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The sudden shock of terror that had gripped Sari's heart calmed when she dared open her eyes again. The attacker had pulled her to the ground behind a tree, and she had feared the worst. However, upon hearing a simple, "It's me," she knew she was safe.
When Obi-Wan was certain she would not scream, he let her go and helped her to stand. At first he was angry that she had shown up, but he tried to calm his own temper as he took in her disheveled form. He had to get her to safety before he did anything else.
"What are you doing here?! I told you to wait at the speeder," he exclaimed, taking a step forward and backing her into a tree, his blue eyes boring into hers. Taking a few seconds to push the wet hair out of her face, she tried to catch her breath.
"I did stay with the speeder," she stated matter-of-factly, "for over an hour!" She was not about to let him know that she had never been so happy to see anyone in her entire life. She inadvertently looked down at the ground as she continued. "I got a little worried about you, that's all."
Obi-Wan's resolve melted away as he looked into her big blue eyes. Never before had he been affected by someone like this. It wasn't logical or practical, but he felt strongly connected to this woman and was beside himself wondering what to do about it.
Sari was getting nervous. He was just staring at her. She didn't know if he was going to kill her or .... what exactly was that look in his eyes? Nervously, she reached up and pushed a wet strand of hair out of his eye. "This.... was in.... your way....hope you don't..... mind...." Was that really her blabbering on like an idiot?
Suddenly, he reached up and grabbed her hand. Then he closed his eyes and took a deep breath as if trying to regain control. Letting go of her hand, he spoke in a whisper. "You could have been hurt, Sari. You shouldn't have come." He turned away from her, and she felt guilty for coming because she knew he was right.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ruin things. Did you find what you were looking for?" He turned back around and came close to her once again. Even soaking wet with her hair and clothes sticking to her body, Obi-Wan's senses were on overload. He had to remember what he was here for... missing children--- NOT a beautifully voluptuous woman with a mouth that begged to be kissed.
'Stop it!' he yelled silently at himself. "I think these men are part of the kidnapping group," he told her trying to refocus by looking at the top of her head instead of... elsewhere. "I need you to stay here while I go back around the cabin. Will you do that for me?... please?"
"Anything you want," she replied gazing into those eyes again, and she meant it. Strange as it might sound, she was certain that she would probably do just about anything for this Jedi.
He looked a little startled by her response, but quickly regained his composure before he walked away. She watched until the darkness engulfed him, then leaned back against the tree and heaved a big sigh. She was being absolutely ridiculous about this man, following him up into the mountains in the dark--- and on a school night, too!
"Put your hands up!" came the voice. Sari froze in terror. "I said put your hands up!" Sari swallowed hard and then slowly raised her hands as she turned around to face the voice.
"Not a sound or I shoot." Sari was surprised to find she was face to face with the young blonde man named Deek and even more disturbing was the shiny blaster he held pointed at her. The confused look on her face brought a smile to his.
"You thought I was in bed, didn't you?" he stated proudly. "Well, I have a few tricks up my sleeve." Sari nervously glanced over her shoulder. "Worried about your friend? Lonzo and Korey will take care of him. Now, we're going to go over to the fire and get to know each other a little better. I want to know what you're doing here all alone in the dark on such a rainy night, so get moving." He motioned with his blaster for her to start walking, and she willingly obliged.
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Obi-Wan had just made it back to his hiding place when a voice yelled out and made him stop dead in his tracks.
"Hey, boys! Look what I found!" Obi looked toward the fire and watched in horror as the young man came into the light dragging with him a terrified Sari Zendar. The Jedi's hand moved instantly to his light saber, and he could feel the rage coursing through his blood. No... he would wait and not move too hastily. He had to think this through.
"Well, well, well," said Lonzo as he tried to stand without toppling over. Deek let go of Sari's arm, but stayed close by with his blaster still aimed at her. The larger man stumbled over to the captive and put his face within inches of hers, so close, in fact, that she could smell the nauseating scent of cheap liquor on his breath, and her stomach turned. He ran his finger up her neck and under her chin, and she jerked her head away from his touch.
"Aren't you a feisty one!" Then he was joined by his drunken cohort in a loud laugh. Sari tried desperately to hide her terror and her tears, all the time wondering where Obi-Wan Kenobi could possibly be. The look in these men's eyes was not to be mistaken.
The third man, Korey, had moved to where Sari stood and circled her as if sizing up a new acquisition. "Well, now, looks like we're going to have us a real party tonight, boys, and I want to be the first to welcome our guest." Korey grabbed Sari by the back of her head and covered her mouth in a rough unwelcome kiss. Instinctively, Sari quickly brought her knee up into the man's groin and sent him tumbling to the ground in a heap.
