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Obi-Wan sat in nervous anticipation at his little dining table. On the table lay a threaded needle; an open box with some soft, textile cushioning inside; a tube of glue; and some small sewing shears. On his left palm sat an open, oval locket. He wasn’t sure if such an item was appropriate for Asajj, since he’d never seen her with jewelry, but that could just be due to the fact she got into fights and jewelry would be rather impractical in her line of work. So maybe this was a bad idea after all. But it was too late to back out now. He was fingering a scrap of fabric similar to that of his robe in his other hand. It wasn’t quite the same, since he didn’t want to actually cut cloth from it, but the color and texture were enough to call a Jedi robe to mind.
Beru had been kind enough to help him to obtain the locket and the fabric. She had grinned teasingly at him and asked if the items were for a special lady. He’d actually felt shy and a tad guilty, like a youngling caught being naughty, but had answered in the affirmative. Her eyes had laughed knowingly and she’d murmured that his secret was safe with her. In the Force, Obi-Wan had felt genuine happiness directed at him. He had smiled gratefully, saying it was important to keep it hidden for his safety and that of his partner. Beru had nodded in understanding, asking, of all things, whether he loved this person. When he said he would marry her if he could, Beru’s expression turned solemn. She had wished them both the best of luck, and hoped his woman would like the gift. He’d thanked Beru for her help and promised to tell her how it went.
He lay the fabric over the locket and eyed the size to cut it. Once he’d trimmed it to fit inside, he set the locket back in its box and cut a lock of hair to fit on the cloth. He knotted one end of the hair so all the strands would stay together and then proceeded to attach it to the cloth with the thread he’d prepared. After ensuring the hair was secure, he glued the fabric to the locket and closed it with a quiet click. The locket was mounted on a pin rather than hung on a chain. He put the lid back on the box and wrapped it in plain paper, hiding it in an inner pocket of his robe with a secretive smile.
As far as food was concerned, he didn’t have anything fancy planned, but he was sure that’d be okay. Asajj tended to like simple. He just cut pieces of flatbread in half to make little pockets, which he filled with cheese, meat, and assorted vegetables and toasted until the cheese melted. Just tea left to go, but he figured he could wait till she arrived to get it going. Tea was always better as hot as possible.
Fifteen minutes after the food was done and Obi-Wan felt Asajj’s approach. She was punctual; he’d give her that. They hadn’t seen each other in a week or so; Asajj had gone off with her associates somewhere, though she’d promised it was a relatively safe endeavor. Relatively. Obi-Wan knew what that meant. But much as it would ease his mind to have her on planet all the time, he also knew there’d come a day that she could not stop him from leaving, and so he bore the anxiety for her safety as best he could. He hated the idea of her dying without him there, but never mind that. She was alive and well right now and standing at his door. He went to answer it with a smile on his lips and gladness in his heart. "Darling," he crooned gently.
"My dear," she replied provocatively, stepping inside and closing the door. The pair reached for each other simultaneously and held on tight, sharing a deep and passionate kiss. And then another. Obi-Wan took Asajj’s hand and led her to the table, plates already set out. "I take it you missed me," she smirked. "Have you been all right otherwise?" Asajj sat down and pulled a tin from the leather shoulder bag she carried, offering it to Obi-Wan.
Obi-Wan took the tin curiously and smiled. "As you can see, I haven’t exactly pined away to nothing. And you can’t tell me you didn’t miss me just as much." Obi-Wan could tell that he was holding some kind of tea, but it was gift wrapped. "Did you wish to share this?" He raised a quizzical eyebrow.
"I could say I didn’t miss you, but that would be a lie. And I wouldn’t mind trying it." Asajj nodded.
Obi-Wan tore the paper open and gasped, his expression turning nostalgic. He almost dropped the tea. In fact, he actually did let go of it but caught it before it hit the floor. Asajj looked pleased. "Asajj," Obi-Wan whispered, kneeling next to her, "I never thought I’d get to drink this again. It’s the Temple, and my apprenticeship, and home. What a thoughtful gift." Obi-Wan kissed her chastely and caressed her cheek tenderly before walking away to get the water boiling.
"Well, you know, I happened to be in the area," Asajj said nonchalantly.
Obi-Wan chuckled happily as he returned to his place at the table and began eating. "So no injuries this time?" he asked casually.
