Title: When Stars Collide

Author: Jadda

Rating: PG-13 (language and suggestive dialogue)

Characters: Obi-Wan and you; Qui-Gon Jinn and other Jedi

Category: ABH, AU, romance/action adventure; PRE- TPM

Disclaimer: Don't sue! Star Wars belongs to George Lucas!! I'm just playing with the characters...the only characters that are mine are the made up ones, but I could care less if anyone used those.

AN: Edited 5/10/09

Chapter 8:

Twelve hours.

That's how long you've been upstairs with the Jedi and Sophaxians. You'd leave, but Master Yoda insisted on the doors being padlocked until the Intergalactic Police arrived.

Master Jinn had informed them of the capture some six hours ago; these police apparently don't give a damn about anyone with something better to do. And, to top it off, you're so bored! It's like being locked in that cell downstairs again, except now there are hundreds of people in there with you. At least you have your lightsaber back.

For the past two hours, you've been chatting with Obi-Wan, who has suggested several times that the two of you should practice lightsaber techniques.

"Oh c'mon, Princess, just one round? I promise I'll go easy on you," he says, trying to persuade you for the thousandth time.

And for some reason, this sets you off and you look at him and agree.

Happy to have finally broken you, Obi-Wan rises and reaches a hand downward to help you up. You take the offer and grab his hand, jumping to your feet as he hoists you up. He then looks around quickly.

"Hmm, we won't be able to fight here," he says, eyes scouring the room.

Then he sees a little nook on the other side of the large room and points it out to you.

"How about that over there?" he says.

You look in the direction of his finger and see the nook.

"Looks good to me. Let's check it out."

Obi-Wan nods and you both start walking in that direction. You smile respectfully at Jedi as you pass and look with interest at the imprisoned Sophaxians. As you pass one group, you are alarmed to find that one of the particularly masculine and brusque-looking Sophaxian men is staring at you. You stop abruptly and catch Obi-Wan's attention.

"What are you doing?" he asks confusedly.

"Look," you say simply, not taking your eyes off of the staring Sophaxian.

Obi-Wan looks in the direction you're staring.

"Okay, what?" he asks, not getting it.

You roll your eyes quickly before placing them back on that Sophaxian.

"He's staring at us," you mumble, still staring.

"Who?" he asks, looking everywhere but where you want him to.

You sigh heavily and turn to him. You glare at him before grabbing his head and turning it in the proper direction.

You don't see it, but Obi-Wan smiles a bit.

"See him?" you ask exasperatedly.

"Oh, yes, now I see him. I think he fancies you, Princess, he won't stop staring." he says, his head still in between your hands.

You glare at him once more and squeeze his face slightly.

"Watch it, Kenobi," you say malevolently, letting go of his face.

He smirks and rubs his face with one hand.

"C'mon, let's go. Don't worry about your boyfriend over there," he says jokingly.

You ignore his comment and walk past him toward your destination. In a time lapse of two minutes you reach this nook and step inside it through its narrow entrance; Obi-Wan follows.

The room you enter is actually not a nook, nor anything remotely close to one. It's a huge room, maybe about the size of your 'saber practice rooms at the Jedi Temple, only without padding.

You walk to the far side of the room and turn to face Kenobi who's on the other side.

"This look good to you?" you ask, placing your hands on your hips.

Kenobi looks around, nodding his head.

"Looks good to me," he states.

You nod and reach for your 'saber; Obi-Wan follows suit. Then, you begin.

For the two hours you and Obi-Wan are swinging, blocking, and thrusting 'sabers left and right.

Finally, you're both worn out and you agree on a draw.

"We'll continue this later," Kenobi huffs, falling onto the floor with a thump.

You extinguish your 'saber and walk over to his fallen body.

"I'll bet that hurt," you state, referring to him falling onto the floor so hard.

He looks at you, a hand under his head.

"I'm too exhausted to notice. You know, Princess, you've gotten better since the last time we fought," he says, sitting up and leaning against the wall.

You raise an eyebrow and take a seat beside him.

"It's called practice, Obi-Wan. I have practice everyday. The last time I remember sparring with you was five years ago, I would hope I've improved since then."

He looks at you, still breathing hard.

"Everyday?" he asks, unbelievingly.

