Two months, several Republic missions, and countless bounties passed before the chance to meet again came around. They didn't remain idle during that time, however. Throughout the weeks they tested the boundaries of their Force bond and found that it had only grown stronger since she had reopened it in the market on Coruscant. Now distance was no barrier to them; they could communicate as effectively worlds apart as they could when side by side.
Most of the time their exchanges were quick, nothing more than a "goodnight" or "stay safe". But sometimes they would go further. Asajj was the main culprit, waiting until he confirmed that he was free from the scrutiny of Skywalker and the clones before reminding him of what waited for him back in the Core. Memories of breathless sighs and gasps and merciless, fire-hot touches flooded his mind and left him struggling to not react. Phantom sensations of inquisitive fingers and soft but demanding lips danced over his skin under his robes. He had tried a few times to pay her back in kind, but she always managed to take control from him and have him under her spell once again.
He'd almost slipped up once; he'd been so distracted by a particularly powerful Force sensation that he hadn't heard a word Anakin had said. "I'm sorry, Anakin. What was that?"
"I said, we've been called back to the Temple, Master." The younger man paused and gave him a thoughtful look. "You seem distracted, Master. Is everything alright?"
"Fine, Anakin. I've just been thinking. About the war." It wasn't a complete lie, but it wasn't the whole truth either.
"Right." Anakin didn't believe him at all. "Sure you weren't thinking about your girlfriend?"
Obi-Wan didn't budge. He was quite proud of himself for that. "There is no 'girlfriend', Anakin. I'm wondering why this war seems to be stuck in a deadlock." He spoke quickly so as not to give Anakin a chance to interrupt. "We secure a victory, the Separatists secure one. We gain another, the Separatists gain another. We're stonewalled every time we nearly make a breakthrough. We know that the Sith are controlling this conflict, but this seems to be even bigger than we originally believed."
Anakin let the subject change without much of a fight, but kept the thought in the back of his mind for later. "That's what war is, Master. You know that. Just when it seems like we're on the losing end, we end up winning and getting one step closer to ending this whole mess."
"And that's what worries me, Anakin." Obi-Wan was now in full general-mode, one arm crossed over his chest while the other hand stroked his beard. "Neither side is gaining the upper hand. Our forces may be stretched thin, but it shouldn't be this difficult to discover the puppetmaster and end this war. I fear that the Dark Side's influence is greater than the Council wants to believe."
Anakin couldn't argue with that. It did seem like they were running in circles month after month. And they were still no closer to locating the Sith Lord than they were at the beginning of the war. If they could just kill Grievous or Dooku the whole Separatist army would crumble, the Sith Lord would expose himself, and peace would be restored. But they continued to be outsmarted or outmaneuvered at every turn. It was maddening.
What was even more maddening, however, was the look on Obi-Wan's face right now. Yes, he was just as frustrated by the ever-changing tide of the war as Anakin was, but there was still something else beneath that. Anakin didn't like his Master keeping secrets from him (nevermind that he'd been keeping a pretty big one himself for nearly three years). Something kept distracting Obi-Wan and not knowing what it was made Anakin antsy. He had a suspicion it had something to do with whomever he'd been spending time with on Coruscant outside of the Temple, but no solid proof. Now that their latest assignment had been completed and they were on their way back to the capitol, Anakin would find out exactly what was going on.
One way or another.
Obi-Wan felt her before he even made it to his door. She was just as eager for a reunion as he was. He still had a hard time reconciling the rightness of such a forbidden relationship with the oath he took upon becoming a Knight. But all thought of inner conflict disappeared as he sank into her arms and lost himself in her kiss. All that mattered was the deep affection flooding through their bond, the press of her fingertips into his scalp, the guttural sighs and moans she loosed against his mouth.
They didn't speak, not even in greeting. Not with words. They let their hands, lips, and Force signatures do all the talking.
He let her take the lead, her deft fingers making quick work of his robes before threading through his hair. No matter how many times she did it, he would never tire of the feeling of sparks shooting from his roots and down his flesh whenever she tugged his hair. The only thing he took control of was the lengthy kiss that hadn't ended since he'd stepped through the door. His hands cupping her jaws, he purposefully slowed the kiss until she whimpered impatiently beneath him. He only moved his hands lower to the collar of her tunic when he was satisifed she wouldn't try to devour him…although that could be fun, too…
Once he'd peeled her clothes from her heated skin, he carefully removed his lips from hers. He admired the pale expanse of her body through half-hooded eyes, smirking as he came across the faint remains of the bruises on her neck and hip that had been his gifts to her so long ago. His smirk vanished when he came across a mark he hadn't been responsible for.
"What happened, my darling?" came his horrified whisper as he gingerly touched the jagged slash across her ribs, just under her left breast. The wound, although already scabbed over, was recent…and deep.
