CHAPTER SEVEN.

Phoenix and Jax had gotten back from the dinner late into the night. It was nearing 3am by the time they got in. Phoenix changed into her pyjamas quickly and got into bed. However, she couldn't sleep. There was something that was holding her back and she couldn't fall into the slumber she needed. Jax was sat up reading, as he always did before he slept.

Though even he seemed to be having difficulty reading. That was more likely because of the copious amounts of wine and other spirits he had drunk over the course of the night rather than whatever was afflicting Phoenix. She had opted out of drinking altogether. Alcohol only made her more paranoid when she was in an anxious headspace. So, instead, she kept a clear head. Something that she wasn't thankful for now as she put her head down to try and sleep again.

All she could think about was the assassination attempt. She just didn't understand how someone was so overtly against her that they would try to harm her. She didn't understand who would want to kill her and send someone like that. The man's touch was still clear on her skin and the bruises from his fingertips were still there. It made her feel gross but she had resigned herself to ignoring it the best she could.

Not that it was very possible. Phoenix's mind constantly drifted back to it and it was inescapable. Dragging her down whenever it had the chance. Pulling her underneath the water. Her throat constricted as the images came back. She didn't realise it had hit her this hard. She didn't understand why it had. It was just an attempt. They did nothing but bruise her and touch her. Nothing more.

But the what-ifs and the possibilities seemed to keep her awake and thinking. What if Jax hadn't walked in? Where would his hands have gone? What would he have done to her? She would be dead without Jax or she might have been assaulted in more horrific ways. One of the two, maybe both. Just those thoughts made her feel sick to the stomach, her mind running away with those possibilities.

Phoenix wanted to escape her own mind but she couldn't do it. Nothing could occupy her mind and she hated it. So, she just stayed in bed and stared off at the wall and the ceiling. Adjusting her position every few minutes due to her inability to get truly comfortable.

It took a few hours but eventually, Jax went to sleep. Phoenix could only tell due to his snores. He didn't do them often but every now and then they would appear. It was nothing irritating but only made it more difficult for Phoenix to find the solace of sleep. She was instead stuck, in her own mind and couldn't fall asleep.

After another few minutes or maybe it had been half an hour, Phoenix turned over again and grabbed her datapad. Her hand snatched it from the bedside table and she switched it on to check the time. 5am. A soft sigh escaped her lips and she shut it off again. Her head falling down and burying in the pillows. But the darkness that encompassed her vision quickly brought the paranoia down, crushing her. So, she sat up quickly. Taking a long deep breath. This was fine, she was fine. There was nobody in the room.

Her eyes scanned the gloomy room and she felt like she was being watched. Rubbing her face with her hands, she rested for a long moment. Her hands rested on her lap as she tried to get out of her own head. The sheets were soft underneath her touch and she really should have been comforted by the warmth they gave but she wasn't.

So, she pushed them back and stood up. The exhaustion seemed to hit her like a truck then but she ignored it. She wasn't going to sleep no matter what she tried so a caf seemed to be in order. With quiet footsteps (assisted by the rugged floor) she managed to get out of the room with little to no sound.

Just because she couldn't sleep didn't mean that she was going to stop Jax from sleeping. So, she closed the door quickly and switched the lights on in the main room. Her eyes glazed over every nook and cranny as she walked towards the kitchenette. Her anxiety was still on high alert which probably would only be exacerbated by the caffeine but she didn't really think that far ahead.

Staying awake was her main priority at that moment. If she fell asleep, the nightmares would come and there was risk of something happening to her in her sleep. With Jax asleep too, anything could happen and that's not what she wanted. She wanted to be safe and protected. Not afraid. But the fear wasn't going to disappear, she just had to work through it.

Once she made her caf, she sat on the armchair and stared off at the walls. Her legs pulled up to her chest as she sank too deep into the soft cushions. She felt like she was being swallowed but where that feeling had once given her comfort, it now made her feel even more vulnerable. She wouldn't be able to escape quickly.

