The Sweetest Thing
by obi's girl
Chapter 8
They were both silent as they turned the corner and entered the lounge. Valin turned on the light using the Force as Cherith looked around the place, she'd visit during lunch and dinner hours. It looked different empty, quiet. She turned to Valin and smiled, when she noticed him remove a guitar from a case behind their booth."You're gonna play something for me?" Cherith asked.
Valin smiled as he placed the guitar strap around his neck and grabbed a stool by the bar. "I hope you don't mind…" Cherith nodded and grabbed a nearby chair, crossing her legs and smiled at him, nodding him on.
Cherith watched in awe as Valin's fingers strummed the guitar; she could tell he'd been practicing for a long time, which was odd because she never thought he knew how play anything musically.
"There's something in your eyes, makes me want to lose myself oh makes me want to lose myself in your arms," he sang, smiling at Cherith, swaying his head, "There's something in your voice makes my heart beat fast; hope this feeling lasts the rest of my life. If you knew how lonely my life has been and they'll know I've been so alone, and if you knew how I wanted someone to call my love and change my life the way you've done,"
"It feels like home to me, it feels like home to me, it feels like I'm all the way back where I come from. It feels like home to me, it feels like home to me, it feels like I'm all the way back where I belong," he paused, smiling, "A window breaks down the long dark street, and a siren wails in the night, but I'm all right cuz I have you here with me, and I can almost see through the dark there is light."
Cherith smiled, resting her head on the table as she watched her best friend sing to her. His voice wasn't bad, it wasn't scratchy, just perfect -- it was something new, a side of him she'd never seen before. She always thought all the secrets there were between were already known, but this something, she'd never known about before.
"…well, if you knew how much this moment means to me and how long I've waited for your touch, and if you knew how happy you were making me. I never thought that I'd love anyone so much…It feels like home to me, it feels like home to me, oh, it feels like I'm all the way back where I come from,"
Valin smiled at her again as he begun to strum more slowly, "It feels like home to me, it feels like home to me, it feels like I'm all the way back where I belong, it feels like I'm all the way back where I belong,"
Cherith returned his smile, blushing slightly, "That was beautiful, my friend…No one has ever done something like this before for me…thank you,"
"It's your song, Cherith," he said and removed the guitar strap from his neck, placing back into it's cover and setting it behind the booth again. As he turned, he removed a small box from the inside of his jacket pocket and handed it to Cherith, "It's small, I know but I thought you'd like, or at least I hope you do,"
She didn't say anything as she opened the black box and removed the friendship bracelet, "Valin, it's beautiful, thank you,"
"It's a friendship bracelet; I'd actually spotted it in a jewelry store weeks earlier but I didn't have enough money to get it," he explained.
"Friendship," she muttered sourly and Valin knew that word stung her heart. Lately, at times, it seemed what was happening between them was so much more than friendship.
Valin leaned back and sighed, "I'm sorry, Cherith…I just…"
She nodded, "It's a beautiful bracelet, Valin, I don't mind that. It's just the symbolism that the bracelet represents bothers me,"
"We'll always have each other, Cherith. It's just that right now, it isn't the time for us…I realize that's stupid to say since I was the first one to start this here. I kissed you first,"
"When will it happen for us, Valin? I didn't know what to call my feelings a year ago, but now, now I know what to call them. But the timing is wrong because you don't want to be with me," she muttered and set the bracelet on her wrist, trying to fix the clasp.
Valin didn't say anything as he bolted up from his chair and helped with the clasp of the bracelet, fixing it perfectly on her small wrist. As he knelt there, he slowly shifted his gaze from her wrist to her green eyes. "What do you call this feeling?" he finally asked.
"Love," Cherith whispered and Valin leaned up, catching her lips in a soft kiss.
As he kissed her, Valin wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him, whispering, "I love you too, Cherith,"
The Sweetest Thing
Chapter 8, Post 2
Luke watched his mother as she lay resting on the medical bed, some tubes were stuck into her arm. Today, nothing bad was supposed to happen. Cherith was going to celebrate her birthday, he didn't expect his mother to pass out during the celebration. Then again, none of them knew she was sick and dying. She'd hid it very well, and that's what angered him. He and Leia had only been reunited with her for a couple months and now, she was dying?
It seemed cruel and wrong.
If he had the power to keep her from dying, he would but Luke also knew it would be very selfish of him. Or maybe it wasn't. Ben would actually know his grandmother; now, he would be too young to remember anything about her. Cherith, on the other hand, would be able to tell him what she was like if he ever asked but it wouldn't be the same.
//I'm sorry Luke, I'd been watching her for years. She'd been able to hide it from me for a long time, I didn't even know until a couple months ago,//Ben said, interrupting the young Jedi Master's thoughts.
Luke didn't even turn to his former Master, not wanting to look at his face, "Why didn't you tell me?"
