AN: Hello! So, just fair warning that I go back to school this week, weather willing. So if the updates slow down, that would be why. We're getting into the meat of the story now, but I still haven't finished writing the entire thing, so it'll be pretty long. I know the past few chapters have been devoid of Obi-Wan and Charlie fun, but I promise he's coming back. Read and please review! And May the Force Be With You.

Disclaimer: It belongs to George Lucas.

CHAPTER 15

The air was warm. The water was pure. The scene was peaceful. The beings, such as they were, sat at the edge of the rushing river, watching as it danced and gurgled hello, only to speed off into the distance. They held each other, pulling each other from the draw of the river.

There was no telling what race they were. They were shapeless, or shape-full depending on how you looked at it. Each glance revealed a change in their character. They were beings of the Force, as ephemeral as their surroundings.

They could have been in a jungle, or on top of a mountain, or at the edge of an ocean. No matter what you saw, if you looked too closely, you'd see right through it. The beings and their surroundings were apparitions, dreams, ghosts in the night. But the two children that came floating down the river were very, very real.

They were newborns. One female, with dark hair and green eyes, and one male, with blond hair and blue eyes. They were swaddled in something that must have been waterproof. The girl had angry red burst marks on her forearms.

One of the beings on the edge of the river reached out, as if to try and touch the children. But it was no use. They floated as if they were on air, not on water, and they moved farther away the further the being reached out.

The being gave up, and turned to embrace the other. The held on to each other and watched as the two children were taken by the river, and off into the distance. As they watched, there was a flash of silver and a flash of gold on the horizon. The bundles has disappeared.

Charlie woke with a start. Her room was dark, and a glance out the window revealed only early morning Coruscant traffic. It had been a few weeks since her night with Padmé, and everything had been quiet, considering that they were part of a war.

Why had she awoken? Her comm unit? No beeping, no messages. R4? On alert, but silent and still. Charlie lay back, trying to remember the beautiful dream she'd been having.

It came back to her in bits. She remembered a river and two beings at its edge. She remembered how mercurial they were. She remembered the love she could feel between them. It showed as a bond, a line of white fire that connected force signature to force signature. Only, there was something off about their solid existence. It was as if they didn't have a body.

"Hold on a second," she thought. "Those aren't beings, they're force signatures come to… life?" The thought was so strange to her that it took her a second to wrap her head around it. It wasn't possible, was it? She'd have to remember to ask Yoda, he would know.

Charlie thought back to the dream again. The beings had given off intense sorrow at the end, over something in the river. She frowned, forcing her brain to chase the dream before it disappeared altogether.

Ahhh, yes, there is was. Two newborns were floating in the river. Only, it wasn't a river, it was more like a stream of the force. She remember the details of the girl and boy, dark and blond respectively. She pressed her brain for more information. Something was off about the dream. She'd never visited or heard of a place as ephemeral as the world in her dream. She examined her mental picture of the children again, wondering at how they seemed to float in the air.

And then she gasped, sitting up stick straight in bed, much to R4's surprise.

She seen markings, blast marks, her blast marks on the baby girl's forearms.

Charlie paced outside of Yoda's personal quarters, nervous beyond fear, curious beyond control. Back and forth she walked, her cloak and braid streaming out behind her, hood up, hiding from the younglings and padawans who passed by, giving her curious looks.

She'd jumped out of bed and rushed through her morning ablutions, wanting to get answers as quickly as possible. She'd skipped breakfast; her stomach had been much to jumpy for that. She originally thought she could've waited to get her questions answer, but the baby girl had had her burst marks.

"Could that dream have been real?" Charlie asked herself. "Could that have been where I was born? If so, who was that child next to me? My brother? Why does his force signature strike a chord in my memory?" She'd been repeating the same questions over and over, as if the mantra would reveal answers to her that the dream hadn't.

She could feel two different force signatures in Yoda's quarters; his and Mace Windu's. They were discussing something, and she was positive Yoda recognized her's waiting outside his door, so she would wait until he invited her in to enter. She paced for another few minutes, until she felt an increase in pressure from Yoda's signature. He was giving her the signal.

Yoda's room was simultaneously everything and nothing like she imagined. It was warm, quiet, peaceful, serene even, as was befitting the Jedi Grand Master. It was sort of like the Hall of a Thousand Fountains. The atmosphere was comforting and meditative, plus there were trees. Huge trees with what appeared to be a small swamp in a clearing. She wondered how such fantastic life could exist here when the only sun came in through the windows, of which there were many.

