Dormant volcanoes often generate the most powerful of explosions. Unleashed.

WARNING: this chapter contains descriptions of scenes of explicit sexual nature. If you are bothered by such things, do not read any further.

Being in the Duchess' bedchamber was a privilege of the highest kind. Obi-Wan was acutely aware of that. Still, he marveled at how comfortable they were around each other. It was like returning home after many years, while being excited and overwhelmed by a feeling of anticipation at the same time.

Their gestures were at times tender, at times passionate; always spontaneous. Satine wasn't sure if what was happening was dream, or reality, or a mix between the two. Feeling Obi-Wan's hot breath on her neck as he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, she resolved that despite her disbelief this must've been happening for real. She couldn't explain how things had escalated so uncontrollably between the two of them, but she wouldn't do anything to stop them right now. She suspected the previous days of repressed desire and unresolved sexual tension had to do something with it, though.

He agonizingly slowly unzipped her dress, leaving a trail of kisses as inches of skin were exposed to the air, savoring each and every moment. He kissed her back, hugging her, enjoying her reactions to his ministrations. His hands snaked under the fabric of her dress over her shoulders, massaging them before making the dress fall. They traveled from her shoulders to her arms, to her hips, before plunging in the pools of flesh of her buttocks, toned after years of sprinting away from potential assassins. He removed her tights, careful not to snag them. Kneeling on the floor, he kissed all her legs, from her ankles all the way up to her thighs. At that point, while on his knees, he hugged her so that his face was on her belly, and his hands were fondling with her backside, enjoying himself greatly. She caressed his back and scalp.

He stood up, taking her hand and watching her full-body figure. All she was wearing now was her bra and panties. Obi-Wan sucked in air, his heartrate increasing. He brought her hand to his lips as she smiled suggestively. He remembered always finding her beautiful, but now, if anything, she looked more womanly, a bit more curvaceous. He realized that she had grown more confident, unafraid to show herself for what she was.

Caressing his cheek and pulling him into a hug, she gave him a chaste kiss. He began to fumble with his belt, but she placed a hand on his, stopping him. "Let me handle it" she hinted. He smiled, intrigued.

With one expert, swift move, Satine unclasped his belt, pulling his tabard apart. She buried her face in his black-fabric-covered chest, moving her hands down to feel his abdomen and legs. She liked how hard he was. She found the hem of his under-armor. She began gradually exposing his skin for her eager mouth to explore. When she kissed the sensitive area between his navel and groin he was unable to contain a gasp, much to her satisfaction. Continuing along that line, she rolled up his shirt completely, and once he was finally freed from it, she caught his mouth in a long kiss. She moved on to his neck, sucking on his Adam's apple area and inhaling his scent; to his collar bone, withdrawing slightly to admire him.

He was flushed, a strange mix of adorable and powerful. He had aged well, becoming buffer than she'd remembered, she thought while tracing his muscle lines with her fingers. She pressed a palm to rest on his chest, realizing that his body was like a map of what he'd been through during the last fifteen years: each scar had a story behind it. Overcome by a desire to show him her closeness, she ran her hands across his broad shoulders, and, unable to resist, she pressed her lips against his chest, then very unexpectedly took one of his small nipples inside her mouth, sucking. One look back at his face - and at his crotch - said it all. She didn't wait for his high to fade, sliding behind him and teasing his skin with her hands while pressing her body against his strong back. He was in a state of pure bliss, but she continued to surprise him, toying with his waistband and unexpectedly reaching inside his boxer briefs to grab his member. Obi-Wan let out an involuntary moan, hardening in her grasp, his back arching. He sincerely couldn't remember all this confidence on her part when they were younger, but what could've caused him anxiety in the past now excited him to no end.

After she got rid of his pants, he turned around, set on responding to her initiatives, and lifted her in his arms, heading to the large poster bed.

"After you, Your Grace" he said as he landed her on the mattress.

She squealed in surprise, but soon was overcome by Obi-Wan's amorous attentions, releasing hums of pleasure as she twisted on the bed, her hands grabbing the sheets, completely surrendered to his touch.

He was aroused, he was passionate, but most of all he wanted to be with her, to feel her, to stay as close to her as possible. On a Force-related level, he wanted to blend with her. Their skins were scorching-hot, sending electric shockwaves through their systems every time their bodies touched. After sucking on her jaw, he stopped for a minute to stare into her gorgeous orbs, not breaking their embrace. He was on top of her, his bulge pressing between her legs. Her cheeks were tinged pink. She raised a hand to caress Obi-Wan's face, as he observed her mesmerized, love welling in his chest. "So unbelievable" she admitted.

She laughed a bit at his curious expression, replying: "I didn't think we would be so intimate again" their lips met again, their tongues finding each other sweetly.

They stayed like that, attached like magnets, all the sensations enhanced by their state of near-nudity. The way she reveled in his proximity reached him straight to the heart. He ran his fingers through strands of her hair as if they were golden, suddenly considerate "Satine, if you don't feel like going all the way…" but she caught his mouth in hers, suffocating his worries with her non-verbal answer.

A few seconds passed, the air tense with lust and a promise of love.

In an instant Satine was sitting on the Jedi's lap, perked on an edge of the bed. He ran his hands along her long legs, before crawling them higher, to her waist. Their burning eyes met, his face getting closer to hers. He inhaled, lowering to brush his lips on the swell of her breast. Taking his time, he slid the straps of her bra aside, then with a flick of his fingers he unhooked it. Her voluptuous breasts instantly popped free. At Obi-Wan's widened eyes, she sucked in air, closing her lids as he slowly began exploring this new, uncovered territory with his fingertips. The wait was becoming progressively unbearable on her, and he knew it perfectly well. With little forewarning, Obi-Wan pressed his face into her plush breasts, cupping them, teasing them. His excitement grew when he drew a perky nipple into his mouth, skillfully using his tongue to arouse her, causing her to moan and arch her back. She wrapped herself around him more tightly, pressing his head closer to her flesh, softly murmuring his name. Already feeling her wetness moisten his legs through the thin undergarment she was wearing, he moved them to lie on the bed where he one-handedly freed her of this last piece of clothing while sucking on her other breast. With his fingers, he parted her folds, moving on to explore her innervated clit, lightly at first; then more intensely, while he kissed her stomach. As wet and warm as she was, he wouldn't have found the resolve to part from her had she not rolled them over, a now wilder expression on her face.

She pulled him up, so that they were face to face, on their knees, in the center of the bed. She leaned against Obi-Wan's chest, touching his muscly buttocks and proceeding to finally free him of his constricting boxer briefs. He let out a grateful gasp as his erection was able to fully express itself, at last. The kiss they shared was fueled by years of repressed desire toward one another, and when they emerged, dizzy and inebriated, they instinctively lost themselves in an embrace, his throbbing member pressing against her folds. Satine moaned, moving closer to feel him more, and he sustained her against his torso, making sure she wouldn't fall back.

At that point, they had lost all capacity to think clearly, but nonetheless Obi-Wan managed to ease her down back on the mattress, her arms wrapped around his shoulders. He hovered over her, kissing her lovingly on the lips. He knew they wouldn't last much longer. He had to do what his heart told him to.

"Satine"

She looked at him "Yes?"

He took a deep breath "I love you"

She didn't need to find words to reply, her expression was explicit enough.

They didn't break eye-contact when Obi-Wan penetrated her, moments later. She moaned loudly as more and more of his length filled her. He was warm, pulsating and expanding. She wrapped her legs around his waist as they kissed, neither of them willing to increase the distance between them. He started moving, surprised at how quickly he was reaching his edge, but again, so was she. It was as if with every thrust their feelings were magnified, the realization that they were finally able to fulfill their wish to be together unchaining them.

Obi-Wan thrusted in deeper, shifting his weight slightly to pleasure her at different angles, sucking on her neck desperately wanting to show her just how much she meant to him. She moved her hips along with him, fully determined to show him the very same things. During those moments of galactic intensity, she held him close, her fingers fisting in his hair or holding onto his stiffened muscles as she clenched around him, as he hissed her name against her neck. Thanks to the harmonizing hints from the Force, Obi-Wan was able to resist that much that allowed her to climax first.

She whispered in his ear, her voice almost a hiss "Obi, I love you" He released his load, searching for her lips to kiss as he stilled inside her, willing to remain there as long as he physiologically could.

Eventually he rolled off her, gallantly kissed her hand and draped the covers over them. Their legs intertwined as she traced his features with her fingers and he fondled her breasts lightly.

They were lost in each other's eyes. They were lost in their mental and physical connection. After long moments in which every word would've been unnecessary, Satine murmured: "Incredible…"

He smiled, living this moment to the fullest with her. "Satine, we have our duties but I don't think I will ever be able to forget you…"

Her voice sounded moist, but teasing "Is it really you giving voice to these thoughts?"

He smiled wider "I am reckless. You made me so. Again"

She rolled on top of him, resting her head in the hollow of his neck. "My Ben"

The internal Clone Wars alarm clock woke Obi-Wan up in the early hours of the morning. He was breathing heavily, probably believing to be on the battlefield. His jerky movements woke Satine, whose presence immediately soothed him. He pretended like nothing was wrong, but she wasn't fooled.

"Obi, it's about the war, isn't it?"

He sighed, not answering right away. But she waited.

"Yes, Satine…yes. I just wish the Jedi were…" he looked like he was about to continue, but getting a glimpse of her eyes, he held his tongue back. He didn't want to burden her unnecessarily, not when she was already dealing with so much herself.

Sensing his internal struggle with the prowess of a Jedi, Satine slid off him, snuggling beside him and toying with his chest hair. "Thank you for choosing to come yesterday, Obi-Wan. Tomorrow I will be gone, and you will be needed at the front, but thanks to you, today I am stronger"

He caressed her with affection, albeit slightly sadly, as if not wanting to get too close before they parted ways. Reality was hitting him hard now, but – perhaps alarmingly – he wasn't regretting anything. True, he had evaded the Temple, enthusiastically spending a day with a woman who was so much more than an "attachment" and waking up entangled to her after a hot, steamy night of sex, but Obi-Wan had witnessed too many of the galaxy's horrors, had too many questions left unanswered, had overall seen too much to believe what had happened to be wrong. Was he being selfish? Maybe, but she seemed to be on board. Perhaps it would've been more selfish of him to just keep ignoring her, to keep ignoring what he felt was the Force's invitation to let her in his life. He was afraid of himself for reasoning this way, but he couldn't deny the self-evident truth.

Suddenly feeling stupid for his coldness, he brushed her leg with his hand. She responded by kissing his chest, but he got an idea, and sprawled on the back closing his eyes, apparently ignoring her.

"Obi-Wan?" Satine was a mix of worried and disappointed.

She hovered over him, watching him closely. All of a sudden, Obi-Wan grabbed her laughing heartily and rolled them over, trapping her with his body. Satine tried to break free, extending her arm to find a pillow to use as weapon, but he nuzzled her right where she was ticklish, successfully disarming her "Your Grace, are you ready to negotiate your release?" he asked naughtily.

"Let me go, you scoundrel. Those good manners of yours are only a façade" she provoked, squirming.

"If not, what?" he taunted, his beard tickling her cheek.

"You will pay for it!" she hissed, fondling his scrotum from behind, a motion which caused him to roll his eyes in pleasure.

"I'm dreading it!"

"You'd better"

Obi-Wan considered her for a moment. He released her, running his palms over her body before spreading her legs.

"Please, accept my sincere apologies" and he started kissing and nibbling at her skin.

Satine only had a few moments before she realized what he was doing, and when she did, her back was arching and she was gasping. Obi-Wan was going down on her. He had never done this to anyone else, but he had felt an irresistible urge to pleasure her that way. She writhed and hissed as he explored her depths with his tongue, grabbing her thighs. When he emerged, his beard wet, Satine pressed her hands against his chiseled stomach, a dark flame of desire in her eyes. Much to his stupor, she exchanged the favor, going down on him, licking him, tasting him sweetly but decidedly. Soon, their bodies became an entangled, passionate mess. Obi-Wan ran his hands along Satine's back, grabbed her butt and entered her; she sat on his lap as they consumed their love, turning her head to kiss him in the mouth.

It was as if they couldn't get enough of each other, their imminent departure pushing them to trespass the limits of imagination. They were in a private dimension where reality and dream fused, and they weren't able to tell the one apart from the other. But one thing was clear to the two normally contained lovers: their feelings were so very real.

Satine turned to face him as she clung to him, his arms wrapping tightly around her as they reached their edge and the universe burst around them.

After that, it didn't take long for them to recover enough to be ready for yet another lovemaking session. They were rendered so "hungry" by their deprivations, and, while together, they were stripped (literally, too) of all the inhibitions that normally restrained them. Never, not even with the occasional liaisons they had entertained with other parties during the fifteen years they spent apart, had Obi-Wan and Satine been so at ease as to express themselves freely in such a manner.

All too soon, the sun rose, casting its hope-filled light on all things. Satine and Obi-Wan got ready and left. They would spend more time apart than both of them were willing to spend, but they had the awareness that they would always carry a piece of the other along. They knew they'd find ways to meet, from time to time. That morning, the galaxy felt less lonely.