You nod.

"Yes everyday, why is that so hard to believe?"

"Oh, it's not that. It's just that 'sabering is a pretty rigorous workout as it is and to do it everyday and not always be exhausted is amazing. You must be in excellent shape."

You blush at this comment.

"Uh, well, I dunno about the 'excellent shape' part, but as for being tired, I was when I first started, but you get used to it after five years."

Obi-Wan smiles slightly and nods.

You both sit there in silence for a good five minutes. Then you feel it, something isn't right. Obi-Wan senses it too, because a worried look is on his face; he stands quickly and helps you up as well.

"I feel a disturbance in The Force," he says, not looking at you.

You nod seriously and clutch you lightsaber. Obi-Wan reaches the nook's entrance first and quietly looks out into the chamber.

You hear him gasp a little before pulling back into the room with a close to petrified look on his face.

"What is it?" you ask him, afraid to know the answer.

He sighs and runs a hand through his hair.

"Look," he states quietly, pointing at the opening.

You look from Obi-Wan to the opening before cautiously venturing over.

Now you know why Obi-wan gasped.

Somehow, the cornered Sophaxians had called for reinforcements because there were tons more than before. You look around and see that a heated battle is about to take place; and you're on the wrong side.

All you can see are the backs of Sophaxians, no Jedi.

You pull yourself back into the room and look at Kenobi.

"What do we do, Obi-Wan? We have to help, but we're on the wrong side of the room. Though, if we go out there now, we'll be killed."

Kenobi sighs and closes his blue-green eyes.

"I don't know what to do. Hold on, let me think a moment," he says, starting to pace the room.

You follow him intently with your eyes, hoping and praying that he comes up with something. After about a few minutes he looks back at you, a blank expression on his face.

"I contacted my Master, he commanded that we stay where we are, for our own safety. He said that he and the other Jedi can handle this," he says, his face staying expressionless.

"Obi-Wan, we can't just sit in here and do nothing, that goes against everything we've ever been taught. Jedi are supposed to help one another."

Kenobi looks at you again.

"I know that, but we were also taught to obey our Masters."

You sigh openly and look at him.

"Well, fine. You can stay here and obey your Master, that's fine by me. But Qui-Gon isn't my Master and I am going to help stop this; with or without your help."

"He may not be your Master, but he is your superior, and Padawans are to respect and follow any Master Jedi that commands something. You'd be going against Code if you chose to ignore my Master's commands," he says, abruptly standing.

"Well you know what, Obi-Wan? I don't care anymore. I'm sick and tired of everyone having to save my ass. I either want to do the saving or be left out completely. So I'm going and no one is going to stop me."

That said, you turn and head for the opening, hearing Obi-Wan calling you back.

You emerge from the nook in the midst of the battle. You take a deep breath and ignite your lightsaber; then you start knocking 'em down, left and right.

They seem to be coming at you from all sides, and for a while you do all right...then, it happens. Oh, the pain! You forgot to do your cool down exercises after your battle with Kenobi and now you're paying for it. Your muscles are twitching with every swing of your 'saber.

*There are too many,* you think helplessly.

Figures. You and your big mouth. Why did you say that crap to Kenobi?

Damn your pride, you just had to 'prove yourself', didn't you? Well, looks like you're really proving something efficiently; the fact that you need help. You can barely stand and your muscles are now twitching and aching. You're also starting to feel lightheaded. Oh, what to do?

They're everywhere and closing in. None of the other Jedi will know you're in trouble, they don't even know you're out here. Oh, Obi-Wan was right, you should've listened to Qui-Gon. Why do you always have to be so stubborn?

You begin to back up and keep going and going until your back hits the wall. You're still holding your 'saber in front of you and cringe as sharp pain radiates throughout your tired body.

The group of Sophaxians you've been fighting are coming closer and closer until they're about a foot away from you. Then, they stop and the crowd around you parts and a little path is formed.

You stand there, breathing hard, lightsaber ignited and still brandished, as a man walks down the path.

*Must be their rebellion leader,* you think irritably.

Then you gasp.

*That's the one that was staring at me earlier,* is all you can think.

He, however, does not look at all surprised to see you.

"Well, well, well," he starts in his Russian-sounding accent, " if it isn't a little, helpless Jedi girl. Poor baby, perhaps your Master will save you."

