Brown-eyes - Thank you. And I will continue. ; ) I'm on a very set course
for this story, so you will be getting chapters steadily. Chin up, more's
a comin'. : )
Katt - Doh!! Snagged. ; ) In all honesty, the original idea for doing this came from my watching EverAfter. I thought, 'hey, wouldn't that be cool if someone did this in the SW universe?' But I didn't think I would do a good job at it, so I posted on the Plot Bunny Thread at TF.N. A couple of others expressed an interest, but they didn't think that they could write it either. In the meantime, I kept getting ideas for it, and voila! Here I am writing the darn thing after all. *sigh* Another story to add to my every growing "workload" not that it's a bad thing, but I haven't been concentrating on my other works while I've been doing this. : ( So once this is done, off I am to finish the others. : )
Faye - Gosh, thanks. I have been working on it. Honestly, I don't think I'm very good at dialogue, but I have noticed an improvement.
Dragonsong - Thank you!! : D I didn't want to make it the usual mimicry of the traditional story line, but fit the concept into the SW galaxy. I'm glad you think it's turning out well. : )
Ds_jt - LOL, I thought they were rather vague. Goes to show you, huh? Thank you thought. I hope to continue with writing good fight scenes as I will need to do so soon. ; )
Lighted eagle - That wasn't very good begging. : p But I am ecstatic that you really like it! : D You're in for a treat today. ; )
Everyone - Thanks again for all the lovely feedback. I really, really, really appreciate it. It encourages me to *keep writing*!!!! : D As a result, I am posting *2*, you hear me, 2 as in 1 and 2, chapters today! : ) BUT!! I also expect twice as many reviews. ; p That's right, twice as many. Well, I'll take what I can get. Just let me know how I'm doing because it really helps me keep going. Thanks again everyone!! : D
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It all Comes Down to You and Me
"How.. What are you doing here?" Obi-Wan sputtered as he stared in shock at the blonde haired girl behind him. Breaking himself out of his stupor he rushed up to the girl and said, "You have to get out of here now."
"I wanted to help," she said. Her voice was quiet but full of compassion. "I. I didn't want you to get in trouble for helping me."
Obi-Wan sighed, hanging his head down, before responding, "If you didn't want me to get in trouble, you shouldn't have come." He paused, glanced back up at her and gave a wan smile. "Thanks, for trying."
"Please, let me help you." Siri requested.
Turning back toward the counters, Obi-Wan relented, "Well, it's obvious that there's no way to get rid of you. How are you at cooking?"
Siri followed him over and admitted, "Well, Jedi don't really train on food preparation, but if you just tell me what to do I can do it."
Pulling out some vegetables and a knife, he placed them in front of the girl. "Well, you could cut these up for me. While I work on the rest."
"Alright. But I do have to tell you one thing, I hate kitchen duty." She smiled over at him, but he only gave her a brief smirk in response.
"This is probably one of my best duties. At least I get to be creative and choose what I am going to prepare." Obi-Wan moved around the preparation stations with determined purpose and Siri did her best just not to get in the way. Once they completed the menial tasks and the meal was cooking, did they really start conversing.
"Why don't you have any droids to do all this?" Siri began with her questions to understand the world outside the Temple better.
"We had to sell them a while ago. And ever since I have been old enough to reach the stove I have been cooking the meals. So, why buy something to do a task that someone is already doing?" He answered as he stirred a pot.
She watched him thoughtfully, trying to figure out a way to ask her next question, but didn't know how to do it tactfully. Finally, she decided just to ask it, and hope it didn't sound too offensive. "Are you a slave?"
At this Obi-Wan stiffened visibly, and Siri was unsure of his reaction. She thought she had indeed offended him and now admonished her brash question.
Relaxing a moment later, Obi-Wan thought carefully about his answer. Finally he said, "I am not a slave. At least, I have not been bought or anything like that. But I am neither a servant who gets paid for what they do." He pondered after he spoke, wondering if there was a word or name for what he was.
Not understanding, she pressed, "Then why are you here? Why not just leave?"
