Title: Moonlight
By: Iaga
Series: A Life Less Ordinary, a subdivision of the Knight Moves
AU
Rated: PG-13
Summary: Obi-Wan finds Maul suffering a dark night of the soul.
Category: Ficlet, POV, AU
Archive: Sith Chicks, SWAL, AllMaulFic, my site
http://www.angelfire.com/scifi/theglobe
Disclaimers: Lucas owns them, I'm just having a little non-profit
fun.
Feedback: Is always welcome! Iaga@cliffhanger.com


I woke up, and he wasn't beside me.

That happens sometimes. As much as his life has changed, as much
as *he* has changed, as much as I try to heal him through our
bond, Maul still wakes up in the middle of the night, haunted by
nightmares, or he never makes it to sleep at all, haunted by
memories. I hate those times, because he always retreats to some
closed-off, silent place inside himself that I can't reach, and
it makes me feel helpless.

Yawning and rubbing sleep from my eyes, I padded silently from
our bedroom into the common area, glancing around to see if he
was still home or if he had gone to a practice room to work
himself until he was ready to drop. But the door leading to the
balcony was open, and I could see him standing out there.

I moved closer, then stopped, just taking in the sight.

The Coruscant moon was full, casting pale light over the
planetscape below, causing my lover's skin to glint silver. He
looked cool and smooth like fine marble, and I ached to touch
him. Not because I wanted to make love with him, but because I
knew he needed to be touched; he needed the solid warmth of
contact to ground him in this world again, to pull him away from
the past where nothing but pain and regret surrounded him.

I watched as he leaned forward on the rail, causing muscles in
his back to work and bunch, and I knew if I touched them, I would
be able to feel tension coiled tight in them; he was wearing
sleep pants, but that was all, and I paused to admire his broad
shoulders that tapered to narrow hips and the curving musculature
in his arms--but only for a moment.

I moved to stand behind him and molded my fingers to fit the
curve of his shoulders; as soon as I touched him, he released a
quiet, shuddery sigh. I slid my hands down to his elbows, then
wrapped my arms around his waist, pulling him close against me
until he was leaning against my chest. Nuzzling behind his ear, I
opened my mind to our bond completely, sending waves of
reassurance and love to him; I couldn't see his face, but I could
feel the tautness in his body slowly release its grip on him
until he was relaxed in the circle of my arms.

I brushed my lips along the curve of his neck, breathing in
deeply of his warm scent; he tilted his chin back, giving me
access, and I moved my hand to trail my fingertips up and down
the column of his throat.

"Let it go," I whispered. "Release it into the Force."

I felt him tense up slightly, and then he relaxed again, and I
felt the subtle energy of the Force flowing around him, tinging
his aura. Along our bond, I sensed him opening himself to the
healing power of the Force as he had done many times before
during these periods of grief. I long for the day that he's no
longer plagued by things he can't change; he thinks he has to
atone for his past, but I think he atoned the moment he began to
turn from the Darkness to the Light.

Convincing him of that is difficult, to say the least, but I'll
keep trying. Meanwhile, I won't let him go; he'll always be able
to find refuge in my arms.

When he wakes in the deepest, coldest hour of the night, I'll be
beside him.



-end-