They managed to get through most of the leads as the moon began to get higher in the sky. They were both getting more and more exhausted as the night went on and as they continued to talk to more and more secretaries. Eventually, there was a map where each suspect had gone. When and where to, what times they left and came back. Even what they had for lunch and breakfast in some cases. They knew who they were without even having to meet them. It was a strange thing to be able to do. Know everything about somebody without ever interacting with them but that was the galaxy they lived in.

     But those thoughts eventually died and as 3am rolled around, Obi-Wan was getting much more exhausted. He was used to staying up till now but his eyes were drooping and he was ready to drop off. Phoenix was already half asleep, her datapad on the bedside table with her face mushed into the pillow. Her blonde hair swept up into a low ponytail to keep it out of her ace.

     "I'm going to go back to my room," He muttered, half-asleep as he shuffled away from her on the bed. Phoenix grumbled at his words and the movements and grabbed his hand, stopping him from leaving. She then shuffled closer and in her sleepy state, cuddled up to him. Obi-Wan sighed and thought for a moment before giving in to his own desires. He knew that he would have to eventually and cuddling as they slept wasn't going to change anything, surely.

     So he gave in and slid under her covers, his arms wrapped around her as he snuggled closer. Her face moving to bury underneath his chin. Her eyes falling closed as she became sleepy. He was so warm against her and she loved it. She didn't know why he was so warm but it made the darkness of sleep so much more appealing. It was merely a few moments before she had fallen asleep in his arms. Obi-Wan shortly joining her as his eyes fell closed too.

     The night passed quickly but for Phoenix, it felt like she snapped awake not a few minutes after she fell asleep. Though in reality it had been at least four or five hours. When she opened her eyes, she found Obi-Wan cuddled up to her. The sleepy lopsided smile appearing on her lips as she nuzzled her face into his neck again. A soft groan escaping his lips at her movement. It made her chuckle softly against his skin before she just tried to stay as still as she could.

     She didn't know why they were sleeping like this. The last hour of being awake was just one hazy memory to her and she had no idea what had happened. She had a vague memory of him saying he would leave but clearly he hadn't. He was lying across from her right now. But she wasn't going to question it. She got to cuddle the man she was in love with and that was enough for her. Maybe it was a bad idea but she decided to even press a few soft kisses to his neck. Just short pecks that wouldn't mean anything if they didn't want it to. But these kisses seemed to bring Obi-Wan back to reality. His eyes fluttering open as he groaned softly. Clearly, he did not want to wake up. Phoenix couldn't help but smile at him.

     "Morning," She said softly as she looked up at him. Her head moved to rest on the pillow, her hand staying wrapped around his waist. Her smile only growing as his eyes opened to properly look at her. The smile widening on his lips as he realised what was happening.

     "Hello there," He chuckled softly. Phoenix rolled her eyes and took one of his hands. Tangling their fingers together before pressing a soft kiss to the palm of his free hand. He muttered something under his breath before he tried to get closer to her again. He wanted nothing more than to just keep cuddling her. He was exhausted and she was like a living heater. She let him cuddle her again. Letting go of his hands as he rested his head.

     "I thought you left me last night," She muttered. He let out a mumbled 'no' and pressed a kiss to her temple. Pulling her closer again as his smile widened just a little bit more. Her hands then moved to rest on his chest as she stayed in the position he wanted. She was comfortable just being in his arms so anything was fine for her. As long as Obi-Wan stayed with her.

     "No, you wanted cuddles. I wouldn't deny you that," He whispered, a hint of teasing and amusement in his tone. His eyes crinkling with the smile on his lips. She rolled her eyes at him and poked his cheek before she just let her eyes fall closed. The sleep was trying to drag her back in but her stomach was also grumbling. She needed food.

     "Good because you're warm and I missed you," She admitted. He looked down at her. Staying silent for a moment and just trying to work out what to say. He missed her too, a lot more than he cared to admit but he was at a loss for word. Stuck between responses. Though they weren't that intimate when they were teenagers, the cuddling was an often occurrence anywhere they were in private. It made both of them feel safe and he had missed it over the years.

     "I missed you too." He muttered after a moment. Phoenix's smile returning after it briefly dropped to a frown. She didn't want to put him off and make him pull away again. How they were right now, cuddling and content was how she always wanted to be with him. She loved him more than she loved anyone and this was exactly how she wanted them to be even if it was only in private, "Your room also hasn't changed," He chuckled. His smile widening just a little as she let out a groan. He was right but she had got it like this as a teenager and she didn't see the point in changing it.

