Finally. Why Obi-Wan gives me such trouble, I do not know. But here we are. Yes, Luminara's cancer diagnosis does take place in the middle of this, but I thought it would ruin the tone of the chapter, so I didn't include it. It's when Obi-Wan stops at Coruscant, which I forgot to give a section and am now too lazy to add. But it does happen.

I took inspiration from several real life cultures. Mirial is loosely based on what I know of Switzerland. Togruti barbecue is inspired by Korean barbecue, which is actually cooked in a grill on your table. If you want to see how, look up Korean Englishman. Any of his videos of taking his friends to Korea. Don't when you're hungry though.

I probably won't do 10,000 word chapters from here on out. I just wanted it to be even. I'll probably shoot for 5-6,000 words a chapter. That should work out fine. But it does turn out I messed up the timing, so during the last chapter of Invisible Enemy, Obi-Wan and Satine should already have had a kid. Oh well. Everything will be patched up and flow nicely over these big books.

This was a mess. It was a salvageable mess, but it was still a mess.

Obi-Wan rested his hands in his lap, waiting for them to calm down, but these were Mandalorians, who hated each other, and probably were going to escalate to drawing blood and blaster bolts before they calmed down.

Satine sighed. "And this is why I did not attempt this before."

"They certainly have a flair for the dramatic."

Bo-Katan rolled her eyes, pulling out her blaster. "Allow me."

She fired one shot into the ceiling, stepping to the side to avoid the glass shards. Immediately, most of those in the verbal sparring match froze and turned toward the source of the sound.

"Would you all just shut up!"

There were two factions to the disagreement. The New Mandalorians, who lived under Satine's government, and the Traditional Mandalorians, who lived under the same system of clans that Mandalore had used since time immemorial. Satine had brought them together to try and merge their governments in a way that left both parties happy. Unfortunately, they seemed more interested in keeping old feuds alive.

Once all eyes were on her, Bo-Katan put her blaster away. "We're not here for you di'kuts to kill each other. We're here because my sister and I had an idea to preserve the peace and both ways of living. If you all could sit down and behave, we can talk about it. Clans of Mandalore, we're not going to make you give up your beskar . The entire point of this is so that you don't, but we're also not slaughtering each other in droves. If we keep this up, we are going to drive our own people into extinction. New Mandalorians, we're not going to make you take up weapons and beskar again. You want a different life now. That's fine. You don't get to convert everyone else to your lifestyle either. It's important to us just like yours is to you. So if everyone could sit down like adults and discuss things politely, that would be great. I have to go wedding dress shopping with my sister this afternoon. I would like to spend as little time as possible surrounded by lace and sequins, so let's get this over with, kay?"

That proved effective. Most of them returned to their seats.

Satine sighed. "I am not planning to abolish either government. I am planning to have two branches of the same government. I will continue as I am with my government for my people, and Bo will continue with whatever government she would like to set up for the clans. We will work together on matters that include both sides. If you have a complaint about the other side, bring it to your government and we will discuss it. Any infighting will be handled by both sides and the participants will be dealt with by their own government. If we are going to make this work, we need to be willing to put in the effort."

One of the helmeted warriors on Bo's side switched to Mando'a, presumably so Obi-Wan couldn't understand them. It was futile, since Mando'a was his second language, but points for effort. "Lady Kryze, if we are trying to unite Mandalore with this, then why is the Jedi here? We have made it clear we do not want their involvement."

Bo-Katan raised an eyebrow at Obi-Wan and he answered the man in the same language. "I believe the future Duke Consort of Mandalore ought to be involved with matters of his own government, yes? Unless I would already have the title. You see, it was never made clear to me whether I gain the title once we became engaged or only after the wedding."

Satine gave him her secretive smile, also switching to Mando'a. "It has nothing to do with the status of our relationship. The title is yours after your coronation."

"Oh, so in addition to planning a wedding we also have to plan a coronation?" He sighed. "Well, I'll request more time off from the Council then."

"No, don't worry, I've got it taken care of already. You just have to show up and look pretty."

When she thought the point had sunk in long enough, Bo switched back to Basic. "Let's show some respect for my sister's fiance. The Jedi have orders not to get involved. He's not acting as a Jedi. Apparently he swept Satine off her feet but then they proceeded to play will-they-won't-they for twenty-one years, so they're only now getting married. I'm not going to pretend I get it. But he's marrying my sister, so I guess I can't shoot him. And neither can any of you."

Satine gave her major side-eye. "Can we get down to business?"

Bo smirked. "To defeat, the-"

Whack.

Bo gave her sister a mock-hurt look as Satine unrolled the papers she'd used to smack her on the shoulder.

"Alright Ahsoka, let's see it!"

Ahsoka stepped out of the dressing room, grinning. "It still fits! I wasn't sure it was going to, with all the weight I gained while I was pregnant. But nope, still fits!"

Padmé sighed, resting a hand on her small-but-noticeable bump. "So jealous. I'm barely four months, but the dress I was going to wear just doesn't fit. I had to get a new one last-minute. Thankfully, Satine's not one to freak out when things don't go her way, so Bo and I just don't match. But it's all okay."

"Oh no! And that dress was so pretty on you too."

"I know. And it's only going to get worse. Satine did you see her dress?"

She held up a finger. "If I move, Bo will kill me, so give me a brief moment."

"Don't be dramatic. I might stab you in the eye with the mascara wand, but I won't kill you."

Ahsoka rolled her eyes. "Who knew Bo-Katan could do makeup?"