She saw Yoda and Windu sitting near one of these windows. It seemed to extend ceiling to floor, so they had a magnificent view of Coruscant's activity. It was still early, and the last vestiges of the sunrise's beauty still graced the eastern horizon. The two Jedi Masters were silhouettes against the rapidly lightening sky.

Yoda motioned her over without turning to look. Charlie walked carefully over, mindful of roots and puddles, not wanting to disturb anything. When she reached the two masters, Yoda gestured for her to have a seat next to him. She did.

For a while, the trio sat observing the slow actions of the morning. Patience had long been a virtue of Jedi, and it was one that Charlie had beaten into herself over the years. She appreciate the quiet contemplation, even if she desperately wanted questions answered. Finally, Yoda broke the silence.

"Disturbs you, something does." he said. "In the touch of your mind, I feel it. Questions, you have." he said, turning to look at here, his gaze pinning her to the floor.

And that was all it took. Charlie was off, describing to him the dream she'd had, and the implications it lead to.

"So you see, Master Yoda," she said in conclusion, "I don't quite know what to make of it. This dream, it felt so real compared to others. It didn't feel like a premonition, but rather a memory of something that had come to pass. My aunt's description of how she came to have me has always been confusing, and I've never felt like I had true parents." Charlie swallowed hard.

"It was something I came to accept. Now, I don't know what to think. Help me, Master Yoda. Please." The last words were said softly, a quiet plea for understanding that softened Yoda's face and made him reach a three-fingered hand out to rest on her shoulder.

"I believe, right you are." he said. "A memory, it was. Your birth, you saw. As for the boy, know, I do not. Brother, he may be. Unrelated, he may be. The beings, your parents may be. Master Windu, your beliefs?" he asked, turning towards his companion.

Windu, who'd been staring out the window while listening to their conversation turned back to look at Charlie.

"I agree with Master Yoda." he said. "The dream does coincide nicely with the circumstances of your birth. I've heard this description once before. In a book in our library. Never copied over to the archives because its contents were too sensitive to be stored on a computer in the public archives. It speaks of a child born of the force. I think you may be just that."

The three sat quietly, digesting what Windu had just said. The more Charlie thought about it, the stranger the idea felt. How could she be born of the force? Is that what those two beings were, force beings? Was there such a thing?

She voiced her concerns to the two masters. She was overwhelmed with questions, letting them spill out of her mouth. Once she'd let out all her questions, the two masters were silent for a little longer. It was Windu who spoke again.

"There has never been a confirmed child of the force." he said. "There is strong evidence that you indeed could be, but I do not believe there is a way to know for sure. I am sorry that we cannot confirm or deny anything. This is the same problem we encountered with young Skywalker. His mother claims she woke up pregnant one day, and Anakin's midichlorian counts confirm that he may well be a child of the force. I suspect your's would do the same. We will meditate on this, but I do not believe we will encounter any answers. Nonetheless, I would not share what we have shared with you with anyone you trust less than with your life. News of you here has almost certainly reached Darth Sidious, and if this news reaches him, there is no telling what he will do." Windu finished on a serious note.

Charlie was quiet, understanding the request he'd made. It made her feel better that the wise masters didn't know what to make of it either, and that Sidious had never mentioned this. She would have to speak to Anakin about the circumstances of his birth. She wondered if his mother had told him anything that could help shed light on her problem. She hoped he didn't know anything she didn't about her birth, and that he never found out.

Speaking of Sidious though, "Have any results come from the mission to Janulik?" she asked.

Windu shook his head.

"The attaché we sent should arrive back at the temple this week, in time for the summer solstice ball." he said. "They found some clues, but nothing concrete, and nothing we can go to the Chancellor with. I am sorry."

Charlie sighed. She had forgotten all about the ball, in light of her family's plight, and now her dream. It had been but a few weeks since she'd discovered her family's kidnapping, and the thought still burned.

But Windu wasn't done. "What have you discovered in your research?" he asked.

Charlie frowned. "Truthfully, nothing of much use. There are still several avenues I have yet to investigate, but the work is slow. I didn't have much of a chance to research in the Sith Temple. Only very rarely did they let me near their plans. Nonetheless, I will continue. For as long as it is within my power, I will continue." She was pleased to hear the determination in her voice.