As the morning sun slowly began to rise and the rays shone through the windows, Phoenix was nearly done with her caf. The sun shone on her face and warmed her up just a little bit as she stayed curled up. Her eyes glanced at the holo-clock and it read that it was only about half 5. That was the good thing about the Coruscant summers. The sun rose early in the morning. Phoenix had always liked that even if most of the time she detested getting up early in the morning.

Taking the last sip of caf, Phoenix got up. The mug was discarded on the counter and she walked back to the bedroom. Trying her best not to disturb her sleeping fiance as she crawled back into bed. After the night of terror, she felt better. The memories didn't feel as terrifying now that the sun was up so she wanted to be close to Jax. Just for the comfort of having him there. Her body shuffling under the covers before she snuggled up to his back. Her arms wrapped around his chest as she rested her head between his shoulder blades.

She could feel the soft rise and fall of his chest and the irregular movements that showed he was slowly beginning to wake up. Phoenix thought that was her fault but she had quickly come to realise in their courtship that he simply rose early in the morning. He practically rose with the sun which was probably a good thing today. It would mean that Phoenix wasn't so alone and could enjoy his company before the day truly began. The city was slowly coming alive outside the window but it was nowhere near as alive as it was during the late hours of the night.

Everything seemed serene and then she felt Jax move onto his front and she was quick to shuffle back and allow him more space. Her smile widening as she looked up at him. His red hair was just slightly more messy than usually and his freckled cheeks were pulled up into a small sleepy smile.

"How long have you been awake?" He asked, his voice raspy and low due to the fatigue that still plagued him. Phoenix shrugged in response. Her hand rested under her head as she admired him. Her other hand rested on the pillow. Jax then fully rolled onto his side so he was facing her. His brown eyes searching hers and he was quick to notice the dark bags under her eyes, a clear sign that she hadn't been sleeping at all, "You really should go home," He said as he looked at her. The seriousness was evident in his features. Phoenix merely shook her head in response. A soft sigh escaped her lips.

"I'm not going home. I don't need to go home. Imagine what my father would think, what my mother would think if I gave up at the first sign of trouble," Phoenix said as she looked into his eyes. Jax sighed and moved his hand to take hers, pulling it to his face so he could press a kiss to her palm.

"Your father would much rather have an alive daughter than a dead one. You can make him proud while you live but if you stay here, you risk dying and losing everything," Jax said. His thoughts were incredibly coherent considering how he'd only woke up a few minutes earlier. Maybe he had thought about this or maybe he was just the embodiment of reason that Phoenix knew she needed in her life. Either way, she knew he was right.

"Just let me think about it for today," Phoenix said as she looked at him. Jax nodded and pressed another kiss to her palm before he let his eyes close. He seemed just as exhausted as Phoenix felt but he could sleep. She couldn't. So, as he dozed in and out of sleep. Her gaze turned to the wall opposite. Her daydreams clouded her mind and the thoughts of her mother returned. It had been so long since she'd talked about her to anyone.

The painting studio was beautiful and bright in the early morning sun. Winter was slowly beginning to creep in on Mith but the sun still rose early for now. The light flooded the room and illuminated every detail. From the peeling paint on discarded palettes and the slightly shimmery rose patterns on the walls. It left the room feeling warm but not too warm, the perfect temperature to paint.

Which was what Phoenix was doing. A palette in hand, her paintbrush in the other and a boy sat in the window seat. He quieitly read a book as the two spent a lazy morning together. It wasn't long until Phoenix was bored of painting and the temptation to instead watch the city come to life was too strong.

So, she walked over to the window where the boy was already sat. The Padawan was hunched up, reading a book on Jedi techniques. His braid tucked behind his ear as he engrossed himself in the different fighting patterns that an opponent would take. Phoenix didn't care about fighting or just about anything that the Jedi learnt. Maybe the debating was a good skill but it wasn't what she wanted to do with her life. What she wanted to do was paint and sell her paintings.

If she could be famous for her paintings, that would be ideal but today was not the day of dreams. Today was her birthday and her birthday marked the death of her mother. Someone Phoenix could never seem to forget about, not that she wanted to. 

