-wan serving some dish that he'd learned from various Jedi, sometimes recipes from years ago, that had been passed through generations of Jedi.
And Asajj brought home a chessboard. Obi-wan's eyes lit up with delight as she set the small table down in the center of their bedroom.
"Chess!" He'd exclaimed. "How did you know I like chess so much?"
She'd only shrugged. "I didn't. I just never had a reason to own one before now." Asajj had never played the game, so Obi-wan began teaching her in evenings how to work the board, how pieces moved, and strategies that would allow her to win. She was a bit frustrated at first, as Obi-wan beat her easily, but she warned him not to go easy on her, or she wouldn't play anymore. Still, she had yet to win a game.
And Obi-wan grew quite fond of Asajj's window. It wasn't a real window, as her room was buried somewhere in a whole mess of other rooms, but a large screen. When turned on, it showed various scenes from various planets. The time 'outside' changed as the day wore on, giving off as much light as a window would for the right time of day, so that it brightened the whole room at midday, but barely glowed at all on moonlit nights, and no light was emitted when it was stormy or dark. He would meditate while looking "through" it, relaxing and reaching out to what he could feel of the force.
It was over a month from Kenobi's first meeting with Dooku when the Sith demanded to see them again. So one evening, Obi-wan was once again handcuffed and brought to Dooku's office.
"General Kenobi. My apprentice says you haven't told her anything helpful."
"I've taught her chess." Obi-wan pointed out. Asajj swallowed nervously. This wasn't going well.
"If you are no use to us, then you will be disposed of. Correct?" the last word, Asajj realized, was directed towards her.
"I suppose Master, but he has been useful. He told us about the Ryloth attack."
"By the time we got forces to the planet, we'd already lost the battle. Their losses were greater, but the planet was still taken. We need more from you Kenobi. If you're not going to join us, or impr…"
Asajj jumped in at this point. "He isn't dark Master. Skywalker perhaps, but not his Master." Obi-wan gave her something of a warm light smile through their bond, and Asajj smiled back. It felt nice just to lose herself in the lightness of his force-signature, just as she'd once done with master Ky. His force-signature had possessed the same lightness, but not quite the warmth of Kenobi's.
Dooku scowled deeper, not pleased at the interruption. "Then perhaps he isn't worth the risk of keeping him around." A jolt of electricity shot from the Count's fingertips, and Kenobi let out a pained yell as he dropped backwards. Asajj gasped. "Perhaps it would be far better if I killed him now. Unless you have anything you'd like to tell us, Jedi." His voice wasn't gloating or angry as Grievous's had been. He wasn't torturing for pleasure, he was only in this for a kill.
"I don't know anything. It's been too long; we haven't planned out this far-augh!" Dooku shocked him again, while Ventress watched, horrified. Kenobi's eyes locked with hers, pleading. Did he think she could stand up to Dooku as easily as she had to grievous?
"That's a pity. Then I'm afraid you will be no help to us." Obi-wan screamed louder as another bolt hit him.
"Master, wait!" Asajj caught at his wrist and pulled him arm back. He immediately shook her off, but stopped torturing Obi-wan, who lay pathetically on the floor, whimpering with pain. He was as defenseless now as he'd been when Grievous attacked him.
"What do you want Ventress? I thought you'd like to be rid of this scum."
She bit her lip for a second, thinking. "I was, but I think he can be useful."
"Oh?" She knew exactly what Dooku was thinking, and it made her shiver.
"Just give me a little more time, please? I'll do something, I'll…" she glanced at her husband, who lay shaking. "I'll work something out. Just a few more months?"
Dooku sighed, and she knew she'd won. "I suppose he won't be too much trouble…"
"Of course not Master," she assured, "He's my responsibility."
"And your training?"
"I will keep it up as I have before."
"Very well. Take him out of here."
She scurried to his side, gently lifting his face. "Can you walk?" He shook his head weakly. She levitated him carefully, knowing full well Dooku was watching.
As soon as she was in the hall, she let Obi-wan collapse against herself, and slowly half carried, half dragged him back to their rooms, thankfully not meeting up with Grievous. She laid him down on her bed and sat next to him, gently stroking hair from his face.
