Chapter Seven

Chewbacca had lead Lana a few huts away from the one Obi-Wan and Jade were in. They entered, and Lana crawled up onto the bed, which was tall and incredibly long. She looked around the room with weary eyes and looked back up at Chewbacca.

"Um... would you stay here tonight?" she asked in a low voice. Chewbacca growled and nodded his head, sitting down on the edge of the bed. Lana edged over to him and snuggled down into his fur, feeling comfort and safety when he put his large arms around her.

They were silent for a while before Lana closed her eyes and sighed. "You know what happened to me, don't you?"

The growl that came from the Wookiee was low and soft, and Lana took it as a yes.

"I… I don't know what to think, what to do. I've never been so scared in my life, and now I'm scared of those that I know wouldn't hurt me ever. Obi-Wan never did anything to me. Why am I so scared of him?"

Lana didn't even expect the Wookiee to answer her. She was just trying to empty her head.

"He's been nothing except comforting, but when he's near or touches my shoulder, I get that same terrified feeling in my stomach and can't help put pull away." Fresh tears had started to fall down Lana's cheeks. "I know I shouldn't be scared of him, but my body reacts before my mind can."

Lana paused, and Chewbacca hugged her tighter to him, grumbling softly.

"But... with my parents gone, he’s all I have left. The only male figure I can turn to for help. He’s been like a dad to me, protecting me and watching me... This is all so confusing!" Lana ended her rant with a loud sniffle. She laid back on the bed and closed her eyes.

* * * * *

Perhaps it was the full moon or the day’s heat that still clung in the night or just the bareness of the man holding her. Whatever the case, Jade was shifting restlessly against Obi-Wan’s warm body, her legs tangling with his as she kissed his chin. The prickly hair tickled her lips, and she giggled naughtily at the sensation. Obi-Wan was still asleep but obviously affected by the attention she was giving him.

Obi-Wan rose out of a good dream and opened his eyes, letting their sunset blue travel over her. Jade took his lips in a desperate embrace, their mouths locking until there was nothing but the motions and tastes of their kiss. She pressed her hands into his hair and transformed it into an array of cowlicks and tangles, her hips undulating and pulling Obi-Wan under her sensual spell.

They rolled, and Jade hovered above him. Her grin was feral and wanton and nothing nice whatsoever. Obi-Wan’s mind chose that moment to wander and found itself pondering Lana. He stiffened beneath her, brushing her hands away when Jade fondled his chest.

“Jade, please… I can’t do this now.”

She sat back from him, her hands lingering on his chest and eventually leaving here as well. She saw that a stray hair from her head had landed on his shoulder, the red shining in the dim light. She plucked it from him without touching his skin and let it float from her fingers and to the floor. Her demeanor and inability to look him in the eye made it obvious how she felt about bringing their tender moment to a halt.

“It isn’t you,” Obi-Wan murmured.

“I know… it isn’t me, Obi,” Jade said, giving him a sideways glance and an uneasy grin. “I just wish I knew… what it is.”

Obi-Wan sat up and scooted backwards in one, swift motion, pressing himself into the wall behind him. He laid his head back and shut his eyes again as he prepared himself for the explanation to come. Jade could see what a struggle this was for him and laid a hand on his leg encouragingly.

“The men that captured Lana raped her,” Obi-Wan said. He winced when he heard Jade gasp. “I arrived too late to prevent it.”

Jade didn’t know what to say. She felt that her unbidden gasp sufficed for a reaction, but so many questions swam in her mind. More than her mouth could accommodate at once. She let the silence linger so that she could gather herself. Finally, a timid question crept past her lips.

“What did you do?”

Obi-Wan opened his eyes, the old soul behind them breaking her heart. “I killed them.”

Jade watched him carefully before saying as tenderly as she could muster, “I can’t say that I blame you, but I wish you weren’t being so cryptic. I’d expect that sort of answer from Anakin, but not you.”

Sighing and turning his face away, Obi-Wan remained silent.

