CHAPTER EIGHT.

The hour Phoenix spent waiting felt like the longest hour of her life. She had changed her outfit and bit her nails until there was nothing to bite. Her bad habits came out under pressure and she hated herself the second she realised what she had done to her nails. But she was also far too anxious to care about how bad what she was doing was. She just wanted to meet the Jedi protector so she could feel somewhat safe again.

So when there was a knock on the door, Phoenix jumped from the couch to get to the door. Jax had yet to return and she had got a message that said he would not be back until later on in the day. Though Phoenix didn't exactly appreciate it, she understood he had business to attend to. She shouldn't have been surprised in the slightest. It was his job. But she had the Jedi protector now and they would make her feel infinitely safer than Jax could. She knew that. It would ease her anxiety.

She pulled the door open and when she saw the man on the other side, her stomach dropped. A wave of nostalgia hit her like a freighter. Her mouth dropped a little as she analysed his features. Those eyes. She would never forget those damn eyes and she hated it. Obi-kriffing-Wan Kenobi. Her anxiety resurfaced in an instant and she felt her throat constrict. Suddenly, overly aware of how she looked.

"Hello there," Obi-Wan said. His smile was still as bright as it had been as a teenager. Thoughts ran through Phoenix's head at a million miles an hour. She wondered if Obi-Wan recognised her. If he was just as anxious as she was to see him, just as scared. But then again, he shouldn't feel like that. He was the one that left, he was the one that broke up with her and broke her heart.

"Hello. Did Chancellor Palpatine send you?" Phoenix asked, trying to be as diplomatic as possible as she stepped back. Her words came off as too casual and she sounded jarred by his presence. It was a terrible new impression and Phoenix hated herself for it. Obi-Wan walked into the accommodation and nodded, keeping himself as diplomatic as he could be. Even when they broke up, he was diplomatic.

"Yes, he did. I was told you needed protection and that you were attacked. Would you be able to show me where?" Obi-Wan asked and Phoenix nodded but she could feel her skin crawling. Just having him around made her simultaneously happy and disgusted and she hated it. She didn't understand why he could so easily act like nothing had happened while she was failing miserably at pretending like she didn't know him.

She opened the door and gestured into the study. Obi-Wan walked inside first while Phoenix took her place at the door and watched him survey the room. His eyes scrutinised every single detail, taking note of everything and Phoenix felt awkward standing there, acting as if they didn't know each other, as if there wasn't history between them. 

Her mind was running away with her and she didn't even know how to feel. She had to be at the Senate soon but she couldn't even think straight. Going into any meeting would be suicide in her mindset. The only man she had ever loved was stood in front of her in all his ridiculous Jedi glory and he had to protect her through these Senate meetings. She was doomed.

"Did they cause you any harm?" Obi-Wan asked as he turned to face her. Phoenix nodded and gestured to her neck but didn't really give him any more detail. He nodded and took her word, looking over the room before walking back out of the study. Phoenix allowed him and followed him, "Have you got a Senate meeting to attend?" He asked and Phoenix nodded, "I will accompany you there and stand guard," He said. Phoenix looked at him almost in disbelief before she took a deep breath and rubbed her face with her hands.

"Why you?" Phoenix asked, the question had been running through her head since he walked in. She grabbed her holopad filled with her speeches for the day before she walked towards the door. Obi-Wan was already standing waiting for her and he glanced back. His eyebrows furrowed together. Clearly he was not understanding her question so she gestured to him, "Why are you here, Obi-Wan? Of all the Jedis. Why, you?" She attempted to emphasise her point with waving hands but he only seemed to be more confused.

"Senator Vanda, I was asked by Chancellor Palpatine. There is no other motive here. I am doing my duty to the Senate. Do not take my acceptance as something else," Obi-Wan said, his voice quieter than normal. It was as if he wanted to hide what had happened between them all those years ago. It infuriated her. He had grown older since they had last spoken, grown a beard even. It looked good on him but her observations of him changed nothing. He was still the diplomatic Jedi that broke her heart and now he was here. In front of her again and trying to hide what they had as if it held any significance now.

"I did not take your acceptance as anything else! I'm engaged. I simply wondered why it was you that was chosen. Considering our history but clearly, I see that it was a mistake to ask. Shall we leave?" She opened the door and quickly ushered him out of the room. She just shouldn't have said anything. She should have been quiet and diplomatic. That's what she should have been. There was no other motive here and she was kidding herself if she thought otherwise.

