Title: HSU: Pas de Deux
Authors: Julia & Sere
Archive: yes, to our supreme archivist, Nurse Darry!
Rating: HBG (Happy Birthday, General!)
Setting: after the amusement park, after Emmy and Shana's romps and the dust has settled again. :)
Disclaimer: We are saving up to buy him from George. But Nutella is so expensive...

~*~ pas de deux Fr. noun. 'movements of two.' ~*~

It was the General's birthday. Normally a time for grand celebration, great joy and much partying.

Not this year.

No, he wasn't looking any older. He was still as agile, still swaggered around in tight-fitting pants that gave the Freshmen frothing fits.

The General was *very* much still in physical peak.

It just so happened that this year he had made a great many mistakes in the weeks preceding his birthday and consequently was still on the shit list of some of his faithful followers.

Oh, they were still as faithful, despite the rumours that had the boys of Wanker U all pulling out any black clothing they owned, practicing their pantherish stalking and trying to imitate an English accent.

Hos are not easy fooled. Nor easily persuaded.

It's hard to compete with a man who is a fantasy come to life.

And a Jedi.

Some of the grrls had gone to the amusement park with the General.

Some stayed home. They made quite a mess of some things around campus, but none of it was irreplaceable. Yeah, it pissed some of the Hos off coming home and finding the General's Triumph playing Davey Jones locker. Others were outraged over finding the Vette a mess.

Some were just put out they hadn't been there for the drink fest.

Others were more philosophical about it.

As long as the General was whole, healthy and in one piece, the rest was replaceable. Woe to the Ho who did damage to the General, however.

Two of the grrls hadn't even known about the amusement park venture. Despite being miffed at the way the General had behaved and not apologized, they decided it was time to mend rifts and get him a present.

*Someone* had to make the first move. Might as well be a Woman and do what needed to be done.

Thus the dilemma.

What did you get for a man who really doesn't care for material possessions, has about fifty women jonesing for his attention and wears black all the time?

He didn't need anything.

Hobbies? Nothing came to mind. Nothing they could buy. After all, you can't just walk into a hardware store and ask for a lightsabre.

They even tried Neiman-Marcus.

No lightsabres.

"You know, we really don't know him that well," Julia stirred her soft drink with the straw absent-mindedly, watching the ice swirl around in the glass.

"Speak for yourself." Sere grinned like a Cheshire Cat that just the finest fillet for lunch. "It's your own fault you haven't gotten any lately." She ducked as an ice cube flew past her ear and smirked. "Must've hit close to home...."

"I meant," Julia growled, "that we don't know him as a person very well." She sighed. "How many conversations have you had with him, hmm?"

"Uh...." Sere blushed slightly and shrugged. "So, he distracted me."

"Exactly." Julia sat back and chewed on her lip. "He's so busy pleasing all of us most of the time, we don't get a chance to really know what he likes." She cut Sere off as the grrl opened her mouth. "BESIDES that."

Sere shrugged and smiled. "We all have gifts and must use them for the betterment of others."

"Oh yeah, and he gets absolutely no pleasure out of it." Rolling her eyes, Julia went back to studying the ice in her glass.

"When did you get so cynical?" Sere leaned forward to give her sister a quizzical look.

"We are NOT talking about me!" Julia waved a hand in exasperation. "We're talking about HIM."

"Sheesh, sib." Sere sat back, shaking her head in amusement. "You need some, BAAAAAD."

Counting to ten, then thirty, Julia decided to ignore her sister's bratty comments and concentrate on the *real* question. She stood, dropping some money on the table.

"Where to now?" Sere bounced out of her seat.

"We need some information." Julia grinned, and winked. "I think I know just the person."

* * * *

"Are we almost there??"

It was the one hundred fortieth time she'd asked.

Julia ground her teeth, barely controlling the urge to throttle her sister.

Ten. Thirty.

At one hundred her hands were still twitching.

"You're turning an interesting shade of red, Sib." Sere grinned unrepentantly.

"You know, they call it vacuum because there isn't any air out there." Julia's smile would've given Chibi-Usa cavities. "Keep it up and you'll get a first hand tour of the air lock."

"Yousa no fun," Sere pouted, crossing her arms and slouching deeper in her seat.

"OOOOH!"

Both grrls jumped as an excited voice spoke behind them.

"Yousa !!"

Julia covered her mouth and sniggered into her hand as her sister was engulfed enthusiastically by a Gungan.

"Oh, shite.." Sere realized her mistake, altogether too late. Familiar territory.

"Muymuy, itsa been one bonbad longen day since I'se heard da Gunganspeak!" The enthusiastic Gungan sat in the empty seat next to Sere and began telling her all about his adventures since leaving Naboo.

Ignoring the pleading looks cast her direction, Julia coolly pulled out her diskman and put the earphones on, blasting her favorite CD of NIN and Def Leppard songs.

"...and dissen meesa youngest! Muymuy bonbad..."

* * * *

They disembarked from the aircar, both of them noting how most everyone stayed away from them.

A leftover from Sere being hugged by a very odiferous Gungan.

"I stink, don't I?" Sere sniffed at her shirt, but after three hours of sitting next to the Gungan she couldn't smell anything.

"Eh, just rather swampy." Julia grinned. "We'll go to the Hunkettes first, then over to the Temple. Although I doubt he'd mind..."

"Too polite to mention it, you mean," Sere huffed. "Let's go. I need a bath!"

* * *

While Sere soaked, Julia walked around the Hunkette building, seeing friends she hadn't seen for a while and catching up on the gossip.

When her sister reappeared, looking happier and smelling much better, they took their leave and walked the short distance to the Temple.

"We're just gonna walk in, without an appointment?" Sere wore tall boots, breeches and a simple shirt and vest laced over it.

"I called over first. He's expecting us." Julia checked to make sure her camera had film and ran a nervous hand over her black pants and sweater. It was cool and drizzling on Coruscant thanks to civil-minded citizens who thought there should be weather on a city-wide planet with no natural greenery left. Going to the Temple made her nervous. All those Jedi with their x-ray eyes and polite expressions. It never failed to make her think of the worst possible things -- like Nutella, or Ready Whip or - "Shite."

"What?" Sere hummed as they walked.

"Just trying to keep my mind out of the gutter."

"Why?" With an impish smile, Sere winked. "Give them a little excitement and probably the only carnal thrill some of them get. Think about all those things you'd either like to do or have done with the General."

"You're a bad influence, you know?" Julia grinned.

"I know." Sere didn't look too repentant as she smugly nodded.

With a grin, Julia said, "Keep it up." She winked as they walked up to the entrance.

It was going to be an interesting visit...if nothing else.

* * * *

The grrls were ushered into a small apartment and sat on two cushions on the floor.

"Not many visitors do I get, hmm..." The Jedi Master shuffled over to a low chair and settled into it. He looked the grrls over thoughtfully. "Especially from Obi-Wan's university. Again, tell me what he calls it?"

"HSU." Julia remembered what Emmy had said about parents and the name and hoped she recalled it correctly. "Hestia State University." It wasn't a lie. She knew the green gnome would spot a lie.

Yoda's ears lifted slightly as a twinkle lit the green eyes. "Hmm.... Tell me, doing well is Obi-Wan?"

"Yes, Master Yoda." Sere couldn't help thinking the miniature Jedi was like some creature out of a Jim Henson movie -- or a Seuss book.

"Here you are because of him, yes?"

"Well..." Julia fidgeted. "It's his birthday and we were trying to think of something to get him... But...what do you get a Jedi?"

Yoda cackled slightly, showing pointy teeth. "Glad ask you can not Qui-Gon.   Recommend a rock, he would!"

The grrls looked at each other. "Not to be disrespectful, but..." Sere shook her head. "No way, no how."

"Actually, we were hoping to talk to someone who knew him fairly well and you came to mind." Julia leaned forward, arms on her knees. "We were trying to think of something less conventional to get him."

The gleam in the Jedi Master's eyes gave both grrls pause. "Hmm...help you I can."

* * * *

Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi Knight, General of the Republic Fleet, hero of the Clone Wars....was nervous.

He approached the door and took a deep breath, releasing his anxieties to the force.

These were his grrls. Back, from Force only knows where, by their own free will.

Free to come and go at will. Not his to keep like exotic pets. Not his to ignore or pay attention to when the whim hit.

Not his to go all Master on.

He had correctly come to the conclusion that they would, in many ways, always be a bit of mystery to him.

He wouldn't forget that again.

He heard them laughing and knocked softly on the door.

Sere opened the door, a bright smile on her face and mischievous light in her eyes. "Come in."

Obi-Wan smiled. "Thank you." He looked around the room between the two grrl's rooms. They shared a common room with separate bedrooms off either side.

He noticed Julia sitting on the floor, leaning against the couch. Their gazes met, neither of them feeling confident after all that had passed. They hadn't spoken since she sent that disk.

"Hello," he offered quietly.

She nodded, looking away. "Come in."

"Yeah," Sere sidled next to him, winking. "We don't bite."

He noted the flush of color in Julia's face, felt an answering response in his own face and sat on the couch, turning to Sere who was grinning like a Sithspawned imp.

"We know we missed your birthday." Julia twisted her fingers together and resolutely avoided his gaze. "But...we did want to do something."

"I'll go first." Sere bounced up and scurried to a closet, pulling out a large object wrapped in brown paper. She lugged it over and held it in front of Obi-Wan. "Don't let anyone ruin this one, ne? If they do, I'll break their arms and feed 'em to my pet shark."

Obi-Wan quirked a smile at her and carefully began to unwrap it. He didn't rip into it, savouring the anticipation. As a youth he hadn't received many gifts -- apart from an odd rock or two his master saw fit to give him. Jedi simply didn't make birthdays a large event.

He stared as the brown paper fell away from the object it was hiding, stunned.

Sere fidgeted, biting her lip. "It was done kind of quickly and I didn't have you to pose for me, but I did have the bazillion or so pics Julia took of you." She flashed a grin at her sister who watched silently.

"It's..." Did they really see him that way?

It was a portrait of him done in oils. He wore a black Jedi tunic and fitted black pants. Boots of course, black and hugging his calves.. Against a background of very deep green, reclined across a chair. He looked relaxed, yet his gaze commanded attention. The poise of a big cat lounging in the sun -- looking relaxed and indifferent, but able to move with incredible grace and stealth. Not particularly stodgy or serious, it was meant to show a lot of the warmth and humour of the man.

He didn't think of himself that way. Oh, he knew he was attractive, how could he not? But to see him not just as a Jedi or as a object of desire...

To see himself through their eyes was a gift, and he didn't intend to take it for granted.

"Thank you." The look he turned on her almost melted her knees as Sere took the hand he held out to her. She allowed herself to be gently pulled forward into his embrace, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and sighing happily. He nuzzled her neck, placing tiny kisses as he trailed up to her jaw and finally captured her mouth in a mind-searing kiss.

Sere almost melted on the spot, but had the coherence of mind to pull herself together again and give a goofy grin. "You have another gift."

Yes, Sere had formidable willpower for a Freshman. She sat next to Obi-Wan and just let the happiness float over her like a warm cloak.

"Um..." Julia shrugged and rubbed the back of her neck. "Sere got most of the artistic talent in the family." She leaned over to pull an object from around the side of the couch. "I hope you like it."

Obi-Wan almost dropped the wrapped cube and looked at Julia, shock evident in his expression.

She gestured for him to open it, a nervous smile playing over her mouth.

Carefully unwrapping the cube, Obi-Wan stared at the object. "I haven't seen one of these....since my padawan days at the Temple," he breathed. The cube began to swirl, colors filling it's interior before coalescing into holographic images.

A group shot of all the grrls in front of the university. Individual poses of each one.

Various funny poses from the grrls -- pictures from the parties they'd had, events...even one of the Triumph at the bottom of the pool.

Obi-Wan smiled wryly at that and looked at Julia. She shrugged. "It was too good to pass up."

A series of images of the Temple on Coruscant. Master Yoda, smiling and nodding, gimmer stick firmly in hand. Master Windu doing a series of dance steps and smiling. Friends he hadn't seen in years.

He held his breath as an image of Qui-Gon formed. It was a holo he had taken himself on one of their missions and thought he lost. Qui-Gon smiling, looking carefree and happy.

Another image formed, of Qui-Gon, his arm around a much younger and serious-looking padawan.

Obi-Wan remembered that holo. It had been taken right after he and his master had won the Team Sabre Championship his fourth year as a padawan.

He swallowed hard against the emotions that accompanied the images and met Julia's gaze. "How...?"

"Master Yoda helped. He gave us the images and showed us how to arrange them, then showed us how to impress feelings on the cube."

Something only a Jedi or force sensitive could truly appreciate. These two would never even realize the depth of the gift they offered. Setting it down carefully he stood.

Obi-Wan ran a hand through his hair, truly at a loss for words. He looked from Sere to Julia. Kneeling between them, he turned first to Sere and took her hand in his. "Barely here a week and I lock you in your room. I'm sorry, Sere. I was..." He shook his head. "Not quite in my right mind at the time...."

"You're forgiven," Sere said with a smile. She sobered, quirking an eyebrow. "But, do it again, and I'll get my pirate friends to show you how *we* deal with men who stick their heads up their arses and talk through their buttholes."

Obi-Wan nodded somberly, trying to control the grin threatening to curl his lips.

He turned to Julia, who was staring at her tightly laced fingers. The grin faded and he sat, crossing his legs and facing her. "I tried to control you. Tried to freeze you into a moment in time and keep you that way forever. I know that isn't possible. We all grow, change. Have to make our own decisions, despite what anyone else thinks."

"Even you." Said so quietly he almost didn't hear it.

"Especially me." Obi-Wan leaned forward, brushing her hair off her cheek with the back of his fingers. "I'm sorry."

She turned to look into his eyes, had to see that what he said was more than mere words. To see if there was sincerity in those changeable eyes. Had to know that the time and energy she put into being at HSU wasn't wasted. That she wasn't just another warm body to him.

It was hard for her to believe that he could truly care for all of them in a unique way. A great deal of that belief had been weakened by the actions of the past weeks.

Gazing into those eyes, she saw the man who had convinced her to leave her job. The man who had seen past the facade to the real her. Who had helped her realize she deserved better than mundane.

The man he hadn't been in the past few weeks.

A shaky smile curved her lips. "Welcome back, Obi-Wan Kenobi." She leaned into his touch until her forehead touched his. Smiled as he nuzzled her nose with his, batting his eyelashes against hers in butterfly kisses. Slowly moved forward to nibble her lips before sealing his mouth to hers in a kiss that fried every synapse.

"Ahem!" Sere grinned unrepentantly as the two broke apart to look at her. "It's his birthday and we still have a plan...remember?"

"Plan..." Julia blinked. Remember? Hell no! She couldn't even think. After weeks of being celibate, having him around, his heat, his scent, his gaze on her.... It was like being drunk.

Pointing to the large screen television and the fireplace, Sere held up a finger. "Movie." Held up another finger. "Popcorn." Another finger. "Cuddling." She grinned. "But I have to get up tres early for a dressage lesson tomorrow so if you stay late for a make-out...oh, I mean make up time with my sister..." She waggled her eyebrows. "Just remember you and I *do* have an appointment tomorrow."

Giving Sere the Look, Obi-Wan prowled forward on all fours to nip at her lips. "As though I could ever forget?"

Struggling valiantly not to flatline, Sere blinked and groped around for the movie. Finding it, and something to concentrate on, she held it up. "Ta dah!! Movie time!"

So they stretched out on the floor by the fireplace, shoulder to shoulder. They ate much popcorn, laughed at the bad jokes, cuddled, stole glances and kisses from the General who didn't seem to mind one bit being the center of attention, gave as good as he got and enjoyed the bonds that were returning.

What happened after that?

Sere went to bed, just as she said she would, with visions of black-clad Generals prowling through her head.

And Julia?

She discovered that the General had always wanted to play out a fantasy about the stoic Jedi discovering he has been given the gift of a pleasure slave....

After all. It was *his* birthday.