Asajj tucked in as well, smiling around her first bite. Swallowing, she replied, "I wouldn’t call them injuries. Didn’t need medical attention. I trust you can imagine the severity given that information. And the bread is good. Thank you. Can always count on you to come up with something that’s both functional and pleasing to the senses."
They ate companionably until the water was ready. Obi-Wan brought a tray with tea things and set it in the middle of the table, leaves already steeping. He inhaled the familiar aroma deeply, eyes closing in bliss. From the mild yet fragrant scent, Asajj got the impression this was a soothing blend meant to be drunk at the beginning or end of a day of hard work, something to reaffirm a bond and keep tempers calm. Obi-Wan poured carefully, first for Asajj and then for himself, and then removed the leaves to prevent the tea from becoming bitter. They carried on eating in a comfortable silence, waiting for their tea to cool enough to drink.
Obi-Wan spoke up. "Was the mission a success? Whatever it was?"
Asajj grinned. "Definitely. Rescue and protection. So I got to hit people and tell myself it was for a good cause. Best of both worlds."
Obi-Wan laughed and shook his head affectionately, sighing melodramatically. He took a long swallow of tea, emptying his small cup in one go. He refilled it as Asajj muttered, "Whose silly idea was it to make tea cups so tiny? I keep telling you we should use caffe mugs, but no! You swear it’s, what? Inelegant?" She snorted most inelegantly, scowling, though in the Force, Obi-Wan felt resignation and affection. Obi-Wan just smiled brightly as Asajj sipped at her tea and held it in her mouth for a few seconds. Uncertain of her opinion, she took another sip and decided it was all right. At first, she thought the tea was too sweet, but later, there was a slight bitterness to it that somehow worked. It wasn’t that the tea was brewed too long; it was just a bolder edge that balanced things out. Asajj got the strange idea that if Obi-Wan were a tea, this would be it.
Obi-Wan took Asajj’s hand as they finished their meal, refilling cups as necessary. Asajj brought out flaky, glazed cookies. "I think these will go nicely with the tea," she murmured.
"I’ve had those before. I enjoy them. I didn’t know you liked them, too. Be right back." He got up and came back with caffe mugs, winking at Asajj. "Happy now?"
"Thank you, darling," Asajj growled, pouring the remaining tea into both mugs as Obi-Wan munched on a cookie. When they’d eaten and drunk their fill, Asajj stacked the dishes and put them in a tub of water. When she returned, Obi-Wan was on his couch, holding a small wrapped box in one hand. His other arm was held out as though to embrace her. Asajj smiled and obliged, sitting next to him and draping an arm across his shoulders as his arm encircled her waist and Asajj held his free hand. Asajj noted that the box trembled slightly. Curious and a little apprehensive, she kissed his lips encouragingly. Hesitantly, carefully, he withdrew his hand from hers and lay the box on her palm.
Obi-Wan kept his hold on Asajj but angled his body toward her to speak to her more easily. "Asajj, love, I don’t know how to say what I want to." He rested a hand on top of the box she was still holding on one of her thighs. "You-" He swallowed hard. "You are…You have been…" Obi-Wan shook his head. "This is what I get for not preparing a speech." Asajj laughed. Obi-Wan blushed. "You are what no other woman has ever succeeded in being. You know my history. You discern my meaning." Asajj nodded, looking at Obi-Wan intently. "From our first meeting, it was like I was caught in your tractor beam. Inexorably, inevitably, I entered into your service. And somewhere along the way, you decided I was worth risking everything for.
"Dear one, I cannot say how much I need you, want you, love you. But I can honestly say I’ve never given anyone what I’m giving you." He tapped the gift for emphasis. "It is a commitment to you and to us, and I do not take it lightly. You should understand my commitment as a Jedi still remains, but I cannot bear the thought of anyone else loving you as I do. If you do not accept what I offer, don’t accept the gift."
"But we are already committed, aren’t we?" Asajj queried in confusion.
"No." Obi-Wan shook his head. "Not in the way I mean. The pledge I offer is sure, solid, and lifelong. But my ties to the Jedi might pose a problem."
"Lifelong? For always?" Asajj whispered in amazement, taking Obi-Wan’s hand and squeezing it lovingly. "I’m worth that much to you?"
