Part IV

Kayla slept through the night without incident, waking the next morning feeling like a new person. The stresses of the previous day seemed to have melted in the night, and she was looking forward to seeing what today would bring. She dressed quickly and made her way to the dining hall, wondering who'd be there. As she piled food on her plate, she risked a few glances around the hall.

Anakin was seated at a table not far away, she noted. He was alone and looked as if he could use some company. She made her way over to him, dodging two of the very young padawan learners who went racing past practically underfoot. She hoped for their sake that none of the older Jedi noticed them, or they'd be cleaning the meditation hall all morning. She smiled to herself. She'd spent quite a few mornings doing that, actually.

As she reached Anakin's table, she noticed he didn't seem to be his usual perky self. It was like there was a shadow over him today. "Hi," she said. "Mind if I join you?"

Anakin looked up at her, and gave her a slight smile. She noticed he had faint circles under his eyes, and wondered if he'd slept.

"Sure," he said, "have a seat."

She looked at him with some concern. "Did you sleep well last night?"

He shook his head. "Not very, no."

"How come?"

"A lot on my mind I guess."

"I know how you feel. I'm surprised I was able to sleep last night."

Anakin looked at her curiously, "What's bothering you?"

Kayla suddenly looked evasive. "Oh...it's nothing. Just little things, you know."

"Oh."

"What about you? You look like a man with a lot on his mind."

"No offense or anything, but I don't really feel like talking about it."

"Oh. Okay. Well, I'm here if you change your mind."

He smiled at her. "Thanks," he said. He looked down for a second, then seemed to visibly brighten. "Hey, are you doing anything today? My plans for today suddenly got canceled. Want to get in that lightsaber practice I promised you?"

Kayla swallowed the piece of bread she'd be chewing thoughtfully. "Sure, sounds good. I could use the exercise, and concentrating on that might take my mind off things."

"Great, meet you in the courtyard? In about 30 minutes?"

"Okay. Works for me."

Anakin smiled and got up to leave. He paused, grinned at her, and leaned over to give her a peck on the cheek. "I'm feeling better already," he said. She laughed. Anakin turned to leave, and stopped, staring ahead towards the doors. Obi-Wan had walked in was standing there staring at them, an odd expression on his face.

Anakin's expression turned cold. "Master. I thought you were going to the Senate Building, with the Queen."

"Master Mace is escorting her."

Anakin looked pensive. "I see. Well, I was just leaving. If you'll excuse me..." He turned back to Kayla. "See you in thirty minutes?"

"Thirty minutes it is."

"Okay." He smiled at her, and then turned back to Obi-Wan. He nodded.

"Master," he said, and walked out.

Obi-Wan watched him go, and turned to look at Kayla. "Kayla, if you'll excuse me as well, I need to talk to Anakin."

She nodded. "Of course."

Obi-Wan hurried to catch up with Anakin. "Anakin, wait."

Anakin stopped, but didn't turn around. Obi-Wan reached him, and pulled him around to face him. "Anakin, just what is going on? You haven't said two words to me since yesterday afternoon. And what are you up to with Kayla? I thought you were in love with Amidala."

Anakin stared at him for a moment, tight-lipped. "I've decided that it might be wise to keep my options open," he said, and walked off.

Obi-Wan watched Anakin storm off down the corridor, and shook his head. Why did he keep finding himself involved in this sort of conversation lately? And why was it that all the answers to his questions seemed to lie with Kayla? He sighed, and headed back to the dining hall. Kayla was surprised, but pleasantly so, when Obi-Wan came back to the dining hall after a couple minutes. He collapsed into a chair in front of her, and gave her a look that said he meant business. This was new, she decided.

"What were you and Anakin talking about before I came in?" he asked.

"Um...this and that, nothing much really..." she said, answering as truthfully as she felt she could.

He stared hard at her. "Did he tell you what's bothering him?"

"No, he didn't. But I could make an educated guess."

"Which would be?"

"That it has something to do with you."

"Anything else?"

"I don't know. I'm just guessing," she said, trying to judge his reaction. "He mentioned seeing you in thirty minutes...what was that about?"

She studied his face looking for any hint of jealousy there. She wasn't sure what she found. "We've got plans to train together. lightsabers."

