In-between C - Rescuers

Anakin was going to have to talk to Elisa again, try and set up some kind of a trap. The bounty hunter, whoever he was, must be a total imbecile if he thought Anakin would readily turn Elisa over to him. He sat back in his chair and thought things over. He was supposed to deliver Elisa to a planet on the outer rim. Belle told him it was called Aeten II, and Anakin knew it was not a friendly planet. There was a Bounty Hunters guild there and that's where he was going. He had set the ship in course and was now trying to think up a plan before he contacted Elisa, if he could do it again. It was hard enough contacting someone he'd had a bond with, like Obi-Wan, when he was so far away from them, but he didn't have a bond with Elisa which made it very, very hard to do.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"So what's in the outer rim?" Buffy asked, now that they were on their way. They had listened to the holopad, then both of them had decided it was definitely some kind of a trap.

"Well, Tatooine for one," Obi-Wan said and Buffy nodded her head. "The outer rim is the farthest from the republic, and is greatly known for its criminals and bounty hunters."

"Oh." Buffy said, nodding her head as she looked out the window at the stars. "And this planet we're to meet at?" Buffy asked, looking back at Obi-Wan. "Do we know anything about it?"

"It's one of the most dangerous planets in the outer rim. Basically run by Bounty Hunters. It used to be a place known for its stygium crystals, which are used in cloaking devices, but the supply of them has been almost completely depleted," Obi-Wan said, looking down at the holopad in his hand. "It's a meeting place of sorts, there's also a Bounty Hunters guild there, they use it to hold prisoners until the bounty hunter contacts whoever their bounty is for."

"Right." Buffy said, nodding her head again trying to figure out what was going on. "So, Magus is luring us to this bounty hunters guild, where he has Siri locked up, to most likely kill us. We're going to need some kind of plan here."

"Agreed." Obi-Wan said, nodding his head as he turned in his seat to look at her. There were dark circles under Obi-Wan's eyes and he looked tired beyond the lack of sleep.

'Elisa?' Buffy looked over at Obi-Wan but he was looking at a datapad now and he looked like he was reading something.

'Anakin?' Buffy asked, watching Obi-Wan; he was still reading. 'Is something wrong?'

'Have you found Siri yet?' he asked hopefully, Buffy could feel the worry coming off of Anakin now.

'No,' she told him, 'she wasn't where she was supposed to be, there was a fight. Magus has her.'

'I'm going to need you two in this after all,' Anakin said, sounding torn. 'But you need to find Siri.'

'Why do you need us?' Buffy asked, keeping her eyes on Obi-Wan.

'Whoever has Padme, he wants you.' Anakin said and Buffy rolled her eyes. She hadn't even been here a year yet and already she had enemies across the galaxy.

'So, you want to set up some kind of a trap?' Buffy asked, taking a deep breath. 'I'm going to have to tell Obi-Wan.'

'I know." Anakin said and Buffy watched as Obi-Wan looked up at her.

'Where are you?' she asked, smiling slightly at Obi-Wan hoping he wouldn't be too mad at her for keeping yet another secret.

'On my way to the outer rim, I'm meeting him-'

'On Aeten II?' Buffy asked then sighed.

'Yes.' Anakin said nodding his head. 'How'd you know?'

'That's where Magus has Siri,' Buffy said, rolling her eyes. Was it possible Anakin was looking for Magus too, or was he looking for a totally different bounty hunter? And if not what could Magus possibly have against her?

'Tell him,' Anakin said and Buffy nodded her head.

"First off," Buffy said, leaning forward in her seat as she met Obi-Wan's eyes. "This was Anakin's idea," she said and Obi-Wan's eyes went wide at the name. "Just so we have that straight. There's something I need to tell you."

-o-o-o-o-o-

"What did you think you were doing, bringing her here!?" Magus demanded of the man standing in front of him.

"Where else was I going to take her?" he demanded back, looking up at Magus, who was a good head taller than him.

"I'm supposed to be keeping them away from Skywalker, and you bring his wife here?" Magus asked as he paced in front of this amateur bounty hunter. "And I brought the Jedi Tachi here."

"They're all going to die though, right?" the bounty hunter said, a sneer lighting up his face. "What does it matter if it happens here or not? All the better if he sees it I'm sure." Magus glared at the young bounty hunter and nodded his head.

"Fine." Magus said, this was going to take some reworking. He hated it when his plans didn't go just so. He glared at him again and took a deep breath. "This is how it's going to be…"

-o-o-o-o-o-

"Why didn't he contact me?" Obi-Wan asked, calmer than Buffy had thought he would be.

"He couldn't get a hold of you." Buffy explained as she went over everything with Obi-Wan.

"How could he get a hold of you?" Obi-Wan asked, sounding a little shocked by the fact.

"I don't know, he didn't say, is that odd, that he can do that?" Buffy asked, leaning back in her chair.

"For most Jedi, yes." Obi-Wan said, nodding his head.

"But not for him?" Buffy asked, nodding her head. There was certainly something that she didn't know about Anakin, something she was going to have to get him to tell her sooner or later, preferably sooner.

"So this bounty hunter, whoever he is, wants you. And has Padme at the bounty hunters guild that Magus has Siri at?" Obi-Wan said, more thinking out loud than asking Buffy, but she nodded her head anyway.

"Are they working together?" Buffy mused out loud and Obi-Wan looked up at her. "I mean, is this just totally coincidence, or are they working together?"

"Are we even sure this is two different bounty hunters?" Obi-Wan asked and Buffy nodded her head.

"Well, Anakin is anyway," she told him. Anakin had tried, still with no success, to contact Obi-Wan, but even with his mind open Anakin couldn't get through. So Anakin was talking to Buffy and Buffy was telling Obi-Wan. "And the times are too close, I don't think one person could do all of this at the same time." She paused and nodded her head. "And Anakin said he's heard his bounty hunter's voice, it's not Magus. He recognizes the voice, but isn't quite sure from where."

"So do we have a plan?" Buffy asked after a few silent moments.

"We're going to need some kind of a distraction and-"

"Wait." Buffy said holding up her hand. "I can only listen to one of you at a time." She smiled at Obi-Wan who looked a little taken aback at being interrupted. "Sorry, but you're talking here and he's talking here," she said, tapping her head. "It's a little confusing." She nodded her head randomly and smiled.

