AN: Hello all! Sorry for the cliffhanger last time. I wanted to really get this chapter right. It may seem like everything is a little too perfect right now and maybe moving a bit too fast, but I wanted Obi-Wan and Charlie to cement their relationship before the action ensues. Which gives you a little preview into this chapter! This, just as last chapter, was fairly hard to write. Please leave reviews, I always want to know if something is too mushy or not described enough, etc. Enjoy the chapter! May the Force Be With You.

Disclaimer: It belongs to George Lucas.

CHAPTER 21

Charlie felt his arrival like a punch to the gut. Obi-Wan looked worse than she'd ever seen him. Haggard and battle-weary, but very much alive. She wanted to run to him, to hug him, to never let him go. He didn't look at her, but speared each of the other council members with his gaze, not bothering to sit. He didn't reach out to her using the force, so Charlie didn't do anything.

"My fellow members of the High Council." Obi-Wan said, his voice resonant with an edge that belied his anger.

"I've been informed of what took place in here on my and Anakin's last day on Janulik. I realize now that there was some error in not informing you of my relationship with Master Silverstar, but the Code was changed, so I cannot and will not admit to any wrongdoing."

Obi-Wan sighed heavily.

"Charlotte has done nothing wrong. She is not bound by our code and she forced me to do nothing, so your instructions for her, Master Mundi, were wildly out of bounds. She caused me no harm. In fact, its quite likely that she saved my life. Now, if you will excuse us, Charlie and I will take our leave. I believe we have much to talk about."

Charlie stood, recognizing her cue when she heard it. Obi-Wan still hadn't looked at her, but his reprimand to the council had been exactly what she would have said... if she hadn't said it already. Besides, Windu had already apologized to her, and she wasn't going to hold a grudge against her fiercest allies in the war.

She followed Obi-Wan out without making eye contact with any of the council members, but allowed her force signature to brush Yoda's and Windu's, letting them know that all was well and forgiven.

She then turned her attention to Obi-Wan, trying to get a sense of how angry he was. But his walls were up tight, and his signature was giving nothing away.

Charlie walked out of the council room behind Obi-Wan, the doors whooshing shut. Down the hallway they went, without saying a word. They boarded a lift, and once it had started to move, Charlie turned to him, begging him to say something, anything.

But he didn't and wouldn't, and since his face was still set in those hard lines, Charlie ceased her efforts.

It would makes sense if he were mad at her, she reasoned to herself. She'd given away their relationship to his colleagues without his permission and without him there. She'd been there when he'd gotten injured, only to brush it off as a dream because she was too busy dealing with the problem of her own conflicting emotions. She'd released those emotions in a highly personal and not very private way. And to top it all off, he'd just had to rescue her from the very same colleagues. No, Charlie would not be surprised if he was mad.

They got off the lift on his floor, and together walked to the room that Obi-Wan and Anakin shared. He spoke for the first time.

"Anakin is at Padmé's tonight, just as he has been for the past week when he wasn't with me. Padmé wants me to apologize for not coming to see you all week. She figured you would wonder where she'd been. She was with Anakin for the entire time."

Obi-Wan's voice didn't hold anger, to Charlie's surprise. Instead, it was sad, hesitant, almost pained. As he talked, he let them into his rooms, and the door slid shut behind them. He walked past the kitchen, away from her.

"Obi-Wan." Charlie called to him.

He stopped, a fist on the end table that delineated the line between the kitchen and the living room. His back was rigid, almost as if her voice caused him horrible pain.

"Please." Charlie said, voice dropping to a whisper.

And ever so slowly, Obi-Wan turned, gaze finally meeting hers.

Charlie gasped. There was terrible pain in his eyes. Physical, yes, but also mental. Charlie reached out to Obi-Wan through the force, needing to know what caused him this pain. His walls were up and tight, but they were brittle, as if one well placed touch could cause them to come crashing down.

She waited outside his walls, not wanted to intrude, but needing him to show her. She needed to understand. Those blue-green eyes judged her questioningly. Apparently they liked what they found, because his walls came crashing down, and Charlie just about drowned under the emotion and memory that he had pent up.

Feelings came in bursts.

…brotherly companionship with Anakin…

…physical pain from the destroyers…

…debilitating fear that Anakin was injured or dead…

…blinding agony from his wounds…

…pure happiness that Charlie was with him…

…heartbreak because he was not ready to be one with the force…

…heartstopping fear when he awoke in the healer's wing, alone…

…burning anger at the council…

Charlie absorbed as much as she could. She saw the attack, she saw herself through Obi-Wan's eyes, she saw his debriefing with the council, she saw him almost attack Ki-Adi Mundi.

