Falling from Grace Epilogue

by Christina, kenobijedione@yahoo.com

Warnings, disclaimer, etc. in part 1

Epilogue

The light in the medical facility on Coruscant was blinding him. Obi-Wan Kenobi struggled to open his eyes, batting his eyes open, shut, open, shut... until he decided it just wasn't worth it.

I have to tell you something! he shouted in his mind, hoping someone, anyone was listening. Just because he couldn't see didn't mean he couldn't talk, right?

Right? Mouth opened, so dry. So, so dry. No words were going to be surfacing today. Obi-Wan felt suffocated. He couldn't see, he couldn't speak, he couldn't... move. Flailing helplessly, he reached out, pain engulfing him wholly as he lifted one arm, then the other. Another hand restrained him, holding him down desperately.

"Obi-Wan." Finally, a sense that worked. He could hear, and he knew that sweet voice. He opened his mouth to try to respond, but nothing surfaced but a puff of air that tasted so stale it turned his stomach.

Water. He needed it. But couldn't ask. Water. It was worth a shot. She wasn't Force sensitive, but it was possible a healer was there too, or Anakin, though he couldn't feel his former Padawan.

No, no Force-sensitives in the room. At least none that would plead his case. Kalyia simply put her hand across his forehead and stroked gently. "Baby, are you awake?"

Yes. Mouth opened again. No sound. He brought a hand up, slowly, and stroked his throat. Finally, a glass was being held to his lips, cold, blessed water flowing into parched mouth. He drank greedily until it was pulled away.

"Yes."

The voice didn't sound like his, but it was there. He heard a soft, sweet laugh.

"Yes, what?"

"Awake," Obi-Wan murmured, trying again to open his eyes. He still couldn't. "Bright," he managed.

A soft scuffling of the chair she must be sitting in, then footsteps making their way across the room. Kalyia hit the dimmer switch and the room darkened considerably. The Jedi blinked.

"Thanks."

Kalyia retook her seat, leaning forward and peering down into Obi-Wan's pale face. His cuts were healing into barely visible scars, and with a few more bacta treatments, they would be gone. He'd lost a great deal of weight, but they all had during their time on the planet Saliff.

No, the worry was gone from her now. He was going to be fine.

As if to solidify this thought, she ran one finger down the side of his cheek. "You're going to be fine, Obi-Wan."

The Jedi half-smiled and struggled to focus on the angelic face before him. He ran an index finger across her lips and tilted his head into the pillow. "Are you okay? Your head..."

She smiled. "I'm okay," she answered, nodding thoughtfully. "A few antioxidant shots and I was good as new."

"Anakin?"

"He's fine. Everyone's fine. We were all worried about you." Kalyia paused, then smiled. "Especially my mother. When she comes, I advise you pretend you're sleeping."

***

When he awoke again, the room was not quite as bright, his throat was not uqite as raw, and Obi-Wan, for the first time, realized that he might live through this. The chair that Kalyia had occupied earlier was now full with the long, lanky, familiar body of his former apprentice.

Without warning, Obi-Wan pushed himself up with a groan that sounded melodious, even in his larynx’s roughened state. "The Sith, did you kill it?" he asked suddenly, drawing his friend and former Padawan out of a medative trance. "The one you were fighting?" He seemed to be struggling to remember the events of only a few short days ago.

Anakin paused only for a moment, discarding the instinct to change the subject back to where it should have been, which was how Obi-Wan was feeling. He nodded. "Yes, Master. I killed it."

"Senator Palpatine…" Obi-Wan struggled again, breath suddenly a commodity he simply did not seem to possess.

"What? Obi-Wan, we’re talking about Sith," Anakin cajoled impatiently. Perhaps it was too harsh on the Jedi Knight who was apparently delirious, but Anakin decided if they were going to talk about this, they were going to talk about this. He wasn’t about to subject hop just for the fun of it.

Obi-Wan simply nodded. "Yes. He got away. It’s… Senator Palpatine."

