Ten years later.....
Chapter One
A Naboo ship flew through the emptiness of space, entering Coruscant's atmosphere. It's destination: the Senate building. Inside the small ship, was Jedi Master Denali Bleway, her latest assignment being to protect Senator Padme Amidala. She hadn't known why she'd been assigned, she figured that the Senator would be fine with her body guards. But, all things considered, she hadn't refused the job. Denali loved spending time with her old friend, so she didn't object to accepting the mission to accompany the newly elected Senator of Naboo.
Denali couldn't wait til she was able to visit the Jedi Temple when they reached the planet's surface. While she was on the ship, the woman had gotten word about finally receiving a Padawan upon her arrival home. Hoping against hope, she sincerely wished that it was Chewbacca, her old friend from Naboo, since he was the one she'd signed up for in the first place. And by "signed up", she may have meant..."rushed to the Council and practically begged to have the honor of training such a promising student".
It'd been so long since the last time she'd seen the tiny bundle of fur. The last time they ever made contact, the little wookiee was only a baby. And although the nostalgia of memory lane was a pleasant feeling, she figured that he'd forgotten all about her, he probably wouldn't even recognize her. After all, it had been ten years and he'd been only an infant at the time. But that was alright, as long as she was able to train him now.
"Senator, we are making our final approach into Coruscant." The Naboo pilot stated stiffly as he entered Padme's resting quarters. Denali looked up from her spinny-chair, watching Padme as she and her protection decoy got to their feet. Denali didn't hesitate to follow her actions, now fully adapted to the feeling of her new Jedi Master robes. She'd missed the freedom of her old clothing, how light and fluent her movements were without the issue of heavy fabric. But, never the less, she welcomed the change with an open heart.
"Very good, Captain." The decoy replied monotonously in her queen garb. Denali watched the real Padme as they began to walk out of the room in preparation for landing. Padme was wearing a pilot's uniform, a great disguise in Denali's opinion. Padme had wanted to fly in one of the escort ships, but Captain Typho was able to talk her out of it, since Denali would be there with them if anything strange happened. Plus it seemed that Padme had been just as excite about speaking to Denali as the Jedi Master was to speak to her.
It was only a few minutes before the ship finally landed on one of the landing platforms that hovered within the large city. Denali looked around as the group walked down the boarding ramp. It was strangely cloudy today on Corosaunt, but she didn't let the weather bother her. She felt so over-joyed by all the great things that had come her way just during thoughts few hours. But gradually, a strange feeling began to set in her stomach.
Something wasn't right.
And she knew what it was just in time.
"Padme! Get down!" Denali shouted, using the Force to shove the Senator off the landing ramp, her small body sliding across the platform and away from the ship. Less than a second later, the ship exploded. The Jedi knew that something dangerous was about to happen, and her job was to make sure Padme was alright. She had known what was expected of her. She refused to let Padme get killed on her watch. Denali could feel herself be thrown forward by the blast, her body slamming against the hard metal ground. She could feel her bones cracking, the skin braking open on her arms as she rolled, finally coming to a stop a few yards away from the flaming wreckage.
"Denali! Denali, where are you?!" She heard Padme shout frantically to her, searching for her through the smoke of the burning ship. Denali could hear Padme's panicked breathing from her spot on the ground. She tried to move, but was too weak. She couldn't speak. Smoke entered he lungs, causing her to cough. Padme heard her, and ran through the smoke towards the source of the sound.
"Denali!" She gasped as she kneeled beside the wounded Jedi. Padme tried not to cry as she looked at the girl's injuries. Blood covered the ground where Denali had been hit by flying debris and were chunks of her skin had been ripped off by the explosion. Denali looked up at her, her vision starting to grow blurry as the painful seconds went by.
