Pawn of Darkness

Chapter 10
Arianna made her way swiftly up the stairs to her apartment. It felt so wonderful to look forward to getting home at night. Someone was waiting for her. No, she corrected herself, not just someone, Obi-Wan. She had never felt this sense of almost giddiness knowing Talius was waiting. She was pretty certain she had never felt like this in her life.
She opened the door, looked around and let her eyes rest on the figure stretched out on her sofa with his feet resting comfortably on a footstool in front of him. He held a data pad in his large hands and his gray-blue eyes scanned the contents intently. She wondered for a moment if he even realized she was there.
Only then did it occur to her that all the lights were dim and a heavenly aroma of food was commanding the attention of her stomach. She spun towards the kitchen and almost took a step back. Sitting in the corner of the small room was a table that, before she left for work, had been completely covered with various items. Now it was covered with two long gold colored candles that gave the space their only light, two plates that sat at either end with a fluted glass and set of utensils beside each. Soft music, that she hadn't noticed at first, filled the area and set a tone of relaxation and comfort.
" I can't believe you found my table. " she breathed, unable to think of anything else to say.
" It was quite well hidden. " he agreed, making her jump as she realized he had moved from the sofa to right beside her without her realizing it. " I thought you would probably be hungry. So I took the liberty of making dinner. I hope I'm not making myself too much at home. "
" It's ... It's " she stammered for a minute before finally deciding on the word, " Beautiful."
She glanced to him for a moment and saw him staring down at her with a soul rendering look in his eyes. " Yes, it is. " he murmured quietly. She felt for a moment like a small animal being stalked by a hunter, but the instant before she was certain he would kiss her, he cleared his throat, turned his head to the table and made an elaborate gesture with his hand. leaslease come eat. "
She moved away from him reluctantly and sat down at the softly illuminated table. She watched him intently as he once again made his way around her kitchen, gathering everything they would need for their meal.
" I can't believe you did all this. " she smiled warmly. " I thought you were supposed to be on vacation. "
" I am. I haven't enjoyed myself this much in years. I miss having someone to cook for. Besides I am not one to sit around eve even if it is under the pretense of relaxing. " he explained as he sat down opposite her.
" I don't know what I'm going to do when you leave. You are spoiling me too well. "
A twinkle filled his eyes and a seductive smile spread across his lips, " Then I guess I will be forced to take you with me when I go. "
Arianna started and tried to cover it by clearly her throat. She grabbed her glass and let the coolness of the best Correlian wine she had ever tasted slid down her throat.
He reached out and touched her hand. " I didn't mean to startle you. I was only joking. "
" You didn't startle me. " she lied smoothly. " I just hadn't thought about returning to Corescant and the Temple. "
He gave a troubled sigh. " It is best that you are here right now. With all the trouble the Order is dealing with now, at least I know you are relatively safe here where no one knows what you are. "
" Surely it isn't as bad as all that. "
" Many of us have gone into hiding. The rumors fly more and more frequently everyday that something or someone is hunting Jedi. Our numbers have dwindled dangerously low."
He shook his head abruptly as if clearing it of such thoughts for the time being. " Let's not ruin our dinner what talk of such dark things. "
" Agreed. Instead tell me about how you managed to become a Jedi Master so quickly. " she offered.
" That is an interesting story. "
Arianna listened attentively as he told her how he had managed to find himself with a Padawan while still being a Padawan himself. A dark shadow crossed his face as he relayed briefly the story of Qui-Gon's death. It returned several times while he spoke of Anakin, his Padawan's childhood. Apparently he had been a very willful child. She began to see the man in front of her in an entirely new light as she imagined him as a surrogate father. He had grown and matured so much, there was hardly a trace of the boy she met twelve years before in front of her.
Before long, the food was gone and they were making there way to the sofa with wine glasses in hand. Arianna had no idea how much she had had to drink. Obi-Wan filled her glass every time it got low and did the same for himself. She imagined from the warmth of her cheeks and the giddiness in her head, that the bottle was nearly empty. Obi-Wan however showed no sign that he had had anything to drink. She wondered briefly if it was a tolerance to alcohol or some Jedi trick he had learned as she settled herself into the far end of the sofa. Obi-Wan relaxed into the other end and stretched his long form languorously.
A song she recognized as one of her favorites slowly drifted around the room and she began to hum to it unconsciously. Obi-Wan stood and held out his hand for her. She took it and before she realized what was happening he had her engulfed in his arms, moving lazily to the rhythm of the music.
The strength of his arms held her tight against him. The pleasant combination of his soap and cologne filled her senses and as she felt his chest rise and fall with each breath he took against her cheek she let herself drink in the feel of him. For the first time in twelve long years she was safe again. His arms around her were like security personified. The darkness that plagued her still was a distant memory as she nuzzled closer to his chest until the sound of his heart beating almost drowned out the music they were dancing to. She sighed contentedly and look up into his devastatingly handsome face to find him looking down at her as if she were a priceless trinket he would never part with. A soft moan escaped her an instant before his lips captured hers. Emotion swirled through her as she remembered the last time they had stood almost in the same spot and shared the same kiss. His arms tightened around her drawing her closer. She leaned into him, trying to get as close to him as she possibly could and realized that she could never be as close as she needed to be. Her heart stopped for a moment as she felt him open his force sense to her, letting her feel everything he was feeling. She did the same in turn and felt more than heard the low groan that came from him. His hands played against her skin, leaving tiny sparks of electricity in their wake. She moaned his name as his mouth slid down, trailing light kisses against her throat and shoulder.
I need you, she heard his voice say to her through the force.
I need you, too. She sent back to him, finding it hard to concentrate enough to use the force at all as his mouth seized her earlobe and began to suck it fervently.
He moved to her lips and kissed her once again, his tongue invading her mouth as she felt herself being lifted into his arms. He made his way quickly to the bedroom, still not breaking contact with her lips. With a wave of her hand over her shoulder, the door swung opened and they moved inside.