Chapter Eleven - Excursion

"Isn't it a little early for dinner?" asked Padmé. The chronometer showed the time to be mid-afternoon, a full three hours before they normally ate. She had to admit that she was hungry, though; another visit from a probe droid had spoiled lunch.

"Normally yes, but something's happening tomorrow that calls for a change in schedule," Obi-Wan replied. He placed flatware and plates on the table as Threepio bustled around the kitchen.

Padmé looked nervous, saying, "What is it?"

Her Jedi guardian smiled a little. "Don't worry, it's a good thing." He returned to the kitchen and began to wash vegetables in the sink. Glancing over his shoulder, Obi-Wan could tell that she was expecting more of an explanation. "I promise," he added.

"Jedi," Padmé grumbled as she returned to her chamber. His eyes are bright blue again, he's up to something. Whatever it is, it won't be that bad, she decided.

Another thought came to her: That's the first time he's smiled at me since he kissed me. He's been so distant for the last tenday, it's been hard to get two words out of him. Unknowingly reinforcing Padmé's memories of that afternoon, Obi-Wan began to sing, his voice drifting down the hall to her chamber.

The dinner was light, and they cleaned up quickly. "Are you going to explain what's going on now?" Padmé asked.

Obi-Wan was loving this. "Will you get ready for bed, please?" he asked quietly.

"The sun hasn't even gone down yet, and I'm nowhere close to being tired," she protested.

"Trust me, M'Lady, it will be worth it," replied Obi-Wan.

Ten minutes later, he entered her chamber to find Padmé in her frumpiest sleepclothes – a tunic and breeches made of a warm, grey material. Even her seventh-month stomach was inconspicuous under that baggy shirt. Her hair was brushed out, and it hung down her back. Padmé looked very much as she had when they had first met over a decade before, right down to the stern look on her face.

Kenobi smiled as the former monarch folded her arms, obdurate chin annoyed. "Are you ever going to tell me what this is all about?" she asked, nose in the air.

Instead of responding, Obi-Wan approached and took her hand. He led Padmé to the other side of her bed. She puzzled over that until she felt the Force with her again; the Jedi had taken her out of the ysalamiri bubble.

Once they were next to the head of Padmé's bed, Obi-Wan gently touched her face. Her eyes widened as an unwelcome thought came to mind, even though she wanted what it made her think of.

Summoning the Force, the Jedi whispered, "Sleep."

The last things she saw were his eyes; she was floating on a calm lake, under pale blue skies.

Padmé's muscles relaxed; Obi-Wan caught her around the waist and laid her on her bed. He wanted to make sure she was well-rested for this.

*

Padmé awoke very early in the morning to see Obi-Wan standing nearby. She tensed for a moment, remembering her last conscious thought from the night before – He's going to kiss me again! In the light reflected from the hallway, she could make out a bemused smile on his face. "Dress warmly, and in layers, M'Lady." A glance at her chronometer told her that it was barely after midnight. Instead of obeying, she rolled over, away from him. "M'Lady," he called.

"The babies want me to sleep," she mumbled into her pillow.

She heard footsteps on the carpet and opened her eyes. Obi-Wan's hopeful face was less than a half-meter from her own. Padmé jerked back and yelped. "It'll be worth it," he repeated. His eyes went from amused to earnest. "Please come with me," he murmured. "We won't be out all night, just a few hours." Obi-Wan waited for a response; Padmé didn't condescend to answer. "I'll make your favorite breakfast," he added.

Padmé's eyes popped open. Damn. He got me, and he knows it. "Well, now that I'm awake," she growled. Feeling groggy, Padmé dragged herself out of bed and headed to the refresher to bathe.

She emerged a half hour later, dressed as instructed. Obi-Wan smiled as he saw her. "You're going to love this," he said, excited. He opened the front door and ushered her out, giving the droids a few last-minute instructions. Then he locked and shut the door behind them. The speeder was right outside.

"Where are we going?" Padmé asked as he opened the speeder door for her.

"Away from the trees," Obi-Wan replied.

"Why?"

He shut her door and walked to his side of the speeder. As Kenobi sat behind the controls, he answered, "All right. How much do you know of starstudies?"