"Padme...." She was able to say. Her eyes were slowly closing as Padme grabbed her hand, squeezing it tightly. She could hear Captain Typho's voice, trying to convince the Senator to leave the Jedi behind. But Padme wouldn't budge. Tears were streaking down her cheeks as she told Captain Typho over and over that she would not leave her friend behind. But suddenly Padme was lifted off the ground, someone had grabbed her from behind and was dragging her towards the escape transport.
"No! Denali! Denali!" Padme screamed.
Then Denali's eyes closed.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
"You seem a little on edge." Master Kenobi said to his Padawan. The elevator ride to Senator Amidala's chambers seemed to be going on forever. Anakin couldn't stand it. He could feel the miniature model of 'The Heart of the Robot' Denali had created for him years before. It felt heavy in his secret pocket within his robes.
"Not at all, Master." Anakin said.
"I haven't felt you this tense since we fell into that nest of gundarks." Obi-Wan said to his apprentice.
"You fell into that nightmare, Master. And I saved you, remember?" Anakin said as he readjusted his Padawan robes for the fifth time. Obi-Wan couldn't help but smile.
"Anakin, you're sweating. Breathe." Obi-Wan told him once again.
"Master, it's been ten years since either of us have seen Denali. What if she's forgotten about me?" Anakin asked his Master.
"Anakin, what was the last thing she said to you when you boarded that ship to go back to the Temple?" Obi-Wan asked him. Anakin sighed, remembering the moment as if it was yesterday.
"She said that I would always be her best friend."
"And you, hers. Relax, everything will be fine." Obi-Wan said. But honestly, he hadn't been feeling too calm about seeing Denali again either. He still had the ring on a leather cord around his neck, hidden underneath the layers of his robes. He wondered if she still had hers as well. He could imagine her wearing it on a hidden necklace as well, or having it safely contained in a secret pocket within the layers of her new Jedi Master robes. After a few more seconds, the elevator finally came to a stop at the proper floor. The doors slid open, and the two stepped out.
"Master Kenobi, Padawan Skywalker, it is a pleasure to see you again." Padme said with a smile as she greeted the two Jedi. They bowed respectfully.
"And you as well." Anakin said.
"Master Bleway and her new apprentice will be here shortly. Denali is just getting her stitches removed." Padme said.
"Stitches? Why would she need stitches? Is she hurt?" Anakin asked quickly, a red flag going up in his mind. Obi-Wan tried not to flinch at the information, but couldn't help but worry even more as well. Padme gave them a skeptical look.
"You didn't know? Isn't that why you're here? To protect me?" She asked them.
"Yes, Senator. But we didn't receive news of Master Bleway being harmed." Anakin said, concern and nervousness layering his words thickly. Padme sighed.
"I think it would be best if you two sat down." She said as she lead them to two couches in the middle of the room. The two men quickly took their seats across from the Senator as she began to tell her story.
"When we landed on Corosaunt, Denali had sensed something. We were walking down the landing ramp, when suddenly she shouted, 'Padme! Get down!'. The next thing I new, I was rolling across the landing platform while the ship was in flames. If Denali hadn't Force-Pushed me away from the ship, I am one-hundred percent sure that I wouldn't have made it."
"Did SHE make it?" Anakin asked.
"Patience, Anakin." Obi-Wan said, even though on the inside he was just as eager as his apprentice.
"Don't worry she survived. But barely. I contacted the medical center she was put in and was told that she had nearly died. The force of the blast had caused her to break most of her ribs. Then when she had landed on the platform, her arms and legs were scraped up badly. But that isn't even the worst part. When the ship burst, pieces of the debris had hit her in the back, side, and neck. When I found her, she had nearly drowned in her own blood." Padme explained.
"That's terrible." Obi-Wan exclaimed. But suddenly the door to the elevator opened.
"You guys worry too much, I could sense the hairs on your heads turning grey as I was making my way up here. Sheesh, it's like you guys need a day off or something." Denali said as she walked into the room. They all looked up at her, just about to jump up and hug her. But they stopped. Standing behind her, trying really hard not to draw attention to himself, was a small wookiee.