“And now you won’t say anything,” Jade grumbled. “Obi, I need to know. We’re partners, remember? And in more than just this mission. Your heart is always open to me, so why is it closed now?”

“When I killed them,” Obi-Wan said, nearly snapping, “I wasn’t doing so with righteousness and the Light in mind.”

“So you’re saying you… peeked at the Dark Side?”

“I’m saying I grasped it.” Obi-Wan finally looked at her again, and she saw a glimmer of shame in his eye. “I allowed myself to wander into the Dark and torture those men. I probably should not have killed them at all. They should have been arrested and interrogated.”

“Obi-Wan…” Jade moved so that she was sitting pressed at his side. He shrunk from her compassion, but she held fast to his arm. “Tell me how you found her.”

Obi-Wan shook his head, his lips pursed shut.

“Tell me,” she ordered softly.

“Curled up in nothing but a bed sheet,” he muttered, his voice straining to hold together. “Terrified and dazed. She saw me… and ran from me. Wouldn’t let me near. She was nothing like the girl I knew. Part of her was dead, and I could see it. I didn’t want to, and I still can.”

“Now,” Jade went on. “Seeing that… Knowing that… What else could you have done?”

“I could have acted like the Jedi I was trained to be since childhood,” he said. “I could have resisted.”

“No,” Jade insisted. “You couldn’t. Because you’re Obi-Wan Kenobi, and your very midichlorians scream for justice. You didn’t give them anything they hadn’t already earned.”

“How can you defend my actions like this?” he asked. His expression fully revealed how appalled he was.

“Because I would have done the same thing,” she said, locking his gaze with hers. “Anyone who has met Lana would have. Bail would have torn those men apart. These Wookiees would have gone on a rampage. Yoda himself would have crushed their hearts in his tiny fist. There is little worth fighting for in this universe, but innocence is one of the few things left.”

Obi-Wan broke the intensity of her eyes by closing his own. “She will never be the same, and killing those men did not change that.”

“It guaranteed that they’ll never do it again,” she said. “It allowed for your escape and gave Lana some piece of mind, I’m sure.” Obi-Wan nodded listlessly, and Jade kissed his cheek. “Lover, you did the right thing. You always do.”

“I feel responsible,” he said.

“It wasn’t your fault,” Jade said, stroking his cheek.

“Protecting Lana was my mission, and I failed,” he said. “It’s as though… I helped them in hurting her.”

“Don’t say that,” Jade said, feeling her stomach turn. “Obi-Wan, you saved her.”

“For what?” he asked. “So she may live a life of fear? She will never look at any male the same way. She can’t even stand the touch of my hand on her shoulder. It makes her shudder. You were there, Jade. She buried herself against you as though I were the villain.”

“Obi-Wan, you are the world to her,” Jade said. “Even now. She’s just… confused. She’ll find her way through this.”

“I only wish it had never happened. I would give my very soul if I could erase it from her.”

Jade leaned into him until Obi-Wan put his arms around her, then she pressed her lips to his ear. “You want her to run to you the way she did before. You want to make this all better the same way you made the threats on her well-being and the death of her parents better. You want to wipe her tears away, I know. But this is different. It was men that scarred her, and turning to a man feels wrong now.” Jade rested her head on his shoulder. “And she wants things to be like they were…”

“How do you know?” Obi-Wan asked.

“Because she doesn’t hug me the way she hugged you.” Jade kissed his throat and nuzzled him there. “You’re her daddy. I’m just that weird chick.”

Obi-Wan laughed softly, then curved his hand to the back of Jade’s neck. She lifted her head and tilted it back as Obi-Wan’s lips came down on her own. The way he took her mouth, slipping his tongue past the barrier of her lips, told her that she’d reawakened him. He pulled her up from where she sat and laid her across him as he reclined. He moved under her in such a way that she couldn’t help but squeak, and she prayed no Wookiees were listening in. Jade balanced herself above him and smiled lazily when their kiss ended.