"Where?"

"The courtyard."

"I see. Thank-you, Kayla," he said and nodded. He got up and turned to leave.

"Are you all right?" she called after him.

He turned and met her eyes. "You know, I'm not sure," he said, and left.

Anakin was waiting for her when Kayla finally arrived in the courtyard. "Did he go back and give you grief?" he asked with a grin.

She smiled at him. "He's just concerned, you know."

"Yeah, but about who exactly?" he asked, not expecting an answer. "So, are you ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," she said, unhitching her lightsaber from her belt.

Kayla glanced at Anakin, and realized that he had suddenly turned to look past her.

"Oh great," he said. "What's he want now?"

Kayla turned, to find Obi-Wan had entered the courtyard. To her surprise, he didn't come over to speak with them, but instead took a seat on the bench at the far side. She turned back to Anakin. "I'm not sure, but I think he just wants to watch."

Anakin nodded. "As long as he doesn't interfere."

Kayla nodded, but frowned inwardly. She hadn't counted on Obi-Wan being here. In a way, she was pleased that he was, but she also knew that she was never at her best when he was watching her. And with lightsabers, that could be dangerous. She trusted Anakin, though, and figured things would be okay.

She switched on her lightsaber with a "thzzzzzz..." Anakin did the same.

"Ready?" he asked again.

She nodded.

They started out slowly, he thrust out and she parried the blow. She returned the attack. As they continued, she reached out through the Force to anticipate each new move. She thrusted, he blocked and spun around to take the offensive. It almost took her by surprise. She had to focus. He, on the other hand, decided to make casual conversation.

"So, anything interesting going on in your life lately?"

She laughed, and jumped over a slow swing he aimed at her legs. "Depends how you define interesting," she said, not to be outdone. She took a clumsy swing at his legs, and he managed to back-flip out of the way. She shook her head. "Show off."

"You know," he said as he landed "You'll have to do better than that. I mean, at least _try_ to hit me."

"Oh, _very_ funny..." she said. He was right though, she wasn't even getting near him with her swings. She needed to throw him a curve ball of some sort. Something that would distract him, just a little. Enough so that she'd get a decent swing at him. She'd never actually hit him, he was too good for that, but still... "So, I noticed your master hitting on a handmaiden the other day..."

"What?" he said. Hah, she thought. That caught him off-guard. She decided to press home the advantage.

"Yeah, I saw the two of them together on a balcony. I think her name was Padme..." she said, as she aimed a blow at his side. She cried out as the force of his parry knocked her off her feet, sending her flying back into the dirt, almost burning her shoulder with her own lightsaber.

Anakin dropped his own lightsaber then. "Kayla! Oh, Kayla, I'm sorry...I don't know what happened..." he said, starting towards her.

Obi-Wan was running across the courtyard towards them. The look he gave Anakin was almost as powerful as the blow that had thrown Kayla. Anakin

recoiled under Obi-Wan's glare, and he whispered again "I'm sorry..."

"Anakin," said Obi-Wan, visibly fighting to control himself, "just go."

Anakin left, leaving his lightsaber where it lie. Obi-Wan crouched down next to Kayla.

"How badly are you hurt? Can you walk?" he asked gently.

"I'm not sure," she said. "My ankle..."

"Okay," he said, and scooped her up in his arms. He carried her over to the bench, and sat her down.

"Let me see your ankle," he said, kneeling next to her. He gently pulled off her boot, and felt for breaks. "It's swollen, probably strained, but nothing seems to be broken. You'll just need to stay off it a little while." He sighed, and pulled himself up to a sitting position on the bench next to her. "So what happened out there?" he

asked.

"It wasn't his fault, it was an accident..." she began.

"A Jedi just doesn't have an accident like that. Anakin knows better."

"It was my fault...I was trying to shock him, distract him. I guess I went too far."

Obi-Wan frowned. "What did you say to him?"

"I, um..."

"What?"

"This is kinda embarrassing."

"I thought we'd been through that..."

"Right. Well, I kinda told him that I saw you hitting on a handmaiden..."

"What?!?"

