Title: There is the Force

Author: Jedikma

A/N: Thank you all so much for your wonderful reviews. I'm glad you are enjoying the story. Please keep the reviews coming.

Chapter 8: There is No Death

As soon as Obi-Wan arrived at the Temple later that morning, he knew something was wrong. He felt a terrible disturbance in the Force and he knew it involved Siri and the baby. Obi-Wan left Anakin to handle any post flight check as he ran from the docking bay at the Jedi Temple. He momentarily stopped to get his bearings, to determine where the source of the disturbance was coming from. When he realized the darkness was emanating from the Jedi Gardens he made every shortcut he knew to get there.

When he entered the gardens he found several other Jedi there waiting, watching for something, when he realized they were looking at Siri. She was kneeling, hunched over in front of the flowering bushes that Anakin and Ferus had planted. She was holding a bundle in her arms, close to her chest. Obi-Wan reached out through the Force to sense the bundle and got nothing from it but a void. He felt the air leave his lungs as he held back his emotions.

"Master Obi-Wan, I'm glad you're here." Ferus walked over to Obi-Wan. "My Master has been like this since she arrived at the nursery this morning to find the baby dead. She grabbed the baby from the healer there and headed straight to here. I...I haven't been able to get her attention, sir. No one has and no one has tried yet to move her."

Obi-wan also noticed Adi, Healer Trin and Yoda in the room. Concern was etched on all their faces.

"Waiting for you, we have been. Help her, you must, Obi-Wan," Yoda said as he touched Obi-Wan's hand with one of his clawed ones.

Obi-Wan nodded to Yoda in acknowledgement, but felt momentarily overwhelmed. He couldn't think what he was really supposed to do; he simply started to do it.

He walked carefully over to Siri and crouched down beside her. When she didn't move he gently put one arm around her shoulders and whispered her name. She still didn't move, but he didn't feel any resistance from her either. He gently helped her to a standing position and she followed his lead.

Obi-Wan looked up to see Ferus close by and he motioned for Ferus to come near. "Siri, Ferus will take the baby now," he said in a low tone.

Ferus stepped forward and held out his hands to take the body from his Master. "I will take care of her, Master."

Siri raised her eyes to her Padawan and extended her arms to him. As she held the child away from her chest a tiny arm fell away from the little body. Ferus quickly took the child from Siri's arms and wrapped the blanket carefully around the little one.

Obi-Wan nodded. "Thank you, Ferus. I will take Master Siri with me."

Obi-Wan wasn't sure where he would take Siri, but he knew he had to be alone with her. He helped her from the garden room and guided her where his own instincts took him. Eventually he found himself with her in his own quarters.

Once inside the room he turned her by the shoulders and lifted her chin with his fingers. He could see that her expressionless face was streaked with tears and her eyes were red from crying.

"Oh, Siri," he muttered as he put his forehead against hers. "You can't bottle it up. You have to release the grief." A great suggestion since he couldn't seem to let out his own grief at the moment.

Obi-Wan guided Siri to his sleep couch and sat her there while he stepped into the refresher to get a wet washcloth. When he returned to her, he found her sitting on the floor with her face in her hands. He sat down in front of her, lifted her face and began to gently wipe it clean with the dampened cloth.

She stared at him blankly, but said nothing. He could feel his own heart start to break apart as he swallowed a sob of his own. "We are both going to have to release the grief, Siri. Lower your shields and we can do it together," he begged her.

He pushed softly against her mind through the Force, but she did not lower her shields.

Obi-Wan took her face in his hands and looked her directly in the eyes. He again tried to push against her shields through the Force and again he was met with resistance. Gently he drew her face to him and he put his lips on hers. He kissed her softly at first and then the kiss deepened. He felt her return the kiss and he tried to push against her shields again. This time she let them down and a wave of sorrow hit Obi-Wan with great intensity.

He sucked in a huge breath of air. "That's it, Siri. Open up," he said as he choked back his own tears.

