A/N: Thank you for being patient with me as I repost this chapter. In reading it after publishing, I noticed some glaring redundancies and inconsistencies, and I couldn't bear to leave them in. Thank you for taking the time to read my story! Reviews are always appreciated, as they help me grow as an author, and give me inspiration to keep going!

It was an unusually cold evening on the desert planet of Tatooine. Though the days were usually hot enough to cause first and second degree burns if you walked on the sand barefoot, during this particular season, the nights became chilly. Though it was indeed cold enough for a person to throw on a second layer of clothing before going outside, none of that mattered to Obi-Wan Kenobi. Nothing much really mattered to him, save for his one duty to which he had silently pledged his life. But on this particular evening, when baby Luke was safe with his new family, and no one was looking for him, Obi-Wan felt unquestionably hopeless.

He had found himself in the seedy Mos Eisley Cantina that night, a place that the bottom feeders of the galaxy frequented, conducting their dirty deals in corners. He was well into his third glass of Keela, and finally began to feel the effects of the alcohol. Seated in a far corner of the cantina, hood drawn, Obi-Wan was only vaguely paying attention to the goings-on in the establishment. It was nothing too out of the ordinary.

The bar tenders were serving those seated in stools, and there were a handful of waitresses, of varying species, bringing drinks to tables. There were two Twilek females, two human girls, and one Dathomirian female. The owner and operator of the Cantina liked to keep some variety in his wait staff, but always insisted on having Twileks especially for their ability to keep customers coming in. Many of the brothels on Tatooine had the same idea.

There were drunken men of many humanoid species who had hoped to charm their way into the good graces of the waitress bringing them their drinks, but each night they came up empty-handed. The waitresses knew, however, to keep that glimmer of hope shining for their customers. That's what brought them back.

Despite the activity in the cantina, Obi-Wan's thoughts wandered to the faces of the people who he would never see again. He tried desperately to push them out of his mind, but in the six months he had been on Tatooine, he was never really able to forget them for long. It was on nights like this that it was especially hard. After weeks of little to no communication with other sentient beings, despite his meditation, Obi-Wan's mind wandered.

With images so vivid he felt he could touch them clouding his thoughts, and the alcohol muddling his thoughts, he barely heard the waitress at his elbow.

"I said, can I get you another?"

Obi-Wan looked up to see a young woman in the Mos Eisley Cantina's waitressing uniform awaiting his decision. The human girl gave him a sweet smile as she waited.

"Yes," Obi-Wan said, reluctantly, and watched as the girl took his glass away. His eyes followed her as she approached the bar, and let herself behind it, refilling it with the pitcher of Keela resting on the bar.

Her beauty was not lost on Obi-Wan. In his months of grieving, he had found himself pausing in front of the brothel on a few occasions, but could never allow himself to enter. Loneliness was getting the better of him. His despair was especially to blame, as he felt that since there no longer was a Jedi Order, what the hell good were his vows anyway? He still didn't know what strength brought him to walk away each time.

But this girl, she was much different than the painted girls at the brothels. She had light colored brown hair, tied back in a twisted style, a youthful face, and as Obi-Wan would note when she returned, brightly amber-hued eyes. She filled out the uniform well—it was hard not to notice that all the girls looked pleasantly in their knee high boots, sueded skirts, and matching cut-off tops that bared their midriffs. However, despite being scantily clad, and working in the most deplorable of institutions on Tatooine, this particular human girl did not look like she belonged. It was in the way she carried herself that Obi-Wan thought she was a peculiar addition to the staff.

Obi-Wan briefly reached out with his mind and found that there was a presence about her that was unmistakable. Still, he chose not to read too much into what he was feeling at the moment. His senses had been blunted; it could mean anything.

Before he knew it, she had returned with a full glass. Her kind eyes seemed to smile as she stopped at his table.

"Here you go," she tilted her head slightly, taking him in. He thanked her. Still she did not walk away.

"Six months," she said.