"Like I said, I was trying to distract him. I just didn't realize he was going to react like that. I mean, I just said that I saw the two of you alone together and that I thought she was named Padme or something..."

"Oh no..."

"What?"

"I think I've just figured out what's been bothering Anakin."

"Oh." She said, staring at the ground. Obi-Wan stared at her for a second, seemingly unrelated incidents seeming to suddenly click into place in his mind...

She reached up to brush a lock of hair away from the other side of her face, and winced.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Just a slight bruise...nothing serious..."

"Here, let me take a look at it," he said, reaching up and gently pulling her chin around. As he did so, their faces came within an inch of each other, and their eyes locked. He brought his other hand up to cup her cheek. He leaned in further, and kissed her gently, slowly, tenderly. He pulled back after a few seconds, shocked at what he'd just done.

"I'm sorry..." he said quietly. "I shouldn't have done that...I..." he stood and walked out of the courtyard, the side of one hand pressed to his lips...

Kayla stared after him, too confused to say anything. She struggled to get her mind to form coherent thoughts. "Obi-Wan..." she whispered, but it was too late...he'd gone.

Obi-Wan careened around the corner, stopping only once he was sure he was out of Kayla's sight. His heart was racing, but even it couldn't keep pace with his mind. He pressed his back against the wall, closed his eyes, and tried to get his breath back. He could still see Kayla in his mind's eye, her eyes closed as he had kissed her, her lips slightly parted...

He opened his eyes. That wasn't helping his situation. What had he been thinking? He hadn't been thinking at all. That was the problem. He'd just acted on impulse, reaching out to her, pulling her to him... He shouldn't have done it...but...no, no, he couldn't let himself start thinking that way. What he'd done was wrong. She was a padawan, for goodness sake! Oh no...Master Sah-Jen...the council... How was he going to explain this? What had he done?

Anakin was halfway to his quarters when his conscience got the better of him. He had to go back and find out if Kayla was okay, and if that meant facing his master's wrath, then so be it. He turned and headed back to the courtyard. His courage started to fail him as he approached the courtyard entrance. Perhaps he should just take a look and see what he'd be walking into first...

He pressed himself against the archway, and stuck his head around the corner. He didn't see anyone in the practice area. Maybe they'd left. He searched the rest of the courtyard, and spotted Kayla sitting on the bench at the far side. That was odd. She looked hurt. Where was Obi-Wan?

He stepped into the open and walked towards her. She was staring at the ground, and hadn't looked at him. He noticed that both their lightsabers were still laying where they'd fallen, and stopped to scoop them up. He walked over to Kayla.

"Are you okay?"

She smiled reassuringly at him. "I'll be fine. I've just got a twisted ankle, nothing serious."

His face fell. "Kayla, I am so, so sorry..." he said.

She reached out and took his hand. "Anakin, it's okay...It was an accident. I know it wasn't your fault."

"But it was my fault. I lost my temper...I nearly killed you."

"Now you're just being melodramatic. You knocked me down, that's all. Could happen to anybody."

He sighed and sat down next to her. "Maybe, but I still feel responsible." He paused and looked around. "What happened to Master Obi-Wan?"

Kayla's eyes widened slightly, and she examined the nearest shrub as she spoke, "He...um, he was called away. Something urgent. I told him I'd be okay here by myself. But it seems my ankle is worse than I thought."

"What could be so urgent that he'd leave you stranded here?"

"Ah...well...hey, listen, do you think you could help me to my room? Only I'm not sure if I can make it by myself."

Anakin's confused expression softened instantly. "Of course, it's the least I can do..." He clipped his lightsaber to his belt, and lifted her off the bench "...for a beautiful damsel in distress," he said, now grinning.

She laughed. "My heroic Jedi Knight..."

He shook his head, laughing, and carried her from the courtyard. Obi-Wan glanced up, shaken from his thoughts by the sound of someone approaching. He didn't want to be seen. He moved further down the corridor. The sound of laughter carried down the hall. It made him curious. He moved to the corner and glanced around. Anakin was carrying Kayla down the corridor. She was resting her head against his shoulder and they were both laughing. His mind raced. Why were they laughing? Had she told Anakin what had happened?