"To lose you would consign me to interminable sorrow. I would never stop missing you."
"So, I’m as important to you as your Master was?"
"Yes," Obi-Wan whispered, "the same commitment I made to him is offered to you."
Asajj slid her hand from Obi-Wan’s and cradled the box in it, looking thoughtful. "Just one question to aid me in my decision. If you had to choose between your Master and I, your job or my happiness, which would it be?"
Obi-Wan’s face fell. He already knew which option he would be compelled to take, because his mission had been set the moment Luke Skywalker was given into his custody. He did have a soft spot for the boy, and he told himself that to aid in the Empire’s fall would be better for Asajj if she lived to see it, so from a certain point of view,choosing his career was also thinking of them. But he knew that would be small comfort to Asajj if he were killed, and the fact remained that he could not give the answer she probably wanted to hear. Sighing dejectedly, he simply replied, "I think you know, my dear."
Asajj nodded and set the gift next to her on the couch, cradling Obi-Wan against her chest in a gentle, yet warm, embrace. She kissed his mouth softly and ran her tongue over his lower lip seductively, sliding her hands over his shoulders and down his forearms and back up to his shoulders rhythmically, soothingly. Obi-Wan’s eyes slid shut at the sensation. She nuzzled his neck and caressed it with her tongue, eliciting a pleasurable shudder from her breath over his skin. She kissed that sensitive flesh and smiled. "Just the answer I was hoping for," she whispered throatily, pulling away and tearing open the gift with one fluid motion. At the sound, Obi-Wan’s eyes snapped open.
Asajj gasped when she saw the locket. She dropped the box and picked up the jewelry, caressing its smooth metallic surface.
Obi-Wan chuckled. "Come now, you knew it was jewelry."
Asajj nodded. "Yes, but…" She turned the locket in her fingers, trying to work out how to open it. The locket looked almost like one piece, save the small hinge along one side.
"Clever little thing, isn’t it?" Obi-Wan murmured shrewdly. "I’ll give you a clue. 'Your eyes can deceive you.'"
Asajj growled. "That’s not very helpful. What is it with you Jedi and your cryptic…Wait…Deception? That’s lying. Like illusion. And illusions require-" And then she gasped in realization. "The Force!" She closed her eyes and set the locket back in the box. She prodded it with the Force and found the catch. Gently, she moved it and the locket sprang open. Her eyes opened a split second afterward and then widened when she saw the lock of hair and the cloth it was lying on. "Obi-Wan," she whispered, touched. "Now I’ll always carry you with me. This will comfort me when we can’t be together."
Obi-Wan smiled with relief. "I was afraid you’d think I was trying to mark you as property. I’m pleased you understood my intent."
Asajj caressed the lock of hair delicately, closed the locket and fixed it to her shirt, over her heart. "I’m humbled. My gift isn’t at all valuable next to this. It won’t even last."
"Depends what is meant by value," Obi-Wan answered, removing his robe. "The tea is not sold here, which means it’s no longer readily available to me. It has a great deal of sentimental value, and since we shared it, it is now linked to you. That blend of tea is only associated with joy for me. Do you know that? It is why I called it my favorite. You bought it for me because you thought it would make me happy, and it did. Immensely. Every time I drink that tea, I’ll think of you and my Master, and I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather be reminded of."
Asajj smiled and embraced Obi-Wan, stroking his neck and carding her fingers through his hair. She pulled back and watched in fascination as his eyes fluttered in relaxation. He sprawled lazily onto his pillow, head turned to one side. Asajj removed her top and found one of Obi-Wan’s tunics, which she slipped into. He smiled at that. She lay beside him, rhythmically stroking his hair and combing her fingers through it, sending pleasant shivers down his spine.
"If you aren’t careful, I’m going to fall asleep," Obi-Wan chuckled drowsily.
"So sleep," Asajj replied kindly. "You’ve done a lot for me today. You’ve earned it, just as you earned my respect and my trust. For always." Asajj kissed his forehead and draped an arm over his chest, her posture peaceful yet protective. She would keep watch to ensure his rest was sweet.
Obi-Wan kissed Asajj good night and gathered her into his arms, his heart so full it hurt. He was loved for who and what he was, and ultimately, that was the most valuable gift of all.