What to Do

The door was locked, but Quinlan knew the codes. He punched them in quickly, smirking when the door clicked and slid open.

"Obes?"

Obi-Wan - at the kitchen table, talking to a Holo - glanced upwards. He brow creased for a moment before relaxing. "It appears I have a visitor, my dear."

The Duchess then. Quinlan spotted the hissing teapot on the stove and went to help himself.

"Last name?"

"Kryze."

"First name?"

"Satine - Satine Kar Lene."

"Satine - " The receptionist's head snapped upwards, and she stared from her desk when she typed in the name and the ID picture came on-screen. "Your - "

"Satine is fine." Satine gave a small smile, trying to keep a straight face while the few people in the office began to take notice. This wasn't like Alderaan, where people generally respected their rulers privacy. She tugged her cross-body purse closer. "Do you need anything besides the copay?"

The receptionist swallowed, then glanced at her screen. "Your insurance ID, we need a new copy - and you're behind on some forms, you'll need to fill out some hardcopies while waiting for the nurse."

Satine nodded, taking out her wallet. She slid some paper bills over the counter through the open glass, then dug around for her insurance ID for a moment. "A new one's coming in a few weeks."

"That's fine."

She took the ID back when the receptionist was done scanning it into the system, then waited while the flimsi was gathered. The waiting room was silent while the receptionist handed over the flimsi and clipboard and slid the window closed.

Swallowing hard, Satine went to a far corner and sat down. There was only one woman there, older and most definitely glaring at her.

Don't start a scene here. Please.

She dug out a stylus from her purse, beginning to write.

Satine sunk into her speeder, unable to stop shaking.

No...no...no

She leaned her head against the steering wheel, trying to swallow the urge to scream. Tears fell down her cheeks, hot and salty. There was a part of her that knew she had to leave the parking garage attached to a doctor's office.

A fucking gynecologist office.

No one went to the gynecologist on Mandalore. Migrants mostly, though some New Mandalorians did on occasion. Usually when there were pregnancy complications at play or womanly diseases or contraception was needed.

Pregnant.

She couldn't be pregnant. She shouldn't be pregnant. Not now. Not during the middle of an intergalactic war, where her riddur was being shot at every day and brainwashed by the fucking Jedi Council.

She squeezed her hands on the steering wheel before leaning back in the seat, grimacing and trying to breathe. Quelling a panic attack was something she could focus on, not this mess.

"I'm safe...safe...I'm in my speeder.. it's eight fifty-seven p.m. ...my name is Satine Kar Lene Kryze of Kalevela…I'm safe…"

Satine closed her eyes, trying to focus on slowing her heart rate and her breathing.

... Obi-Wan

She swallowed hard, feeling herself shake while she thought of that.

Obi-Wan had been so damn worried during their vacation...and sincere. He had held her close that entire last day, barely letting her out of his sight. Making love that night had lasted all night...she was used to their rough tumbles where they could barely catch their breath, where they were both sore and a little bruised and laughing at how crazy their hair was.

Not the quiet murmurs, the gentle touches, the gentle tugs closer and the slow roll of his hips.

Then he told her of that damn mission…

To pretend to die. To protect the Chancellor. To lie to the Galaxy.

He'd planned to lie to her too.

Bastard.

She had yelled at him - in fear, in frustration - pacing back and forth, on the edge of hysterics, barely able to keep from raking her nails down her arms or dissolve into screams.

One more mission, unless you tell me otherwise. That's what he'd promised. I'll be home... just one more mission.

Satine fumbled for her comlink in her purse beside her, hands shaking. She manually punched in his frequency, setting it on the dash and waiting. The weak sunlight of Sundari was filtering through the garage, warming her speeder.

The notes of Rewrite the Stars barely played before Obi-Wan answered. He looked exhausted, though he still smiled.

"Hello darling."

Satine had planned on keeping a straight face, to tell him cryptically and they would come to a solution quickly.

But his expression, so kind and a little sad...her chin trembled, and she squeezed her eyes shut.

"Tina?"

"I'm pregnant."

