*4*
It took some time, but after much tugging, tucking, pulling (gently), centering, re-centering, buttoning, unbuttoning, zipping and unzipping- Cadi had gotten the dress to fit just right. She stepped carefully out of the changing chamber.
"Well *that* took a millenium!" Obi exclaimed, but as he sat up to look at her his breath caught in his throat.
"What?" she said self-consciously, "What did I forget to zip? Button?" she began rechecking everything.
"No, it's not that," he assured her quickly, "You look- like an angel."
"Oh please," she waved his compliment off, "the white must be blinding you." The dress was indeed a shimmering white, reaching down to her toes with tiny sparkling diamonds decorating it. The top was tight, stiff and strapless; it clung to her, ending in a V-shape just below the waist. The bottom was soft like gauze and more flexible, flowing down easily from hip to toe. She stood in front of the mirror and started to brush out her wet hair.
"I'm serious, all you need is wings," he mused, stepping around the bed to stand behind her.
"If I had wings, I could fly away," she pointed out as his arms entwined around her hips.
"Just so long as you take me with you," he whispered, his head resting in the bend of her neck.
"And what if I couldn't?" they began to sway back and forth a little.
"Then I would just have to sprout wings of my own, wouldn't I?" he pressed his lips to her shoulder. Cadi shut her eyes to fight down her tears, for soon she would be flying away- on the wings of Death- and Obi would be left behind.
His kisses persisted. "Hey," she grasped his hands, but he shook them free, "I just got into this dress."
"Whoever said you had to get out of it?" he replied breathlessly, intent on his work.
"Obi!" she stifled a giggle as his hands slid up her skirt, "You know sometimes I think you are the devil in disguise," she grinned fiendishly.
"Sometimes you may be right, my angel," he moaned softly.
"But Anakin!" she warned, nevertheless turning around to loosen up his tunic.
"He'll be gone for hours," he assured, eagerness in his voice.
"How do you know?" she persisted, her lips caressing his collarbone.
"He's stuck in line," he explained, propping her up on the vanity.
"We shouldn't," she argued still as she stripped off his tunic completely.
"Why not?" he dotted her arm with kisses.
"You act like I haven't done this enough lately," she hiked her dress up.
"Unfortunately, you have- but this" he delivered a deep, passionate kiss, "this is the real thing."
Their minds locked, sensual feelings of love and pleasure mingling within each other on a private bond in the Force. Instantly Cadi gasped loudly as she felt his mind latch onto hers. It made her realize just how much these past two weeks had made her yearn for that kind of mental connection. They made love like there was no tomorrow. What Obi-Wan did no know that… for Cadi… there wouldn't be.
***
3 hours, 46 minutes and 58 seconds- that was how long it took. 3 hours, 46 minutes and 58 seconds of standing, bundle of clothes in hand, in line with about 500 other shoppers. Needless to say, Anakin was not in the best mood by the time he got to the cashier.
"Ring it up," he commanded.
"Aren't the Jedi supposed to have the utmost patience and reserve?" the juvenile clerk looked him up and down.
"Not when standing in line for five hours waiting to pay a senseless amount of money for cheap clothes!" he snapped, shoving the credit card across the high counter.
"Temper, temper," slowly the clerk folded each item of clothing, slowly she swiped the credit card, slowly she bagged everything, slowly she handed him the bag. Anakin snatched it and sped out the door- time was wearing down.
***
"What time is it?" Cadi asked dreamily.
"Does it matter?" Obi lay with his hands laced behind his head, basking in the afterglow of their activities.
"I wish it didn't," begrudgingly she sat up and began to fix herself.
"Oh no you don't!" Obi grinned, jumping up to catch her and pull her back down into bed with him.
"Come on!" she pretended to be annoyed, "I really need to get ready."
"You're not getting away that easily," the grin widened. Cadi sighed deeply, dropping her resistance. They lay there for a while, slowly Obi-Wan relaxed his hold on her.
"No fair," she mock-complained.
"You know you love it," he replied smugly.
"True," she snuggled in closer for a moment and closed her eyes. She halted a cough that was creeping at her windpipe. It hurt to breathe, Cadi thought she could even feel her organs shutting down, preparing to stop completely. She was short of time. She got back up and started fixing her hair.