Even though this statement isn't the least bit funny, or malevolent, his cronies surrounding you roar with laughter.

You raise an eyebrow at them and look around the semi circle.

"Can't you come up with a better line, there, 'Mr. Leader'? I'm not at all intimidated," you say, still holding your 'saber in a ready stance.

'Mr. Leader' shoots you a glare.

"Stupid, little girl," he says to you, his accent making him sound more and more juvenile by the second.

"I'm not a 'little girl'," you say, not willing to back down, no matter how much pain you're in.

'Mr. Leader' smirks.

"Whatever you say, 'little girl'. Now, what should we do with you now that we've caught you?"

There was silence. No one speaks, not even you. You honestly cannot think of a thing to say.

"Well, first I'm going to kick your ass, then we'll see what happens."

You smile brightly as you recognize the voice that said that.

'Mr. Leader' looks at you quickly and over in the direction of the voice.

But he's far too late; there he is, Obi-Wan Kenobi, literally cutting down every man who comes at him. Your smile widens as he flips over a few remaining live ones and lands in front of the group leader.

"Hello, there," he says shortly, whipping his 'saber across the man's stomach, allowing his, now limp, body to fall to the floor.

You slump down onto the floor and watch as the remaining Sophaxians, horrified looks on their faces, scramble off toward the other side of the room, surrendering all the way.

Kenobi shakes his head at them and sighs. He then crouches down in front of you.

"What happened to saving someone else's ass for a change?" he asks mockingly, raising an eyebrow and smirking.

You glare at him and turn off your 'saber.

"Shut it, Kenobi."

He laughs and takes a seat next to you.

You search the room with your eyes and see that the Jedi have won. However, there were many Sophaxian casualties. The few who surrendered, including the group that sped away from you and Kenobi, were being cuffed and led away by the Intergalactic Police that finally decided to show up.

"I thought you were going to listen to your Master. He told you to stay where you were," you say, not looking at Obi-Wan.

You feel his eyes on you as you glance around the room once more.

"I did listen, Princess. He told me to stay with you. So, here I am...with you."

You laugh and look at him. "You're really strange, Kenobi. Do you know that?"

Kenobi then laughs as well. "Ah, I see, so that's the thanks I get for saving your life, eh?"

Your smile dims and you blush a little.

"I'm sorry, thank you for saving me, Obi-Wan," you say sincerely.

He smiles at you again.

"You are more than welcome, Princess."

You stare at him and blush some more.

*What's happening to me?* you think, *Why is he all of a sudden having this affect on me?*

But,if you're honest with yourself, this isn't the first time Kenobi...okay, okay, Obi-Wan has had this effect on you. In fact, it's happened numerous times, you just always chose to ignore it.

"Obi-Wan!" the voice of Qui-Gon Jinn called, "Is she all right?" he asks, referring to you.

"She's fine, Master. Nothing a good night's sleep won't fix."

Qui-Gon looks at you. You look at the floor guiltily, avoiding eye contact.

"Can you stand?" he asks you.

You nod and he helps pull you to your feet. You stumble a bit but soon regain your balance.

"Thank you, Master Jinn," you say, still not looking him in the face.

He places a finger under your chin and forces your eyes on his.

"You are more than welcome. I'm just glad that you're still alive."

He releases your face immediately and turns to Kenobi.

"Obi-Wan, take her. Help her down to the main floor and onto a Medi-Craft. Then, meet me on the other ship."

"Yes, Master."

"Wait, Master Jinn, I'm fine. I don't need to go on a Medi-Craft. Just let me go back on the regular ship, please."

Qui-Gon smirks and glances at Obi-Wan, who is beside you.

Obi-Wan smiles and nods slightly, causing Master Jinn to look back at you.

"Very well, Little One, but only under one condition: Obi-Wan must help you out of the building."

*Why?* you think.

"Okay," you shrug and nod.

Qui-Gon smiles and looks at Obi-Wan.

"Take her down, Padawan. I will be meet you both on the ship."

Obi-Wan nods and faces you.

"Ready?" he asks.

You look at him and nod.

He nods as well, moves a hand to your left arm and places it around his neck. Then he places an arm around your back and also around the backs of your knees.