Satine grinned. "She likes to cover up the fact that she was the girly princess type with the dolls and the dresses and the sparkles when we were children and I was the rough-and-tumble child that got into fights and hated anything pink, glitzy or glam. Our parents thought for sure I was going to be the renegade."

"To be fair, you were. House Kryze is famous for being super traditional. Look what you did. At least I still wear beskar ."

"Most of the time."

"Hey!"

"You're not wearing it right now."

Ahsoka cleared her throat and glared at both of them. "Settle down."

Bo snorted a laugh, biting her lip so she wouldn't keep laughing. "Jeez Tano, only been a mom for five months and you have the mom glare down! Do babies even understand the mom glare?"

"No, but stupid Counsulars do." She smirked.

Bo set the last brush down and Satine groaned. "Yay, I can move again. Let us see what kind of dress you have, Ahsoka." She turned around in her seat, making sure to move her full skirt with her. "Oh that is pretty. I'm surprised it still fits too. It doesn't have a lot of give."

"It's actually meant to be looser right here," she gestured to her lower abdomen, "but I still have a bit of a pooch there. However, it still fits! Okay, your turn, Satine. Go take a look at yourself in the mirror."

"I'm a little nervous." She gathered her skirts up as she stood. "Oh, maybe such a full skirt wasn't such a good idea. It was so pretty though." She stopped in front of the full length mirror and let her dress drop. "O-Oh my word."

Padmé grinned. "Do you like it?"

"Oh I love it. Oh my. I'm going to cry."

"If you cry, you'll ruin your makeup," Bo warned.

"I know, I know. I'm trying not to. It's just, oh my word. I feel like a bride."

"Good. Cause you're getting married in less than two hours. I'd hope you feel like a bride."

"Bo! If you hadn't done such a great job on my makeup I would smack you for that."

Ahsoka smiled. "Well if it makes you feel any better, Obi-Wan is probably going to be a mess throughout the whole ceremony. As soon as you walk down the aisle, he's going to be in tears, I promise you."

"He has more emotional control than that." Satine smoothed down the front of her skirt.

She snorted. "No he doesn't. Not when it comes to you at least. I'm sure Skyguy was a mess."

Padmé sighed. "Oh he was sobbing. The marriage droid had to pause the ceremony so he could collect himself enough to actually say his vows."

"Oh no. Do you think that's going to happen?"

Ahsoka stepped around the train to stand next to Satine. "Hey. take a deep breath. It's gonna be great. I promise. Don't worry. If something goes wrong, we'll take care of it. It's your big day. You don't need to stress out. It's gonna be great. And after the wedding you get to leave on your honeymoon, which is gonna be awesome, but I can't verify that because I didn't get one. But it's basically a vacation with just the two of you, so that'll be awesome. So take a deep breath, keep your chin up, and when you get out there, remind him that you are the star. And him of course, but he doesn't like attention so he'll probably be fine with you having it."

"Okay." Satine dried her eyes, careful not to smudge the makeup, and took a deep breath. "Okay. It's all gonna be okay."

"Yep. I have to go, unfortunately. I need to go help Carter get the twins ready and Barriss is probably panicking over the social part of the event because Korkie will be there and she's absolutely smitten at this point, so I'll have to calm her down too. See you guys afterward at the reception?"

"Of course." Padmé gave her a hug. "Good luck with the twins."

"Yeah, they're not fans of their fancy outfits. My son is not a fan of being dressed at all. But we'll figure it out. See you guys later!"

She called Carter on her walk through the building back to their suite. "Hey babe. How's everything going?"

"Hey beautiful. I actually have both twins dressed and ready to go. I don't want to jinx it by saying that, but they are both dressed and asleep in their carseats. Do you know what time we have to leave?"

"We've got an hour or so. I still need to do my makeup. Did you find your shoes?"

"Yep, I have shoes." He pointed to his feet. "Ella doesn't though. Did you put them somewhere?"

"No, I haven't moved them. Did you check the bag again? I can look through my stuff when I get there."

Carter picked up a bag and looked through it. "Oh there they are. Found them."

"Okay, good. Then we have time to relax until it's time to head over to the venue. Assuming we have no last minute disasters. But I think we have everything handled? I was going to feed the twins and check their diapers right before the ceremony, which should keep them happy enough to sleep through it. It's fine if they're upset at the reception, there'll be people and noise and no one will care. But if they start crying in the middle of the ceremony I'm gonna be so embarrassed."

"It'll be okay. Most of those people have had kids. The twins are five months old. They remember what it was like to have little babies that cry for seemingly no reason."

"I know. But still."

"Ahsoka. It'll be okay. You've brought the twins to events before and it was fine. You brought them to the Senate's annual banquet and it was fine. Everyone loved them. They'll probably sleep through the ceremony and have a lot of fun at the reception. It'll be great! Satine did ban the fights though, right?

"Oh yes. She made it very clear that there would be no fights at her wedding and anyone that started one would be thrown out. She doesn't care how drunk you are or how much of a tradition it is, brawls stay outside. I forgot my room key, can you grab the door for me?"

"Sure." He grinned at her and hung up.

He was shaking. And sweating. Was the room too hot or was it just him? Everyone was staring at him. Could they see the sweat on the back of his neck? Or how badly his hands were shaking? Wait. What his shoe untied? Worse, had he forgotten to zip his fly? He had used the 'fresher recently, had he forgotten in the rush of nerves? Quick glance down, nope, shoes didn't have ties and pants didn't have a zipper. Typical. Worried about problems that were impossible.