"Party pooper," Obi teased, though he got up to dress himself. Cadi opened her mouth to retort, but that cough she'd thought she fought down seized her. She started choking uncontrollably. Obi sprang from the bed and grabbed her worriedly, "What happened?" her face turned red as she struggled for air, "Cadi? Breathe!"
With great effort she forced her lungs back to normality. That was it, she couldn't deny her illness anymore.
"You need a med," he stated, already reaching for his comlink.
"There's no time," she managed to say, quickly moving the link from his reach.
"You are not well," he argued intensely.
"I'll be fine," she insisted coldly.
"Why are you being so stubborn about this?" his eyes pleaded with her.
"You worry too much."
"You're never sick and now suddenly your skin is pale, you're weak, shivering and coughing. So yes, I think I have cause to worry," he stated.
"Listen, my wary one," she quoted gently, "it is far too late to unlove each other. Instead, let's cook something elaborate and not invite anyone to share it, but eat it all up very slowly," she gave him a kiss on the forehead, holding his troubled stare and sending the best waves of reassurance she could render. He swallowed hard.
"I don't like this," he made sure she knew. She didn't have time to respond, though, because Anakin returned at that very second. Instead, Cadi resumed her previous task of fixing her hair.
"You two need names," she pointed out as she worked her long black tresses into wavy patterns.
"Nice work, Anakin," Obi complimented as he leafed through his new outfit.
"I'm glad you like them, because if you didn't, well, I would've done something evil, I think," the boy laughed easily.
"I guess I'll be…Ben," Obi contemplated as he started to change.
"And I'll be, er, how's Scott sound?" Anakin put in.
"Last names," Cadi reminded.
"Oh right, um, Barringer? Yeah, Scott Barringer, that sounds pretty scummy, doesn't it?" he decided.
"Okay, so Scott Barringer and Ben-?"
"Hopper," Obi decided.
"Good picks," Cadi commended, "And be careful not to call me Cadi when we're there. They know me as Phyre. Ani, you should get changed too, we'll have to leave soon."
It took some time, but after much tugging, tucking, pulling (gently), centering, re-centering, buttoning, unbuttoning, zipping and unzipping- Cadi had gotten the dress to fit just right. She stepped carefully out of the changing chamber.
"Well *that* took a millenium!" Obi exclaimed, but as he sat up to look at her his breath caught in his throat.
"What?" she said self-consciously, "What did I forget to zip? Button?" she began rechecking everything.
"No, it's not that," he assured her quickly, "You look- like an angel."
"Oh please," she waved his compliment off, "the white must be blinding you." The dress was indeed a shimmering white, reaching down to her toes with tiny sparkling diamonds decorating it. The top was tight, stiff and strapless; it clung to her, ending in a V-shape just below the waist. The bottom was soft like gauze and more flexible, flowing down easily from hip to toe. She stood in front of the mirror and started to brush out her wet hair.
"I'm serious, all you need is wings," he mused, stepping around the bed to stand behind her.
"If I had wings, I could fly away," she pointed out as his arms entwined around her hips.
"Just so long as you take me with you," he whispered, his head resting in the bend of her neck.
"And what if I couldn't?" they began to sway back and forth a little.
"Then I would just have to sprout wings of my own, wouldn't I?" he pressed his lips to her shoulder. Cadi shut her eyes to fight down her tears, for soon she would be flying away- on the wings of Death- and Obi would be left behind.
His kisses persisted. "Hey," she grasped his hands, but he shook them free, "I just got into this dress."
"Whoever said you had to get out of it?" he replied breathlessly, intent on his work.
"Obi!" she stifled a giggle as his hands slid up her skirt, "You know sometimes I think you are the devil in disguise," she grinned fiendishly.
"Sometimes you may be right, my angel," he moaned softly.
"But Anakin!" she warned, nevertheless turning around to loosen up his tunic.
"He'll be gone for hours," he assured, eagerness in his voice.
"How do you know?" she persisted, her lips caressing his collarbone.
"He's stuck in line," he explained, propping her up on the vanity.
"We shouldn't," she argued still as she stripped off his tunic completely.