The two masters nodded simultaneously. For the moment, all questions were satisfied. Together, the trio watched the last of the sunrise dissipate into the bright light of day.

Charlie missed Obi-Wan. She had been eating in the mess, enjoying a conversation with Padmé, but the senator had had to leave to attend to her other duties. It was a few days after her conversation with Yoda and Windu, and she had needed a break from the serious nature of their talk, the thoughts that followed it, and her research. So, she called Padmé.

Charlie had repressed her feelings after their date, trying to make sense of the other parts of her life. The questions of her family and her birth still tugged at her mind, but she could no longer deny that she just plain missed Obi-Wan. Every time she thought of him, a warm glow would fill her body. She could see her force signature grow brighter. She wore a silly grin, unbecoming of her status. Catching herself walking down the same line of thought as before, Charlie shook her head, trying to clear the thoughts.

It had been a few days since her dream, and things had once again quieted down. She researched and trained, but overall, things had been quiet for a Republic in the midst of war.

"The calm before the storm." Charlie mused to herself.

Not that the temple was calm. She'd never seen it in such a state of activity. The Summer Solstice Ball was tonight, everyone was busy with preparations. It would continue despite the war. It was considered a reprieve for all available participants, and it was not to be done away with.

Charlie herself had received an invitation, hand delivered by a blushing padawan with the compliments of Ki-Adi Mundi, the Jedi Master who'd challenged her at their first meeting. Not wanting to offend him, and wanting to see what all the fuss was about, she gamely accepted.

Her clothes for the ball were in her quarters, and she'd decided to pamper herself after the late lunch she was enjoying. She had a feeling events were about to proceed much more quickly, and this was the last chance she'd get to relax. Charlie shook her head at herself again. Who was she to guess at the whims of fate?

She slipped the remains of her meal in the trash, and walked slowly through the temple on her way back to her room. She had to smile to herself. Younglings, padawans, and Jedi Masters alike were all moving every which way, some form of excitement tinging their expressions and quickening their movements. The mood in the temple was light.

"It is good," Charlie thought, "for everyone to get a little happy in their lives before the coming events of the war. I wonder if Obi-Wan will be at the ball?" The thought occurred to her before she could stop it, and it quickened her steps off of the lift. If he was there, she was going to make damn sure she knocked him off his feet.

Charlie entered her room, greeting R4 and tapping out a message to Padmé on her comm unit. The senator would be accompanying her to the ball to help her navigate the complicated political waters, but if Charlie was going to look her best, she would also need Padmé's experience in the hair and makeup departments.

Charlie smiled at her foolishness and vanity. She supposed everyone wanted to play dress up now and then, but she had never had a chance to be a girl. It had been a while, well, since her date with Obi-Wan, since she'd last felt pretty.

She took a relaxing shower, washing her hair with luxurious conditioner, cleaning her nails, even shaving her legs, something that a good friend on Janulik had introduced her to in the weeks before she'd been taken. She'd bought the conditioner and a razor specifically for this night. It was good that she was so well trained with a knife, or shaving could have gone significantly worse. She wondered how Obi-Wan bothered with his beard everyday.

When Charlie was as clean as she was going to get, she slipped on black lacy underclothes, found in a rather traumatic experience at a specialized shop in Coruscant. Who knew there were so many different types? Over them she slipped her robe, drying and combing out her hair and waiting for Padmé to arrive.

Arrive the senator did, not ten minutes later, breathless, obviously having just showered, judging by her hair. She gave Charlie a quick hug, talking fast.

"My goodness, the looks I got walking through the halls like this. I ended up running half the way!" Padmé said, laughing. People never saw the senator not dressed in her formal garb except for meals in the mess, and even then she still looked regal. Charlie smiled at her, taking her bag and immediately groaning under the weight.

"Stars, Padmé, what did you bring, your entire dresser?" she asked, jokingly. Padmé giggled and shook her head.

"Just the necessities." she replied primly, hanging up her gown, bagged protectively, next to Charlie's in the closet. She set her shoes in as well.

"I see you've showered." Padmé continued. "Good. Shall we get started?" she asked, not really expecting an answer.

And with a grin, Padmé started to work her magic.

AN: I promise the next few chapters will more than make up for this.