Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Only Odessa and the Plot are mine!

Responses to reviews at the end of this chapter! Thank you all for reviewing!

Other than her husband, Odessa never really had someone she could consider a friend. Her life had been too full of training and battles to have the time to grow close to anyone but her husband and her master. It had been a lonely life, but it was all she knew. It was strange to have this new entity in her life, this person she could call a friend who wanted nothing in return but her trust and friendship. It had been difficult at first for her to open up to Padmé, but once she did, she felt as if the heavy weight of everything she had bottled up inside had finally lifted, and she could breathe easily for the first time. It was a completely new sensation of freedom, and Odessa relished in it.

Padmé had a sweet innocence about her, which contrasted sharply with her fierce passion for her husband and her politics. One moment she was teary-eyed over the danger her husband was in, and the next she would be vociferously arguing her position on how much power the senate should have over the galaxy. She was a regular chatterbox, which matched Odessa's quiet, listener personality wonderfully. Yet it seemed that at the times when Padmé appeared inconsolable, it was only Odessa's calm voice and reassuring words that could soothe her. The two were like sisters in no time, and Odessa was thankful for the companionship.

Her pregnancy was not going as well as she hoped. As she entered her second trimester, debilitating morning sickness consumed her body. Padmé was often at her apartment in the early hours, helping Odessa force down breakfast after her morning exercises and giving her tips on what herbs and vegetables would be best for the baby. Odessa knew that without Padmé's help, she would have been panicking over the state of her baby and despairing over her husband's absence. It was definitely too much for one person to deal with on their own.

Three months after Obi-Wan and Anakin had left, Odessa overheard that they had been successful in their explorations and were returning to Coruscant in two weeks' time to report their findings to the Jedi Council. She rushed through her work, eager to tell Padmé the wonderful news. In their entire absence there had been no communication, no way for either woman to know if the two Jedi were still alive. It wasn't as if Odessa could walk in on the council meetings and ask for information regarding their progress without some legitimate reason, and Padmé couldn't express her concerns, having no ties to the Jedi that she wished to reveal. For perhaps the first time in her entire time working at the temple, she asked Merina if she could leave early. After convincing the woman that she had indeed completed the work necessary for the day, she quickly made her way to Padmé's lavish penthouse apartment, where she met her protocol droid, threepio. He greeted her warmly, but she rushed past him into the apartment.

"Padmé, are you here?" she called out excitedly, dropping her personal things on the couch. Rushing down the hallway, she nearly collided with the very woman she was searching for as she came out to meet her.

"'Dessa, what is it? You look absolutely frazzled! And why are you here so early? I wasn't expecting you for at least another hour! Come sit down, and have something to drink, you don't want to put any undue stress on the baby. Honestly, you nearly gave me-" Odessa silenced her with a wave of her hand, and took a deep breath.

"Padmé, Anakin and Obi-Wan are returning to Coruscant in two weeks." A moment of silence followed as Padmé's eyes grew wide. The color drained from her face, then flooded back in an instant. Once Odessa's words processed, she gave out a little squeak and pulled her into a tight hug.

"Really? That's wonderful, wonderful news! Oh, I'm so excited! But how did you find out?" Padmé looked at Odessa questioningly. She couldn't help smiling at Padmé's excitement.

"I overheard Masters Yoda and Windu talking about it in the cafeteria during lunch. Apparently they were successful on their expedition, and they're returning to report to the council. I came as soon as I could to tell you."

Tears of joy began to slip down Padmé's face, though it was still glowing with delight. She embraced Odessa tightly, then held her at arm's length.

"'Dessa, it feels like it's been years since I've seen him. I mean, our marriage has always been like this, but still, every time he returns makes me feel like a young newlywed again, just so anxious to be with him. All those nights crying myself to sleep…I always think I'm silly, once I hear he's coming home. Of course he'll be fine. He's the best, after all, isn't he? I shouldn't worry about him," Padmé bubbled on excitedly. Odessa smiled serenely at her and made her way to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Padmé seemed to be bursting at the seams as she followed Odessa idly, chattering away. She tried to help prepare the meal, but found that she was too excited to stay in one place, so she ended up frantically pacing the floor in the living area as Odessa cooked. Padmé calmed down a bit once dinner was ready, but she was still too worked up to eat. As Odessa ate, she told her about Anakin's past.

