The Coruscant sun shone through the windows into the Jedi Temple. In different areas of the giant structure, bells rang signifying the end of classes for that day whilst in other areas the Masters, Knights and their Padawans went about their daily business
Up in the accommodation wing, Buffy lay on Obi-Wan's couch, her lips moving slowly across the jawline of the Jedi knight as he helped to divest her of her top. Warm hands stroked down her back, fingers slipping under her bra strap to pull at the catch, his mouth dropping down onto her released breasts. Buffy moaned softly as she felt his tongue her skin, the roughness of his beard grazing her nipple. In response, she dug her hands into his hair, her breathing becoming more rapid as his head dipped-.
Obi-Wan sat straight up, looking panicky. "The Force is telling me Master Windu and Master Yoda are coming down the corridor!"
Buffy let out a moan of frustration. "They'll go past, ignore them."
"The Force is telling me that they're coming here." Obi-Wan was on his feet, grabbing for his undertunic and dragging it over his head.
She watched him tuck his shirt into his trousers and reach across to the opposite chair for his tabards. It was the first time they'd had a chance to be together since he'd left the hospital and now they'd been interrupted. She let out a long sigh, wishing they could find an excuse to visit Naboo again and rent a private villa where no one could disturb them. "Pretend we're not in," she suggested.
"They'll sense my Force signature!"
Obi-Wan was searching for his boots now. She'd no idea why he wanted to put his boots on, it wasn't against the Jedi Code to go barefoot in your own apartment. "Can't you do a bit of that Force cloaking and vanish off their radar?"
Obi-Wan threw her top to her, she caught it and scowled. "Guessing that's a no, then?"
"You know it's an incorrect use of the Force. Using it for personal gain only leads to the Dark Side," he replied primly.
"It's so not for personal gain." Buffy looked around for her bra, she couldn't see it so pulled her top over her head. "It's the same as telling a white lie to save someone's feelings. You're pretending not to be in so they don't have their feelings hurt by knowing they aren't welcome."
"That's a wrong way to use the Force, Buffy." He'd found his utility belt and was fastening it.
Buffy guessed that meant their fun and sexy times had been postponed until later. "The Force tells me that I don't care," she replied, kneeling on the floor and stretching under the couch trying to find a shoe that had gone astray. His panic was beginning to get to her.
"The Force tells me you don't care too." Obi-Wan's eyes sparkled with mischief and his smile made her melt all over again. As she hopped towards him on one leg, pulling on her shoe, he dropped a kiss onto her lips. "Hide in my bedroom, they're almost at the door."
Buffy tutted. "So cloaking yourself is wrong, yet it's fine for me to hide in your bedroom? Where's the logic in that?"
He grinned and placed another kiss on her cheek. "Less logic, more self preservation. If they find you in here with me they might guess what we've been up to. It's no use being thrown out the Temple until we know more about what Palpatine is up to."
Buffy rolled her eyes at the mention of Palpatine, then allowed herself to be hustled away into Obi-Wan's bedroom.
…...
"Perhaps he isn't in?" Mace said to Yoda as they waited in the corridor for Obi-Wan to open the door.
"In there is, Kenobi," replied Yoda, hovering next to him in his hover-chair. "Sense him as well as I, you can."
"Perhaps he's busy?" continued Mace. "Have you ever noticed that when you're in the middle of taking a shower either the com-link alarm goes off or someone calls to see you? Buffy says it's all down to Murphy."
"Murphy's fault, it is not!" snapped Yoda, tapping his nails on the side of the chair as they waited. "Fault of the Dark Side, it is. Affects us in many underhand ways, that outsiders do not understand. Wary and prepared, a Jedi should always be."
Before Mace could form a reply, the door opened to reveal a dressed Obi-Wan. The young knight bowed deeply to his two masters.
"Master Yoda and Master Windu. My apologies for keeping you waiting. I was just about to get in the shower." He didn't voice an invite, but stepped to one side and gestured for them to enter.
They came to a halt in the center of the living room, Mace's eyes scanning Obi-Wan's neat apartment. As usual, nothing looked out of place, there wasn't even an unwashed mug sitting on the small table in front of the couch. "We've called to see if you've finished writing your report on the Senate attack," he explained. "I know it hasn't been long since you were discharged from the infirmary, but the Council are very keen to read your version of the events."
"I finished it while I was still in there," Obi-Wan replied, as efficient and conscientious about his work as ever. "Please take a seat, Master Windu. I've left my datapad in my bedroom. I was intending to give it a final read through tonight before sending it over to you."
He left the room and Mace Windu took a seat on the couch while Yoda floated around the room. Mace wriggled, uncomfortabe in his seat.
"Worms, you have?" asked Yoda with a little smirk.
"Something is digging into my robe." Mace leaned to one side and felt beneath him. Then pulled at a black strap sticking up from beneath the cushions.