Asajj's hands closed around his as she glanced down towards the reddened line. "A Twi'lek bounty," she answered matter-of-factly. "She turned the tables on me when I got too close to catching her. Came up behind me and held a vibroblade to my heart. Luckily for her a scratch was all the damage she was able to cause."
Obi-Wan still hadn't looked away from the mark, his thumb brushing over it. "This was a serious wound, Asajj." How could she be so calm about it?
"Yes, it was." Her fingers titled his chin up until he met her eyes. "And now it's not. I handled the target, treated the cut, and moved on to the next job." She affectionately rolled her eyes when he shook his head. "Stop acting like it's the end of the galaxy, my dear. Things like this are part of my job description. And yours as well, I might add."
Obi-Wan sighed heavily, knowing she was right. It still didn't put him at ease. You shouldn't have to risk your life like that, he thought, subconsciously sending it across their bond.
Another eyeroll. "Kenobi, stop. I'm a grown woman, not some incompetent youngling. I know the risks going into every job, but what else can I do? I can't exactly get honest work anywhere near the Core right now, but I'm not leaving until the Sith pulling the strings is taken down." She removed his hands from the wound and placed them on her hips, her own gently circling his neck. "And when that happens I'll have more to worry about than some Twi'lek girl with a knife. Now, can we get back to less morbid things…like how badly you want my legs wrapped around your waist?" She leaned in and whispered her next words into his ear- "Or how much you've missed this?" -before biting the edge of it.
He shuddered and groaned. Force, he wanted both. He wanted everything. "You do have a way with words, my sweet."
She let out a breathy laugh. "I learned from the best." Another kiss and all thought of the newest addition to her scar collection was forgotten.
Anakin had paced in his quarters for hours after he and Obi-Wan had debriefed the Council on their last mission. Something didn't feel right. It wasn't necessarily a bad feeling, but it was so out of place and bizarre that he couldn't shake it. It only seemed to get worse as the night wore on. He couldn't explain it, but he had a feeling it had something to do with Obi-Wan.
Shoving any misgivings or doubts he might have had aside, he stepped out into the hall and made his way to his Master's room. They needed to have a talk. Now.
He didn't bother knocking; Obi-Wan's door was almost always unlocked and he'd never once turned Anakin away before. Obi-Wan was nowhere to be seen in the common area…but a noise from the left caught Anakin's attention. He must have been getting ready for bed or rearranging the few possessions he kept as he was apt to do when he couldn't sleep. He opened his mouth to call for Obi-Wan, but another sound stopped him. That's…not a sound that should be in this room…
Anakin stood frozen in the doorway of his former master's bedroom, equal parts smugly proud of the older man for finally giving in to the temptations of the flesh, horrified at having walked in on such a private act, and more than a little irritated; Obi-Wan so often preached about non-attachment and denied having a 'girlfriend', and yet here he was in a very un-Jedi-like situation.
The conflicted feelings lingered for the briefest of moments before recognition sparked in Anakin's eyes. At first he'd just noticed the alluring curve of the woman's spine (the narrow waist and flared hips most assuredly did not belong to a male of any sentient species) as her hips moved steadily, fluidly over her lover. When his gaze traveled upwards he registered the bald head…then the tattoos.
His hand was on his lightsaber faster than thought, fully intending to kill the witch for this…violation. She had somehow poisoned Obi-Wan, drugged him so that he couldn't fight back. The only thing he could do was grip her hips in an obvious attempt to either cause her pain enough to release him or a futile effort to shove her off of him. It was the only explanation that made sense.
But it wasn't the way Obi-Wan kissed her when he sat up, like a man dying of thirst and Ventress the life-giving spring that sent him sprinting from the room and down the halls of the Temple. It wasn't the moans, growls, and whimpers of pleasure that spilled from them both. It wasn't the way Obi-Wan's hand cradled her head at the jaw so gently and possessively when his kisses moved to her slender neck. It wasn't the way Ventress's nails dragged down his shoulders and arms, leaving behind streaks of red as physical evidence of this waking nightmare. And it wasn't the throaty, strangled sounds that echoed in the room as each found their release.
The way his friend, his mentor looked at the harpy still astride his lap was only the beginning of the true horror. There was no mistaking the look in his eyes, the exact same look Anakin himself lavished on Padme when they were away from the politics of the war, the Jedi, and the Republic. It was the look of a man in love.
At first Anakin remained still, unnoticed by both Jedi Master and hairless witch. Perhaps this really was nothing more than a nightmare brought on by tainted food or the mental and emotional strain of leading the war. His hopes were dashed when Ventress leaned in to whisper something in Obi-Wan's ear, something that caused him to push her back and stare at her in shock.
Then it happened: he smiled.
What sent Anakin Skywalker running through the Temple like a man possessed was when Obi-Wan wrapped his arms around her scarred back to hold her against his chest, and returned a barely audible whisper in her own ear: "I love you, too, Asajj."
Ermahgerd! Big developments all around! -Kermit flails- Now we're finally moving on to the BIG stuff!