AN: Hello! I hope you've been enjoying the story so far. As a rule of thumb, I'm mostly ignoring the Jedi's rule of no attachments. Fair warning, the rating kicks in in this chapter. I've done my best, but if anyone has any advice on that sort of writing, please let me know. As always, reviews are much appreciated. Enjoy the chapter! May the Force Be With You.
Disclaimer: Someone once said that a kiss was the equivalent of a sex scene in the Star Wars movies, so I'm not sure what George Lucas would make of this chapter. I'm just playing with his characters, and some of my own.
CHAPTER 10
The past few days had been relatively quiet. Since returning to Coruscant, Charlie had debriefed with the council and hidden the plans for the super weapon away. Other than that, she'd not had much to do. All of the council had survived the battle, expect for one member. She had been informed that Obi-Wan Kenobi would take that member's place. She hadn't seen him during the battle, so she'd been surprised and pleased to hear that he'd survived. She still hadn't met the man, and yet all her efforts so far had been because of his mission. She would have to seek him out later.
Currently, though, she was meditating in the Hall of a Thousand Fountains, one of her favorite places within the temple. She'd found it just a few days ago, a couple hours after her debriefing with the council. The room reminded her of a rainforest or a jungle, and she had chosen it as a meditative spot quickly.
Charlie felt the force signature approach before she heard the footsteps. She relaxed her meditative barriers, having had enough for one day, and willing to speak to whoever it was that was approaching her.
She stood, feeling the soft dirt under the soles of her boots, and looked up to try and recognize a face.
The first thing she noticed were the eyes. Blue-green and sparkling with something form of hilarity. Those eyes. She'd seen them before.
"The foyer!" she thought to herself, barely stopping a gasp.
They affected her the same now as they did the first time she'd seen them. She couldn't move, couldn't speak for a moment.
The man had stopped in front of her and bowed to her. Charlie returned the greeting without really knowing what she was doing. He spoke first.
"Charlotte Altair." he said. "It seems I owe you my life."
Charlie, once again, was rooted in place. The voice affected her the same way it had days ago, during the Battle of Geonosis. This was the same man she'd tangled with on the battlefield. Once again, she had to force herself to forget about the effect of the voice.
Charlie totally ignored the compliment he had just paid her, and instead decided to insult him again.
"You're the ignorant, impudent wampa's ass who would rather fight me than the droids! I was on a rescue mission for General Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, and Senator Amidala. " Charlie said in greeting, accusingly.
"How could he possibly be the same person as the owner of those eyes?" she thought to herself. She failed to put two and two together. There was only one person this man could be.
He bowed in return, his eyes still sparkling with mirth.
"Yes." he said. "You have my most sincere apology for that mistake. Allow me to introduce you to General Kenobi and to Skywalker as a token of my apology."
That caught Charlie's interest.
"You know of them?" she asked the man.
"Yes," he replied, "and unfortunately I do not think you will find Obi-Wan Kenobi any less of a... what was it you called me? Ah yes. I do not think you will find him any less of an ignorant, impudent wampa's ass than you find me."
His eyes sparked with amusement and his teeth flashed white with his smile.
Charlie's face took an a confused expression.
The man in front of her started to chuckle at her bewildered expression, and then to laugh. Charlie was horrified, and the man just kept on laughing.
Somewhere in her brain, she noticed he had a laugh that made her want to join in, made her want to smile.
For the moment, however, she was floored by how rude he was being towards a highly respected Jedi Master who now sat on the high council.
Finally noticing her expression, the man sobered up, though his eyes still twinkling with contained amusement.
Once he'd stopped and she gathered her wits, she voiced her confusion.
"How could you possibly say that?" she asked him.
"How?" the man replied, clearly barely containing fresh laughter.
"Well, he's me." And Obi-Wan threw his head back and laughed.
Charlie sat at her desk, R4 at the door and a steaming plate of food in front of her. She hadn't gotten anything done since the mortifying introduction to Obi-Wan. She'd excused herself as soon as he'd made himself known, turning and running in what was really an undignified fashion.
How was it possible that she hadn't realized he was the other Jedi on the transport ship? That he was the first fallen Jedi when she'd faced down Tyranus? She'd seen those eyes in the lobby, and the council had clearly said that the owner was Obi-Wan Kenobi. How had she not put two and two together?
"How did I manage to kriff that up so badly?" she groaned into her elbows.
Obi-Wan was really a true Jedi. The first Jedi to kill a Sith in 1000 years; a man who can fight but would rather negotiate. Known as The Negotiator, he was highly respected for his talents in everything from lightsaber fighting to flying to creating peace from chaos. Now, he was a member of the High Council.
And he was the owner of those devastating blue-green eyes.
Charlie realized now that she should've recognized him on Geonosis. She would have had those eyes not gone gray in the heat of battle.
Charlie shook her head to clear those thoughts, and groaning, tossed the remains of her dinner down the trash chute. As she prepared for bed, those eyes continued to haunt her. Knowing she would have to work with Obi-Wan now that he was on the High Council made her wish she could start all over.
"No redos, Charlie." she said to herself as she pulled the blankets up. And with a sigh, she fell asleep.
Rough, calloused hands trailed over her leggings and up under her camisole, lightly catching on the stitching. Her tunic and shorts had already been tossed to the side. She sighed into the touch, allowing the warmth to spread through her body. He divested her of her shirt, and she felt whiskered kisses trail up her stomach, between her breasts, and to her mouth. She moaned into the almost-kiss, cursing him for holding back.
"Beg for it." he said, his voice low and rough. "Beg for what you want."
She gasped for air, his thumb over the most sensitive part of her body, just barely teasing her.
"Please, kiss me." she replied. "Please!"
She moaned loudly as his thumb pressed harder into that devastating spot.