Obi-Wan was silent. When she had taken a deep breath and opened her eyes, he was sitting at his Temple dining room table and looking at her. He didn't seem to show any emotion, any sort of acknowledgement that he desperately wanted this for them.

Satine knew he wanted to keep this baby. He'd always been good with children, and they loved him.

...but all these circumstances…

"Say something."

Obi-Wan frowned, looking at her carefully. He folded his arms on the table, his voice even. "How far along are you?"

"...eight weeks. Nine, by the time your funeral comes."

"...timeline adds up to - "

"Alderaan, yeah." Satine wiped at her eyes, then reached over to the glove compartment and took out some old tissues. She blew her nose messily, balling it in her hand when she was done. "I get knocked up on a planet with a barren queen."

Obi-Wan grimaced, glancing away from her. Silence stretched between them for a lifetime. She could hear the traffic of Coruscant from the comlink.

"You want to keep it?"

Satine bit her lip, looking at her hands. She had picked at her cuticles until they were raw in the exam room, praying the results were negative. Blood was drying on her ring finger. The nurses had looked at her in shock and disgust...even her own gynecologist did little to hide her shock when Satine requested an official test.

Mandalorian women didn't get pregnant before marriage. They didn't have sex with Jedi. They didn't rule a bickering system.

"The midi-chlorian levels are really high Ben, higher than most people in the system. The OB wanted to send the results to the Temple...I - I told her no. I don't know if she did... it's not mandatory on Mandalore to send results... we're not technically a part of the Republic...but she's from Coruscant, she might - "

"I won't let the Jedi do anything to harm you or our child. I won't let them do anything you don't agree too."

Satine nodded, tossing the tissue on the passenger side. She didn't care about cleanliness - this was her personal speeder after all. There wasn't even a guard with her - she'd put her foot down and left in a huff.

"...but that wasn't my question."

She didn't want to tell him...it still hurt, listening to the heartbeat, seeing the little blob that was supposedly their child.

But she couldn't wait…she didn't know when she'd see him again.

"I...I don't know..."

"...what?"

Satine swallowed, watching his face turn from worry to a little fearful. "I...Ben, please..."

"Tina?"

She put her head in her hands for a moment, beginning to shake again.

"Tina..."

"I'm so scared Ben. I don't know what to do."

Obi-Wan's breath was audible over the speaker. When she looked at him he was pressing a fist to his mouth, staring somewhere in the distance. Even his hologram was rigid and still, barely flickering.

"Ben?"

"Do you want me to come home?"

Satine reared her head back a little, blinking in surprise. "What?"

He looked at her, most likely crying, given the way he wiped at his eyes. "Do you want me to come home? I can't stand being here and you're - "

"No, no - no, you have a mission to do - you'll regret - "

"My responsibility to you and our child far outweighs my responsibility to the Chancellor!"

Satine looked away, blinking back the tears. "Obi…"

"Obes?" A different voice called.

Obi-Wan looked towards his door, then gave a tired smile. "It appears I have a visitor my dear."

She bit her lip, the words on the edge of her tongue.

Come home. Please. I can't do this by myself.

But Obi-Wan was a Jedi. She knew he'd regret this final mission he had promised to complete, even if it did tarnish his reputation…

"...stay safe Obi-Wan. As safe as you can."

"I'll say the same to you...and don't do anything that might - "

"Obi...please... don't."

Don't say baby. Don't tell whoever is in your apartment. If it's Anakin there, don't tell him I'm pregnant. Don't if it's Anakin. Don't give him that pain, not when Padmé is so sick.

Obi-Wan bowed his head, then nodded. "I love you."

Satine forced a small smile, wondering how long it would be until she saw him again. "I love you more."

He stared at her for a moment, then gave a small smile and cut the Holo.

She leaned back in her seat, closing her eyes.

Author's note: I really wanted to write Obi-Wan and Satine's conversation in chapter fourteen, before Quinlan interrupted. I was really hesitant to post this, especially after I received no comments from the last few chapters.

To be honest, there's a part of me that wants to stop writing fanfiction because of how little people have been interacting with fic lately. I feel like I'm screaming into a void.

Anyways, enjoy this story my loves.

ii Digestive Reader ii