No matter what her feelings are, he was only her protector and there was nothing they could change now. She was a damsel and he was her knight in shining armour even if she would rather him not be.

-

Phoenix's debates in the Senate had gone better than any previous day. Though that was likely because she was trying not to be distracted by Obi-Wan's presence. He had been hovering around her all day and now that the evening had long since set in. Phoenix was just trying to forget about him. She didn't want to admit it to herself but she knew she was still madly in love with him.

But she couldn't be. She just couldn't. He left her all those years ago and told her that they could never be an item. He told her that she needed to get over him. She was the one that was left in the dust and she had no right to try and bring him back down. Break the Code for her. He'd already said that he didn't want her so she just had to accept that. Even if even so many years on, she found that difficult to grapple with.

Not to mention, Phoenix had a fiance now and she knew she had to love him. Not that she believed that she loved him. Obi-Wan had only confused her feelings further. He may have been in her memories all the time but that wasn't anything that affected her love for Jax in real-time. Remembering him and the version of him in her memories helped her work out how she felt. But the fact that he was here, right in front of her, always around her. That made her confused and almost sure that she didn't love Jax despite how much she wanted to.

So, instead of dwelling on that. Instead of talking to Obi-Wan. They walked back to her room together in silence. He was quiet and constantly looking around to confirm her safety and Phoenix kept glancing at him. As much as she tried not to, she was curious. It had been years since she'd seen him.

In those years, he only seemed to grow more mature and much more handsome. His hair was still cut short but styled differently. His hair swooped to one side and there was no Padawan braid anymore. Not that she thought there would, he would have passed his trials probably half a decade ago. He could even have his own Padawan but Phoenix didn't ask.

Instead, she kept stealing glances that he noticed. She knew he noticed but he didn't comment. Either because he didn't want to embarrass her or he secretly liked it, she didn't know but he said nothing. The click of their footsteps on the dura-wood floor was all that could be heard as they appeared in front of Phoenix's door.

She almost didn't want to leave him or for him to leave. She wanted him to come into the room with her but that would probably be considered highly inappropriate and she didn't want to overstep his boundaries or her own comfort. Still, she was confused and she had a feeling that she would feel like this until she spoke to Obi-Wan or someone about everything.

"I will be staying on watch out here. Shout to me if something happens inside. I'll be here all night," Obi-Wan said as he allowed Phoenix to open the door. She nodded her head and opened her mouth to comment but Obi-Wan was quick to speak over her, "I will be leaving at 3am and swapping with another Jedi who will watch over you until your Senate duties in the morning. I will return to escort you," He explained. That certainly answered Phoenix's question so she nodded and stepped inside. Obi-Wan moved to stand next to the door, glancing around the corridor and making sure that there was nothing there.

Phoenix closed the door behind her and let out a soft sigh of relief. She was free from him for just a little bit. Even if he was just outside her door, she was free from his presence hovering around her. Maybe Jax would be back soon and she could be distracted by his warm smile and hugs.

That sounded good enough for Phoenix so she walked over to the rations drawer and grabbed something. She put it in the nanowave and waited for it to cook. They weren't the most healthy meals but she didn't have the energy to do anything else. She just needed food and to work on some Senate speeches. She would then be free to do whatever she pleased for the rest of the evening. Hopefully, she would be able to spend it with her fiance.

-

Phoenix had been sitting in the study for the hours. The leftovers of her rations had gone cold on a plate next to her. Her neck craned over yet another speech, trying to word it perfectly. She was having trouble and while she just wanted to show off and prove her point, it seemed almost impossible. There was always so much she had to say and it was impossible to narrow those points down to a few sentences.

The night had set in. The sun had long since set and Jax had not returned. The hope that he would return early had trickled away with the last rays of sunlight so now she was sitting, writing. Trying to keep her mind off the Jedi outside. This speech needed to be done. She had to focus but it was so difficult.

Her typing had stopped mid-sentence and then she felt a kiss on her head. She jumped and pulled back and her head shot around but found that it was Jax. Her heart thumped against her ribcage but upon seeing him, she calmed down significantly. The annoyance grew but she was quick to squash it. It wasn't Jax's fault, he didn't realise it would scare her.

"Did I scare you?" He asked and Phoenix nodded. She placed her holopad down and stood up so she could hug him. A soft smile on her lips as she held him close. He then pressed a kiss to her temple before lifting her chin up and pressing a soft kiss to her lips. But the kiss felt wrong. Phoenix tried not to pull away too quickly but she couldn't stand his touch all of a sudden. She didn't want questions but he still looked a little confused at her almost flinch.