"He's led a really tough life, you know. I met him when he was only nine, and he was working as a slave. A slave! Can you believe that there's still slavery in the galaxy? I was absolutely horrified that this adorable little boy was forced to be a slave. But luckily Obi-Wan's master was able to free him, and train him to be a Jedi." She continued on, telling Odessa all of the escapades Anakin had been through, and how he watched his mother die. Odessa was quite surprised to hear that he killed so many people after his mother's death – it was not the Jedi way at all. She had known that he was headstrong and passionate, but she never thought that he was the type to succumb to his emotions so readily. True, he had matured since then, but that had been the same time that he had married Padmé. If he felt the same emotional connection to her that he had for his mother, he could easily abandon all of his Jedi teachings if he felt that Padmé was in danger. Odessa tried to shake the thoughts from her head. Anakin was the chosen one, so there was no way that he could betray the Jedi.

Padmé kept her up until the early hours of the morning, telling her about their courtship and everything else she could think of. It warmed Odessa's heart to see her friend so elated about Anakin's return. In the three months that they had known each other, she had seen a range of emotions on her friend, but never this barely containable excitement at the prospect of getting to spend time with her beloved, even if it was only to be a few days. She recalled fondly how she felt when she was returning to her husband, and while she renewed the pain she felt at his loss, she could also feel his love just as strongly as Padmé felt Anakin's. She returned to her apartment, and fell into a restful sleep, dreaming of her husband.

The two weeks crept along slowly. Padmé was frantically trying to plan a romantic welcome-back for Anakin, but after several hours of planning, she would change her mind and have to start from scratch. Odessa was looking forward to the Jedi's return, on the slim chance that she could learn about the battles they encountered. She tried not to think that Master Kenobi would care enough about her to let her know if she was correct about the battles, but there was a small glimmer of hope that she just couldn't extinguish. She threw herself into her work at the temple, rapidly transcribing numerous battles, but she couldn't get her mind off of the ones that had just completed.

They day of their return finally arrived, and Odessa spent the morning trying to calm her friend as she threw herself into fits of panic about the apartment not being clean enough or that her plans for the evening were going to be terrible failures. Once she had convinced Padmé that everything would be fine, she made her way to the temple. The polished hallways showed none of the excitement Odessa had been around for the past two weeks, none of the suspense that had filled her mind as to how the battle had gone. Only calm, low voices echoed through the marble staircases as she made her way to the library. It was empty as she entered, as usual, and she went to her desk to begin her work. Younglings, Padawans, and Masters trickled in and out, but their presence was lost on Odessa as she tirelessly worked. Mid-morning, she was interrupted by Merina's firm hand on her shoulder.

"You have a visitor," She said curtly, motioning to the entrance before walking away. A small figure stood beside one of the large columns, hidden in an oversized cloak. She walked over to it, and as she approached, she saw that it was Padmé. Abruptly she took her to the hallway, and checked that it was clear.

"Padmé, what are you doing here? You know it's dangerous for you to be here – what if you're recognized? Is everything alright?" Her voice was full of concern.

"I know I shouldn't be here…I just needed to get out of the apartment. I'm going crazy, wondering when he'll get home. I tried to get some rest, since I got very little sleep last night, but I couldn't stop thinking about him. I needed to get out, and I had no where else to go." Her eyes were desperate and she frantically searched Odessa's face for a response. Odessa sighed and looked around briefly before turning back to her friend.

"Padmé, you need to calm down. He'll be back soon, but he probably won't be able to come to you until at least the late afternoon, since he'll be held up with the council and most likely the senate. Don't worry, you'll see him soon enough," she whispered. Against her better judgment, she used the force to calm Padmé's obviously fried nerves, and the effect was instantaneous. She visibly relaxed, the worry lines on her face fading away and her grip on Odessa's arm loosening. She hugged Odessa lightly, then stepped back.

