Disclaimer: Characters are NOT mine. They belong to GL, who would probably
have a heart attack at this pairing and what I have them doing!

Notes: Next part of my "Meeting Again" series, an alternate version of AOTC,
which can be found at my O/P homepage, Star Crossed Souls:

http://www.dreamwater.net/sydsvaughn/obiwan.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Obi-Wan gazed out over the moonlit courtyard, hoping the soothing reflection
of the moonlight on the water and the gentle breeze blowing through the air
would have a calming effect on his over stimulated body.

Taking a deep breath, he focused on the Force around him, using it to center
and refocus his attention on the mission at hand.

Protecting the Senator and finding the person behind the attempts on her
life. And while he knew they could do little more than wait until the
assassin tried again, he still found himself frustrated knowing the danger
still lurked, could attack any time, any place.

Which meant he needed to always be on guard, never letting his defenses down,
because any mistake could be fatal.

Not to mention Anakin's distraction with Padme, his nearly obsessive feelings
for her were blocking his senses, making him more difficult than ever to deal
with.

And the nightmares.

He sighed, remembering awakening his padawan from the dreams for the past few
months. They only seemed to grow stronger, more terrifying, and it worried
him. Anakin should not be reacting, much less dreaming like this.

Something was not right.

Now, with his intense desire to make Padme fall in love with him, his
training was suffering, his attention waning and his devotion to the Jedi
coming into question.

It frustrated and frightened him, because he sensed his padawan was slipping
away from him, and down a path that could only lead to the dark side.

While that alone should have been enough to put more streaks of gray in his
beard, he now found himself faced with another complication, another emotion
he hadn't counted on, nor was even sure he wanted.

An intense emotional connection and an all-consuming desire for the beautiful
Senator.

He sighed, replaying the images of her smile when they met again, the feel of
her soft hand in his larger one as she'd smiled into his eyes and taken his
hand in greeting.

He hadn't noticed her much when they had been together 10 years ago, more
concerned with his Master and their mission. But now, 10 years later, he
found himself in the company of one of the most beautiful woman he'd ever
seen.

The years had been kind to her, truth be told, she did not look a day older
than when they had parted. But despite her youthful appearance, there was a
maturedness about her that had not been there before. A sense of knowledge
and confidence that could only come with age, and such a demanding position
in the Senate.

He had been surprised at the awareness that shot through his system as they
looked at each other on that first meeting, feeling a sense of jealousy as
her gaze had turned to his padawan.

He'd pushed down those feelings, determined to concentrate on protecting her,
knowing Anakin would be busy enough trying to win her affections, a
distraction enough.

However, it was now two days later, and after spending all this time with
her, he found it even harder to push her from his mind.

He'd done his best to hide his growing confusion, the turbulent emotions that
arose in him as he watched and listened to Anakin profess his feelings again
and again. He knew his padawan grew frustrated, and in turn took out his
aggressions in his training, his fighting taking on a sharper, harder edge.

Which was not necessarily a good thing.

Not to mention he was having to block his own interest in the Senator from
his padawan's skillful mind probes.

He sighed, turning his gaze up to the heavens, wondering why in the world
he'd had to develop feelings for the one woman he knew he could never have.

First, there was the matter of his profession. He'd sworn to uphold the Jedi
Code, the principles, the honor of being such a revered master. It had always
been his dream, his life, his desire, to be a Jedi and protect and serve.

Second, he knew there could be no room for love in the life he had chosen. It
was too dangerous, too risky, to emotional and too deadly if he let it
consume him, as he feared Anakin was well on his way to letting his love for
Pamde do.

Third, well, all one had to do was look at Anakin to realize it would not be
a good idea to show an interest in the woman he'd idolized from childhood.

But despite all those reasons, the knowledge of how stupid and foolish it
would be to play with this fire, he hadn't been able to hide his growing
emotions from her that afternoon.

He and Anakin had been having a good training session, with Anakin actually
seeming to learn something. He had known immediately when Padme had appeared
on the balcony above them to watch, his senses having become attuned to hers
over the past two days.

He'd also watched Anakin suddenly decide to show off, using his impulsiveness
to surprise him into a retreat. But within an instant, he'd flipped over,
catching his padawan by surprise and turning the tables on him.

Part of him had felt a silly sense of male pride as he heard Padme's soft
laughter as he tried to impart the wisdom of a slow, thought out attack
instead of an impulsive one. He noticed she had been doing that more often,
laughing at some conversation or action he and his apprentice shared, and his
heart felt lighter, knowing their presence eased some of her worry.

She had talked with him the past few nights about her concerns and fears,
surprising him with her knowledge and compassion, and simple belief in what
she was fighting for. It mirrored in many ways, his goals and commitments.

Those conversations had become the highlights of this mission, and not just
because of her witty mind and intelligent dialect.

Maybe it was the way her eyes softened when she tried to let Anakin down
easily.

Maybe it was the way she could make both master and padawan laugh with a
simple word or action.

Maybe it was the emotion he read in her beautiful brown eyes when he caught
her staring at him from across the room, or the beautiful blush that spread
through her cheeks when she noted he had noticed her stare.

No matter what it was, it was growing, and growing dangerously.

He'd almost lost it earlier today, looking at her standing above him, her
eyes locked on his, filled with a desire he had only dreamed about. He hadn't
meant to read her mind, but her thoughts were projecting rather loudly, and
he'd needed to channel them before Anakin sensed them.

He shuddered to think what would happen if he ever learned of them.