"Because, this is my home." A deep sorrow permeated his tone. Siri watched as he moved away trying to check on the cooking portions.
"Your Home? I always thought a home was full of warmth and love. But it feels cold and dark here."
"It wasn't always that way." For a moment he glanced at her before turning away again. "I don't really remember my father except for the warm feeling I get when I think about him. But my mother and I were very happy together. Life was different then. We talked all the time, and she would tell me about my father and how proud he would have been. He was a Jedi, you know. But he left when he met my mother."
"And that's where you got those manuals. And why you're Force-sensitive." His nod confirmed her statements. "You mentioned stepbrothers," prompting him to explain further.
"Yes, I have 2 stepbrothers. My mother remarried about 5 years ago, when she thought I wanted a father. I don't fault her for my life now. She only wanted me to be happy and my stepfather was not the man she thought she was marrying. But she died shortly after." Siri thought she heard him sniffle and realize that he missed her very much. "I am happy that she did not live long enough to discover the monster that entered our home."
For some time neither spoke, as Siri knew he needed time to work through his emotions. When Obi-Wan was once again in command of his feelings he asked, "Could you please put these back on the shelves over there?"
Siri collected the spice canisters and various other objects that Obi-Wan had indicated and took them over to a rack on the other side of the door. As she was finishing putting them away, she felt a surge in the Force, and could feel Obi-Wan trying to shield her. She turned to see a figure standing on the other side of a cabinet and quickly pressed herself back.
An imposing voice inquired, "And why isn't dinner ready?"
Obi-Wan had sensed the man's approach just before he entered. Quickly he set up a rudimentary shield around Siri in hopes of hiding her. Spinning around in time to see him enter, he stepped forward to meet him. "There was a problem with the shuttle, My Lord. It made me late, and I have been rushing to get finished."
Palpatine placed a hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder. At first, the boy was confused as it was usually a kindly gesture, but realization of its purpose became frighteningly apparent. "Don't lie to me, boy," threatened the Senator. Fingers began to dig into Obi's sore back, tears formed in his eyes and he fought to remain standing as the pain increased.
That's when he noticed Siri out of the corner of his eye. Obviously angered but the man's uncaring tactics, she prepared to lunge at Palpatine. Obi-Wan managed to speak, "Don't," giving her a warning stare. She fought with herself and them backed down.
Unfortunately, the callous stepfather misunderstood Obi-Wan's instructions. Suddenly, backhanding the boy across the face. Taken completely off guard, Obi-Wan promptly fell to the floor. "How dare you talk back to me?" The vile creature placed a boot over one of Obi's hands and stepped down. "Do you want another punishment? Was what I gave you last night not enough to stay your insolence?"
Gritting his teeth against the growing agony, he managed to breathe, "No, Lord. Sorry. Didn't mean it."
The boot lifted as a hand came down, grabbing the back of his shirt, Palpatine raised Obi-Wan off the floor and flung him toward the counter. "Finish you chores and I will figure out a way to deal with you later." Abruptly, the corrupt man left.
Siri's heart and mind had been racing after she backed down. And she released the breath she had not realized she was holding when he left the room. She could not imagine living this way and did not understand why anyone would willingly accept this lifestyle. Slowly she made her way toward the tormented boy. He was cradling his already swollen hand but he did not look up at her when she stood in front of him. Instead, he whispered, "Once I serve dinner you should be able to slip out unnoticed. Please, leave as soon as possible."
"Will you be alright?" The rhetorical question seemed stupid to the young girl as soon as the words left her mouth. Of course he's not all right. And if that wasn't a punishment I don't even want to know what is.
"I'll be fine," he deflected her concern. "Just please leave, before things get worse." Neither spoke again. Siri went to a refrigeration unit and retrieved some ice. Placing it in a cloth she wrapped his hand. He finished his work but offered her a meager smile for her kindness. When all was ready, he gathered the serving dishes and left. Siri waited for a short time and then snuck out easily.
Obi-Wan served his stepfamily quietly. When the meal completed he waited for his stepfather. Palpatine stared at the condoned for sometime as he mulled over a proper punishment. Obi-Wan stood with his head hung down and waited for judgement.