"Don't touch me," she stated flatly, her chin thrust high into the air. Deek watched on in surprise as the man slowly got back up and faced the woman again. Seconds passed like hours until Korey's face twisted into a snarl, and he swiftly backhanded Sari across her face.
Before she even hit the ground, Obi-Wan Kenobi had catapulted from his hiding place, light saber ignited. He landed crouched on his feet right in front of the small group, and Sari noticed a look of thinly controlled power blazing in the Jedi's eyes. The two drunken men had pulled their blasters out as quickly as their intoxicated hands would function.
"What's this? Is this your boyfriend come to rescue you?" Lonzo yelled back to Sari.
Korey got off a few shots with his weapon, but Obi-Wan easily deflected them all with his saber. He slowly began to walk closer to Sari who was still sitting on the ground holding the side of her face. Lonzo then gave it a try with the same results.
The two men looked at one another and nodded in affirmation of some unspoken plan. Obi-Wan was now standing protectively in front of Sari though he still faced the twosome. They suddenly ran toward him, blasters blaring, and Obi-Wan had to use some fancy footwork to out maneuver and keep them away from Sari. Unfortunately, he was so focused on those two, that he had forgotten all about the third man.
Deek had watched on, frozen in shock, unable to move. He had never experienced this before.... a Jedi, for he was certain that was what this man was. The laser sword and lightning fast moves were dead giveaways. As he watched the scene unfold, he knew he had to do something in order to get out of this alive. Raising his blaster, he aimed at the fight in front of him and fired.
A searing pain shot through Obi-Wan's side, and he turned to see the fleeting form of the young boy escaping into the darkness. Sari's scream brought Obi back just in time to defend against another barrage of blaster bolts from Lonzo and Korey. The two were not giving up, rather they were becoming more aggressive than ever, the alcohol lessening their inhibitions.
Obi-Wan didn't want to have to kill them, so he quickly thought of another solution. Summoning up enough Force strength, he stuck out his free hand and slammed Korey all the way across the clearing and into a very large, very hard tree trunk. The man's body went limp instantly and slid unconscious to the ground. Lonzo had stopped to watch his partner's defeat and never even saw Obi-Wan's foot headed toward his stomach. He went flying off and landed with a loud thud on the ground. The thud turned out to be his head making the acquaintance of a rather large rock, and Lonzo, too, was out cold.
Obi-Wan stood still for a few seconds after he turned off his light saber and hooked it back to his belt. Sari, still sitting on the ground, was in awe of all that had just taken place within the last minutes. After a few deep breaths, Obi-Wan came down from his Jedi 'high' and realized that he had been shot. Wincing in pain, he grabbed his side and found his hand covered in his own blood. Sari jumped up and ran to his side.
"You're hurt!" she said putting her arm around him.
"No... no, I'm okay," Obi-Wan tried to convince her. "What about you? Are you okay?" His attention turned to her, and his own pain was put aside. He gently used his thumb to wipe away a trickle of blood coming from her nose. "You shouldn't have come," he said softly shaking his head. "Now you're hurt. I've got to get you home."
Sari was touched by his concern for her and the tenderness of his touch on her face.
Then a small pained expression in his eyes reminded her of his injury.
"No, you are the one that is hurt. We've got to see about your wound."
"I'll be okay. I just need to meditate for a while and then---"
"Yeah, right!" she interrupted sarcastically. "You're going to need more than meditation, mister. Let's get you back to the speeder."
With arms around one another, the twosome headed back to the stream and followed the path back to their lonely speeder. The light rain continued and slowed them down a bit, but their determination kept them moving, and within twenty minutes they were on their way back into town.
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On the way back into town, Obi-Wan had slipped into a meditative state so as to take his focus away from the blaster wound. Sari drove as fast as she dared and finally pulled the speeder up in front of her apartment building. Gently nudging the Jedi's shoulder, she urged him out of his trance.
"We're here," she said softly as he opened his eyes and took in the surroundings.
"Where?" was all he could muster.
"We're back at my apartment. Now let's get you inside and see about that wound." She got out of the speeder and came around to help him out. He was slightly disoriented at first and his brow wrinkled as he tried to put it all together.
"You can just take me back to my hotel. I'll be all right after a little more rest."
Sari rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Yeah, right. Get out of the car, please." Obi-Wan managed a small grin at her reaction. She was a mess, but a beautiful mess at that.