"You're right, of course. I shouldn't have come, it could only endanger An…er, him, and I don't want to do that. I'm sorry to have bothered you, 'Dessa. I'll send you a message tomorrow, letting you know how everything went. Thank you for everything." She hugged her once more, and hurried out of the temple. A surge of compassion for the woman shot through her body as she watched Padmé leave, knowing that she would have been no better if she had been in the same position. Just because she knew how to curb her emotions didn't mean she had lost them completely, and every reunion with her husband had worked her up at least as much, if not more than Padmé. She hoped that the Jedi would return soon, for Padmé's sake.

Returning to the library, Merina cast her a disapproving look as she sat at her desk. She kept her face blank as she continued her work, but she could feel the woman's eyes on her for quite a long time after she had resumed working. At last the clock announced that it was lunchtime, and Odessa made her way to the cafeteria. She noticed that none of the Masters were present, which led her to believe that Anakin and Obi-Wan had returned, and were meeting with the council. She hurriedly ate a sandwich, then made her way to the council's meeting rooms, trying to appear nonchalant. Glancing inside, she saw Anakin standing beside a large hologram table, pointing out different elements of the battle. Obi-Wan stood beside him, arms folded behind his back as Anakin spoke. She couldn't hear what Anakin was saying over the noise in the hallway, so she stepped a bit closer to the doorway, trying to appear interested in something other than the meeting taking place. Her motions caught Obi-Wan's eye, and he glanced over at her. His face was unreadable as their eyes met, and she cast him a small smile, then hurried back to the library. Embarrassed at being caught, she once again buried herself in her work. Anakin entered the library approximately an hour later, and was at once surrounded by younglings, all asking him to recount his exploits in the outer rim. She watched him thoughtfully for a moment, and noticed that her time with the younglings would be postponed today, since a far more suitable teacher had appeared. She knew that, were she a youngling herself, she would have much rather listened to Anakin than a failed Jedi any day of the week. Had she had the option, she would have joined them in their discussions with Anakin. Instead, she continued her work, until she felt the distinct stare of a pair of familiar turquoise eyes on her.

"Eager to know how the battle went, Ms. Sinthea?" Obi-Wan asked. She looked up, and saw him smiling. She smiled back, then quickly saved her progress.

"Master Kenobi, it's wonderful to see that you have returned safely. Forgive me for intruding on your meeting; it was not my place. I am deeply sorry if I interrupted anything," she replied, standing.

"You did nothing of the sort. I daresay the rest of the council was far too enthralled in Anakin's report to notice your presence. I was wondering if you had a few moments to spare?"

"Of course, Master Kenobi. May I help you with something?" She came to his side, and he examined her face once more. This time, she felt no use of the force against her, only curiosity.

"Walk with me, Ms. Sinthea." They started walking around the expansive library. Once they reached a relatively empty area, Obi-Wan pulled a small hologram projector from his robes and held it out for her. She took it, and watched as a miniature version of a battle appeared in the air in front of her. They watched it in silence for a few moments before Obi-Wan spoke up.

"Does it look familiar?"

"Well, other than the lack of fighters being rapidly demolished by the ships, I'd say it's practically identical to the battle we analyzed before you left." Smiling, she looked over at him. He was studying her with an expression of gratitude on his face.

"We couldn't have made it without you. The fighters were eager to begin the battle, and without the knowledge of the Rattataki that you provided, they would have charged headlong into the masses of ship, and been overrun. Anakin had something of a knack for finding the main ship – nearly every time he was able to pinpoint it right away. Our losses were minimal. The reason it took so long was that the army was massive, and it took quite a bit of time to knock them all down. Once the battles were over, we spoke with the Rattataki, and they have agreed to not interfere with the Republic, as long as we don't interfere with them. I think that's a fair agreement, considering they realize that we could demolish their army faster than they could say 'starfighter.' So thank you for your insight into the battle. Many of our fighters, if not our entire fleet, owes our lives to you." His eyes were full of sincerity, without a touch of the disappointment she had seen in them three months ago.

"I'm just grateful that I can still be of use to the Jedi. Though I must admit, I was anxious to know how you had fared and if I had been at all correct – it wouldn't do for an archivist to be completely useless about the battles she's supposed to be the expert on." She smiled warmly, and they continued walking. Obi-Wan gave her a blow-by-blow account of the battles, and they discussed different strategies for each different situation the fleet had found themselves in. An hour passed as the two wandered the library, until an annoyed-looking Merina appeared in front of them.