The younger Jedi sighed resolutely. He brought a hand up, running long, thin fingers through the spikes of blond hair atop his head. He realized he needed a shower, badly. "Senator Palpatine is not going to go after a Sith Obi-Wan," he mumbled groundlessly. "That is the Jedi’s duty."

Though he wouldn’t have thought it possible, Obi-Wan brought his aching back straighter, leaning forward with an urgency in his eyes. It was the same urgency Anakin saw days ago in their cabin on Salliaf when his Master was preparing to run from the Sith.

"No, Anakin. Listen to me," he grumbled. "Senator Palpatine is evil. He is the perpetuator of the Sith. He is alive, and will strike again. He must…" the injured Jedi seemed to lose his thought for a moment, eyes drifting from the young man in front of him to the door, and back. "Find a new apprentice," he finished finally as though the thought had never broken.

Anakin shook his head. Now there were delusions and there were delusions. "The Senator is a Sith Lord?"

"Yes." The sincerity and earnestness in Obi-Wan’s voice left no room for doubt.

With the single word, Anakin felt his blood run cold. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." Again, that word. Blood like ice water in his veins.

"Positive?"

"Force, Anakin! Yes!"

Obi-Wan’s eyes flashed with a gravity Anakin had not seen in a very long time. The malfeasance of the words sent every muscle in his body rigid. With great effort, the younger Jedi stood.

"I must speak with the Council right away."

Obi-Wan nodded, his features relaxing significantly. He leaned back into the pillows, looking completely worn. His voice surfaced as barely a whisper. "Please, Padawan. Do your duty."

Anakin took a step toward the door, then turned, hesitating before he raised the hood of his cloak. "Will you be alright?"

"Yes, Padawan. Go."

***

"I’m not engaged, you know."

Kalyia didn’t even bother to ensure the Jedi was awake before storming into his medical room and making her announcement.

Obi-Wan stirred, eyes fluttering open for the third time that day. "What?"

The princess couldn’t help but smile. "I’m not engaged."

A look of confusion passed the Jedi’s face. "I don’t…"

"You said in the holocube you thought I was engaged. I’m not. I never have been, to Daman or anyone else." She paused, the self-confidence that had gripped her flooding away. "I just… thought you should know."

Obi-Wan managed a smile. "Oh." He shrugged himself a few inches to the left on his bed. He patted the mattress next to him. "Well that’s convenient. Come, sit."

Kalyia hesitated just a moment, before stepping slowly toward the hospital bed and perching gingerly atop it. She picked up a hand and dropped it onto his chest, careful to avoid the bacta gauze covering still-healing wounds. Tilting her head, she asked, "Convenient? Why?"

The Jedi Knight seemed to mull this over for some time, his eyebrows reaching for the ceiling, eyes following. When he heard a slight huff come from the figure beside him, he chuckled. Reaching his hand over his chest, he grasped the Princess’ in his own. "You know how I feel about you, Kalyia," he said, voice suddenly husky with emotion.

The girl nodded and looked down.

"And I know…" Obi-Wan continued, reaching his other hand to her chin and using his fingers to tip her face up. "…how you feel about me. I heard you talking to me when you found me in the woods."

Kalyia smiled, holding his blue-grey gaze in her own green one. She shook her head slowly. "We’re not always good to each other," she warned.

"We’re not always bad to each other either."

"My mother will be estatic."

"So will Anakin."

Laughing, Kalyia acquiesed. She leaned down, brushing her lips against Obi-Wan’s. "Things will get complicated when I am to succeed the throne," she murmured.

Obi-Wan nodded. "I know. As soon as I am well things will get complicated as the Sith has been discovered and the Jedi have a new enemy."

Frowning, the Princess reached a hand out, tracing the lines of worry across the Jedi’s forehead. "What will we do now?"

Like magic, the lines of worry disappeared, and Obi-Wan smiled. "I shall take my time healing, for one," he announced, a trace of laughter in his voice. Reaching up, he pressed one palm against Kalyia’s cheek, urging her down to him for another soft kiss. When they parted, the girl sighed softly, Obi-Wan echoing the sentiment.

"For now, we will just take things one kiss at a time."

END.