"Anakin agrees with you. We're going to need some kind of a distraction." Buffy said a few moments later. "And we kinda have a plan." Obi-Wan did not like the sound of that.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Padme was totally silent as she sat up on the small metal bed; the straps that had held her down were now dangling down the sides of the so called bed. It had taken her a while, a long while, but she had gotten her bracelets off and picked the locks of the straps. Never in her life would she have thought a skill she picked up from one of her hand maidens so long ago would save her life, and not only once, but twice now. She'd have to thank Dormé the next time she saw her. She slipped the picks into her pocket and smiled to herself. She looked around the dimly lit, small room she was in and sighed, there didn't appear to be any doors at all. 'Well, why tie me down if I can't get out?' she thought as she swung her legs over the side of the bed and jumped down. 'There must be a door here somewhere,' she thought as she began to run her hands along the wall. She grinned when her hands slid over a bump in the wall, and another one a few feet from the first, a door. Now all she had to do was figure out how to open it. She ran her hands a little further away from the door and smirked in triumph when the control pad opened out of the wall. It blinked to life when her hands came in contact with it, asking her for a command.

"Open door," she whispered quietly and watched as the screen blinked.

"Command unrecognized, please try again," Padme read and took a deep breath; was it some kind of a password? She could be here for a very long time if she had to come up with a password before the door opened. Padme opened her mouth to try a word but before she could say anything the door slid open.

"I wondered how long it would take you to get out," a voice behind the helmet said. There was something about this voice, something she knew she should know.

"Who are you?" Padme demanded, glaring at him. He just shook his head and reached out and grabbed her arm roughly.

"All in good time dear senator." He sneered out the last word as he dragged Padme from the room.

-o-o-

"Have you informed Darth Sidious of this new development?" he asked, looking down at the holo Magus.

"No." Magus said, shaking his head. "It will still work. There is no need to inform him."

"I agree," he said, nodding his head, a small smirk on his face. "I am almost there; I'll be making sure there are no more screw ups."

"Understood." Magus said, nodding his head. "When will you be here?"

"Within the hour," he said before he clicked off and leaned back in his chair. Stupid bounty hunters. He just hoped everything did go to plan, he'd hate to be them if Skywalker escaped his master again.

-o-o-

"This is your plan?" Obi-Wan asked, a little while later.

"Well, we could just land in their hangar, I'm sure they'd just give us Padme and Siri," Buffy said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Obi-Wan glared at her and then shook his head.

"I don't like you going in alone," Obi-Wan said, looking back at the new flight plan.

"I'll be fine. You two will be right behind me," Buffy said, smiling at him, her eyes full of trust. "I'll go in, the ever willful new Padawan, make it look like Anakin told me what was going on and sent me there alone to help him save Padme."

"They'll never believe that Anakin would betray us," Obi-Wan said, shaking his head, which by now was starting to ache.

"Sure they will. People will do anything for love. I'll just get myself caught and then Anakin will show, I'll do the 'you're just in time' bit and he'll act as though he meant for me to get caught." Buffy smiled as she stood up and began to pace behind their chairs. "And while we're working on, that you find Siri. Four Jedi against however many bounty hunters? I'm sure we'll be fine."

-o-o-o-o-o-

"Where is she?" A bounty hunter asked, stepping forward as soon as Anakin walked through the doors, the fully locked heavily guarded doors.

"She's here; she thinks she's helping me save Padme." Anakin told him with a glare on his face. "Where's my wife?"

"As soon as I have the Jedi, you'll have your wife," he said and Anakin was sure he was being glared at. Anakin glared right back as they both waited. Obi-Wan had told Elisa to put up a bit of a fight, don't make it too easy. So Anakin knew they might be waiting for a while.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Buffy waved her hand in front of the door and smiled in triumph when the locks disengaged and the door slid open without any alarms. 'This whole Jedi deal isn't too bad,' she thought as she pulled her lightsaber off her belt and walked down the hall. The whole building was built into the side of what used to be a mountain mine. But there were no traces of the mine once inside the place; it looked like the inside of a building on a civilized planet. Buffy had an idea of where she was going; Obi-Wan had hacked into the main computers here with the help of Artoo. Buffy was making her way towards the main hall, trying to find out how many they were going to be up against in the end.

"Halt!" A mechanical voice said from behind Buffy and she turned as she switched on her lightsaber. It was a droid, with a blaster. "Unauthor-"

Buffy sliced it in half before it could finish the word. She waited for the sound of footsteps but they didn't come. Maybe they hadn't heard him sound the alarm. She turned and started down the hall once again, heading towards her goal. It didn't take her long to realize she was being watched, some kind of monitoring system maybe. She sent a silent warning to Obi-Wan and hoped he'd get it, then she went on her way.

"Ah." Buffy turned at the sound of a human voice behind her. "I had hoped we'd run into each other again."

"Dooku." Buffy sneered at him as she her ignited her lightsaber. "What are you doing all the way out here? Fighting with the petty criminals now?" Buffy had not expected this, it was a little worrisome. She'd seen him fight Anakin, and she knew she wasn't much of a match, at least not yet.

"Your wit astounds me," he said dryly. "You've been spending far too much time with Obi-Wan." Buffy growled at him as she took a step forward.

"Fortunately for you, I'm going to rid you of that problem," he said. His lightsaber flashed on as Buffy lunged at him, all lessons of patience and planning going out of her mind.

"You stay away from Obi-Wan," she told him venomously as he easily deflected her attack. She side stepped and ducked as he swung at her. Their lightsabers clashed and she smiled at him through the glow. She jumped up and flipped backwards, just missing the ceiling. She took a deep breath and took her stance, she got her mind on the fight at hand and pushed everything else aside. Dooku advanced on her, bringing his lightsaber down as he came. Buffy blocked, then blocked again, all she could really do with him was defend. He was so well trained; it was all Buffy could do to keep up with him.

"You are sadly lacking," Dooku informed her as she blocked another blow. Buffy didn't rise to the bait and was very proud of herself for it. Buffy was forced to step back after almost every blow, Dooku was leading her down the hall towards something and Buffy couldn't chance looking behind herself to find out what it was.

-o-o-o-o-o-

"Where is she?" the bounty hunter demanded, stepping towards Anakin. Anakin, though he was trying to hide it, was wondering the same thing himself. She was supposed to have let someone catch her by now. This was not good.

"Perhaps your bounty hunters were unable to apprehend her," Anakin mocked as he glared at the bounty hunter. Anakin was sure now that this was the bounty hunter who had kidnapped Padme in the first place, the one after Elisa.

"You'd better hope not," he said, sneering, as he reached through the open door to his right and pulled in a gagged Padme by the arm. Her eyes went wide when she saw Anakin and she strained towards him for a moment.

"Ah, ah, ah," the bounty hunter said when Anakin took a step towards them. "Don't even think it," he said, raising his bladed gauntlets to her neck. Anakin growled as he stepped back and locked eyes with Padme. She looked relatively calm, considering. Her eyes drifted down to Anakin's hands and a small smile took over her face.