"Hey. Obi-Wan. Calm down." Anakin poked him in the back. "You're nervous, I get it, but you'll be fine. Take a deep breath."

"I'm trying Anakin. Everyone's staring at me, you know I hate that."

"They're not staring at you. The chairs face forward and we're in front. Our brains draw our eyes to people and movement. So of course they're looking at you. They'd be looking at you regardless. They're not staring at you and they're not judging you. Besides, the moment Satine steps in here, all eyes will be on her."

"That's almost worse," he muttered back. "How am I supposed to remember my vows with a goddess standing in front of me? I'll bloody forget how to breathe. I just know something will go wrong, Bo will be making faces at me and I'll mess up and make a fool of myself, or when the officiant says 'you may kiss the bride' I'll somehow miss her lips, or-"

Anakin set a hand on his shoulder, laughing silently. "You know, I cried so hard when I was saying my vows that we had to pause the whole wedding until I could pull myself together. Ahsoka tripped over her own feet, fell, and swore a blue streak when she was walking down the aisle. Of course something will go wrong. But that's not important. What's important is that you are finally marrying the woman you've been in love with for over twenty years. Nothing matters right now, except you, and her."

"Okay." He took a deep breath and clasped his hands loosely in front of him. The room was falling silent. He glanced over the crowd, briefly locking eyes with Ahsoka who gave him an encouraging grin and two thumbs up.

The grand double doors at the other end of the aisle opened and he damn well forgot how to breathe.

She was beautiful.

Mandalorian tradition didn't have any escort for the bride, so Satine walked alone down the middle of the aisle. Her dress was tasteful and elegant. Long sleeves of lace fit snugly but not tightly on her arms, neckline just rested on the point of each shoulder. The skirt billowed out from her waist, not thick and heavy with tulle, just layers and layers of light fabric that wisped against the petals the flower girl had tossed. The train flowed behind her with her long embroidered veil resting on top of and extending past it, cascading from the silver and pearl tiara sitting on the crown of her head. Her hands, clasped tightly around a bouquet of lilies, birds-of-paradise, and tulips, were shaking just like his.

She wasn't two steps toward him before he was tearing up. He did his best to stop the tears from falling, but for the first time in a very long time, he had absolutely no control over his actions. Tears were dripping down his face, into his beard, and threatening to become full-on sobs.

As Satine got closer, he could see that she was teary too, with the same delirious smile. She couldn't wipe her eyes like he could, but she was doing her best to blink them away.

"Ashla herself couldn't be as beautiful as you."

She let out a soft teary chuckle. "The one time I thought I'd shock you out of words."

"On the contrary. You inspire them."

With his nerves too occupied with how incredibly beautiful his bride was, he didn't have the ability to worry. He didn't forget his vows, even if he did choose to improvise a bit. Bo didn't make faces at him over Satine's shoulder. And when the officiant finally said the words he'd been dreaming of for the last twenty years of his life-

"I now pronounce you husband and wife." The old man closed his book and smiled. "You may now kiss the bride."

-he didn't miss her lips.

Korkie pasted on his well-used diplomat's smile, working his way through small talk as he searched the crowd for one specific person.

"Excuse me, Your Grace, might I have your opinion on-"

And here we go again. His opinion on policies Auntie Bo had enacted that were actually made working together with Auntie Satine but the dignitaries didn't like it so they decided it was Bo's fault. He smiled politely and gave his opinion, which was in favour of this particular policy. They didn't like that and tried to tell him it was going to hamper Mandalore's efforts to rejoin the Republic and the rest of the galaxy, until he pointed out that it only restricted those moving money and goods illegally and shouldn't upright businessmen like themselves be happy because they now had more room and funds to move their legal merchandise?

That brought a swift and slightly awkward end to the conversation and Korkie was back to his search. He knew she was here somewhere. It was hard to hide in all black robes when everyone around you was mostly in light colours and shades of white.

There. Someone, either the master or the apprentice. He dodged a few more questions as he slipped through the crowd.

"Ah, Korkie Kryze, yes? You're Satine's nephew." Master Luminara bowed slightly. "I suspect you're looking for Barriss, not me. She's over there in the corner. Maybe you can coax her somewhere other then that corner, where she's been this whole time."

He looked over and there she was, chatting with Ahsoka who was bouncing one of her twins. He tried to think of a smooth exit, but she waved him off and smiled. "Oh, go on. I noticed you looking for her for most of the night."

Korkie bowed quickly and tried not to look too excited as he walked over to her.

And quickly realized he had no idea what he was going to say. He'd been looking for her the entire time, but hadn't actually stopped to think about why he was looking for her or what he wanted to say.

Oh well. Improvisation time.

"Good evening ladies." So far so good.

Ahsoka smiled. "Hey Korkie, how have you been? I haven't seen you in forever!"

"I have been well. The transition hasn't been smooth, but I think we figured out a system that everyone's happy with. It'll be several months more before the complaints simmer down, but such is the life of a diplomat."

"That's nice. Barriss, this would be a great time to ask him that question you said you have."

Barriss was already blushing and looking nervous. Shifting on her feet, playing with the edge of her headdress, looking at the floor. "I-I, well, i-it…It's not that important 'Soka."

"Well if you don't mind, I have a question of my own for you." He bowed gracefully, not missing the way her face went brighter green. "Would you do me the honor of having this next dance with me?"

She choked on a sound of surprise. "I-I, um, wh-wha," She stammered out a stream of sounds that might have been trying to be intelligible words, but were all coming out in the wrong order.