"Obi-wan?" She couldn't keep fear and desperation from her voice. What if she had stopped Dooku too late?
"I'll live." He answered the unspoken question he had undoubtedly picked up from her, but his voice was rather pale and shaky.
"Kenobi!" Overflowing with relief, she bent over and kissed his lips softly, scooping his head into her arms as she did so. His eyes widened the slightest degree, but she didn't notice, or if she did didn't mention it. "Don't ever almost die again, alright?" she whispered, her hands still stroking his hair. Obi-wan nodded faintly. A few minutes of silence passed. "Sleep. It'll heal you." Her voice seemed almost normal when she spoke again. She had become addicted to running her fingers through his hair, almost as much to comfort herself as to comfort him. She'd just kissed Obi-wan. It was their first kiss. Her first kiss. And she'd blasted promised herself not to get close to him. Dooku had made her swear she wouldn't grow attached to him, no matter how intimate they became, and she'd sworn to herself she'd never get anything close to intimate with him. Aw, Sith. She'd kissed him.
Obi-wan didn't know quite when he fell asleep, but he knew Asajj was still there when he did, and she was there when he woke up, gazing down at him.
"Better?" Suddenly the events of last night came flooding back to him. Most specifically her worry, and her kiss. His wife had somehow become fond of him.
"Kind of," he admitted, sitting up. His whole body hurt.
"That's odd." Asajj was giving him a quizzical look. "Usually by morning something like that is healed. Every time it's happened to me, I…" She cut off, knowing she'd said too much.
"How could this happen to you?"
"Nevermind."
"I mean it, Asajj." He had struggled into a sitting position now.
"Well, Dooku must punish me for failures." She turned away, and Obi-wan dropped the subject, inwardly thinking that it was an awful way to train an apprentice.
"Were you here all night?"
"No, I slept after you drifted off. What I want to know is why you're not healed."
"Something to do with the Force?" he asked, gesturing to the arm with the cuff on it.
"That cuff," she spat, "has been more trouble lately." She snatched a small key from the drawer of her nightstand and slipped it into the lock on the cuff. It dropped off, and Obi-wan could instantly feel himself growing stronger. But Asajj had been unprepared for the full strength of his Force-signature. It crashed over her like a wave, drowning her in his presence. At once the bond between them tightened and strengthened, and she could feel more of him in her mind again. She could feel his mind as well, feel each of the thoughts he opened to her. It was as though he were all around her, as though each of her senses was picking him up at once. It was altogether terrifying.
Obi-wan was a bit frightened as well. Never in his life had he felt a bond so strong as this, and so deeply rooted.
"Obi-wan, Obi-wan. What is going on?" To Asajj, he realized, who had no Force bonds, this must seem immensely horrifying and confusing.
"Our bond deepened. If I'm correct, we should be able to think to eachother rather than speaking."
Asajj stared at him for half a second, the he felt her say into his mind, "Think to eachother?"
"I'm cutting this," she said out loud.
"It won't work; you won't be able to."
"Of course I can. Watch me." Obi-wan felt her begin to delicately feel at the threads that formed their bond, then she severed it partially. The pain that swept over her was unbelievable. It felt as though her entire universe was being taken from her, like she was losing everything that ever mattered. It was a spasm of intense loss, and worse still, it was directly linked to Obi-wan, as though she were losing him. And then, somehow in her agonized mind, something realized that Obi-wan, though it felt like he was being torn from her, was right there, lying near her. She flung herself against him, shaking, basking in his force-presence, and knowing somewhere deep down that she was acting like an idiot. But there was no stopping herself. "Don't leave, Obi-wan, don't leave me," she begged, burying her face in his robe front.
The Jedi too, was heaving great shuddering gasps, clinging to her as though she were all that mattered, and she could feel through their partially torn bond that he had the same thoughts: "Stay with me. Don't try to go away again. I need you." Slowly, the pain faded, almost as though simply touching eachother brought relief. Asajj jerked from him as soon as she could bear to, even more alarmed than before. Don't leave me. She'd sounded like an idiot. But she would cut that bond. She'd brace herself, now that she knew what was coming. Ventress took one deep breath, then sliced it through completely.