Padme leaned forward ever so slightly, her neck pressed against the bounty hunter's blades, and then very quickly she bashed her head back into the bounty hunter's head. Anakin was sure it hurt Padme more than it hurt the bounty hunter, but it knocked him off balance just enough that Padme slipped away from him before she fell to her knees. Anakin had his lightsaber out and on the bounty hunter before he could even tell what happened. Then there was a flash of light so bright that Anakin had to look away to shield his eyes. When he looked back the bounty hunter was gone.

"Padme?" he asked, rushing to her side. She looked up at him as she raised her hand to the back of her head. "Are you alright?"

"Um…" Padme winced when she touched the spot on her head. "I think..." She blinked rapidly then smiled at him, "I'm just going to..." She trailed off again and her eyes fell shut as she passed out.

-o-o-o-o-

Obi-Wan looked around the corner at the end of the hall he was in, then closed his eyes. He was looking for Siri, and he was using the force to help him find her. She had a very strong signature; he'd always been able to feel it out. But in order to find her he was blocking everything else out. He was pushing his worry for Elisa, Padme and Anakin to the back of his mind. Elisa had come a long way in just six months, he just kept telling himself that as he moved silently through the halls. Obi-Wan was aware of the fact that this base seemed to be unusually empty, he should have run into someone by now. He looked up and stopped when he felt Siri, she was coming in strong now.

"Siri?" Obi-Wan whispered, he heard someone moving on the other side of the door.

"Obi-Wan?" he heard a voice say and smiled. Siri sounded more than a little surprised that it was him on the other side of the door.

"Are you all right?" Obi-Wan asked as he worked on unlocking her door.

"I am now," she said and he could hear the smile in her voice. "How'd you find me?"

"Long story," he told her. He couldn't get the damn door to open.

"You're going to have to use your lightsaber," she told him, stepping back. "I couldn't get the door to open either." Obi-Wan nodded his head knowing she must have tried to use the force too. Magus must have done something to help keep her in.

"This may take a few minutes," he told her.

"I know," she said. She watched, a small smile on her face, as she saw his lightsaber come through the door, melting the metal around it as it went.

Siri tapped the metal hole lightly a few minutes later to check to see that it was cool enough. She smiled when she touched it, perfect. She climbed though and smirked up at Obi-Wan. She took the blaster he handed her with a skeptical look.

"Sorry," he said, shrugging as they made their way down the hall. "I don't have a spare lightsaber."

"That's fine, I know who has mine," she told him, holding the blaster at her side, at the ready.

"This way," Obi-Wan said, turning down a hall to the left.

"Anakin here somewhere?" she asked and he looked back at her, looking a little confused.

"How long have you been on Adega?" he asked as he looked down the hall going right and the hall going left.

"About three months, I was on a stake out with Kinta before that and on a sabbatical before that. I haven't been back to temple in a good eight months. Why? What's happened?" She whispered as they went to the right down the hall.

"Anakin left the order, he-"

"What?" she asked, trying to keep her voice down.

"He got married," Obi-Wan said and she searched him over, he had to be joking, right? "But he is here, yes."

"Wait, he left the order, why is he here then?" she asked, still totally thrown by this. How come no one told her? There must have been an uproar about it at the temple, how had she not heard about it?

"A bounty hunter kidnapped his wife," Obi-Wan explained. He stopped short and held up his hand to her. She nodded and he turned the corner slowly, coming up behind two bounty hunters. He knocked their heads together and sighed as they crumbled to the ground. These two couldn't possibly be the only two here, where was everyone?

"Are you here helping him and just happened to feel me? Because I know the council, they wouldn't have sent you to save me." She didn't mean it as an insult and he nodded his head.

"No, we're here to save you. We were after the bounty hunter who kidnapped you. Magus," Obi-Wan told her and she nodded then stopped.

"Wait. We?" she asked, confused now.

"My Padawan and I," he told her.

"You have a new Padawan? And you brought him here?" she asked, obviously surprised. Padawans, especially new padawans, didn't go on missions like this for a while.

"Yes well, Elisa isn't a normal Padawan," he said, smirking at her.

"Elisa?" she asked and he nodded his head. He took a few more steps then stopped right in front of her. He'd lowered his blocks a little, searching out Elisa.

"Force." Obi-Wan said, shaking his head as he sped up. "We need to hurry," he said, practically running down the hall now. "Elisa is going up against Dooku."

"What's Dooku doing here?" Siri asked, following closely behind Obi-Wan.

"I don't know."

"Nor are you going to find out," a voice said from behind them. Both turned at the same time and found Magus walking towards them, a smirk on his face and Siri's lightsaber in his hand.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Buffy knew she was losing and it was really irritating her. Not to mention it was starting to scare her a little. She had never met someone who was so much better at fighting than she was. There were people that were stronger than her, but that was different. Dooku, he was just better. Buffy could feel it as her strength began to fade, and by the way Dooku was smirking at her he could feel it too. She blocked, then took a step back, then blocked again. She figured out what he was going to do only a second before he leapt up into the air. She blocked both his in-air attack and the swing he took at her when he landed with his back to her.

Buffy cried out in pain when Dooku brought his foot down on the back of her knee knocking her to the ground. She gasped in pain as her lightsaber went spinning away from her. She sucked in a huge belly of air and pushed all the pain out of her head as she turned so that she was facing Dooku. He had his lightsaber only a few inches away from her, and he was smiling at her.

"This would be easier if you'd just give in," he said and a look that Buffy supposed was intended to be charming came over his face. "Kenobi tries, but he's not the best teacher. I could show you things you'd never imagine." Buffy just watched him, she just needed a few minutes; if she could keep him talking, which by the looks of things, wasn't going to be hard, she could put the pain away and then maybe she'd stand a chance.

-o-o-

"Go," Siri said, her voice low as she looked back at Obi-Wan. He began to shake his head but she glared at him as she took a step towards Magus. "GO!" she yelled, firing at Magus now. Obi-Wan felt a sharp pain in his left leg and winced. "Obi-Wan, she needs you, I can take him, you know I can. Now go!" she said, yelling over her shoulder at him. Obi-Wan nodded his head and then ran down the hall they had been heading down. He heard Magus cry out and smiled, fully confident in Siri's abilities.

-o-o-

Buffy kept her eyes up, on Dooku, and away from the bone sticking unnaturally out of her leg. Dooku, for his part, was being the typical evil genius, his 'come to the dark side, we have cookies' speech was really starting to bore her.

