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Welcome back! This is the In-between, a story done between Episode II and Episode III. I hope you all enjoy it, and from here on out the story is going to differ quite a bit from the movies.
And just so you understand, the thoughts of a person i.e. Anakin, will be in single quotes i.e. 'May the force be with you.' The thoughts between two people i.e. Buffy and Obi-Wan, will be in single quotes and italics, i.e. 'May the force be with you.' Hope that you guys like this next part, let me know:-)
In-Between A -o- Mission
Buffy folded her legs in front of her and straightened her back; she laid her hands on her knees and took a deep breath. Something had been bothering her, something she couldn't figure out on her own. It had been keeping her up at night, and in doing so it had been keeping Obi-Wan up at night, because she tended to pace, and not quietly. Obi-Wan had suggested, in a very firm tone, that she should try meditating, something she was only now starting to get good at. In six months it was the only thing she seemed to have trouble with. She rolled her neck a few times and continued to breathe in long steady breaths. It wasn't hard for her to get into a meditative state, but it was hard for her to stay there. She closed her eyes and let everything around her melt into nothingness. She blocked out the sounds from all around her, the noise of the apartment, the noise of the traffic outside, everything. She took a deep breath and was surprised by the familiar scents that filled her nose. They were the well-known scents of a cemetery, the wet grass and the freshly dug graves spilled out around her. She opened her eyes and found herself standing in a cemetery; she was leaning up against a very large headstone, someone standing to her right.
She turned her head and looked and was less than surprised to find Angel standing there. He had a small smile on his face and his hands were resting behind him, on the headstone. He was looking out towards the dark night at something Buffy couldn't see. There was something heavy in her hand and when she looked down at it she saw that it was the medallion, the one she'd ended up giving to Spike. It was then that she knew when and where she was. Angel looked over at her and she sighed and opened her mouth to speak.
"Because...Ok, I'm cookie dough. I'm not done baking. I'm not finished becoming whoever the hell it is I'm gonna turn out to be. I make it through this, and the next thing, and the next thing, and maybe one day I turn around and realize I'm ready. I'm cookies. And then, you know, if I want someone to eat...or enjoy warm, delicious cookie me, then...that's fine. That'll be then. When I'm done." She smiled to herself, the words flowing from another time and another place, but she remembered this. Angel looked at her and she wondered what this had to do with anything. She didn't miss Angel, not as much as the rest of them, so what did he have to do with her problem?
"Any thoughts on who might enjoy..." He sighed and shook his head, a small smile on his face. "Do I have to go with the cookie analogy?" he asked and Buffy giggled a little, shaking her head.
"I'm not really thinking that far ahead. That's kind of the point," she said, reaching out to touch him, but he was no longer there. Now she was standing back in the apartment, in their small but effective kitchen, cooking. Obi-Wan walked in from the other room and smiled at her as he sat down at the table across from her. She turned to the oven as the timer sounded and she smiled. She bent over and opened the door and pulled out a tray, she turned with it in her hands and found Obi-Wan staring at her, a warm smile on his face.
"Cookies are done," she said, putting the tray down on the table in front of him. Buffy's eyes snapped open; she held back the little gasp that came with this new knowledge. She brought her hands up and rubbed the side of her head, trying to knead away this sudden head ache. She must be interpreting this wrong, this couldn't mean what it looked like it meant, could it? She closed her eyes again and tried to picture him in her mind and found it was a simple task. Every detail was clear, his face, his eyes, the way his lips curled up in a half smirk when he was joking with her.
Her eyes popped open again and she shook her head trying to dislodge the visuals from her mind. How had she let this happen? Of all the people, in this whole galaxy, it had to be him. Buffy unfolded her legs and leaned back against the back of the couch and sighed. Of course it had to be him, there was no one else in this whole world that she found half as entertaining as him, half as brave or, sometimes, stupid as him. He was so much like her in so many ways, how had she not seen this coming?
She pulled her knees up to her chest and looked out the huge picture window to the world outside and sighed. She put up a few blocks in her mind as she pondered this new feeling; the last thing she needed was Obi-Wan hearing something he shouldn't. How had she not realized this? Wasn't this something you knew about, as soon as it happened? Didn't your heart flutter and your palms sweat and all that mushy crap? How had she missed that she'd fallen head over heels in love with the one person she was never allowed to have?
-o-o-o-o-
Buffy stood in front of the small mirror in her room and smiled. She liked the way her new robes fit her, closer to the skin than normal Jedi robes, but far less tight than the skin suit she had first donned when she got to this new galaxy. She had worked with the woman who makes the Jedi clothing, hoping she could get something close to good looking. She shook her head as she plopped back down onto her bed. She was trying to look good, without even realizing she had been trying to impress him. Him who was not even swayed in the least by a pretty woman, at least, not that she could tell.
This was just wrong, maybe she should ask for a new master. Maybe things would just be better that way. She shook her head, tossing that thought out; she couldn't train under anyone other than Obi-Wan and she knew it. He was the only one who really understood her need to not be 'mastered.' Though he still scolded her on her jumps to anger, and her lack of focus. She too was impulsive, just like Anakin, and it frustrated him.