In return, Charlie shared the past week with him. His emotions triggered her own, and the exchanged memories and feelings alike. Her meeting with the council, her release into the force on the roof of the temple, her seclusion, and the absolute, bone-deep relief she felt at seeing him alive.

The only thing she kept from him was her and Padmé's conversation about love. It seemed that Obi-Wan had passed out on Janulik before hearing her declaration of love, for which Charlie was grateful.

They embraced each other's minds as much as they could without a bond, allowing the worry and stress to be an equal burden. Charlie felt herself start to silently cry as she began to realize that he wasn't mad at her, not even a little bit. He was really mad at the council for what they put her through, but for her, he had only an apology and an unidentifiable emotion that was a mix of desire, fondness, and happiness.

"Obi-Wan." Charlie said again, voice still soft, but now tinged with her tears.

And then he was walking towards her, taking her face in his big hands and wiping away her tears. He hugged her, warm and solid, and she returned the embrace enthusiastically, whispering sweet nothings and apologies into his ears.

Charlie finally let herself feel how terrified she'd been at the thought of losing him. She allowed herself to feel relieved that he was here, alive, solid, with heart beating. Obi-Wan picked her up bridal style, like she was made of porcelain and had to be handled gently.

Charlie allowed herself to be dead weight in his arms, the emotions of the past week taking all of her strength.

Obi-Wan set her down on the couch and joined her with a low sigh.

"Charlotte Altair, how I've missed you." he said, allowing his mind to put her fears to rest. It was an incredibly intimate way to communicate, and Charlie felt the bubble of happiness grow inside of her at the thought that he would be comfortable allowing it.

"I am here, darling. I am here."

Charlie launched herself onto his lap, only slightly embarrassed that she was acting like an initiate with no control over her emotions.

"Obi-Wan, I saw your last fight." she said. "I saw you get injured, I thought you were dead! I haven't been able to feel your force signature in the past week. I thought you'd died and no one had bothered to tell me."

Charlie's voice cracked on the last word, and fresh tears slid down her face.

But Obi-Wan wasn't done. He large hands grabbed her face again, forcing her to meet his gaze.

"You are the only reason I am here." he said fiercely. "Your presence, though I may never understand it, was enough motivation for me not to become one with the force. It is you I owe my life to, once again. Don't ever think I would forget you in my last moments, no matter how chaotic. It would be impossible. Your very light is burned into my body, my brain, my heart. I simply cannot forget you, darling."

And then he was kissing her, and all was right in the world. There was no anger, and the pain was slowly fading. The fear that she would never see him again was soothed by the balm of his presence. And the fear that she didn't know she'd had, the fear that he would forget her, was whisked away by his words.

They came together on the couch, a combining of force signatures that they'd not yet had. Both left their shields down in the most revealing of ways, allowing their force signatures to meld together into one.

The heat burned through both lovers, not bringing pain, but instead pleasure. It left tingling tracks on the skin and bright lines on their vision.

Their combined minds heightened every sense, made every pleasure sharper and more sensual, made every emotion more poignant.

It was making love like Charlie had never experienced it.

They approached climax together, their melded minds allowing them to adjust to every little urge and allowing them to get the timing right. Both had this indescribable urge to fall over the edge together, as if they wouldn't survive it alone.

Charlie felt the heat build in her stomach and behind her eyes, but she felt something else as well. It was as if the force was feeling and feeding their passion. She felt a building sense of anticipation in the force, reflected in both their minds.

She and Obi-Wan together coaxed each other up, up higher and higher until Charlie felt that she could take no more without exploding. And then together, they tumbled over the edge.

Two pairs of eyes snapped open, each finding the other. Charlie's forest green and Obi-Wan's dark turquoise. Surrounding the couple, a nimbus of royal blue, forest green, sharp silver, and bright gold extended, encasing them in its colorful rays. Charlie felt her force signature shift, change, extend into Obi-Wan's, who felt his do the same.

They were caught, together, but caught nonetheless, in a flow of the force so strong, so fast, and so powerful that neither could have escaped or survived without the other. They clung to each other, riding out their orgasm and the push of the force simultaneously, feeling the absolute pleasure that seemed to go on and on.

Until, with one last burst of bright light and a force-shaking wave, the nimbus disappeared and the couple collapsed, unconscious.

