Author's note: This story references events that occured in the Jude Watson book, Secrets of the Jedi, which I highly recommend.

The next three weeks continued on in a similar fashion for Kalinda. In fact, she found that a strange sense of freedom took over her when she performed; shegot to choose what songs she played and she got to come and go from the Chrysalis as she pleased. After the first week, she managed to convince the bartender, Lirra, to sing backup, and Dex turned out to be quite handy with a drum kit, which opened up quite a few more options for her. And-best of all-no one knew her. No one looked at her and saw the crippled Padawan whose Master was killed: she was simply Kamala. Lirra, had even brought her a few more changes of clothes so she was able to return the ones she'd "borrowed" from the Temple.

One night, after the place had closed and Joyle was happily counting down the till, Kali approached her with a proposition. She stood in front of the woman, clearing her throat.

"What is it, girl? I'm doing important work here!"

Kali smiled. "I know. That's kind of why I want to talk to you." As she'd expected, the reference to finances caught the Pantoran's attention, and the woman looked up at her warily. "I think that it would be really beneficial to the club if you hired some more musicians. It would add so much depth to the sound...you could even clear out the floor and set up an area to dance!"

Joyle ran her fingers over the stack of credits that she'd accumulated, and nodded slowly. "I hear you, I hear you," she said. "But will all of these musicians be as...generous as you are with your time?"

"Doubtful, but I know that with a real band, this place could do a lot better than it is now. All those people who've been coming each night, they're not coming for the atmosphere," she countered. "Dex said that he knows some people that would be a good fit, and did you know that Lirra can sing? I mean, she's really good! With a little practice, she'd be great..."

The Pantoran pursed her lips. "I'll think about it," she said gruffly, but Kali knew that she had already decided.

She grinned at the woman and bid her a good night. After speaking with Dex for a moment, she headed for the Jedi Temple. It was dark and still, as always, but Kalinda had figured out what times she could slip back to her room unnoticed, and she quietly made her way to the stairs, which, while more painful for her knee, was less obvious than the turbolift. Just as she stepped out, she nearly collided with Obi-wan, who looked ragged and tired. He just got back from a mission, she remembered, giving him a hesitant wave.

His eyes narrowed, but he seemed more confused than annoyed. "Kalinda? What are you doing out so late?" There was a certain weight to him, as though he had suffered some trauma, though he looked, for the most part, unharmed. Still though, there was something in his eyes that was...different. As she met his gaze, she found herself unable to lie to him.

Instead, she put her finger to her lips and tugged his hand, pulling him towards her room about ten meters down the corridor. Once the door had shut behind them, Obi-wan glared at her. " Do you have any idea what time it is? Where were you coming from? What in the stars and galaxies are you wearing?"

She didn't respond for a minute, instead taking a seat on her bed and wiggling out of the heeled shoes that Lirra had given her. Sighing, she stretched out her legs and rubbed at her bare feet. Finally, she looked up at him. Sorry, my feet were killing me after those stairs."

He crossed his arms and said nothing.

Kali stood up and walked over to the small, round window that overlooked Coruscant. Dawn was coming in earnest now, streaking the sky with gold and crimson. "It's not a big deal. A few nights a week, I play music at a restaurant downtown."

"Without the Council's approval, I suppose?" She gave him a look and he shook his head. "You could get in serious trouble for this, you know."

"Of course I do," she replied. "But...it's helping me." She looked back at him, the first rays of light from the rising sun gilding one side of her face. "I feel...more like myself, you know? For the first time since, since..." She trailed of, and wiped at the tears that were all of a sudden rolling down her cheeks. "I'm sorry, Ben," she said. "I'm tired, and you're tired...I shouldn't have dragged you into this, especially now." She smiled softly at him. "How was it? The mission, I mean."

"It was...challenging," he said after a pause. "As they all are, I guess." He stared down at his folded hands, lost in his own thoughts. Finally, he looked back at her. "I...I've missed you."

Kali hugged her arms to her sides. "I've missed you too, Ben." She rested her head against the coolness of the window, her breath fogging the glass and obscuring the view. "I'm sorry I pushed you away. I just...it's just that..."

He rose and crossed the room to stand beside her as she spoke; he took her in his arms. "I'm sorry, Kali," he whispered, his face in her hair. "I'm so sorry that you lost your Master, and that I was such a gundark about it...I don't know what I'd do if I lost Qui-gon."

She clung to him hesitantly at first but as he spoke she felt herself sinking deeper and deeper into him. Rather than reply, she tried to reach him through the Force, tried to touch his mind, as she had done back on Echothalia. It's okay, Ben. "I love you," she whispered into his tunic.