Not for the first time Buffy wished she had Willow to talk to. What she felt for Obi-Wan, it was so different than anything she'd ever felt before it scared her a little. Willow would have just the right words to make her either feel better or laugh about it. Buffy slid off the bed and landed softly on the floor next to it. She reached under and pulled something out from underneath it. The box was small, hardly big enough to fit a pair of shoes, and square, but it held something Buffy had never thought she'd have again.
-Two Months Ago-
"I know it's hard for you," Obi-Wan said, walking over and sitting down next to her on the couch. She looked up at him as he sat and sighed; he didn't really know, but it was nice of him to try. That morning she had woken up and realized it was Dawn's birthday, or would have been, if the times were the same here as they were there. She had rolled over in bed and cried, not able to hold back the sadness that overtook her. It had filtered through the bond to Obi-Wan, and he too had felt the immense sadness. After a while she had come out into the living room and moped around a little, unsure of herself. And Obi-Wan, just as unsure how to help, had stayed out of her way, for a while.
"I just miss them, it's kind of like they're dead, but I know they're not." Buffy sat up and looked around the small living room. There were two holopictures on the wall, one of Anakin and Obi-Wan, probably taken a good five years ago, and one of Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon, taken almost fifteen years ago. She'd had a picture of her family, when she'd died; she'd tucked one into her pocket, just so they'd all be close even when they were fighting the First. But she'd woken on that planet, naked and with no picture. It might make things easier, her not having the picture, not having a constant reminder, but if she could have any one thing it would be that picture. After a little while he fixed them a cup of tea and sat while she told him a little about her sister. Something she didn't do often was open up about her past, so he had no problem sitting and listening. After talking Buffy had wanted to train, anything to take her mind off the sadness lurking in her.
That night when Buffy had gone back to her room there was something sitting on her bed, something that had not been there when she'd left that morning. It was a small white piece of paper that looked to have been folded in half. There was writing on the back and when Buffy picked it up to read it she realized it was picture paper. She flipped it over and was shocked to see the six smiling faces of herself and her family. She flipped it back over and looked down at the writing.
Courtesy of the PTB.
It was the picture she'd had on her when she died, not just a replica but the picture. She couldn't believe it, why had they sent her this? Was it some kind of a reward? Or did they feel bad about tearing her away from her family then leaving her with nothing of them? Whatever it was Buffy was thankful. She tucked it into a book and kept it on the table by her bed. Later she'd found a small pretty box for it and it went under her bed.
-End Flashback-
The thought that the PTB could send her stuff here made her think, maybe there was a way home. Sometimes she'd ponder this; maybe after she'd helped Anakin not become a very bad man she'd be able to find a way home. Mostly she knew this was just a pipe dream, but sometimes she'd entertain the thought that she might be home someday.
-o-
"Obi-Wan?" Buffy called a half an hour later when she came out of her room. The living room was empty but Obi-Wan's cloak was sitting by the door, ready to go, so he was still here somewhere. She looked towards his door, but it stood open, and empty. She took a deep breath and took down her blocks in her mind for just a moment. 'Obi-Wan?...Master?' Buffy thought, only adding the 'Master' as an afterthought. She never really thought of him like that, which was probably one of her problems; if she thought of him as her teacher and not her friend she wouldn't be in this mess.
'Yes?' Obi-Wan thought and Buffy could hear the chuckle behind the word and knew that he was smirking from the tone of his thought.
'You coming master?' she thought, keeping all irrelevant things out of her head. She had come to find, quite surprisingly, that she had a great aptitude for making her mind do what she wanted it to.
'Just a sec,' he thought and Buffy smiled at the phrase he had obviously picked up from her; she wondered if he was aware that he was doing it. She thought back over the last few months, wondering if she was doing the same thing. A particular day came floating to the top of her memory and she smiled realizing that, yes, she was taking after him, though, maybe not in speech.
-Four Months ago-
"More so than Skywalker even." Buffy swung her lightsaber down and around just barely missing Obi-Wan's arm. She stepped back then went down and to the left, nicking his knee with the tip of her lightsaber. She looked up at Obi-Wan and smirked. "And after only being his Padawan for two months, amazing." Buffy sighed as she and Obi-Wan continued to duel. There was a group of about fifteen Jedi Knights standing off and back to her right, just out of her sight, and they were talking about her. She shouldn't be able to hear them, and any normal person, or non Jedi wouldn't have been able to, but she was neither.
"The way she fights, it's unbelievable, as if she's just taken the knowledge right out of his head," she heard a low female voice say and had to stop herself from taking her eyes off a fast approaching Obi-Wan. He could hear them too, she could see it in his face, but he was doing a better job of ignoring them, he had more practice at it, she was sure. Having had very little experience with a sword, except for the occasional beheading, it wasn't hard to forget what she had learned and start fresh. She couldn't help it if she picked up a few of his moves, isn't that what teaching was about?
