The hour sped by. You'd barely finished putting mascara on when you heard Ben's now-familiar knock at your front door.
You saw through the picture window that Ben had changed into more formal shorts and a button-up tee, both in shades of blue that suited him. And shoes, which you weren't altogether used to seeing on his feet.
"You look beautiful." Ben said as soon as you opened the door. You flushed in spite of yourself and looked down at your plain blue sundress, not really used to that kind of compliment.
"You cleaned up really nice too, blue is your color." You told him. You grabbed your purse from the hook by the door and stepped out, turning to lock the door behind you.
"I thought I might take you to the tapas place across town, I saw online that they changed their menu and I'm in the mood to try some new things." Ben said conversationally as you walked down the front path. The Prius was parked at the end of your driveway, surprisingly.
"I think I like tapas." You replied. "I haven't been out for food in a really long time."
"It's been a long time for me as well, I'm afraid something like tapas isn't really Anakin's style." Ben said, flashing you a smile over the top of the car.
"He seems more like a mac and cheese kind of speed racer." You said, leaning into the joke.
"And don't forget rock cookies." Ben teased. You laughed, knowing full well that Anakin had snuck a cookie from the plate you'd been given into his pocket before they went home. Either Ben would be picking crumbs out of his washer, or Anakin was going to be a handful for the babysitter.
"How is Ahsoka?" You asked, knowing that if you were thinking about the babysitter, Ben likely was too.
"Her sister Padme intervened on her behalf, and is going to watch them both this afternoon as a trial run. Padme just transferred to the University here to be closer to home, and I trust her with Anakin."
"That's good." You stared out the window.
"I want to trust Ahsoka, I really do. But she has to learn what responsibility, especially for another human life, means. Anakin is unpredictable, emotional, and extremely injury-prone... I don't want to lose him."
You laid you hand over his on the console, and he squeezed your fingers.
"Do you think about having children, Flower?" Ben finally asked, just as he signaled to turn into the parking lot of the restaurant.
"All the time, it seems like." You admitted. "My biological clock has been ticking pretty loudly."
Ben pulled into a parking spot and killed the engine, looking at you with an unreadable expression.
"What?" You asked. Ben just shook his head and got out of the Prius, jogging around to your side of the car to open your door for you.
Tapas was a lot fancier, and a lot more confusing, that you'd anticipated. Half of the dishes had ingredients that you'd never heard of, let alone tried before.
"Maybe you should order for us," you suggested to Ben, "I can't make heads or tails of this menu."
"Is there anything you don't like?" Ben asked.
"I don't care for anise, or really anything that tastes like licorice..." You admitted. "And the only vegetable I hate is cauliflower."
Ben raised his eyebrows.
"The texture is weird on the way down, it's much worse on the way back up."
"Ah." Ben said, amusement dancing in his eyes.
When the waiter next came by, Ben ordered several different dishes that all sounded good and a glass of wine for you both. The waiter returned with the wine almost immediately, just in time for Ben's phone to ring.
"It's Ahsoka, I should take this." Ben said, looking at you apologetically.
"No worries." You replied, sipping your glass of cool white wine. Ben went outside to take the call, and you looked around at the decor of the restaurant, admiring the paintings and sconces on the wall.
"Hello." A voice startled you. A man had approached your table, and it took you a few seconds to place where you'd seen him before.
"Quinlan. The EMT." You said. "Uh, hi."
"I'm glad to see you're on the mend, I just noticed you on my way out." He said, taking Ben's seat across from you. Your brow furrowed in annoyance, but he was already talking again and you couldn't interrupt without being rude.
"This is my first afternoon off in a long time, so I thought I'd see what there is to enjoy in town." Quinlan was saying. "I heard that this place is good from a friend, and I liked what I had over at the bar. Have you been before?"
"They just changed their menu, it was online." You said, parroting back what Ben had told you earlier. Quinlan was already talking again, so you busied yourself with your wine and not looking outwardly peeved at his presence.
Thankfully, Ben rematerialized before you got to the bottom of your wineglass. His brow wrinkled in confusion as he took in Quinlan in his chair, and your closed off body language.
"Excuse me," Ben said politely.
"Oh, it's you." Quinlan said, standing.
"Yes." Ben said curtly. The two men faced off, sizing each other up. Quinlan had a couple inches of height on Ben and good deal more muscle, but that didn't seem to phase him at all.
"Um, Quinlan noticed me and wanted to check up after the market." You tried to diffuse the situation. "I'm sure he won't mind if we get back to our conversation."
"Not at all." Quinlan said with a generous smile. He stepped away from Ben's seat and turned his attention back to you.
"I'm glad to see you're healed up, Flower Girl." He said, touching your shoulder before making his way out of the restaurant.
You drained the rest of your wineglass, then reached across the table and took a healthy gulp of Ben's wine too. The tension eased from Ben's shoulders as he watched.
"I take it you are not interested in returning his affections?" Ben asked. You frowned at him and tilted your head.
"He's made it clear that he has intentions towards you."
"And?" You examined Ben's wineglass, then drank the remaining liquid inside.
"He could be a good a match for you." Ben said, staring at something on the tablecloth.
You were completely confused by what you were hearing. Your neighbor who you'd been dancing around for weeks, who occupied so much of your mind he might as well move into your skull at this point, who was currently on a date with you, was suggesting you go after the assertive EMT who gave you bad vibes? It was just too absurd, and you didn't really want to get into it here in public, so you shelved that item for later.
"What did Ahsoka say?"
