Pawn of Darkness

Chapter 13

Obi-Wan pulled Arianna tighter against him and kissed her again. He loved kissing her. He loved the feel of her lips on his, the way she tasted, the soft moans that came from her as his tongue explored her mouth.
" I want to take you to see the Justice. " he announced pulling away from her slightly.
" I would love that. I fully intended a tour before you left anyway. " she smiled.
" She is beautiful. I'm sorry to admit, she is the only other woman who has ever held my heart. "
She pushed his shoulder playfully. " You sailors are all alike. I suppose now you're going to tell me I will have to share you with her. "
He sighed and rolled his eyes to the ceiling in mocking despair. " I'm afraid so. I could never betray her. She has saved my life too many times. "
" I guess I will just have to get used to her then. I could never find fault in a woman who has kept you safe for me. So as long as she does her job by keeping you safe and bringing you back to me, I'll let her stay. "
He sat up abruptly tugging her along with him. His hands enfolded hers and the look in his eyes said he was no longer in a playful mood.
" Arianna, Please. I am not sure when I will be able to see you again. There is no telling when we'll be in the outer rims. I need you with me. I need to know you are safe so that I can do my job properly. Please come with me. " he said, the begging tone in his voice was almost foreign to him.
He saw the hesitation in her eyes and it made him flinch. He had known what her answer would probably be but seeing it in her eyes was almost more than he could take.
" I don't know. " she whispered. " I want nothing more than to fly away with you on ship. But I'm just not su" "
Obi-Wan sighed and let her hands fall from his. " I didn't mean to push you. The offer stands whenever you want to take it and if not I'll be back when I can. Just don't ask me to go away. I won't do it. I will not let you put me out of your life again. " he told her, his voice soft yet commanding.
Arianna smiled at him sweetly. Then the smile dropped from her face as she realized what he had said. " Put you out of my life ? " she asked, confused.
" Yes, I realize I stepstepped my bounds that night. I never should have invaded your privacy the way I did. It was all my fault. But this time there is no way you'll get rid of
me. " he confirmed.
Obi-Wan, seeing her expression, looked at her with a worried furrow in his brow.
" I don't understand. What was your fault ? How did you invade my privacy ? " she asked, confused.
" I can't believe you don't remember. " he said, sitting back from her a bit.
" You were so angry. You ordered us out of the apartment. I actually wasn't sure I was welcomed when I came up here, but I had to take the chance. "
" Ordered you out of the apartment ? I begged Qui-Gon to stay. He insisted that he leave with you. He kept apologizing for the way you acted. I tried to explain everything to him, but he wouldn't listen. "
" You don't remember having a very bad headache ? " he asked, with a doubtful expression in his eyes.
" I remember the headache. I remember you finding me, I remember making love and I remember falling asleep in your arms. The next thing I knew Qui-Gon was telling me how you had never done anything like that before and how sorry he was. " she insisted.
" I probed you while you slept, trying to ease your headache. " He explained quietly. "When I did, I guess I got sucked into a nightmare you were having. I recall images that were very dark. When I finally pulled away from you, you woke up and you were so angry at me you threw both of us out of the apartment." He closed the distance between them and took her in his arms again. " I just wanted to help you. You seemed so scared and in so much pain. "
Fear twisted her stomach. Other people had told her of things she had done that she had no memory of. She brushed them off, thinking they must have been mistaken, but this there was no mistaking this. This wasn't someone who had seen her walking down a street she hadn't been anywhere near. This wasn't a casual conversation she could have forgotten. Standing at her balcony, that night knowing Obi-Wan was leaving and she would probably never see him again had been devastating. She cried for days after they left.
She realized her hand was covering her mouth in shock and tears were welling in her eyes.
" I'm so sorry. " she whispered.
Obi-Wan grabbed her to him, and encircled her in his arms tightly. " You don't remember any of that, do you ? " he asked, quietly.
She shook her head against his chest and his arms tighten. He covered her completely in his force sense, opening to her.
Concern marked his face as he looked down into her eyes. " Has this happened before ? "
" A few times, but nothing I couldn't explain. " she answered.
" We have to find out why this is happening. I want you to come with me to my ship. I have healers aboard. "
She shook her head against his chest again.
" There is probably some simple explanation. Tomorrow we will take you to the Justice and let the healers have a look at you. " he assured her, smoothing her hair. " Everything is going to be just fine. "
She listened to him, letting his reassuring tone lull her. " Tomorrow. " she whispered against his chest.
" Tomorrow. " he answered, lowering her to the bed and holding her until she fell back to sleep.