The Jedi And The Warrior

An Unpayable Debt

And slowly, the suns began to set.

Time seemed to drift so gradually, and yet so swift, as the last rays of daylight bled into the line of dunes they could just glimpse beyond the cave mouth.

Flyra was no stranger to pain. She knew how to pace herself, how to breathe through it, how to drift into the faraway place inside herself where no pain or shame or sadness could find her.

So it was fine, she repeated to herself, over and over in the silence and dimming light of the cave. The child was just stubborn, and took after both its parents. That was all.

The suns dipped below the horizon, and the desert was plunged into darkness. Neither of them moved to light one of the lanterns, hoping the light of the moon would be sufficient. Flyra's bones were now stiff from sitting in the same position for hours on end, and her whole body ached.

She shifted a little in Obi-Wan's arms, and tilted her head so that she could see him. He was staring out into the darkness beyond the cave, that familiar cleft etched into his forehead. His blue eyes twinkled in the light of the moon, but his features were cast in shadow.

"How long has it been?" she murmured.

The smile he gave her was tight. "I'm not sure," he whispered back, their voices grating harshly against the tense silence. "We should check how far you're dilated."

"How will you be able to tell?" she asked, sitting up a little.

His smile twisted, widening. "With this wonderful gift called sight," he told her, and she scowled.

"I thought they had some fancy machine, back in Coruscant," she said.

"They did," he sighed, that cleft deepening in his brow. "But we're not in Coruscant."

Neither of them pointed out their unavoidable isolation, their complete lack of any help save the wind and the stars.

She swallowed hard. "Check, please, Obi-Wan," she told him.

He nodded, sliding his shoulder from underneath her and reaching down to part the folds of the long robe she'd been wearing since her pregnancy grew too uncomfortable for trousers. He lowered himself with movements so cautious she almost scolded him for being overzealous, but the words were cut off by a scream. She arched up from the cave floor, breathing through her teeth.

Gods above, it felt as though her body were being rent in half.

"Are you all right?" Obi-Wan said sharply.

She nodded, swallowing her sob. "Fine," she managed. "That one was worse."

His frown deepened as he bent his head, gently spreading her legs. His hands, though steady and strong against her skin, were sweating, the only trace of his fear he would allow her to feel.

She watched him as he examined her, his head bent to peer between her legs, and gods, did he have to look so beautiful?

He lifted his head, and those depthless blue eyes met hers, and the breath was nearly knocked out of her. She could feel heat rise to her cheeks, and he raised his brows, a smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth.

"Really?" he said. "Now?"

She scowled at him. "Oh, be quiet," she laughed. "How far is it?"

The amusement faded as he pushed himself to a sitting position and twitched her robes back over her legs. "You're more than ready," he said, his voice heavy. "Certainly as far along as Padmé was when —"

But he stopped talking, a flash of pain crossing his face. Flyra wrapped her arms around herself.

"What... what does that mean?" she asked.