The first thing she noticed was that something firm yet forgiving was under her. Very different from the floor she had sat down on. The second thing she noticed was the fact that she was smiling. Not broadly or mindlessly, but softly. Gently. A most curious sensation given her nature and her disposition for scowling. Then she remembered: she had won. She'd fought her deepest insecurities and most pervasive fears. And she had won.

Peace settled over her like a warm blanket. The feeling wasn't entirely unwelcome...but not entirely her own either.

Turning her head she felt her smile grow. "Why are you standing all the way over there, my love?"

Obi-Wan turned away from the narrow window with a loving smile, warm golden light enveloping him to make him seem more than human in that moment. "I was just thinking."

Asajj shifted on her bed, glad to find all of her limbs still worked like they should. "That's dangerous," she purred.

"I wanted to give you some space to recover. You've had quite an ordeal."

"Well, I think I've had enough recovery." One slender arm stretched out towards her lover and his warm hand grasped hers with that familiar gentle strength she had quickly grown to adore. "I'd like some company instead. "

Obi-Wan took the hint and sat on the bed. His eyes stayed on her hand as his thumb stroked her knuckles.

"What time is it?" she asked.

"Almost dusk."

Asajj started. It had been night when she'd ventured down into the lower levels of the Temple. She had been out for that long? "Why didn't you wake me up?"

Obi-Wan smiled again, this time looking slightly chastened. "You needed rest, darling. Master Yoda explained that that room is home to plants that release hallucinogenic toxins. They prey on your fears and can drive some into madness." He risked a glance up at her, glad that curiosity instead of irritation was written on her lovely face. "Thankfully, you didn't succumb to that." He paused. "Would it be presumptuous of me to ask what happened?"

"Yes." Asajj grinned at his stricken expression. It was almost too easy sometimes. "But I'll show you anyway."

Closing her eyes, she opened her end of their Force bond and brought forth the memory of Dooku and Skywalker's taunts, how they had given voice to her worst fears and tried to make her drown in her own weaknesses. When she had found strength in her love for Obi-Wan and in his for her, she felt his pride through the Force as easily as a physical thing. When it was over, when she had given her last declaration that she did indeed deserve to be loved, he lifted her hand and placed a kiss on the palm.

"Oh, beloved," he breathed against her hand. He was so proud of her, so elated that she had faced down such Darkness on her own. To know that she had thought of him during her trial both honored and humbled him until he felt his heart might burst from joy. He had no words to express these feelings, but with the Force he didn't need them. The emotions flowed through their bond like water until their auras twined together into one glowing strand. It was a wondrous sight.

"There is one thing I don't understand, though," he confessed as he gently toyed with her earring. "Why Anakin? Dooku caused you so much pain, made you feel worthless when you failed, so his presence I understand. But why Anakin?"

"Because I fear him." Again, his head shot up, this time in genuine astonishment. "Don't look at me like that, darling. You know what he did to me in that cell." A chill went down her spine at the memory of his yellow eyes, both in her vision in the depths of the Temple and in her cell when he had used the Force to strangle her. Sith eyes. She shook her head clear of the image. "You love him deeply, so you don't see it."

Obi-Wan cupped her cheek with one hand, the other keeping a firm hold on hers. "See what?"

Asajj sat up, both of her hands clasping his in an effort to make him understand. "Obi-Wan, I know you love him, and he loves you. But there is Darkness in him that's struggling to surface." She released his hands to hold his head still when he began to shake it. "Listen to me. I'm not saying you should name him a Sith now and execute him, but you can't keep turning a blind eye to him. You saw what he did to me here. He electrocuted me in the Works before Boz Pity. And I'd bet my life that he's done similar things to others. You don't just turn that kind of rage on and off. Trust me on that. Whatever is going on with him, it's been building for a long time, and it's going to find a way out one way or another." She combed the tips of her fingers through the hair framing his face when his expression turned pensively troubled. "Look, you asked why I saw him down there, I answered. I do fear what Skywalker is capable of, and I don't fear lightly."

