Dorme was gone. The only sign of her visit last evening, a trace of stale perfume in the air. Obi-Wan cradled her empty teacup in his palms. Her pregnancy was just beginning to show, a slight curve to her stomach.

He should have known better than to invite her over for after-dinner tea. Dorme was reserved, her brown eyes cold. Obi-Wan didn't blame her for raising her guard around him. He was the one who put the distance between them.

Obi-Wan could not afford distractions or for his emotions to get the better of him. The galaxy was at war, and he was a Jedi Master. From now on, he vowed to keep his distance from the Senator. For her own good and the...child's.

A decanter of whiskey had been upended on the sideboard. Goose lapped at a puddle of alcohol on the marble top and belched.

"Blast!" Obi-Wan hurried over just as the Flerken hopped down from the sideboard and landed in an ungainly heap on the rug.

Shaking her head, Goose weaved unsteadily on her paws and slumped on her belly, ears twitching. The Flerken was drunk!

Obi-Wan groaned in dismay at the empty decanter. All that expensive Corellian whiskey wasted. "You need to sleep it off." He placed Goose in his favorite armchair.

Stroking her back, he winced in sympathy. The Flerken mewed pitifully and closed her eyes. Poor thing. She'd have quite a hangover later.

Obi-Wan wiped up the mess and locked the surviving liquor away in the cabinet below out of Goose's reach.

His stomach rumbled as he made his way downstairs to the refectory.

A communal dining hall, Jedi came and went from the refectory at all hours. A few of the long tables were still occupied by younglings carefully watched by their creche masters from a distance. He smiled at the nearest group.

"Good morning, Master." A young besalisk called cheerfully, waving all four arms.

Obi-Wan stopped at the head of their table. "Good morning, I trust your studies have been going well?"

"We've been preparing for our quest to obtain our kyber crystals." A human girl said politely.

"An important milestone for every young Jedi." He ruffled the girl's blonde hair. "Mind if I join you lot for breakfast?"

Murmurs of assent went around the group. One child bounced excitedly in her seat, thrilled to have the attention of a Council Member.

"Master, what's that?"

Obi-Wan glanced at the front of his robes which were marred by a blaster burn. He grimaced. 'That's what I get for dressing in a hurry.' A ruined robe had somehow ended up in his closet. 'I really must send down my laundry if I'm down to rags. As a member of the council, I cannot go around dressed like a vagabond.'

He took the seat at the head of the table and pointed at the spot on his robe. "This is a burn from a blaster."

"Master, aren't we supposed to be tidy about our appearance?" The little girl asked innocently.

"Yeah, Master Vex always says we gotta wear clean clothes!" The besalisk gave Obi-Wan a betrayed look like he'd been lied to.

Obi-Wan held up his hands for silence. "Calm yourselves, younglings. I shall answer your questions. I have been busy. Take this as a lesson to always be mindful of one's duty, even so small a one as dressing well."

The younglings giggled, thrilled even a Master Jedi could still err. Smiling, he accepted their ribbing good-naturedly. It was good for them to learn that Jedi were not perfect beings. "No matter how wise we become, there is always more to learn."

The younglings bombarded him with a flurry of questions.

This is good. Preoccupied with the war, Obi-Wan had not spoken to the children as often as he should. Anakin would have lost his temper with them but Obi-Wan had always been patient.

Anakin's disastrous attempt to teach younglings had become legendary. Charred marks on the training room walls remained to this day. Some Jedi were not suited to be teachers. His former apprentice was one of them. Obi-Wan shuddered to think of Anakin as a father.

A servant brought Obi-Wan a bowl of porridge. He spent the entirety of the meal answering their queries. Once Master Vex rounded up the younglings, Obi-Wan finished his breakfast and set off to for the council meeting.

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

The Temple gardens were beautiful in winter. Cold weather plants, flowers, and trees from all over the galaxy had been gathered into a tapestry of natural beauty. The morning sunlight cast dappled shadows on the snow-covered flowerbeds.

A fountain splashed a musical tune nearby. Obi-Wan favored the gardens for meditation and while Anakin hated anything that forced him to sit still, he occasionally enjoyed training outdoors with his lightsaber.

A popular spot on the temple grounds, Anakin was surprised to find the gardens vacant. A faint chill clung to the atmosphere, turning his breath into a white cloud. Someone had shoveled the pathways, his boots crunched softly on the snow as he searched for his wife. They were supposed to meet for a walk before training.

Cassandra left early to get in some meditation outdoors citing the cool air would keep her grounded. He located the sorceress beneath a fir tree. She was sprawled on her side, limbs splayed awkwardly like she'd keeled over.

Anakin halted in his tracks. "That's not a meditation pose."

Rushing over, he crouched beside Cassandra and pressed his fingers to the side of her neck. A faint pulse throbbed against his fingertips. Anakin scanned her body but there were no wounds.

"I'm not dead." Cassandra's voice whispered in his ear.

Gasping, Anakin leaped to his feet and whirled coming face to face with...Cassandra's ghost?! She was vaguely translucent, her dark hair floating around her like she was underwater. "What the kriff is going on?"

She snickered. "You should see your face! Its priceless, you look like you've seen a ghost."

"Is this an illusion?" Anakin demanded, clutching the front of his robes over his pounding heart. It felt like his heart was going to explode from his chest.

Cassandra rolled her eyes. "I'm not dead. It's not an illusion. I'm on the astral plane."

"This is the astral plane?"

She floated cross-legged above her body. "The astral plane, for lack of a better explanation is the spiritual plane. Sorcerers can reach it through meditation."

