Obi-Wan lay in one of the lawn chairs in the palace gardens. He had borrowed one of the old flimsi books from the library to read, but instead had it draped across his face to block out the sunlight. His head was pounding from ear to ear, a steady beat louder than any cantina on Coruscant. The garden was quiet, a small mercy, as most of the guests and Nabooians had had even more to drink than he, and had not yet risen from their beds. Still the chirping of the birds, usually such a pleasant sound, did bring sharp little stabs of pain to his aching head.

"Droid," he called over to one of the LEP servant droids who was watering the flowers.

"Yes, sir," said the droid in its mechanical voice.

"Could you get some cold water from inside and bring it to me here?"

"I am already here with water, sir," it said.

"I can see that. I want you to go inside for the water and then come back out again. I don't want to drink from your watering can."

"As you wish." It waddled off in the direction of the palace.

"Droids," muttered Obi-Wan, covering his face with the book again.

The sound of voices, however, disturbed him once again from his rest. In the distance, he could just barely make out the sound of Anakin and Mace Windu. He got up from his chair, laying the book down on top of it, and crept behind some hedges and out of sight. It wasn't that he was avoiding them, exactly. It was just that he did not want to discuss Satine any further, especially after his rather embarrassing outburst from the night before.

He was close enough to them that he could make out a few brief phrases and yes, he definitely heard his name. Creeping even nearer, though keeping himself hidden behind the thick bushes, he heard them greet Ahsoka.

"Good morning, Masters," she said in a chipper tone. She was too young to drink, so surely her head felt fine.

"Padawan Tano, how are you this morning?" said Mace.

"A little tired. Padmé and some of her handmaidens and I stayed up late last night talking."

"Anything interesting, Snips? Did she talk about me?" asked Anakin, causing Obi-Wan to roll his eyes.

"She did. She said you have grown very handsome. But mostly we talked about Satine. Padmé is really worried about her."

What could Padmé be so worried about? thought Obi-Wan, feeling nervous.

"Worried, why?" asked Anakin.

Good man, Anakin, Obi-Wan thought. He leaned closer, straining to hear, and nearly lost his balance into the planter. Mace cocked his head for a moment, and Obi-Wan quickly ducked down lower and out of sight.

"Is she ill?" asked Mace.

"Not ill, but I guess you could say she is sick. Well, sort of lovesick, as it is. Padmé says that she is hopelessly in love with Master Obi-Wan and that she has been for the last fifteen years or however long since they first met. Padmé says that Satine was able to put aside her feelings for a long time, but now that she has seen Obi-Wan again, they have all come roaring back to her."

Obi-Wan felt like he had a fever as he listened to Ahsoka's words. Could it be true? He had to get closer. Looking around, he found a small tree in a pot, which he picked up and, using it as a shield, moved in as close as he dared.

"Sick with love, what a terrible state to be in," said Mace calmly. "It makes sense to me, though, in a way. I spoke to her last night after their argument. She told me a little of their history. It seems they were quite in love in the past, but of course unable to do anything about it."

"Do you think he knows that she still loves him?" asked Anakin.

"No, and Padmé says that she is terrified to tell him."

"In a way, it was probably easier before the code changed. Satine could tell herself that they were not together because of his duty and her own. And yet, even after it changed, he still did not go to her on Kalevala. She must feel that he would scorn any admissions of love that she would make," said Mace.

"Well, if she doesn't tell Obi-Wan, maybe we should," said Anakin.

"To what end? I doubt he shares her feelings. He seemed quite hostile to her last night. And I would not want to cause the Duchess any more pain," said Mace.

"No, she seems like she has been through enough," said Anakin.

"So, what are we going to do?" asked Ahsoka.

"Duchess Satine will have to get over her feelings. It is hard, but it can be done," said Mace.

"I'll talk to Padmé about it some more. Maybe she can shed some more light," said Ahsoka.

"Good idea, Snips. Now, I'm getting hungry. We should go in for some lunch."

