Thanks Katie Ladmoore and DragonRider2000 for your reviews!

Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" goes with the first scene and Within Temptation's "Stand My Ground" as filler for the arena scene…

Heartbreak Here, Relief There

Elaina blankly squinted at the light coming from the end of the long tunnel as the winged guard chained her on the left side of the cart next to Obi-Wan. This was it. She was about to die without the man even knowing how she felt. Ha! Not if she could help it!

But, what if he rejected her? All of her desperate waiting and wondering would have been for nothing! However, on the other hand, if he did reject her, she at least would know. That was a silly thought. Of course he wouldn't reject her! Nearly everyone she had spoken to about it (mainly Dexter) thought that they were a perfect match. There was only one way to find out.

"Obi-Wan?" she began, looking sadly up at him.

"No, we are not going to die…not if I can help it," was the quick and half-careless reply. Her response finally brought his eyes to gaze into her own.

"It has nothing to do with that; although, I suppose I would not being saying this if not for it." She had reached the point of no return. She had to say it. "I care for you more than anything…just as much as my sister, if not more. Obi-Wan, I love you. I have known it since that morning on Tatooine when we watched the sunrise from near the ship all those years ago…remember?"

"Of course, I remember…when you were still snipping at me about asking questions." This wasn't good. He was trying to deny that she had said those three fate-sealing words and it was ripping her heart out. Only one thing could bring him back down from his cloud of disbelief.

She went on her tiptoes…and their lips met. Finally, after all that time, she was actually showing her true feelings instead of hiding them behind some false mask of courage or sarcasm. There was one thing wrong: he wasn't reacting at all. Elaina went back down on the flats of her heels, breaking the one-sided show of affection, and looked searchingly into the eyes of the one she loved so much, only to find him without any kindness in return.

"I am…sorry. I didn't know that you found me so…repelling."

"Elaina, it's not that at all," Obi-Wan stuttered as the girl turned away slightly, finally getting over his apparent shock. "It's just that I…well…"

"It's Kelly, isn't it," she murmured, once again facing him, though she felt like crawling into a lonely hole and dying right then and there…of course, the shackles kept her from doing so. "I cannot say that I didn't half-expect that. She has loved you probably even longer than I. You deserve each other. Opposites attract…"

Her voice faded off and an awkward silence commenced while the driver put the cart into motion. Elaina Kalonya…Skywalker…Jinn…whoever she was left her heart in that lowly little tunnel, never to rediscover it. Even if she did find her heart one day, there were too many pieces to reconstruct the feeble thing anyway. Obi-Wan belonged to her sister. Even her brother had someone for such a luxury as love.

"So, how can I help you this time, Elaina?" the jolly restaurant owner queried.

"Nothing this time Dex…just somewhere I can think for a while," the twenty-five-year-old stated.

"Do ya mind if I sit down?" After squeezing himself into the shaded booth, Dexter went on. "Where's your little trainee…Aya, isn't it?"

"Aayla," Elaina corrected, sipping her drink. "She is at a history class in the temple."

"So, I have you all to myself, do I?" The Jedi laughed a reply. Dex always could make her smile. "What's the special occasion…some holiday or other extraordinary event that causes you to visit my humble abode for a purpose other than questions?"

"Oh, just an anniversary on which I like to avoid Jedi…the death of Qui-Gon Jinn…you remember him don't you…at least me talking about him?"

"Yes, one other Jedi I advise once in a while mentioned that name…Obi-Wan Kenobi's teacher, I believe, right?"

"Obi-Wan comes here?"

"Uh-huh…is there something I should know about?"

"No," Elaina replied laughingly, "what makes you say that?"

"You two are just so alike. You'd think that the two of you have spent years around each other, practicing each other's reactions."

"I never heard it put that way…or any way, for that matter…"

"You like him, don't ya?" the alien suggested with a wink. "But those confounded laws of yours…ah, don't even get me started. You're perfect for each other. If you haven't realized it, you will."