Anakin had to stop laughing to catch his breath. "Hey, I've got an idea," he said. "My room's a lot closer than yours is - would you mind if we stopped there? Would give me a chance to rest, and I could bandage up that ankle of yours."

"Getting tired of carrying me already, huh?" she teased. "Okay, fine with me."

Obi-Wan ducked out of sight as they walked past. He wished he could hear what they'd been saying, but if he got that close they'd have seen him. He decided to follow them. He waited until they had gotten a fair distance ahead, so that he could follow them discreetly. He didn't fancy the idea of facing them and having to explain why he was following them.

Wait, where were they going? Kayla's quarters were to the right, but Anakin had turned left. Towards...Anakin's quarters... He had to hear what they were saying. He quickened his pace. He could almost make out their conversation now.

He heard Kayla talking..."I think you just want to have your wicked way with me," she said. He couldn't see the expression on her face.

Anakin smiled wickedly. "Just you wait until I've got my hands free..."

Kayla suppressed a giggle. She suddenly had a wicked thought of her own. She leaned in close to his face and breathed, "Oh, I will..." The look on Anakin's face made her fall back in his arms, laughing, as he turned slightly red and punched in his entry code.

The door slid open with a slight hiss. Okay, he thought, if that's how she wants to play it. He paused on the threshold, caught her eyes and held them as he leaned in, gently brushing his lips up the length of her neck as he whispered, "Come into my parlor, said the spider..." He kissed the corner of her mouth. There. Let her find a comeback for that one.

He stepped into his quarters, and let the door slide shut behind them. Kayla stared at him wide-eyed. He caught her expression and couldn't stop himself from laughing. Her expression changed instantly. Oh, yes, very amusing. As if she didn't have enough people messing with her mind lately. Okay, fine, if he wanted to play it that way...He set her down on the edge of the bed. "Let me get something to wrap that ankle with," he said, starting to walk off. He paused, as if a thought had struck him mid-step. He turned back to her with a grin. "Think you can get by without me for a few moments?"

She leaned back on her elbows, and gave him her best seductive stare. "I'll see what I can do..." she said.

He paused and stared at her for a moment, before grinning and walking off. She nearly lost it when he almost tripped over his cloak in the process.

As soon as he left the room, she collapsed back onto the bed, laughing.

Obi-Wan stared at the door to Anakin's quarters. He couldn't believe what he'd just witnessed. Anakin and Kayla? Had they both been playing him for a fool all this time? No. He refused to believe it. Anakin loved Amidala, didn't he? Of course he did...why else would he have been upset by Kayla's comments in the courtyard? But...what if he'd gotten it wrong? What if Anakin had been upset with him because he thought he was trying to steal Kayla? But, no, wait...why would he have lost his temper with Kayla? This was all too confusing. And Kayla...Kayla...was it Anakin that she really wanted?

Anakin found Kayla laying on the bed when he returned with the bandages. "My, my, aren't we impatient?" he teased.

She sat up, as he walked over and kneeled by her foot. He reached out and gently lifted her ankle. "Let me know if I hurt you..."

He gently probed her ankle with his fingertips, and then flexed her foot back and forth.

"Ahhh!" she gasped. "I think you found the spot..."

Anakin looked up at her, and grinned like a madman. Kayla stared at him, confused for a second before realization dawned. Perhaps I should have rephrased that, she thought. Anakin's grin widened. "I'm very good with my hands."

Right, she thought, that's it. She waited for her opportunity.

Anakin had moved to a sitting position on the bed next to her, and he gently lifted her ankle onto his lap. He unrolled a length of gauze and began to wrap it around her foot.

"Um, a little higher..." she said, mischievously.

Anakin glanced sideways at her. "I know what I'm doing..."

He began to loop the gauze under her foot and then up around her ankle in a criss-cross fashion.

"Ohhh, I like that..." she cooed.

Anakin smiled and shook his head, a faint tinge of red creeping into his cheeks. "Well, you'll _love_ this then..." he said, winding the gauze in a tight circle around her ankle, and clipping it into place.

"Ahhhhhhh...that's great..."

Anakin was turning red. Kayla was desperately trying to suppress the laughter building up in her chest.

