"Have you ever been in love, General?"
Commander Cody had not even realized he'd spoken the words aloud until General Kenobi turned to face him, one eyebrow arched high on his brow. As the discerning blue gaze fixated on him alone, Cody felt a flare of panic, but then Anakin gave a snort of laughter from across the worn table and Obi-Wan's attention was diverted.
The diversion, however, was brief.
After a stern glare shot in Anakin's direction, Obi-Wan turned straight back to Cody, but now a measure of wry amusement shown in his eyes. "How many have you had?" he asked, nodding toward his clone commander's near empty mug of ale.
Staring blankly at his glass, Cody could recall the first, when he, Obi-Wan, Anakin and his clone Sergeant, Whisky, had arrived at the tavern; and the second round, the barkeep had offered on the house – Cody thanked him graciously and insisted they would pay for all the rest – and then... he'd been caught up in conversation with Obi-Wan and Anakin, joking around with Whisky, and reliving battle stories, and he knew he'd been drinking the whole time but had no idea as to when his glass had been refilled or how often.
Cody looked back up at Obi-Wan. "I lost count after two, sir..."
"Six!" Whisky offered cheerfully in his gruff voice as he raised his own mug in salute. "We're having a contest."
Cody frowned. "We are?" His mind was a little fuzzy, but certainly he would remember...
Anakin chuckled and stood up as he finished his own glass. "I see no reason to slow down now, boys. Not when the conversation is just starting to get interesting. Next round's on me."
No one protested. They were stuck here at least another day, while they waited for a new transport and Anakin had insisted they all take a night off.
He returned in under a minute, gripping two glasses by the handles in each hand and setting them on the table with a loud clink. "So, let's hear it," Anakin said as he settled in his chair, a mischievous edge to his smile. "Have you ever been in love, General Kenobi?"
Oh, yeah. That. Cody felt bad, now, for bringing the subject up. Obi-Wan looked entirely as if he had no inclination to answer that question, but Anakin continued to prod him and Cody was curious.
"You're among friends, right?" Anakin spread his arms wide, indicating the four of them seated at the small round table. Indeed, there were few other patrons in the tavern, late as it was.
Obi-Wan took a long drink of the stout Corellian Ale they were drinking and set his mug on the table, his expression unreadable. "There have been a few women I have cared for."
Anakin tipped his chair back as he laughed. "We're not talking about Master Luminara or Jocasta Nu, here, Obi-Wan."
Cody ran his hand across his short hair as he wondered what that meant. Jedi and their Order were a mystery to him. Peacekeepers that led armies. Warriors that relied on a mystical power. Wise philosophers that made snap strategic decisions in the heat of battle. But what about love?
Cody took another gulp of the frothy alcohol, enjoying the way it fizzed over his tongue and the hazy, soothing feeling it gave him.
And Anakin, still smiling, asked his question for him. "Have you loved a woman?"
Obi-Wan's hand came to his chin, his fingers rubbing at his jaw before his hands dropped to the table, but he didn't look bothered. In fact, he looked just a little bit like Cody felt.
"There's one..." he murmured, his eyes going out of focus for a moment before he snapped back and looked up. "Was. There was... What brought this on?" He asked abruptly, a rough edge to his accent that made the question sound more like a command.
Cody felt the flush in his cheeks, though he wasn't sure if it was solely because of the alcohol as he considered what to say. "There was a family – in that group of hostages we rescued –"
Despite the affect of the spirits, he saw them clearly in his mind: a strong father clutching protectively to his wife and young son, not willing to leave them, but ready to defend them – a true reason to fight, something worth fighting for.
" – and I started to think... about what might happen... after the war."
"Ah, I see," Obi-Wan said, his tone understanding. "A valid concern."
"Don't mind him, sir," Whisky interjected. "He always gets sentimental when he's drinking. Bit of a lightweight, I reckon."
Cody frowned at him. He didn't drink often, and he certainly hadn't with Whisky before. Not that he could remember, anyway. And were the lights flickering or was that his imagination? Shrugging, he raised his mug of ale to his lips, downing the remaining half in one swig.
A moment later, Whisky was setting glass number seven, no, number eight, in front of him and the room began to spin, but Cody couldn't get the thought of love out of his head.
Obi-Wan watched, with just a touch of alarm, as Cody downed nearly half a glass of ale in one drink.
Ah well, he thought and took another long drink himself. Admittedly, after four he was beginning to feel something of a buzz as well. And the opportunity to unwind came too rarely for them in this war.
Cody wiped the back of his hand across his mouth and nodded his head thoughtfully. "I think I'd like to have a woman."
Anakin chuckled again and Obi-Wan shook his head. "It's not – you don't have –"
"I've been with a woman." Whisky spoke up, a smug expression on his face. "An extended covert operation on Basarahh last year - we had a few nights to - learn the culture. She couldn't keep her hands off me."
"How was it?" Anakin asked with a grin.
His smile was nothing short of satisfied. "Gooood..." he drew the word out as he nodded. "Kinda messy, though..." he added thoughtfully.