"I have, actually. Like you said, the rules get in the way."

"Tell me more."

But the Knight would not resent Obi-Wan or anyone else for it. She wanted the best for her friends and…loved ones, even if it meant sacrificing her own happiness. Her life as a lovesick girl had ended. Her life as a Knight and protector loyal to the Jedi order had just begun.

Then there was the problem of soon-to-come execution.

--

~Finally, they're both admitting their feelings for each other!~

These thoughts, as well as many others, were going through Kelly's mind as Padme at last gave in to her emotions towards Anakin while the Knight sat in between them. Then it suddenly hit her. There was a good chance that Obi-Wan and Elaina were in the same position, coming to terms with their feelings for each other. The older twin wouldn't let that chance pass up, that was for sure…and Obi-Wan wouldn't be able to resist those shimmering blue eyes…yes, when she wanted, Elaina could give a pretty pathetic look. She was pretty, smart, talented, and exactly like the man they both loved. How could he resist that? Kelly, the "irrational," "irresponsible," "stubborn" "tomboy," (yes, the rumors got around) was completely left out at the moment. Obi-Wan/Elaina and Anakin/Padme…two perfect matches, plus the loveless outsider were all facing their deaths four together, one separately.

The girl squinted as the cart rolled out of the shade and into the blazing sun. Following a few moments of adjusting her eyes from the more sensitive-to-light, sad blue to the normal, more resilient, dark brown color, Kelly was able to see the five pillars, two of which already seemed to have people chained to them. As the trio descended from the cart and were pushed towards the pillars, Obi-Wan began conversing with Anakin; however, the girl only half-listened to that, surprisingly.

"Where did you get that?!" she softly exclaimed to Padme as the chains were secured to the poles high above.

"This?" the other woman asked in turn, nodding to her chained hands, which held a small pick. "They come in handy. Changing the subject, doesn't something seem wrong with Elaina?"

Elaina! She had nearly forgotten her own sister in watching Obi-Wan to make sure he was alright. Leaning forward, Kelly caught a glance of the older twin, who sure enough seemed to be in some sort of pain. Through her passive-as-always look, Elaina's lips occasionally twitched, as if trying to suppress any sound wanting to escape past them. Using the Force, she was able to detect that her sister was somehow injured, though Kelly's mind had too many things going through it to focus on that single subject any further.

Then, her attention was brought to five large tunnels across from the captives as giant gates were raised as to allow something through. From the far right, across from Padme, the most ferocious creature the Geonosians could have possibly unleashed: a Nexu, with its razor teeth barred, it pointed hackles raised, its rat tail whipping back and forth, and its hooked claws gleaming in the desert sun. In front of Kelly came…a large moving lump in the sand? Either that or something was actually crawling underneath the sand, which was less than comforting. Next, for Anakin, came a Reek with three thick horns and hooves. For Obi-Wan, an Acklay with six pointed legs and, of course, many sharp teeth. Finally, there was the six-foot, black and yellow Cavern Spider.

Partially ignoring the creatures, Padme meanwhile began climbing the pillar. She stopped halfway to look down at the glowering Kelly. Supporting her weight on one hand and holding the pick out with the other, she cockily queried,

"What, you don't have one of these, Kelly? Hmm…"

"At least you know what you're fighting!" the Jedi exclaimed with sarcastic anger. "So far, I get a sandy lump to attack me."

"Oh, relax," the senator called down after achieving the pillar's height. "Consider watching that lump of sand, though. It's getting closer. Good luck!"

"You too!"

Suddenly, the 'lump of sand' reared up about twenty feet away. Its primarily light purple body, mixed in with some black on the back, had the smooth texture of a newt. It had two sets of thin, antenna-like pincers, one on the sides of the fanged, spidery mouth and the other behind the giant yellow fly eyes. Two more, longer, thicker, spiked, and more hostile-appearing pairs of claws, set about one foot apart a short ways down the thing's body, further decorated the already frightening animal. Yet another couple of sets of appendages were even lower; however, instead of grabbers, they were simply black, razor-sharp knives. All-in-all, it was about five meters long, with ten feet of that momentarily hovering over Kelly. Her examination of it had given the creature plenty of time to slink back under the sand and pop up right in front of her.