"Hold on," he says, swiftly picking you up.

You gasp a little, not noticing his former stance to pick you up.

"Uh, I don't think Qui-Gon meant for you to carry me, Obi-Wan," you say, refastening you lightsaber to your utility belt.

He adjusts you a little in his arms and looks at you.

"Well, if you insist on walking," he starts, getting ready to put you back on your feet.

"No, no. This is fine. If you really want to carry me, I won't stop you."

He laughs a little and nods. "Very well, hold on."

He then walks toward an elevator and pushes the button. Five minutes later, you're on the elevator and see Obi-Wan press the button for the lobby.

"Do you wish to be put down, Your Majesty?" he asks sarcastically.

This time, you decide to play along.

"Oh, no thank you, Mr. Kenobi, I believe I'm quite content in this position."

Obi-Wan smiles and nods.

"As you wish, Milady."

You laugh slightly at him.

"Ok, seriously, you can put me down if you want," you say, picking at your fingernails.

"No, no. That's quite all right. We'll be downstairs before I could put you down anyway."

Okay, Obi-Wan must be psychic because right after he says this, the elevator doors open to reveal the lobby.

He smiles knowingly and looks at you.

"You're really strange and creepy sometimes, you know that?" you say, staring at him with an eyebrow raised.

"Why thank you," he says, making you giggle....Whoa! Giggle? You don't giggle. What brought about that little change?

You sigh inwardly and push the thoughts aside.

*I'll worry about that later,* you think as you and Obi-Wan exit the building.

- - - - - - - - - -

After three hours in hyperspace, you've now rounded one of the moons of Naboo.

"We'll be home in less than an hour," the pilot announces over an intercom.

You are sitting on a couch-type object in the back of the ship. Obi-Wan is beside you on your right, Qui-Gon is next to him and numerous other Jedi go all around and stop at Master Yoda, who is beside you.

Master Yoda turns to you.

"How feel you, Padawan?" he asks, poking you lightly with his walking stick.

You look down at him and smile.

"I feel fine, Master Yoda. Thank you for asking."

Yoda nods in approval and you turn away to glance around the room.

"Saved you Obi-Wan did, yes?" he says, still looking at you.

You turn your head back to him and blink quickly.

"Yes, he did," you respond, pulling your robe around you tighter.

Yoda nods once more, but keeps his gaze on you as you turn away again.

You sense this, however, and turn to him once more.

"If you don't mind me asking, Master, why is it that you keep staring at me?" you ask politely, but nervously.

Yoda laughs slightly at this question.

"Trying to see, I am, why so fond of you Obi-Wan is. Hard to see, however, it is not."

You just look at him for a moment and blink profusely in confusion.

"Um, Master, who, may I ask, gave you the idea that Obi-Wan is fond of me?" you say, a hint of humor in the question.

Yoda smiled at this question, sensing your disbelief.

"Told me himself, Obi-Wan did. As did his Master. Hide his feelings well, Obi-Wan does not."

"Wait a second. He actually told you that he was fond of me?" you whisper, getting a little closer to Yoda.

"Tell me vocally, he did not have to. See through him, I can. Very obvious, he is."

You straighten back up into your former position and turn to look at Obi-Wan, who had gotten up just minutes ago to speak to Master Windu across the room.

"Love you, he does," you hear to your left.

You turn quickly to look at Yoda.

"Forgive me Master, but I just cannot believe that he feels that way about me."

"Something wrong with love, is there?" (AN: ok, one of my betas pointed out to me that love is actually against the code, which I did know, by the way. But...I dunno, the story wouldn't work the way that I want it to if Obi-Wan didn't fall for someone [ie: you], so for my story, love is allowed within the Jedi order. [meaning Jedi are allowed to be with other Jedi and Padawans are allowed to be with other Padawans] get it? ok on with the story)

You ponder this momentarily.

"No, of course there's nothing wrong with love. But Obi-Wan despises me, or at least he did. How could he go from one extreme to another that quickly? Besides, I mean, he's Obi-Wan, enough said."

"Enough said, there is not. More to say, there is. Go on, you will. See through you, I can. Love Obi-Wan, as well, you do," he says, folding his hands together. "Destined by The Force, are you."

You look back at him, trying to take in all of this information.