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REVIEWS!!! I want reviews!! : D
Katt - Doh!! Snagged. ; ) In all honesty, the original idea for doing this came from my watching EverAfter. I thought, 'hey, wouldn't that be cool if someone did this in the SW universe?' But I didn't think I would do a good job at it, so I posted on the Plot Bunny Thread at TF.N. A couple of others expressed an interest, but they didn't think that they could write it either. In the meantime, I kept getting ideas for it, and voila! Here I am writing the darn thing after all. *sigh* Another story to add to my every growing "workload" not that it's a bad thing, but I haven't been concentrating on my other works while I've been doing this. : ( So once this is done, off I am to finish the others. : )
Faye - Gosh, thanks. I have been working on it. Honestly, I don't think I'm very good at dialogue, but I have noticed an improvement.
Dragonsong - Thank you!! : D I didn't want to make it the usual mimicry of the traditional story line, but fit the concept into the SW galaxy. I'm glad you think it's turning out well. : )
Ds_jt - LOL, I thought they were rather vague. Goes to show you, huh? Thank you thought. I hope to continue with writing good fight scenes as I will need to do so soon. ; )
Lighted eagle - That wasn't very good begging. : p But I am ecstatic that you really like it! : D You're in for a treat today. ; )
Everyone - Thanks again for all the lovely feedback. I really, really, really appreciate it. It encourages me to *keep writing*!!!! : D As a result, I am posting *2*, you hear me, 2 as in 1 and 2, chapters today! : ) BUT!! I also expect twice as many reviews. ; p That's right, twice as many. Well, I'll take what I can get. Just let me know how I'm doing because it really helps me keep going. Thanks again everyone!! : D
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It all Comes Down to You and Me
"How.. What are you doing here?" Obi-Wan sputtered as he stared in shock at the blonde haired girl behind him. Breaking himself out of his stupor he rushed up to the girl and said, "You have to get out of here now."
"I wanted to help," she said. Her voice was quiet but full of compassion. "I. I didn't want you to get in trouble for helping me."
Obi-Wan sighed, hanging his head down, before responding, "If you didn't want me to get in trouble, you shouldn't have come." He paused, glanced back up at her and gave a wan smile. "Thanks, for trying."
"Please, let me help you." Siri requested.
Turning back toward the counters, Obi-Wan relented, "Well, it's obvious that there's no way to get rid of you. How are you at cooking?"
Siri followed him over and admitted, "Well, Jedi don't really train on food preparation, but if you just tell me what to do I can do it."
Pulling out some vegetables and a knife, he placed them in front of the girl. "Well, you could cut these up for me. While I work on the rest."
"Alright. But I do have to tell you one thing, I hate kitchen duty." She smiled over at him, but he only gave her a brief smirk in response.
"This is probably one of my best duties. At least I get to be creative and choose what I am going to prepare." Obi-Wan moved around the preparation stations with determined purpose and Siri did her best just not to get in the way. Once they completed the menial tasks and the meal was cooking, did they really start conversing.
"Why don't you have any droids to do all this?" Siri began with her questions to understand the world outside the Temple better.
"We had to sell them a while ago. And ever since I have been old enough to reach the stove I have been cooking the meals. So, why buy something to do a task that someone is already doing?" He answered as he stirred a pot.
She watched him thoughtfully, trying to figure out a way to ask her next question, but didn't know how to do it tactfully. Finally, she decided just to ask it, and hope it didn't sound too offensive. "Are you a slave?"
At this Obi-Wan stiffened visibly, and Siri was unsure of his reaction. She thought she had indeed offended him and now admonished her brash question.
Relaxing a moment later, Obi-Wan thought carefully about his answer. Finally he said, "I am not a slave. At least, I have not been bought or anything like that. But I am neither a servant who gets paid for what they do." He pondered after he spoke, wondering if there was a word or name for what he was.
Not understanding, she pressed, "Then why are you here? Why not just leave?"
"Because, this is my home." A deep sorrow permeated his tone. Siri watched as he moved away trying to check on the cooking portions.