 "I'm sorry, I've had an exhausting day and Obi-Wan is outside the room. It makes me feel... strange," Phoenix said as she moved out of his arms. She then pushed the chair into the desk before she turned and headed out of the room. She could finish her speech in the morning. She needed sleep and maybe to just sit and talk to Jax for a bit.

"Has he done something?" Jax asked, instantly assuming the worst which she should have anticipated. She shook her head. Obi-Wan could never do something remotely bad to her. He was far too sweet and she was far too in love with him to even realise. But the second that word came to her head, she swatted the thoughts away. She was getting married to Jax, she could not let that feeling even exist in her mind for someone else. And Obi-Wan had done plenty wrong, he had broken her heart and she could not pretend otherwise.

"No, he's just around. I'm not used to someone guarding me like that. So it'll take some time to get used to," Phoenix explained and Jax looked at her for a moment. He then gave in and nodded, glancing back at the study before he closed the door. She went to their bedroom and Jax went to make some food in their small kitchenette.

Once Phoenix was in their bedroom, she changed into her pyjamas and got into bed, waiting for Jax to come back in. Her hair was braided into a simple braid to keep it out of her face for the night. She rested against the headboard, trying not to think so deeply about the day she'd had. She knew that she had acted strange and dismissive but she hadn't meant to.

Her emotions were simply confused but she hoped that sleeping by his side would give her some sort of clarity to the thoughts that were swirling around her head. She hated that her mind was so messy and distracted because of Obi-Wan Kenobi.

"I saw your sketchbook out in the office. I thought I'd bring it in here," Jax said as he held up the white pad. Phoenix smiled. She had been doing some sketching to get her creative energy out but she had not yet let herself get the easel out and actually paint. She hadn't gotten to that level of need.

"Thank you," Phoenix said as she took it from him. She leant over to the bedside table and grabbed the pencils before she opened it to a fresh page. Jax changed into his pyjamas as she began to sketch a new scene. It was just a peaceful quiet enchanted forest with little creatures roaming around. She liked the concept and thought she might as well try and get it down.

"Did you have a good day in the Senate?" Jax asked as he pulled his shirt over his head. He walked over to the bed and got in by her side, sliding under the covers and leaning against the headboard. He took his datapad and began to flick through it. Phoenix shrugged.

"It was normal. But I did have a breakthrough with one of the more difficult Senators," Phoenix said, reflecting on the day with a soft smile on her lips. She hadn't really thought about her day in too much detail. She was too focused on what was going to happen next and the Jedi that stood outside her room, guarding her.

"Oh really?" The corners of Jax's mouth twitched up into a proud smile. He knew how much the Senate business meant to her and how she had been having a downturn in luck with them. It seemed to be turning around again and that was always a good thing.

 "Yeah. I've got another three meetings with him where we will discuss and finalise the trade deals. Also, we might be able to set up Embassies so we can have closer relations." Phoenix said, her smile just as bright as she continued to sketch. She twisted the pad so it was on a slight angle before she went back to drawing, not bothering to look up at him, "I'm hoping it won't fall through," She added. Jax nodded and flicked through some more files on his datapad. Clearly he was looking for something in particular.

"I don't think it will. You're intelligent and our planet is wonderful. They would be fools to pass up on a trade deal with Mith," Jax said in hopes of making her a little more optimistic. She nodded and went back to drawing the grass, trying to make it more concise and less sketchy.

 "You'd be surprised by the number of fools in the Senate," Phoenix chuckled softly. Jax rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to say something that he would surely regret. So, instead, stayed silent. The silence quickly engulfed them and it was peaceful, the two just working into the late hours of the night. It was nice to be in each other's presence and it distracted Phoenix's mind enough.

Eventually, she felt tired enough to sleep and placed the sketchbook down. Her arms wrapped around the pillow and she snuggled up to it. Her eyes closed and she slowly fell into slumber. She hadn't had slept so peacefully in a very long time and she wasn't sure why she did but she was pleased nonetheless.

-

NOTE; hello it's on time this week! or just about, three hours left of monday for me but it's here. and OBI-WAN IS HERE!! ahhh i hope you at least liked the introduction of him, i'm super hyped for him to be in this more, these two were honestly so fun to write so i hope you enjoy reading this as much as i did writing <3