“That was nice,” she said, sounding more than a little woozy. “Feeling better?”

Obi-Wan tilted his head in a semi-shrug. “I love you. I suppose that’s how I feel at the moment.”

“Then, we’ll go with that,” she said and descended on him again.

* * * * *

Lana rolled over and snuggled her face into something warm and furry. She opened her eyes to see a large, brown, furry body before her. She rolled onto her back and looked at the Wookiee that had his head to her. Chewbacca barked something at her, and Lana tilted her head.

"I'll take that... as a good morning?" The Wookiee nodded, and Lana grinned. "Hey, I think I'm starting to understand you!"

Chewbacca nodded again and stood. Lana followed him out of the hut, thankful that the Wookiee had stayed with her throughout the night.

The morning air on Kashyyyk was brisk, and Lana crossed her arms, scooting closer to the Wookiee for warmth as they made their way down the main boardwalk.

* * * * *

This time it was Obi-Wan that rose from his sleep first. He peered down at the mess of red hair propped up on his chest and planted a sweet kiss among the tangles. Jade whimpered and raised her head blearily. When both pairs of sleepy eyes met, they laughed easily at one another.

“You’re beautiful,” Jade said, pulling herself close enough to kiss him.

Obi-Wan grunted into her mouth and smiled when she pulled away. “I can’t trust your compliments.”

“Why not?” Jade asked, tilting her head.

“Because you always have been and always will be prettier than me,” he said, grinning and rolling with her in the bed.

Jade giggled as she found herself beneath him. “You scoundrel,” she said, petting the generous beard on his chin. “But isn’t it time to get back to the Temple?”

Obi-Wan laid himself completely in Jade’s arms, not in the dominant way he had before, but in a submissive, tired fashion. Jade stroked his hair and sighed.

“You’re reluctant,” she noted.

“I am,” he answered.

“Are you afraid of what they may do with Lana?” Jade asked softly.

He nodded silently to this.

“Obi-Wan, you must trust the Council’s judgment.”

“I never would have expected such a phrase to pass through your lips,” he mumbled.

“There is nothing more we can do for her,” Jade said. “We could drag her from one end of the universe to the other in a feeble attempt at outrunning Dooku, but he’d catch her sooner or later. We can’t be her parents, sweetie. It’s just not possible.”

She felt him nod again, his bearded cheek scratching against her breast with the gesture. She brushed her fingernails over his back and lounged with him, shutting her mouth for the time being.

* * * * *

Lana had made up her mind the night before that she was going to try and let herself be close to Obi-Wan again, but her stomach flipped every time she thought about it.

It had been a few hours since she had awoken, and Chewbacca had taken her to a few other places in the village and had offered her some fruit to eat for breakfast. Lana enjoyed spending her time with the Wookiee, but she was wondering when they would be leaving. She knew that they were only there for the night, and sometime soon they were supposed to return to the temple.

She had asked Chewbacca to take her to the hut that Jade and Obi-Wan were staying in, and she now stood outside of it. She glanced at the Wookiee and then rapped on the wooden frame of the door.

"Master Blood? Master Kenobi?" she called softly.

Obi-Wan sprang up beneath Jade and Force-pulled his breeches to his hand. Jade tumbled onto her side near him and looked on his scrambling with shock and amusement.

“Hold on, Lana!” Jade called. “Be out in a minute, honey!” She turned her attention back to Obi-Wan. “Mind telling me what’s gotten into you?” she asked, sitting up and pulling the blankets around her.

“That’s Lana,” Obi-Wan said. “If she knew what we’d been doing…”

“What?” Jade asked, shaking her head.

“I don’t want her to know,” he grunted, pulling his boots on now that his pants were in place.

“Know what?” Jade asked with a laugh. “That you and I have a physical relationship?” She grinned and slunk toward him, rubbing his bare shoulder. “A very satisfying one.”

“Jade, I am not playing,” Obi-Wan said, shooting a glare her way. “Lana trusts me very little as it is. I don’t want her thinking of me that way.”

