Chapter Forty-Eight: End of the Beginning

"Explain to me what the hell is happening?" Obi-Wan muttered, tugging her away from the top of the stairs and leaning against the bannister when they reached the floor her grandmother lived on. "A messenger comes - who happens to be a cousin of yours - comes while you're vomiting and says that your grandmother -"

"She just wants to meet you - I haven't had a relationship since just before the war - heck, I haven't slept with anyone since before the war."

"Your cousin - " Obi-Wan glanced down the hallway, where the young messenger was waiting for them to finish. He sighed, grasping her forearms gently, ducking to meet her gaze. "Darling."

Satine bit her lip, only looking at him when he squeezed her forearms gently. "Just - just remember that my grandmother doesn't speak Basic - and hates Jedi."

"... you're fucking kidding - "

"Ben - please. She doesn't know you but she is letting you stay here - you have no idea how much this means."

Obi-Wan leaned his brow against hers, then pressed a kiss to her brow. She smiled a little, and together they stepped away from the bannister.

Her cousin - Lucias, that was his name - gave a smile and stepped to the door. He knocked a moment, then pressed palmed the door open.

Satine squeezed his hand, and they followed Lucias into the chambers.

It was a beautiful apartment, marked with golds and blue and whites. There were bookshelves high with flimsi novels, tapestries depicting battles between Jedi and Mandalorians, high windows with heavy good drapes.

The conversation between five women ceased when they stepped in. All the women looked eerily similar - sharp eyes, high cheekbones, graying and white hair tied in various styles of braid. They watched with blue and gray eyes, fingers stilling on the needlework in their laps.

Lucias bowed, and they followed his example. "My aunts - grandma - Satine and her riddur."

Sisters. They're all sisters.

"Tina." A woman in the middle of the couches of the dropped her needlework and gestured at the plates on the car table. "Sheber. Epar."

"Lucias - come come, join."

Obi-Wan walked a step behind Satine, feeling a bit of sweat trickle down his spine. He watched the much younger cousin walk to a different woman, realizing Lucias and Satine didn't share a grandmother.

"Kaysh's skinny," one of the sisters muttered, causing som giggling.

"Handsome - jate'shya than Bel."

Satine sat on the unoccupied sofa, not making a move to embrace any of her relatives. He sat next to her hesitantly, about to sit away from her before thinking better of it and sitting thigh-to-thigh.

One of the sisters raised her eyebrows at that.

"Ni'm sure gar've gathered ibic cuyir Obi-Wan Kenobi, ba'buir."

"Mm - rejorhaa'ir him kaysh ru'kir respect cuun traditions bal not nuhoy o'r gar haav'yam."

"Ba' buir - "

"He has killed, Satine."

"Makes war," one of the sisters muttered in Basic, picking at her needlework. A purple butterfly, flying in front of a rainbow.

"Is a Jedi - why, Satine? Why?"

"Ni liked bel - nice jag, bal a related at te clan." "I liked Bel - nice man, and a related to the clan."

Obi-Wan cleared his throat, bringing the attention to himself. "Ni jorhaa'ir mando'a, ner ladies."

Never had he felt the need to shrink so small, though he remained sitting uptight, Satine's hand covering his own.

The grandmother cracked a smile, and leaned forward, pushing the plate of breakfast cookies and bowls of fruits towards them.

The days - once the initial interrogation was over - passed slowly. The communal breakfast, he learned, only happened once a week on a Sunday. That gave them plenty of time to wake peacefully, lazily making love and spending an incredible amount of time intertwined, murmuring stories to each other.

The future, Obi-Wan realized, could be so much closer if he just...just walked away.

He lay awake one week into his leave, staring at the ceiling, listening to Satine breathe beside him, to the creaks of the palace.

It was early morning, that much he knew.

Early morning - at the Temple he would have been awake, slugging through a shower, downing his second cup of caf, hurrying to teach class or attend a meeting.

He wondered what Anakin would be doing right now.

Probably waking up beside Padmé, not knowing what the day with bring with her, having to leave, teach at the Temple, train Ahsoka, take on the responsibilities of the Third Systems Army because Obi-Wan wasn't there, review the newest designs of the fleet…

Obi-Wan rolled over, ignoring his aching joints, studying her face in the dim light. She had become so thin these past few months - he prayed that it was a result of stress and not -

He remembered that horrible aspect of their two year relationship years ago, the eating disorder part, the constant panic attacks, the screaming matches, her struggling to rule a wattorn system, raise a child, maintain their joke of a relationship...

Carefully, he reached out, brushing against the little light. It responded, wiggling a little at his touch. He smiled, stretching out a hand, knuckles against her tunic-covered stomach. There was no rise yet, he knew that, but still…

Obi-Wan leaned over, pressing a kiss to her brow before moving to leave the bed. He tried to dress quietly - and jammed his toe against the 'fresher door jam.

"Ben?" Satine muttered, rising on her elbow and rubbing the sleep our of her eyes while he cursed. A smile crossed her face when she realized what he had done. "Fracture something my dear?"

