Obi-Wan walked from the refresher pushing back the damp strands of hair away from his eyes. As he considered the plans he and Buffy had made for the following day, he took the pyramid-shaped holocron out of his pocket to check it hadn't been lost.
Assured it was still there, he dropped his hand to hip level and, without thinking what he was doing, tapped the small device against his leg as he thought about the next day. Vexation flashed through him. Buffy was so obstinate in her plans to visit the shoe stores. He'd allowed her to have her way in this, but how could she be right? Why would a shoe shop be able to provide information on anything except shoes?

Buffy knew more about investigating and hunting vampires than anyone.

Obi-Wan's mouth twisted into a scowl. No, that wasn't true. He knew more about conducting investigations than she did. It had been sheer luck she'd discovered the location of Jar Jar's apartment while at the hair salon. Now, buoyed up by a one-off success, Buffy thought she'd be able to sail into the nearest designer shoe store and they'd happily reveal the whereabouts of the Sith vampire's lair.

Perhaps she was right?

Obi-Wan snorted softly. It was highly unlikely. Over the years he'd found it took hard work, diligent observation, and having the Force behind you to solve a case.

As the master in this relationship, it was up to him to make the plans. Why had he agreed to fall in with hers? She could visit the shops on her own. If she met a bounty hunter she'd need to deal with the situation. The hand holding the Sith holocron stopped tapping it against his leg and instead, his thumb rubbed across the side of the holocron tracing the etched hieroglyphs. A red glow burned deep within its depths but out of his line of sight, the sinister light went unnoticed by the Jedi.

"Jay," he snarled, anger biting at him. Obi-Wan and Buffy might not have been lovers at the time, but Buffy should not have danced with other men. Nor should she have noticed that Jay was good looking or that his body was hard and toned either. She should have remained silently by the side of her master and remembered her place as his apprentice.

Except, he'd been the one who'd left her on the dance floor, it wasn't her fault others had come over to her...

The anger rose again. Obi-Wan Kenobi was the master here, not Buffy Summers. She should have followed on his heels. The apprentice always stayed with the master unless ordered not to.

That really wasn't fair on Buffy.

Putting the thought that he might be being unreasonable to Buffy on one side, Obi-Wan's thoughts took a different direction. He decided to conduct his own line of inquiries. The deaths the hotel owner had told them about needed further investigation. Barbecue fork accidents? Highly unlikely. That sounded like a cover-up. He'd find the location of the local law enforcement building while they were in town, slip inside, and question whoever was in charge of the cases.

The holocron vibrated slightly in his hand. Obi-Wan looked down towards the hand holding it, part of him registered the slight movement, the rest of his mind focused on his plans. Whoever decided to class those deaths as 'accidents' had better not try to obstruct him. He smiled, not his usual kind smile nor even the sardonic one. This one was far more sadistic. If whoever he was questioning tried to lie or prevaricate in any way he'd use Force 'persuasion' to unearth the truth.
He'd always been warned to use this ability wisely and sparingly. Qui-Gon said a Jedi was only allowed to use a small amount of manipulation to extract knowledge or change minds. That a Jedi should never invade another's mind and forcefully rip the information from them. It might prove fun to test himself on a strong and unwilling subject. Tearing through those pathetic barriers set up in a non-Force user's mind and dragging the information out of them.

His thoughts increasingly dark, Obi-Wan came to a stop in front of the balcony doors. He didn't need to physically search for his apprentice to know her location. That swirl of darkness in the Force felt stronger than ever to him. He noticed her intense concentration and looked over, only to see her lying in the middle of the four-poster bed, her feet kicking idly in the air while browsing her datapad. Obi-Wan ran his eyes along her small bare feet, the lengths of her naked calves, along the backs of her golden thighs to...

That was HIS Jedi under tunic she was wearing!

Obi-Wan frowned. Unsure whether to be turned on by the sight or angered by it. He'd always been very careful with his clothing. As a Jedi he wasn't allocated much so why had she stolen his tunic? It wasn't as if she was desperate for something to wear. Out of the three large cases they'd brought with them his clothing had taken up space in precisely none of them. All his clothes had been pushed inside a single backpack. Not that he minded them being in a backpack, as a Jedi he was used to traveling light.

Obi-Wan eyed her sourly. His tunic was far too big for her. It hung halfway down her thighs and she'd rolled the sleeves up (creasing them!) so she could type without them getting in her way. Surely she knew it was too large for her? Why had she taken it? He'd opened his mouth to complain when suddenly, his throat constricted and his breath torn away.

He knew why Buffy wore the tunic.

It was nothing to do with clothes obsession. She wore it because it was his. They might be together each and every hour of the day but she wanted to feel even closer to him. She loved him so much she wanted his clothes against her skin.