Obi-Wan glanced at Anakin's door again. It would be wrong to eavesdrop. He shouldn't. But then, Anakin was his padawan, right? And hadn't Anakin already shown that he couldn't control his emotions today when he nearly killed Kayla in the courtyard? What if something happened? What if she accidentally said something that set him off again? He couldn't just stand in the corridor and let that happen. He moved over to the door, and leaned against it, casually.

"...aren't we impatient?" he heard Anakin say. There was a pause. What were they doing in there? Anakin spoke again. "Let me know if I hurt you..." Hurt her? Why would he hurt her?

There was another long pause. "Ahhhh!" That was Kayla... "I think you found the spot."

"I'm very good with my hands."

"Um, a little higher."

"I know what I'm doing."

"Ohhh, I like that..."

"Well, you'll _love_ this then..."

"Ahhhh...that's great..."

No. No, no, no, no, no. They wouldn't. They weren't. Had to be a mistake. But then, what were they doing if they weren't...Damn. Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn. Obi-Wan stepped back and stared at the door. The Jedi manual didn't cover this one...

He took a deep breath, and began to key in Anakin's entry code. Kayla couldn't take it any more. She burst out laughing. Anakin smiled and shook his head, still looking faintly embarrassed. It was just then that the front door hissed open. Kayla and Anakin turned, surprised by the noise, but still laughing. Obi-Wan was framed in the doorway, looking as if he was about to burst through it. Instead, he stopped in his tracks and stared at them both for a moment.

Anakin looked at him inquisitively. "Master Obi-Wan?"

Obi-Wan looked from one to the other again, then turned and walked away.

Anakin turned back to Kayla. "Now what do you suppose that was about?"

Kayla looked thoughtful. "I don't know," she said. "But I think you should go find out."

Obi-Wan walked away from Anakin's quarters as quickly as was possible without drawing attention to himself. He was bandaging her ankle, that's all... But...it had sounded suspicious. Obi-Wan stopped walking as a disturbing thought occurred to him. Had they known he was there? Were they just having a laugh at his expense? Would they do that to him? His own padawan and his... and Kayla... No, no, she wouldn't do that. They wouldn't do that. But still...Anakin was mad at him. Was Kayla? He had run out on her after...after what happened earlier. Was she trying to get back at him for that?

Obi-Wan sighed. Too many questions. He needed to go think. He headed for his quarters. His hand was hovering over his entry pad when he heard a voice float down the corridor behind him. "Master?"

Obi-Wan turned to meet his padawan. "Anakin."

Anakin was wearing a curious expression. He seemed concerned, but faintly bemused at the same time. "Master, did you want to talk to me?"

Obi-Wan studied Anakin's face. His concern seemed to be genuine. He realized then that he'd been glaring at Anakin up to this point, and softened his expression. He couldn't tell Anakin the truth, but he was going to have to tell him something. "I...I felt that I was perhaps too harsh with you in the courtyard earlier. I wanted to talk about it. I...didn't realize you had company."

Anakin glanced at the ground. "Oh," he said.

Obi-Wan took a deep breath. "Kayla told me what she said to you."

Anakin looked up sharply. "I see."

Obi-Wan could see Anakin's eyes searching his own, trying to read what he found there. "I know what you've been thinking. But there's nothing going on between Amidala and me."

Anakin was practically glaring at him now. "Why should I believe that? You've been trying to keep me away from Amidala since before she even arrived. And what were you two talking about that you had to be alone together? I looked through the door. You didn't even sense me there, did you? I saw you holding her hand, touching her face. Am I expected to believe there's an innocent explanation for all that?"

"Yes."

Anakin seemed to be fighting to keep control of himself. "And what would that be?"

Obi-Wan sighed inwardly. Anakin wasn't going to like this. "I can't tell you."

Anakin looked as if he might explode on the spot. "You can't tell me?"

"No. Amidala asked me not to. I gave her my word. But I now give you my word that there is nothing happening between Amidala and I. Not in the sense you're thinking."

Anakin scrutinized Obi-Wan's face, trying to search his eyes for the truth. It was no good, Obi-Wan was too adept at the Jedi arts to let his emotions show there. He hadn't expected Obi-Wan to give him his word that he wasn't involved with Amidala. He knew that Obi-Wan took promises very seriously. He could still be lying, but Anakin was surprised to find himself believing his master. He took a deep breath and glanced at the ground again.