Anakin wasn't going to let her off easy. He crossed his arms. "Isn't it dangerous to leave your body?"

Cassandra looked vaguely annoyed at being interrogated but she answered his question. "If you're killed on the astral plane you're done for and I'm not just talking the body. Your spirit too." She snapped her fingers for emphasis. "You cease to exist."

Anakin's gaze strayed over to her limp body, struggling to quell his rising fear and anger. Nausea flooded his mouth at the notion of her being completely obliviated. He didn't think of this as a joke.

Cassandra's habit of turning death scenarios into comic fodder irked him. Especially when her soul was out in the open and vulnerable to attack. "Please return to your body, Cass! It's disturbing!"

He couldn't remember the last time he'd been so angry with her.

Cassandra plunged into her body like a diver. On a ragged inhale, her eyes snapped open. "Damn it." Sitting up, she massaged her neck like it was stiff. "I hate it when that happens."

Anakin quickly caught her meaning and fury laced his voice. "Are you telling me, you entered this astral plane unintentionally?"

She glowered at him, her posture defensive. "Sometimes it can happen when going too deep in meditation."

One more thing for him to fret over. Anakin tugged at his hair, biting back a scream. "If this can't be controlled, you should probably refrain from meditating!"

"It is risky." Cassandra agreed, dusting snow from her parka. "Truthfully, I hate the astral plane. It's one of the worst things I was trained on at Kamar Taj. The risks alone aren't worth it."

Anakin brushed off the back of her coat. "Is there any other dangerous magic I should be aware of?"

Cassandra flinched at his brusque tone. "I..." She trailed off at a loss of words beneath his searing glare.

The Mirror Dimension had its pitfalls and traps. He'd learned that firsthand during their training, but this was an entirely different level of jeopardy.

"Don't worry I won't ask you to learn astral magic." Cassandra dragged the toe of her boot through the snow. She peered up at him regretfully. "If I scared you, sweetheart, I apologize. I didn't intend for this to happen, I promise."

Guilt twisted Anakin's insides. 'Regardless of how Cassandra worries me, she understands the risks of her power. I shouldn't have snapped at her.' He cupped her shoulder, gentling his voice. "I'm upset with the situation. I'm sorry for losing my temper."

The tension in her expression eased. "The mechanics of magic can be...difficult to digest. The process of learning never truly ends. Since I've been making progress with my power...I got too enthusiastic and went too deep which is why I ended up in my astral form." She raised her palm and it glowed pure white, different from the sorcery she'd been teaching him. "See? I can summon a little of the Merlin power now."

Anakin pressed his palm against hers, lacing their fingers tightly together. He brushed his lips briefly against her knuckles. The softly buzzing magic tickled his lips. "I'm glad you're making progress, Angel. But next time, I'd appreciate a heads-up before I find your spirit floating in the air." He chuckled nervously. "You scared about a decade off my life."

"That wasn't my intention."

"Do you still want to go on that walk or start training?"

Snow began to fall, drifting in lazy flakes around them.

Cassandra frowned thoughtfully and stretched her arms over her head. "Honestly, I need a break. We both do."

A wave of relief washed over Anakin. He walked over to a nearby flowerbed and plucked an arcadian snowdrop. He offered her the delicate white blossom with a flirty smile. "Want to go on another date?"

She pretended to be coy. "With you?"

He rolled his eyes. "Who else?"

"Hmm, I don't know...."

"Do you want me to beg?"

Cassandra twirled the snowdrop by its slender stem thinking it over. "That does have possibilities." She tucked the flower behind his ear with a solemn air. "But I'm not that cruel. I won't toy with you like that." She slid her arm through his and tugged him in the direction of the temple. "Promise me, we'll go somewhere warm. I'm freezing my ass off out here."

Quick to anger and quick to forgive seemed to be a hallmark of their relationship. Cassandra never held onto grudges or resentment after they argued. She preferred harmony to conflict.

Both of their life experiences had taught them how precious life was and not to waste it on pettiness. Anakin cherished every single moment with his wife because it wouldn't be long before he was ordered to the front again.

At the entrance, Cassandra stopped and glanced over her shoulder at the empty garden.

Anakin followed her gaze unsure what had drawn her attention. "What is it?"

"I'm not sure." A line appeared between her eyebrows. "I felt like someone was watching us."

He searched the Force and came up with nothing. "Cass, I hate to dismiss you, but I don't pick up anything."

"Nothing?"

Anakin shook his head. "Sorry." He placed a hand at the small of her back ushering her indoors.

Cassandra cast a frown at the garden as the door slid shut behind them. Her shoulders hunched inward. "Maybe you're right. I'm probably just exhausted. We've been burning the midnight oil for weeks training."

Rounding the corner, Anakin collided with Obi-Wan. "Master?"

The older Jedi straightened his robes. "Good, I was looking for you. I have your next assignment."

Anakin waited. The Council had the worst timing.

"You'll be heading to Malastare with Master Windu. The Doge has requested we deploy the electro-proton bomb against the droid army."

"Isn't that experimental?"

"Dr. Boll is confident the bomb is ready to deploy."

"What about me?" Cassandra chimed in.

"You'll remain here." Obi-Wan replied.

"When do I leave?" Anakin asked.

"Within the hour."

Anakin and Cassandra exchanged a dismayed look. So much for their date.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed the chapter. I had major writer burnout and needed to take a break. I think to maintain a healthy balance I need to minimize my writing time a little just so it doesn't happen again.