"A good fighter she is, well versed in lightsabers she has become." Buffy smiled at the familiar voice as she blocked a hit from Obi-Wan, but only just barely. She was trying not to listen to the goings on behind her, but she wasn't doing a very good job of it.
"Her technique is just like Kenobi's, she's copying him, move for move," Buffy heard a voice say, it was a voice she had come to know well in the two months since she had started here. Not a very pleasant voice at that; Buffy and Master Kuro did not see eye to eye. Kuro didn't like Buffy being trained, and didn't hide her feeling at all.
"Harshly you judge, Master Kuro," Yoda said and Buffy nodded once before dipping and rolling away from Obi-Wan's attack. She didn't think she was exactly like Obi-Wan, sure she had learned a lot from him, maybe even picked up a few of his moves, but she still tended to give Giles a lot of credit for a lot of her moves too. After all, he had been her first teacher in the 'staying alive' department.
"Learned well, she has," Yoda said and Buffy smiled, happy, for some unknown reason, to have Yoda's approval.
'Keep your mind here, Padawan.' Buffy blinked at the thought, still not fully used to talking this way of communication. 'Do not let your surroundings distract you,' Obi-Wan thought, seconds before he caught her on the shoulder. Buffy pulled her mind back to the fight and blocked a few more hits before she got Obi-Wan in the shoulder as well.
"I still cannot believe you let her in here Master Yoda, she is much too old to learn," Master Kuro said and Buffy couldn't help but hearing, not that Kuro was keeping her voice down or anything. Her mind elsewhere, Buffy didn't see Obi-Wan's leg kick out in front of him, taking her own legs out from under her; her lightsaber skidded away as his lightsaber came bearing down on her. He brought it to a stop right next to her neck, not even an inch from her skin.
"Now you're dead," he said, bent down over her, looking her in the eyes. Buffy nodded her head, thankful they were using training sabers. "Here. Now. Focus," he said, switching his lightsaber off. He clipped it to his belt and held out a hand to her. Buffy smiled as she reached up and let him help her to her feet.
"Do not let the thoughts and opinions of others distract you," Obi-Wan said as Buffy collected her lightsaber. "The only thing that matters is here," Obi-Wan said, tapping his head with his middle finger, "and here," he said, putting his hand on his heart.
"Yes Master," Buffy said, nodding her head once. She was having a little trouble getting her footing here, but she knew it would come, eventually.
-End Flashback-
Buffy still avoided Master Kuro at every turn, something about her put Buffy off, and it wasn't just her attitude about her.
'Reminiscing?' Obi-Wan thought and Buffy shook her head throwing up her blocks all around her mind. She hadn't realized she was broadcasting, had he seen just the memory?
"Ow," Obi-Wan said from behind Buffy, surprising her. She turned and saw he was rubbing his head, as if he had a head ache. "There's no need to block me out," he said and something caught Buffy's eyes. "I would never intrude; you just tend to broadcast when you're not paying attention."
"Sorry master," Buffy said, staring at him for a moment trying to decided if she liked it or not. "You shaved," she pointed out for him. His eyes went wide and his hand went to his chin in a rush.
"I what!?" he asked, mock shock written all over his face. "Well, look at that, I guess I did." Buffy stared at him for a long moment and then sighed. Yep, it looked really good on him, ten years off, just like she thought it would.
"It looks good," she said finally after a very long silence. "You look too young to be a Knight," she said, trying for a smile, but even that felt odd to her. She knew this was going to be bad, she just couldn't find her bearings with him now.
"Thank you?" He voiced it as a question because her voice had held a bit of hesitation, and he was very good at reading tones. She smiled brightly at him and nodded her head.
"It looks really good," Buffy told him, really meaning it. He smiled at her and nodded his head once.
"Should we go?" he asked, heading towards the door.
"Do we have to?" Buffy asked, following after him. "I mean, would they really miss us?"
"You know we do," Obi-Wan told her, a small smirk on his face. She could tell he didn't really want to go to this thing either; he just wasn't vocal about it.
"We could...spar!" Buffy said, nodding her head, an excited smile on her face. Anything to get them out of this stupid dinner.
"Why do you not want to go?" Obi-Wan asked, opening the door and stepping out. Buffy just stood inside their apartment and sighed. She blew her hair out of her face and stepped through the door too.
"I don't get along with politicians," Buffy said, looking up at him as they walked down the hall. He had on what Buffy had nicknamed his 'dress robes' and his lightsaber.
"Padme?" he pointed out and Buffy rolled her eyes.
"That's different," Buffy told him.
"How?" Obi-Wan asked and she smirked.
"Well, I don't think Padme has any plans to turn into a huge snake and try to eat everyone anytime soon." Buffy smirked at his very confused look.