Gulping loudly, the Jedi twirled around to the other side of the pole as her attacker lunged at the spot almost directly where her head had been. In frustration at failure, it whipped the end of its tail around, catching the back of her shins with stinging and cutting force; however, the wounds were luckily nothing deep or dangerous. Suddenly thinking herself an idiot, Kelly used the Force to unlock the shackles on her wrists and proceeded to make a makeshift whip out of the chain. Swinging the handcuffs back around at her foe, the girl missed her target. Instead, the chain came all the way around and nearly hit her in the face. Improvising, she attached the shackles to chain, temporarily trapping the purple thing.

Intelligence seemed for a second to not be its forte; however that assumption quickly disappeared as the tail came back around, grabbed Kelly by the waist, and started desperately flinging the woman around. It appeared that a pair or two of pincers had gotten wrapped in the chain, making the upper part of it a prisoner and the lower a raging beast in itself. Kelly was beat against the pillar several times, probably being given a mild concussion in the process, before getting tossed across the sand about thirty feet away. Hopefully, the chain would hold that creature a bit longer. The Knight needed the rest. Her head felt like she had been run over by a bantha! A moment later, she was on the verge of losing consciousness when she heard Elaina.

"Uh, Kelly? A little help?"

The older sibling was on her back inching towards Kelly and away from the advancing spider. Like herself, the blue-eyed twin's wrists were free of any shackles and it appeared that she had been able to break one of the creature's legs. It did not however seem to have done her any good as the animal caught up still some twenty feet away from the headache-plagued woman. As the injurious-upon-touch venom dripped from its black fangs, Elaina rolled out of the way just in time to avoid an extremely painful death…only to be promptly kicked in the ribs by a hooked leg. The short, quickly muffled scream which ensued resonated throughout the echoing arena, receiving thunderous applause from the crowd.

"Elaina!" Kelly cried upon hearing the sound. She instantly felt rage flowing through her, enhancing her power, causing her to simply flick her wrist in order to break the spider's remaining legs and finish it off. The girl didn't finally kneel beside her sister until Elaina was already trying to stand, gasping in agony as she did.

"Why did you do that?! You could have simply put him to sleep!"

"Forget about the blasted spider, El!" was the snappy reply as the younger Jedi placed her hand on the bloody shirt, getting a hiss of pain in thanks. "Actually, this may be good…with the skin broken, there's a slightly less chance of major bruising and internal bleeding."

"Ha! So you were actually listening to those useless 'advanced' medical classes! Truthfully, I ignored that manual stuff after CPR, minor bruises, and lacerations."

"Hmm, so you're not 'Miss Perfect' after all." Growling, Elaina sat up for the second time, only to yell,

"Behind you!" Again, with a random flourish, Kelly killed an attacking creature: this time, hers. "Is it just me, or have you been practicing?"

"No, just many things have happened since we last saw each other."

"Uh-huh, same here."

"I can imagine," the dark brunette finalized, looking at Obi-Wan. Not giving Elaina the chance to really react, Kelly lugged her up and turned to figure out what had transpired. With her sibling leaning on her, the two sisters watched as Anakin tamed his beast, Obi-Wan dueled with his, and the injured Padme stood on the pillar watching her own. After seeing that their friends were temporarily safe riding on the Reek, they slowly walked to the pillars where Elaina sat down to catch her breath. However tough that girl was, Kelly could tell that she was hurting and needed a break, even though she really wanted to rejoin the action.

Suddenly, they were surrounding by about a dozen destroyers.

"Now, that's cheating!" she exclaimed, only to change her mind when about a hundred Jedi appeared around the arena. "Now, that's more like it!" Again, her mind changed as thousands of battle droids poured into the arena. "Come on! My headache was just starting to go away!"