But those worries had flown from his mind as his gaze met hers and he let her
see, just a little, of the feelings stirring inside him. When he saw her mind
begin to picture them together, he'd smiled slightly and sent her his own
images of the two of them locked in a heated embrace, clinging onto each
other tightly as they lost themselves in ecstasy.

He'd swallowed hard as he felt the full impact of her desire for him, letting
it sweep over him, feeling his body harden in response to the spark he so
clearly read in her eyes. And for just a moment, he had let himself feel, let
himself imagine what it might be like…

How it would feel to hold her tightly against his body, his hands buried in
her hair, her lips crushed beneath his. He could feel her heart pounding
against his chest as she tightened her arms around him and deepened the kiss,
tongue sliding to entangle with his in a deliciously forbidden dance.

He could hear her soft moans and cries as he used his lips and hands to learn
her sensitive spots, her erogenous zones, what made her whimper and what made
her cry out his name in a passion so great it nearly incinerated them both.

He could feel her soft, small hands stroking his chest, planting kisses
against his collarbone while her hands roamed further, slipping below his
waist to press against the hard evidence of his desire.

He had groaned under his breath, nearly ready to jump up onto the balcony and
take her right there, knowing she would not protest, but instead would
welcome him with open arms and an open heart.

But Anakin's call to her had sent a chilling bolt of reality through his
system.

Anakin.

His padawan and the young man obsessively in love with the woman he'd just
shared several extremely erotic thoughts with.

He'd felt something in his heart tear as she'd dragged her gaze from his,
knowing in his heart that all they could have were these thoughts and stolen
moments. It would be far too dangerous to do more, knowing the danger it
would put them in should Anakin ever find out.

He'd continued to stare at her, watching as she'd met his gaze, the withdrawn
from him as she turned to take Anakin's arm.

He could not bear to watch them together after his recent thoughts, and had
quickly turned, walking away from the house, knowing he needed space to
breath and think. But he had nearly turned around as he felt her despair at
looking back and realizing he was gone.

He sighed, coming back to the present, his body fevered and aroused at his
recent thoughts. Cursing under his breath, he again searched for the Force,
hoping it would calm and soothe him as it always had. Hoped it would show him
what to do about this increasingly dangerous situation.

He did not know if he could trust himself to remain in control around Padme.
Especially now knowing she harbored the same desires he did, for him, NOT his
padawan learner.

It was a giddy thought to realize Padme wanted him, but a dangerous one as
well.

He must not give in, must not dwell on the emotions. He had a clear job to do
and he was going to do it, then leave. No matter how difficult it might be.

Sighing, he closed his eyes, letting the soothing presence of the Force wash
over him, asking for guidance and wisdom to see him through whatever was
coming.

Because he had a feeling things were only going to get worse.

~~~~~~~~

Padme sighed in frustration as she finally closed the door in Anakin's face.
Dessert had been a wonderful idea at the time, but afterwards, despite all
Obi-Wan's attempts to deflect his padawan's advances, Anakin had seemed
determined to pursue them.

When Obi-Wan had apologized, with a wry look in his eyes, to her for having
to take a transmission from Coruscant and had left the room, Anakin had
immediately tried to kiss her again.

She had pushed him away, stuttering something about not feeling that way, but
knew it fell on deaf ears as he frowned, then continued trying to persuade
her of her feelings.

It was getting frustrating!

She had finally begged off for the night, using tiredness as an excuse to get
away, but even then Anakin had been persistent. Part of her found amusement
in the fact he was so determined to woo her but a larger part felt frightened
at his intensity. She had barely managed to slip inside her door before
Anakin could lean down to try and kiss her good-night.

She heard his sigh of frustration through the thin metal, and found herself
guiltily thanking the Gods for her narrow escape.

Her body had suddenly chilled as his whispered words had penetrated her mind.

~~~ You cannot hide from me forever. The time will come, Padme, when you will
be mine. There is no escaping your destiny ~~~

She huddled against the door, using every trick she'd ever learned to mask
her emotions, refusing to let him get a hint of how terrified his words made
her feel. She knew he would never harm her, knew it instinctively. But
something about the tone of his voice, about the way he watched her, gave her
the chills and planted a seed of doubt in her mind about what Anakin just
might do if pushed far enough.

How she wished Obi-Wan were around to ease her turmoil!

Feeling her cheeks heat as she remembered the intense emotions from that
afternoon as they'd gazed into each others' eyes, she sighed and headed to
change out of her constricting garments, suddenly feeling warmer than normal.

As she prepared for bed, she found herself regretting the fact that Obi-Wan
had had to take the transmission earlier, he hadn't returned, and she could
not bear to remain with Anakin in the mood he had been in, even to see his
master. She really wanted to talk with the Jedi Master about those emotions
she'd read in his eyes, about the erotic pictures he'd painted in her mind,
although she wasn't quite sure how she would have brought it up.

Maybe it was for the best.

It would be too dangerous to even contemplate a relationship with Anakin's
mentor, master and father figure. The consequences could be dangerous, even
deadly, and the last thing she wanted to do was hurt the sweet little boy she
remembered, even if he had completely changed over the years.

However the image of Obi-Wan's body entwined with hers was one she could not
bury, hide or push to the back of her mind. Even her usual calming and
focusing techniques were not working to soothe her emotions.

All she knew was that the emotions swirling through her tired body were far
from serene when she thought about his beautiful blue-green eyes. The images
he'd painted in her head were suddenly swirling before her eyes as she
drifted off to sleep, a small smile on her face.

~~~~~~~~~~~

End