Upon entering Sari's apartment, Obi-Wan felt instantly at home. It was so warm and inviting with holos of what he assumed were family members scattered all over the place. It was a stark contrast to his sparse and sterile accommodations back in the temple. A small pang of envy entered his heart as he thought about the family he would never know. He had sacrificed much to become a Jedi. A so-called normal life would probably never be his.
Sari motioned for him to have a seat on her plush sofa while she retreated to the back of the apartment in search of antiseptic and bandages.
"You need to take off that wet shirt so I can see about your side," she yelled from another room. Obi-Wan chuckled. As a teacher she was used to taking control and giving directions. It was a bit strange for him to be the one being taken care of since it was almost always the other way around. He obeyed her 'orders' and took off his wet tunic just as she reentered with an armful of supplies.
Sari's heart shot up into her throat. There he was sitting wet and shirtless on her sofa. The muscles in his chest and arms were taut and well-defined, and she tried desperately not to stare. Her gaze wandered down and she let out a small yelp as she plopped down next to him on the couch.
"Oh my gosh! That looks awful! Here....let me have a look.." Obi-Wan was startled by her response, then realized that she was talking about his wound. She immediately began dabbing the injury with some cloth being careful not to cause anymore pain to her patient.
"It's not that bad, really," he said as he watched her work. She was so gentle... so caring in every move.
"I'll be the judge of that," she replied lifting her head to offer a smile. After a few more seconds, she had finished cleaning and bandaging his side and sat up triumphantly.
"There! All done. And it wasn't as bad as it looked. The shot just grazed your side and didn't really go clean through. You should still see a doctor though."
Obi-Wan smiled. "I think you've done better than any doctor could do. Why, the Jedi healers would have a run for their money with you around."
"Oh, please! You're too kind, my dear Obi-Wan Kenobi," she teased back.
Obi-Wan gazed deep into Sari's eyes. What was happening here?, he wondered.
He gently brought his hand up and touched the side of her face causing her to take in a deep breath and close her eyes.
"Your face.... is a bit swollen. Does it hurt?" he asked softly, keeping his hand on her cheek. His touch was electrifying. She opened her eyes, swallowed hard, and shook her head. Obi-Wan scooted a little closer and lowered his face near hers.
"I'm sorry I let this happen to you. I should have acted sooner." His mouth was now just inches away from hers and she wondered if he could hear her heart pounding. Their breathing became more rapid as their eyes remained locked.
"No," Sari muttered breathlessly, "I should have stayed with the speeder.... like you said..." Obi-Wan now moved his gaze down to her mouth and tried to fight the urge to cover her lips with his. 'A Jedi craves not...' began to play in his mind but was quickly replaced by 'let yourself go!', one of the last things Anakin had said to him before he left.
"It's really all my fault.." Sari continued softly, but before she could finish, Obi-Wan had taken his padawan's advice and let himself go, pressing his lips firmly but tenderly to Sari's. She willingly responded bringing one hand up to run through the back of his hair and the other to rest on his bare chest. Obi-Wan brought one of his hands around her waist and began to pull her closer as they continued to lavish short passionate kisses on one another. He could feel his blood rushing through his veins and his temperature rise with every touch of her lips and fingers.
Bzzzzzzz! Bzzzzzzzzz!
"What.... what was that?" he asked in between her warm kisses. She seemed oblivious to the sound and just kept pressing her hungry lips to his. He quickly resumed his previous activity without another thought.
Bzzzzzzz! Bzzzzzzzzz!
This time Sari heard it, too, and grudgingly stopped all actions, letting her hands drop into her lap. "It's my doorbell!" she declared. Suddenly realizing what had just been happening, she nervously avoided Obi-Wan's gaze and jumped up from the sofa straightening out her disheveled hair as she walked toward the door. Obi-Wan was also suddenly very self-conscious and stood up wondering what to do next.
"I think I'm just going to use your refresher, if you don't mind," he announced as he took off down the hall.
"Sure," she replied, her heart beating faster than ever. What had just happened?!, she screamed inside. 'Were you really just kissing him?!' She tried to calm herself as the door buzzed one more time. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door.
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"Jaik? What are you doing here?" Sari asked in surprise. Jaik thought he noticed a hint of annoyance in her eyes and felt his confidence waiver just a little.
"Hello.... I'm fine.... yes, I'd love to come in, thank you," he replied as he smoothly wormed his way inside. Sari simply stood staring at him not knowing whether to laugh at his slick entry or throw him out for his presumptuous behavior.
