Title: A New Order
Author: Jedikma
A/N: Thank you all for the reviews. I'm glad you liked Ch. 4 because I have to admit I had a lot of fun writing it. ;) It was nice to write Obi-Wan and Anakin as friends. I always loved the line in RotJ when Obi-Wan tells Luke, "Anakin was a good friend." I have always seen that statement as truly genuine and so if things had turned out differently then maybe their friendship would have been like the scene in chapter 4. ;) On to chapter 5. Hope you continue to enjoy.
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Chapter 5
Dressed only in his sleep pants, Obi-Wan sat quietly meditating in his quarters, waiting for Siri to settle in for the night. She had returned late and he could sense through the Force that she was restless. But she was tried, as well, and her physical condition was wearing on her. Obi-Wan frowned. Tonight may not be a good night to approach her on the subject of marriage.
He sensed Siri reach out through the Force to see if he was in his room. Upon sensing him in meditation, she quickly pulled back her Force touch. They both were always careful not to interrupt the other's meditation time. She knew he would come into her room when he was finished with his meditations.
Once Obi-Wan was satisfied that Siri was settling down he ended his meditating and left his room. When he entered her quarters, he found her in bed lying on her side with pillows propped under her head and belly. She had her leg draped over yet another pillow. Settling in for the night for Siri involved a lot of time just trying to get comfortable and still he could sense some discomfort through the Force.
Obi-Wan slipped in between the sheets of the sleep couch to snuggle up against Siri's back. He put his cheek up against her ear and his arm across her rounded middle. Though Siri's eyes were closed, he knew she wasn't asleep.
"Wow! You're hot!"
Without opening her eyes Siri purred. "Thanks, Obi-Wan. That's so sweet of you to say."
"No, I mean you feel like Tatooine on a summer's day. I am breaking into a sweat already just being near you," he said with an underlying tease in his tone.
Dead silence.
"Sometimes I think you have a death wish, Obi-Wan!" Siri returned. Then they both broke into soft laughter.
Obi-Wan moved his hand over Siri's abdomen carefully feeling for the position of the baby. "She's very still tonight," he said.
"I guess there is not much room left to move around anymore. She'll put up with it until it becomes so uncomfortable that she will have no choice but to push her way into the galaxy."
"She's comfortable and familiar with her surroundings for now. The galaxy is a scary place and she just doesn't want to leave behind what she knows is safe. I suppose much doesn't change with beings over the years. Most don't want to leave behind what gives them a sense of comfort." Obi-Wan philosophized.
"Well, she has to come soon or I will have to take issue with her!"
Obi-Wan sensed Siri's smile behind her words.
"I saw the boys this afternoon. They are getting so big! Garen is such a serious little fellow and Reeft doesn't seem to want to give up sucking his thumb." Obi-Wan paused momentarily propping himself up on his elbow. "Have you noticed how they seem to have taken after their namesakes? Garen is now determined to be a pilot-"
"And Reeft is always hungry. I have noticed. Maybe it is something in the name. I suppose that means that this one is going to be a good swimmer."
"Possibly."
Siri stretched, groaning slightly. Obi-Wan moved his hand up to her shoulder and began to lightly massage it.
"Siri."
"humm?"
"I know you like having your own space." He paused. "But would it really be so bad to share quarters with me?"
Siri was relaxing under his touch and she sighed. "Obi-Wan we really share quarters now. We spend most of our time together when we're here. It isn't that I don't want to share quarters with you. It's just that trying to squeeze both of us into one apartment would be a tight fit. This way we have two apartments and we both have a closet."
Obi-Wan paused the squeeze on her shoulder and was silent. Siri opened her eyes and turned to look at him. "Is that the reason?" he asked. "I thought all this time you just preferred your own space?"
"My own closet space. We could never fit all our belongings into one apartment. I know neither of us has a whole lot, but we have enough to make it a tight squeeze. We manage okay this way and we have enough room for everything."
"Siri, this is going to be an issue for any paired knights here at the Temple. Perhaps it is time to petition the Council for living space for couples. After all, each knight is entitled to his or her own quarters, perhaps pairs of quarters could be renovated for couples."
"That takes time and expense that the Council doesn't have right now. I don't see a reason to bother them. At least, not on our account."
"The Council won't be too bothered if we can get help from someone."
Siri frowned. "You mean from Anakin's wife?"
"Sure. Why not? She always knows where to go to get funds and help for the Temple. She has been a great asset for us."
Obi-Wan looked Siri in the eyes. "You don't like her too much, do you?"