Siri took Obi-Wan's face in her hands and kissed him. He could feel a sense of desperation behind the kiss, but he didn't discourage her. Instead, when their lips parted he found himself trailing kisses across her cheek and down her neck. He could taste the salt that her tears had left behind. He placed his lips on her chest over her heart and he could feel it thumping hard. He closed his eyes and took her in with all his senses. When the sweet smell of the milk from her breasts drifted to his nose, he could no longer hold back his own tears and he buried his face in her chest and cried. He welcomed the comfort of Siri's arms around him as she rocked him gently.

When both of them had spent their tears, they felt drained, but they still had not cast their grief into the Force. Obi-Wan felt a heaviness in his being that slowed his every movement as he again took care to wash off Siri's face. A trembling sigh escaped Siri's lips as she in turn wiped his face clean. Obi-Wan extended his arm and touched Siri's face with his fingertips, tracing every curve. Despite the sadness etched in every line, he thought she was more beautiful than he had ever seen her before.

Siri silently mirrored his movements keeping her feelings open to him. He could sense the depth of her sadness, but he also sensed the feeling of warmth she had for him. Through the Force he returned her affection. He placed the palm of his hand along her cheek and kissed her again. She slid her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss as he tenderly scooped her up in his strong arms, placed her on his sleep couch and lay down next to her.

Obi-Wan leaned his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. He let out a deep sigh as Siri's arms wrapped around him and she drew him closer to her. He nuzzled his face against her cheek and caressed her body gently. So much had changed. He felt the roundness of her hips and the fullness of her thighs. He touched the scar from her surgery and firmness of her breasts. Siri had given so much of herself over the past year, only to lose so much along the way.

Obi-Wan's guilt weighed down on him; he felt like all this was his fault and he knew he had to let go of that, too.

Together Obi-Wan and Siri combined their feelings of grief as they gathered the Force around them, inviting It to join them in their sorrow. They let the grief wash over them and they bathed in it, feeling every nuance of it. They let it steep through them until every muscle ached and every nerve was raw with pain. They accepted the pain fully and embraced it. Finally, the two Jedi reached for each other through the Force with a different emotion, the love they each nurtured deep within. They combined the feelings of love they had and let that sense of love grow. As their feelings of love ballooned it pushed out the pain of the grief and death and bit-by-bit it was all released into the Force.

The couple collapsed in each other's arms in exhaustion. They were completely numb and void of all emotion. It was then that a quiet peace settled upon them and they drifted off together into a dreamless, sound sleep.
The following night, memorial services were set for the tiniest member of the Jedi family. Obi-Wan and Siri had slept in his room for more than a standard day when they were awakened by a chime at the door. Obi-Wan stirred, threw on some clothes and answered it.

Anakin stood in his doorway. "Master, can you be ready for the services in three hours?"

Obi-Wan knew he must have looked terrible by the way Anakin looked at him. He diverted his eyes. "Yes, Anakin. We will be there. Thank you."

"Master, is there anything I can do for you?"

Obi-Wan was about to give the standard 'No, I'm fine,' when he decided he should let Anakin help, if only a little. "I need for you to stand with me at the services, Anakin. And let Ferus know he should stand with Master Siri." Obi-Wan reached out and placed his hand on Anakin's shoulder. Anakin returned the gesture.

"Yes, Master. I would be honored to stand with you. Thank you."

Obi-Wan returned to his room to find Siri sitting up on the sleep couch looking for her scattered clothing. He sat down next to her and took her hands in his. "Will you be all right for the services?"

She gave him a sad smile and nodded. "I'm much better. I think I can make it through them."

The fact that she actually spoke was a good sign.

"Obi-Wan. I need for you to make me a promise." Siri looked directly into his blue gray eyes.

"If I can," he replied warily.

"I think you can make this one without it being counter to your life as a Jedi." Siri took a deep breath and continued, "I want you to promise me that no matter what the Sith take from you, you will not let them take your soul. They can't take that unless you give it to them." Siri's eyes glowed with intensity.

"All right," Obi-Wan slowly answered as he felt the seriousness of her request. "I promise."