Obi-Wan scrunched his face up. "Excuse me?"

"Six months," she said, amused, "you've been coming in here, and you haven't sat at in my section in all that time."

"What makes you so sure I've been here six months?" Obi-Wan tensed slightly at the thought that someone had been keeping track of his presence, even if it was in passing.

"I may be a bar-maid, but I'm not a brainless one." She smiled, hands on her hips. "Besides, this isn't the only place I've seen you, believe it or not. And I've lived here my whole life. Someone new stays here for more than a fortnight, and I'm bound to notice." She paused, waiting for an answer. None came She winked, taking his standoffishness as a sign that he'd much rather be left alone.

Obi-Wan rubbed at his bearded chin as she walked back to the bar. Where had she seen him? He prayed she hadn't seen his internal struggle the few times he'd stood outside the brothels. Where had it been? And why hadn't he noticed her before?

Choosing not to start on his next drink just yet, Obi-Wan watched the girl more intently. Her presence was indeed unmistakable. He could feel the energy radiating off her. It wasn't sophisticated, perhaps for lack of cultivation, but it was there. Could he be sure though?

It wasn't until she reached up in the far corner of the bar, to a pitcher that stood alone on the far reaches of a shelf, that he was sure. She stood on her toes, trying to add height, and reached for the earthenware pitcher. Still, she came no closer. Obi-Wan felt a slight tremble in the force as this girl, this unassuming waitress, finally closed the distance between her and the pitcher. If Obi-Wan hadn't been watching so closely, he was sure he would have missed it. It was only about an inch that the pitcher had slid into her hand, but still Obi-Wan was sure it was the force, and he was sure it wasn't him who was using it.

Miri reached the bar, smiling to herself. Jaki, one of her Twilek coworkers, looked up at her reproachfully, while filling several glasses that were resting on a tray. "He comes in to my section once a week, maybe, and just as many times I've seen that doe-eyed look when you see him."

Miri looked up into the blue-skinned girl's eyes. "What?"

"I've never seen you throw yourself at a customer like that," Jaki marveled.

Miri blushed, and tried to hide it. "I haven't the faintest clue what you're talking about." Miri tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

Jaki shook her head. "He's a prickly one, Miri. Never even once has he tried to pick me up, and that's normally what the human guys sit in my section for. He's never been rude, but he's very brusque when he talks to me."

"And that's different than half our customers, how?" Miri asked. "Besides… I think he's just sad is all."

"Honey, you'd have to be a little bit sad to come in here more than once." Jaki picked up her tray, resting it on her shoulder. "Sad, or just plain crazy."

Miri stepped aside, making room for Jaki to tend to her table. She felt right about the sadness, but all joking aside, she'd picked it up every time he walked into the cantina. She was good at reading emotions, and his were coming off in waves, despite his serene exterior. Shaking it from her mind, Miri turned and focused her energy on completing her task of filling a new pitcher with Jawa Juice. She looked about the bar in hopes that someone taller than her might reach the top shelf that always gave her trouble. Unfortunately, everyone able to was busy.

Mal, the bar owner, always had a way of putting the pitchers too far back for Miri to reach. True, she was by far the shortest waitress at Mos Eisley, and most others had no problems reaching the shelves, but she still huffed in frustration that he couldn't seem to put them just a hair closer to the edge. Up on her toes, Miri reached for the pitcher, but still no luck. Lengthening her arm, and flexing her fingers a few times, Miri finally wrapped them around the pitcher. After taking it down, she filled it with Jawa Juice and went to the table that had asked for refills.

Obi-Wan was confident that this girl knew nothing of what she'd just done. Children often had these episodes where the force was used so casually without their noticing, but by then they were already in the Academy. This girl looked to be no more than twenty, but still far older than the padawans he had seen this phenomenon in.

The girl took her now-full pitcher over to a table full of unsavory-looking male pilots. Like the rest of Mos Eisley Cantina, they were a mixture of some various humanoid males. Her face betrayed nothing of discomfort, but Obi-Wan silently wondered how a girl who looked like her could feel at all comfortable in a place like this.

