Author's notes: Literally written for fun after watching the Obi-Wan Kenobi series. As my Chae Jinn series of fan fiction is going to be a "fix it with happy endings" rather than follow canon; I wrote this from the point of view of: what if my Chae Jinn series mostly followed canon, so that Anakin fell to the Darkside/the Empire happened/things basically went how they should to end up where the Obi-Wan series starts (if that make sense).
Also, Chae is bisexual in this story. It was just a thing I wanted to explore a little. It's something I may potentially do more of in future fanfiction involving her.
Chae was sat in the small bar in Anchorhead when the Inquisitors arrived on Tatooine. They were after Jedi but Chae already knew this. With her position within the Empire, as the Emperor's personal scout, negotiator and spy of sorts, she was privvy to a lot of information.
Due to her status as a former Jedi, Emperor Palpatine felt she would be a useful ally. Chae was a powerful Jedi and Palpatine had decided that he would rather have her on his side than fighting against him. Also, Palpatine knew that he, Darth Vader and Imperial officers would be too obvious in certain situations. But with Chae, she wasn't as recognisable, so she could get into places or get information from people. She had been a Jedi, a protector of people and the peace; so if people recognised her from her time as a Jedi, they would usually automatically trust her.
The Inquisitors eventually arrived in the bar. Chae looked like any of the other customers, dressed in her grey trousers, very long tunic like top and a large shawl wrapped around her shoulders and head. There was a Jedi hiding out in the bar and the Inquisitors were there for the younger man. Chae had already managed to meet with him and she had told him in no uncertain terms to not make himself known; she would deal with the situation. He had looked uncertain but eventually agreed, even if it was reluctantly.
The High Inquisitor had demanded his answers from the bar owner. When they weren't getting the answers they wanted, the one they called Third Sister threw a knife at the man out of frustration. Everyone had gasped and held their breath. The knife stopped inches from the man's head. The inquisitors had got the reaction they wanted from a Force user, but not from who they expected. Chae stood up from her seat at the bar and made a big show of taking hold of the knife and taking down her hood. All eyes were on her. The stranger with the long dark/greying hair and the dazzling green eyes. The stranger who was obviously a Force user and, in their minds, had just outed herself and sentenced herself to death. Or so they thought for a brief time.
Chae smiled at them. "Now, now, now, that wasn't very nice, was it," she chided.
The High Inquisitor scowled at her. "You!" he snarled, his voice dripped with obvious disgust. "The Emperor's little pet!"
"That may be so, but it's kept me alive all these years." She paused and added, "there's no Jedi or Force users here, unless you're including me in that statement. But I'm not sure the Emperor or Lord Vader would be happy if you had me executed."
"But what about -" The one called the Third Sister went to ask before Chae cut her off with a wave of a hand.
"Exactly what they are, only rumours. Stories. On a planet like this, there will always be gossip. Likely all started because of me. There are always going to be those who recognise me from my former life. This certainly isn't my first visit to this dust bowl."
The woman approached her. Chae didn't waver and met her eye. Chae and the one called the Third Sister, or Reva, had often butted heads. Reva was determined to find the former Jedi Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Reva was certain Chae knew where he was. There was no way she wouldn't know, not after being so close to Obi-Wan since they were very young children; and having an intimate relationship with him for many years. But, every time she was questioned or confronted, Chae wouldn't budge. She would always give Reva the same answer; that she had no idea where the Jedi Master was. She hadn't seen him since the day that Order 66 happened.
Reva gave her an arrogant smile. "Fine! We'll leave… for now."
Chae could feel everyone relax once they were gone. Glancing to her left, Chae smiled at the man who's life she had just saved. He stood and approached her cautiously. Discreetly, Chae informed him to go to a specific space port; there would be a ship with a human woman and a Twi'lek woman both waiting to take him to safety. Handing him a small lightsaber crystal, Chae informed him that the women would be outside of the ship, looking like they were tinkering with the ship. She said to hand them the crystal and say "I think you dropped this." That was the code.
The man nodded, thanked her and left quickly. Pulling her shawl back over her head, Chae stepped out into the sunlight. Hopefully this was another one safe; or at the very least he would manage to get a head start on those that were tracking him. That's all Chae could do; help as many as she could without making her intentions obvious to the Empire.