The three of them stood and walked away from Obi-Wan's hiding spot, their footsteps becoming softer and softer on the gravel as they moved toward the palace. Obi-Wan turned and sat on the path, his back against the potted plant.

"She still loves me," he said aloud, sounding in awe of the fact.

Obi-Wan thought back to those days with her and Qui-Gon. Despite being so long ago, his memories were as vivid as ever. She was scared and they were often cold and uncomfortable. On some nights the fire that Qui-Gon made would not be enough to warm her and some time during the night, Obi-Wan would wake to find his arm around her and her face tucked into his chest. He would never disturb her when she did this, as it was so rare for her to get a good night's sleep, but he had trouble sleeping with her so close. And then there was his final night on Mandalore. They were able to return to Kalevala, at last, and Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan had been invited to the stay the night in her house before departing the next morning. After dinner, Obi-Wan had snuck out of his room and over to hers. He had knocked on her door, and when she answered, he had grabbed her and kissed her deeply, desperately. He had broken the Jedi code that night, broken it several times in fact, but he couldn't bring himself to regret it. There had even been a small part of him that wished that she had asked him to stay. He would have done it, too. He would have left the order, his whole life's purpose, just for the chance to wake up every morning with her next to him.

Their reunion had been a little more confrontational than he would have liked, but he had to admit that he felt a thrill of exhilaration even when they fought. He had not been lying, either, when he said that she had only grown more beautiful. She had taken his breath away when he first saw her as he disembarked the shuttle. The soft baby face that she had once possessed had now refined itself into the angular lines of her cheekbones, her chin, her nose. She was more graceful and experienced now, and there was something incredibly attractive about the way she stuck to her convictions.

Obi-Wan allowed himself a smile as he thought about how Anakin and Ahsoka would tease him for this. The unflappable, unfailingly calm Jedi Kenobi has found his feathers thoroughly ruffled. He's in love. And upon thinking it, Obi-Wan realized how true it is. Satine would not have to get over her feelings for him, because he was going to requite those feelings, and most ardently, too. He stood, brushing the gravel dust from his trousers, and marching off toward the palace.

Satine awoke to the rays of sunlight coming in through the palace window. Usually she liked to be awoken that way, but now, with the hangover she had brewing, she wished the sun would just go back where it came from and leave her in peace. She rose and poured herself a glass of cold water from an ornate pitcher. After drinking it all, she splashed more water on her face and looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was a mess, and somewhat stiff from all the gel that the handmaidens had put in it to keep it all in place. She would have to shower before she let anyone see her.

Still, it had been an amusing end to the night. The padawan Ahsoka had come over to the rooms where Padmé and Satine were staying and they had spent hours talking and joking with her. Some of Padmé's handmaidens had joined them, and had brought with them a sweet syrupy liquor. Even thinking back to the smell of it made Satine feel a bit sick. She liked Ahsoka a lot, though. The girl was clever and bold, but nevertheless she would do well to be exposed to other ideas outside of the Jedi temple. They talked little of politics, though. Ahsoka told them about her homeworld, Shili, and the handmaidens told them about all the gossip around Theed, and Padmé talked about how she and Anakin had first met on Tatooine. Satine had been relieved that no one pressed her for any information about Obi-Wan and she hadn't volunteered any.

Outside the room, in the common area, she could hear soft voices. Padmé was one of them, and she thought she could hear Dormé and Sabé, as well.

"No, I think she is too scornful to love him back," came Padmé's voice, muffled through the door.

"What's not to love? He's so brave and he's always been extremely kind," said a second voice, definitely Sabé.

"Not mention, quite handsome," said Dormé.

They really are the most relentless gossips, thought Satine.

"You're married, Dormé. Leave him to the single ladies." That was Sabé again.

"I don't think Obi-Wan will even look at women other than her right now," said Padmé.

They were speaking of Obi-Wan. He was in love with somebody. Satine felt the blow like a punch to the gut. She knew it had been a long time, but to think that he had moved on to someone else, just when they had reconnected left a bitter taste in her mouth. Curiosity got the better of her, though, and she pressed her ear against the door to hear better.

