CHAPTER ELEVEN

Mith was gorgeous at night. The sky was a dark blue, clouds streaking the sky in light blues and purples. The stars peeking through the barrier. Phoenix loved Mith at night, especially when winter was receding into spring. The light disappeared later and later as the days began to morph and the sky was always coloured a brilliant orange as the sun set in the distance. It was beautiful.

But she had also found another reason to love the return to springtime. It reminded Phoenix of the start of her relationship with Obi-Wan. He had been an innocent Jedi Padawan and Phoenix was a girl with a dream that she was beginning to realise was never her own. But she pursued it with a fierce heart despite it all.

Her paintings, however, still took up much of her time. Which is exactly why she was prowling around the city centre when she knew that she shouldn't be outside. The city was one of the safest places she'd been but there had been some strange attacks in recent days. Not that it put Phoenix off. Even when heavy snow storms hit the city, she went out to take pictures she could use for references in paintings. The market in the dead of night was her muse and despite the attacks, she needed to get pictures.

She hummed softly to herself as she walked through. Her camera in her left hand. It was a small little device that sent the pictures she took straight to her datapad. Cameras had improved massively over her lifetime and now they looked like you were standing there. It was strange but Phoenix adored it. She didn't feel like she was losing any quality when she used a picture reference and that made her infinitely happier.

She lifted her camera up and took another picture of the abandoned square. The fountain was trickling water into the bowl. It was on a slower setting since nobody was ever around this late at night. It didn't have to be an attraction but Phoenix still thought it looked beautiful. The street lights hung overhead and gave the area a warm glow that barely penetrated the pitch-black darkness a few metres away. It was ominous and Phoenix loved it.

Ominous nights were where Phoenix thrived whether she was watching from afar or actually in them. She adored it to no end but this particular night had a strange aura to it. Phoenix didn't know whether it was a positive or negative thing but it felt strange. She walked towards the edge of the market area and then there was a strange hum and suddenly a blaster shot by her head. 

She yelped but before she could make any move, her body was slammed against the pavement, behind a stall and she let out a scream that was muffled by a hand over her mouth. She looked on, her eyebrows furrowing before she recognised the jawline and sparkling blue eyes of her boyfriend. She didn't know what he was doing here and why he had thrown her so violently. Her side throbbed from the impact and it was hard for her to hold back the tears.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, his voice low and urgent as he climbed off her. Taking his hand away. Phoenix's head was throbbing and she was pretty sure her arm was scraped but the dull pain wasn't enough to overcome her confusion and panic.

"I was taking pictures. For my paintings," She responded, her voice low and hushed. He sighed, gently shaking his head and then glanced around. He heard footsteps and another blaster shot by their head. Phoenix instinctively looked over the top of the stall to see where it was coming from but Obi-Wan was quick to duck her head down, keeping her out of the firing line. She had no idea what she was doing.

"It's not safe. I left you a message," Obi-Wan responded and Phoenix furrowed her eyebrows. She didn't know what he was talking about, she hadn't been left a message. And if she had, it was either lost to the void that was the net or it had been lost in the mess that was her painting studio.

"I didn't see it," She responded, his tone was almost accusatory so she bit back without hesitation. He sighed and kept her head down, protecting her with his arm as he went silent. His concentration clearly elsewhere as she knelt, waiting and breathing softly and trying not to think about whatever was with them.

"You being here is a risk," He muttered as he took his lightsaber off his belt. Phoenix gave him a questioning look and he glanced around, "I cannot make the hard decisions if you are here." She frowned and he ran his fingers through his hair. He pushed his Padawan braid behind his ear and Phoenix couldn't quite understand what had happened.

She knew that the Code forbade attachment but Obi-Wan had been clear that he was okay with breaking that rule. They had to be careful but he wanted to. However, now that their lives had crossed over, his Jedi life and his love for her, he couldn't. Phoenix didn't understand it but he couldn't keep this up any longer. It dawned on him in that moment but he didn't say any of this, letting his mind race as he tried to keep them safe.