A Cathar female, dressed in similar clothing of Chae, approached her. "You can only do so much," the woman purred in her heavily accented voice. "But know you are saving lives. Each Jedi we help is a Jedi that is kept out of the hands of the Empire."
Chae gave her a kind but tired smile. "I just wish I could help more, Soluri." I wish I could find Obi-Wan too, she thought to herself.
Soluri rested a reassuring hand on her shoulder, picking up on the last thought. "I feel one day the Force, and your bond, will guide you to him."
The two women returned to the digs they had hired for the duration of their stay on Tatooine. It hadn't been hard to get them using Chae's credentials as an Imperial. Chae had gone to the planet on the pretence that she was following up leads on an organisation called "The Path." As the Emperor had no other immediate tasks for her at the time, he had allowed her the freedom to travel wherever she needed to go to in order to find out more about the Path's current whereabouts.
Chae knew that Asia and Evie, the two women piloting the rescued Jedi away from the planet, would be some time getting him away and would likely be gone a good week or so by the time they made the round trip and returned to collect them. They would've all left together, but Chae had decided to stay on the planet and try one last time to find Obi-Wan. Soluri had chosen to stay with her, more to keep Chae company. The Cathar had become a platonic companion of sorts over the years. Soluri was a Force sensitive Cathar who's life had been saved by Chae some years before. Since then, Chae had been unofficially training her, and sharing her bed with her.
She couldn't explain why but she had a strong feeling that this was where he was. When they had parted, they had purposely not spoken about where they planned to go, on Chae's insistence. She felt that, if they knew where the other was going to spend their exile, it would put them in danger. It would be too easy to track the other down, if one was caught and tortured for information. But now, Chae wanted – needed – to find him. She wanted to see him once last time, even if she couldn't explain the reasons as to why. It was just one of those impulses; an itch that needed scratching. Chae could almost hear her former Master's voice telling her how she was very much her "father's child". But since Obi-Wan had distanced himself from the Force, or at least it had appeared he had, it had been difficult to reach out and find him.
Chae had another restless night. They were common these days despite Soluri's attempts to soothe her with the Force. Even though the twin suns had set many hours before, the night was still warm. Chae was stood on a small stone balcony of sorts. There were still people moving around. Reaching out, she could feel many different intents. Drugs, trafficking, illegal weapons, fake identities…. If it could be gotten away with, then there were those involved in it. She had been so caught up in her own thoughts and general restlessness that, at first, she hadn't noticed the Force ghost that had appeared only a foot or so away from her. It was that all too familiar voice that brought her back to the here and now.
"If it makes you feel any better, you're close to finding him."
Chae turned her head to see the spectre of her father, Qui-Gon Jinn, stood next to her. "So, I was right to trust my instincts…."
"Always trust them. On this occasion they have served you well," Qui-Gon reassured her.
Chae turned to properly look at him. "Any clues you want to throw my way? Or am I going to have to figure it all out myself?"
Chae found the stable like shelter that Qui-Gon had told her about. The Eopie was there. Good, that's a start, Chae thought. For the next day or so, she effectively staked the place out as best as she could without making it obvious she was doing so. She was thankful for a nearby vendor who had an outdoor cafe of sorts, where she could sit and not look too out of place. The Inquisitors were still loitering around on the planet. Chae knew that Reva was hoping she would slip up and reveal where Obi-Wan was hiding. Chae's patience – and her luck - paid off as, by the second day, she spotted him. It was early this one particular morning. Chae had left Soluri sleeping and slipped out for a walk; or at least that was what she was going to tell her Cathar companion if she happened to question it.
Something had told Chae to look up from her drink at that particular moment. When she had done so, she spotted Obi-Wan coming out of the stable where the Eopie had been sheltering. Just as Chae had gone to get up and walk towards him, crowds decided to pick that moment to suddenly all appear at once. It looked like a transporter had come in and dropped off travellers. By the time Chae had forced her way through them, Obi-Wan had already gone. Chae cursed. Hoping that she was guessing right, Chae headed in the direction that she suspected he was heading. Seeing a transporter heading across the sands in the distance, Chae wondered if he had been on it. After some asking around, she found out about a meat factory that transported workers to and from Anchorhead.