"She means yes." Ahsoka pushed her forward.

"Ahsoka," Barriss gave her a nervous look.

"You'll be fine. Go."

As soon as they were out of earshot, Korkie assured, "If you don't want to, you don't have to. I don't want to force you into it."

"It's fine. I actually would like to dance, it's just, words are hard sometimes."

"I understand. I assume you know simple ballroom dances?"

Barriss blushed a little, this time bashful. "A little? Padmé taught us a simple waltz, but that was almost two years ago and my memory isn't exactly the best. Ballroom dance is part of the elite Diplomacy class, but I never took that. I took the elite Anatomy and Physiology class instead. Most of my classes the last two years I was a padawan were medicine focused. I actually earned my mastery in Interspecial Medicine last year."

"Ah. That sounds interesting. Perhaps conversation while we dance?"

She was slowly relaxing and gave him a small smile. "Okay."

Korkie was experienced in most Mandalorian ballroom dances. The song that was playing was for one of the more complex ones, but he simplified it into something he thought Barriss could easily follow. "If you don't mind, what is a mastery?"

Barriss stumbled a bit as she danced, stepping on the edge of her skirt which was slightly too long for her. "The Jedi's educational system is arranged similarly to most systems. A mastery is similar to a university degree, but structured differently. Most positions in the Jedi Order require certain masteries. In order to become head of the Archives, Master Nu needed masteries in…Linguistics, Literature and Arts, and any history mastery. I think she did History of the Republic. You need five masteries to be on the Council, Cosmic Force, Interspecial Diplomacy, Living Force, History of the Jedi Order, and either Meditation and Divination or Lightsaber Dueling."

"I see. Very interesting. I suppose your elite classes are similar to honors classes?"

"Yes. We just use different terms."

"Did you need any masteries for your position as a medic?"

She frowned a little as she thought. "Technically, you only need a Medical Studies mastery to be a field medic. But to qualify for the courses to get it, you have to go through the Jedi equivalent of medical school. It's one of the more involved masteries. I got that one fairly quickly. Medical Sciences has a lot of course overlap, it was only like two more courses, so I did that one too. I picked up a mastery in Force Healing during the war. I was doing all the practical work as a medic and surgeon, and I would just have to take two courses in the theory of the technique to get it."

"That's very interesting. Do masteries have anything to do with the title of Jedi Master?"

"It does actually." She grinned. "There's more than one way to become a Master. You have to have been a Knight for a certain number of years, I believe it's six. After that, there's three ways to gain the rank. You can either train a padawan to Knighthood or have three Masteries total. If I recall correctly, that is how Master Ti gained her rank. She was taking the masteries required for the rank of Consular which automatically completes the requirements for the rank of Master. You can also complete a certain dangerous or highly-skilled task that the Council decides warrants the title, but that doesn't usually happen."

"So is Anakin Skywalker then eligible for the rank of Master, if Ahsoka's been Knighted?"

Barriss shook her head. "He hasn't been a Knight for six years yet. He was Knighted right after the first battle of Geonosis, which was four years ago. He's still got two years to go. That restriction is so no one goes straight from padawan to Master. It tends to stroke adolescent egos and they don't have the proper humility or respect for the Force. There are some exceptions. Master Luminara gained the rank only three years after she was Knighted, before I became her padawan. Officially, it was 'for being an exceptional example of Jedi ideals and having an extraordinarily skilled grasp of the Force'. There's more to it, but I haven't pried."

"I see. How interesting. Do you know how many fields there are?"

"Jedi can earn masteries in almost every field. If there's a uni degree for it, there's probably three or four masteries too. There are a few exceptions. Some sciences, counseling, politics. But other than that, Jedi have more educational opportunities than almost anyone else in the galaxy. I'm working towards my Living Force mastery. I forgot to mention it earlier, but you have to have a mastery in either Living or Cosmic Force to gain the rank of master regardless. You need to be able to show that you have the knowledge and experience with the Force. I already have an initiate lined up to take as my padawan, so if I want the promotion I need to have the mastery. And the Cosmic Force and I don't get along. So once I have that and I've been a Knight for six years, I will be eligible to earn the rank should I want it."

"What is the difference between the Living Force and the Cosmic Force? I've been told they are not the same, but no explanation why."

Barriss snorted. "I have no freaking idea."

"You're a Jedi."

"With the most unreliable memory in the history of the Order. Yeah, I can remember in picture perfect detail the time Rex accidentally snorted milk out of his nose, but I forgot how to spell my own last name. It's actually spelled wrong on my pilot's license because I screwed it up. I know there's a difference, but if you want to know what it is, ask literally anyone else other than me. Look, Obi-Wan's right there, you could talk to him. My brain is usually taken up with not acting like I need to be committed to an insane asylum."

Korkie fought back an undignified laugh. "That was funnier than any joke I have ever heard out of a politician's mouth."

"Wait you think I'm funny?"

He sighed. "You are one of the wittiest people I know, if the words are working. And sometimes even when they aren't, you still manage to be one of the funniest people out there."

Her bright smile in response to the compliment quickly turned into a grimace. Her hand slipped out of his to press against her stomach. "Oh come on. Of all the worst times."

"What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

"No, no, I'm fine, this happens, just need a quick trip to the ladies' room, yes, I'm fine to walk, it just catches me off guard. Give me a moment and I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm fine." She straightened and despite having clearly been in pain a moment before, Barriss looked fine now. "Just excuse me a moment."

Satine felt like she was glowing.