She needed more, more of him, more skin, more pressure, harder, faster. She moaned again as his lips closed around her pressure point. He kept the one hand on the crease of her leggings while the other reached into her bra to tease her nipples.
His whiskers tickled her on the way back down her neck, until he captured her right nipple in his mouth. She moaned again, awash in pleasure. He took his hands away for a second while he stripped her leggings off, and she took the opportunity to pull his tunic off. She marveled at the warrior's body, scars and all. His muscles rippled as he went back to her leggings, having been momentarily distracted by her quest. Charlie's mouth went dry at the beautiful way they moved.
Before she could touch, however, he shoved her back down with a force-push, and pinned her there.
"How about… this?" he whispered into her ear, hot breath caressing.
He slipped his fingers under her panties, teasing and caressing. She bucked against his hand, but the other splayed across her stomach held her down.
"Please!" she cried again. She needed more. His mouth left her breasts and trailed down her stomach until it reached the place his fingers currently occupied. Using both his hands and his mouth, he brought her to the edge of pleasure, somehow knowing exactly when to stop.
She moaned again when he displayed this talent, much to her displeasure. He left her body then, to strip his pants and her panties off. She looked up in anticipation. She expected to see pure lust in his eyes, but instead she saw desire and intense passion for her in Obi-Wan's blue-green…
Wait, Obi-Wan's? OBI-WAN!
Charlie awoke with a gasp. Her heart was pounding and she could feel the heat from what had felt like a very real dream. She came back to reality quickly.
"Stars above…" she groaned into her pillow.
She couldn't feel like this, not for Obi-Wan. What was she thinking? This was totally out of bounds! He was a member of the high council and a Jedi Master!
Oh, but it had felt so real, and so good. Damn those eyes of his to Sith's hell!
Charlie had had her fair share of experience on the few trips she'd taken with Sidious and Tyranus. She wasn't about to find an available man in the lair, so she'd taken advantage of the sparse freedom.
But nothing like this had ever happened.
"He is a Jedi" Charlie told herself sternly. "He sits on the High Council. He is off limits." She groaned again, having done a terrible job of convincing herself.
She reached over to the nightstand and checked her comm unit, noting that it was about time for her to wake up anyways. With the dream still in her head, she showered and readied for the day. At the door, before she left, she stopped to give herself a pep talk.
"Okay Charlie, you're a grown woman. Just put it out of your mind. You have incredible control of the force. If anyone can put this out of their mind, you can. Just forget about it" she said to herself.
Feeling like it had been a futile effort, she sighed and left to find some breakfast.
She found it in the form of Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi in the mess.
"Of course this would happen." she thought silently to herself. "Just my kriffing luck."
She nonetheless smiled at the two Jedi when they invited her over. She took a seat, and a droid brought her a steaming plate and a mug of Bezlet juice. She introduced herself to Anakin. Although they'd seen each other several times during the battle, they'd never been properly introduced. Then she turned to face Obi-Wan.
"I do apologize for my rushed exit yesterday. I was rather mortified." she admitted.
He smiled at her and took her hand in his. She felt the same jolt she had the first few times she'd looked into his eyes. As if she'd been brushed by a charge stick.
"No problem at all." he said. "I apologize for my deception, and for my words on the battlefield. In the heat of the fight, I did not recognize you and didn't realize what I was saying. Please forgive me."
Charlie returned the smile.
"There is nothing to forgive, but I hear congratulations are in order." she said. "Your ascension to the High Council, while precipitated by awful news, is most worthy and welcome." She removed her hand regretfully to start eating.
"See," Anakin spoke now, "I told you you should be proud!"
He put a hand on his master's shoulder. Obi-Wan sighed, but there was a smile on his face.
"I cannot say I am displeased." Obi-Wan replied. "The death of my predecessor, though, was an unnecessary tragedy. One I wish I could have prevented."
Charlie nodded in agreement. The group entered a lull in conversation.
Feeling a need to fill the empty air, Charlie said "Forgive me, but I don't know how much the council has told you about me. I want to stop any misunderstandings before they happen."
"I am Charlotte Altair," she continued, "Last of the Silverstars and Enemy of the Sith. Please, call me Charlie."
Obi-Wan looked up at the mention of the Silverstars.
"In return," he said, a curious emotion in his eyes, "there is nothing to forgive. Yes, the council has told us your story and how you indirectly helped save mine and Anakin's life, and for that we owe you a great debt of gratitude. Your forewarning to the council may have been just enough to save many innocent lives that day."
Charlie smiled in gratitude, and was set to reply before Anakin interrupted.
"I saw your starfighter, Charlie." he said. "It's a magnificent craft."
And so Anakin, Charlie, and Obi-Wan spent to remainder of the meal discussing different ships and their attributes. She discovered that Obi-Wan didn't much like flying, but was a fantastic pilot and knew a great deal about ships nonetheless.
Obi-Wan's comm unit beeped after a half hour or so. He read the message, a slight frown marring his face.
Charlie admired him, taking advantage of the momentary distraction. Even with the frown, he had to be one of the most handsome men she'd ever met. He had a slight beard and full blondish-reddish hair, shining dully under the bland lighting. He was simply gorgeous.
He looked up suddenly, catching her staring. She could see it in his eyes that he'd felt and seen her gaze.
"Damn!" she thought silently. She looked away quickly.
"Charlie," Obi-Wan said, her name on his tongue making her somewhat giddy, "Anakin here has been assigned to guard his new wife, Senator Padmé Amidala. I have just been contacted with some new leads in the Clone Wars. "Would you help me with research today? I could use an extra set of eyes."
Charlie looked at him, trying to judge his intentions. She did not have anything better to do, and wanted to assist. So, congratulating Anakin on his marriage, she left the mess hall side by side with Obi-Wan.