Instead of meditating, Cassandra and Anakin spent their time in bed, enjoying the new physical intimacy of their relationship. They simply couldn't keep their hands off each other, making love at every opportunity.

Cassandra loved the feel of him inside her and how naturally they fit together. Her inner muscles clenched around Anakin in a powerful orgasm and her Jedi climaxed almost immediately after.

His hands tightened reflexively on her hips; head thrown back against the pillows. "By the Force!"

Aftershocks of pleasure racked through her core as she eased herself off him. Cassandra rolled onto her back. "We're becoming sexperts." She panted, sweeping damp hair out of her eyes.

Anakin choked out a strangled laugh, stroking her shoulder. "Sexperts? Where do you come up with these things, Cass?"

"Don't know. I just blurt out whatever I'm thinking." She turned her head to look at him. "It's one of my charms."

His sweaty chest rose and fell rapidly. "Your charms are too great to count."

"I know I'm completely irresistible." Cassandra sprawled on top of him, her chin resting on his chest. "But so are you, my Jedi."

A serious light appeared in Anakin's gaze. "I am yours Cassandra. Are you mine?"

"If by yours, you mean I love you, then yes." Cassandra studied him, wondering what was going on in his mind. "Where is this headed?"

"Where it's been going since the moment we met." Anakin sat up and reached for his lightsaber on the nightstand. "A lightsaber is a Jedi's life. This is my life." He emphasized dropping the hilt into her outstretched hands. "And my life belongs to you."

Cassandra's eyes stung. "Anakin, I don't know what to say." His lightsaber. He let her hold his lightsaber! She understood the significance of what he offered.

"Will you marry me, Cassandra Pierce?" Holding her gaze, he caressed her cheek. "Will you be my wife?"

There were many reasons to object. They had only known each other a few months. Marriage was a serious commitment. The Jedi forbade love, let alone marriage. Cassandra had an entire life at home.

Her head was saying wait.

Her heart....

Cassandra's fingers curled around his lightsaber. For once she decided to follow her heart. "Yes, I'll marry you, Anakin."

In Anakin's bed, they sealed the promise with a passionate kiss, the beating of their hearts synchronized with the euphoric feelings of their souls.

Right now, nothing could ruin Cassandra's and Anakin's happiness.

**********************************************************************************

In another part of the galaxy, Obi-Wan reeled from an unexpected revelation. The delicate cup and saucer rattled in his trembling hands, Caf sloshing over the delicate gold rim. The words Dorme spoke cycled through the void in his thoughts, spiraling into the abyss.

He sat in the brightly lit parlor of the Senator's luxurious apartments, having been summoned to speak on a matter of import.

Obi-Wan had been prepared to handle negotiations for a new treaty or even discuss the political climate of Coruscant with the Naboo Senator. Never in a million years had he expected this.

"Please say, something." Dorme implored, worried by the Jedi's mute state.

The Senator had rendered Obi-Wan speechless. But he owed Dorme a response given what she just shared with him.

Using his training, Obi-Wan pulled the tattered threads of his dignity together. "This is an... unexpected blessing." His gaze fell to Dorme's middle. She wasn't showing yet. "Is the child mine?"

"Yes." Dorme confessed, wringing her hands. "We were careful, but it appears the universe has other plans."

Obi-Wan always took fertility suppressors before a tryst. Always. He ran hands through his hair, tugging at the strands. How could this have happened? "We must be cautious. This cannot go beyond us two."

"I know. I told you because I trust you."

"I cannot marry you, Dorme. I am a Jedi." He said sorrowfully.

Normal social convention dictated Obi-Wan do the honorable thing and wed the pregnant Senator, but his position made that impossible.

"I would never ask it of you, Obi-Wan." She dabbed at her eyes with a lace handkerchief, her own emotions high. "A Jedi makes a vow to serve the Order for life. I would never jeopardize your standing or my own. We both have too much important work to do."

Guilt twisted his middle. "Then we are agreed. We keep this between us."

"Yes." Dorme wadded the handkerchief in her fist. "Although, there is a chance the Queen will make me resign when she learns I'm pregnant."

No wonder she was upset. Naboo culture dictated a mother retire to the home and give up her career. Obi-Wan sighed. A true shame for the Republic if one of the only honest Senators was forced to resign.

Months down the road he would be a father. A Father! Obi-Wan wanted to puke. In one fell swoop he smashed the Code to pieces, failing as a Jedi. If it went public, the scandal would destroy Obi-Wan and Dorme both.