"Please," Buffy said, when he finally paused. She gasped involuntarily as she moved ever so slightly. "Does this crap ever really work? I mean, really, how many people have you swayed to the dark side with that speech?" Buffy reached out and caught her lightsaber in her hand blocking just as Dooku brought his down towards her.

"Wounded and you still can't hit me with that thing." Buffy was sure that agitating him further was probably not a good idea, but all the blood was not making it to her head now and she couldn't find it in her to care. Dooku was bearing down on her, his lightsaber pressing down on hers, she was not doing well. Buffy cried out in shock when Dooku backhanded her across the face. Her head swam and Dooku backed off for a moment, then almost faster than she could watch he lunged at her. She didn't even have time to block before he drove his lightsaber through her side.

"No!" She vaguely heard a voice scream out. She watched as everything seemed to slow down, her lightsaber fell to the ground and went out. Her vision blurred and her head began to throb as a burning sensation began to fill her whole body. Dooku went in and out of focus, his face only inches from hers, a sneer curling his lips. The last thing Buffy thought before everything around her went dark was 'I'm so going to kick your ass.'

"Obi-Wan. How nice of you to join us," Dooku said as he slowly pulled his lightsaber out of Buffy and stood up. Buffy's body fell to the side and Obi-Wan's breath caught in his throat. He could feel her, she was still alive, and that was the only thing keeping him from losing it.

"Get away from her," he growled out as he took a step towards them. Dooku's eyes went wide when he saw Siri come around the corner, blaster raised and aimed at him, he ducked just in time to miss being hit by her. Obi-Wan watched as a door to the right opened and Dooku disappeared from view, just missing being hit again. Obi-Wan ran to Buffy and knelt down next to her. He looked at the door, fighting with himself; go after Dooku...take care of Buffy.

"I'll go," Siri said and Obi-Wan nodded his head; she was still breathing, and the wound in her side had obviously been cauterized so there wasn't much bloodcoming from there. Obi-Wan looked up when Siri gasped in pain from a few feet away from them. There was a lightsaber sticking through her chest, her lightsaber. Obi-Wan's eyes widened as the lightsaber disappeared and Siri crumpled to the ground like a doll. Magus was holding her lightsaber in one hand and covering a fatal wound in his chest with the other. He had a nasty smile on his face as he fell to his knees.

"I win," Magus wheezed out before he dropped over backwards.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"What happened?" Anakin gasped when he found Obi-Wan sitting on the floor next to Elisa. He could see Siri a few feet away, and he could feel it, she was gone. Anakin looked down at Obi-Wan; he seemed to be in shock. "Obi-Wan?"

"Dooku got away," Obi-Wan said, looking blankly up at Anakin.

"We'll get him next time," Anakin assured him as he reached out and placed his hand on Buffy's wrist. She was alive; her heart seemed pretty steady for the amount of blood around her leg. It looked as though Obi-Wan had used his cloak to make a crude bandage to stop the bleeding.

"There are two Jedi cruisers entering the atmosphere," Anakin said, trying to avoid looking down the hall. "The bounty hunters saw them coming, that's why this place is so empty." Obi-Wan only seemed to be half listening to Anakin; he was not in good shape. Siri was dead and Elisa looked as though she could be next. Anakin didn't know what to do.

"Did you find them?" Anakin heard Padme's voice over his com. He pulled it off his belt and looked up at Obi-Wan. "Obi-Wan's ok, Elisa is...wounded."

"And Siri?" Padme asked.

"She's gone." There was silence on the other end and Anakin sighed. Padme hadn't ever met Siri, she'd been on an undercover mission when they got married, and hadn't been able to make it out to see them. Anakin was very saddened that she had been pulled from this world so soon.

"How bad is Elisa?" Padme asked and Anakin looked down at Buffy again. All of the bleeding had stopped; the hole in her side hadn't bled at all.

"She's bad," Obi-Wan said, looking up to meet Anakin's eyes.

"Bad," Anakin whispered into the com.

"They should be here any moment," Padme said and Anakin could hear the tremor in her voice.

"Can we move her?" Anakin asked looking down at Buffy. He couldn't tell if she had any injuries to her neck or spine. Obi-Wan nodded his head and slipped his hands under her neck and back, trying to avoid her leg. She groaned when he lifted her up, but made no other sound. Obi-Wan looked down the hall at Siri again and Anakin put his hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder.

"We'll be sure to tell them where to find her," he said softly and Obi-Wan nodded his head. Not that it mattered now; all that was left of Siri was a shell. She was in the force now, gone from this world.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Obi-Wan looked through the force field to the two figures fighting just out of his reach. He knew this dream well, had had it often after Qui-Gon was killed. But even knowing it was a dream he felt compelled to complete it. He paced back and forth in front of the force field, waiting for it to shift so he could make his way through. He continually looked up to see the two figures fighting, but there was something wrong, something had changed. The two figures were no more than two force fields away from him. When the one in front of him shifted he ran forward but was stopped again, still separated from his quarry. And now he could see what was wrong, what had changed. It was Elisa on the other side of the force field, fighting not Darth Maul but Dooku.

He watched as their lightsabers clashed off of one another, blocking then attacking, moving steadily closer to the huge ventilation shaft behind them. She was tiring; she had already sustained a bad leg wound and was not faring well against Dooku's attacks. She blocked as Dooku went for her injured leg and then shifted up to block an upward attack. Dooku shifted back, twisted and with a forward thrust his lightsaber went through Elisa's abdomen, right below her ribs. She caught Obi-Wan's eyes for a second before they fluttered closed and she fell backwards, going right over the side of the ventilation shaft.

"No!" Obi-Wan cried as he bolted up in the chair. His eyes searched the dark room for any threat before he came fully awake and realized it had been a dream. Elisa was not dead, she was in surgery and they were on a ship bound for Coruscant.

"Obi-Wan?" Anakin yelled, running into the room, Padme following close behind him; they both looked horrified. He looked up at them as he realized what they must have thought. Both their eyes went to the doors that Elisa lay just behind.

"It was just a dream." Obi-Wan told them, sitting back in his chair. Anakin sat down next to him and put his hand on his shoulder.

"So no news?" he asked as Padme sat down across from them.

"No," Obi-Wan said shortly, shaking his head.

"Obi-Wan, why don't you go get something to eat, or-"

"No," he said again, his eyes going to the door. "No," he said again as Anakin opened his mouth to argue. Anakin sighed and nodded his head in defeat. He understood, he knew, even if Obi-Wan wouldn't admit it, what Obi-Wan was feeling right now. If the roles were reversed and Padme was in that room right now a herd of Banthas couldn't keep him from her side.