Chae kept herself occupied until it got close to the time when the transporter would be due back. What she wasn't expecting was to run into Reva and the one they called "Fifth Brother." The two of them were walking down the street and Reva, in particular, was there to find out what she needed to know in whatever manner she needed to use. Chae kept herself out of sight at first, whilst Reva made her demands of the locals. But when she began to threaten one particular man, Chae decided to step in.
"Your anger is going to be your downfall one of these days," Chae said coolly, as she got herself between Reva and the one who called himself Owen, lowering her shawl from her head as she did so.
"You!" she spat, pointing her lightsaber at Chae. "You know where he is! I know you do!"
Chae sighed and shook her head. "How many times are we going to have this discussion? I haven't seen Kenobi in a decade. He could be anywhere. He could be dead, for all I know."
"You're lying!" Reva screamed at her.
Reva went to strike Chae with her lightsaber, only to then find herself flying through the air. Reva landed on her back. For a moment she lay there, stunned, the air knocked out of her. Looking up Reva saw Chae stood there, but now she was armed with two lightsabers with brilliant white blades.
"I didn't want to fight you Reva," Chae stated. "But if this is what you want, then lets do this."
The gathering crowd backed off a little but, at the same time, they were fascinated by the woman who was obviously a Force user; and a strong one at that.
Reva got to her feet and charged at Chae but she was able to defend herself easily. Chae allowed the Force to flow through her and guide her movements. It didn't take long for Reva to realise she was massively outmatched by the older woman; but she was too stubborn and angry to back down. Using her anger against her, Chae defeated Reva with ease. Reva was to find herself on her back, again, with a blade at her throat and Chae's foot on her abdomen.
"You have a choice," Chae informed her. "You can walk away or I can kill you here. And I will kill you."
Reva glared at her and responded through gritted teeth, "I concede."
Chae merely nodded, backing away and switching off her lightsabers. The Fifth Brother helped Reva up and dragged her away, scolding her for being too impulsive, for being obsessed with finding Obi-Wan and for trying to fight Chae. It was no secret that Chae was powerful; which was why the Emperor had wanted to keep Chae on his side, even if he had done so with torture and threats against those she loved. Walking over to the man called Owen, Chae checked that he was okay. Despite his disdain for her, for being a Force user, he was at least grateful that Chae had stepped in when Reva had tried to bully information from him.
"You're looking for him, too, aren't you," Owen stated more than asked.
Chae stopped dead. How did this man, out of everyone, seem to know who she was there for? Before Chae could respond, she suddenly felt that familiar presence. It was very faint but it was there. Obi-Wan emerged from the stable. It felt like time had stood still as he walked towards her, with a questioning look on his face.
"Chae?" Obi-Wan asked.
Chae, found her voice and broke into a smile. "You've been a hard man to find."
Obi-Wan took hold of her hand and led her back to where he'd been hiding out and observing Chae's fight with The Third Sister. He had a hundred and one things he wanted to say; but he didn't want to do so out in the open. The stable felt marginally cooler compared to the outside. Once he was happy they were out of sight and hearing range, Obi-Wan turned back to Chae.
"Chae, I – how did you find me?" He asked, approaching her a little cautiously. Not being as in tune with the Force anymore, and having not seen Chae in a decade, Obi-Wan wasn't completely sure if Chae could be trusted. He hadn't even sure that she was still alive until now.
"A lot of patience; and being too stubborn to let it go." Chae paused, sensing Obi-Wan's hesitation to let his guard down, especially after what he had likely witnessed.
Stepping forward and closing the remaining space between them, Chae rested a hand on his cheek and added, "I'm not here to hand you over to the Inquisitors, if that's what you're worried about. I just needed to see you. Even if it was just the once."
Obi-Wan's resolve broke and he wrapped Chae up in his arms. It had been far too long since he had seen her; and just as long since he'd had any kind of physical contact with anyone. Chae picked up on just how touch starved Obi-Wan was feeling. She held him as he let out all the pent up emotion, breaking down into a sobbing wreck in Chae's arms. Chae also fought against her own tears without much success. Obi-Wan had lost everyone he loved and nearly everything he cared about; but now the woman who he'd loved so much had suddenly appeared in his life again. The realisation that he was still in love with her was overwhelming.
Once Obi-Wan composed himself, he broke the embrace but held Chae at arms length in order to study her. First of all, he wanted to make sure he wasn't dreaming; and she was actually stood here in front of him. There was also something about her. Chae was different somehow. He could sense the energy radiating off of Chae. She was incredibly powerful and confident. She had taken on the Third Sister like it was a mere training session at the temple.