“She doesn’t,” Jade said. “That’s why you are the only male she trusts. Besides, lion-love, you didn’t do to me what was done to her. I wanted you.” She brushed his beard with her thumb, and Obi-Wan turned toward her slightly. “What we did was out of love. I think Lana knows that, if she is even aware of it at all.”

Obi-Wan sighed and nodded. “I don’t want her to look at me and see their faces.”

“She doesn’t,” Jade said. “Now finish getting dressed, and we’ll meet her outside.”

Obi-Wan did as he was told, pausing only to watch Jade as she pulled her own clothes on. When she noticed him staring fixedly at her, they both laughed a bit and shared one more kiss before exiting their Wookiee suite.

Lana looked up at the two as they pushed aside the cloth covering the door.

"Good morning," she smiled at them. She made sure that she smiled a little longer at Obi-Wan before she spoke. "Are we leaving today?"

“Yes,” Jade said gently. “We’re heading to Coruscant. The Council is finally ready to see you.”

Lana nodded, and she bit her lip. She glanced back at Chewbacca who seemed to know what she was pondering. He put a fuzzy hand on her back as encouragement.

"If we take two ships, I'd... I'd like to ride with Master Kenobi." She reached out and placed her hand on his arm for a moment. "If it's alright."

Obi-Wan blinked at her, battling a smile and losing. He placed his own hand over hers carefully. “That would be fine, Lana. I would like that.”

Jade grinned at them, noting the conscious and goodhearted effort that Lana made. It broke her heart to see this girl facing such things beyond her years, but the smile on Obi-Wan’s face seemed to heal all wounds.

A deep nervous breath escaped Lana's lungs, and she gave Obi-Wan another smile before turning back to Chewbacca and wrapping her arms around the furry creature.

"Thanks for everything, Chewbacca," she whispered as he rubbed her back and growled something at her.

“We should get going,” Jade said. “Listen, I’ll take the starfighter. Having a bigger ship will give you two a little more space. Plus, R4 loves me. I bet he’d rather spend his time with Hot Captain Blood than Dowdy Ole General Kenobi any day.”

Lana snickered at Jade's comment. She squeezed Chewie once more and then pulled back. He waved to her as the three headed towards the landing pads.

"See you on Coruscant," Jade said, climbing into the starfighter.

Obi-Wan and Lana entered the cruiser and went into the cockpit.

Lana sat down in the co-pilot’s seat and strapped herself in. "How far is Coruscant from here?"

Obi-Wan readied the ship and lifted it above the treetops and into space. “Not far. It will be perhaps two hours at most.”

He waved to Jade as she saluted him and blasted into hyperspace. He followed only seconds after.

Lana unstrapped herself and turned into her seat to look at Obi-Wan. She still felt a little uneasy being this close to him, but the longer she was, the easier it got.

"What is the Council like, and what will they do with me?" Lana asked.

“They are kind and fair,” he answered, leaning back in his seat as he faced her. “As for what their plans are for you, I don’t know. But I can assure you it will be nothing terrible.”

Lana nodded slowly. "I trust you... I... I just want all of this to go away. I want everything back like it used to be," she said, her voice growing so soft Obi-Wan could hardly hear her. "Before my parents died, before..." she trailed off and turned from Obi-Wan, closing her eyes and forcing her tears back.

Obi-Wan chanced putting a hand on her shoulder. She stiffened under his touch but didn't pull away. Something about it was comforting and made her feel stronger. Obi-Wan was encouraged when she didn’t yank away from him or shrink.

“I know,” was all he said. “I would take all of it back if I had the power.”

Lana nodded and turned towards him. "I know that you feel like the things that have happened are your fault, but they aren't," she said, her eyes meeting his. She looked years older when she spoke. "I know you would never harm me." She seemed to shrink back down to the fragile child she was with the next sentence. "You're the closest thing I have to a father now."

