With You

Chapter 10

"I just—I don't understand why they're letting me stay here."

Obi-Wan chuckled. "Have you ever seen the inside of these quarters, Cecilia?"

"No—no I haven't."

"I assure they aren't that much more glamorous than the ones we are afforded as Knights and Masters of the Order. You won't be living in the lap of luxury."

"It will probably feel that way, compared to what I've grown used to," she mumbled.

"Are we going to continue this argument out here or can we at least go inside?" He asked, humor at the edge of his tone.

She sighed and tapped on the panel. The door slid open revealing modest, yet distinctly more spacious quarters than what she knew were given to the Jedi who lived here. She looked around and frowned. "Where is the bed?"

He sighed and pointed to a side door. "It has a private bedroom and refresher through there." Her eyes grew wide and he continued before she could argue any further. "Cecilia, I know it is hard for you to grasp that you are here—that the Council has welcomed you back without somehow pressuring you to rejoin the Order. That you might be respected and not disdained. Let this be encouraging to you—consider it a—thank you."

"It's just—it's... overwhelming, Obi-Wan... I don't know what to think... what to say..."

He reached out slowly, gently lifting her chin so she looked at him. He looked so soft, so gentle, in the dim light coming thru the windows. "Say you'll have dinner with me this evening?"

She gulped and nodded, walking to the window and looking through the opened blinds at the Coruscant sky. "We need to talk."

"About?" he asked. But he knew what.

"About us. About the future."

"Can't we just live in the present."

"But the present is made up of decisions that determine the future, Obi-Wan. Even I am not so reckless as to disregard how dangerous it would be to live in the present to the detriment of the future... your future."

"What is that supposed to mean?" He asked, coming up beside her and gazing out the window as well.

"You were meant to be a Jedi," she said firmly. "You are on the High Council, you are a General in the Republic Army. You cannot disregard all that and disobey the Code for... for me."

He looked over to her, eyes misty, "There was a time when you thought you were meant to be a Jedi as well." He spoke so quietly if someone had been even a few feet away they wouldn't have heard him.

She released a shaky breath. "I... I still am a Jedi... of sorts."

"A Grey Jedi," he whispered again.

Well, there it was. She knew it would come up. Who she was, what it meant. "Yes, something like that, I guess. I don't call myself that—but I know others do. And I suppose it's as close as it gets. I still read ancient Jedi texts, and there are still parts of the Code that I live by. But I also read texts from—other sources. But you know me better than any, Obi... you can sense that I am not falling to the Dark side, can't you?"

"Of course," he said. They both spoke so quietly, as if they were in a room filled with other people and trying to keep secrets.

As the light left the sky, she waved her hand bringing up the light of the room only the slightest bit. Something felt—right—about this conversation taking place in a dimly lit room. Very little felt clear to her right now. She couldn't come up with the words to speak next.