"What?" Chae inquired.
"You… you've changed – in a good way, I mean….I have many questions."
"Well, first things first," Chae responded. "I'm taking you back to mine to get you cleaned up. And when was the last time you ate properly?" She paused. "Then I'll tell you anything you need to know, I promise."
It was late in the evening once Obi-Wan finally left to return to the cave he'd been living in. Once he had washed and eaten, Chae had held true to her word and told him everything he wanted to know. Or at least as much as she felt comfortable sharing. About siding with the Empire for the sole reason that it was the only way she could keep those she cared about safe. How she had constantly trained – in both combat and the Force – for the past decade, to make sure she remained able to get herself out of most situations, especially if she was alone. Which tied into her ability to fight with two lightsabers and her stronger affinity with the Force. She admitted she had done a lot of things she wasn't proud of – and been forced to make unsavoury allegiances – but she was doing what she could behind the scenes to help others. Chae chose not to mention specifics; nor did she mention the Path.
As they stepped outside, Obi-Wan took hold of Chae's hand. An overwhelming feeling of not wanting to be alone had hit him. Seeing Chae again had brought up a lot of intense feelings. "Come back with me?"
Stood in the doorway, Soluri didn't need to verbalise what she was thinking. She gently waved Chae off, merely adding she would see her in the morning. Sat up on the Eopie, Chae wrapped her arms around Obi-Wan's torso and rested her head against his back. Chae had found herself unable to say no to the request. Obi-Wan was a broken man, still dealing with so much trauma and grief. Surely letting him have that one night of company wouldn't hurt. The bad dreams didn't go away that night; but Obi-Wan felt somewhat better having Chae to comfort him when the dreams woke him in the night.
Obi-Wan hadn't expected to run into Chae on Jasbiim. At no point had she ever mentioned to him that she was working with The Path. Once Chae had recovered from her own surprised, she explained that she had only kept it quiet because – in her words – "you never know who is listening or how they are doing so". She was currently there to drop off some supplies to the current batch of refugees and wasn't planning to stay long. It was potentially dangerous for her to stay in once place for too long when it came to helping refugees and former Jedi. Not only did she run the risk of being found out, but those that she was helping could be killed because of their association with her.
Emperor Palpatine had heard the rumours about Chae. The rumours that said she was secretly working for the Path; or at least she was helping Jedi and Force users along side them. It was Darth Vader who had been able to confirm that it was true. He had briefly seen her on Jasbiim whilst he'd been there for Obi-Wan. In the chaos, Chae had escaped, but she had most definitely been there. Palpatine had pondered what to do. She needed to be punished but, at the same time, he also wasn't surprised that Chae had been supporting a group who were saving Jedi. She was her father's daughter. She couldn't help herself. It was only a matter of time before she cracked and started working against the Empire. Palpatine had almost expected it and he was surprised it had taken Chae this long to go against him. Pity, he had thought, she had proven herself very useful in many situations and helped him bring down many people.
Chae knew that her deal with the Emperor would likely be over when she had been seen by Vader. It was confirmed when he had contacted her via her holoprojector communicator, when she was aboard her ship with Asia, Evie and Soluri. Chae had promptly destroyed the thing to make it harder for the Empire to track her; sending the pieces of the garbage hatch. But she knew that Palpatine would still likely retaliate for her betrayal. With help from the Path and the Organas, they changed ships. Once this was done, Chae told her companions to head for Alderaan as she had a suspicion that something would happen to the Organa family. Palpatine knew that Evana's father had been a member of the family and that she had a good relationship with Bail, his wife and Leia. If he was going to target anyone out of spite, just to hurt her as punishment, it was going to be either them or her daughter that would be harmed. Palpatine would want to make her suffer.
As it was to transpire, Chae wasn't wrong in this assumption. It had been a just a regular day on Alderaan. Leia had been returned home to her adoptive parents and now they were just trying to go back to a normal routine. They were unaware that assassins were on their way to the family's home. Assassins that knew their way around the House Of Organa security. Assassins that were highly efficient and would be in and out of the building before anyone could catch up to them.