"What?" He pulled back and looked at her as though she had sprouted another head. "You...but..."

"I always have, Ben," she said, her voice quiet. She met his confused look with her own steady one, though she felt as though her racing heart would fly out of her ribcage. "And I think I always will." He opened his mouth to protest, but she shook her head. "I know what you're going to say, and I disagree. I know that the Code forbids attachment...but I can't help it."

He closed his eyes, and rubbed at them with his palm. "I can't do this right now, Kali."

She looked at him. "Are you okay?"

"Yes. No. I don't know..." He sighed. "Why did you have to say that, of all things?"

"It's how I feel," she replied. "It would be a lie to pretend otherwise."

"It is against the Code, Kali. If we want to be Jedi, if we want to serve the Republic, we'll just forget..."

She shook her head. "I can't do that. Can you? Can you push all of this aside, pretend that none of those feelings exist?"

"I...look, Kali, that's beside the point. Qui-gon specifically told me that those feelings are forbidden. He said that to love someone is to be attached to them."

"Love doesn't have to be selfish; the history of the Jedi is full of examples of that. From what I've learned, I believe that it is possible to love someone, utterly and completely, without attachment, without forgoing your duty."

He shook his head. "I don't understand how that's possible."

"You don't have to understand love, Obi-wan," she said. "No one really does. But I trust it, as I trust the Force. They're one and the same, I think." Her gaze on his was resolute. "One day you'll realize that."

He sighed again, but made no reply.

They watched the sunrise for a few more minutes before she suggested that they each get some sleep. As he exited her quarters, she said his name again. "You'll have to tell me all about what happened on your mission. It must have been quite eventful."

He did not smile, as she'd expected, he only nodded once and slipped out of the room.

The next day started simply enough, with routine lessons and meditation sessions, and in the late afternoon, Kalinda found herself at The Chrysalis, where she and Dex were holding auditions for the band that Joyle had begrudgingly decided to hire. Kalinda leaned over to consult with the Besalisk as the Wookie keyboard player gathered her equipment.

"What do you think?"

"Are you kidding? I'd be too afraid of having my arms ripped out of their sockets to say no."

Kali grinned. "I thought she was pretty good too." She called up to the stage. "Mershyk? You're in. Can you come back tomorrow to start rehearsals?"

The Wookie gave a chortle and a nod that she took to mean "yes," and exited the club. Dex leaned back in his chair, scratching his bulbous stomach. "Let me take a quick break before the next one; I need to check on Robburtto; hopefully he hasn't burned anything down yet."

Nodding, Kalinda headed to the bar. Lirra, the violet-skinned Twi'lek who was cleaning glasses behind the counter, smiled warmly at her and slid her a frosted cup of muja juice, which Kali accepted gratefully. "That Wookie was good," she said.

Kali nodded, savoring the cool liquid as it made its way down her throat. "She was. You don't see many Wookie keyboard players around."

"How many more auditions are there tonight?"

"Just two more: another drummer, and a gitar player." She raised her eyebrows at Lirra. "Do you want to do a solo tonight? I can't stay as late as normal, since I got here so early."

Lirra held up a glass to the light, checking for smudges and shrugged. "Maybe. I'm not sure..."

"The tips are better," Kali pointed out.

"Only for you, Kam," the Twi'lek laughed. "I have to show a bit more skin than you to fill my tip jar up."

Kali rolled her eyes. "You have a great voice, Lirra. You could run this whole show, you know. You could be a real musician."

"Those clothes suit you," Lirra said, abruptly changing the subject.

Kali glanced down at the outfit she'd complied for the evening. It was more colorful than she was used to: a bright blue, sleeveless shimmersilk dress that fell just below her waist; dark-blue leggings beneath it that offered her some modesty, and her Jedi boots. "I don't know how you can wear those shoes," she said, shaking her head. "They kill my feet."

The Twi'lek shrugged. "You get used to them. And with your figure, you should flaunt what you've been given."

"Please, don't start that again," Kali sighed. "I don't like to dress that way."

Lirra shook her head. "You looked amazing in that dress-"

"I looked like the prow of a ship!" Kali replied with a giggle. "It was unseemly! I'm just not made to wear anything that tight...I don't know how you do it."

"Well, the profit from your tip jar that night bought everyone in the bar dinner," Lirra pointed out. "So I'd say that you were doing something right."

Kali shrugged. "Glad to be of service, I guess. But back to your singing..."