"Enough to pass my science courses. I was much more interested in history and government. Did you drag me out here to look at stars all night? We can do that from the yard," Padmé said, slightly exasperated. He started the engine and they passed through the trees, leaving Sanctuary behind them. They were flying across the Southeed Plain a few minutes later.

"But you know that systems are made up of much more than just stars and planets," he prompted.

Padmé replied, "Of course. Comets, asteroids, smaller planetoids, things like that. They're why ships need deflector shields, otherwise we'd get pulverized before we even reached hyperspace."

Obi-Wan nodded, his face illuminated by the control panel lights. "As a comet draws close to its star, it begins to disintegrate and leave a kind of trail as it passes. Naboo is passing through one of those trails this morning, and the result is expected to be spectacular," he informed her.

Padmé yawned and reclined her seat in response. He flew for the next few minutes until they reached their destination. Obi-Wan set down a few meters from the edge of the forest where the Gungan Army had emerged to fight the Trade Federation's droids many years before. Padmé's guardian let her doze as he pulled two portable chairs from the storage compartment, then set them side by side a few feet away. He opened her door and took her hand, whispering, "M'Lady, wake up."

Padmé opened her eyes just in time to see a small streak of light speed across the starry sky, then vanish. She gasped. "What was that?"

Obi-Wan smiled, saying, "It's what I brought us out here to see." He helped her out of the speeder and then reached past her to grab a cover from behind her seat. He unfolded it and settled it around her shoulders.

It was winter, and it was cold, but she was all right with the cover. Her breath escaped in a visible puff of wonder as she settled herself in one of the reclining chairs – the sky had more stars than she had ever seen, even while traveling in a spaceship. Another streak of light zoomed across the sky as her companion was settling himself in the other chair a meter away. Hearing her intake of breath, he asked, "I missed another one, didn't I?" He drew his cloak more tightly around him as he laid back.

Padmé chuckled. He pointed several stars out to her, describing the planets and inhabitants that surrounded some of them. In between meteors, he also described a few constellations that they saw, and told her some of the myths that had the ancient inhabitants of Naboo had associated with the stick figures in the sky. As they sat, she noticed a bright, blue-white star in the west. "What's the bright one just over the largest hill there?' she asked, pointing.

Obi-Wan smiled. "The Gungans call it Amungisa. On the galactic charts, however, it's named Aldera."

"Alderaan?" He nodded, still smiling. A thought occurred to Padmé. "Master Obi-Wan, how is it that you have been on Naboo for less than a year total, and yet you know more about the stars as they're seen from here, and the stories behind them, than I do?" she accused. She hoped that sounding annoyed would cover up the fact that she was impressed.

She barely made out a shrug under his cloak. "It is a practice with the Jedi to research any destination, so we will be more at ease and able to focus on our task. Once I was told to stay here with you, I began studying the stars as they are seen from Naboo. It's something to do, and it's a hobby I've always enjoyed."

They both "oohed" as a large fireball streaked halfway across the sky. Padmé laughed in awe, then said, "It's beautiful. But why couldn't we just stay up late instead of getting up early?" She shivered a little, the temperature reminding her that it was still winter.

"Because of the way Naboo rotates and the way it goes around the star. More meteors are visible in the pre-dawn hours."

She yawned again, though this time she tried to hide it. "I had no idea you liked starstudies. I'd think that traveling from planet to planet would be a better way to see them."

"I don't like flying," he said shortly. "The glare from the hull of a ship usually reduces night vision so much that I'm able to see less out there than I can see right now. Oh, look!" Obi-Wan exclaimed as another fireball blazed across the stars. He smiled and continued, "Meteor showers and auroras are much easier to see from inside their atmospheres."

Senator and Knight lay in their chairs, enjoying the frequent streaks of light that flickered briefly in the heavens. The only sounds they heard were their own voices as they talked or exclaimed at the meteors. Slowly, however, she began to get chilly. It was only when Padmé began to shake that she asked, "Are you cold?"

Obi-Wan said, "A little. Wait a moment, I'll be right back." A minute later, he returned. "There's only the one cover. We'd better go."

"Oh, no, it's so lovely out here, and I get out so little. I'm still enjoying this," Padmé replied quickly. She thought for a moment, then said, "Just bring your chair here, and we'll share the cover." He didn't answer. "Master Kenobi, I promise not to do anything," she paused dramatically, "improper." She drawled the last word out into three syllables. Padmé smiled into the night, knowing that he would take her joke seriously.