"We need to talk about this later" Phoenix muttered as she slid away from him. Keeping her head ducked and out of sight. The surprise and happiness over seeing him had drained into pain and misery as she watched his face. Her scraped arm was stinging, the dirt from the floor had got into it a lot more than she expected but there was nothing that she could do. She was stuck until Obi-Wan said otherwise.

"Phoenix, there is no talking about this later. I shouldn't have gotten involved with you," Obi-Wan's gaze moved from the figure that was stalking through the square to the blonde in front of him, "It was a mistake and although I hoped we could keep our life and my duties separate, that has become impossible," Obi-Wan said, his words hushed and quick as he looked at her. Phoenix stared at him, not even sure how to respond to this. His words had come out of nowhere and it made her heart ache. 

"Obi-Wan." She begged softly. He shook his head and then glanced over at the figure. His heart was pounding against his ribcage.

"Stay here, I will lead him away  You have to run to your studio and don't look back," He said. Phoenix furrowed her eyebrows and grabbed his hand, forcing him back down to the floor. He stumbled as he turned to face her.

"We can work this out," She whispered. He shook his head and the weight of the situation hit her. Her whole world spun beneath her as she stared at him. This was worse than she had expected. She almost expected something to go wrong but not like this. She didn't expect his haste and his cruelty. It was odd.

"Now, run." He said as he jumped to his feet. His lightsaber was on as he rushed towards the figure that was still stalking through the market. Phoenix stood up and bounded out of the market. She took the shortcut to her studio and rushed to the elevator, slamming against the buttons until it opened. She shoved her back against the elevator and pressed the button for her studio, everything that had just happened hit her like a freighter.

Phoenix wasn't sure how long she'd been thinking about that memory for but when she came back to reality, she was alone in the bedroom. Obi-Wan was gone and she couldn't even hear the distant mumble of his voice. She wasn't sure where Jax was either. Her face was buried in her pillow.

But then Jax walked in and he had his comm out. A moving picture of her father was being projected out of it. Phoenix rolled over on the soft white covers and pushed herself to sit up. Her eyelids felt heavy, she felt drained. Emotionally and physically. Her cheeks were still tear-stained and red. The whole apartment was quiet apart from Jax's voice. He was practically whispering as he spoke to her father. His words seemed like a muddle at first but the more Phoenix concentrated on what was actually coming out of his mouth, the more she understood what he was saying.

"This is the second time she has been attacked. She is not safe with a Jedi Protector or not. She shouldn't be left here. It's dangerous for her. At least at home she has protection, she has you," Jax explained, his voice hushed and his eyes kept glancing to the bed but it didn't seem like he had realised that Phoenix was listening.

"I'm not going home," Phoenix said. Her voice was slightly hoarse but the determination and annoyance were clear in her tone. The volume made Jax jump and he looked at her. A look in his eyes that she couldn't quite decipher. She pushed herself off the bed, walking up to him, "I'm safe here, I promise. I'm protected and nothing happened to me. Just a few scratches because a window was smashed. I don't need to return home," Phoenix said as she looked at her father. His face was stony and his brow creased. The silence was deafening as he thought it over.

"I know that you would like to continue your Senate business, little flame, but it is clear you are unsafe on Coruscant," Her father said as he looked at her. His tone was ever-formal but he used the nickname. The one that made her want to give in to her father. He knew her too well but she wasn't going to, not this time she simply couldn't. She had too many things to do and too many offers to make.

"I'm so close to getting at least three trade deals with some of the best Senators. I'm going to improve the life of our people. I can't leave now. I cannot flee, they will see that as me being weak and I cannot have that. Please, father," Phoenix practically begged as she looked at him. A soft sigh escaped his lips and Brendaen looked up at Jax.

"I don't have the authority to decide these things anymore, Phoenix. Jax called me for advice. He is your future husband, he can decide," Her father responded, trying to step away from the argument. Phoenix looked at her father, her eyebrows pulled together before she let out a sigh, turning to face the wall. Her eyes filled with tears all over again. This was a joke.