He saw the headline now.

'A Member of the Illustrious Jedi Council Impregnates the Senator of Naboo!'

Dorme and the child would both be in grave danger from the Separatists if this became public knowledge. Dooku would use the child as leverage against him, crushing Obi-Wan beneath his boot heel.

To say nothing of what this would do to the Order's reputation as a whole.

Obi-Wan had another panicked thought. What if the child inherited Force abilities from him? He'd be forced to take the child from Dorme to be raised in the Temple. He'd have to watch the child grow up from a distance and never able to tell them he was their father.

He truly prayed the child was not Force sensitive for Dorme's sake. The woman had always wanted a family of her own ever since her sister had children.

Force abilities were not always inherited. The child might be completely ordinary.

Obi-Wan's commlink chimed, saving him from continuing this awkward and terrifying conversation. He rose from the sofa. "Excuse me, I must take this."

Gaze averted to hide her disappointment, Dorme nodded politely. "Of course, Master Kenobi."

**********************************************************************************

In the Falcon, Anakin and Cassandra flew to the other side of Caranda toward the monastery where they planned to marry. They saw no reason to wait and decided to have the ceremony immediately.

Cassandra was unsure about a lot of things but not how she felt about Anakin. His deep compassion and quiet intensity were part of the reason she fell for him. She clung to that certainty when they landed in the monastery courtyard.

She retreated to a vacant room on the cargo ship to change out of her robes into something suitable for their wedding.

"Holy crap, I'm getting married." Cassandra mumbled, stripping down to her undergarments. She dropped her discarded clothes on the empty cot. "This is really happening."

She unzipped the garment bag to reveal one of the gowns given to her on Ansion-the only thing she brought to Caranda resembling a wedding gown.

The floor length gown was pure white silk with silver floral accents, the bodice embroidered with delicate white flowers. A gossamer train draped around her shoulders to the back, fastening at her throat.

Cassandra wove braids along her scalp, gathering the entire mass into an elegant chignon. She kept her makeup light, selecting a natural looking palette. Studying her reflection in the tiny compact, she smiled. "I'm ready to take the plunge."

**********************************************************************************

Dark eyes bright, her cheeks delicately flushed, Cassandra emerged into the hall. The sight of her in a wedding gown brought tears to Anakin's eyes. He blinked them back and drew her into a tight embrace. "You're so beautiful, Cassandra."

Hanging over her bodice was the medallion with his Padawan braid. It was the only piece of jewelry she wore. Anakin kissed her gently. "I love you."

Having nothing else to wear, Anakin wore his usual Jedi robes and the bespelled pendant Cassandra gifted him prior to the invasion on Geonosis. He'd combed his hair and splashed on some cologne for the occasion. She shook in his arms. "You're trembling."

Cassandra looked at him from beneath her lashes shyly. "I'm nervous. Aren't you?"

He was excited and scared and in love. That's all he knew. "Yes, but I'm ready."

"Me too."

"If you ask, I'll leave the Order." Anakin whispered in her ear, cupping the nape of her neck. Feeling he should make the offer to the woman who was about to become his wife. If she asked him, he'd renounce the Jedi here and now, never looking back.

Cassandra buried her face in his chest. "Which is why I won't ask. The decision has to be yours, Anakin. Just promise me this won't be a secret forever."

He smoothed a hand over her crown, tracing the wispy strands at her hairline. "Our marriage won't be a secret forever, my love. Only until the war is over."

Cassandra seemed to draw strength from that and looked up at him with a broad smile. "I'm ready. Let's get married, Anakin."

He tucked a flower into her updo and kissed her forehead. "This is the happiest day of my life."

Anakin draped his outer robe around Cassandra's shoulders to protect her from the cold on the brief walk to the monastery entrance. Her pretty dress was unsuitable for winter weather.

Inside, he pulled on the robe again, offering her his arm.

R2-D2 rolled alongside the couple, whistling excitedly. Cassandra had tied a pink ribbon around the astromech's stout body for the occasion, so he felt included in the ceremony. Her thoughtfulness filled Anakin with warmth Caranda's cold couldn't chase away.

Anakin's heart raced with every step up the aisle. 'This is happening. I'm going to marry Cassandra. She's going to be my wife. We're going to spend our lives together.'

At the front of the cathedral an elderly priest attired in pale green robes greeted them warmly, the wrinkles around his eyes crinkled in a smile. "Welcome to Caranda Monastery. This is a momentous day. We are gathered here to join two loving hearts in holy matrimony."