The dark side influence that had been gathering like an open sore inside him was suffocated. The all-powerful feeling of being deeply in love sweeping all before it. All those previous dark thoughts that were alien to his nature completely forgotten. Obi-Wan's Force connection, overloaded by the sharp one-eighty degree turn from the dark to blinding light, overwhelmed him. Breathless he staggered back. Both mentally and physically reeling. The hand holding the holocron opened and the device slipping through his fingers. His reflexes somehow enabled him to snatch it, before it crashed onto the floor. Obi-Wan's fingers closed around it tightly. The now ice cold sharp sides biting into his skin. The Jedi didn't even notice.

Unable to process his thoughts, or deal with the huge surge in emotions he was experiencing. Obi-Wan turned. Walking out through the open doors onto the balcony and then across to the railing. His thoughts weren't making any sense. He wanted to drag Buffy into his arms and tell her how much he loved her. Yet something was stopping him. It warned him that love was for the weak. That it was dangerous and would distract him from the path he was set on.

In the throes of an unseen internal battle, Obi-Wan stared into the distance. The dramatic scenery in front of him remained unseen. Magnificent Nabooan natural beauty obscured by his myriad of tortured thoughts and emotions.

"There is no emotion, there is peace," Obi-Wan whispered. "There is no ignorance, there is knowledge, there is no passion, there is serenity."

He so badly needed that inner peace and serenity now.

"Peace is a lie, there is only passion," the harsh words came from his mouth in a low snarl, unbidden.

Passion? But that too was forbidden to the Jedi. The same as love, personal attachment, and all the other strong emotions. Obi-Wan closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath. He'd known from the beginning that learning to handle these strong and hitherto unknown emotions wouldn't be easy for him. He'd entered the Temple as a baby and had no idea about intimate relationships. This was all so new to him. Put a lightsaber in his hand and he'd fight, put a mystery in front of him and he'd solve it, put Buffy in front of him and he was lost in a sea of emotions.
Buffy blamed his Jedi 'cult' upbringing. She'd gone on a long rant, saying any organization that stole babies and brainwashed them into becoming non-emotional adults was heading for a lot of trouble. She'd gone on to say that they might have gotten away with it so far, but in the future it was going to cause the Jedi Order all sorts of problems. Majorly bad problems.

Obi-Wan had politely listened and not argued. Deep down, he still believed the Jedi Order was trying to protect them. Children who were strong in the Force weren't common and, although the Order might seem a little extreme to outsiders, there was a reason for their methods. A Force sensitive child needed to learn control from early on. Not only of the Force, but, of themselves and their emotions. To be out of control was dangerous.

For some reason, Sineya came into his mind. Dark, ancient eyes in a painted face assessing him. She'd called him a Slayer. A small smile played across Obi-Wan's lips. A Slayer? He'd always delighted in the absurd and inside him, a bubble of amusement rose up.

He'd been dressed as a Cheeseman in the dream. How could the First Slayer have possibly mistaken him for a young Earth female?

He chuckled, and then his face broke out in an even bigger grin as another thought occurred to him. Palpatine had better watch out. From what he'd read, the Sith hadn't approved of love or powerful attachments either. He laughed out loud, as an absurd image came into his head.

Long, long ago, in a Sith Temple far, far away, there'd been a Dark Yoda teaching the Sithh younglings that attachments were dangerous and would lead to the Light Side. No doubt, once you'd fallen to the Light Side, forever would it dominate your destiny.
It was obvious he'd been spending too long with Buffy and Andrew. At one time he'd never have dared to think such ill-mannered thoughts about Grand Master Yoda.

The grin firmly in place, he finally became aware of something in his hand. Obi-Wan looked down. It was the holocron. Tutting crossly to himself, he shoved it back into his pocket. From the moment it had come into his possession, he'd been constantly feeling the need to check it was still there. The sooner it was gone from his life the better. Maybe, he should give it to Buffy and ask her to stamp on it.

Feeling more light-hearted, but knowing he needed to re-center himself, Obi-Wan placed his hands on to the stone railing and took a series of slow breaths. Focussing his senses on the here and now. Feeling the coarseness of the pitted surface of the rail grit under his hands, his eyes taking in the sight of a large wading bird paddling in the lake shallows, the feeling of warmth from the last rays of the sun on his face, and the breathing in the heavy scent of roses on the breeze.

Gradually, his balance came back to him and with it a sense of knowing his place in the Living Force.

The murmur of voices, and the soft ripples in the Force, came from his right and he looked over to a terrace below him. Unlit torches and strings of small lights were strung from the trees laid in preparation for dusk. Delicately colored ribbons floated in the gentle breeze from the lake. Obi-Wan noticed a plainly dressed man standing beside a podium, while a young couple stood in front of him, holding each other's hands. This was a sacred ceremony he was witnessing. He watched, interest piqued, as the young couple began to speak their vows. The only witnesses two silently watching droids.