He tossed a mocking glare at her, to which she laughed at.

"You wanted to be at the library right?" Satine asked, pushing the covers aside. She stood - and had to catch herself on the wall.

"Tina!"

"I'm fine," she muttered, brushing her hair out of her face. "This damn stomach flu won't leave."

Obi-Wan stayed quiet, and went into the 'fresher.

When the day of the Festival started, Satine didn't want to leave the Palace. She claimed to her siblings that it was too risky, having the pacifist ruler of Mandalore celebrate a warrior holiday with her Jedi boyfriend.

Everyone accepted that - well, Obi-Wan was a tad suspicious. Even her brother Leonardo - bastard brother, he had learned - looked a little surprised. It was the only time he looked at Obi-Wan in question instead of contempt.

While most of the Kryze clan, albeit the youngest members and the select few who didn't tolerate the cold well - herded outside the join the crowds, Satine led Obi-Wan to the little used library. This library, he learned, was available to the public. It was a cute little place, mixed with holobooks and flimsi novels and maps. It was run by a rotating staff of a lesser branch of the Kryze clan, and only one of them was working when they walked in.

Satine greeted her with a wave, and tugged Obi-Wan to some stairs.

"Where are you taking me?" he asked, amused. -

"Be patient."

"What, finally making good on your promise to have sex in - "

"Obi!" But she was laughing, ducking into a darkened room. Curious, he stood aside while she fiddled with the ancient holoprojector -

"What the hell?"

A hologram of a Togruta - Jedi, tall, dressed in fashions outdated by several centuries - wove and deflected against foes, debated against politicians, gave lectures…

"It's a compilation of General Javadeva Tano. She fought for us sometimes, against us others. Was quite something." Satine stepped back, leaning her head against Obi-Wan's shoulder. "There's reason to believe that the current Tano clan is related to her."

Obi-Wan watched, noticing a few similarities between this general and his padawan. A sad smile tugged at his lips.

God, what will happen to Ahsoka with this mission?

"You can keep the disk - I made a copy for Ahsoka."

He pressed a kiss to her forehead in thanks, and continued to watch.

He woke to vomiting. It wasn't unusual lately - he just...well, he ignored it. It was easier to never mention it, to pretend he was still sleeping. But today was his last full day and well…

Carefully, he stood from the bed - it was easier to move now, he was in far less pain - and moved to the 'fresher while shrugging on a robe.

"Tina?" he murmured, knocking on the door frame and grimacing at the scene before him.

Satine didn't move when he knelt by her side, head head leaning against the sani rim. Her skin was warm to the touch. When she did look at him, it was with fear and exhaustion. "This...I've been sick a few times the past couple of weeks."

Obi-Wan let out a harsh breath, then grimaced while she vomited again. He pulled her hair back from her face, holding it with one hand while he rubbed her back gently, listening to her shaky breath when she finished. There was a time, years ago in their twenties, where he knew she was sick on purpose, and she didn't care enough that he knew.

"Well this isn't what I expected to wake to," he murmured quietly.

She gave a breath of laughter, rubbing a hand over her face. "Ben - not helping."

"Think you're almost done?"

"It comes and goes."

Obi-Wan pressed his lips together, pulling back to let her lean against the counter. She smiled weakly when he stood and found a scrunchie and handed it to her.

"Thanks," she whispered, inspecting it before tying her hair into a knot at the back of her head.

"Satine - "

"Could you run to the kitchen? Mix some sodium bicarbonate and water together?"

"...what?"

"It's supposed to help with nausea." Satine leaned her head back and closed her eyes. "My mum used to make us drink it when we were sick. Always helped - tastes gross though."

"Yeah...yeah sure."

The kitchen wasn't terribly far from her chambers - but he still used a service elevator, tapping his fingers to the listless music.

Wonder how accessible things are for Padmé," Obi-Wan suddenly thought.

Shaking his head, he walked out of the elevator and to the kitchen. There were few staff members awake, turning on stoves and taking ingredients out of the large refrigerators. One of them saw him, and he explained what he needed.

Obi-Wan waited while the staff member put together a plate and the sodium bicarbonate, glancing around the kitchen, with it's high ceilings and vintage cooking utensils and racks upon racks of spices from around the Galaxy. One caught his eye, and he stepped forward, trying to decipher the language and -

"From Tatooine - no idea how to pronounce it. It's not that good," a man at the stove, "You can have it if you want - we don't use it."

"Really?" Obi-Wan received a shrug in response, and smiled while he pocketed the container.

"You moved far," he murmured, shutting the door behind him.

"Mmm." Satine - now sitting curled on the couch - gave a small smile when he set the tray down before her. There was the sodium bicarbonate water, but also a few pieces of dried toast, two peeled plantains, and a teapot of Sapnir with cups. She took the requested drink carefully, stirring it gently before taking a sip and pulling a face. "Just as bad as I remember it."

He forced a chuckle out, sitting beside her and glancing at the waste bin on the carpet. Without a word he poured himself a cup of tea and took a plantain. "The smell won't bother you?"

She shrugged, staring at the cup in her hands.