Obi-Wan's stomach hitched slightly as he saw the look on the face of one Zabrak as he raised his hand determinedly. He had vowed to stay out of any altercations that took place in the cantina, and it took incredible willpower to resist interfering now.

The Zabrak had intended to lay his hand on the exposed portion of the girl's thigh, in the gap that the hip-high slit in the skirt exposed. The girl, leaning over the table, filling a hard-to-reach glass, could not have seen the hand as it reached her thigh, but before it had a chance to make contact, her own hand whipped back and grabbed at the offender's hand. Bending it down and back at an unnatural angle, the human girl rounded on the Zabrak, warning him with her eyes. He cried out in pain, hurling a curse at her.

The others at the table scooted their chairs back to react, but before the situation escalated, the girl's demeanor switched from that of intense warning to aggressive flirtation. She let the Zabrak's hand go, and placed her free hand on the Zabrak's shoulder. Leaning down, she put her mouth close to the Zabrak's ear and whispered something that made his expression transition from angry to amused.

She had diffused the situation. If she was nervous, she hid it well. The waitresses at Mos Eisley Cantina were not unaccustomed to unwanted advances from patrons, and were well versed in how to de-escalate a situation without angering a customer. She walked away confidently, but when she reached the bar, Obi-Wan could see the wary look in her eyes, and could sense her fear. She said a few words to the Twilek girl whom she'd spoken to earlier, nodded, and put down her pitcher. She was about to disappear behind the bar, and appeared to be grabbing a cloak that had been hanging by the back entrance. She draped it over her arm, and exited the cantina.

Miri approached Jaki, hands shaking. Her encounters with patrons like the one she just had normally didn't rattle her too much, but tonight was different. She locked eyes with Jaki, and spoke low.

"I think I just need to get out of here tonight, Jak." Miri said. Jaki understood.

"I gotcha covered. Go home." Miri thanked nodded her silent thanks before grabbing her cloak and walking out the back. Once she was in the cool night air, Miri put her cloak on, and rested a moment against the synstone walls of the alleyway. She breathed deeply, hoping to slow her heart rate.

She shook her head, and told herself she was being silly. It was true, it wasn't the first time, or even the twentieth time this had happened, but lately it had been different. The pressure from the Hutts on her father's grocery business had been weighing on her. It weighed on her so much that a year ago, she took a job at the seediest bar in Mos Eisley just to help ends meet at home. But a recent run-in with one of the Hutt's debt collectors a week ago had left her jumpy.

Thankful that Jaki had given her leave to go home, Miri steeled herself and headed towards home, drawing her cloak about her. Lost in her own thoughts, she barely took notice of the raucous men who were following her.

Obi-Wan sat for a few moments, finishing his drink, and noted that the girl had not returned. She must have gone home for the evening. Deciding he too was finished at the cantina, Obi-Wan threw a few wupiupi coins onto the table, and left the bar through the front entrance. Obi-Wan had enough to think on for the evening. His encounter with the force-sensitive girl had left him in a contemplative mood.

As he rounded the corner, heading for where he'd parked his speeder bike, his eye caught a figure propped against one of the synstone walls of the buildings surrounding the cantina. It was the girl. He halted momentarily, thinking of approaching her, but stopped when he remembered that he was supposed to be keeping a low profile. Hardened in his resolve, he kept walking, and found his speeder bike.

As he settled in, he heard noises from the cantina. Unable to help it, Obi-Wan reached out with the force, and found the girl, who had put her cloak on, and was walking in Obi-Wan's direction. He told himself he simply needed to leave, but still he found that his good nature and the force were willing him to stay put.

The noise that was coming from the direction of the cantina was the very group of pilots that had upset the girl so much. And they were following her. They were a good twenty paces behind Miri, but still the look on the Zabrak's face was determined. As if he were stalking his prey. Sometimes the methods employed by waitresses to diffuse tense situations gave them hope that could often lead to trouble. It appeared that tonight was one of those nights.