"I do not care what either of you have to say to me tonight! These deals are important not only to me but to our people! Neither of you will ever understand. Mum would have!" Phoenix lost her cool. She wasn't exactly shouting but her voice was louder than it ever had been around either of them. She knew her worth and she was not some object to be paraded around. She was not someone to be bossed around and she couldn't believe either of them acted as if they had authority and agency over her.

"She is not here anymore, Phoenix. Do not bring her up here," Her father responded, his voice getting louder but it was a calm sort of angry. The sort that Phoenix usually hated but at this point, she didn't care about what he was thinking or what he said. She wouldn't be paraded around for Jax to gape at and control.

"You don't want to bring her up because you treating me like an object that Jax owns is against everything she stood for. Do not be like the sexist pigs she dealt with before marrying you," Phoenix responded. Her voice was calm but she was sure that she would shout again if he tried to deny her. Her father looked defeated by Phoenix's words and gently shook his head. His fingers then ran through his hair and he looked at her through the screen.

"You are not my object to control either then, little flame. This is not something I can speak on. If Jax wants you to leave, you need to discuss this with him. Now, I need to go to sleep. Goodnight and I'll be happy to have you return if that's what you decide, if not then do not return to me dead, please," Brendaen said, the defeated look still spreading across his face. Phoenix nodded and said a soft sincere goodbye before she shut off the comms. Jax looked at her with gritted teeth and a frown on his face. His arms crossed over his chest as he walked past her without saying a word.

"Why would you speak to my father? You know how much he cares for me and how he worries. He's already lost my mother, why are you putting the anxiety of losing me on his head too. That's cruel at best," Phoenix said as she looked up at her fiance. His eyebrows pulled together, his arms over his chest. His usually adorable and soft face now looked almost angry. His jaw clenched at her words as his hands turned to fists. He'd looked so angry even before she interrupted.

"I was doing it so it would convince you to go back home. You are going to die if you stay here and it's ridiculous. You're going to get yourself killed and there's no reason for it. You're using the trade deals as an excuse. It's almost like you want to die," Jax responded, his voice low but his words were accentuated, accusatory. He was practically spitting them at her as he glared at her.

"They're anything but excuses. I want to do what's best for our people. They chose me for Senator for a reason," Phoenix responded. This old argument seemed to come back up again. Jax didn't want her to be on Coruscant because he did not see it as her place. He never had. His sister was meant to take up this Senator role but in a sudden twist and landslide election, Phoenix had won. She never knew what had happened but she was always happy. She didn't have the amount of money Jax's family had but she still managed to get on top.

"My sister would have already had them done," He muttered under his breath, turning around and grabbing his comm. Phoenix looked at him, her hands balling into fists as she glared at the back of his head. Her mouth opened ready to go off at him and scream but the door to the bedroom opened and Obi-Wan was there, an unhappy look on his face.

"Go on, speak with him. It was his name you were screaming earlier," Jax muttered as he shoved past Phoenix and then Obi-Wan leaving the room and both of them alone. Phoenix glared at him, her anger felt overwhelming and she needed to punch somebody or cry. She had worked so hard for this Senate seat and to have people listen to her but he was right. 

If his sister had got in, she would have gotten this done because her family had money and senators like money. They were greedy pigs. Phoenix was a woman from an average background. She was not viewed highly in anyone's eyes. The only person who had ever made her feel worth something was standing in front of her but she couldn't say anything to him. She couldn't even talk to him without it turning hostile.

Phoenix turned away from Obi-Wan as she pressed her hand over her mouth. Her eyes glistened with tears and she felt like sobbing. The tears threatened to fall down her cheeks and she pressed both her hands against her face, taking deep breaths. But the salty tears stung her cut-up hands. 

Obi-Wan gently placed his hand on her shoulder and she turned to look at him. She looked a mess, covered in cuts from the glass.

"I would like to take you to the medical wing since Jax failed to do so," He said softly. Phoenix nodded and he gently took her arm, guiding her out of the room.

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NOTE; the drama continuessss! a reveal on why obi-wan and phoenix broke up. honestly wouldn't consider it much of a break-up, obi-wan clearly had no idea what he was doing but we move. also some reveal about jax which will crop up again later :) i hope you enjoyed this chapter <3