"All right. I believe you," he finally said. "But I don't want any more secrets between you two."

"Anakin, I can't promise you that. Things are happening, and I might not always be able to explain to you why I'm doing something I'm doing."

Anakin met his master's eyes briefly then looked away. "Fine," he said quietly.

Obi-Wan decided it was time to change the subject. "How's Kayla?" he asked gently.

Anakin looked up at him again. "She's been better."

This time it was Obi-Wan who looked at the ground. "Did she say anything to you about...why I had to leave?"

"She didn't tell me where you were going, if that's what you're worried about."

Obi-Wan thought about this. "Um, what did she tell you?"

"Just that you were called away on urgent business, and had to leave her there."

Oh. She didn't tell him then. Interesting. He nodded. "Um, yes, that's right. Thank you for taking care of her for me."

"It was the least I could do," Anakin said quietly.

Obi-Wan looked confused momentarily. Oh, right... "Is she still in your quarters?" he asked.

"Yes, she thought I should find out what you wanted. She said she'd be okay there."

"I forgot to tell her that Sah-Jen was called away from the Temple this morning."

"Oh, I can tell her for you. I've got to go back there, anyway."

"Ah, um, no, it's okay. I'll tell her. I'd like to apologize for leaving her in the courtyard like that as well." he said, already moving back towards Anakin's quarters.

"Whatever," said Anakin to himself, following.

Kayla looked around the empty room. Well, this was terribly fun. She couldn't even get up and look around. She would have liked to. This was her first time in Anakin's quarters, and her curiosity wanted to get the better of her. Instead, she settled for making herself comfortable on his bed and waiting for him to return. However long that was going to be.

She stretched out, and sighed. At least it was a comfortable bed. She rolled on her side, and stared at the doorway. She wondered what Obi-Wan's reaction earlier had meant. Was he upset at finding her with Anakin? Or did he decide to leave because he didn't want to see her? It wasn't fair. She felt like she was being punished for something he did. She hoped that this morning hadn't messed things up. They were just starting to become friends. She could deal with that. At least she'd be near him. But what if he'd been scared off now? It really wasn't fair. He'd scared himself. She sighed, and rolled back onto her back. Maybe Anakin would have some answers for her when he got back. She glanced at the door again. If he got back.

Anakin followed a step behind his master all the way back to his quarters. Obi-Wan seemed to be in a hurry. That was odd. Why would it be so important that he tell Kayla that Sah-Jen was called away from the Temple? He shook his head and sighed. He'd find out when they got there, he guessed.

They reached Anakin's quarters, and Obi-Wan stood aside to allow Anakin to key in his entry code. It was more a gesture of respect than anything else. Obi-Wan had proven earlier that he remembered the code perfectly well.

Kayla rolled over to face the door as it hissed upward. "So, Anakin..." she started, but then stopped when she realized he had company. He'd come back. Interesting. She sat up. "Master Obi-Wan," she said in greeting.

He came over and stood in front of her. "How are you, Kayla?"

She paused, trying to figure out exactly what he was asking and how she should respond. She settled on "I'm okay."

He nodded. "Good...I'm sorry I..." he glanced at Anakin quickly, "...had to leave you in the courtyard like that earlier."

She looked up at him, and smiled softly. "It's okay, I understand," she said.

Anakin watched the exchange curiously. He felt he was missing something, but he wasn't quite sure what.

Obi-Wan seemed to relax visibly. He nodded again, and then remembered the other reason he'd come back. "Oh, I meant to tell you earlier...Master Sah-Jen was called away from the Temple earlier this morning. Master Yoda asked if I could pass the message along. He'll be returning tomorrow, in the afternoon."

This time it was Kayla who nodded. "I thought he might have been. He'd have come running otherwise," she said, smiling. Her expression sobered up. "It's not anything serious is it? There's no danger for him is there?"

Obi-Wan shook his head. "No, no, it's just an ambassadorial visit to Alderaan. He'll probably spend all his time in banquet halls, complaining about the youngsters back home." He smiled.