-o-o-o-o-

Obi wasn't sure how long he'd been sitting there, hours it seemed, probably only mere minutes. The med-droid's words continued to reverberate through his head: 'her wound was severe' and 'there seems to be no major internal damage, she's very lucky.' 'Lucky,' Obi-Wan thought in disgust as he looked up into her pale drawn face, her dark blond hair flowing up above her. The bacta tank that surrounded her beeped a quiet rhythm, her heart rate he had been told. 'She was not lucky, if she were lucky she wouldn't have-' He stopped that line of thought and took a deep breath as he stood and walked over to the tank. She was a Jedi, not to mention a Slayer before that, and they always fought, that was all there was to it. He placed his hand on the glass and whispered in her mind.

'Elisa?' he thought and waited. He tried to hold back the dread at the lack of a response from her. It didn't mean anything, she was healing, she'd wake up soon, he knew she would. But he couldn't help thinking how cruel fate seemed to him now, he had lost Siri, a woman he had once loved a great deal, and now Elisa's life hung in the balance. He had to believe she would pull through, he had to, otherwise, he had nothing to hold on to. He jumped a little when a hand landed on his shoulder. The presence of his former Padawan washed over him and he let out a long sigh.

"How is she?" he asked, looking from Obi-Wan to Elisa.

"The med-droid said her life signs are very strong and-" He stopped and had to clear his throat to keep the small sob at bay. "Yoda says her force signature is still very strong as well," Obi-Wan finished, his voice steady as Anakin nodded. Anakin watched as Obi-Wan's eyes drifted to Elisa, she seemed almost frozen in time, a very serene look on her face.

"Padme is having a droid bring in a bed," Anakin said, leading Obi-Wan back to the chair. He was sure Obi-Wan wouldn't leave her side till she was well, and he didn't blame him. It seemed so obvious to him, and Padme, that Obi-Wan was in love with her. How was it that two people could be so close and yet so oblivious to each other's feelings? He could understand it of Obi-Wan better than Elisa. She had grown up knowing emotion and feeling, as he himself had. How had she missed the feelings pouring off of his old master?

"How's Padme doing?" Obi-Wan asked, pulling Anakin from his musings.

"She's well," Anakin said, smiling at him. "The cut will scar, but she'll be fine," he told him, taking the seat next to him.

Obi-Wan looked up to Elisa again. His mind was so fractured, love and duty, duty and love. He had given up love for duty once. But as he looked up into her pale face he realized with a start that he couldn't do it again, didn't want to.

"She'll be fine. She's strong, stronger than we all give her credit for I think." Obi-Wan just nodded his head, unable to speak any more for fear of crying. Unsure what to say himself, Anakin just sat there, next to Obi-Wan, silently hoping for Elisa and trying to give his former master strength, for whatever might come next.

-o-o-o-o-

"How is she?" Padme asked when Anakin came walking out an hour later. He took a deep breath as he walked over to her and pulled her close to him. She rested her head on his shoulder and felt the fear and sadness rolling off of Anakin.

"She's going to be ok," Anakin said, pulling Padme away a little. "I know she is." Padme nodded her head, smiling sadly. She was so worried, she didn't think Obi-Wan would be able to take it if something happened to Elisa. She didn't think any of them would handle it well.

"Are you sure we should leave him in there, alone?" she asked after a few seconds.

"I think he needs some time to think," Anakin said, taking her hand into his. "He...I think he's a little lost right now."

"I just wish there was something else I could do," Padme said, letting Anakin pull her away from the med wing of the Temple. They walked in silence for a while, both hoping for Elisa to pull through. "I think we should stay here though, I don't want to go home till we're sure she's going to be ok."

"I fully agree, in fact Master Yoda has already had a room made up for us," Anakin told her; that's where they were headed now in fact.

"Very smart man that Yoda."

-o-o-o-o-

Obi-Wan sat down on the freshly made bed and stared up at Elisa. Two days had gone by now, and nothing. Her body, which usually looked so fierce and strong, looked fragile and oh so delicate now. The hole in her side was beginning to heal, much faster than was normal, and her leg, which had been broken in two different places, was all but healed now. Was something else wrong, something they couldn't see, or was she just trying to find her way back? He sat back against the wall his bed was on and sighed as he remembered Yoda's words from earlier.

'Talk to her you should, hear you she will,' but Obi-Wan wasn't sure what to say to her.

"Get better," he finally said after a few minutes looking up at her. "You can't let this thing beat you. Anakin's right, you're stronger than this." It hadn't been a conscious thought, but he had stood up again and was now walking towards the bacta tank. "We need you-" He stopped when he was close enough to the tank that he could look up into her face. "I need you to get better, ok?"

He placed his hand on the tank again but pulled it away quickly when her eyes fluttered behind the small face mask she wore. He could feel it as the panic began to build inside her and yet to him, it was the sweetest feeling he'd ever felt.

'Elisa,' he said softly into her mind. Her panic slipped away and her eyes came fully open as she looked around for him.

'What the hell is this?' she asked and felt him laugh; she could feel the slight hysterical side to the laugh and worried. 'What happened?'

'You're fine.' Obi-Wan told her placing his hand back on the tank. 'I'm going to get the med-droid.'

'Obi-Wan.' He looked up at her and she smiled down at him. 'I'm not naked in here am I?' The smile on his face made her breathe a sigh of relief, whatever was going on and whatever had happened it couldn't be too bad.

'No,' he said and she nodded her head and then blinked in shock at the thought she was sure he hadn't meant her to hear.

'Obi-Wan Kenobi, what do you mean, 'what a pity!'' she yelled inside his head before he disappeared out of the room in search of the med-droid. She was sure she heard him laughing inside her head though and it made her smile.

-o-o-o-o-o-

They had moved Buffy into a nice soft bed in the med-wing. It had been two days since she woke up in the Bacta tank and she was looking much better. The hole in her side was almost gone; soon to be nothing more than a small scar and her leg was almost useable again. Buffy was trying to sleep, her eyes closed tight even though she could hear Anakin moving around in her room. She hadn't been able to sleep very well the last two days. Bad dreams she couldn't seem to remember. Obi-Wan sat at her side, his head on the mattress with his eyes closed, he seemed to be sleeping. Anakin didn't want to wake either of them as he set down the new arrangement of flowers that had just arrived for Elisa. This one was from Jar Jar, and they were flowers native to Naboo.

"Hi." Anakin turned around and looked down at Buffy, he'd thought she was asleep. She had a smile on her face as she looked down at Obi-Wan. "How's he doing?" she asked, her voice low so as not to wake him.

"He's fine thank you," Obi-Wan said sitting up, blinking his eyes.

"You're going to get a crick in your neck if you sleep like that," Buffy teased him smiling at him. She flinched a little as she moved to sit up, and Obi-Wan went on high alert.