"Destined for what, Master?"

"For each other," he says quickly and simply, before turning to his left and chatting with another Jedi Council member.

*Wow, this as been a really weird day,* you think, *And that has to be the strangest conversation I have ever had with Master Yoda.*

You look up in time to see Obi-Wan finish his conversation with Master Windu and come in your direction.

He spots you looking at him and stops.

"Are you all right?" he asks, seeing the confused look on you face.

You keep looking at him and smiles and nod.

"Yea, everything's fine. Why?" you ask as he sits down beside you.

"You just looked a little confused for a second there."

"Oh, okay. Good to know."

Then there's silence. You can still feel Kenobi's eyes on you, trying to read you, which is making you so incredibly uncomfortable.

You gulp and take a deep breath.

*Just don't think about him,* you tell yourself, *Who cares what Master Yoda says? What does he know?*

*A hell of a lot more than you do.* another voice chimes in, *He can read you like a book. You are attracted to Kenobi and you know it. And now, so does Master Yoda, so why can't Obi-Wan himself know?*

*Because there's nothing to tell. I don't have feelings for him, I despise him. Or at least, I used to.*

Your mind's debate continues on and on.

You slowly come back to reality and realize that someone is tapping you on the shoulder.

You jolt a bit and look to your right; Kenobi. Great. This is what you need right now in your time of confusion: Obi-Wan Kenobi's beautiful face staring at you with bewilderment.

"Y-yea?" you say tensely.

He raises an eyebrow at you.

"Are you positive you're all right? You keep spacing out every now and then."

"I'm fine, perfectly fine. Yep, just great," you reply nervously.

There's a moment of silence where the two of you only stare at one another. Then Kenobi begins to speak and you lower your gaze to your hands.

"Even if I weren't a Jedi, I'd be able to sense you uneasiness. What's wrong with you all of a sudden? You were fine until we got onto the ship."

You gulp and bite your lower lip anxiously, then lift your eyes back to his.

"Obi-Wan, we need to talk."

"What about?" he asks, furrowing his brow.

"Not here, later."

He shakes his head.

"No, now," he says, rising from his seat. "C'mon, we'll talk some place else, some place private."

He grabs your hand and pulls you up onto your feet and leads you out of the room. You follow reluctantly and revel in the feeling his touch is sending through you.

*Maybe I do love him,* you think dreamily.

All of a sudden, you run into something hard, but at the same time soft.

You look up to realize you've run into Obi-Wan. Your eyes widen and you jump back a few feet.

"Sorry," you mumble.

"It's okay. Now, what did you need to talk about?" he says bluntly.

You bite your lip again and look down at the floor; you've suddenly become very shy.

"Uh, it's about our relationship."

There's momentary silence.

"What relationship, Princess?" he says rather mockingly.

You, however, ignore his sarcasm.

"This relationship we've got. It's extremely complicated. I never know what to make of it and lately, well recently, I've been thinking about it."

"Okay, you're rambling. Make a point because as of now, I have no idea what you're talking about," he says, interrupting you.

"It was something Master Yoda told me."

"'Something Master Yoda told you'?" he repeats, "Well, what did he tell you?"

*This is it,* you think, *Should I tell him?*

There's more silence between the two of you.

*I'll tell him,* you decide quickly before you can argue with yourself.

"Hesaidthatyouwerefondofme," you say quickly, looking at Obi-Wan to see his reaction.

"Huh?" he says, a confused look spread across his face.

You sigh heavily and decide to go slower as look back down at your feet.

"Master Yoda said that you told him you were fond of me."

"What? He, he told you that?"

You only nod in response.

"Well, it's not true," he says forcefully.

You look up quickly and see him extremely close to you.

"I'm not only fond of you, Princess. There's much more to it than that."

You gulp. "There is?"

A smirk spreads across his face and he nods.

"Oh," you say simply.

Then he begins to lean toward you. You feel your breath catch in you throat.

*It's real this time,* you think, *I'm not dreaming anymore.*

He gets closer and closer, until finally, your lips touch his, your eyes flutter closed and all sense of the environment around you is gone. All you feel is warmth, incredible warmth, and passion, lots of passion. Nothing else matters but this: Just you and Obi-Wan.

End of Chapter 8