"Good. I intend to keep you to that promise. Even if I'm gone before you, I will haunt you to make sure you keep it." She gave him a little grin. "And you know me, Obi-Wan. I will make good on my word."

Obi-Wan kissed her hands and took her into a warm embrace.

The large room for funeral services slowly filled with Jedi. One by one they entered and as they passed the marble table in the center of the room displaying the body of the baby, each Jedi placed a flower on the table next to the child. The flowers they laid there were a soft white or warm yellow in color.

Obi-Wan and Siri stood together in front of their child in their traditional Jedi clothes and cloaks. Their padawans each took his place by his Master's side. Obi-Wan discretely reached for Siri's hand as they watched the procession of Jedi fill the room. So many of their fellow Jedi had come and the flowers began to fill up the table.

Eventually, all the Jedi had arrived and had taken a place waiting for the rituals to begin. A heavy feeling of sorrow filled the room and the dimmed lights reflected the mood. Obi-Wan felt himself once again releasing his emotions into the Force as he waited, for what seemed like an eternity, for the services to begin. He had always been taught that there was no death, but all he could focus on was the loss he had gone through and the pain he knew Siri felt, too.

He took a deep breath and realized that something odd was happening. The lights in the room began to get darker and darker until he could no longer see in front of him. This was not part of the traditional ritual and he could sense the others in the room were confused, as well. He still held Siri's hand and he felt a slight squeeze. He acknowledged the gesture and reached out into the Force with his senses. The darkness deepened and a sense of heaviness began to weigh on Obi-Wan's body, but he heard no sound from anyone else in the room.

Then, just when he thought the darkness would swallow him whole a tiny light began to emerge from directly ahead of him, over his daughter's body. It was a little pinpoint, much like a star in the night sky and it began to dance and circle around the child. Soon a second spot of light just like it joined in the dance and they circled around each other creating a soft glow only where they touched the darkness. Finally, a third light arrived to add to the illumination.

Obi-Wan was mesmerized and puzzled by the sight. He called upon the Force for guidance in understanding the vision before him. He thought he heard tiny voices calling him as he tried to touch the light through he Force.

Obi-Wan swore he heard the voices saying, "Papa", "Mama", and he felt Siri breathe in a deep breath beside him.

A light breeze drifted through the room. As the lights danced more vigorously they cut a wider path before them and then, without warning they swooped towards Obi-Wan and Siri. In an instant, Obi-Wan felt a pull from his being, a separation from his body, but he still had a strong sense of his surroundings. He knew Siri was still beside him and he realized the dancing lights were his children.

Obi-Wan no longer felt bound by his physical trappings and he felt as though he could expand himself across universes. He could reach out endlessly and nothing was painful or dark. It was all joy and light and peace. He realized he could touch and be with all those he loved, especially the ones that were already one with the Force.

He soared with Siri and his children by his side and together they soaked in the light until it became so bright that he and Siri could no longer remain within its midst.

Obi-Wan felt his body jerk abruptly and he heard Anakin's voice calling for him. "Master Obi-Wan?" When he opened his eyes he became aware that he had collapsed and Anakin had caught him in his fall. "Are you all right, Master?"

His own voice sounded foreign to him at first as he answered, "Yes, Anakin, I'm fine." As he pulled himself to his feet he looked over at Siri, who had also collapsed. He knew then it wasn't a dream. As soon as his eyes met with Siri's they both silently acknowledged that they had just shared the same experience.

The light in the room had returned to normal but the atmosphere was full of wonderment. The Jedi murmured among themselves about the events they had just witnessed. As Obi-Wan straightened his clothes he heard Siri speak his name. "Obi-Wan, look."

Obi-Wan turned in the direction that Siri was pointing and saw that on the stone table lay only the flowers. The leaves and stems were gone, just the petals remained of soft white, warm yellow and added to them were petals of bold red.

The infant's body had completely disappeared and the tiny white garment that adorned it lay crumpled in the middle of the table.

Tbc