"Are you alright?" he asked, looking her over.

"I'm fine. Obi-Wan! I'm fine," she said, smiling at him. He nodded his head and sat back down in his seat. "Slayer healing, I'll be fine by tomorrow." Ok, that may have been a little over exaggerating, but she'd be ok very soon.

"You were in that bacta tank for almost three days," Obi-Wan said and Buffy reached over and took his hand. He looked up at her and she smiled at him.

"But I'm fine," she said, as the door slid shut behind a retreating Anakin. "You worry too much." She looked at the door Anakin had just left through and smiled.

"So, is this Siri going to come see me, or am I going to-" She stopped at the look on Obi-Wan's face. She sat forward and winced a little. "Obi-Wan, what?"

"Siri, she...she didn't-"

"Oh no." Buffy said, shaking her head. "No," she whispered, sitting back in her bed. She didn't know what to say to him, knew there was nothing adequate at a time like this. "I'm sorry." Obi-Wan nodded his head and took a deep breath. He squeezed her hand and Buffy squeezed back as she met his eyes. It would be hard, but Obi-Wan would get through it, Buffy was sure.

-o-o-o-o-o-

"Explain to us just what you thought you were doing?" Windu asked, looking at Obi-Wan. He was standing in the middle of council, going over everything that had happened on Aeten II and before that. Obi-Wan looked around the group of masters and took a deep breath. Just as he opened his mouth to reply, the doors to the council chambers opened and Buffy came striding in, looking, to the untrained eye, totally healthy.

"Elisa, what are you doing out of bed?" Obi-Wan asked and Buffy glared at him, they were going to have to have words about his mother hen act later.

"I'm fine," Buffy told him as she looked around at all the masters. Why these twelve guys unnerved Obi-Wan so much Buffy didn't think she'd ever know. But they didn't scare her.

"It was my fault, and I take full responsibility," she said, looking up at Obi-Wan, daring him to argue with her. "I talked him into not contacting you."

"As your master he-"

"Who are you kidding?" Buffy asked, turning to Windu. "Obi-Wan may be training me, and doing a wonderful job at that, but he is not my master. I'm too old for that. So, if there's to be any punishment for what happened, I'm taking it." She looked around the room, every single one of them was staring at her.

"Feeling better you are, it would seem." Yoda said and Buffy turned and looked at him. She was sure there was something like a smile on his face. "Well you did in your duel with Dooku, on the security discs we saw," Yoda explained at her questioning look. "Much you have learned." Buffy nodded her head as Yoda looked up at Obi-Wan who was still trying to take all this in.

"Foolish to go alone it was," Yoda said and Buffy nodded her head. For some reason Buffy didn't have any problem taking criticism from Yoda. "Aided you, we could have."

"And now we have lost Siri and-"

"Their fault, Siri's death is not." Yoda said interrupting one of the masters. Buffy was a little shocked; she felt responsible for Siri's death, and was surprised that Yoda disagreed. "Mourn for her we will. But happy for her we should be. Part of the force she is now." Buffy watched as the masters murmured and nodded their heads.

"Broken no rules you have," Yoda said, surprising both Buffy and Obi-Wan. "On a mission you were. Foolish and headstrong you were, but your choice to make it was."

"I'm sorry," Buffy said, a little shocked with herself. Of all the masters here, Yoda was the only one Buffy really felt any kind of loyalty to. She wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"You are dismissed," Windu said after a few moments of silence. Obi-Wan and Buffy bowed and walked out the doors. As soon as they were closed behind them, Obi-Wan turned to Buffy and opened his mouth.

"Obi-Wan, look I'm fine, ok? I don't need you hovering over me. I'm not made of glass, I didn't shatter. I can take care of myself. For the most part."

"He skewered you," Obi-Wan pointed out to Buffy, in case she'd missed it.

"And you got there just in time to keep him from killing me," Buffy assured him, placing her hand on his arm. "It was the will of the force," Buffy said, feeling a little silly, but it was beginning to ring true for her. In this world, things were ruled by the force. "You need to trust in that, and in me."

"I trust you," Obi-Wan said without a seconds pause and Buffy smiled at him, a bright sunny smile, one he hadn't seen in a while.

"Good," Buffy said, trying to keep her voice from squeaking.

-o-o-o-o-

A week later and Buffy was back to her normal self, for the most part. Her leg still twinged a little every once in a while and Obi-Wan still wouldn't train fully with her yet. But everything else was fine. Well, almost everything. There was something going on, something about Obi-Wan had changed. Buffy felt it almost as soon as she woke in the Bacta tank, but she couldn't place it. Something about him was different and it was starting to drive her nuts. He was avoiding her, and acting, well, weird around her. Finally after eating in the dining hall alone again for the second afternoon in a row Buffy decided she couldn't take it anymore. The door to their apartment went closed behind her and she locked it then turned and glared at Obi-Wan.

"What?" he asked, looking surprised by the look on her face. He set his cup of tea down and Buffy could see that he'd eaten lunch up here, again.

"That's what I'd like to know," Buffy said stalking towards him. "What the hell is going on?" she demanded, glaring up at him, now only a foot away from him.

"I don't know-"

"Don't give me that," Buffy told him, taking that last step so she was up in his face. "You've been so out there you might as well be living on another planet. You don't eat dinner with me anymore. You're distant, you-" She stopped short as a thought occurred to her and her face went pale. She stepped back and looked up at him. Could he blame her too? She knew she carried around the guilt that it was her fault Siri was gone, but did he think so too? Was that why-

"No!" Obi-Wan denied, stepping towards her. She looked up at him and sighed, she'd been projecting, damn this bond sometimes. "I could never, what happened to Siri, that wasn't your fault."

"But if we'd gotten help, if I hadn't insisted on-"

"No," Obi-Wan assured her softly, shaking his head as he placed his hand on her shoulder. "You told me, just a week ago; it was the will of the force. That isn't any less true here." Buffy nodded her head slowly, happy that at least one of them didn't blame her.

"So, if not that, then, what?" Buffy asked, totally lost now. What else would cause him to act so odd around her? Avoiding her whenever it was possible. "You've got to tell me Obi-Wan. This is driving me nuts. Did I do something wrong? Have I-"

Buffy blinked in shock when Obi-Wan pulled her up and towards him, his hands grasping her shoulders. His lips pressed firmly to hers. It was over just as fast as it happened and Buffy staggered back when Obi-Wan let her go. Had he just...Buffy raised her hand to her lips and touched her fingertips to them. She swallowed hard as she took a step towards him.