Obi-Wan coughed, only just managing not to spit out a mouthful of ale.
"Messy?" Cody looked concerned.
"Wet," he clarified. Obi-Wan closed his eyes, sighing as Anakin let out a loud burst of laughter.
Cody was unperturbed by his amusement, though. "Wet?" he asked, confusion lacing his voice.
"There was a lot of kissing," he grinned. "A lot. She did this thing with her tongue – it was amazing."
Obi-Wan couldn't help but chuckle himself when Whisky got a sort of far away look in his eyes.
"And?" Anakin encouraged. He finished his ale, setting it on the table with a clunk and motioning to the barkeep.
"And it got messy after awhile." Whisky gulped his ale, and belched.
"There's more than just kissing, you know," Anakin said with a gleam in his eye.
Obi-Wan raised his eyebrows.
"I've heard,"he amended, glancing at his former Master, but Obi-Wan noticed the gleam did not fade.
"She didn't want to do anything else," Whisky admitted ruefully. "Maybe I was doing something wrong."
"Or maybe you were doing the kissing part really well," Anakin offered.
As Obi-Wan neared the end of his fifth glass, he knew he had a buzz. He was just a little warmer, and he had a pleasant, fuzzy feeling that made him feel at ease. He let his mind wander...
Kissing. Kissing could be nice... warm lips...
And the rest... silky hair, soft skin, dips and curves...
He'd heard.
But then Whisky was talking again. "I admit," he said roughly, "I'm not entirely sure what to do after the kissing... How to really please a woman... I mean, I've seen holopics and stuff, but – "
Cody was nodding as he turned back to Obi-Wan, swaying a little, and for a moment Obi-Wan thought he was going to topple right off his chair but he braced himself with his hands on the table. "That's what I want to know," he said after he composed himself. "What do women really like?"
Three sets of eyes focused on Obi-Wan – Anakin with an amused, know-it-all glint, Whisky with a gleam of mischievous interest, and Cody with earnest curiosity. And Obi-Wan turned to Anakin.
"Oh no," Anakin laughed out loud. "I don't know anything. You're the Master. Enlighten us, General Kenobi."
Well, it was true, he'd never had any complaints. Not that he –
Obi-Wan took another drink and cleared his throat. After all, this was just a friendly discussion among friends. Four men, blowing off steam.
"Hmmm... women... –" His hand came to his chin.
Warm lips. He shifted in his chair.
Soft curves...
"Women like – "
How long had they been fighting this blasted war? How much ale had he had?
"Women like – to be... held."
Anakin smirked. Obi-Wan ignored him.
"That's all?" Whisky tilted his head, looking perplexed. "All they want is a hug?" But Cody nodded, his amber eyes serious, as if the mysteries of the galaxy had been revealed to him.
"It's a good start," Obi-Wan said. "And a good end, if you do it right."
"How will we know?" Whisky asked, a mock frown on his face. "Could you demonstrate a good hug – with Cody?" He gestured toward his brother.
His expression might have been staid, but the wicked gleam of humor in his eyes told Obi-Wan that he was joking and Anakin was trying, less successfully, to hold his laughter back with one hand pressed to his mouth. "That's a good idea, Whisky," he said, attempting to sound contemplative. "I think we'd all appreciate the lesson, Obi-Wan." At this, Anakin couldn't help the amusement in his voice, and Obi-Wan cast him a droll look.
But then Cody shifted, he made to get up, his arms starting to lift. "Okay, sir..."
"No." Obi-wan shook his head at Cody, but only after a long pause – too long. Maybe they'd all had one, or three, too many.
Anakin and Whisky were doubled over in laughter, but Cody had a baffled sort of look in his eyes. "General?"
Obi-Wan shook his head again. "Jedi Generals don't cuddle - hiccup - their commanders."
Minutes and minutes later, when Anakin and Whisky had finally regained control of themselves, the General suggested they all call it a night. The next morning came too soon, only a few hours later, but Obi-Wan woke with only a slight headache and feeling just a bit tired. For very different reasons, Clones and Jedi alike had a quick recovery time from the affects of alcohol, but still, Obi-Wan had had strange, strange dreams...
AN: This is for all you amazing TCW writers who still continue to support me and review, even despite my 'to a fault' love of Obi-Wan. Many, many thanks to laloga and Queen for masterfully implanting this idea, a true 'inception', and also BunBun Fett as well, for the encouragement and 'brainstorming' which quickly turned into just being silly, but was a lot of fun. Someone, I don't care who, owes me two Obi-Wan stories! One of them should include Obi-Wan in a cage...
And special thanks to laloga, for making sure it was acceptable. I haven't been nervous to have a story beta'ed in a long time ;) If you haven't checked out her work, please do! If you like Cody and company, her oc clones are truly fantastic, and if you like Obi-Wan, she has some fabulous Obi-Wan stories mixed in there as well!
FYI: Whisky is a clone of my own creation, he was in chapter 8 of Fallen, and hopefully I will find even more use for him in the future ;)
Please review and let me know what you think! I have at least one or two more planned - more Siri and Obi-Wan coming next!