"Why not?" he dotted her arm with kisses.
"You act like I haven't done this enough lately," she hiked her dress up.
"Unfortunately, you have- but this" he delivered a deep, passionate kiss, "this is the real thing."
Their minds locked, sensual feelings of love and pleasure mingling within each other on a private bond in the Force. Instantly Cadi gasped loudly as she felt his mind latch onto hers. It made her realize just how much these past two weeks had made her yearn for that kind of mental connection. They made love like there was no tomorrow. What Obi-Wan did no know that… for Cadi… there wouldn't be.
***
3 hours, 46 minutes and 58 seconds- that was how long it took. 3 hours, 46 minutes and 58 seconds of standing, bundle of clothes in hand, in line with about 500 other shoppers. Needless to say, Anakin was not in the best mood by the time he got to the cashier.
"Ring it up," he commanded.
"Aren't the Jedi supposed to have the utmost patience and reserve?" the juvenile clerk looked him up and down.
"Not when standing in line for five hours waiting to pay a senseless amount of money for cheap clothes!" he snapped, shoving the credit card across the high counter.
"Temper, temper," slowly the clerk folded each item of clothing, slowly she swiped the credit card, slowly she bagged everything, slowly she handed him the bag. Anakin snatched it and sped out the door- time was wearing down.
***
"What time is it?" Cadi asked dreamily.
"Does it matter?" Obi lay with his hands laced behind his head, basking in the afterglow of their activities.
"I wish it didn't," begrudgingly she sat up and began to fix herself.
"Oh no you don't!" Obi grinned, jumping up to catch her and pull her back down into bed with him.
"Come on!" she pretended to be annoyed, "I really need to get ready."
"You're not getting away that easily," the grin widened. Cadi sighed deeply, dropping her resistance. They lay there for a while, slowly Obi-Wan relaxed his hold on her.
"No fair," she mock-complained.
"You know you love it," he replied smugly.
"True," she snuggled in closer for a moment and closed her eyes. She halted a cough that was creeping at her windpipe. It hurt to breathe, Cadi thought she could even feel her organs shutting down, preparing to stop completely. She was short of time. She got back up and started fixing her hair.
"Party pooper," Obi teased, though he got up to dress himself. Cadi opened her mouth to retort, but that cough she'd thought she fought down seized her. She started choking uncontrollably. Obi sprang from the bed and grabbed her worriedly, "What happened?" her face turned red as she struggled for air, "Cadi? Breathe!"
With great effort she forced her lungs back to normality. That was it, she couldn't deny her illness anymore.
"You need a med," he stated, already reaching for his comlink.
"There's no time," she managed to say, quickly moving the link from his reach.
"You are not well," he argued intensely.
"I'll be fine," she insisted coldly.
"Why are you being so stubborn about this?" his eyes pleaded with her.
"You worry too much."
"You're never sick and now suddenly your skin is pale, you're weak, shivering and coughing. So yes, I think I have cause to worry," he stated.
"Listen, my wary one," she quoted gently, "it is far too late to unlove each other. Instead, let's cook something elaborate and not invite anyone to share it, but eat it all up very slowly," she gave him a kiss on the forehead, holding his troubled stare and sending the best waves of reassurance she could render. He swallowed hard.
"I don't like this," he made sure she knew. She didn't have time to respond, though, because Anakin returned at that very second. Instead, Cadi resumed her previous task of fixing her hair.
"You two need names," she pointed out as she worked her long black tresses into wavy patterns.
"Nice work, Anakin," Obi complimented as he leafed through his new outfit.
"I'm glad you like them, because if you didn't, well, I would've done something evil, I think," the boy laughed easily.
"I guess I'll be…Ben," Obi contemplated as he started to change.
"And I'll be, er, how's Scott sound?" Anakin put in.
"Last names," Cadi reminded.
"Oh right, um, Barringer? Yeah, Scott Barringer, that sounds pretty scummy, doesn't it?" he decided.
"Okay, so Scott Barringer and Ben-?"
"Hopper," Obi decided.
"Good picks," Cadi commended, "And be careful not to call me Cadi when we're there. They know me as Phyre. Ani, you should get changed too, we'll have to leave soon."