"Forgive me, Master Kenobi, but I believe Ms. Sinthea has had enough visitors today," She said in a terse voice.

"My deepest apologies for depriving you of your archivist, Madam Orven. Ms. Sinthea, shall we continue our conversation tomorrow, perhaps at lunchtime?" He held out his hand.

"Lunch will be wonderful. Thank you for telling me how the battle went." She took his hand, and he shook it warmly. He headed for the entrance, and she turned to Merina with an apologetic look.

"I'm terribly sorry, Merina. I assure you it won't happen again." The woman sniffed disapprovingly.

"While I appreciate and admire the work you do, Odessa, I would like to remind you that you are an employee of this establishment, not a member. Do not forget your place." She walked off, leaving Odessa stung.

She had stayed two extra hours that evening, to prove that she was indeed grateful for her position at the temple. When she arrived home, she couldn't think of a part of her body that didn't ache. Her fingers were sore from rapid typing, her head ached from studying endless battles, and to top it all off, her child had been rather active in the afternoon, kicking and pressing into her diaphragm incessantly. She was grateful for the chance to get to bed early, though it was strange to not see Padmé for dinner. She hoped that her friend was enjoying the time she had with her husband, however short it may be. She settled down to sleep shortly after returning home, her thoughts swirling with Obi-Wan's stories of the battle and Merina's stabbing comments.

She woke the next morning as gentle pink hues kissed the horizon. Even the never-sleeping planet seemed groggy at this time of the morning, when the cloak of darkness was gently being pulled away. Odessa took a moment to take in the beauty of the tall metal structures as they began to reflect morning's first light, then proceeded with her daily exercises. Begrudgingly she forced down some food, her stomach churning as she did so. She showered and dressed quickly, then made her way to the temple. It was eerily empty so early in the morning, but she welcomed the solitude. It helped her focus and push any thoughts of the previous day from her mind. When Merina arrived at the library an hour and a half later, Odessa had already completed the battle she had been working on the day before, and was already furiously typing out details of the next. If Merina noticed her hard work and dedication, she didn't mention it.

Early in the morning she received a brief message from an elated Padmé gushing about her time with Anakin. She apologized for not being able to meet with her, but she hoped that she understood, and that she would see her again soon. Odessa was glad that her friend was so happy, and was making the most of the time they had together. Continuing with her work, she found herself getting distracted as noon loomed closer. As hard as she tried to concentrate, she found herself glancing at the clock every five minutes. Promptly at noon, Obi-Wan appeared at her desk. He smiled at her as she greeted him warmly, and they made their way to the cafeteria. They spent a glorious hour discussing all sorts of battle plans and strategies, neither able to eat much through the conversation. The time went by too quickly, and as they departed, Obi-Wan turned to her.

"May I meet you again tomorrow at the same time?" he asked her.

"Of course, Master Kenobi. I'll need someone to bounce my ideas off of, and to tell me if I'm completely off the wall about something," she said, smiling. He shook her hand once more, and left.

Returning to her work, she found herself thinking of different strategies to discuss with Obi-Wan, recalling the particularly influential battles and the disastrous ones that definitely needed better planning. By the time she left for the evening, she had a list of more than a dozen battles that she wanted to discuss in depth with him. She relaxed for a bit once she returned home, then performed her exercises once more before going to bed.

Obi-Wan and Anakin stayed for a week. Every day, precisely at noon, Obi-Wan would appear at her desk, and they would discuss battle strategy in every possible form, debating on the effectiveness and the choice of one over another. She had had many discussions similar to the ones with Obi-Wan with her own master, and being able to resume the intellectual debates did wonders for her mood. Yet Obi-Wan's favored style was much similar to that of her husband's, with complicated maneuvers that got the job done as quickly as possible. Speaking with him made her feel as though she was back with her master and her husband in the Outer Rim, and while she welcomed the memories, Merina's comment to her kept echoing in her mind. As wonderful as it was to help the Jedi with their battle strategy, she needed to realize that she was no longer a Jedi.

The younglings were eager to know what she had been discussing with Master Kenobi. She explained to them the basics, trying to instill a good grasp of tactics into their eager young minds. She spent far longer with them than she had planned on, but a stern look from the librarian got her to wrap things up quickly. They were always sad to see her leave, but she promised them that she would always be there to answer any questions they had, or to discuss any ideas they came up with.