So, as the city began to come to life, she sat on the window seat. Her feet dangling out in the open air as she looked out at the buildings across the city. The painting studio was a large place, cluttered with things and paintings. It made her feel part of something but when she sat on the window seat, everything felt so small and insignificant. The window opened up completely and she could see across the capital from so high up.

"You're gonna fall out of that window one day," Obi-Wan said, his head lifting from his book. He gave her the side eye and she looked back, rolling her eyes at him before shuffling over so he could join her. He usually did despite how much he said he disliked her doing it.

"Well, when I do, you can save me with your Force," Phoenix teased as she watched the city. The sunlight bounced off the large skyscrapers and created shadows along neighbouring buildings. When the sun was high enough, the shadows would get shorter or change direction. Exposing new places for Phoenix to look and inspect despite the fact she knew every inch of this city.

"My Force is not that strong yet," Obi-Wan said as he closed his book. He then crawled over to the window and sat down next to her. His cloak was left discarded on the window seat as the two looked at the city. The city had been set aflame by the morning sun.

"Do you ever think that the sunsets and sunrises make the city look like it's burning?" Phoenix asked after a moment. Her hand reached out to take Obi-Wan's. Their fingers tangled together as they both watched the hum and buzz of the city start again, another new morning. It was a nice thing just to admire from afar.

"Sometimes, yes," Obi-Wan said, a soft smile on his face as he turned to look at her. Admiring her face, her smile. The way her eyes shone in the sun and her skin glowed. He didn't know how he'd gotten so lucky even if he wasn't meant to form attachments to other people. Though Qui-Gon never really enforced that particular rule, "I've never asked but why did your parents call you Phoenix? It's unusual," Obi-Wan said after a moment. Even he was unsure how his thoughts had landed on that question but it seemed logical enough for him not to question it too much.

A sad smile spread across Phoenix's face at his words. It wasn't exactly the nicest tale but he had asked. He deserved an answer and today was as good a day as any, "My mother died giving birth to me but my father, he believed that she had to die to be reborn. That I was the phoenix that grew from her ashes. It was something silly like that but even as I grew older, he said that I was so much like my mother. So sometimes I wonder if maybe I'm her reborn but... I don't much believe in fate, do you?" She asked curiously. Maybe she had gone on a bit of a tangent with the meaning but she didn't often get to speak about her mother so she seized any chance she got.

"I think that the Force works in mysterious ways that nobody can understand," Obi-Wan responded as he watched her face. He noticed the sadness in her eyes and made sure to squeeze her hand in an attempt to comfort her. Phoenix smiled softly back at him, looking at him properly and adjusting how she was sat.

"I suppose but I don't think that my mother died so she could be reborn as me. I just think that she died so I could still live on and be better. Or I try to believe that because... the alternative is much more cruel" Phoenix shrugged as she looked at him. He smiled softly and lifted her hand onto his lap so he could hold her hand tighter and closer to him.

"And what if you're not whatever you deem as better?" Obi-Wan asked curiously. Maybe it was a morbid and dark thought but he was curious what she thought. He had only ever really interacted with few people outside of the Temple so he was a curious soul, trying to understand everyone the best he could.

"Then the universe is just cruel," Phoenix said as she looked away back to the skyline and the sun that was finally breaking through the skyscrapers. The time seemed to be passing quicker than Phoenix had thought and when she glanced back, it was nearing 10am.

It was strange how time passed so quickly with Obi-Wan around but she liked it. The hard days passed so much quicker when she had him. She didn't even have to be cuddling him, just his presence was good enough. They could be completely separate. He could be reading, she could be painting. Even when he was meditating and completely unaware of the world, it made her feel safe and happy nevertheless.

That's why she always wanted him around. That's why she loved him. That's why her heart fluttered and her stomach twisted in knots when she was around him. The safeness and happiness he brought her is exactly why she blushed at the smallest of compliment he paid her. The love she held for him was why she never wanted to leave him or for him to leave even if it was an inevitability.