Everything had gone more smoothly than she could have hoped. Her standards were low, but still. Considering most Mandalorian weddings, at least of the traditional kind, called for drunken spars after a certain amount of time, the fact that the sun had set, alcohol had been consumed, and everyone was still being civil, was a minor miracle. Even Bo was still wearing the loose blue bridesmaid dress. As much as she might vehemently disagree, Satine was pretty sure her sister liked dresses a lot more than she let on.

"Ah, my lovely, radiant bride."

She smiled. "Obi-Wan."

His hands slipped around her waist as he kissed her gently. "You are happy, my dear?"

"Truly and completely."

"I've noticed you haven't had much to drink."

"Well, I just don't feel like it. Don't worry, I'm having fun, but I want all my senses about me."

"Oh, care to tell me why?"

Satine smirked at him. "It may have something to do with that big sturdy bed on the Coronet that's really too big for just one person. I tend to be forgetful when I'm tipsy and this is something I'd…" She walked her fingers over his shoulder and pulled his head down to whisper in his ear, "rather like to remember."

He returned the smirk. "Oh I see. Someone's ready to leave the festivities already. Although, you've had to keep your hands off me all this time, I can't suppose I can expect you to hold off much longer."

"Trust me, the only reason you're still in these robes," she tugged on the front of them, "is out of respect for Master Luminara. Something tells me she would rather not see that."

"Oh, not even 'we're in public'. I suppose if Luminara weren't here then,"

"They're Mandalorians. Worse things have happened at weddings." She grinned. "Lucky for us, there's no formal send-off for the bride and groom. It's actually considered to their credit if their guests are so drunk and well-entertained that no one notices them leave. So, we are free to go whenever we like."

Obi-Wan chuckled. "Then allow me to make the rounds of goodbye and I'll meet you inside."

"Perfect. Have you seen Korkie? I was going to let him know we were leaving."

"I saw him dancing with Barriss just a moment ago. Poor girl was more blue than green she was blushing so hard. Where did they go?"

Satine frowned. "I will look for him, and say a few goodbyes. But I do need to let him know we're leaving and he's in charge."

Obi-Wan pecked her on the lips one more time and they parted ways through the crowd, him toward some of the other Jedi and her toward her sister.

"Tina, there you are. Thought you would have come see me earlier."

"Well, apologies for being enamored with my husband at our wedding. And I was, but everyone wanted to talk to me."

Bo rolled her eyes. "Assuming you're ditching?"

"Correct. Have you seen Korkie?"

"I have actually. He and one of the Jedi girls, what's her name, Barriss, that's it, ran off together. They went inside. Hands were places I'd say they shouldn't be."

"Bo, don't be foolish. Korkie's not like that and Barriss certainly isn't. There's an explanation. But if that explanation does happen to be 'making out in a closet', I'll have to find Master Luminara and we'll go remind them of how well-bred members of high society are supposed to act at such events as this."

"Well, I just saw them run off thataway. She stopped to grab her bag, but other than that, straight from dancing into the building."

"Thank you." Working her way toward where she'd left her comm in her bag near the table was slow going, since everyone wanted to stop and talk to her.

"Excuse me, Duchess?"

She sighed, but smiled. "Luminara, please, we have more than reached a first-name basis. What do you need?"

Her brow was pinched in worry, hands fidgeting with her skirts. "I can't find Barriss anywhere. I saw her a while ago and now I can't find her. Have you happened to see her anywhere?"

"I have a report that she and Korkie ran into the building together, and according to Bo hands were wandering. However that is highly out of character for both of them, so I'm not worried. Korkie should have his comm on him, I was just trying to get to mine and call him."

"I've got mine." Luminara pulled the disc off her belt. "I can't contact your nephew, but I can contact Barriss. Hopefully she answers."

The call connected almost immediately, but Barriss wasn't the one that answered.

"Oh, Master Unduli."

"Korkie, what are you doing with Barriss's comm?"

"Oh hello Auntie." He gave her a sheepish smile. "I know that look on your face and no, that isn't what we were doing. Barriss had sudden severe stomach pain while we were dancing and I was worried about her. She said that her monthly started and this is normal for her, but still. I found painkillers and a heating pad for her. I was going to give her the comm, but her words were 'My uterus is shredding itself. Whoever it is can beep off into the moon.' accompanied by what I assume were curse words."

Luminara sighed. "I'm afraid that is her normal, both the cramps and the cursing. Where are you both? Is she okay?"

"She's fine. Took a few pills and curled up with the heating pad. A bit of a short fuse, but I know that's normal. We're just inside. Not very far. We're both fine. I was going to find a holo or something to put on."

"Thank you for taking care of her. Really."

He shrugged. "It was nothing. Auntie, since you're calling, may I assume you're leaving?"

"Yes. As soon as I get inside to meet Obi-Wan, we are leaving. And there's him now, so off I go."

"Have fun." Luminara bowed slightly.

Satine and Korkie shared a smirk before she wove through the slowly dispersing crowd toward her new husband. Oh how satisfying it was to call Obi-Wan her husband.

"My love." He cupped the back of her head and kissed her.

"Mmm, cyare."

"Did you find out where Korkie vanished to?"

"Barriss has bad cramps apparently. So he found her painkillers and a heating pad and they're going to watch a movie. Yet another time I am very glad Mandalore's school system has very comprehensive, shame-free sex education."

"Well, that is one thing Mandalorians do better than Jedi, I'll tell you that. I've said my goodbyes and I assume you have to, so let us take our leave?"

"Mmm, the Negotiator strikes again." Satine grinned. "Let's go find that bed."