Siri turned away from him. "I don't really know her. I just wish we didn't have to rely on her for so much."
"We have to rely on a lot of beings since we lost so many Jedi. We have to look to the outside sector for so many things, food service, maintenance, mechanics, archiving, childcare. Soon we will need educators to teach the growing population of young children that we are fortunate to even have. It will be many generations before we will be as self-sufficient as we used to be. Padme has helped with so many of the things we need."
"I guess you no longer have such a strong opinion against politicians?"
"In general, I still have a hard time dealing with many of them, but I've learned to tell the good from the bad and to accept the help they can offer. Being a Council member makes it more important that I be more tolerant of them."
Siri didn't respond to Obi-Wan and silence lingered between them. Obi-Wan decided that if he had mistaken the reason that Siri didn't want to share quarters, then maybe she would be open to a formal union if the issue was presented in the right way. The question was, which way was the right way?
"Siri, I've been thinking and maybe to the outside world our relationship doesn't look so proper-"
"You heard about my run in this morning!" Instantly Siri went from a state of semi-relaxation to one of agitation. "I will not agree to a union just because some pious witch deems my relationship with you immoral!"
Siri's sudden outburst took Obi-Wan by surprise. "I think I missed something because I don't know what you're talking about." Obi-Wan said calmly hoping to reduce Siri's irritation.
With that Siri struggled to get out of the bed to stand up before him, all the while explaining what Lady Jade had said to her when she went to see the boys. "How arrogant of her to make such judgments! She has no right to turn my life into a public spectacle!"
"But Siri, she is correct that it is an illicit relationship. For many beings outside our community it is wrong. We are still servants of the Republic and sometimes we are subject to their whims."
"You just don't understand, Obi-Wan!" She exclaimed. A slight stomp of her foot was a signal to Obi-Wan that a lot more was coming.
"Why don't you explain it to me, Siri." Obi-Wan pushed himself up to a sitting position in the sleep couch. He was still trying to keep calm in is voice in hopes to settle her down.
"We are Jedi. There is no custom for marriage for us."
"But Anakin is married and several other knights have also married. They all had a ceremony of some sort." Obi-Wan countered.
"Anakin married according to his wife's custom on Naboo. The Kel Dor couple followed the custom of their ancestry. Same for the Chalactan couple. Even Barriss had her ancestry to fall back on. But what do you and I have Obi-Wan? Nothing!"
"I'm sure we could find something."
"What? What can we find?" She questioned as she threw her arms away from her sides. "You and I are human and don't even know where we come from. Do you know how many human colonies there are across the galaxy? Millions! What are we supposed to do, close our eyes and just pick one and have those customs mean something to us? No! I refuse to do that just to satisfy the opinions of someone I could care less about!"
"Perhaps we could find some sort of Jedi ceremony, Siri. That would definitely mean something to us." Obi-Wan could sense this was something she had thought about a long time and underneath it was bothering her.
"What Jedi custom, Obi-Wan? Attachment has been forbidden for Jedi for so long that there doesn't seem to be any customs for a Jedi marriage. Master Yoda certainly can't tell us about any. If we did happen to find something in the archives regarding marriage it would be so outdated it would also be foreign to us. We are Jedi and we live by the codes and customs of the Jedi. For you and me there is no custom for marriage and therefore there is no such thing as an illicit relationship.
"Furthermore, I resent any outsider, who could never understand our customs, standing in judgment of me! Especially when I spend so much of my life in their service and, ironically, spend plenty of it cleaning up arguments that result form such narrow minded attitudes about another's customs!"
Siri was swaying from side to side using her arms wildly to make her point. Obi-Wan could sense her now heightened agitation through the Force, but he also sensed the baby's discomfort over her mother's upset. Now was not the time to press the issue. Not to mention that he realized that Siri had made a very valid point.
"Siri, I do understand now and I agree with you. Just because our union is not sanctioned by a custom doesn't make it any less valid. Please, come here and settle down." He patted the sleep couch in front of him and she followed his cue.
Siri climbed back among the pillows and attempted to settle back in. Obi-Wan rubbed her back and helped her regain some measure of calm. When he was satisfied that Siri was more restful and the baby was at peace, he slipped out from between the sheets.
"Obi-Wan?" Siri asked curiously. "Where are you going?"
Obi-Wan cleared his throat. "I'm wide awake. I think I will go meditate some more and maybe take care of some other things."
Siri had given him plenty to think about, but he didn't want to worry her. He leaned over and brushed her cheek with his lips. "Get some rest," he whispered.
Then he left the room.