"No way," the Twi'lek said, shaking her head and handed Kali a bottle of water. "That's your area, my dear." She leaned around Kali as a figure entered the bar, suddenly distracted. Kali turned and watched as a handsome young Togrutan male smiled and waved at her, his grin widening as Lirra slipped out from behind the bar and ran forward to leap into his arms.

"Elek," she cried as she threw her arms around him. "I didn't know you were back in town!" They kissed passionately before Dex, who had come to stand behind her, cleared his throat; the couple looked up from their embrace and Lirra slipped out of his arms. "Want a drink?" she asked, clearing her throat and stepping back behind the bar while he took a seat beside Kali.

"Hi Kam," he said. "You been keeping out of trouble?"

She smiled. "More or less. You?"

He shook his head and smiled at Lirra as she handed him a tall, frosted drink. "Not really. But it's okay. Thanks Lir," he said, raising the glass. "That hits the spot."

The Twi'lek leaned over the counter. "Catch any bad guys lately?"

"The life of a bounty hunter is not an easy one," he replied, shaking his head. "But don't worry, love," he took her hands across the bar. "I'll be making a real living soon."

She nodded, though Kali could sense the doubt behind her thoughts. "I know."

Kali downed the rest of her drink. "You could always turn to a life of music if the whole 'catching wanted criminals' thing doesn't pay off."

"With my voice?" He laughed. "I wouldn't last a minute. But I hear that this place is doing pretty well-thanks to you."

Lirra grinned at her. "My tips have never been better! I should have my half of our downpayment sooner than we thought."

"Downpayment?" Kali asked.

Elek nodded. "We're trying to save up for our own ship. Take to the stars." He lifted his hand and zoomed parallel to the bar, whistling under his breath. "Make our own lives together."

Kalinda thought of the rows of gleaming ships in the Temple hangar. We take a lot for granted, she thought as she nodded.

The Togrutan looked back at Lirra. "Anyway, I can't stay long, love; I wanted to see you for a moment." Kali knew a cue when she heard one and slipped away from the bar to check the sound, looking up a few moments later to wave goodbye as Elek stepped out of the bar.

She walked back over to Lirra, who had visibly wilted the moment that he disappeared from her view. "I never stop missing him," she murmured.

As the evening wore on, Kalinda found herself slipping into the familiar routine of setting up the stage and playing her music. It was just her for the better part of the night, as neither Lirra nor Dex could get away from their respective stations, but Kali felt comfortable on stage alone and she had the audience clapping along with the music soon enough, thoroughly engrossed. As she was well into the fifth song, a familiar figure walked cautiously into the bar and Kali nearly forgot the words in shock.

Obi-wan looked incredibly out of place, standing in his simple robes amidst the flamboyance of The Chrysalis, his eyes fixed on the stage, incredulity written on his features. Kali managed to finish her song before she called for a break, causing Lirra to flip on Joyle's preferred house music that, though awful, was at least something for the patrons to listen to. Kali hurried off the stage and made her way to Obi-wan, grabbing his arm and bringing him to a shadowed corner.

"What are you doing here?"

"I might ask you the same question...This is a far cry from a restaurant, Kalinda." He looked around, frowning. "What kind of music is that? And why is everything so...sparkly?"

She ignored the question. "You need to leave. Now."

"Why?"

"Look," she said, her words hushed. "They don't know that I'm a Jedi, okay? I don't even go by my real name-"

"I know. That's why it took me so long to track you down." He regarded her. "Why all the secrecy, if you say you're not doing anything wrong?"

She pushed her hair back from her face impatiently. "It's just easier this way. Just think of it as being undercover." After a moment, she glanced around. "Did anyone else come with you?"

He sighed. "No. I asked to be excused from my evening meditation session to study in the Archives. But I don't like all this sneaking around, Kali."

"Then why did you come out?" she replied. "Why did you try to find me?"

"I just...wanted to see you," he admitted. "And I was curious about all this." He gestured to the bar, and the stage. "I wanted to know what you'd been up to."

She smiled. "So, when do you have to go back?"

"Qui-gon's off with several of the other Masters in a dejarik game," he replied. "Those tend to run long."

"Very long," she added, grinning at him. "Well, if you don't have anything better to do, why don't you hang around? You can heckle me if you get bored."

He chuckled. "That sounds good. But I don't want to, er, blow your cover." He indicated his distinctive robes.

Kali shook her head. "Don't worry about it. Dex probably has something you can borrow to look less Jedi-like."

"Who's Dex?"

"Oh, you'll love him! Come on..." She took his arm and they began to walk to the kitchen,