"Turn into a-"
"Very large snake," Buffy said, nodding her head. "It happened, when I graduated from high school, that's like, finishing school, kind of, the mayor of our town turned into a huge snake that I had to blow up." Obi-Wan nodded his head slowly as if taking this all in. Finally after a long moment a huge smile broke out over his face and he looked down at Buffy.
"I don't think anyone there will be turning into a snake," he told her and she glared at him.
"So says you," Buffy said, stepping onto an elevator behind him. He reached out and put his hand on her shoulder and her eyes flew down to the point of contact. She was staring at his hand, lightly resting on her shoulder, and she had a sudden urge to reach up with her hand and cover his.
"Elisa?" he asked, calling her back to the moment.
"Sorry," she said, trying to keep the shakiness out of her voice. Oh God, she was going to have to get this under control. She couldn't be thinking about him like this, at all. "What did you say?"
"I said you'll be fine," he said, looking a little concerned. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," she said, nodding her head. "Really."
"Ok," Obi-Wan said, removing his hand from her arm. "Just take a deep breath. You'll be fine." Buffy nodded her head as she took a deep breath. The doors to the elevator opened and they stepped out into a room full of people, laughing, talking, and some arguing. Buffy looked around at all of them and ran her hand through her hair; there were a lot of them.
"Who's hosting this little shindig again?" Buffy asked as she and Obi-Wan walked through the crowd.
"Bail Organa," Obi-Wan said, nodding and smiling at someone walking towards them. "We were staying at his house in Alderaan when you...dropped in on us." Obi-Wan smirked down at her and then looked up as the man approached.
"Obi-Wan," he said, looking from Obi-Wan to Buffy and back again. He was tall, a good foot taller than Obi-Wan and had jet black hair and a small goatee. He had a very welcoming, genuine smile and Buffy liked him right away.
"Elisa," Obi-Wan said, looking down at her then to him. "This is Senator Bail Organa, Bail, this is Elisa, my-"
"New apprentice, I've heard," Bail said, nodding his head. Buffy liked him even more now; he hadn't used the word Padawan. "So good to finally meet you," he said, holding out his hand. Buffy took it and was not surprised by the firm grip.
"I may have borrowed something from your wife's-" she paused and looked up at Obi-Wan. 'Wife?' she thought and Obi-Wan smiled.
'Yes, wife,' he told her and Buffy nodded her head and looked back at Bail.
"I borrowed something from your wife's closet, sorry." Bail looked between the two of them and nodded his head.
"No harm done, I'm sure she hasn't even noticed," he said, smiling down at her, winking. Buffy wondered if his wife had closets full of clothes; he didn't seem like the kind of guy who could be married to a girl like that, but you never could tell.
After talking with Bail for a few more minutes they moved on, talking to a few other Jedi and a few other Padawans. Buffy laughed as Obi-Wan told her the history of some of the senators that were there. Every once in a while Obi-Wan would smile down at her and take her by the arm, leading her here and there, never noticing the way her breath would hitch for moment at his touch. Buffy kept her blocks up all night, trying desperately to think of a way to lessen her reaction to him. There had to be something she could do, otherwise he was going to know before the week was up.
"Master Jedi." The voice made Buffy's whole body go stiff and chilled her down to her bones. Buffy and Obi-Wan turned at the same time coming face to face with an older man; he had a very large smile on his face, but it was a very telling smile. It was a smile of a man who knew he could get anything he wanted with a single word. Buffy hated smiles like that. There was something about this guy she didn't like, and he'd only said two words so far.
"Chancellor," Obi-Wan said, smiling at him. "I don't believe you've gotten a chance to meet my new apprentice Elisa."
"No," he said, shaking his head, reaching out to shake Buffy's hand. Buffy looked down at his hand and hesitated a moment before she took it and shook. All her spidey senses were telling her this was not a nice guy. "But I have heard many things about her, quite the student."
'Huge snake,' Buffy thought and Obi-Wan looked down at her before looking back to the Chancellor.
"Master Yoda tells me you've learned quite a lot in the short time you've been here," he told her, a smile plastered on his face. Buffy wasn't sure if he was just a scum bag or a real bad guy, but she was sure she didn't like him.
"Thanks," Buffy said, trying to keep the hard edge out of her voice. The Chancellor nodded his head, smiling thinly at Buffy.
"I won't keep you from the party, good evening," he said, turning and walking away from them. Buffy shuddered as she watched him go and then turned back to Obi-Wan.
"Ok, so, who's he?" Buffy asked, a feeling of calm spreading through her now that he was gone.
"That, was Chancellor Palpatine," Obi-Wan said, looking down at her. She could tell that he thought about as much of him as she did.
"Well," Buffy said, taking a deep breath, "I don't like him."
"Come, Yoda should be around here somewhere and I told him we'd say hello," Obi-Wan said, smiling down at her, purposely changing the subject. Buffy nodded her head and let her mind drift away from Palpatine. But she was going to keep a close eye on him, whenever she could.
"Yes Master," Buffy intoned, smiling up at him as he rolled his eyes.
-o-o-o-o-o-
"Padme?" Buffy asked, smiling over the hololink. "How is everything there?"