When Charlie awoke, the first thing she realized what that she was naked and being spooned by an equally naked Obi-Wan on his couch. They had apparently passed out after their intense session together. She supposed the added measure of the force had been too much. She opened her eyes and noticed that the sun was setting. They had been out for hours.

Charlie reached out with the force out of habit, and promptly fell off the couch out of surprise. Obi-Wan awoke at that moment with a sharp gasp. Charlie stuck her head up, catching his gaze and asking him silently if he'd felt the same thing. He nodded.

She closed her eyes, trying to figure out exactly what was different. Her force signature had changed. Or it had been added to. Yes, it had been added to. Nothing had been taken away. There was a new bond, tenuous, but bright and powerful. It extended from the very center of her force signature, and as she follow it along, she realized it connected to… Obi-Wan?

Charlie's eyes snapped open again.

"What the hell?" she asked herself, only belatedly realizing that she had spoken it in the force.

Obi-Wan's eyes were closed still, but he shook his head.

"I can hear you. I can feel you, all of you. I can see you. I can speak to you and you can hear me." he said, and Charlie realized he wasn't speaking out loud. They could hear each other through whatever this new bond was.

"You burn with force, Charlie." Obi-Wan still had his eyes closed, and now his voice, out loud, was full of awe. "I mean, I knew your heritage would give you incredible strength, and I saw some of it before now, but the Force embraces you with no hesitation. You are so bright, so fiery."

Charlie just stared at the handsome man in front of her, who was apparently seeing her like he'd never seen her before. And now that she realized it, she could do the same to him. The view was more than just his force signature. She could see his thoughts as they occurred, his feelings as they bloomed, his past as it affected him.

"And you, Obi-Wan." she said. "You are bright with light. The dark side has no foothold in you. You feel no fear, have no anger. You let nothing rule you but your disciplines of the force." Charlie felt the same amount of awe as she could feel emanating from Obi-Wan.

He opened his eyes, meeting her gaze.

"We're… bonded?" Charlie asked, hesitantly.

"That is certainly what it feels like, darling. Like my training bond with Anakin, but stronger and created by accident, but through the permission of the force. they call it ahava. It is one of the strongest forms of... love?" he said in return. His voice went up at the end, turning the statement into a question. He didn't know, despite his open view of her mind, he still didn't know that she loved him.

Charlie nodded at his question. She took a deep breath, and pushed all of her feelings for him front and center, where he couldn't miss them.

And the look on his face couldn't've been happier.

"Ahava." Charlie said, testing the new word out. "Ahava. It means some form of love, doesn't it? Well, so, now you know. I love you, Obi-Wan."

Charlie tried to suppress her nerves. If they had formed this bond, it meant he had to love her in return, but until she heard the words she couldn't be sure she was deciphering the feelings in his mind the right way.

And then Obi-Wan recovered from his surprise and returned the favor.

Charlie's feelings were echoed back over their new bond, and Charlie didn't know whether she was relieved, surprised, or just blissfully happy.

She was still kneeling on the floor in front of the couch, but now she launched herself at Obi-Wan.

"I love you, Charlotte Altair." he said, and the words were music to her ears. "I love you, all of you, all of everything you were, are, and will be. I can't even begin to describe the depth of my feelings, and now I don't have to. You have been a bright light of happiness in these dark times, and I can't tell you how wonderful that has been."

Charlie felt the emotion swell across their bond.

"And I love you, Obi-Wan. More than I ever thought possible." Charlie said, pulling back and holding his face in her hands. "I never in a millennium expected to find someone like you when I came to the temple, but I'm so grateful that I did. The past week has been terrifying. The idea of losing you made me realize that I love you."

Words failed her then, and she kissed him with everything she had. This was feeling and emotion like she had never felt it before. She felt alight with the energy of a billion suns and as peaceful as her small underground ocean back on Utapau. For the first time since she'd left home, she felt at peace with the force, with herself, with the world around her, and that was the greatest gift Obi-Wan could've given her.

Obi-Wan responded in kind, pulling back at looking at her with the same passion and devotion that had attracted her at first, but now mixed with what she'd come to finally realize was love.

"You were and are my reason to return, Charlie." he said. "I have a brother in Anakin, and yes, I would live to see him grow and prosper, but the love I have for you is much different. You are in every action I take, every breath I take, and now every thought I have. And I would have it no other way."

And Charlie closed her eyes again, sinking into the sparkling, crackling, rushing river that was their new bond.