"You know we should probably review our itinerary?"

Satine considered it and plucked another strawberry off of the plate, nibbling the chocolate off the outside. "I suppose."

"I don't even know where we're going." Obi-Wan toyed with her hair. "We're supposed to plan that together you know."

"You contributed! I asked you where you wanted to go. I worked in as many destinations as I could."

"How long is this honeymoon of ours?"

She smirked, strawberry juice dribbling out of the corner of her mouth. He leaned down to lick it up and she giggled, humming as he turned it into a slow kiss. She turned her head enough to break the kiss, free hand tracing patterns on his chest. "Well, without delays, three months. But a good deal of that is travel time. We will be dropping by Coruscant, which happens to conveniently coincide with a very important meeting that apparently you must attend. You can check on your Jedi stuff, I'll check on my politics stuff, we can take advantage of its best restaurants and romantic locations, and then it's back to the honeymoon."

"That sounds nice. Where are we going first?"

"Well, I don't remember and finding out would mean putting our clothes back on. And frankly, I have no idea where they ended up."

He chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Actually I folded and put away everything while you were asleep. So it is all in the frankly massive closet we have."

"You and your neat habits. But at least I don't have to figure out where you threw my bra. That is my favourite one you know."

"I know. But we should probably come out of our cabin sometime. Can't have food delivered to us forever."

"Oh fine. We can get dressed and go find out where we're going."

It took time to actually put clothes on and not keep taking them off, but they were eventually decent enough to encounter another sentient being. A butler droid pointed out the way to the communications center where they could learn more about their itinerary.

"Let us see, our first stop is…Mirial? Why there? I'm not displeased, it's just not exactly a hot romantic destination."

Satine smirked, sliding her hands down his arms and head leaning on his shoulder. "Do you remember, when we were playing that little game of Never Have I Ever, back when we were teenagers?"

"I don't like where this is going."

"And you said you had never been skiing. I couldn't let this slide, so of course I promised, one day I would take you skiing. And it just so happens, the mountains on Mirial are home to one of the best ski resorts in the galaxy. We have a reservation for the weekend, which is more than enough time for you to try out the slopes. We'll arrive around noon planet-time, stay two full days, and then leave the next afternoon."

"You know when I said I'd never been skiing before, I meant, hardly ever played in the snow at all before. It doesn't exactly snow on Coruscant. And by the time most Jedi see snow for the first time, they're adults and have more important things to do."

"Which is why I'm taking you now, when you have nothing better to do than please your wife and it would please me greatly to put you on a pair of skis and send you down a mountain."

He raised an eyebrow. "No other ways I could please you that would not involve an embarrassing story later?"

"It's two days, Obi. And we're headed to Chandrilla next. I know you have a weakness for their chocolate."

"Oh, well if you're tempting me with Chandrillan chocolate…"

"Come on, you'll have fun. And believe me, the sunrises are beautiful. I've never seen them on Mirial, but the sun rising on a crisp snowy morning with a blanket around you and a cup of whatever hot drink you like, good book or something, that's a good start to your day."

As soon as he stepped off the ship, his first impression was cold.

The wind was dry and biting, finding every crack in his impressive insulating defense and poking at his skin. Thankfully his beard kept his face warm, but there was no beard on his nose.

"This bloody wind."

"I know. It's winter right now, perfect skiing weather but the wind is brutal. Have you ever been to Mirial before?"

"No. Generally Mirialan Jedi will take the missions to their home planet. The civilian population are more receptive to Jedi of their own species."

"It's considered respectful to keep your head covered in public. It's why I have those scarves with me. You can buy one, they have them for men if you want a scarf, or any hat will do. But it is respectful in their culture to cover your head when you're in public."

"I wouldn't be worried. It's freezing. I am not going anywhere without a hat."

"Really? This is wonderful weather for this time of year!"

They both looked up to see a Mirialan man in dark brown robes, matching scarf around his head. He was accompanied by two others in similar dark colors. His tattoos were a rectangle of six on each temple and four larger diamonds on the back of one hand. Other than the robes, he had no other protection from the biting wind.

"I don't want to know what you consider cold."

"Oh, this wind will leave. It won't stay. I take it you are the distinguished guests we were told to expect? The Duchess and Duke Consort of Mandalore, newly wed no less?"

"We are. Duchess Satine and my husband."

"Greetings to the both of you. I am Shelzee. I will be escorting you to the resort. We are honored to host you for this weekend. May I show you to the shuttle that will take you up the mountain?"

"Wait we're going further up? It's going to get colder?"

"Obi-Wan dear, stop being such a baby about the wind. You'll be fine."

"I hate the cold."

"Stewjon's a cold planet. I thought you'd be more used to it."

"I was born in the middle of summer in the tropical region and I was taken to the Temple when I was six months old. I hate the cold."

"You also hate the heat."

"I'm not a Togruta and I'm certainly not Anakin. Nice, temperate climate that isn't threatening to either freeze off my extremities or set me on fire. That is where I'd like to be."

"Chandrillan chocolate, remember?"

"Oh fine. Where's the shuttle?"

It wasn't as bad inside the shuttle, though Satine did have to elbow him when he went to remove his hat. She glared at him until he left it alone. Right, Mirialan culture, hat stays on. The seal against the wind was impressive, though a comfortable temperature for Mirialans was very different than a comfortable temperature for humans. Another twenty degrees or so would have been nice.

They broke through the cloud cover and the harsh sunlight nearly blinded him.

