Title: Twice in a lifetime
Author: Jedikma
Timeframe: Intertrilogy
Characters: Obi-Wan Kenobi, Siri Tachi
Summary: Can Obi-Wan find love a second time?
Disclaimer: The usual discalimers apply.
Twice in a Lifetime
Almost ten years had passed since Ben Kenobi had taken up residence on the planet of Tatooine. The former Jedi had built a humble dwelling out beyond the Dune Sea and had forged a simple existence for himself made up of solitude and routine. Of course, the routine was meant to hold at bay the loneliness that often haunted the solitude and he clung to it as though it were a lifeline.
Routine dictated that the aging man go into the small town of Anchorhead for supplies at least once a month. Even his trips into town were set with routine. He shopped for supplies and rarely varied the items he bought. The storeowners knew exactly what he would ask for and also knew when he would come. As time passed they even had most of the things he needed ready for him.
The people in town were friendly enough, but never talked to Ben Kenobi beyond the cordial "Good day" and "How are you doing" greetings. Ben didn't encourage them to. He knew it would be better not to get too friendly with anyone in town, it just wasn't part of the plan and it quite possibly wouldn't be safe for him or anyone who claimed him as a friend.
So month after month it was the same. He went to get what he needed at the stores and before he made his return trip home, he stopped in the local Tavern to have a drink. He sat at one end of the bar, away from the other patrons, and always placed the same order, two shots of Corellian whiskey. It was one of the few indulgences he allowed himself.
Two small glasses of the blue colored liquor were always placed in front of him and he glared at the strong tonic as though it were a long lost friend, or perhaps a long lost lover. The bitter taste was a forever reminder of the love he could never have and the deep blue hue...
"Don't tell me, let me guess. The shade of that particular drink reminds you of the color of her eyes." A feminine voice interrupted his solitary musings.
Ben raised his eyes just enough to see a woman dressed in the heavy cotton skits typical of the community, moving about behind the counter. He had heard there was a new owner of the establishment and apparently she hadn't been told that he ordered his poison and consumed it in silence. The locals knew better than to bother Ben Kenobi; this woman obviously was not from Anchorhead.
The former Jedi scratched his graying beard lightly with one hand, but did not lift his eyes any further to see the woman. He mumbled, "Perhaps," and returned to his libations and his memories...
( )
They had always known each other. They grew up together. Their relationship should have been more like that of siblings, but the years of working together only served to deepen a friendship that ripened into love.
He loved her, but he never told her. He was sure she loved him, too, but wisdom dictated that they not share their deepest feelings and desires. They were Jedi and for them love that led to attachment was forbidden.
It didn't keep them from spending time together, however, and they began to meet in places away from the normal Jedi wanderings. At first it became a novelty, then a desire, and, finally, an escape to meet and spend time together. They always stayed within the boundaries of the Jedi Code, they merely stretched those boundaries a little.
As time passed, they became strangely fearful that their close friendship would be questioned so they prearranged the places where they would meet to avoid being seen leaving the Temple together. Most often they would plan to meet where they could dance and through that dance they could shed their responsibilities for a few hours and pretend that they were just like everyone else they shared the dance floor with. Looking for someone to love, someone to share a life with.
Obi-Wan Kenobi sat at the bar nursing the drink he had ordered and minding his own business. For this evening, he had abandoned his Jedi tunics that would betray his true identity and dressed in a similar fashion to the many other patrons in the establishment. He knew she would arrive soon.
"Waiting for someone, handsome?" a female voice drifted to Obi-Wan's ears.
"I am," he answered without looking at his admirer. "I expect that she will be along anytime."
"Ah, well then, I will be happy to keep you company until she does." The woman took a seat on the stool next to Obi-Wan and crossed her legs. She was wearing a simple floral dress that softly caressed the curves of her body and fell to the tops of her knees. The skirt pushed back from her thighs slightly when she sat down, exposing the soft curve of the back of her leg, leaving the imagination to wander...
"She is a lucky woman. This one you wait for," she commented to Obi-Wan as she motioned to the bartender to take her order.
Obi-Wan smiled as he sipped his drink. "I'm sure she would not agree with you on that score. As I'm sure that many other partners here look better than the ones they are actually with."
The woman leaned towards him and he caught a scent of the spicy fragrance she wore. "I say the woman is a fool if she doesn't recognize the gift that she has."
"Perhaps I am the lucky one. Perhaps I am the fool who doesn't recognize the gift."
"Why do I sense that there is something you wish to say to her that you have never said? Something that you're afraid if you don't say soon, the opportunity may be lost."
