Times of the Past

On Their Own

     After a quick breakfast, Obi-Wan and Satine headed to the public transport station. They had sandwiches packed for their lunch, and enough credits to live on for a month.

     They did not talk much until after their second transport ride because they both had so much on their minds. Both of them were worried.

     On the third transport ride, Satine asked Obi-Wan, "What is your favorite thing to do?"

     Obi-Wan, who was deep in thought, was startled by the sound of her voice. He thought for a moment before saying slowly, "I don't really have a favorite thing to do..."

     Satine turned to look at him, an eyebrow raised. "How do you not have a favorite thing to do?"

     Obi-Wan shrugged, feeling slightly embarrassed, but he was not sure why. "I don't know. I just don't, I suppose. What is your favorite thing to do?"

     Satine smiled slightly as she turned back towards the window. "I like spending time with my sister. She always listens to whatever I have to say, she knows how to make me laugh, and she helps me make important decisions when I have trouble making them by myself."

     "She sounds nice," Obi-Wan said.

     "She's my best friend," Satine said. "Well, she's my only friend. What about you, do you have any friends?"

     "There are other padawans that I grew up with that I would consider acquaintances, but none of us are as close as you are to your sister. Masters and padawans share special bonds, but my master is more like my father," Obi-Wan said quietly so no one else could hear.

     "Can't you have friends?" She asked.

     Obi-Wan thought of the best way to explain the Jedi's ways to her. "Friendships are almost discouraged because they can lead to attachments. I am not allowed to form attachments because they could cause me to fall to the Dark Side."

     Satine turned towards him again. "So, you cannot fall in love?"

     Obi-Wan nodded and stared down at his feet.

     "That's... sad," Satine said awkwardly.

     They sat in silence for the rest of the ride, but just as they transport stopped, Satine spoke again.

     "What if we made a deal?"

     Obi-Wan looked at her. "What kind of deal?"

     "You be my friend, and I'll be yours. No attachments are required in this case because we will be strictly friends."

     "Rachi..." Obi-Wan began. "I don't think--"

     Satine noticed his warning tone and crossed her arms. "Then, I guess as the Du--I mean..." She stuttered and then continued, with a glint in her eye. "As your wife, I guess I'll just have to require you to be my friend."

     Obi-Wan's cheeks turned pink, recalling their fake identities. Satine's cheeks were pink too, but she smiled, knowing she had won that argument before it really started. 

     "Okay, fine! I suppose if I'm required to..." Obi-Wan said in exasperation. 

     "Oh, Rhoc, you make this seem like a terrible thing."

*****

     They set up "camp" on the outskirts of a city they had not yet been to. Satine slept fitfully for a while as Obi-Wan took watch. Finally, she pushed aside the thin blanket that was spread across her and sat up. In the faint light of their lantern, she managed to glimpse worry lines etched into Obi-Wan's face just before they disappeared. 

     "Having a difficult time resting, Duchess?" He asked softly.

     Satine nodded slightly and looked through a crack in their makeshift tent at their surroundings. It was dark, and she knew there was nothing to see except barren land and the city a little ways away. 

     "How about we switch places? You rest while I take watch?"

     Obi-Wan immediately shook his head. "That is not a good idea. I can sense everything going on near us right now while I'm awake. If I'm asleep--"

     Satine sighed wearily. "Look, Obi-Wan, you better get used to the fact that it's just you and me for who-knows-how-long... At some point, you're going to have to rest whether you like it or not. You might as well get used to it now. I can't sleep anymore tonight."

     Obi-Wan turned away from her slightly to stare out at the dark night through another gap in their "tent". "Feel free to stay awake, but I'm not going to rest now."

     Satine narrowed her eyes at him, but he didn't turn around to look at her expression. She knew that he would have to rest at some point. Don't come crying to me tomorrow when you're so tired that you can't stand walking. 

     "I won't," He replied with a slight edge to his voice.

     I didn't say that out loud, she thought. Then, she realized what he had done. "Don't do that!" She snapped. "Don't read my thoughts!"

     He looked over at her. "It's hard not to read a person's thoughts when they're being emotional, or when they're the only other person around."

     "Are you calling me emotional?" Satine asked incredulously.

     At that moment, Obi-Wan seemed to just realize how he had been acting. "N-no, I shouldn't have said--I didn't mean--" His eyes went wide when he saw her expression.

      "What did you mean then?!" She demanded.

     He exhaled and closed his eyes for a moment to collect his thoughts. "I meant that even though we both could probably use some rest, I don't want to rest right now, okay? That's all."

     Satine leaned back against the pole in the center of the "tent" and sat in silence for so long that Obi-Wan hoped she had fallen asleep once more and maybe one of them would get a little rest, but as he reached out through the Force, he sensed that she was still awake without even turning around again to check.

     "You do understand that I am perfectly capable of taking watch for now, don't you?" She asked eventually.

     The Force told him that nothing would go wrong if she took watch, but he didn't want to tell her that and give her that satisfaction, even though he knew it was what he should do. 

     "One hour, and I mean it, Your Highness. One--"

     She smirked at him and allowed him to crawl past her to their makeshift cot. "Do me a favor. Don't call me by any royal title; just call me Satine if we're alone. I'm starting to get sick of hearing you call me Duchess, or Your Highness."

     "One hour, Satine," He responded.