A sigh of relief slipped past her lips when Obi-Wan wrapped his arms around her as she leaned forward to rub her cheek against his. She knew he didn't like when she talked about Skywalker, especially when her words very rarely held little obvious contempt, so for him to pull her closer instead of pushing her away made her feel better. "Be careful of your Chosen One, my love. There's a reason why your Council doesn't trust him, and I'll be damned twice over before I let him use your love for him against you."

"Asajj-" Her gentle kiss silenced his protest. Now it was his turn to sigh, this time in mild frustration. He wasn't going to win this argument; he had a feeling he never would when it came to Anakin. Asajj's history with him was too muddled with hatred and mutual disdain to be so easily fixed.

Obi-Wan stopped thinking when Asajj's weight settled into his lap and her thighs locked around his waist. Her tongue slipped into his mouth and drew a guttural sound from him before he could stifle it. Heat flared where their bodies touched, culminating on their lips as Asajj continued to easily seduce him. That ability certainly wasn't fair, and he told her as much through their bond. She just grinned in response.

The knock on her door shattered the moment and made her growl into his mouth in annoyance. "Miss Ventress," a young voice called through the door. "Master Yoda wants to see you in the Council chamber."

Obi-Wan sighed dramatically against her lips when she pulled away. "Younglings always have such excellent timing." A string of words he didn't know (in all likelihood a Nightsister curse) spilled from her even as she twisted off his lap and back onto the bed. "Language, darling," he chuckled before bidding the youngling enter.

The child, just barely ten standard years old, halted at the sight of them. "Um, Master Kenobi. I-I didn't know you were here."

Obi-Wan felt a flash of embarrassment course through him, but Asajj wasn't nearly as concerned with how their position looked to a child. After all, they weren't even touching. "Did the great Yoda give a reason for his summons?"

The girl kept glancing between her and Obi-Wan. She was trying very hard to look impassive but failing miserably. "N-No, ma'am. But he wants to see you and Master Kenobi at once."

Obi-Wan blinked. "Me?"

"Yes, Master. He said it concerns both of you."

Asajj huffed. "Well then, we shouldn't keep him waiting. The old man might keel over before we even get there." She gave Obi-Wan an innocent look to counter his wide-eyed one. Well, he is ancient.

Obi-Wan shook his head once and turned to the young girl, still waiting by the door and looking progressively more uncomfortable with each passing second. He smiled kindly at her to try to curb her unease. "Thank you, young one. We will be there presently."

But she didn't leave. One hand gripped her elbow and rubbed; a nervous gesture, apparently. "Actually, Master Kenobi..." She looked away at Asajj's narrow gaze. "I-I'm meant to escort her there."

Asajj wasn't sure whether to be insulted or not. Was it simply a task given to a child to keep her busy? Was it because Yoda couldn't be bothered to come himself? Or was it because they wanted her to be paraded through the Temple like a criminal (which wouldn't have been very difficult to argue, if she were honest) by a child instead of someone with any actual power? The child had already said she wasn't expecting Obi-Wan to be with her.

Luckily for the girl, Obi-Wan spoke up first. "An important task for one so young, to be sure." Please don't punish the girl for doing as she's told, darling. Asajj blew out a breath through her nose but didn't say anything. "Lead the way."

Obi-Wan and Asajj both were careful to not stand too close to one another as they followed the youngling through the halls. Asajj kept her thumbs hooked in her belt to keep from instinctively reaching out for his hand; Obi-Wan kept his clasped behind his back. Despite how they may have looked to any passersby (a war criminal escorted by a child in front and a Master behind), she kept her head up high, just a hair beneath defiant. She refused to be a cowering prisoner.

Rather than go to Yoda's personal quarters, the girl led them to the Council chamber. Asajj strode in first without so much as a backwards glance at her escort. Obi-Wan stayed behind to once again thank the youngling, Serana was her name, for her service. He turned away and saw her out the corner of his eye trying to peek beyond the chamber door, but she didn't dare step forward. He suppressed a grin at her curiosity and stepped through the door.

To his mild surprise, Yoda was accompanied by Masters Windu, Unduli, Rancisis, Ti, Koon, and Mundi, the latter three who appeared by holographic projection. "Take your seat, Master Kenobi," Windu said, not an ounce of emotion in his voice or expression. What was going on? He didn't ask the question aloud, though. Instead, he shot a quick, reassuring glance at Asajj as he passed her and sat down. She remained standing.