"Everything is great," Padme said, her eyes bright and cheerful. "Anakin is working with my father at the shop; my dad never quits raving about Anakin's skill at putting things back together," Padme said, looking Buffy over, her eyes fell a little and she looked worried.
"How are you?" Padme asked, hoping nothing was wrong. Buffy opened her mouth to tell her about her vision, to explain to her what she thought it meant, but she stopped. This wasn't Willow she was talking to and while she trusted Padme a great deal, she wasn't sure if she was ready to share something like this with her.
"Things are good," she finally said, pulling up a half way convincing smile. "Training is beginning to get harder, but it's more fun that way." Padme laughed a little at this and smiled.
"Anakin still does his exercises every day, and he meditates before we go to bed," Padme told her and Buffy laughed a little, she was not surprised by that.
"Elisa we- Oh," Obi-Wan said, looking to the hololink sitting on Buffy's desk. His face fell a little at the sight of Padme and Buffy wondered what was wrong. "Hello Padme."
"Hello Obi-Wan," Padme said, smiling at him. "I'll let you go Elisa; Obi-Wan must have something important to tell you, barging into your room and all." Both girls looked up to Obi-Wan who had the grace to look slightly embarrassed.
"I do," he said, nodding his head.
"I'll talk to you later Padme, tell Annie hi for me," Buffy said, rolling her eyes when she was facing Padme again. Padme laughed and nodded her head.
"I will," she said, looking to Obi-Wan. "I'll talk to you later Obi-Wan."
"Good-bye Padme," Buffy said before the hololink went off. She turned to Obi-Wan and smirked at him. "You had news?"
"We have just been assigned a mission," he said and Buffy rolled her eyes and sighed as she turned back to her desk to put the hololink away.
"Who are we baby-sitting this time?" she asked, the irritation and frustration evident in her voice. In the last six months they had been on a total of three missions, all body guarding missions. Obi-Wan himself was a little frustrated with their missions, but he knew it would take the council a while to trust her as he had come to trust her.
"No one," he said and she turned to look at him, her eyes slightly suspicious. "There's a bounty hunter who is killing off senators who opposed the use of the clone army and-"
"Padme!" Buffy exclaimed, her eyes going wide in alarm as she stood up.
"Yes, they are afraid Padme may be in danger, but she has Anakin, she's well protected," Obi-Wan said and then Buffy understood.
"Are going to track down this bounty hunter?" Buffy asked, a small smile playing on her lips. "Because we've done that before, and it didn't work so well last time."
"I think it turned out ok," Obi-Wan said and Buffy caught the telling smirk on his face. It had worked out ok, in the end.
"Right, when do we leave?" she asked, starting out of her room after Obi-Wan.
"Tomorrow morning," Obi-Wan told her and she nodded her head. It was just coming up on her normal meditation time, though she was a little nervous about meditating again, she was afraid of what else it might reveal to her.
"Elisa," Obi-Wan said, turning to her as they walked into the kitchen. He would make tea, as always, then they would meditate and then head to bed. It was a nightly routine for them, one Buffy had come to enjoy quite a lot. "Are you alright?" he asked as she sat down at the table across from him. "You've been a bit tense as of late."
"I'm fine," Buffy said, shrugging her shoulders, she had never been a fabulous liar. "Getting a little restless maybe," she said; that sounded plausible to her, at least a little bit. Obi-Wan looked down at her, obviously not buying it. But he nodded his head anyway and went about making them tea. Tomorrow they would be off fighting and looking for bad guys, no time to worry over feelings and tension. Buffy sank back in her chair and hoped for a night of empty meditation and emptier dreams.
-o-o-o-o-o-
"Anakin, this is ridiculous," Padme said as she watched him pace back and forth. He was home with her, when he should be at his job with her father, because he was afraid she wasn't safe. They had heard over the comlink, from Yoda, about the bounty hunter killing the senators who opposed the clone army. Now, Padme was still in office, and planned to be till they decided to have kids, but she didn't openly oppose the clone army anymore. They had saved her, Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Elisa, and while she still had her issues with it, she wasn't very vocal about it.
"And if that bounty hunter shows up here, coming for you?" Anakin asked, turning to look at her. He seemed, for all who didn't know him, to be perfectly calm, almost too calm. But Padme could feel his inner turmoil over this new threat. He worried that he wouldn't be able to protect her, that by leaving the Jedi he had opened them up to possible danger.
"I'll be fine," Padme told him as she stood up and smiled evenly at him. "You should go to work."
"No," Anakin said shaking his head as he walked over to his workbench. He picked up one of his many projects and turned it over in his hands. "I will stay here, till the danger has passed."
"And next time?" Padme asked, coming up behind him as she laid her hand on his shoulder.
"Next time?" Anakin asked, turning around to look at her; he looked a little confused.
"The next threat, the next bounty hunter, Anakin, they're always going to be out there," Padme said, taking a deep breath. "Are you going to stay with me every time something like this comes up?"