"Let's go, Kelly!" Elaina interrupted, this time, dragging Kelly in retreating away from the poles and towards the oncoming Jedi on the other side of them.

--

"Aayla!" the girl yelled upon seeing her former padawan only a little ways away.

"Mistress!" she responded, tossing a pair of lightsabers to her teacher, who handed one to Kelly. "I thought you might need these."

"Where's Ahsoka?" the brunette queried.

"I think she's on a mission of some sort…high security, so she could not arrive in time."

The trio then began defending themselves in the way they knew best (other than with the Force, of course), destroying everything in their path. As luck would have it, the stupid Cavern Spider just had to kick her in the already broken ribs, so Elaina's fighting abilities were somewhat handicapped and she often was forced to use less physical methods…not that she did mind…except for the nagging pain in her side. The twins eventually found themselves in a tight circle with Obi-Wan and Master Windu. It was incredibly effective as they could deflect blows from all sides without hardly turning.

"Master…"

"Elaina, Kelly," the dark man acknowledged. "It's good to see you in one piece."

"It's good to be seen!"

Unfortunately, the little party was quickly broken up and the siblings reverted back down to a duo, fighting back-to-back.

"I miss being partners," Elaina noted as a shot bounced away to meet a droid's head.

"Me too…at least I have someone to watch my back."

"Ha ha, good thing you still have your humor."

Several minutes later, there were only about twenty Jedi clumped together in the middle of the arena, Aayla included, and the attackers unexpectedly ceased firing. Then, Dooku babbled on about Windu, recognition, surrendering, and all the other usual…stuff. Of course, Windu turned down the offer instantly, resulting in guns once more being aimed at them.

"Look!" Padme abruptly noted, motioning to the sky. Several gunships appeared out of nowhere and began firing on the surrounding droids, recommencing the shoot-out. A moment later, the surviving Jedi were given the chance to board a few of the ships.

"Elaina, come on!" Kelly called from her new post with Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Padme; however, the older girl ignored her sister's summons and followed Windu to the craft carrying Master Yoda.

"If Dooku escapes," he said, "rally more systems to his cause he will. Injured you are," her old trainer further stated worriedly. With the woman sitting down, leaning against the side of the vessel with her right leg dangling out, she was approximately the same height as the green little Jedi, she noted as Windu waveringly sat down beside her in order to examine the wound. Obviously, she took a quick breath when he touched it.

"This wound is no slight scratch," the man observed. "You should be screaming in agony, if not unconscious."

"Oh believe me," Elaina countered, "I'm getting there."

"You can't fight with this."

"Some of these clones have medical training, don't they?! One of them can give me a temporary patch-up and I will worry about this later."

"I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you!"

Out of the corner of her eye, the Knight caught her Masters nodding to each other as if to confirm some long-thought-of idea.

-Either my unavoidable promotion, or the fact that the wound is even worse than they are letting on…-

Once they had landed in a rather large clump of clones, Windu and two of the other Jedi alighted. Just as the ship was about to take off (the girl planning to hop down he second it did), the dark-toned leader returned to face Elaina, who was still momentarily sitting down.

"Elaina, go with Master Yoda to the command center. There should be a clone there who can help you."

"But…"

"Leave it up to Yoda to decide as to whether or not you return to battle."

"Yes, Master."

Of course, she wouldn't admit to the faint-worthy pain throbbing in her side, but Elaina knew that she couldn't go on fighting at that moment. She was exhausted.

--

Obviously, she was supposed to be concentrating on the Count they were chasing…but Kelly couldn't get her head around why her sister would simply go off like that without an explanation. That was a Kelly move, not Elaina!

Whoops! So much for concentrating…since Kelly had only been lightly holding on to the overhead netting, she went tumbling out with Padme and one of the clones when the vessels following them nearly made their target.

"Padme!" she faintly heard Anakin scream before hitting the burning hot, packed sand and blacking out.

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