The last day of Obi-Wan and Anakin's stay was a somber one. Odessa and Obi-Wan met at noon, as usual, but he just told her about the mission he was going on, and what he thought they would encounter. She gave him what few tips she could on where he was going and whom he was dealing with, but it wasn't anything that they hadn't discussed in depth previously. As their hour drew to a close, Odessa met his eyes with a small smile.

"If it's not a burden on you, I'd like to know when you've returned safely. I wish you the best of luck, though I know you don't need it," she said tentatively, hoping she wasn't asking too much of him. He only smiled.

"Of course I'll let you know. Who else would relish in the stories of my exploits, if not you? I must say I've quite enjoyed our time, and look forward to being able to speak with you in the future," he told her. They stood, and walked to the exit. As they parted ways, Odessa turned to him.

"The force be with you, Master Kenobi," she said formally.

"And you, Ms. Sinthea." He grasped her hand firmly, and left.

Watching him leave, a strange surge of emotion flooded her body. The budding friendship forming between them confused her slightly – on one hand, she enjoyed talking to him more than most people, but she knew that, in his eyes, she was possibly the worst failure imaginable. True, he hadn't mentioned it in their meetings at all, but the memories of their first meeting still lingered in her mind. His opinion of her had obviously grown once he saw that she was a capable strategist, but other than that, she had very little idea of what he thought of her. She was impressed with him, and grateful that he chose to speak with her, but she knew very little of him as a person. He rarely revealed anything personal about himself, and tended to steer away from such discussions. He perplexed her, and that bothered her just a bit. She hoped that, once he returned, she could find out more about Obi-Wan Kenobi, the person.

The afternoon dragged along, but finally she was able to leave. There were many thoughts she wanted to sort out; many things she wanted to think about. Yet as she approached her apartment, she realized that those things would have to wait. For sitting against the door was the small form of Padmé, looking up at her with tear-filled eyes. She pulled her friend into a tight hug, and let her into the apartment.

Reviews!

Once again, thank you all for reading and reviewing – it made my day every time I got a review )

WhatsGoingOn – I'm glad you're enjoying it!

Mirielle – I loved your review! Absolutely loved it! I know that my story isn't going to mesh with the books – I'm really just aiming to have it mesh with the movies. Let me respond to some of your comments:

Commander Solo – Let's just say that, at the time, he didn't know if he was related to Han or not ). The thought hadn't occurred to him.

Secrets of the Jedi – Sounds good, I'll have to check it out at some point.

Mace – Maybe the flash of emotion was because she didn't get a stricter punishment?

Jocasta Nu – Er…maybe she wanted an assistant? Or she retired? I really liked this job for Odessa, and I didn't do enough research on the position, apparently. I'm sorry about that. I think I'll imagine Jocasta Nu on some peaceful, sandy beach, having Odessa do all the dirty work ).

Considered a Jedi – Yeah, this needs clarification. What I meant by this was that she wasn't being banished and forced to forget everything she had spent her entire life training for…of course she's not still a Jedi.

Families – What I imagine this to be is that, when she was really young (3 or so), she was about to be taken to be trained, and then there was some sort of attack where lots of families were killed. All of the children were kept together during the aftermath, and that's where she met her husband. She was still taken shortly after, but since the experience was so traumatic, she remembered it very clearly, including the young boy who was by her side the whole time. She returned to her home planet at some point, and by chance they met again, and he took to tagging along behind her as some sort of bodyguard.

Obi-Wan – I'm really, really happy that you like my description of him. A big part of my story is going to be about how he realizes that there's more to life than being a Jedi, and the conflict he feels with these new ideas and the Jedi code that he has followed his entire life. Obviously you can tell that he's going to betray part of that code, since this story is a romance ).

And who isn't a fan of Ender's game! It's one of the best stories out there!

I don't mind your comments at all! They're very welcome here! The only thing I don't like are flames, and I can tell you're not the type of person to do that. Please comment more! )

Rachel Sparrow – Thanks for reading! I'm glad you like it so far!

Darkvampirewitch – Shh! No one's supposed to know that it's about Han yet! ;) Thanks for reading, and I'm glad you like it!