     The bed was a king-sized bed. Big and covered in pillows. The walls were painting a sky blue that she always adored. It made her fee cosy. There were two chest of drawers. One was filled with various art supplies. The other held some of her clothes. Then a wardrobe that was currently half-open due to the amount of clothes crammed in. The bed-side tables were filled with other various junk she had collected with a holo-clock and lamp on top. Homey and maybe a little messy but perfectly her. She liked to come home and have a messy teenager style room. It made her feel young again.

     "But you did put that up. I didn't think you would," He commented as he lifted his head to look at the wall behind her. A window was next to the hanging art piece. The painting was a swirling galaxy with splashes of white paint. It was a little amateur but it still looked pretty. It was also made by Obi-Wan and she had vowed to put it up which she did and she didn't take it down yet. Something made her not want to so she didn't.

     "I promised you I'd keep it up and it fits the aesthetic of the room," She shrugged as she rolled over. Forcing her eyes to open so she could look at it. The day they had done it was a more peaceful time in their relationship. He had complained about how he wanted to try and paint and she had reluctantly given in to him. Allowed him to do something. The pair ended up spending the day creating the galaxy piece. Obi-Wan being the main painter while Phoenix commented over his shoulder, pointing out things that he should fix and finish.

     It had been a nice day and that's why she kept it. It was a reminder of what had happened and what could be in the future. It was also the best memory she had of them when they were younger. Painting the day away with no worries in the world. It reminded her to give herself that time if she ever needed. Not to overwork herself.

     "I know you promised but after what happened, I expected it to be gone. But I like that it's there," He muttered after a moment. She smiled and turned over to look at him. Looking at him in the eyes, admiring his face properly for the first time in what felt like an incredibly long time. It had been so long since they'd been able to actually relax. They just stared at each other for a moment before Obi-Wan moved to lie face up. His eyes on the ceiling. Phoenix frowned a little as she looked at him. He was about to say something that she didn't like, she knew it.

     "I'm sorry for making you break the code again," Phoenix said after a moment. She slid away from him, realising that she shouldn't be this close to him. She shouldn't be near him at all. She should have stayed away from him and just done her own thing instead of clawing him back to the past. Clawing him back into the relationship.

     "You didn't make me. I made my choice and I don't know if it was the right one," He said as he pushed himself to sit up. He rubbed his bearded face and just stared down at the covers of the bed. They were floral and pretty. They screamed of Phoenix and he realised that he shouldn't be there and that he needed to leave, "I need to get ready for the day. Your father will be suspicious," Obi-Wan muttered as he got out of the bed. The frown deepened on Phoenix's lips but despite herself, she just nodded. She knew that this was likely to happen. Obi-Wan was not allowed to love. Especially not the Senator he was supposed to be protecting. She was stupid to think he would love her.

     So she let him leave, her head resting against the headboard as the frown reappeared on her lips. The bubble bursting. The contentedness he provided leaving all over again. They would never be happy, she just knew they wouldn't. It was not meant to be, clearly.

***

     Phoenix then spent the rest of her day in her room. It was a quiet day and most of it was spent hiding away and working on the suspects. Continuing to search for evidence against them and there was a strong case forming around one of the women. She had ginger hair in her passport photo but Phoenix knew that it must have been a wig or the hair had been dyed. It had to be their assassin and she was happy with that idea. It had also been the suspect that Obi-Wan said looked the most similar.

     The evidence that she gathered only continued to back up that claim. A few of the secretaries had gotten back to her with information about what each of them had been doing. When they remembered seeing them, the information came with questions that Phoenix was happy to answer and by the end of the day, she had gained a lot more trust with her people through the secretaries of the local hotels.

     Now with the mounting evidence, her suspicions had become a lot more concrete. Concrete enough to tell Obi-Wan and maybe concrete enough so that they could follow her and actually find out who she was. Possibly even discover who was sending her after Phoenix. Pulling a new set of clothes on, she decided that she would make food while she was downstairs. She didn't know what she would make but it would be something simple and easy so she could get back to what she needed to do.

     Once she was in the kitchen, she noticed that Obi-Wan had followed behind her. She left her datapad on the side and began to search the cupboards for things to eat. Humming to herself as she decided on what to have for her lunch. Her stomach was grumbling and she needed the food badly.

