Dorme had not slept all night and when the morning rays of the sun streamed through her apartment window, she let out a hiss and covered her face with a pillow. Master Kenobi would be leaving in less than four hours. She had failed. Never in her life had she accepted defeat. She wasn't about to today. Not today!

She threw the pillow off of her face and across her room, jumped to her feet and dressed. Making an excuse to Padme about needing to run an errand, she set her jaw firm and made a beeline straight for the Jedi Temple.

No one seemed to notice her as she walked briskly through the large foyer. There were many beings here, some Jedi, some not. It wasn't until she reached the top of the foyer staircase that she was approached by a large Jedi. Master Windu himself.

"Dorme, isn't it? What brings us the pleasure of your visit?"

"I need to see Master Kenobi."

"I'm sorry, but he's in the training room right now and cannot be disturbed. Would you like to leave a message?"

She had come too far to let this old fool stop her now. Too many risks, too many sleepless nights for her and the Senator. The frustration began forming a fist inside of her that she wanted to take and knock the large man blocking her way upside the head with. Instead, she mustered all of her determination and frustration and leaned forward and up to peer into his face.

"Listen, old man. I came here to see Master Kenobi, and if you don't let me see him right now, I'm gonna take that lightsaber of yours and stick it where the Force don't shine? Got it?"

Mace Windu was in no way intimidated, but sensed no danger in the young woman's intentions, and so with a broad grin on his face, he stepped aside and motioned for her to pass.

Dorme took two steps to the right, stopped, and then turned and took two steps to the left and stopped. She turned back around to look at Master Windu, who had a somewhat comical look on his face.

"Could you...?"

His hand pointed up another flight of stairs to her right. She smiled sweetly at him and he turned and went down the steps, shaking his head.

"Don't Jedi believe in turbolifts?" She huffed as she finally reached the top of the stairway, once more glancing to her left and right at the huge and seemingly endless hallway. Suddenly, she could hear the sounds of lasers sparking and an occasional grunt of exertion, to her left. She followed the sounds and entered a very large oval room, similar to a sporting arena, illuminated with a ceiling comprised mainly of windows. At the far end she saw him, Master Kenobi. He was fully concentrating on his training exercise and had not noticed her presence. He had his lightsaber drawn and was surrounded by four hovering training remotes that were shooting rapid laser blasts at him, which he easily deflected with more than accurate moves of his lightsaber. She was impressed, and that was saying a lot.

Several beams shot out at once and he deflected every one of them, the muscles of his bare chest and arms rippling, the morning sunlight reflecting off the light sheen of sweat on his skin. He was dressed only in loose-fitting training pants that were tied at the waist and he wasn't wearing any shoes. Ashamedly, Dorme felt as if she were invading his privacy and being somewhat of a voyeur, so she decided to interrupt him.

She took several steps onto the cushioned floor and yelled out to him. "Obi-Wan Kenobi!"

Obi-Wan glanced up, shocked to see her there, and upon being distracted, was hit in the rear by one of the training remotes. "Blast!" He had forgotten to power off his lightsaber. Upon doing so, the training remotes simply hovered where they automatically paused.

"Dorme? What are you doing here? Is something wrong with Padme?" Obi-Wan reached down to grab a nearby towel and wiped his forehead as he quickly approached her. His steps soon slowed though as he neared her and noticed the fierce determined look on her face. She wasn't here because of danger, she was the danger.

"Just who in the hell do you think you are?" Her words were accentuated by a pointed index finger that Obi-Wan soon felt thumping on his chest.

Dorme made a face and quickly wiped her now sweat covered finger onto his towel.

"What are you talking about?" But he knew exactly what she was talking about and he didn't want to discuss it. He turned away from her and headed to pick up his clothing that was lying on a bench along the wall.

"Don't turn your back on me!" Dorme quickly pursued him and once more stepped in front of him.

"If she wants to be with Anakin, then so be it." He stepped around her and continued walking.

He was completely caught off guard when Dorme grabbed him from behind, wrapped one of her legs around his and before he knew it, he was on his back on the floor, and she was sitting on top of him once again thumping his chest with her finger.

"Listen to me! She can't be with Anakin!"

"Why not?"

The idea of informing the Jedi Master about Anakin's recent East Coruscant exploits flashed through her mind. But what good would that do? It would only cause Obi-Wan pain, to discover his padawan learner was a pervert. No. She couldn't tell him.

"Because she loves you! Not Anakin!"

"You could've fooled me."

"That's just it Kenobi! She did fool you." Dorme grinned slyly and shook her head. "Jedi. You don't know much about women, do you?"

"Then why did she say she was going to see him?"

"She didn't."

Just then, it dawned on him. That's right. He had assumed her silence had proven her guilt, and in his anger, he had never questioned it. Now, he could feel his own guilt oozing through him. He had blamed her based upon his padawan's story alone.

"Then why did Anakin tell me he was going to see her?" The statement was a whisper that he actually had not directed at Dorme.

She finally decided to pull herself up off of him now that she was sure he wouldn't run away and she sat on the floor, pulling him into a seated position opposite her.

"That was my doing."

"What?"

"Anakin. I put him up to it...as a...favor. He owed me a favor." There. Maybe that would suffice and she crossed her fingers hidden in her lap hoping that he would buy it.

"You mean, he lied to me?"

"Oh, get real Kenobi! We were in on it together. You and Padme belong together. I know it, Padme knows it, and you know it. You just needed a little...nudge."

"You've been doing a lot of nudging lately, young woman."

"Whatever are you talking about?" Dorme tried her best to look innocent but her eyes soon flew open as he spouted off a list of accusations.

"Purchasing illegal substances, sabotaging government property, Jedi extortion?" He smiled and slowly shook his head in amazement. "You must care about Padme very much."

"And so do you."

"Yes. I do. That's not the problem"

"Then what is?"

"I'm a Jedi. She's a Senator."

"That's only a problem, if you make it one." Dorme simply refused to give up. If this Jedi thought himself stubborn, she had news for him. He was sitting in front of the queen of it.

"And the times I have to be gone on assignment. How can we have a relationship like that?"

"Well, my mother always says, absence makes the heart grow fonder."

"Or...out of sight out of mind."

Dorme breathed heavily out her nose. "Then give her something to remember you by...something to look forward to..to depend upon."

His eyebrows raised questiongly at Dorme, who had her left hand raised in front of his face and was wiggling her ring finger.

"No. She would never."

"Wanna bet?"

Suddenly, it was as if a light pierced into his soul. That was the answer. It didn't matter how much they were apart, as long as they knew they were together -- really together. He would always have her to come back to and apeaceful feeling flooded him with the fact that shewould bewaiting for him. Plus, that would put Anakin out of the picture once and for all.

Dorme startled in surprise as Obi-Wan abruptly reached to her, grabbed her by her shoulders and kissed her. "Thanks for thumping some sense into me." He lightly rubbed the red marks she had made on his chest. "Literally."

Dorme sat on the floor watching Obi-Wan run and gather his clothing and then disappear through the doorway. A large smile soon splayed itself across her face. "Man...I'm good." She glanced up at the clock on the far wall. "And with one hour to spare!"