Snippets of the groom's vows drifted across to Obi-Wan. "I swear to cherish you above all others... ...support and protect you through the difficult times as well as the good, whatever our lives may bring..."

The man's words echoing inside his head, Obi-Wan turned and walked back towards the bedroom.

Coming to a halt in the doorway, he blurted out, "Do you want to get married?"

"Huh?" Buffy's head shot up. She'd been researching and gone completely into the zone, caught up in her work. The hotel owner had mentioned guided tours of the crystal caverns and she'd found an old guide to the local area. There'd been a link and before she knew it, she'd been on a site talking about a set of crystal caverns she'd never read about before. She'd become so engrossed, she hadn't noticed Obi-Wan going out onto the balcony. Now the question took her by surprise.

"Do you want to get married?" repeated Obi-Wan, starting to feel a little foolish.

"Do you mean to Palpatine? Cos, that's a big no." She shuddered. "I told you before there's no way I-."

"To me." Obi-Wan shuffled uncomfortably. This didn't feel right. Asking her had felt right. In fact, he felt as if they should have done this earlier. It was the way he'd asked her that felt wrong. Was there a special way of asking someone? He was a Jedi. This was out of his comfort zone and he'd never asked Qui-Gon that question or thought to look up how to make wedding proposals in the Jedi Archives.

And what if... what if Buffy didn't want to marry him? What if she was happy with the way things were? What if she didn't believe in marriage? Her parents had divorced. Had it put her off? Disillusioned her? He'd never asked her. And now he'd simply blurted out 'do you want to get married' like a clumsy oaf. He rubbed his chin, feeling like a complete nerd.

"To you?" Buffy repeated. He watched her nose wrinkle. That meant she was thinking. Obi-Wan regarded her nose suspiciously. Why would she need to think about it? Surely it didn't need to be thought about? She'd know if she wanted to marry him or not. It didn't need thinking about. Not for this amount of time.

Buffy put the datapad down, slid off the bed and came over to him. He wasn't sure if that was a good sign or not. He couldn't feel anything from their bond. Why? Was she blocking him? Or was he now so stressed that he wasn't able to feel it?

Buffy tilted her head and gave him a considering look. "Obi-Wan, why do you want to marry me? Is it because you love me and want to make it official? Or is it because you think Palpatine won't be able to marry me if I'm already married to you?"

Obi-Wan let out a tense breath and his lips formed a relieved, dimpled smile. It hadn't occurred to him that, if Buffy was married to him, it would make it more difficult for Palpatine to marry her. He stroked his upper lip. That was rather a good idea, it had definite merit.

Buffy slid a hand onto his shoulder. Ruffling the damp hair tendrils at the nape of his neck, she said, "If it's the former, the answer's yes, but if the latter it's a no. I'm a bit old fashioned like that."

She'd said yes! His grin became wider and she returned it with one of her own. The intoxicating feeling of being deeply in love flooded through Obi-Wan once more. This time he was more than ready for it and he channeled those feelings back through their bond. He didn't need to speak the words, words didn't come close to the love flooding their bond.

"Ah," replied Buffy. "In that case, it's a definite yes."

Dropping his head, he pulled her against him, his lips finding hers. Their kiss deepened. Buffy responding to him and pressing her curves against him, as his hands stroked her spine and a hand tangled in her hair. When Obi-Wan broke the kiss, Buffy gave a groan of frustration and tried to pull him back.

"Needing more of those smoochies," she huffed against his mouth, "Don't be mean. Give."

Obi-Wan, grinned in reply, blue eyes sparkling. "Jedi are never mean and always willing to sacrifice themselves for others." He wasn't completely sure of the procedure but, as a Jedi, he knew now was the time to spring into action. "I have another and better plan for us."

Buffy gave him a narrow-eyed look. Obi-Wan's plans never turned out to be anything like she expected. He could be rather odd, especially when he got that mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

"We have everything here that we need," he said excitedly. Pulling out of her embrace and ignoring the pout. Taking her by the hand, he led her out through the doors and onto the balcony. Stopping at the rail, Obi-Wan discreetly pointed to the wedding ceremony being held on the Terrace below them. "Look, there are the droids and the holy man. There's also a terrace overlooking a lake, a setting sun, and it's already-."

"Wait!" Buffy looked from the wedding party to Obi-Wan, puzzlement pouring from her. "Ubi, you need to slow down. You've sorta lost me at the droids."

Buffy had done a double-take when she'd seen the wedding below them. She knew Anakin and Padme had married secretly on Naboo in a very similar setting. Not that she'd watched the full movie, but she'd heard Andrew snuffling and seen him wiping away tears. He'd said he felt sorry for Padmé and Anakin, that they were doomed lovers like Romeo and Juliet, and the scene always upset him.