His world was ending. All that mattered had been ripped from him, and all he was conscious of was the fact that he needed Asajj Ventress back. The throbbing heartbreak lessened the instant that she snatched for him and he grabbed for her. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, pressing her to himself as though she could heal him with simple touch. He rolled onto his back, pulling her with him so she lay on his chest; her face nuzzled into his neck, both clinging to eachother. The bond slowly built itself back between them as they touched, stronger than it had been before.
Asajj was aware of this, but at that second it didn't matter. Only he did. And then slowly the longing faded, and she sighed. It hadn't worked, and she'd made a total fool of herself besides. She pulled back from Obi-wan, but couldn't get away. The Jedi still clung to her, his chest rising and falling under her, face creased with anguish.
"Kenobi, you can let go."
"But, but, I need you." His voice was a soft whimper in her ear.
"I'm not going anywhere."
"Don't try to cut it again." He was serious now, gripping her tighter.
"I've learned that." She remarked dryly, and Obi-wan slowly slid his arms away from her. She shot off of him, feeling shivery all over. Now she'd not only kissed him, she'd been closer to him then she'd ever been to anyone. Ventress sighed. She was supposed to be a dark assassin, not a lovesick female.
"You and I are linked together. It's the will of the Force, I suppose." Somehow, it didn't seem right that the will of the Force tied him to Asajj. Surely they were completely against what the Force desired? Surely to be by her side he'd have to smash the code-and therefore the will of the Force- to bits?
"What if I cut it when we were far apart?" It was more of a hypothetical question now; she had no desire to try to cut herself off from him anymore. She'd have to rely on sheer will power to resist attachment to him. And it didn't help that he was so attractive.
"Pain. Loss. Greif, then possible darkness."
"I'm already dark."
"You will grow darker. Or you will kill yourself to escape the pain. Another Jedi I knew cut all his Force bonds- not near so strong as ours- as he was dying. One of his closest friends killed himself soon after."
"Then why did he cut them, if it caused so much pain?"
"He was about to die. To have them ripped apart by death is often too great for anyone to handle. If I died now, it could cause you to die as well, just because of the sheer…" Obi-wan struggled to find a word, then whispered, "loss." They lay there on top of Asajj's bed for a while, gazing at the ceiling, trying to comprehend exactly what this newly unbreakable bond meant. Asajj eventually came to the conclusion that it would make resisting Obi-wan's charm all the harder,
It was only a few nights later when the life support shut down- again. Asajj woke up shivering violently on the floor, desperately wishing that the metal wasn't so cold under her, and that she had more covers.
"V-Ventress?" Kenobi was shaking too. "Why is it so c-cold?
"Blasted life Supp-pport shut down again." Obi-wan noticed that she was quaking with the cold, and wondered briefly if Rattatakkis were better suited to hot then cold. After all, Rattatakk was a roasting planet, and they had no hair to keep them warm.
"Will you b-be alright?"
"I think so." Obi-wan didn't.
"Maybe you should come up here, off the floor."
"Sure, and f-face Dooku yelling at me because our Jedi f-froze to death."
"No, it'll be warmer up here for both of us. We can have all the covers and be off the floor." She shot him an electrifying stare, fear and apprehension in her gaze. "I'll keep to my half." He offered.
She got up, shivering, and still looking cautious as she crawled into the bed. Obi-wan had moved over, and it was warm where he'd laid. Oh, wonderful warmth. Obi-wan propped himself up on one shoulder to look at her, but suddenly she'd pressed her body to his. "Force, you're warm." Her voice was purred into his neck. He smiled slightly.
"Your pride for a bit of warmth?" Her forearms dug into his chest, but he didn't care right now.
"Shut up Kenobi." Asajj purred again. Her shivering was already growing less violent. He wrapped his arms around her slender waist, remembering briefly his promise to keep away from her. Then again, the night was too cold to be aloof.
I warned you it was FLUFFY! reveiw if you liked any portion of above mush. and if you didn't like any, then review and tell me how disgustingly mushy this is. but I couldn't resist. Cuz I loooove mush! almost as much as I love reveiws. *hint hint*
thanks everyone!