Obi-Wan glanced in the woman's direction, but did not look directly at her. "Maybe there is something, but we are both Jedi and there are certain things that can never be for us." Obi-Wan ruefully set his glass down on the counter.
The woman let out a heavy sigh. "Jedi. Well, that explains your somber mood. I understand that the Jedi live by such strict codes that there is no room for any fun at all."
"The Jedi way of life is not an unfulfilled one, it just has its detractions, like any other way of life. It is the nature of beings to want what they cannot have and to not appreciate that which they do possess."
"Are you saying, then, that you want what you cannot have or that you do not appreciate enough what you already possess?"
"You are a frustrating woman. Do you know that?"
A small laugh escaped her as she replied, "So I've been told many times." She paused, taking note of her companion's discomfort. "What is it that you want to say to her so badly that you find so difficult to say?"
Obi-Wan let out a long steady breath. "I've been promoted to General."
The woman waited a moment before answering. "That's very impressive and I'm sure warranted."
"I'm a Jedi, a keeper of the peace, not a warrior. I don't want this position of command."
"Still, you will do your duty and do it with honor."
"Yes," Obi-Wan acquiesced as he returned to his drink. "I will do my duty."
The noise of their surroundings filled the silence between them as the bartender placed the woman's drink before her. Obi-Wan placed a few credits on the bar to pay for the beverage.
"Thank you. You're such a gentleman," she cooed as she took a sip. "You still haven't told me what it really is that you want to tell this lucky woman of yours."
Obi-Wan looked up to meet the crystal blue gaze of the woman's eyes and then looked away again. He considered carefully the words he spoke next. "I want to tell her that I love her; that I have always loved her and I can't remember a time when she wasn't important to me. What do you suppose she would say to that?"
The woman reached over and caressed the back of Obi-wan's hand with her fingers. "I don't think she is going to be surprised. But she will be grateful despite the fact that such sentiments are frowned upon, being a Jedi. I'm also sure she would return your affections."
Obi-Wan turned his hand to the woman's caress and slowly, gently captured her hand in his own. He raised her hand to his lips and kissed it. "I love you, Siri, and I will never love anyone else."
"I have always loved you, too, Obi-Wan, despite everything we have been taught. Everything we have been encouraged to avoid. Some things are simply meant to be."
The couple finished their drinks and danced a few dances, but then disappeared unnoticed into the night. Finally set free by their admissions they threw caution to the wind and found a place to be alone, a place where they could trespass on territory forbidden to them. They placated themselves with the excuse that the Clone Wars were raging and they both feared they would never see each other again.
( )
Ben was brought out of his thoughts by the woman's soft sigh as she reached forward to squeeze his hand. "Well," she commented. "At least you have your memories."
Just as Ben thought he felt a familiarity in the touch, the woman removed her hand and turned her back to him as she reached for a bottle on a row of shelves. "You're Ben Kenobi, aren't you? I heard that you fought in the Clone Wars. I fought in the Clone Wars, too," she added. "But I was left for dead under a pile of clone trooper bodies. When I was finally found and revived, I had no memory of who I was or what I was doing there."
When she turned back around, Ben saw her face for the first time. It was a face he hadn't seen in almost twelve years. There were small wrinkles about her eyes and mouth and the face was fuller than he had remembered. Gray streaked her shortly cropped hair, but it blended well with the natural blonde, making it barely noticeable, and her eyes still sparkled a deep blue.
She paused momentarily as she met his gaze, but she made no indication that there was any recognition of the man sitting before her. She gave an uneasy smile as she realized he was staring at her.
"Ma," a young voice beaconed from behind her. "I finished everything you asked me to do. Can I go now? I'm supposed to meet up with the other kids soon."
Ben looked at the boy who entered from the back room. He was possibly around eleven years old with auburn hair and blue-gray eyes. He had a small cleft in his chin.
"Of course, Will. Have fun and be back for supper." The woman reached over and gave the boy a squeeze around his shoulders. The boy grinned and then went on his way.
The woman turned back to Ben and smiled. "I think we all lost something as a result of the Clone Wars." She wiped her hands on her apron as she spoke. "I never did regain my memory and that was very difficult to live with for a long time. But time does help ease the pain and now I simply see my life as having begun when I was three months pregnant with my son."
Ben could only stare at the woman and her revelations. She suddenly felt embarrassed for having told him so much about herself and she blushed under his steady gaze.
"I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself." She extended her hand in a friendly gesture. "My name is Marta Tredwell and that boy you just saw was my son, Will."
( )
A/N: Yes, I am considering adding to this, but for now, this is my story. Please review!