     "Have you found anything holed up in your room?" He asked curiously as he leant against the counter. It was the first time that they had interacted since his quick disappearance earlier that morning. She hated that he had gone so quickly and the tension was still there between them as she grabbed the ingredients for her sandwich.

     "Yeah, check my datapad. There's some pretty damning evidence against one of our suspects. I don't know if it's enough," She said as she grabbed a chopping board and a knife. Pressing a few settings, the knife chopped the salad and vegetables up for her and she moved over to the stove. She grabbed a frying pan and placed it down, spraying some oil before throwing the vegetables in. The extractor fan turned on automatically to prevent the room from getting too smoky.

     "I mean, if she's been acting suspicious, that would be enough for us to check her out. There's not a set amount of things we have to do. Tailing her wouldn't technically be a crime," Obi-Wan shrugged as he picked up the pad. He ignored her movements as he sat down on the breakfast bar chair. His hands quickly moving to flick through the information, reading it faster than Phoenix would ever be able to read. There was a lot against this particular girl. The timings lined up with the attack, there seemed to be something she was hiding in her jacket. She had also asked a lot of questions about the Senator. It definitely seemed to be conclusive.

     Then Obi-Wan saw a particular bit of information that confused him. He didn't know if Phoenix had even considered it but there was something about a man visiting her. A man that looked familiar, like someone in the media but the secretary didn't know who. That had Obi-Wan curious. Maybe that would lead them to whoever was trying to kill Phoenix. It could lead them to discover the person who had a grudge against the Senator.

     "Well?" Phoenix asked as she grabbed the chicken from the freezer. It was pre-cooked and she just needed to dump it into the pan and cook it through before it would be ready. Putting most of the pack in, she left the empty package on the side. Focusing on making sure she didn't burn anything as she waited eagerly for his response. In reality, she was itching to go after someone. To tail someone again.

     "I think it's damning enough. We should tail her. I can do it alone if you'd prefer," He said as he switched off the datapad. A notification coming through that he was sure she didn't want him to see. It was from a Senator. Probably some Senate business that would definitely go over his head. She hadn't seem as bothered with leaving the Senate anymore. She had immersed herself which he supposed was actually a good thing not a bad thing.

     "No, I can go with you. I've done it before," Phoenix said, glancing over at the living room. Her father had just came back in through the door. He didn't pay attention to her and went straight up to his office. A new book in hand. From what she could see it was someone's autobiography. He was definitely a fan of those sort of texts and whenever he bought a new one, he wouldn't appear again for a few hours..

     "With who?" Obi-Wan asked. Phoenix watched her father leave before she turned back to Obi-Wan. She leant against the counter, letting her hands rest against her legs as she looked at him. It felt strange to admit she did this to her own father but it was the truth.

     "My father. I wasn't long after we had broken up. He kept going out late at night and coming back early in the morning. I didn't understand why so I ended up doing some sleuthing and tailed him a couple times. I thought maybe he was meeting up with someone or doing some dodgy business deals. Turns out he was just meeting up with one of his friends who had been having a rough cycle. They were going through a divorce. My dad never found out that I had been tailing him for weeks," Phoenix admitted as she looked up at him. Obi-Wan tilted his head a little before he nodded. He could understand that in a way. He understood the suspicion and with how he had left things, he wasn't surprised that she had become paranoid about people and around people. It was most likely his fault.

     "Well, that just means you're an expert. This will be easy for you then," He smiled as he looked down at her. She nodded and then turned back to her cooking, moving the chicken around to make sure it didn't burn or get too crispy. Humming softly to herself as she continued with it. Obi-Wan just stood for a moment, watching her and realising that she was so beyond perfect for him. The Force had spent so long pulling them together and he wanted to try and deny everything. Deny the attraction, the pull, the love he felt but he shouldn't. She was perfect for him. She was perfect.

     "I have some clothes that I could wear. I hope you have some more incognito clothes that aren't your very obvious Jedi Robes," She commented as she glanced back at him. Taking note of the smile on his face, she went back to cooking and began to smile wider. Maybe there was a hint of something happening. Maybe they could do something good and be together. Maybe they could be happy after all. She didn't really know but she was hoping that she could be. She was completely in love with Obi-Wan and wanted to be with him. The universe be damned. Their love had lasted over a decade, the universe couldn't get between them now.

***