"And here we are. I think you will notice that there is no more wind. It tends to stay in the lower valleys under the clouds. Once you get through the cloud layer, there is usually very little wind or moisture. The recipe for perfect skiing conditions."

Spread out below them was the mountainside, pure snow reflecting the pale sunlight. It was dotted by lodges and cabins and other buildings, with lifts and smaller shuttles and tiny dots that were probably skiiers moving between them and up or down the mountain.

"Oh it's beautiful. I've never been here before and now I'm regretting it."

"I thought you said you've been skiing before."

Satine rolled her eyes. "I spent my entire childhood skiing three or four times a week as long as there was snow to ski on. I've been skiing. I just haven't been here and I am regretting it. You can never get pure snow like this on Mandalore. There's so much residue and pollution in the air. Kalevala wasn't much better. Nothing ever like this."

"Well, even if I don't enjoy myself, I think you will."

They were shown to a cabin high up on the mountain. Obi-Wan dreaded the idea of getting on skis, but Satine was space-lagged and decided to nap so he took the rest of the afternoon to admire the view from their cabin, try a few locals teas and read a book. The day after however, there was no escaping it.

"Satine, this really is a terrible idea. I might be nimble on my own feet, but as soon as you strap something to them I'm hopeless."

"Just don't cross your skis and you'll be fine. I'll be right next to you. Or would you rather I go first?"

"Satine…"

She gave him a concerned look. "Is this 'I'm complaining about it, but I'm fine' or 'I really don't want to and am trying to say no'?"

"Honestly, I'm being dramatic. But I am, genuinely, a little scared."

"I'll go down first then. The run's nice and clear, see? Snow is perfect, weather's gorgeous, you don't get better conditions for your first run than this."

*a few minutes later*

"Of course that all precludes the ability to actually ski."

Obi-Wan gave her a look, trying to get the snow out of his beard. "Just help me up."

"This, my dear, is the best chocolate the galaxy has to offer."

She didn't answer.

"Satine?" He looked over.

Her mouth was already full. She gave him two thumbs up and a smile.

"Hmm, which famous thing are we on Naboo for? There's so many I couldn't possibly pick."

"Didn't you plan this, my dear?"

"Well, yes, but Naboo was your idea."

"We are here for the Gungan hot springs, as well as the spa treatments in Theed. Supposedly, some of the best in the galaxy."

Satine grinned. "Oh, you certainly know how to make a lady feel special."

"Apparently they're Anakin's go-to when he needs to appease his wife. She gets free service, being a former queen, and he'll arrange a time whenever he needs to avoid her anger. Considering they've been married four years now, stayed together through a galactic war, and are now expecting twins, I would say it works quite well."

"And Padmé's verdict?"

"The hot springs are the single best thing the Gungans have ever created over the history of their species and the spa treatments are worth killing over. Her words."

"Well then, why is this ship going so slow?"

"Speed limits, Satine. Speed limits."

"Oh Alderaan is so beautiful at night." Satine breathed.

"It very much is." He kissed her slow and deep and she sighed against his lips. "You know what would be more beautiful?"

She stared up at him through her lashes. "What?"

"You, and me, in that bed."

She let out a breathy laugh. "Obi-Wan Kenobi, I think you might be drunk."

"Just a little. And so are you."

"Oh, I wasn't disagreeing with you. Now, you mentioned a bed?"

*the next morning*

"Oh how do I always forget this?" Obi-Wan groaned, pulling his pillow over his head. "Alderaan's wine goes down so smooth it's like there's no alcohol. And then it reminds you. It is not weak stuff!"

"I haven't had a hangover like this since I stole a bottle of tihaar from my father when I was a teenager. I can tell you right now I never did that again."

"Bail is probably going to have a good laugh at our expense."

"Your expense. I am not moving until I stop regretting my decision."

"And this is why I am so very glad Ahsoka is a Togruta. Shilian barbecue is the best meat you will ever put in your face."

"Is that a grill in the table?"

"They grill the meat at the table. And it's absolutely delicious. You can order different cuts or we can ask them to surprise us. What would you like?"

"Oh I just want to see it work. They really just-Oh!" The waiter lit the grill with a lighter, laughing when Satine squealed, and it made a brief large flame before settling down to the coals. "They really just cook it like that, on the table. Oh dear me that's actually on fire."

Obi-Wan chuckled, switching briefly to Togruti to order. "Alright. Several different cuts are coming. They put it on the grill and when they say it's done, you just pick it up right off the grill. There's various sides it comes with that you can try it with if you like. Personally, that sauce there, some salt and the greens is my favourite way to have it. There is also grilled cheese cubes you can dip in honey."

"Oh that sounds amazing. Something tells me this is going to be yet another planet I will regret not visiting sooner. Landscape is gorgeous, people are…slightly-over-the-top exuberant, but that's better than shooting at us, and the food sounds amazing. Honestly, I am so glad I took Ahsoka's advice."

"She's right more times than people give her credit for. Don't trust her holofilm recommendations, but she knows food."

"Why shouldn't I trust her holo recommendations?"

"Her taste ranges from acceptable to…the-only-reason-I-watched-this-is-because-everything-else- on-was-worse. It may just be a case of 'old guy is out of touch with what's currently in', but even Anakin winces at some of her choices."

"Ah. You realize she may pick them just to get a rise."

"I thought that at first. And then I realized she actually enjoys them."

"I thought our honeymoon was over!"

"Oh no, I still have a week more of vacation days to use up and I will take all of them. And besides, as soon as we're on the clock, we will be swamped from all sides by every manner of complaint, bill, and request you can think of. So take the time you're getting. Who knows when you'll get more."