//I never knew, Luke. If I had known, I would have prompted her to leave Naboo and see you and Leia immediately. I'd promised her once she'd be reunited with you someday, although at the time, I wasn't sure how long until that day would come,//Ben paused and sighed,//Qui-Gon didn't know either. Remember, he was preoccupied with bringing your niece and grandniece back from the dead,//
Luke finally turned Ben, "It shouldn't be like this," he whispered, "It isn't fair, Ben! She's my mother, she's mine and Leia's mother. We always thought she was dead, died a long time ago but she's always been alive. And we never knew about it, and now, she's really going to die."
//Sabé,//he whispered, //The woman Leia remembers as her mother, her name was Sabé. She was a decoy, obviously, but Sabé had a history with Padmé. I'd believed too when I felt that Padmé had died, it was the truth but something about it, didn't feel right. And I knew, the woman that died was the death of a decoy and a very brave woman,//
"How bittersweet but it doesn't make me feel better," Luke added, "...I'm sorry, Ben. I don't blame you for all of this. If you had known she was alive, you would have told me and either she would have come to me or Leia or we would have gone to her,"
Ben shrugged,//Nothing was certain in those days, Luke. We were both given new identities, it wasn't safe for us to be known.//
"Sabé, you said she was a decoy. Why would my mother need a decoy, besides the fact that it was necessary to hide her identity from the Emperor?"
Ben smiled and looked down briefly, //Your mother was once Queen of Naboo, she was fourteen then and later, she was a Senator for the Republic. It was very necessary to have decoys then, Luke. Sabé was Padmé's decoy when she was the Queen,//
Luke grinned, "That makes sense, it definitely explains Leia's attitude on politics and her short temper,"
//Luke, what happened tonight at Cherith's birthday, it might have been just a small episode but if it wasn't, I'd say she only has a few weeks left to live,//
He nodded, "I know,"
The Sweetest Thing
Chapter 8, Post 3
Cherith lightly pulled away from Valin as they broke apart. They'd shared many kisses before but the one they'd experienced a few minutes, it was the sweetest thing. It had the innocence about their relationship and it felt like their actual first kiss as a couple.
It was beautiful.
Valin cleared his throat, glanced at her briefly and smiled. He was unsure what to say himself but the kiss, definitely blew him away. Suddenly, he felt like he was so much older and Cherith was so much older too. Finally, he worked up the courage to try and say something, "That was..."
"Unbelievably beautiful," Cherith finished for him and smiled, "Valin, you're a good a very kisser. I mean, you can deliver,"
Her last statement made him blush and shy away a little, "It was definitely a 'wow' kiss, wasn't it?"
"Wow? It was more than 'wow,' Valin," Cherith whispered and looked into his eyes, "It was one of those perfect moments' kisses. It was wonderful,"
Valin shrugged and averted his eyes from her green, "This is crazy, I'm making myself uncomfortable over a kiss..."
Cherith smiled and nodded, "It's not crazy, Valin...Maybe it was because I'm a year older today, maybe that made it more special,"
"You kissed me three days, that was special,"
"It's always special when I'm with you, friend," she smiled.
Valin blushed again and finally looked at her, "Wanna go at it again?"
Cherith smiled, nodded and Valin leaned down again, kissing his best friend. Cherith still smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. They parted again, smiles on both their faces as their foreheads touched.
"Valin?"
"Hmm?"
"...Um, I'm hungry," Cherith said and they both pulled away from each other, "I want some ryshcate cake,"
Valin frowned, held her hand as they left the lounge to dig through the apartment for that delicious cake, despite the fact there was tons of alcohol inside.
~~
Valin watched from his stool at the bar as Cherith stuffed herself with the alcohol-filled ryshcate cake. He grabbed himself some non-alcoholic cake, figuring at least one of them should be sober. Cherith grinned, licking the chocolate off her fingers. "Hmm, this cake is delicious! Your mom is a really good cook, Valin. You're sure you don't want any?"
"No thanks," he said and grabbed some water, "Here, you better drink this down,"
Cherith shrugged and waved her hand, "I feel fine," A moment later, she hiccupped, smiled and then dropped her head on the counter. Valin rolled his eyes, then stood up from the stool, moving the plate aside and carried Cherith from her chair and carried her to the nearest couch.
He smiled to himself as he lay her down on the couch. Valin glanced around briefly and found a small blanket on a rocking chair and grabbed it using the Force and put it on her. "Your parent's aren't gonna be happy you got drunk on your birthday, Cherith," he mused.
Though she was sleeping, Cherith grinned, "I feel fine," she repeated, "My birthday was wonderful because of you, friend,"
"I'm glad, Cherith," he whispered and kissed her forehead, "Sweet dreams, darling,"
"Valin," she said and he turned back to her. Valin sat still as she raised herself and lightly kissed him, "Thank you," Cherith whispered.
Valin kissed her forehead again, tucked her in some more and then stood up, sitting on the nearest stool, watching her sleep.