"Obi-Wan?" she whispered softly. She couldn't read anything on his face; he looked a little shocked himself at what he'd just done. She was only a few feet away and covered the distance quickly till she was again standing right in front of him. Was it possible that he felt the same way she did? She reached up and brushed his getting too long hair back out of his eyes, her hand resting on his cheek, she smiled when his head moved into her touch ever so slightly. She placed her other hand on his chest for balance and stood up onto her tippy toes and placed a feather light kiss on his lips. Buffy began to ease away from him but an arm wrapped around her waist pulling her to him. She smiled up at him, and ran her hand through his hair before she stood up on her toes again to kiss him, this time not so light. His arm tightened around her waist and his other hand went to the back of her neck.

Buffy sighed softly as Obi-Wan deepened the kiss. Her hand on his chest made its way so it was now wrapped around his shoulder while her other hand continued to play with the hair on the back of his neck. Buffy pulled and Obi-Wan followed and they both fell backwards landing on the couch behind them. Obi-Wan broke contact for a moment to smirk down at her. She'd moved the couch; it had not started out behind them. Buffy pulled him back down to her, a sly smile on her face. Buffy's heart was pounding under her chest, she was sure the whole world must be able to hear it. They broke apart when there was a loud knocking on their door.

"Ignore it," Buffy told him, trying to pull him back down.

"Obi-Wan?" Anakin's voice was muffled a little on the other side of the door.

"Damn him," Buffy muttered as Obi-Wan began to sit up. He had a small smirk on his face but there was no huge shock factor; he didn't seem to regret their little make out session.

"Come in, Anakin," Obi-Wan said and Anakin laughed.

"It's locked," he said from the other side. Obi-Wan was sure that Anakin was perfectly capable of unlocking it, but he stood up and walked to the door and opened it anyway. Buffy pulled herself up off the couch and smiled at Anakin when he walked in. She was sure she knew just how she looked, seeing as Obi-Wan looked just about the same, rumpled and blushing; it looked good on him, Buffy decided.

Anakin only had to walk a few feet into the room before he stopped. He took in Buffy, sitting on the couch, and Obi-Wan, red faced and a little short of breath and his eyes went wide. Then his face broke out in a huge smile and he nodded his head.

"I just came to invite you two to dinner," Anakin said quickly, backing towards the door. "So, um...tonight, at our place." Anakin nodded his head, smiled and then turned and walked out the door. Obi-Wan looked over at Buffy and she smiled at him. He walked over and sat down next to her; he reached over and took her hand into his.

"Is this going to be a good talk or a bad talk?" Buffy asked, looking up at him. "Because if this is bad news we can just-"

"I love you." Obi-Wan interrupted her and her eyes went wide. And just like that everything changed. He loved her too, they loved each other. Buffy felt her world shift under her feet.

"Oh...oh...well." Buffy stammered and swallowed hard. "That's good news." She nodded her head and a smile broke out over her face. "I love you," she told him after another moment of silence. She looked away from him, looked around the room they were sitting in. The room in the middle of the Jedi temple, and everything shifted again.

"Now what do we do?" she asked, looking over at him then down to their clasped hands. "Because as I see it we have three options," Buffy said, letting go of his hand and standing. All she could possibly ever want was sitting in front of her now. A man she could love, could have a real life with, a breathing, heart beating man, and right now she could lose it all. With these words it could disappear. "We can ignore it, push it aside and finish this war." She was desperately afraid that was what he'd want to do. "We could hide it, keeping it from everyone. Or we tell them." Buffy knew he'd know she was talking about the council. "We do what Anakin did. We can still help in this war if we're not here." She looked him in the eyes and refused to look away first. "It's up to you Obi-Wan; I'll do anything you think is right." Obi-Wan nodded his head and stood up slowly. He too never broke eye contact as he stood and walked over to her.

"Once when I was young and foolish I let someone talk me out of love." He reached out and took her hand into his. "That is not going to happen again."

"So that rules out option one," Buffy said, looking down at their hands. Buffy wasn't sure if she could hide what she felt for Obi-Wan, she had had a hard time hiding it from him. And she wasn't sure she wanted to skulk around hiding, but she couldn't ask Obi-Wan to give this up, so she'd do whatever he asked.

"It rules them all out," Obi-Wan said, smiling down at her. "What we're going to do is go to them and tell them, and we're going to stay Jedi."

"Just like that, huh?" Buffy asked, smirking despite the sick feeling she was getting about being made to leave the temple.

"Just like that," he said, nodding his head. "They need us in this, and they know it. "We'll use it to our advantage."

"Obi-Wan, that's so devious of you," Buffy said smiling. She wanted to believe him, oh how badly she wanted it to be true. But there was a small part of her that was sure they were on their way out.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Anakin, do you know what they want?" Padme asked as she walked down the hall with her husband. They were headed towards the council chambers. The council had called both of them to a meeting half an hour ago, with no explanation as to why.

"I don't," Anakin said, shaking his head. He could feel something stirring though, something was going on. The doors to the chamber were open and Anakin and Padme both walked in, hand in hand. The doors closed behind them and Anakin had an odd panicking moment then Yoda smiled at them and the moment was gone.

"Welcome you to Council we do," Yoda said and Anakin bowed. Padme smiled at them and nodded her head. "In trouble you are not, relax young Skywalker," Yoda said and Padme chuckled lightly as some of the tension in Anakin drained away.

"Made a decision the council has," Yoda said, looking from Anakin to Padme. The rest of the council nodded their heads. Padme had met all of them once or twice in the last few years, and she liked most of them. Padme had a feeling she knew what they were going to tell them, and she was very happy for it.

"Dwindling our numbers are," Yoda said and Anakin nodded his head. "Costing us much this war is." Anakin looked around at all of the members' faces. They looked rather pleased with themselves, most of them anyway.

"We would like you to return to the Jedi order," Windu said and Anakin blinked in shock as he looked back at Windu. He was not a man for joking and yet Anakin was sure he must be jesting.

"I'm sorry, did I hear that right?" Anakin asked, looking around the room. Yoda nodded his head and Windu had what could have been called a smile. "But, I'm married," he said, holding up his hand to show them the ring, as if they weren't all aware that he was married.

"Aware of this we are," Yoda told him and there was a light chuckle from a few of the members. "Need you in this fight we will."

"Oh Annie!' Padme said, smiling up at him. "What?" she asked at the look on his face. "This is wonderful."

"We'd have to leave Naboo," Anakin said and Padme was touched, he was concerned for her. She reached up and ran her hand over his cheek.

"Oh Annie, I don't care, I can still do my work here," she said, smiling brightly at him. "You will always be a Jedi. Do it. I want this so badly for you."

"We won't live in the Temple," Anakin informed them, turning to look back at Yoda.