The last week on Mandalore was probably the calmest of their three-month honeymoon. They spent most of the time relaxing in the apartment, which Satine commented finally felt cozy, with him now living their half the year and Korkie still putting off moving out. Not that Satine minded. But three people and the calico kitten that had been a wedding gift from Barriss upon Satine's request for said cat made it feel a little more like a home.

Even though they were supposed to be relaxing, both parties used the quiet to catch up on work. Obi-Wan found it relaxing after spending so long doing nothing but having fun. He needed a good balance in his life between work and fun. Mornings returning calls, afternoons filing reports and other paperwork while Satine sat next to him with her own mountain of datapads doing the same, and evenings spent with his new in-laws was the right balance.

It gave him the chance to learn a lot more about them than he ever thought. Satine hated eggplant with a burning passion, but she cooked with it anyway because Korkie loved it. Bo-Katan was apparently recovering from an alcohol addiction, but that was all he managed to get out of her after she turned down his offer of her favourite scotch. He probably shouldn't have pried, but it was her favourite and he was curious. And Korkie had a very strange relationship with one Barriss Offee. He learnt about the last item when Korkie came to him looking for advice on girls.

"Ah, Korkie, why the long face?"

He plopped down on the other deck chair and sighed. "So, there's this girl I know."

"Oh it's this kind of conversation. I should probably warn you beforehand I'm not terribly good at girls."

"I'm asking about this specific girl."

"Alright. Do I know her?"

"It's Barriss."

"I see. What are you looking for here?"

"I just can't figure her out. I thought maybe she was interested, but every time I try to flirt or drop a hint she either ignores it or doesn't get it and I can't tell which. And other times she's super sweet and sometimes annoyingly so and then you turn around and she's forgotten I existed. I just want to know what's going on. Is she interested? Is she not? What do I do here? I don't think it's something I did."

Obi-Wan laughed. "No, it's not something you did. I don't recall if you've been told, but she has ADHD."

"Yeah? What does fidgeting and not sitting still have to do with our relationship?"

"Korkie, you realize there's much more to that disorder than fidgeting."

He sighed. "I'm probably going to feel like an idiot in a moment, but what do you mean?"

"I'm not really the person to ask, but inability to understand social cues, time blindness, chronic low dopamine, easy distractibility, problems with object permanence, muscle and joint problems, rejection sensitivity disorder, executive dysfunction and paralysis, poor impulse control, inability to build habits. It is a lot more complicated than the name lets on."

"And I feel like an idiot."

"You're hardly the first person to be ignorant about it and you won't be the last. The difference is being willing to learn otherwise."

"I guess. I just wish I could figure out if she's actually interested in me. Romantically. I would like to give it a try if she is, but I have no idea. Some of her behaviour could be romantic, but it could also just be her being friendly."

Obi-Wan sighed. "It is tricky. Have you ever asked her out on a date?"

"Yes. We've been on a few, but she just seems to treat them like she would going out with anyone else."

"Did you ask her out, using those words? Specifying that it is a date and not just friends spending time together."

Korkie looked confused. "No? Most girls kind of, get it. That you're interested. I've tried to make it obvious, but she's just blowing hot and cold constantly."

"You have to spell it out. She does not get hints. Most of the time she doesn't get flirting either. In her mind, you're asking if you want to go get food with her. Or go do whatever activity you do. Like she does with Ahsoka. Nothing more or less than exactly that. If you mean it as a date, you have to tell her it's a date. She's not blowing hot and cold on purpose. You're friends, so she's treating you as a friend. If you want to be more, you have to tell her. Ask her if she would like to go on a date, using those words. Otherwise, she won't get it. Alternatively, you could call Ahsoka and ask her what things Barriss does understand. But implications won't work. The words you say will be taken exactly as they are."

"So I asked if she wanted to get lunch, and that's all she heard? None of the implications of the situation?"

"None. And you cannot make her understand. Believe me, I have tried. If you want to be in a relationship with her, you have to state your intentions as they are. Nothing more or less. She cannot speak your language, so you'll have to speak hers."

"Huh." He rested a hand on his chin and Obi-Wan could see where people might think they were related, except Korkie's lack of a beard. He'd said any attempts at facial hair were just plain embarrassing. "I think I can do that. I have a visit to the Senate in two months, if she's on planet I'll talk to her then."

"Be careful with your wording. Just because she can't understand cues doesn't mean she can't extrapolate from your tone and word choice. She doesn't understand what they mean, but she is good at guessing correctly."

"You know a lot about this."

"Barriss was in my class five years in a row. I had to figure out how she works and how to teach her for my own sanity and frankly hers too. But I don't know her as well as Ahsoka, and I don't know her disorder like she does, not having it myself. So if you want more information, they would be better sources."

"Look at those faces. What serious conversation are you gentlemen having?" Satine stepped out of the sliding door, resting her arms loosely around Obi-Wan's shoulders.

"Girls. Korkie was asking for advice."

"Well. Who's so special that they warrant asking for extra advice?"

Korkie's cheeks were dusted with pink. "Barriss."

"Oh her? She's a sweet girl. What's the trouble, if I'm allowed to ask?"

"I just can't figure her out. I'm trying to be romantic and she just doesn't get it. I thought I was being obvious but apparently I have to spell it out for her or she won't get it."

Obi-Wan shrugged, leaning his head back to kiss Satine. "Young love isn't easy."

"We made it harder than it had to be, but yes."