Sipping at his tea, he ate in silence, watching her drink methodically. This... wasn't how he anticipated spending his last day on Mandalore. Not sitting on the couch contemplating, both of of them thinking the same thoughts but neither of them having the courage to actually say it out loud. He wanted her to start speaking, to address the bantha in the room. He didn't want to ignore it, to go about their day and try to make the most of it.

Because his mission could be life or death

"At least a slice of toast and half a plantain," Obi-Wan murmured when she had stared at the food for awhile. "That's all I ask."

She nodded after a moment, taking what he requested and chewing.

Obi-Wan withheld a sigh, finishing his own plantain and eating a slice of toast, mainly so she didn't feel isolated in the act.

"Ben…" She eventually whispered, two slices of toast and a bite of plantain later. "What...what if I'm pregnant?"

Obi-Wan glanced at her, then set his cup down on the caf table. He shifted a bit, just enough to face her. "Then you'll be a damn good mother, my dear."

"I don't even know how behave around them."

He smiled a bit, thinking of the way she interacted with her nieces and nephews and cousins. "I'm sure…" he brushed his thumb over her jaw. "I'm sure if it's our kid we would figure it out."

Satine closed her eyes, brushing his hand away and leaning her head on his shoulder. Her voice shook while she spoke. " 'm scared."

"I know...I know."

"I'm really scared."

He wrapped an arm around her, gently coaxing her into his lap. It hurt, feeling her curl into him and shake and try not to sob. "Take a test when you're ready," he whispered, propping his chin on her hair. "Not before."

"We basically know the answer don't we?"

"Tina…"

"You've known, haven't you?"

"I...I've suspected. Dreams…feelings."

Not quite a lie - mostly the truth.

"What will happen - to you?"

The details of the Hardeen mission burned in his mind. Now...now he could tell her. Tell her everything… The Jedi Order didn't matter...did they?

"Don't worry about me - we'll figure it out," he whispered, kissing what he could reach. "I promise."

"What does that mean?"

"What?"

"What are you hiding, Ben?" Satine tilted her chin up, her eyebrows screwed together. "Why are you acting like this? Like something horrible is about to happen?"

"Well in your mind it is," he muttered before he could stop himself.

Satine gave a harsh breath. "Excuse me for not wanting to be pregnant."

"We - we don't even know, Satine - you just said it yourself." Obi-Wan sighed while she turned her head away, and put his hand on her jaw gently. "Tina - Tina, look at me."

"What is wrong? Tell me - something, Ben. Please."

"It's…" he sighed heavily. "It's just a mission I'm not looking forward too - I can't exactly give the details."

"Can't or won't?"

"Can't... that's all I can say."

Liar.

Satine bit her lip, then nodded, rubbing at her eyes. She curled into him, trying to make herself small. "Why didn't I ask you to stay all those years ago?"

"I...I don't know."

One last mission, he murmured to himself when Satine had dropped into an exhausted sleep. He held her close, fingers bound and pressed firmly against her stomach. One last mission, then I can stay here…

No matter what you choose.

No matter how much it kills me inside.

I promise.

Mando'a Translations:

"Sheber. Epar." - "Sit. Eat."

"Kaysh's skinny," - "He's skinny,"

"Handsome - jate'shya than Bel." - "Handsome - better than Bel."

"Ni'm sure gar've gathered ibic cuyir Obi-Wan Kenobi, ba'buir." - "I'm sure you've gathered this is Obi-Wan Kenobi, grandmother."

"Mm - rejorhaa'ir him kaysh ru'kir respect cuun traditions bal not nuhoy o'r gar haav'yam." - "Mm - tell him he should respect our traditions and not sleep in your bedroom."

"Ba'buir - " "Grandmother - "

"Ni liked bel - nice jag, bal a related at te clan." - "I liked Bel - nice man, and a related to the clan."

"Ni jorhaa'ir mando'a, ner ladies." - "I speak Mando'a, my ladies."

Author's note: I...I can't believe it. This is the end of Secrets of the Negotiator. It's done. Completed.

Well anyways - I want to thank everyone, from the first reviewers who stuck with me nearly 2 years ago, to those who only just started reading.

I started this fic as a way to cope with my chaotic life, and I've amassed this universe in the process. I've made so many friends in the process, and probably saved myself from damaging ways as well.

Don't worry, this isn't the end of this universe. I have a couple of more stories in the process - we, of course, need to know what happens with Hardeen and everything past that ;)

I might take a few days off, I might not.

But regardless - enjoy my dears and thank you again.

With all my love my dear readers,

ii Digestive Reader ii

Note: The next story in this saga is called "Kadavo to Naboo"

It follows this story from just after the Zygerria arc to after the Hardeen arc. It is from multiple POVs, and has an M Rating. I do hope you'll join me - as I write this note, K to N has eight chapters and counting. I haven't had very many comments on it - it has multiple POVs, Anakin and Obi-Wan possibly losing their grips on reality, Satine dissolving into a state of panic...Obi-Wan's untimely stint as a bounty hunter...

Come by and join the party!