Facing each other at the priest's direction, Cassandra and Anakin joined hands while they spoke their personal vows.

The stained-glass windows cast chips of dimly colored light on the marble floor. Cassandra admired the warm glow the candlelight cast on Anakin's stern features. The blue pools of his eyes glowed with love as he looked at her, dispelling the last of her wedding jitters.

What she lacked in elegance, Cassandra made up for in honesty. She let her heart do the talking as she made her vows to her new husband. "Anakin Skywalker, I love you more than anything. I vow to surprise you, make you laugh, and stand by your side through the good and the bad. For this journey we're embarking on, I can't think of a better match for me. You're my soulmate and I'm so happy to have found my perfect life partner."

Anakin's lips curved in a soft smile he only ever wore for her. "And you say you aren't good at being romantic." His long fingers engulfed hers, making her feel dainty and delicate. "Cassandra Pierce, there aren't enough words in the universe to describe the depth of my love for you. Your kindness is boundless and your compassion unmatched. You've brought me laughter and happiness, something I never knew I was missing until I met you." His breath hitched before he continued in an emotion roughened voice. "I am the luckiest man in the galaxy because you granted me the honor of being your husband. I love you to the stars and back."

Eyes shining, Cassandra whispered. "To the stars and back."

"Love is the most powerful force in the universe, one to be celebrated and revered." The priest intoned, barely at the edge of their awareness.

All of Anakin's focus was on Cassandra. His lovely Angel. His eternal soulmate.

"Do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?" The priest asked the sorceress.

Her beautiful cinnamon eyes sparkled when she looked at Anakin, the power of her feelings enveloping him in the warm embrace of the Force. "I do."

The priest continued. "To have and to hold, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?"

Cassandra inhaled; her voice strong as she spoke. "I do."

The priest shifted his attention to Anakin. "Do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

Smiling, he replied. "I do."

"To have and to hold, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

"Then by the power vested in me by the Galactic Republic, I now pronounce you husband and wife." The priest bowed to the couple in recognition of their union. "You may now kiss the bride."

Their surroundings fell away. Cassandra and Anakin crashed together like waves against the shore. She rose on her toes, and he bent to meet her, their lips clashing in a powerful, passionate kiss. All their love poured between them, sweeter than any ambrosia gracing the halls of the gods.

She tasted sweet and warm and utterly exquisite.

He tasted spicy and fragrant, a true delight to her senses.

Her husband.

His wife.

Without breaking the kiss, Anakin lifted Cassandra, bracing one arm behind her back and another behind her knees. She laughed against his mouth, the tips of her fingers tingling against his jaw.

This was the best moment of his life. Nothing could ruin it.

The priest cleared his throat delicately. "The wedding document needs to be signed to make the marriage official."

Anakin groaned, his forehead resting against Cassandra's. He looked at the priest over his wife's head with a stern glare. "This better be all."

Fighting an amused smile at the Jedi's frustration, the priest offered a datapad. "I promise."

Cassandra snickered against the front of Anakin's robes her lips tickling the hollow of his throat. He shivered at the sensation, recalling the soft press of her lips to his jaw earlier that morning as they made love.

She patted his shoulder consolingly. "I totally understand your feelings about paperwork, but this is important sweetheart."

Reluctantly, Anakin lowered Cassandra, circling an arm around her shoulders unwilling to let her go now she was his. He grabbed the stylus and scrawled his name on the datapad.

Cassandra went next. Anakin squinted at what she wrote. "Cassandra Ann Pierce?"

She shrugged, leaning against his side, her own arm looping around his waist, settling against his lower back. "That's my legal name."

His new wife was full of surprises. "You have three names?"

"Ann is my middle name. On Earth almost everyone has middle names, but it's not something I trot out on a regular basis. Usually, I'm just Cassandra Pierce." She explained.

Anakin was baffled. Terrans had three names but only used two of them? Bizarre. He spun Cassandra around and tilted her chin up with his thumb. "Alright, Cassandra Ann Pierce, you are officially my wife."

She poked him in the chest playfully. "And you're my official husband Anakin Skywalker."

He drew her against him. "Any other secrets I need to know about, wife?"

"Nope. I'm an open book." Cassandra arched her brows. "What about you? Any skeletons in your closet?"

The memory of a distant desert and agonized screams rose unbidden. Anakin squashed the guilt over the Tusken Raiders. He smiled at his wife. "No. You know everything that matters, Angel."

A/N: This is one my favorite chapters thus far.