"I-"
"I can take care of myself, I have been doing it for a very long time." She touched his arm and smiled sweetly at him. "I love you, but I don't need you to watch over me. I can take care of myself."
"I know you can," Anakin said, nodding his head; he sighed and ran his hand through his rapidly growing hair. He trusted her to take care of herself, really he did, but if something were to happen to her. He took a deep breath as she smiled up at him.
"Then please Anakin, go to work, help out my father." Padme reached out and followed his hand through his hair. She smiled at him as she stood up on her tippy toes and kissed him.
"I'll go," Anakin said and Padme nodded her head, happy that she had gotten through to him. "But when I get home we're going to start on your training."
"My training?" Padme asked, now slightly confused.
"Well, if you're going to be here, alone, you should at least know how to fight, and some blaster practice wouldn't be a bad idea." He stopped at the look on her face, like she was holding back a laugh. "I just-"
"No," Padme said, shaking her head. "It's a good idea, and who better to show me how to fight than you?" Anakin nodded his head and Padme reached up and kissed him again then stepped back.
"I'll see you tonight when I get home," Anakin said, kissing the top of her head. "I love you."
"I love you too, Anakin," she said, walking him to the door.
-o-o-o-o-
"Distract them?" he said, his voice rough as he looked down at the figure hovering on the hololink. "What do you mean, distract them?" he demanded, shaking his head, trying, and failing, to keep the rain out of his face.
"Keep them out of my way," the cloaked figure said, his voice harsh and demanding.
"I thought you wanted the senators out of the way? What is this about distracting a few Jedi; this isn't what I signed on for. I'm a bounty hunter, not a distraction."
"And I'm the one paying you. I don't care what you do with them, so long as they are out of my way, Jedi Kenobi has gotten in my way one too many times. And his new apprentice is-"
"Wait," the bounty hunter said, his lips curling into a sneer. "Do you mean Obi-Wan Kenobi?"
"I do," the cloaked figure said, his voice holding a hint of amusement.
"Well," he said, stepping out towards his speeder. "That changes things." The rain seemed to fall harder the farther out on the landing pad he went. "I can do anything?"
"So long as they stay away from Skywalker and the Senator," the figure said, nodding his head.
"Well then," he said, laughing bitterly. "I have just the plan," he said and the figure nodded his head once then disappeared. Kenobi wouldn't even know what hit him. He jumped into the speeder as he tucked the hololink away; this had just gotten so much more interesting.
-o-o-o-o-
"Elisa," Obi-Wan said, looking down at her sleeping form. She groaned as she opened her eyes, she was remarkably easy to wake up. She sat up in bed and looked from him to her window; obviously telling him it was still the middle of the night.
"What?" she asked, already pulling the covers back.
"The council has intercepted a transmission, we know who the bounty hunter is going after next." Buffy's eyes lit up and she jumped out of bed, narrowly missing running into Obi-Wan as she ran to her closet.
"I'll be ready in five minutes," she told him, pulling something down and throwing it on the chair behind her. Obi-Wan nodded his head as he walked out of her room. The council had contacted him minutes ago telling him their news. She would be happy to know they weren't going to have to go off world; the bounty hunter, it would seem, was coming to them.
"Let's go," Buffy said as she swung her cloak on over her shoulders and headed towards the door. She turned back to look at Obi-Wan, he was just standing there, staring. "Obi-Wan?"
"Sorry," he said, shaking his head, smiling at her. "I'll fill you in on the way," he said, heading towards her. She nodded her head and the door in front of her opened and they both headed towards the hangar.
-o-o-o-
"And you don't think that's a little...odd?" Buffy asked as they flew through the night. It was close to morning and there were a few other speeders in the air now, not many, but a few.
"Odd?' Obi-Wan asked, looking over at her.
"I just mean, you don't think it's a little too convenient that you guys just happen to intercept the name of the next senator to be killed?" Buffy asked as Obi-Wan turned back; they sat in silence for a moment and then Obi-Wan nodded.
"Perhaps we should use caution then?" he asked and Buffy looked over at him, there was some kind of look on his face that Buffy couldn't place right off. Finally it hit Buffy and she shook her head.
"So you were already suspicious?" she asked, rolling her eyes. "Figures, just when it looks like I might know something you don't." She leaned back in her seat and watched the speeders zip past. "So what's the plan then?"
-o-o-o-
"Chancellor," Anakin said, smiling at the man in the hololink. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"
"Anakin," Palpatine said, smiling at him. "I have heard this distressing news of the senators being killed. I wanted to be sure you and Padme were taking precautions."
"We are," Anakin said, nodding his head, a small smile on his face. "I'm giving Padme a few lessons on fighting and such."
"Good, good," Palpatine said, nodding his head. "Are the two of you planning on staying on?"
"Yes," Anakin said, nodding his head, wondering now where this was going. It almost seemed to him like he was fishing for information.
"Alright, if you're sure it's safe," Palpatine said, nodding his head. "I'm glad to hear you're being careful."