"Stay in the Senators' apartments, you will?" Yoda asked and Padme nodded her head as she squeezed Anakin's hand.

"Does Obi-Wan know about this?" Anakin asked, looking from Yoda to Windu.

"No." Windu said, shaking his head. "He was not here when this decision was made."

"Oh." Anakin said, nodding his head. He still wasn't sure what he'd walked into earlier, he hoped it was what he thought it was, but he couldn't be sure.

"Join us again, you will?" Yoda asked and Anakin smiled as he nodded his head. Yoda jumped down off of his seat and walked over to them. He stopped in front of the two of them with a sly smile on his face. The other masters all stood and formed a small circle around Anakin and Padme.

"We are all Jedi. The Force speaks through us. Through our actions, the Force proclaims itself and what is real. Today we are here to acknowledge what the Force has proclaimed," Windu recited, a slight smile on his face. Yoda turned on his lightsaber and nodded at Anakin.

"Step forward," Yoda said and Anakin knelt down in front of Yoda. "Anakin, by the right of the Council, by the will of the Force, I dub thee, Jedi" Yoda mimicked, cutting Anakin's Padawan braid and Padme wiped a tear away. "Knight of the Republic. Again." Anakin and the rest of them chuckled as Anakin stood up.

"Take up your lightsaber, Anakin, Jedi Knight. And may the Force be with you," Yoda said and Padme stepped up next to Anakin wrapping her arms around him.

"Wait till we tell Obi-Wan and Elisa," Padme said, holding Anakin close. "They're going to be so excited!"

-o-o-o-o-o-

"We don't have to do this," Buffy told him as they walked down the hall towards the council chambers. Obi-Wan stopped and looked at her, his smile fading a little.

"You don't want to-"

"No," Buffy said, shaking her head. "I mean, I don't want you to give this up for me," she said and Obi-Wan smiled at her again.

"I'm not," he told her, taking her hand again.

"You seem so sure," Buffy said, still not even half as sure as he was. "I mean what about 'A Jedi Shall Not Know Anger. Nor Hatred. Nor Love,' I can't see them just ignoring that."

"It isn't that simple anymore," Obi-Wan said, stopping in front of the council doors. He looked a little confused for a moment. "Anakin is in there," he said, looking down at Buffy.

"Why?" she asked, looking at the door.

"I don't know," he said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Well let's find out," Buffy said, as the doors opened and they walked in. Fourteen faces turned to look at them as they entered. Anakin wondered if he was the only one who noticed they were holding hands.

"Did we miss a party?' Buffy asked, smiling at Anakin. There was a new bright happiness rolling off of him in waves. Padme had tears in her eyes, happy tears Buffy was sure and Yoda seemed to know something he wasn't sharing, but that wasn't new.

"Anakin's been reinstated as a Jedi Knight!" Padme told them both, she was bursting with pride and Buffy's eyes went wide.

"But..." Buffy looked down at Padme's wedding band.

"They don't care," she said, sweeping in and pulling Buffy away from Obi-Wan. "We're going to live here on Coruscant, in the Senators' apartments."

"Wow," Buffy said, her head spinning. This was great news, for both of them. If the council didn't care that Anakin was married, if they wanted him that badly, maybe there was hope for her and Obi-Wan.

"Something to say have you?" Buffy looked over at where Obi-Wan and Yoda were talking. Padme looked at Buffy, a little worried.

"Is something wrong?" she asked in a whisper.

"I don't know," Buffy whispered back as Obi-Wan knelt down next to Yoda.

"Elisa and I have discovered something Master Yoda," Obi-Wan told him and suddenly all eyes were on either her or him. Yoda nodded his head, leaning on his gimer stick, a smile on his face. Obi-Wan hadn't meant to do this in front of the whole council. Normally around this time Yoda was the only one in the chambers, meditating. But he was here now and he could feel Elisa's eyes on him; he'd say this in front of them, he had no qualms with it.

"I love her," Obi-Wan said, looking over his shoulder at Buffy. In all her life she had never heard sweeter words spoken. Yoda nodded his head as a dead silence fell over everyone.

"Yes, yes, and feel the same she does?" Yoda asked, looking up at Buffy.

"Yes," Buffy said, stepping forward a few steps. "I do."

"Jedi are not permitted love!" A voice cried out causing everyone to look at her. "This is ridiculous. Skywalker is bad enough. The codes are there for a reason, we cannot pick and choose which we will follow and which we will not!" Master Kuro cried out as she stepped forward.

"Look," Buffy said, her tone light; Kuro's eyes swept over to her. There was a look on her face akin to anger and Buffy smirked. "I didn't ask for this, it just happened. Why would I have these feelings if I wasn't meant to? The will of the force, you all say it, all the time. And yet you ignore it at every turn. If the force really is guiding our every move then I was meant to love Obi-Wan. Just as Anakin and Padme were meant to be together. How could it be anything else?"

"Well spoken," Yoda said, nodding his head as he walked back to his chair. Obi-Wan walked over to her and took her hand in his. "Changing, times are," Yoda said, pulling himself up and sitting down. The rest of the masters found their seats till Buffy, Obi-Wan, Anakin and Padme were the only ones standing. "Many changes we are to be faced with." He looked up at Buffy and she smiled at him. "Discuss this, the council will."

"For now, go to Naboo, help them pack, and see them safely back," Windu said and Buffy was sure she saw him smirk.

"Yes Master," Obi-Wan said, nodding his head with a slight bow. Buffy smiled and waved, sticking her tongue out at Kuro as she passed her. She snickered at the look of shock Obi-Wan gave her. She shrugged and then broke out in a huge smile. She placed her hand on Anakin's shoulder and looked up at him.

"Congratulations," she told him. He had a still slightly surprised smile on his face as he nodded his head. "So, dinner before we leave for Naboo?"

"Yes," Obi-Wan said, nodding his head. Padme took Buffy's hand and slowed down a little, leaving about four feet between them and the boys.

"I'm happy for you," she told Buffy in a whisper she was sure both men could hear. "Both of you."

"Thank you," Buffy said, smiling at her. Buffy was really happy Padme was going to be living on Coruscant now; she wanted to get to know this woman better. She looked ahead of them to Anakin and Obi-Wan. She wanted to get to know Anakin better too. Because as far as she could see, she still had work to do.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Padme asked and Buffy laughed.

"Us, I'm sure," Buffy said, nodding her head. She definitely still had work, but she was sure she was on the right path now.

The End...for now

A/N- Ok, see I told you, longer chapy. I hope you all like it. It took me a while to get it all out on paper, er...computer screen. But it was fun! Let me know what you think, reviews will make Episode 3 come faster!