Evening drew in. Chae's ship had landed rather unexpectedly outside the complex. The ramp had barely lowered before Chae ran down it, Asia and Soluri close behind her. They were immediately confronted by guards. Breathlessly, she tried to explain that the Organa family was potentially in danger. Despite her connections with Bail Organa, the guards were still suspicious of her. As far as they knew, she was still part of the Empire. They had no reason to believe her. She hasn't been cleared for entry to the complex. Moments later the guards got an alert to warn them of a security alert. Using this moment of distraction, Chae knocked the guards out of the way with the Force and the three women ran into the complex.
Chae paused and reached out through the Force. She could feel the two women with her. Asia and Soluri radiated in the Force. She could feel Evana, who was waiting with the ship running, ready for a quick escape if it was needed in a worse case scenario. Then Chae found them. Breha Organa was already getting Leia to a safe room – it was obvious she had already realised what was happening. This wasn't the first attempt on her life, by the looks of it, and Breha appeared to know what to do. Sending the other two off to search the rest of the complex, Chae headed off to catch up with Breha. She was determined to protect them directly.
They were at the entrance of the safe room when Chae found them. The shutting down of the security system had meant that nobody could access the safe rooms either. Breha had her back to the entrance, Leia behind her, with assassins surrounding them. Nobody had noticed Chae as she used the Force to silently approach. The assassins barely had time to register the buzz of igniting lightsabers before Chae cut them all down within moments. Leia watched in fascination at she did so. Chae and Leia had met and spoken numerous times, due to Leia and Evana being cousins, but Leia hadn't known until this point that Chae was a Jedi. Or at least she had to be, in Leia's mind, after having spent time with Obi-Wan.
Chae paused for a moment once the assassins had been dispatched, her lightsabers hissing as they were deactivated. Keeping the two of them with her, Chae contacted her companions; the rest of the assassins appeared to have been dealt with and Bail Organa was safe, although injured.
Breha seemed to hesitate before she spoke. "What was this all about? Who were these…. Assassins?"
"They were sent by the Empire… it was to punish me… he knew about my connection to your family."
"You mean…"
Chae nodded, knowing Breha was going to ask if that meant Chae was no longer under the Emperor's protection for one reason or another. Breha took in the information. At least the assassination attempt made a little more sense now. Chae was still processing everything when she felt Breha place a hand on her arm to turn her around to face her.
"Thank you for coming here… for us, especially when it likely put you in danger too."
Chae forced a weak smile. "You're family… the only family Evie and I have left. Of course I was going to come here. I wasn't about to abandon you all…It's not the Jedi way."
Breha broke into a huge smile at hearing Chae's words and embraced her. Leia ran up to Chae to hug her around the waist as soon as her mother had finished hugging her. Leia then suddenly started to bombard her with questions. Breha attempted to shush her, but Chae assured her that it was fine. Leia was bound to have questions after what she had just witnessed.
At the Organa family insistence, the four women ended up staying on Alderaan for a spell. At first Chae has hesitated, but Evana had insisted on having on having some time with her family, especially as she couldn't remember the last time she had spent any quality time with them. Evana and Leia seemed to spend a lot of their time getting up to as much mischief as they could.
Chae chose to spend her time meditating on recent events, in the hope she could centre herself and begin her healing process. Whilst she now free from the Empire's hold, she knew she wouldn't be completely safe. Palpatine wouldn't forget about her. He would likely let her have a head start on him, but he would eventually come for her. The assassins had been a warning that he could – and would – destroy everything that was important to her. But at least for now, Palpatine would likely have other priorities; so Chae could start on her journey of processing everything that had happened over the years.
During these moments of meditation, she had managed to re-establish her Force Bond with Obi-Wan. At first it took Chae by surprise. Obi-Wan had been disconnected from the Force for so long, that Chae was began to wonder that their link had been lost to time. But now it appeared that Obi-Wan had reconnected with the Force. Something had obviously happened, but for now, Chae wasn't going to question it.
The first time their connection had happened, they had spent the time just getting used to being able to connect in that way again. Obi-Wan told Chae about his plans to leave the cave and he had a homestead of sorts lined up. Chae let him know she would be staying on Alderaan for a while. Beyond that, she hadn't decided what she was going to do.
These moments that their Force Bond gave them brought comfort to both of them. They were able to start working through their feelings and shared trauma together; and when things became overwhelming for either of them, they were able to comfort each other. Obi-Wan made her a promise that he would come to Alderaan and see her.