Obi-Wan fought his urge to help her. His thumb rested firmly on the start lever for his bike, but before he could flip it, the jeers of the men behind her shook him from his daze, and he hopped down from his bike quickly, and before he knew it, he was at her side, grabbing her elbow.

"Just keep walking," Obi-Wan said. Miri looked up at him startled, but once she recognized who it was, she was more willing to listen than simply pull away.

Miri glanced behind her, and saw the Zabrak who'd rattled her so much. Her breath caught in her chest, and turning her head back around, she picked up the pace with the man from the bar. The calls from behind her were growing louder as they walked, and Miri's heart felt like it was going to leap out of her chest.

Sure that the men would follow them as long as they could, Obi-Wan knew he had to lose them. He was able to pull her into an alley, and quickly they took enough turns that it appeared they had evaded the group. To be sure, Obi-Wan stopped the girl, pushing her slightly against a synstone wall, and peered out from around the corner, listening intently.

Once he heard the group get further and further away from them, Obi-Wan looked down at the slight girl whose arm he was still holding securely. His stomach flipped when he looked down into her frightened, amber colored eyes. Noticing he was still holding her elbow, he forced himself to let go.

"Thank you," she said, breathlessly. She was sure that if it weren't for this man, she would have been in terribly hot water.

Obi-Wan's jaw clenched slightly. "Now, how far is your home?"

Miri studied the man's blue-gray eyes, which held no sign of malice or ill-intent. Finding her voice, she replied.

"About ten blocks from here, close to the market."

"I'll see you home." Obi-Wan said, hoping he wouldn't come to regret escorting this girl home.

They walked briefly in silence, finally making their way through a series of alley turns to a main thoroughfare. Miri, unable to stand it, attempted to fill the silence with idle talk.

"If it makes you feel any better, I'm a rather nosy girl to begin with."

Obi-Wan was confused. "Excuse me?"

"Earlier, in the cantina," she tried not to stammer, or stumble over her words. "I can tell I made you uncomfortable. I don't want you to think I'm watching you or anything of the sort. I just… I just pay attention is all. I imagine you don't want your presence to go noticed here."

Obi-Wan chuckled, hoping his levity would diffuse the situation. "And what makes you think that?"

"Well," Miri smiled to herself. "Isn't that why most people come out here? You're either born here, or you come out here to get away from something."

Feeling that she struck a chord, Miri realized she was doing it again… being entirely too personal. Hoping to explain herself, she spoke again.

"My father, he's a grocer…" she said. "I pack the orders. People usually order the same thing each week. You're no different, Ben. But, then again, when that's all you're doing every day, the smallest things stick out to you."

Obi-Wan breathed in. He was foolish if he believed that after six months he wouldn't start to be noticed. Some of the vendors had started to know him by name. However, he hadn't anticipated someone taking this amount of interest in who he was, but he knew this girl wasn't ordinary. So, he played along.

"Well," he began, relieved his cover wasn't entirely blown, and his alias had stuck, "I suppose you know all about me then."

"Yes," she said, facetiously. "Five beets, five turnips, a pound of rice, a pound of dry beans, a pitcher of blue milk… Oh yes, you like your routine, Ben."

"You've got me all figured out then," Obi-Wan said. Before he could say any more, Miri stopped at a door.

"We're here," she placed a hand on the door, and turned back to Obi-Wan. "Thanks, for back there. And… I didn't mean any harm, at the cantina." Miri opened the door. "Sometimes I don't think before I speak."

"It's quite alright." Obi-Wan turned to leave. As he began walking, his thoughts were consumed with his bizarre encounter with the force-sensitive girl. As he thought, he realized he hadn't caught her name.

"Miri," he heard from behind him. Obi-Wan turned. Miri was standing just inside her door.

"My name's Miri."