"We are," Anakin said, nodding his head, a funny feeling filling his mind. "Thank you for calling Chancellor," Anakin said, nodding his head.
"My pleasure," Palpatine said, smiling again at Anakin. "I will talk to you later when you two are back on Coruscant for a while."
"Of course," Anakin said, putting the hololink down when Palpatine disappeared. That had been a little odd, even for Palpatine, who seemed to call to check up on them at least once a month. At first it had seemed to Anakin that he was just worried about them adjusting to such a radical change, but now, he wasn't so sure.
"Annie," Padme said, coming in the side door from the small garden she had on the side of their house. "Who was that?" she asked, placing the basket of veggies on the counter by the sink.
"The Chancellor," Anakin said, turning to smile at her. She had a small smudge of dirt on her cheek.
"Oh," Padme said, nodding her head, turning back to the sink. Padme didn't like the Chancellor much, not after she found out how he manipulated Jar Jar into voting him the emergency power. "I'm going to make soup for dinner, Mom and Dad are coming."
"I'll make sure the 5X-2 motor I'm working on is cleaned up then," Anakin said, smirking at her as she spun around to glare at him.
"Please tell me you didn't bring that thing into the house?" Padme asked, visions of oil and grime everywhere. Anakin walked over to her and pulled her into a tight hug. He pulled away, still smirking at her, then turned and walked out into the living room. She shook her head, sure he wouldn't have really brought a motor into the house. She leaned over the sink as she cleaned and sliced a few veggies, but after a while she couldn't take it anymore. She turned and ran into the living room to see if he had brought it in. Anakin was sitting on the floor, his legs folded under him, his eyes closed - he was meditating.
She walked over and brushed his hair out of his face, knowing her touch would not interfere. He was very hard to bring out of a meditation when he wanted to be. She smiled at the small smile on his lips and hoped he wasn't too worried about her. She looked around the room, no motor in sight. She laughed at herself as she made her way back into the kitchen to work on the soup.
-o-o-o-o-
"Arfour, how many life signs?" Obi-Wan asked as they pulled up next to the home of the senator they were going to try and save. Arfour beeped twice and Obi-Wan looked perplexed.
"Are you sure?" he asked and the little droid beeped twice again and Obi-Wan nodded his head, a deep frown on his face. "Yes I know, I know, you don't make mistakes."
"You're going to have to teach me how to understand him" Buffy said, looking over at Arfour who beeped at her and she smiled, it sounded like a friendly beep.
"Yes," Obi-Wan said, nodding his head as he brought the speeder down softly, making little to no noise. "Arfour said there's only one life sign, and Senator Stinten has a staff of around 15 people, not including the droids."
"Live-in staff?" Buffy asked, getting the same idea he was. Everyone was either conveniently gone, or they were all dead. And them all being gone was a little too convenient for her, this was not good.
"Yes," Obi-Wan said, nodding his head, a solemn look on his face as he jumped out of the speeder. Buffy followed behind him and staying to the shadows they made their way towards the house. 'Fifteen people, all dead, and for what?' Buffy thought, shaking her head, trying to subdue the anger rising in her chest. Obi-Wan looked back at her and she could read the look on his face, calm down, it said very clearly.
'Sorry,' Buffy thought and Obi-Wan nodded his head. They made their way towards a side window and Obi-Wan opened it with no problems at all. Buffy smiled as he stood back so she could slide in first. Obi-Wan joined her moments later and they made their way through the very dark house. Obi-Wan had told her they were going to the house of a very wealthy senator, with very good security, but Buffy was pretty sure it hadn't done him any good.
'Is he still alive?' Buffy asked as they made their way down a hall towards a light.
'I do not believe so,' Obi-Wan said and Buffy nodded her head.
'Do you think the bounty hunter is still here?' Buffy thought, wondering who this guy was, and hoping he wasn't any worse than Jango.
'I do,' Obi-Wan said, holding his hand up when they got to the door where the light was coming from. Buffy stopped and dug into the force, looking into the room without opening the door; she knew Obi-Wan was doing the same, but two 'heads' were better than one.
'No one's in there,' Buffy thought after a moment. Obi-Wan nodded his head and pulled his lightsaber off his belt. There was a small sound of their sabers flashing on and then the light buzzing noise. Obi-Wan pushed the door open slowly and the hall was suddenly basked in light. They went into the room, both very cautious as they crossed the threshold. Buffy had to take a deep breath to keep herself from gagging on what she saw in the room.
The floor was covered in bodies; somewhere around fifteen bodies she was sure. There was blood covering everything, the walls, the floor, and the windows. The senator they had come to help was propped up on a chair at his desk; his head slumped to one side, blood running down his face from the single hole in his forehead.
Buffy was the first to turn and face the door, seconds before a man walked into the room. He wore body armor similar to Jango, only it was red and silver. He had his gun pointed at both of them, surely he must know that wouldn't help him at all?