-

 Phoenix spent most of her morning staring off at the wall. Her mind wandered to memories of her teen years. Remembering the one time she loved someone truly. It was frustrating being reminded that she didn't love Jax so regularly. The constant daydreaming of her youth was worse on Coruscant. Despite her desperate want to love Jax, she couldn't. Not in the same way that she loved Obi-Wan.

Jax was gone by mid-morning, doing some deals with some Coruscanti nobles. She didn't ask, she wasn't supposed to ask. But as the midday sun shone through the windows and she was on her sixth cup of caf for the day, she realised that maybe she should tell somebody other than Jax about what had happened. He couldn't protect her, he didn't have the ability to track down who it was. If she was going to stay here, which she was determined to do, she should try and find someone to actually work out who wants her dead.

So, after a brief conversation with Palpatine's secretary she had a meeting schedule. She had to get ready and be at his door within the next half an hour. Something that seemed feasible, that is until she got up and realised she was exhausted. Her movements were sluggish and everything seemed to take double the time it usually would.

But her dress and heels were on and hair was put up with ten minutes to walk to the office which really wouldn't be needed. It was only a short walk away but she still set off early. Her mind was exhausted and her legs were exhausted. She had a weight on her shoulders that she couldn't handle so she knew the walk would take too long.

Though she didn't like admitting that she was scared and worried about what was going to happen. She didn't want to be perceived as weak but she had no choice. Someone wanted her dead, someone wanted a drunken, creepy assassin to slit her throat and she needed to know who and why.

So, when she arrived at Palpatine's door, she was glad that she was allowed in almost immediately. She passed the sculptures on the walls that depicted something she never quite understood, she sat down on the chair across from him. Her hands resting in her lap and her fingers fidgeting with the soft fabric of her gown.

"Is Jax not joining you today?" Palpatine asked as he looked down at her. The chair always made him that little bit taller than her. His arms rested on the table as he watched her fidget. She knew that she looked nervous and exhausted, he would be able to see that but she didn't care. She just wanted to be fine and not have it affect her ability or her thoughts.

"No. He's doing some personal things. I do not ask," Phoenix said as she sat up straighter, looking at him. She then put her most diplomatic smile on and tried to ignore his scrutinising gaze. Obviously, he was going to be suspicious of why she was here. She didn't look fit to be a Senator despite the makeup that she put on. She looked exhausted, she sounded exhausted. Her poise was a fraction of what it had been when she arrived, "Someone came into my room two nights ago and attempted to slit my throat. As much as I know Jax would like to protect me but he cannot do enough. He can't solve it or find out who wants me dead and he can't protect me." Phoenix explained and she was about to carry on but then Palpatine lifted his hand telling her to stop. She did and took a deep breath. Her fingers still playing with the fabric of her dress as she waited.

"Why did you not notify the Senate before today?" Palpatine asked, ready to scold her. However, he realised that this situation was not something he should be scolding her for. He knew what she wanted and he knew exactly who he was going to get, "I will get you a Jedi protector and allow them to follow the trail to discover who this assassin is. Go back to your room, expect them in an hour or so," Palpatine said, quick to dismiss her. Phoenix thanked him and said that she would come to him straight away next time. It wasn't long until she was out of the door again.

A deep breath escaped her lips as she let her head fall. She was going to be protected. The weight seemed to have been lifted off her chest with this new knowledge. She glanced back at the door to Palpatine's office before she walked back to her room. It was where she could be safe for now. Nobody could get in but her and Jax, hopefully. There was no way someone could get her in there.

 So, she rushed back to wait for her Jedi protector. She didn't know it would be that easy but she was happy it was. The Jedi were formidable warriors and she would be safe. Protected by someone who's sole purpose was to look after her.

-

NOTE; andddd another late chapter, i promise this will not happen again haha, i had it all ready to go out and be published but just forgot to actually hit publish. sorry guys but it's here now!! i hope you enjoyed the chapter and finally obi-wan is going to be here! the first proper appearance of our favourite jedi should be next chapter and i'm super excited for y'all to read it!!