Buffy wrinkled her nose. Come to think about it, Padmé and Anakin had droids at their wedding too. She'd thought it was because they didn't have many friends. Perhaps it a 'thing' to have droids at your wedding in this galaxy? Or was Naboo like Las Vegas? Did you come here if you wanted something wild and whacky? Were droids wild and whacky? She shook her head. Seeing the worry in Obi-Wan's eyes appear at her head shake, she explained, "You need to work with me here, Obi-Wan. I'm feeling very confused. I'm not from a droid dimension, remember?"

"Ah, you're asking why there are droids present? I believe, for a wedding ceremony to be legal on Naboo, it has to be witnessed by droids. Other planets have different rules, I suppose yours has too. To tell you the truth, I haven't been to many weddings. I think they only invite the Jedi to stop a war erupting."

Seeing her astounded expression, he explained, "Oh, they weren't love matches. It was business only." He hesitated, before giving her a very sheepish look. "I had a Force vision that we'd marry on a terrace..." his words trailed away and his cheeks flushed.

Buffy was giving him an odd look. He hoped she wouldn't question him about the 'vision'. Truthfully, it had been more of a vivid daydream that he'd been indulging in whilst ironing his robes. Obi-Wan felt himself becoming hot and uncomfortable. He hadn't known that she'd liked him at the time so probably what he'd experienced could be classed as a fantasy. One he shouldn't have been having. Especially since there'd been clothes tearing, frolicking, and nakedness in it.

Buffy eyed him, bemused as she sensed his embarrassment. She looked at the couple below them, the droids, and then back at him. He could almost hear her brain turning this information over.

"Now? When you asked me to marry you, you meant now?"

He nodded.

"This instant?"

Obi-Wan nodded again.

"What about clothes?" She looked down at the Jedi tunic she was wearing and then touched her hair. It was still damp from the shower. "I haven't done my hair or make-up."

"You're perfect as you are. And the droids won't notice your lack of make-up."

"But we're supposed to be here on our honeymoon. Won't the hotel owners think it odd that we want to do it all over again?"

"Um, probably." Obi-Wan had gotten so caught up in the moment it had slipped his mind they were posing as newly weds. How could he have forgotten? Disappointed, he looked towards the wedding once more. The couple were kissing while the droids looked on with approval. He imagined they were looking on with approval; it was hard to tell with droids. He sighed, "I suppose, this means we can't marry."

"Oh, don't think you're wriggling out of it, Kenobi," Buffy replied, wagging a finger at him. "It's just not gonna happen tonight." Happiness made her smile appear extra dazzling. "I'm holding you to it."

Obi-Wan had asked her to marry her! They might not have the huge wedding she'd dreamed of as a kid, but she'd long since put those dreams behind her. A Slayer was too busy trying to stay alive to dream of future weddings. Nope, there may be no tiara's and swooshy dresses for Buffy, but the most important part was that Obi-Wan wanted her as his wife. They were a couple in love and once they'd officially married everyone would know. Her brow furrowed. Except they couldn't tell anyone as it needed to be kept secret.

Putting the confusing thought to one side, Buffy went on, "Once we've investigated these mysterious deaths and the crystal caverns we can look for another hotel that holds weddings. We can find one with a nice balcony and two droids and organize an evening service. I've got to admit, I'd prefer to wear a nice dress and looked pretty on my wedding day."

The Jedi nodded, still feeling cross with himself for forgetting they were undercover as husband and wife. He felt as if he'd been thwarted. His eyes were drawn to the horizon to where the sun had dropped behind the mountains.

"We'll have another chance for a sunset wedding, Ubi," Buffy said stepping close to him. Wrapping her arms around his waist and snuggling against him, a smile on her lips. Obi-Wan Kenobi had asked her to marry him!

"Yes, yes of course. And afterward, we'll have decades of sunsets with one another," Obi-Wan agreed as he relaxed into her softness, breathing in the sweet, vanilla scent of her hair conditioner. There'd be lots of sunsets for them to enjoy together in the future. He felt sure of it.

Inside his pocket, the pyramid-shaped holocron glowed dark red, while an unseen ghostly form watched from within the Force, its angry eyes on the Slayer.

A/N;
Thanks to Blackhat for stepping in and beta reading this when confusion took over.

So... you all know that there is a Force ghost on the loose. I just like to muddy the water. Am I making it too muddy? Anyhow, it dislikes Buffy's influence on Obi-Wan, but more of that later. Much later.

I hope the chapter worked out ok? I dislike writing dark stuff. I also dislike writing fluff, and sex scenes, and action scenes, and mystery scenes and er, probably most things except comedy. And then ask me to write comedy and my brain dries up.
I am quite hopeless. I have no idea either how this story has reached approx 400,000 words.

I shall blame Musey. She has a right gob on her. I am at her mercy.

Thanks once more for reading. I suppose I should go off and plan the next chapter?