Studying her disarrayed appearance, he had to comment. "Whoa! What happened to you?" One of Sari's eyebrows raised as she started to give him a piece of her mind, but he spoke again before she could. "You know, I tried to find you after school, but you were gone early. Then I tried to call several times but got no answer." He stepped closer and took her chin in his hand. "I was starting to get worried about you." He flashed her his infamous Rafe grin expecting her to melt like butter at any moment. Needless to say, he was quite shocked when she carefully removed his hand from her face and took a few steps back.
"I'm just fine, thank you. I just got caught in the rain is all." Jaik couldn't understand why his charms weren't working their usual magic, but decided not to give up.
"What's wrong, Sari? Just last night we were going to go have a nice romantic dinner for two, and now...."
"Now what?" she spat back with her arms crossed.
"Well, now, it's like you can't stand the sight of me or something, ever since..."
"Yes?" she said impatiently.
"Ever since that Nekobi guy showed up."
"Kenobi," she corrected. "His name is Obi-Wan Kenobi."
"Nekobi, Kenobi, whatever. I really don't trust the guy, Jedi or not. His type, they flaunt their light sword and all the chicks come crawling. He probably has a mistress on every planet. You know, I was surprised at you today."
.
"What are you talking about?" she asked, still trying to digest the 'mistress on every planet' comment.
"I saw him in your classroom showing off his sword. Knowing your stance on violence, I was surprised you allowed it."
Sari lowered her eyes in thought. It did somewhat contradict her usual position to allow a weapon in the room with her students, but he was a Jedi. That was different... right?
Jaik could see her wavering and figured he was home-free. "Hey, why don't you let me make you some warm coffee or tea while you go change out of those wet clothes into something more comfortable. Hmm?" He had his hands on her shoulders and an arrogant smirk on his face. Sari was certain on a lesser woman that this lame come-on would surely work, but not this time. Not her.
'I think you should leave, Jaik."
"What?" he said, again surprised.
"I just want to go to bed... alone. It's been a very long day and I need some rest. No coffee. No tea. Just me and my bed." As she was speaking, she had herded him to the door. "So, good night, and I'll see you in school tomorrow." With that, she pushed him into the hallway and shut her door. Jaik stared at the door dumbfounded, and when the lock clicked he felt as if he'd just been smacked in the face--- for the very first time.
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Obi-Wan had tried not to eavesdrop, but, with his finely honed Jedi hearing, he just couldn't help himself, especially when he realized who the visitor was. When the man had messed up Obi's name, the Jedi had just chuckled and shook his head. However, when Jaik had suggested that Obi-Wan was not to be trusted and had a lover on every known world, the Jedi was ready to storm out of the refresher and start the lout on the long and painful road to 'enlightenment'.
Sari's words had kept him in place. She handled the man with more finesse than a Nubian princess. Obi-Wan had to put his hand over his mouth to keep from laughing out loud. She was amazing.
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"What am I doing?" Sari asked herself out loud as she stood motionless staring at the door she had just pushed Jaik out of. The events of the past few days had plunged her mind and heart into utter chaos. First, some of the school children had gone missing. Next, the Jedi knight showed up, and she ended up almost being attacked by kidnappers in the middle of the mountains only to have said Jedi rescue her. Then he ended up shirtless in her apartment, on her couch, attached to her lips only to be interrupted by the man she thought she was interested in only days ago.
"This is too much for me to process right now." Sari began nervously straightening her front room. Cleaning somehow always helped to ease her stress and keep her from going over the edge. As she moved toward the couch, Obi-Wan Kenobi's bloody tunic caught her eye.
'He's still here!' she silently reminded herself as she picked up the garment giving it the once over. Sari inadvertently licked her lips as the memory of their heated kiss lingered heavily all around. Her body tingled at the mere thought of him and how he had made her feel. But then, like a hard smack on the face, Jaik's words about the Jedi from only minutes before repeated in her mind.
Did Obi-Wan really have women on other planets? He seemed so sincere, but.... why should she expect to be the only woman that a handsome, charming defender of the galaxy would be interested in?
'I'm certainly nothing special.... no princess or anything like that,' she thought. The sound of the refresher door jolted her out of her inner discussion. Despite the cleaning, the anxiety returned instantly as soon as she heard his sultry, accented voice.
"Is everything all right?" Obi-Wan asked as he walked into the room. Sari could tell he had cleaned himself up a bit, and he noticed her looking at him. "I hope you don't mind that I cleaned off a little. I hung my towel up," he said waiting for a response.