Yoda watched, the wrinkles becoming deeper in his forehead.
Mace pulled out the rest of the black fabric and held it up in front of him. It was a black lace bra with red flowers embroidered over the cups. "That's a..." his words died away as he realised that he probably shouldn't be able to identify what it was.
"Hide it!" Yoda squeaked. "Into your pocket it must go! Quickly, Obi-Wan returns..."
Mace hurriedly shoved the bra into his robe pocket, pushing it into the deepest corner so that it couldn't be seen.
Obi-Wan rounded the corner of the living room, a datapad lying open in his hand. "Yes, it is finished. I'll send you all a copy." Then he looked up, sensing the atmosphere in the room wasn't the same as when he'd left. "Is everything alright?"
"No, no. Everything is fine. We'll be on our way." Master Windu rose and went to the door, stopping and letting Master Yoda go past him. He then did something that surprised both Yoda and Obi-Wan. He put out a hand to touch the young knight's arm. "Obi-Wan, you've been through a lot recently. I want you to know that if you ever want to speak to me - about anything at all - I'm here for you."
Obi-Wan visibly swallowed. His eyes went from Master Windu to Master Yoda, who was waiting in the corridor, his face inscrutable."Er, thank you, Master Windu. That is very kind of you. I shall remember it if I ever need your counsel." He gave the two masters another bow as the door closed.
The two masters silently made their way to the turbo-lift at the end of the corridor. Neither said anything for a long moment.
Master Windu was the first to break the silence. "I'm worried about Kenobi."
"Much to be worried about, there is," Yoda replied, his dark eyes on the flashing panel in front of them.
Mace folded his arms, his eyes were also on the flashing numbers on the panel. "Obi-Wan has been under a lot of pressure since he became a knight. The kind of pressure that changes people. Makes them take up...new hobbies."
There was silence while Yoda tried working out Mace's line of thought. "Think the bra belongs to him, hmm?"
"Possibly," replied Windu, refusing to look Yoda in the eye.
"Believe Obi-Wan Kenobi has started to wear women's underwear, you do?
Mace turned to the ancient Master and nodded slowly. "It is nothing to do with the Jedi Council if he simply enjoys wearing it beneath his robes, However, if recent pressures are driving him over the edge, we need to be aware."
"And if the underwear is Buffy's, hmm?
Mace Windu's jaw dropped. "You think Obi-Wan is stealing women's underwear?" He was almost vibrating with tension now. "I shall start making discreet enquiries. We need to find out if any of our female Jedi have noticed missing underwear. Do you think he is sneaking into apartments or taking them from lockers?"
Yoda gave Windu a dark look. "A more reasonable explanation, there is." The elevator stopped at a busy section of the Temple and neither master spoke until they reached another wide and empty hallway.
Mace Windu had been chewing over Yoda's words. "Do you think Buffy had a wardrobe malfunction and it fell off?"
Yoda let out a soft groan of frustration and rubbed at his temples. "Kenobi took it off Buffy!"
"I doubt that he did that," Mace argued. "It isn't something you can pull off without them realising. Unless... Do you think he used the Force inappropriately? Do you think he sent her to sleep in order to remove it?"
"Encourage him, she has!" Yoda found himself struggling to maintain his Jedi serenity. "Multiple disturbances in the Force, I've sensed. Inside the Temple the sexy times have occurred!"
Windu's jaw dropped, and he came to a sudden halt. Yoda had to stop his hover-chair and fly back over to him.
"No," said Mace, unwilling to believe it. "I can't see Buffy being so desperate that she'd seduce Kenobi. He might be a Knight but he's the Temple's biggest idiot when it comes to women." He gathered his robe around him, smoothing out the creases and then rubbed the skin back on his bald head. "A sensual woman like Buffy would choose an older man. Someone with more experience of... the galaxy. Someone brave and strong, with a mysterious darkness about them."
Yoda frowned. "Count Dooku?"
"No. I was thinking of someone younger and better looking. Someone known to have a good sense of humour and up for a little fun." Mace smiled and preened some more until he caught Yoda's withering look.
"Find out the truth, we will." Yoda's mouth a straight line in his face. "The bra must be shown to a Jedi with the gift of retrocognition. Examine it closely they must, find the culprit and then the matter taken to the Council."
"As long as we don't ask Quinlan Vos what he thinks," said Mace thoughtfully. "He's too close to Buffy and Obi-Wan and might not provide us with a truthful answer."
The two masters walked off, discussing the best person to show the bra to and how best to deal with Kenobi if it turned out that he was the one breaking the Jedi Code.
…...
A/N;
I thought we could all do with a fun chapter. We have more than enough to worry about at the moment.
Coming up to the final chapter!
The last half of it is written (written almost since the very beginning and clues were sprinkled throughout the story).
Thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter. Stick around for the end!