"A trial you went through, young Ventress," Yoda said. She froze, but didn't flinch. Really, she shouldn't have been surprised by his seeming omnipotence anymore. "Deeply personal, extremely difficult it was, yes?"

Asajj resisted the urge to look towards Obi-Wan, who was just as stunned as she that Yoda even brought up the subject. She kept her eyes fixed on Yoda. What kind of game was this? He may have known about her and Obi-Wan being bonded through the Force (and more) and not shared that knowledge with his fellow Jedi, but that didn't mean she had to trust him. He wanted something from her, she was sure of it. Well, he would have to work for whatever it was. She kept her mouth shut.

Yoda seemed unperturbed, however. "Many fears you had. Much sorrow and doubt. Still have them, do you?"

Now she flinched. Asajj? Are you alright?

"Why won't you answer, Ventress?" Mundi asked, a hint of irritation in his voice.

Asajj kept staring at Yoda, trying to figure him out. He and Dooku had a lot in common in the way both of them could be annoyingly unreadable if they chose. "As you say," she began slowly. "It was personal. You'll forgive me if I don't trust any of you to share it."

Obi-Wan's presence in her mind and soul quickly turned comforting, an attempt to abate her temper before it rose. Beloved, I don't know what's going on, but Master Yoda only wants to help.

What happened in that room is private, Obi-Wan.

Yoda nodded once, his large eyes closing as if in acquiescence. "Fair enough," he said. "But tell me, still harbor your fears, do you? Or faced them and controlled them, did you?"

A simple enough question, one that didn't demand her to explain her experience in that artificial jungle. Perhaps she would allow that small relinquishment. "Yes. I believe I did."

Yoda made a small 'hmm' then turned to the other Jedi. "What say you, Masters? Sense a change in young Ventress, do you?"

The present Jedi turned focused eyes to Asajj. She was growing tired of being examined like a specimen, but the atmosphere was decidedly much less intimidating now than it had been during her previous visits. She would wait and see where the old Master was going with this before lashing out.

"There is still much anger present," the Thisspiasian commented, his face nearly unreadable beneath the shaggy hair, "but no more than can be expected."

Duh.

"But less than when we first questioned her." Unduli this time, her deep blue eyes boring into Asajj. "Infinitely less than when Ahsoka and I fought her."

Windu observed her just as intensely, but something in his eyes... "I sense compassion." She blinked. "Barely there, hidden behind shields. Wouldn't you agree, Obi-Wan?"

Surprise flashed on Obi-Wan's face before he could stop it. He hid it quickly, however. "I do, Master Windu. But above all, I sense peace." He almost smiled at her, his pride in her still flowing through their bond. "A peace that goes deeper than possibly any of us knows."

You're getting sentimental in your old age, Kenobi, she thought teasingly, simultaneously reminding him that he had an audience.

"True, this is?" Yoda looked at her with that same penetrating gaze he had used on her when she was still legally a prisoner. "Found peace, have you?"

Asajj finally broke her eyes away from his. The question surprised her, but even more peculiar was her reaction. As she had grown closer to Obi-Wan and he to her, she had found herself less inclined to react with violence in everyday situations. Although her temper had calmed over the months it was still there, of course. She wouldn't be her without that fire, but now she controlled it rather than the other way around. Even before her secret lover had returned Ky Narec's lightsaber to her she had realized that the grief she had nurtured for most of her life had dulled. Like her temper, it was still present, but it no longer pained her to remember her first Master. Her life was still far from perfect, far from stable, but having Obi-Wan at her side both physically and metaphorically made it more than bearable. It made her happy and content. It made her...calm.

The smile that she had worn when she first woke after her trial now returned. She didn't care if the other Masters saw it now. It didn't mean anything to them the way it meant something to her. "Yes, Master," she found herself saying. "I am closer to peace now than I have ever been in my life." Her eyes started to lift to Obi-Wan, to let him know that she credited him with that achievement, but caught herself before she could turn her head. Instead, she returned his embrace through the Force and felt his warmth envelope her heart and mind.