"Ah, Kenobi," the thick rough voice said from behind the mask. "It has been a while. Still running around with little blonde girls I see." Buffy looked from the bounty hunter to Obi-Wan and back, did they know each other? Obi-Wan took a step towards him so he was now halfway blocking Buffy.
"Magus," Obi-Wan said and Buffy looked momentarily confused, he did know him. "Why does it not surprise me that you are behind this," he said, sweeping his hand back while keeping his eyes on Magus. Buffy was a little surprised by the outrage coming off of Obi-Wan now, he was angry, an emotion she had never really felt from him before.
'Obi-Wan?' Buffy asked and was surprised to have the thought bounced back at her; she looked up at him confused, was he blocking her? 'Why would he do that?' Buffy thought, desperately trying to figure out what was going on. She took a deep breath and regretted it immediately; the air was already beginning to smell of death, a smell she knew well.
"Do you like it?" he asked as he reached up with his free hand and removed his helmet. He had dark red hair, a fact that, for some reason, surprised Buffy. His eyes took in everything around them without once moving his head. There was a scar about an inch wide on his forehead that dipped down towards his right eye. "I worked all night on this little surprise."
"Who hired you?" Buffy demanded, finally deciding they needed some information, and since Obi-Wan seemed a little…off right now, she'd just have to do it. His eyes landed on Buffy and she had to force herself not to take a step back, this guy was majorly scary.
"Wouldn't you like to know," he said and Buffy, never one to miss a beat, rolled her eyes.
"Well yeah, that's why I asked." She took a step forward so she was standing next to Obi-Wan.
"What spunk," he said, stepping towards them. 'Something's not right here!' Her mind was screaming at her. There was something she was missing, something just out of her reach. "You know, she even looks a little like her, don't you think?" His eyes scanned over Buffy and Obi-Wan took a step forward, blocking Buffy again. "Well enough chit chat, time to go." He took a step backwards and then turned as if to leave. "I'll tell Siri you said hello."
Then he was gone. It took Buffy all of five seconds to realize he had been using some kind of hololink, some kind of life size one, something she had not seen before. She looked up at Obi-Wan; he had a sick look on his face as his gaze met hers.
"Are you alright?" she asked, concerned at his blocks and lack of response. "Obi-Wan?"
"He's going after Siri," Obi-Wan said, looking down at Buffy; he looked like he had seen a ghost.
"Do we know this Siri?" she asked, blinking in surprise when he rushed out the door. She followed behind him, actually having a little trouble keeping up. "Obi-Wan!"
"We have to find out where she is," Obi-Wan said as he climbed back out the window the way they had come. "The council will know."
"Obi-Wan, would you please tell me what's going on?" she asked as they raced to the speeder; he jumped in and she was only seconds behind him. As soon as she was seated they were in the air and he was on the comlink.
"I need a location, access code kenobi22454," he demanded into the com. Buffy looked him over worriedly, this Siri must mean a lot to Obi-Wan. He was in such a rush, who had that bounty hunter been? Who was Siri? Whoever she was Buffy hoped they could find her in time.
"Just a moment," a droid's voice said. Obi-Wan was flying and trying to talk at the same time, she was going to have to get him to teach her to drive one of these things someday so he wouldn't have to multitask.
"Obi-Wan?" Buffy asked, now sounding a little desperate. "Please?"
"Elisa," he said, looking over at her, almost as if seeing her for the first time. "I'm sorry," he said, shaking his head. There was something in his eyes, something she was sure she must be misreading. 'Who was this Siri girl?'
"Siri is a very old friend," he explained and Buffy nodded her head, knowing that wasn't all there was to it. This was not the reaction of a man looking for an old friend.
"Friend?" Buffy asked and Obi-Wan shook his head. So he was in love with this girl, was she a Jedi?
"Siri and I, we grew up together. We were padawans together; we went on our first real mission together, with our masters, we-"
"Fell in love?" Buffy asked, knowing where this was going. Buffy tried to school her face into a neutral look, she was totally ok with this information. She was. That twisty feeling in her stomach was worry, that was all.
"I was in love with her for a very long time," Obi-Wan said and Buffy's head popped up at the word 'was'. It seemed a very odd thing for Obi-Wan to say, volunteering information like that was not like him, they had that in common. He 'was' in love with her, did that mean he wasn't in love with her now?
"She'll be fine Obi-Wan, we'll get there in time." Buffy looked down as the radio crackled and the droid came back. She reached out and put her hand on his arm and he gave her a weak smile.
"Name please?" the droid's voice asked.
"Siri Tachi," Obi-Wan said and they waited.
"Siri Tachi is currently stationed on Adega," the droid told them and Obi-Wan nodded his head.
"We're going to need a starship for this," he said and Buffy nodded her head as Obi-Wan headed towards the Temple. Buffy wasn't sure what Obi-Wan's past with this girl was, but she knew they had to get to her before this Magus guy did.
A/N- So, what do you think? For those of you who don't know who Siri is just Google her, she is a real character. :-) I hope you like it so far, thanks for reading, please review!