"That's... that's fine..... I'm fine. That was Jaik at the door," she said pointing back towards the entry way. "He was worried about me and just wanted to make sure I was okay."
"He didn't stay?" Obi asked, already knowing the answer.
Sari got a strange look on her face, and Obi suddenly wished he had remained silent.
"Um... he had to.... go." A few moments of awkward silence hung between them since neither knew what to say. Obi-Wan took her silence to mean that the kiss should be forgotten and tried to come up with a reason to change the subject.
"Could I use your holoprojector? I need to report in to the Jedi Council about tonight's events....... up in the mountains with the men, I mean," he said as he shyly looked away. He felt like such a school boy around her, especially now that it was so apparent that she regretted their kiss.
"Of course," Sari replied avoiding his eyes at all costs as she led him back to her room. "It's right in here. I'm just going to get cleaned up myself, so take your time." She hurried out of the room and into the refresher, relieved to be out of his presence.
Obi-Wan sat down at Sari's desk and turned on the holoprojector. After dialing, he sat back and waited for an answer. Soon enough, a familiar face came into focus.
"Obi-Wan? Do you have any idea what time it is?" A half-asleep Anakin Skywalker rubbed his eyes and then ran a hand through his tousled blond hair.
"Sorry, Anakin, but this is important," Obi-Wan responded. "I need you to do me a favor."
"Hello. So nice to see you, and how are you?" Obi rolled his eyes at his padawan's sarcasm.
"Yes, hello and all that. Things are getting very interesting here. I just had a run-in tonight with some men related to these disappearing children. Now, they mentioned a name--- Perrin. I want you to ------"
"Excuse me," came a feminine voice. Anakin peered behind Obi-Wan to see where the voice came from. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped when a beautiful woman in a towel tiptoed across his field of view. "I just forgot to get my robe. Sorry!" Then she was gone.
Obi-Wan's face was frozen in terror.
"Who was that?" Anakin asked as a smile began to spread across his face. He noticed his master begin to squirm uneasily trying to formulate an answer.
"Who was who?" Obi-Wan lamely attempted.
"Um... the half-naked woman that just came in and out of the room you're in. Looks like things are getting interesting there, master."
"Oh, her. That is Sari Zendar... she...uh... teaches at the school and has been... helping me in my... investigation." By the look on Anakin's face, Obi-Wan knew he wasn't getting off that easily. Anakin erupted into laughter. He was wide awake now.
"Woo-hoo!" the teenager exclaimed causing his master to redden even more. "You devil, you! Here you had me thinking that you weren't even interested in the fairer sex, and the minute you're out of my sight you find a beautiful female to spend your time with." Anakin leaned back in his chair and put his hands behind his head. "I'm impressed!"
"Anakin, please!" Obi-Wan pleaded. "It's not what you think."
"No, don't ruin it for me. Let me dream," the padawan responded.
"Look, we don't have time for me to explain everything to you, but don't get carried away. I need you to find out all you can about a man named Perrin. He's got to be one of the main players in this kidnapping game, so I need the information as soon as possible."
"Sure... okay."
"You can tell the council that I contacted you and that I should know more in a couple of days. I think someone at the school is involved also, but I'm not sure who it is yet. I need you to help me out, Anakin."
"You can count on me, Obi-Wan," Anakin assured his master. Obi-Wan started to move towards the power button when Anakin offered one last line. "Hey! May the Force be with you..... and the teacher!" And with a smug wink, Anakin was first to end the transmission.
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Sari took a very long hot shower in hopes of avoiding Obi-Wan anymore for the night. Her mind was spinning, and she didn't want to be forced to make some polite small talk, so she spent as much time as she could in the refresher. Finally, she took a deep breath and ventured back into her room. Luckily, he was gone. She had offered him her spare bedroom earlier and assumed that's where he was. Climbing into bed, she turned off her light and snuggled under the covers wanting desperately to just go to sleep.
Obi-Wan heard her come out of the refresher and go to bed. He couldn't sleep, so he had been trying to meditate. It was difficult, he found, to calm his mind enough to focus on just one thing at a time. The children were his main priority, and he knew that. They were his duty, and he always fulfilled his duties. However, thoughts of Sari kept interrupting, and when she opened the refresher door and he could smell the clean scent of her, he simply gave up trying to meditate all together.
'You're acting childish, Obi-Wan!' he scolded himself. 'You were too presumptuous and bold, and now she thinks you're a fool. This would have never happened on Coruscant. Now Anakin thinks.... who knows what!' The Jedi laid back down and made another attempt to get some sleep despite the circus playing in his mind.
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