"Hmmm..." That was the only sound in the chamber for a long moment. Yoda's fathomless eyes closed in contemplation, clawed hands folded over the top of his gimer stick. The other Masters made no attempt to draw him out of his thoughts.

Asajj's anxiety started to creep back in the longer the silence reigned. Usually she was good at reading people and knowing what to expect for them. But Yoda she still couldn't figure out. Undoubtedly powerful, highly respected, and certainly wise (even if Dooku had vehemently disagreed with his former Master's views of the Force). Beyond that, however, he was a complete mystery to her. Something as simple as a 'hmm' could mean any number of things. And given her history with both him and his Order, it may not have been an entirely good sign that he made that sound now.

But she was still alive. Despite the atrocities she had committed against the Jedi and their Republic and her carnal involvement with one of its most beloved Masters, she still had her head. She had a feeling it was only by Yoda's whim that she was still alive; any other Jedi, except Obi-Wan but especially Skywalker, could have killed her at any time and been completely justified. Yet they didn't. Yoda had to be behind that. But why? What did he want from her?

Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, Yoda opened his eyes. "Decided, it is then," he said simply, as if he'd been having a long discussion with someone.

The air in the chamber shifted immediately. "Master Yoda?" the projection of Shaak Ti asked. "What is decided?"

Asajj felt a combined nervousness rise from the Jedi. They had not been consulted in whatever decision Yoda was talking about? Curious. What is going on?

Obi-Wan was as much in the dark as the other Masters; only Mace seemed to be unaffected by such emotion. I'm not su-

"Many crimes you have committed in Dooku's service, young Ventress," Yoda continued suddenly. "Based in grief, this rage you had was, not evil. Escaped the pull of the Dark Side you have, perhaps with a little help." Obi-Wan tried to remain still at those words, but he felt his right hand twitch. He wasn't quite ready to admit just how far his relationship with Asajj had gone, let alone to most of the Council. Thankfully, Yoda didn't press the issue. "Very difficult it is to let go of the Dark Side. Very difficult." The tiny Master bowed his head towards his gimer stick, thoughtful once more. "Strange times, these are now. Friends become enemies. Enemies become allies." Asajj wished he would get to the point; her anxiety was about to overwhelm her with or without Obi-Wan's presence. "A special case, yours is. But lightly I do not make this offer." The very chamber seemed to hold its breath as he lifted his head once again, a hard determination etched into his wrinkled face. "Rejoin the Jedi Order you may, if accept it, you do."

The sun could have gone out in that moment and no one would have noticed. A Separatist fleet could have surrounded Coruscant and begun firing upon the city-planet and not a single Jedi in that room would have known until the Temple crumbled around them. Although shocked into silence and immobility, none were more surprised by Yoda's words than Asajj and Obi-Wan.

When the Masters broke out into objections, denials, and respectful demands for an explanation, the secret lovers conversed with each other through the privacy of their bond.

What kind of trick is this? Asajj asked. Has Yoda finally gone completely insane?

Obi-Wan was decidedly more calm, but no less stunned. His voice in her head swirled with a plethora of emotions. I-I don't know. I think he knows what he's doing, but...he wouldn't deceive you like this. He wouldn't deceive anyone this way.

What surprised Asajj the most, after her initial shock dulled, was that she did not launch into a tirade of why she would never join an Order like the Jedi. In fact, she wasn't sure how she felt. She had finally accepted that her longstanding hatred of the Jedi had been misplaced when she had learned that they had not purposefully abandoned Ky Narec on Rattatak to die. But now it threatened to surge up again, an old mindset that had been so deeply ingrained into her brain that she may never fully rid herself of it.

She had once trained to be a Jedi like her beloved Master, had been the only thing that had kept her going in the warzone that was her home. It was her dream. That dream had been smashed when Ky was killed, and lost forever when her rage and grief had consumed her.

Or so she had long thought.

Her childhood dream was now sitting right in front of her, staring at her patiently with fathomless black eyes. Now the question was: did she want to reach out and take it?

Obi-Wan...I don't know what to do.