"M'Lady!" Obi-Wan sounded scandalized.

Got him. That's twice in two months, she chuckled inwardly. "It's winter, we're outdoors, and we want to stay longer. What other solution is there?"

There was no reply for several seconds. When his answer came, it was the soft scraping of his chair being bumped against hers. She struggled out of the coverlet, then spread it over both of them as he laid down again. Her fingers grazed his as they arranged the coverlet – his hand was icy. She took it and held it between both of hers to thaw him out a little. She ignored his disapproving stare; it was dark enough that she could pretend she didn't see it. When his hand was warmer, she ordered, "The other." He obeyed meekly, shivering. "'A little.' I thought lying was forbidden," she muttered disgustedly.

Obi-Wan just shrugged. "But isn't the cold worth it?" She nodded and they both settled back in time to see another bright meteor flash through the sky.

The stars slowly moved from east to west, some setting, others rising, as they continued to watch the heavens. A verse came to Padmé's mind as they lay there:

"The light of ten thousand silv'ry suns
Shine down from the night of velvety blue."


She wasn't about to recite the next two lines, which revealed the poem's true subject, but they were spoken anyway:

"But the stars that I love the most to see
Glow in the eyes of my own, darling You."


Padmé glanced over, surprised. A bright meteor lit up Obi-Wan's face; he looked puzzled. "What is it?"

"I can't remember where I've heard that poem before, is all." Padmé wasn't sure that was all there was to it, but the expression of concern on Obi-Wan's face melted into delight as another meteor zipped across the sky.

More than once, they sent the coverlet flying as they pointed out the transient flashes to each other.

*

A tickling sensation brought Padmé out of slumber. She opened her eyes, focusing absentmindedly on a hand. As her thoughts caught up with what she saw, she realized that it was too large to be hers. She tried to stretch her fingers, but she couldn't.

Her body twitched.

Padmé jerked her head up to see why her forehead was itching. She caught a glimpse of reddish whiskers before the Jedi, revived by the movement, lowered his chin. Their faces were less than five centimeters apart. The rising sun threw the lines on the Obi-Wan's face into sharp relief. He smiled and blinked sleepily for a second, then his smile disappeared and his eyes flew open. The hand she had looked at a moment before released hers as though it was red hot.

Obi-Wan's mouth moved without making any sound – he was as surprised as she was. When he finally uttered a sound, it was about an octave higher than usual: "Oh."

Padmé pulled her arm back, which had been circling his waist. She also raised her head enough to let him retrieve his arm, which she'd been using as a pillow. He withdrew it, moving backward. He's a pious Jedi who just woke up next to a woman. This would be funny, if he wasn't so horrified that it's me he woke up with, Padmé mused. Why am I looking at his mouth? I thought that mess was over with.

To break the silence, she muttered, "Can't get much warmer than that." Padmé flung the coverlet off herself. She sat up on the edge of her chair, turning her back on her guardian. The sun warmed her chilly face as Padmé cringed.

A muffled grunt behind her made her turn. Obi-Wan had been so concerned with putting space between them, he'd forgotten the narrowness of the chair and fallen off. "Are you all right?"

"Yes," groaned a voice from out of sight. Padmé rolled her eyes, equally embarrassed and amused. She turned back to watch the sunup.

*

As they ate dinner the next night, Obi-Wan finally spoke more than two words to her. "M'Lady, there is something that troubles me."

"Yes?" Padmé was glad that he wanted to talk, even though she still wasn't sure how she felt. She glanced at his mouth again, blushing.

He glanced up for a moment, then down at his plate. "Who wrote that poem that you quoted last night? The one about the stars?"

She'd thought it'd been the sleeping arrangement two nights ago that was bothering him. "Jonel Keblin. He lived in Theed about three centuries ago. Why do you ask?"

"I can't recall ever learning any poetry from Naboo, and yet I knew that verse as though it was a favorite." Kenobi frowned.

Padmé was hoping that this wouldn't come up, but she didn't want to lie, either. Here goes, she thought ruefully. "I knew that reading would help keep my mind off of Lord Vader while he was here, but I had a hard time concentrating. So I read out loud."