Obi-Wan closed his eyes for a moment, almost unable to bear the emotion she was thrusting upon him. He was not a man prone to feeling so strongly, and he hardly knew what to say to this girl whose world seemed to revolve around him.

“Lana,” he said. “I am truly touched by your faith in me. I care for you greatly, as well. I wish I could take care of you in the way a father would, but I cannot.”

Lana looked down for a moment, then looked back up at him, her eyes slowly filling with tears.

"Why not?" she asked softly, wondering if, even though Obi-Wan said he cared for her, it was just something he was telling her so he wouldn't hurt her feelings.

“I do care for you,” Obi-Wan assured her, cupping her cheek in his large palm. “I’d even go so far as to say that I love you. Lana, there is something you must know about the Jedi. We are not allowed attachments. And that includes being fathers and mothers to children. If it were my decision…” He trailed off, afraid to even entertain the thought.

The tears were falling freely now from Lana's eyes, and she pulled away slightly from Obi-Wan’s hand. "Then how do the Jedi live if they aren't allowed to have attachments. That’s friendship, isn't it? You and Jade have that."

Obi-Wan blinked at the sensitive subject matter and folded his hands in his lap. “Yes, we do… But we mustn’t become so attached that we would lose the goodness in ourselves if the other were lost. The Dark Side of the Force is a seductive path, made even more so where tragedy is concerned.” He glanced at her and noted her confused expression. “I’ll give you an example. At the moment, I am a Jedi that uses the Light Side of the Force to my advantage. But if something were to happen to my good friend Jade… If someone murdered her, let’s say… It would be very tempting to do horrible things to the ones that killed her. And that would be of the Dark Side.”

Lana thought for a moment, her eyes meeting Obi-Wan’s. "Like what you did to the men that hurt me?" she asked quietly.

Obi-Wan took a deep breath and said softly, “a bit like that, yes.”

"You would do something like that for Jade, though. You two have a very good friendship," she said softly, averting her eyes from Obi-Wan. She recalled the way he had acted on Hoth when he found Jade and that the two had recently shared a room.

The shy way in which she refused to look at him told him that she knew. “Does it bother you?” he asked.

She was silent for a moment. Though it hurt slightly knowing that Obi-Wan could love Jade but not be able to take her on, she shook her head slowly. "No, I guess not. Though I'm not sure how you both can be together if it is against what the Jedi believe."

Obi-Wan pursed his lips and nodded. “That is where it begins to get complicated. There are… physical exceptions in some cases… Ones which I will not go into.” He cleared his throat noisily and moved on. “Also, there are ways of hiding the sort of love Jade and I share. Yet with having a child one is to care for, secrecy is much more difficult. I could not hide you in my closet whenever Master Yoda came to my quarters.” He grinned warmly, hoping his attempt at humor was lightening the mood somewhat. “Do you understand?”

"Yes, but who am I going to live with? And will you still come visit?" Her eyes moved back to him with a hopeful look on her face.

“We’ll sort all that out,” he said. “I would not give you over to anyone unless I knew without a doubt that they would be good to you. Remember the rules? Anyone I trust is someone you can trust.”

Lana smiled. "Yeah, I remember those." She jumped slightly as an alarm went off in the ship, then realized it was just the hyperspace alarm. She sat back and buckled herself into the seat.

Obi-Wan turned to the controls and pulled the hyperspace lever back. The streaks became dots again, and the city planet of Coruscant was laid out before them. Before he took them down toward the atmosphere, he turned to Lana again.

“I’m not sure what will happen once we reach the Temple,” he said. “Master Yoda has not told either myself or Jade what his plans are, but I need you to trust me and be strong. Can you do that, sweetheart?”

"I will always trust you, Uncle Obi." Lana gave him a lopsided grin, her hand unbuckling the belt that held her in. She stood up, reached out to Obi-Wan, and hugged him.

Obi-Wan clenched his eyes shut and nearly clung to her, wondering if the Force would allow for more moments such as this. Or if this was to be their last.

Chapter Eight

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