Obi-Wan kept to his word and arranged the visit. Bail and Breha hadn't taken any convincing and had even suggested that Obi-Wan stay as Chae was with them. The Organas knew about their relationship – they had done for years – so they were more than willing to accommodate for them. On the day that Obi-Wan was due to visit, Breha asked Chae personally to join her, Bail and Leia to greet their guest.
Seeing Chae as he disembarked his shuttle hit Obi-Wan different on this occasion, even more so now that they had their Bond again. Even without either of them consciously reaching out through their bond, Obi-Wan could still feel her love for him. No longer was she wearing one of the variations of her Tatooine travel outfit that he'd seen her in on those rare previous occasions. Now Chae was wearing an outfit almost identical to the one Breha was wearing; the only difference being hers was cream coloured. After greeting his hosts, and giving Leia a hug, Obi-Wan took hold of Chae's hands and gently placed a kiss on her forehead.
"You look incredible," Obi-Wan said.
The smile Chae gave him made his stomach flip over. It was the smile of genuine happiness. There was a yell of "Obi-Wan!" from behind them as Evie ran down the walk way, barrelling into him for a hug. The last time Obi-Wan had seen Evie, she had still been a child. Now she was a grown woman. Whilst he was happy to see her again, after all these years, but he also felt a little sad that he had missed out on seeing her grow up.
The rest of the day was spent in good company. It had been a very long time since Obi-Wan had felt at peace. It was a wonderful moment, getting to see Asia again. The Twi'lek looked older, and her green skin had dulled slightly over the years, but she was still the same vibrant woman he had known when they were at the temple. Soluri, the Cathar woman, was a little more guarded, which was to be expected. But over the course of the day, she relaxed a little around him and began to talk a little more to him. The Cathar was Force sensitive. Obi-Wan mused if that was at least part of the reason Chae had her as a travelling companion. Her father had been the same; always finding waifs and strays.
As night closed in, Chae and Obi-Wan were grateful to finally get away from everyone and get to Chae's bedroom. Once the door closed behind them, all pretence was dropped. Obi-Wan didn't stop Chae as she took charge. She pushed him up against the door and kissed him hard, clawing at his clothes at the same time. Running his hands up her back, Obi-Wan eventually managed to work out how to undo Chae's dress. As beautiful as she looked in it, all he wanted at that moment was to get her into bed. The dress dropped to the floor, along with his own clothing. Sensing his urgency, Chae broke off the kiss and pulled him towards the bed with her. Their love making went on for many hours and only ended when they were too physically exhausted to carry on. They fell asleep in a tangle of limbs and bedsheets.
It was the early morning sun that woke Chae. Stretching, she couldn't remember ever feeling so relaxed and deeply sated. Obi-Wan slept peacefully next to her. Chae wanted to stay like this forever. As much as she tried to deny it, Chae had missed waking up with Obi-Wan in her bed. Not that Soluri wasn't good company and a pleasant lover. Soluri had helped her get through so much over the years. But Obi-Wan would always remain Chae's true soul mate – Soluri had said as much to Chae more than once. She knew that, should they ever find him, Chae would likely return to Obi-Wan given the chance.
Obi-Wan hadn't expected Chae to agree when he had suggested she return to Tatooine with him. Despite Chae's fears about how Evie, Asia and Soluri would react, all three of them had told her in no uncertain terms that she should go with him. Leia had also encouraged her to go, saying that Obi-Wan needed someone to take care of him.
Crossing the desert, Obi-Wan took a detour to the Lars homestead, before they headed further out. Now that Obi-Wan had finally made peace with his grief and his guilt, Chae could feel that he seemed like a different person. It had become clear to her when she had seen him again on Alderaan.
During their journey, they were guided by her father's ghost. Obi-Wan's surprise had been worth everything, even more so when Chae admitted that she had been communicating with her father for some years now. Their long journey brought them to the hut that Obi-Wan had managed to come into possession of; and was to now be their home.
Obi-Wan stood behind Chae as she took it all in, wrapping his arms around her. "I know this may not be quite what you had in mind," Obi-Wan said gently, "but at least we can be together now."
Turning herself around in Obi-Wan's arms so that she could face him, Chae cupped his face with her hands. "I don't really mind where we live. I have you in my life again."