His face registered surprise. "To me? While I was hiding from Vader?"

Padmé coughed. "It kept me from thinking so much about him," she admitted. "Is it a problem?"

"No, M'Lady." Force, he hated lying; the distortion of truth was offensive. Obi-Wan remembered saying that normal sensory input would be ignored. The problem was, words of affection had still reached his ears. Never mind that Padmé didn't feel that way, but his subconscious – always light-years ahead of the conscious mind – had heard the words and absorbed the feelings they evoked. "Excuse me." The Jedi stood and took his dish to the kitchen.

Once he was out of the common room, he winced. The talk of his hibernation brought other thoughts to mind. He remembered a sensation, a brief observation through the Force, that felt like Anakin. How can that be? He's passed over now. It must have been a dream while I was under. That was the only explanation that fit everything he knew to be true, yet it felt wrong.

"Master Kenobi." Though it came from just behind him, her voice sounded very small.

Obi-Wan turned, crossing his arms over his chest. "Yes, M'Lady?"

"Oh, you can call me Padmé, now that we've slept together," Padmé said too brightly.

Obi-Wan sighed. Now that she had brought it up, he felt it was his duty to put it to rest. "Yes, I'm sorry about that, my Lady," he said, emphasizing the formality.

"You're sorry we didn't die of hypothermia?" she asked dryly. Padmé cleared her throat.

"You know I must not take advantage of you. It happened – we moved closer for warmth, I mean, while we were sleeping. Didn't we?" He cringed again. Why is it that I won't hesitate to fight alone against a dozen battle droids, but I can't speak one coherent sentence?

The last question struck her as accusatory. "I certainly wasn't conscious."

Kenobi's gaze blazed blue-green. "Neither was I. I would not have come near you if I was the least bit awake." As soon as the words escaped his mouth, he wanted to take them back, though he wasn't quite sure why. The only thing Obi-Wan knew for certain was that he felt about ten centimeters tall.

Padmé's anger vanished. She unexpectedly felt awkward and misshapen, standing next to the handsome Jedi Knight. She tried to remember what he said that was so nice a tenday before, when he explained why he kissed her, but she was drawing a blank. Padmé hurried through her part of the cleanup. As soon as they were done, she murmured a good night to Obi-Wan and left the kitchen, trying desperately not to waddle.

Her guardian followed her out and touched her hand. "I'm sorry."

Padmé stopped and turned. "For what, Master Jedi?"

His gaze locked squarely onto hers. "For what I said. I meant what I just said as a Jedi, not as," he gulped, "a man." Obi-Wan didn't look away, although he knew his face was bright red.

That's sweet. Padmé had never felt so much at war with herself. She'd only heard once since Anakin died that she was attractive, and she missed it. To hear such compliments from a charming man again would be, well, wonderful. But for Obi-Wan to open that container of crawlers again was more than she would be able to handle.

Padmé willed her heart to slow down. Go to your chamber and take a cold shower, then go to bed. Crazy hormones are a normal side effect of pregnancy, a reasonable voice inside her head instructed. She drew in a shaky breath, then let half of it out. Padmé moved closer to Obi-Wan and, standing on her toes, kissed him on the cheek. Her lips felt very warm to him. "I don't care if it was true or not – that was the nicest thing anyone's said to me in a very long time." She cleared her throat.

Chaos, I miss Ani, she thought as she stepped back. But she couldn't conjure Anakin's face in her mind. She glanced up at Obi-Wan and her breath quickened for a moment. Padmé fled to her chamber and shut the door, then slumped against the wall. As she buried her feverish face in her hand, she wished she could prevent Obi-Wan from sensing anything right now. She just kept repeating I want Anakin, I miss Anakin, over and over to herself. If that was true, why couldn't she remember the exact color of her husband's eyes? Padmé felt lightheaded.

*

The Jedi Knight wavered between indignation at her implication that he'd been lying, and embarrassment at the kiss. That was the truth, Padmé, he protested silently. Though it was something that she needed to hear, he conceded to himself. Then Obi-Wan sensed –

Oh, my...

The Jedi Knight felt himself blush furiously again. He retreated to his chamber to meditate these sensations away.

*