"Everyone, you all remember Chewie." Denali said with a smile as she placed a hand on the young boy's shoulder.
"Wow, Chewie. It's been awhile. Do you remember me?" Padme said as she stood up and approached the young boy. At first he was shy, but when he saw the Senator, a huge smile appeared on his furry face.
"Hello, Senator Amidala. I remember you. I remember all of you, actually." Chewie said shyly in Galactic Basic. Denali smile as she looked down at her new apprentice. Padme grinned as she bent down and shook Chewie's hand. The little boy looked like he was no less than twelve years old. The same age Anakin had been when he began his training under Obi-Wan's watch.
"Hello, Chewbacca. It's great to see you again." Obi-Wan said as he bowed to Chewie. Chewie bowed back respectfully.
"It's great to see you as well, Master Kenobi." The young boy said.
"This reunion has been great, but I have a meeting I need to attend to with the Chancellor." Padme said as she made he way to the elevator, closely followed by her body guards. She turned around, quickly hugging Denali, then hugging Chewie as well. "It was great to see you guys again. Especially you, Chewie." The Senator said with a huge smile, then left the room, leaving the four Jedi alone in the room. They all were silent for a moment.
"Chewie, could you please go pick up the surprise I was telling you about earlier?" Denali asked her Padawan. Chewie nodded.
"Yes, Master." He said, and left down the elevator as well. Denali smiled, watching the doors slide closed. After another moment, she smile and turned around, facing the two sitting on the couch. But suddenly a disappointed look appeared on her face.
"Where's Ani? I thought the Council said he'd be here, too." Denali said sadly. Anakin looked at Obi-Wan, his expression made entirely of pure disbelief as Denali began to laugh. "Relax, Ani. I'm joking." Anakin stood up, a smile now on his face, as Denali gave him a huge hug.
"I'm so happy to see you, Denali." Anakin said with a grin.
"I missed you so much, Ani." Denali said with a smile as she pulled out the necklace that Anakin had given her all those years ago. The charm was exactly the same, it even looked like it had been polished and shined. Anakin's smile grew even wider as he pulled out the model from his pocket. They both chuckled happily, then hugged again. But then they heard the sound of someone clearing their throat as they pulled apart from each other.
"Oh. Hello, Master Kenobi." Denali said as she bowed respectfully. Her actions shocked him, but he did the same to her. He couldn't believe she had been so excited to see Anakin, but had simply brushed him away as if he was any other Jedi. Not the man of here dreams. Obi-Wan's fears were coming true, and it frightened him more than anything in the universe.
"Sorry, Ani. But I need to speak with Obi-Wan about something. Privately. I'll be right back." Denali said to Anakin, giving him one last hug, then walking into the hall. Obi-Wan followed, trying to hide his sadness. He looked back at Anakin, who was smirking at him as if he ruled the world. The Master rolled his eyes, and closed the door to the Senator's chambers behind him.
"What was it you wanted to talk about, Master Ble-" but suddenly his words were cut off as he felt two lips press against his. He was shocked for a moment, but happiness soon replaced his befuddlement. She hadn't forgotten about him. She hadn't forgotten about their relationship, their marriage. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him. After a while, they pulled apart.
"I thought you had forgotten about me when you came in. You were so happy to see Anakin and-" but the familiarity of her lips cut him off once again. He welcomed the kiss whole-heartily, enjoying every second of it.
"How could I forget about you? You haunted my dreams ever since we had to say good-bye ten years ago." Denali said to him as she wrapped him in a huge hug. He embraced he back, not wanting to ever let her go.
"Don't scare me like that. Ever again." Obi-Wan said to her strictly. She couldn't help but smile, she looked at him and giggled.
"What's so funny?" He asked her, a confused smirk on his face.
"Nothing. I'm just happy for you that you have the facial hair you wanted."