She didn't even notice how ancient eyes set in a wizened green face had changed to compassionate, loving blue shining out from a face she had come to adore. A tiny smile lit up that face as she looked at him. I don't either, my darling. But Master Yoda posed that offer to you. I can't make the decision for you, but whatever you decide you know I will stand by you. She found herself returning his smile, reassurance, comfort, and no shortage of love enveloping her very soul. Do whatever you feel is right for you, not what you think someone else expects of you.

You are absolutely no help, Kenobi, she thought affectionately. The way her violet aura wrapped around his brilliant blue one said the exact opposite, however.

"Enough." That one word, the power and authority behind it, silenced the heretofore highly vocal objections. But it did not come from Yoda.

Mace Windu leaned forward, elbows on his knees, to fix Asajj with a penetrating stare of his own. "As Master Yoda said, this offer is not made lightly, Ventress. Should you choose to accept it, you will face arguably the most difficult path of your life. Not only will you have to unlearn everything you have learned under Dooku, but you will have to strive to earn our trust. And let me be perfectly clear: I for one do not trust easily."

"Master Yoda," the flickering blue image of Shaak Ti said gently, "are you sure it is wise to make such an offer?"

The Cerean, the one Asajj most assuredly did not like, concurred. "I agree. It is one thing to allow her to remain in the Temple, but to allow a Separatist into the Order-"

"Former Separatist, Master Mundi." Asajj started a bit at the sound of Obi-Wan's voice. He had already risked so much speaking in her favor through these long months, but now was an especially delicate time. "As you may recall, she renounced her allegiance to Dooku when he tried to execute her. Not to mention aiding me against Maul and Savage Opress, and Ahsoka when we believed her responsible for Barriss's actions against the Order. It's not inconceivable for someone to realize their errors and wish to rectify them."

I appreciate the vote of confidence, my dear, Asajj thought, but I think my temper is beginning to rub off on you.

His tone was more calm when he replied, Only when someone normally so thoughtful conveniently forgets key elements of certain things.

"That may be, Master Kenobi," Mundi continued, oblivious to the mental exchange, "but the fact still remains that someone of her age, and temperament, is ill-suited to the life of the Jedi. She remains too unpredictable."

Other Masters interjected their own opinions (Unduli and Rancisis surprisingly more forgiving than the others), much to Asajj's annoyance. Now that her shock had worn off, their voices were piercing her mind until she could barely think straight. She closed her eyes against the auditory onslaught and focused instead on feeding off of Obi-Wan's inner strength, which he gladly gave to her. Rather than allow their presences in the Force to overwhelm her own, she drew the Force around her to keep them out like a shield. It was the only way she could keep from saying or doing something she would regret.

A sharp tap brought silence down once again. Yoda readjusted his hands on his stick. "What say you, young Ventress? Wish to complete the training your first Master began, do you?"

All eyes turned to Asajj now, some more judgmental than others. They didn't matter. The only one that did had already promised his support no matter what. Could she really even consider rejoining an Order she had hated for so much of her life? She surprised even herself when she found her voice again. "This is...a big decision to make." She didn't notice the way Yoda's eyes crinkled at the corners just slightly. "May I have some time to consider my options?"

Where had this newfound respect some from? Perhaps knowing that she stood before Dooku's former Master brought it out, some tiny shred of connection she still felt towards the man despite his betrayal of her loyalty. Or maybe it was simply Yoda's subtly commanding presence. Whatever was the cause of it, she had to admit it did feel good to be in such a structured environment again. After so many months of not knowing what the next day might bring, she craved stability, and knowing that Yoda was the head of this hierarchy was almost comforting.

"A wise request," Yoda answered with a nod. "Make this offer in haste, I do not, nor decide in haste should you." A little hop that belied his age and he was walking towards the door, leaving behind still-stunned Masters and one very uncertain not-a-prisoner. "Await your decision, I will. But too old I am to wait too long," he finished with a chuckle.

Well, Obi-Wan thought as the other Jedi began to disperse, sending looks Asajj's way as the ones not off-world passed her. All things considered, that could have gone much worse.

Asajj didn't reply, but she did give him a small mental laugh. It was going to be a very long night.

And here is where I get bombarded by hatemail because omg Yoda would NEVER offer that omfg!11!1! Hehehehe...