"Anakin smuggled a cookie into his pocket, which he then sat on. When he discovered that his cookie was broken, he threw a tantrum until he fell asleep on the floor, covered in crumbs. Ahsoka was calling to see if he'd already had a nap today, which he did not. I told her to let him sleep as long as he wanted."
"Oh. I should have told you about the cookie, I thought you'd confiscate it once you got home. I'm sorry." You hung your head.
"I'm grateful that it was a cookie, and not another hospital trip." Ben said.
"Me too."
A tense silence fell over the table. Ben stared off at the wall over your shoulder, and you fiddled with the tablecloth. You weren't really sure how to break the tension.
Thankfully, before you could stew too long, the food arrived and provided the perfect distraction. Ben busied himself dividing up the portions and explaining the dishes, and the mood at your table gradually lightened as you enjoyed.
The date was almost recovered when the other shoe finally fell. You were accepting a bite of steak medallion in a rich, green sauce off Ben's fork when a couple entering the dining room caught your eye. Too late, you averted your gaze, and you saw them change course toward your table.
"Oh, fuck." You whispered, chewing fast and wiping your face with your napkin.
"What?" Ben made to look around, but you laid a hand on his to stop him.
"My ex just walked in the door with his fiancée."
You forced a smile onto your face even as your stomach twisted. The couple drew even with your table and a very familiar voice said your name.
"Cody." You said, by way of greeting.
"This is my fiancée, S-"
"Satine." Ben interjected. You noticed the thunderstruck look on his face and realized with growing horror what cosmic event had occurred.
"Ben." The beautiful woman on Cody's arm said, smiling down at him.
"What a coincidence." Cody said, gesturing between you.
"Yeah." Was all you could say. You looked at Ben, who didn't seem like he was going to join the conversation that was limping along in front of him.
"You should try the steak medallions." You said, gesturing at the plate in front of you. "Delicious."
"We'll have to." Satine said, looking up at Cody.
The silence stretched, and you decided that it was time to beat a hasty retreat. You signaled the waiter, who had been hovering with the bill.
"We should be going, we need to pick up Anakin." You said to Ben. "Darling?"
"Yes, of course, Sweetheart." Ben stirred to life and reached for his wallet. He fished out more than enough cash and put it on the waiter's tray.
"Good to see you." You addressed to Cody's left ear, finding you really couldn't meet his eyes.
"Likewise. You'll have to come out for the wedding." He said.
"Yes, you should. I'll send an invite." Satine added. You nodded politely and made your escape.
You threw yourself into the passenger seat of the Prius and covered your face in your hands. You couldn't decide if you were going to laugh, cry, or throw up steak medallions into Ben's footwell.
"That didn't just happen." You groaned. "There is no fucking way."
"I think the Universe must have a really poor sense of humor." Ben replied.
"My ex just invited me to his wedding. Where he will be wedding your ex. Do they actually expect us to show up to something like that?" You asked.
"I don't think so, it wouldn't be a good look for the them."
Your heart sank as you made the connection. Satine was rich, everything about her outfit screamed wealth and careful curation of style. Cody had family money and a ton of awards on top of an honorable discharge from the military. They fit together.
"Oh god." You said, and the tears started. "You're right."
"What?" Ben asked.
"They fit together, they look good together. She's everything I couldn't be for him!" You wailed, tears streaming down your cheeks.
"Darling, I-"
"And now they're going to get married, and have a ton of children, and be disgustingly happy, and I-I-I can't have any of those things." The words poured out of you before you could get a grip on yourself. The Prius was silent except for your gasping sobs.
"I'm sorry, that was a lot. I'm feeling... a lot right now. Can you take me home?" You sniffed.
"Of course, Flower."
Ben went to turn the car on, but was interrupted by his ringtone.
"It's Padme." Ben frowned. "Maker help me."
He clicked on. He barely greeted Padme before her voice flooded out of the phone, speaking quickly. Then another female voice that sounded vaguely like Ahsoka started in as well.
"Calm down, I can't understand you both when you talk at the same time." Ben protested, his brow furrowing. "What?"
Padme repeated herself, and Ben's eyes went wide.
"He did what? How long ago? Do you know where they were going?"
You took Ben's hand over the console, your tears drying up as you tried to listen in on what Padme was saying about Anakin.
"This is absolutely not your fault, you did the right thing by calling me. I don't know what he could be thinking. Tell Ahsoka I'll still pay her the full time."
Ben listened for a little longer, then clicked off. He studied the steering wheel, his shoulders taut with tension.
"My father just picked Anakin up from the babysitters with no warning, and wouldn't tell them where they were going."
"Oh." Was all you could say.
"I'm going to hope for the best. Let's get you home, and then I can negotiate this situation.
Ben gripped your hand, squeezing your fingers as he put the car in gear and pulled out of the parking lot. You could feel the anxiety radiating from him, but you had no idea what you could say, or do, to help. First Quinlan, then Cody and Satine, now Ben's family.
"Maybe we should stop trying to go on dates." You offered, trying to inject a little amusement into your tone.
"It has been a rather disastrous track record for us, hasn't it?" Ben replied, his tone flat.
"Please don't suggest I go date Quinlan instead, I don't think my constitution could handle it." You said honestly.
A ghost of a smile danced across Ben's mouth and he squeezed your hand.
The Prius turned onto your street and you heard a sharp inhale from next to you.
"That's Qui-Gon's car." Ben said, his eyes wide.
"What are they doing?" You asked him, staring at the suitcases and boxes stacked in the driveway next to a large, shiny Suburban. Ben hit the gas to dart up the street and turned the Prius into the driveway sharply, braking hard and cutting the engine. He fixed you with a hard stare.
"He's taking Anakin."