"I think you're too hard on her," said Dormé. "The Duchess was so nice last night. She might have insulted him a little too harshly yesterday, but do you really think she would mock him for loving her?"

Satine pressed a hand to her mouth to prevent herself from gasping out loud. Obi-Wan loved her. The emotions running through her were far too numerous and confusing to dissect right now, so Satine focused everything on trying to make out the words coming through the wall. She still couldn't hear as well as she wanted, so cat-like, she lay down on her belly on the floor. Then she slowly slid the door open, just a crack and peeked out at them.

"Not mock him, exactly. But I think she is angry about him leaving. He had to return to his duty as a Jedi, but I don't think she has fully forgiven him. Besides, any trace of love she once had for him seems to be gone. She didn't mention his name once last night, though each of the rest of us told stories of our loves," said Padmé.

Satine nearly scoffed aloud at that. No trace of love. How could Padmé know her so little? Just because she didn't speak so openly about her feelings didn't mean - Satine shook herself out of the tirade in her head, turning her attention back to the conversation.

"It is sad, though. Anakin says that Obi-Wan loves her so deeply, that he has since the day they met. Anakin even said that before they changed the code, Obi-Wan would have left the order to be with her," said Padmé.

"Has he ever told her of his feelings?" asked Dormé.

"I don't think so. You would not think it, but Obi-Wan has a very shy side to him. I think he is nervous about her rejection."

"And you're sure she will reject him?" asked Sabé.

"I'm sure," said Padmé.

Curse you, Padmé! thought Satine, angrily.

"I wouldn't mind comforting the general. As you said, Dormé, he is extremely handsome," said Sabé, somewhat salaciously.

"I thought you like that guard you met last night," said Dormé.

"Bora? He's fun, but nothing serious." They laughed.

"Well, do you think we should tell Satine about all this?" asked Dormé.

"No, I don't think anything good will come of that. I think we should encourage Obi-Wan to find someone else. He will be hurt for awhile, but he's tough. And he has Anakin to support him," said Padmé.

"You're the diplomat."

"Come, let's go down to lunch. We'll let Satine sleep a few more hours, before we wake her for tonight's parade," said Padmé.

Satine heard them exit the room, their conversation shifted to other topics. She opened the door and went into the common room, sitting heavily on one of the couches. Did Padmé have such a low opinion of her that she would really think that Satine would laugh and mock Obi-Wan for admitting he loved her. Then again, she had been perhaps a little too rude to him the day before. Padmé was right about one thing, though. Satine was angry about Obi-Wan leaving, but not at him. No, she was furious at the circumstance, that they could care so deeply for each other but not be able to be together. If anything, she respected Obi-Wan more for it. She might not always agree with the Jedi, but she admired Obi-Wan for his dedication to them. She had a duty, too, after all.

And she loved him. She loved every part him, even the frustrating ones. He was kind and he cared so much about his men and the people he protected. The clones spoke so highly of him, as every one of them that she had danced with had mentioned something about how brave and good he was. And yes, he was more handsome than ever, even with the beard.

She thought about his mischievous smile and the way his eyes would light up in their youth. She remember one rare quiet day when they were unbothered by the bounty hunter assassins, and so she had taken the time to go down to the lake and wash out her clothing. Obi-Wan had sauntered up to her, sporting that sneaky smile, and had pushed her swiftly into the water, laughing like a madman before jumping in after her. It had been a hot day, and the water had felt wonderful, after the initial shock of falling in. She had laughed, too, and splashed him thoroughly in the face for payback.

And then he left. After their last night together, they had lain in each other's arms, trying not to think about his departure just a few hours away. He had stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head. Eventually, he had to leave the room, or else it would have been too obvious what they had done. As he was about to walk through the door, he turned back to her and opened his mouth as if to say something, but then he seemed to think better of it and walked out the door. She waved them goodbye from the landing pad, keeping up a calm facade until she got back to her room, where she broke down and cried and cried.

Of course she still loved him. And she would make sure that he knew and that everyone else knew it as well.