Kayla laughed. "Yes, that sounds like Master Sah-Jen all right..." She sighed wistfully and turned to Anakin. "Well, Anakin, I thank you for your hospitality and for doing this wonderful job bandaging my ankle, but I think I should be getting back to my own quarters."

Obi-Wan looked concerned. "Are you going to be all right walking with that ankle?"

She flexed her foot, and tested a little weight on it. "I'll find out in a second," she said, rising to her feet with her weight on her good foot. She took a step, and nearly collapsed. Obi-Wan caught her. She looked up at him. "Um, apparently the answer is 'no'."

He shook his head and smiled. "Let me help you," he said.

Anakin stepped forward. "I can help her to her quarters, if you'd like," he offered.

Kayla glanced at Obi-Wan. He turned to Anakin. "It's all right, I'm going that way anyway." He turned back to Kayla.

"Here," he said, putting an arm around her waist to help her. She took a step, leaning on him heavily. "I'm not sure this is going to work..." she said.

"I'll carry you then," he said, sweeping her off her feet.

She sighed. "A girl could get used to this," she said.

Behind them, Anakin shook his head and smiled. He walked over and opened the door for them. "You kids behave now," he said, as they walked out the door. Obi-Wan gave him a wry glance over his shoulder. Anakin grinned in return.

Obi-Wan carried Kayla to her quarters in relative silence. They reached her door, and he swung her around to face the entry pad. She leaned over and tapped in her code. Obi-Wan thought briefly about looking away, but some part of him kept him from doing so. The door slid up with a hiss. Obi-Wan stepped sideways through the entry, being careful to keep Kayla's foot from hitting the wall. He glanced around her quarters. His eyes alighted briefly on the bed, before he decided to set her down on the couch. He sighed quietly as he sat down next to her.

"What are you thinking?" she asked.

His eyes met hers. He stared at her for a long moment, failing to speak. She looked so trusting. He didn't know how he was going to get through what he knew he had to tell her. He broke off from her gaze, and stared at his hands.

"Kayla..." he began, but was interrupted as she reached a hand up to his face and brought it back around to face hers.

"Don't..." she whispered, her face close to his, her eyes pleading with him. He looked into those eyes, his resolution melting away in his chest. He brought his hand up to brush her cheek. She was so beautiful in this light. Her green eyes seemed to sparkle in the semi-darkness, like jewels caught in starlight. He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers, kissing her fully, passionately this time...letting the moment sweep him away. He held her like that for several moments, his eyes closed, his breathing shallow.

Reality slowly began to reassert itself, and he pulled away from her gently. "No," he said softly.

She reached out to him again. "It's all right," she whispered.

"No, it's not," he said, more firmly this time.

She pulled her hand back from his face. She didn't know what to say.

He turned to her. "Kayla, I'm sorry. This is wrong. We can't let this happen. I can't let this happen..."

She was silent for a moment. He stared at her, trying to judge her reaction. He wasn't sure if it was confusion or anger he saw.

"Why?" she finally asked quietly.

His shoulders sagged slightly, and he had to turn away from her. "You know why."

"Remind me."

He sighed. "Kayla - it isn't right. These emotions we're feeling...they're dangerous. You know that. And even if they weren't, I'm a Jedi Master. You're still a padawan. How would that look? Master Sah-Jen has already..."

"Master Sah-Jen?" she asked sharply, interrupting.

"He...he told me to stay away from you," he said quietly. "He threatened to go to the Council if I didn't."

"Oh, he did, did he?"

"Kayla," he said pleadingly, "please don't do anything to make this more difficult than it already is."

Kayla stared into Obi-Wan's eyes. So this was all about Master Sah-Jen, was it? Enough was enough, she decided. She reached out and took hold of Obi-Wan's hand.

"Obi-Wan, if you tell me you have no feelings for me, I'll let you walk out that door and we'll never talk about this again."

Her heart sped up inside her chest. She was gambling. If she lost, she could lose him forever. He reached out, cupped her cheek in his hand.

He looked into her eyes. "I...I'm sorry," he said. He stood up and walked out of her life.

She stared at his retreating back, agape. He wasn't supposed to have reacted like that. Damn. Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn.