Chapter 5

They began training as soon as Luna was fully healed. Obi-Wan was impressed with her rapid progress and positive attitude. In spite of being far from home, missing her friends, and loosing everything that was familiar she threw herself into the their lessons with a whole hearted enthusiasm that was admirable. He knew exactly how hard it was to start over and she never once complained.

Obi-Wan had spent his whole life around other Jedi for whom using the Force was a normal part of everyday life. While he never took his powers for granted, the novelty had worn off long ago. Luna made him see these miraculous abilities with fresh eyes. One day, after hours of trying and failing, she finally succeeded in levitating a spoon off the table. He found himself holding his breath silently cheering her on. She gasped as she opened her eyes and saw the spoon hanging in midair just before it came tumbling down with a thump. Before it hit the floor she jumped up, pulled him to his feet, and threw her arms around him. "Ben! Did you see that?! I did it! I really did it! Can you believe I made a spoon float?!" Her joy and excitement were infectious and he couldn't help laughing with her as she danced around the table in celebration.

He spent hours showing her how to meditate until she could feel the Force flowing through everything around them. She seemed to find as much peace in the quiet stillness as he did which secretly thrilled him. He'd never said anything, but it had been a great disappointment that Anakin never really appreciated the practice much.

When they finished their lessons for the day, they would make dinner and sit on the steps watching the suns set in a glorious kaleidoscope of pink and red and gold as they ate. He found himself looking forward to that part of the day more and more. She was funny! She'd tell him amusing stories about her students and tease him about little things that had happened during the day and he'd find himself laughing like he hadn't in years.

One evening during a game Sabacc he watched her as she carefully examined her cards. Her hair was tied up in a knot on the back of her head. Suddenly he wondered what it would feel like to pull it loose and run his hands through the silky dark tresses. Would it feel as soft as it looked? He imagined her head falling back and her full pink lips parting in a sigh. What would they taste like?

"Ben?"

He shook his head and realized Luna was staring at him with a curious expression.

"Ben, are you alright?"

He shifted uncomfortably in his chair and cleared his throat. "Yes, sorry. I was miles away. What?"

"It's your turn."

"Oh, of course." He quickly tried to focus on his cards again.

There was no question he was attracted to her. At first he had dismissed the feelings out of hand. She was beautiful and that was that. Except the more he got to know her, he began to realize she was much more than just a pretty face. She brightened his lonely world. No longer was he just existing, he felt alive again. Of course there was no way he could act on these feelings. The Jedi had rules about attachments. Besides, she trusted him and he was not about to take advantage of that.

What worried Ob-Wan was that Luna was awakening something in him that he hadn't felt since his one brief romance with Satine. That experience had hurt him so badly he never dabbled with personal attachments again and became very good at avoiding situations where he felt he might be tempted.

It wasn't that physical intimacy was forbidden. He could have taken full advantage of the nightlife on Coruscant. Many Jedi did, but he chose not to. There had been lots of beautiful women over the years who had expressed an interest in him but he always managed to keep his distance. It just felt wrong to use someone like that. To risk someone else's feelings when he was unable to give more was selfish and he didn't want to cause anyone the kind of pain he had experienced with Satine. There were brothels of course, but the thought of visiting one disgusted him. In his opinion only those who couldn't control their baser instincts frequented the red light districts in the lower levels. He wasn't an animal after all. So, he had spent most of his adult life taking cold showers, meditating, and occasionally taking matters into his own hands if all else failed.

At night Obi-Wan laid in bed listening to Luna's steady breathing behind the sheet they had hung to divide the room. How he wished she were there beside him! If only the rules were different.

….

The longer Luna knew Ben, the more curious she became. She couldn't imagine why such an amazing person chose to live alone on the edge of nowhere like a hermit. He was a fabulous teacher, the best she had ever had. He was patient and kind, always willing to listen and explain things over again if she needed him to. He was always positive and encouraging no matter how many times she failed at something. Yet sometimes, behind the warm smile she could sense a profound sadness about him.

One day, a few weeks into their training, they decided to go to Anchorhead for supplies. When they arrived, Ben went to get groceries and a few other items for the hut and she had walked down the street a little further to find some clothes. All she had was the outfit she had been wearing on the Shuttle. Ben had generously offered to let her use anything he had, but all his clothes were much too large. She was currently using one of his tunics to sleep in, secretly loving the way it smelled like him. Almost every night she drifted off to sleep imagining what it would feel like to have his arms around her holding her close, his beard tickling her as he pressed soft kisses along her neck…. Maybe he wouldn't notice if she kept that one!

A chime sounded as Luna opened the door to a small boutique in the center of town. It was lunchtime and the store was empty. The clerk, a pretty blue Twi'lek teenager, hurried out of a back room. She smiled brightly and asked if Luna needed any help. As she browsed, she kept feeling a growing sense of annoyance from the girl, but every time she looked back there appeared to be nothing wrong. The feeling grew steadily stronger until finally Luna could stand it no longer. She grabbed a few items and took them to the counter to pay.

As she passed the door that lead to a stockroom, she felt the annoyance turn to alarm. What was going on? Just then a young man appeared in the doorway looking disheveled. There were lipstick marks on his cheek. He looked from Luna to the Twi'lek, turning a deep shade of red. He mumbled a quick goodbye and bolted for the door. Oh! So that was it. Luna covered a smile with her hand and tried not to laugh.

A few seconds later the manager barged through the door with a murderous look in her eyes.

"I just saw Karson running down the street. You know you're not allowed to have your boyfriend in here during working hours!"

"He wasn't Miss Reeva! I swear! He must just be downtown for something else."

Miss Reeva looked highly suspicious. "Well, I'd better not hear otherwise. If I find out he was here here again you've had it. Did you put out those new sand robes?" She disappeared into the back of the store.

The clerk gave Luna a desperate pleading look. "Please don't say anything! I'll get sacked. I just wanted to spend some time with him before he goes off planet for the season." She whispered.

Luna well remembered getting in trouble for something similar when she was that age. She gave the girl a wink. "Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me."

She told Ben what had happened when they met for lunch. His sides shook with laughter at her description of the panicked girl and her boyfriend sneaking out of the shop.

"I leave you alone for an hour and you're conspiring to deceive the hard working people of Anchorhead." His eyes twinkled merrily.

"Well, who am I to stand in the way of love. Besides, everyone does something like that at some point. Don't you remember what it was like to be young? One time when I was 17 I snuck out my window and met my boyfriend under the smash ball bleachers at school. We made out until we got caught by the Headmaster."

Ben's mouth hung open. "What happened?"

"He shone a spot light on us and blew one of those canned air horns. We ran like the sith was after us."

Ben was silent, apparently trying to picture this.

"So I told you a story from my sordid past. What were you like at that age?"

"Well, uh…I don't know." His eyes clouded over. "I spent a lot of time studying. There wasn't really much time for a social life." He suddenly seemed to find the tablecloth very interesting. "Why don't we get the check? We should be heading back if we're going to make it before dark."

He had been quiet all the way home, deep in thought about something.

That night on her side of the curtain, she tried to imagined what 17 year old Ben must have been like. She pictured a serious, bookish young man sitting home while everyone else went to parties and smash ball games and dances. Poor Ben!

She flipped on her back punching the pillow in an attempt to get comfortable. Once more her thoughts returned to what must have brought him to this desolate planet all alone. What was his story? Every time she tried to ask something about his past, he quickly changed the subject or deflected the question. She wished he would confide in her.

…

The next day Obi-Wan taught her how to catch things with the force. They started off small, with pebbles. He would throw them, and she would stop them from falling in mid-air. She turned out to be quite good at this. They switched to larger rocks, then a bucket, then a chair, then the trunk where he kept the lightsabers hidden. She stopped every item with ease. Her confidence growing each time.

"Very good Luna!" She blushed and smiled at the compliment. "However, it feels much different with a living being. We should practice that too."

"How are we going to do that?"

"I'll jump off the roof. You catch me."

Luna looked horrified. "But what if I drop you?"

"Don't worry. I can stop myself if you do, but you won't. Remember. Do or do not. There is no try!" He thought of Yoda. What would he think if he saw what was happening?

"Well, Ok. If you're sure…"

"You can do this!" He climbed up onto the roof and looked down at her. "Ready?"

"I'm ready!"

Obi-Wan swan dived off the roof and, as expected, Luna caught him. She held him suspended in air, the Force flowing around them both for several seconds. It was obviously much harder to keep him afloat than the other items. Sweat began to bead on her forehead and she gritted her teeth in concentration. Just as she started to lower him to the ground, a gust of wind came up. There was a broom leaning against the front steps and it clattered to the ground. It wasn't loud, but it was enough to break her focus and the next thing he knew he was flat on his face in a sand dune.

He had been so caught up in watching her that he hadn't realized she was about to drop him. He was still for a few moments, thankfully the dune was soft. Just then Luna came running over.

"Oh, Ben, I'm so sorry! Are you hurt? Say something!"

"Mmmmm….Luna, is that you?" He moaned into the sand.

"Ben!" She grabbed his shoulder and turned him over, obviously expecting the worst. She leaned over him, searching his face with a worried look in her beautiful green eyes. "Are you alright?" His heart soared at the thought that she cared about him.

He was going to laugh and make a joke, but suddenly, as their eyes locked, the situation didn't seem funny any longer. "Luna" He whispered. Everything faded into the distance as he sat up and pulled her to him, their lips meeting in a kiss that was soft and sweet and held the promise of so much more.