"Your Home? I always thought a home was full of warmth and love. But it feels cold and dark here."
"It wasn't always that way." For a moment he glanced at her before turning away again. "I don't really remember my father except for the warm feeling I get when I think about him. But my mother and I were very happy together. Life was different then. We talked all the time, and she would tell me about my father and how proud he would have been. He was a Jedi, you know. But he left when he met my mother."
"And that's where you got those manuals. And why you're Force-sensitive." His nod confirmed her statements. "You mentioned stepbrothers," prompting him to explain further.
"Yes, I have 2 stepbrothers. My mother remarried about 5 years ago, when she thought I wanted a father. I don't fault her for my life now. She only wanted me to be happy and my stepfather was not the man she thought she was marrying. But she died shortly after." Siri thought she heard him sniffle and realize that he missed her very much. "I am happy that she did not live long enough to discover the monster that entered our home."
For some time neither spoke, as Siri knew he needed time to work through his emotions. When Obi-Wan was once again in command of his feelings he asked, "Could you please put these back on the shelves over there?"
Siri collected the spice canisters and various other objects that Obi-Wan had indicated and took them over to a rack on the other side of the door. As she was finishing putting them away, she felt a surge in the Force, and could feel Obi-Wan trying to shield her. She turned to see a figure standing on the other side of a cabinet and quickly pressed herself back.
An imposing voice inquired, "And why isn't dinner ready?"
Obi-Wan had sensed the man's approach just before he entered. Quickly he set up a rudimentary shield around Siri in hopes of hiding her. Spinning around in time to see him enter, he stepped forward to meet him. "There was a problem with the shuttle, My Lord. It made me late, and I have been rushing to get finished."
Palpatine placed a hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder. At first, the boy was confused as it was usually a kindly gesture, but realization of its purpose became frighteningly apparent. "Don't lie to me, boy," threatened the Senator. Fingers began to dig into Obi's sore back, tears formed in his eyes and he fought to remain standing as the pain increased.
That's when he noticed Siri out of the corner of his eye. Obviously angered but the man's uncaring tactics, she prepared to lunge at Palpatine. Obi-Wan managed to speak, "Don't," giving her a warning stare. She fought with herself and them backed down.
Unfortunately, the callous stepfather misunderstood Obi-Wan's instructions. Suddenly, backhanding the boy across the face. Taken completely off guard, Obi-Wan promptly fell to the floor. "How dare you talk back to me?" The vile creature placed a boot over one of Obi's hands and stepped down. "Do you want another punishment? Was what I gave you last night not enough to stay your insolence?"
Gritting his teeth against the growing agony, he managed to breathe, "No, Lord. Sorry. Didn't mean it."
The boot lifted as a hand came down, grabbing the back of his shirt, Palpatine raised Obi-Wan off the floor and flung him toward the counter. "Finish you chores and I will figure out a way to deal with you later." Abruptly, the corrupt man left.
Siri's heart and mind had been racing after she backed down. And she released the breath she had not realized she was holding when he left the room. She could not imagine living this way and did not understand why anyone would willingly accept this lifestyle. Slowly she made her way toward the tormented boy. He was cradling his already swollen hand but he did not look up at her when she stood in front of him. Instead, he whispered, "Once I serve dinner you should be able to slip out unnoticed. Please, leave as soon as possible."
"Will you be alright?" The rhetorical question seemed stupid to the young girl as soon as the words left her mouth. Of course he's not all right. And if that wasn't a punishment I don't even want to know what is.
"I'll be fine," he deflected her concern. "Just please leave, before things get worse." Neither spoke again. Siri went to a refrigeration unit and retrieved some ice. Placing it in a cloth she wrapped his hand. He finished his work but offered her a meager smile for her kindness. When all was ready, he gathered the serving dishes and left. Siri waited for a short time and then snuck out easily.
Obi-Wan served his stepfamily quietly. When the meal completed he waited for his stepfather. Palpatine stared at the condoned for sometime as he mulled over a proper punishment. Obi-Wan stood with his head hung down and waited for judgement.
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REVIEWS!!! I want reviews!! : D