25 Days of Christmas in a Galaxy Far Far Away

Chapter 18

Modern AU: Anakin and Padme's engagement was sudden, and for Obi-Wan and Satine, who had a perfect, quiet holiday planned, getting there in time for Christmas might be hard, especially with the winter storm.

Obi-Wan let out a long held in sigh as he watched a plane take off from the airport. His flight was supposed to be boarding soon, and in all honesty, he was dreading it. A reassuring hand squeeze drew his attention back to the seating area. Satine had grabbed his hand, a look of worry quickly crossing over her face.

"Come on, we're boarding," She whispered, giving him a quick kiss. Obi-Wan grabbed his bags and stood up without a word. Once they got in the boarding line, Obi-Wan let her arms wrap around him and rested his head on her neck.

"I hate flying," he groaned as Satine delicately ran her hand through his hair.

"I know," she kissed the top of his head. Noticing that the line was moving again, Obi-Wan unzipped his work bag and took out the boarding pass. He handed one to Satine.

They boarded, took their seats, and waited for the plane to take off. "Seven hours," Obi-Wan mumbled, his eyes never leaving the page of the book he was reading. "Seven full hours stuck in a flying chunk of steel." Satine reached out and grabbed his hand again.

"It'll all be over before you know it, alright, dear," she reassured him, Obi-Wan inching closer to her from his seat. Resting his head on her shoulder, he closed his book and set it in his carry on.

"You don't mind if I fall asleep, do you?" Obi-Wan asked, and Satine shook her head. He wrapped his arm around her, nuzzled closer, and pressed a gentle kiss against the crook of her neck. He then murmured, almost too quiet to hear, definitely not meant to be heard in the first place, "I can only hope we've landed when I wake up."

Satine laughed, a sound that was enough to make Obi-Wan smile. "Goodnight, Obi." And with those final words, Obi-Wan drifted off to sleep, trying his hardest to ignore the ground the was slowly disappearing from below the plane.

~

"Obi-Wan," Satine gently nudged the sleeping man. "Obi-Wan, wake up."

"Wha..what's going on?" His eyes opened, quickly taking in his surroundings. Realizing he was still on a plane, he squeezed Satine's hand. "Are we landing?"

"Yes," Satine replied, prying her hand from Obi-Wan's tight grip so she could pack up her laptop and work papers that she had been working on. "In Chicago."

"What?!"

"We've only been flying for three hours. The storm got worse, apparently all flights have been cancelled or delayed. There making us land."

Obi-Wan groaned and leaned back in his seat, only to jolt forward with a yelp as the plane hit sudden turbulence. He instantly moved back towards Satine for comfort. "I hate flying," he groaned again. "I really, really hate flying."

Satine simply pulled him closer, letting him grab her hand again. Within minutes the plane had descended and landed, very roughly, as Obi-Wan had complained. They both stood up and grabbed their bags, preparing to leave. Obi-Wan visibly relaxed. "We should call Anakin and Padme, tell them we might not make it for Christmas eve," Obi-Wan commented as they exited the terminal. His voice was less strained and worried now that they were back on solid ground.

"You never know, things might clear up," Satine countered, her voice filled with hope that Obi-Wan didn't have. Instead of reply with the sarcastic comment he had in mind, Obi-Wan grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her so she was facing the large airport windows. Outside, snow had piled up a few feet in certain areas. There was a snow plow clearing a pathway for an incoming plane, and Obi-Wan was certain that it wasn't the only one, but he couldn't see more than ten feet with the blizzard. "Maybe we should call them, if we can even get reception."

"Yes, after we get or bags and find a place to stay," Obi-Wan let go of her and began to walk towards the bag claim, Satine following shortly after.

"Don't you think that all the roads will be closed?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I could guess, but this is a large airport, they've got to have a small motel or something , right?"

"Perhaps," Satine replied, and whispering under her breath, she continued, "though it's probably all booked by now."

~

"What do you mean all the rooms are booked! Do you just expect us to sleep in the airport?" Obi-Wan grumbled. Satine stood slightly behind him, thinking to herself about why she hadn't warned Obi-Wan that she assumed that this would happen.

"I'm sorry sir, but there's nothing left. You'll have to find something else," the man at the front counter replied with an apologetic smile. Behind Obi-Wan and Satine, the line began to disperse. "Happy holidays."

"Thank you for your time," Obi-Wan sighed, "and happy holidays to you too." Obi-Wan turned to walk back towards the airport, sliding his arms around Satine. "I'm so sorry," he whispered to her with a quick kiss on her forehead.

"Darling, there's nothing to apologize about," Satine smiled back at him. "While you were trying to get a room I was listening to the news. They said that the storm will clear up tomorrow evening. We'll be able to catch a flight that night and the next morning."

"So we'll get there for the end of Christmas?"

"Yes," Satine responded and gently tugged on Obi-Wan's sleeve a signal for him to stop. They'd reached the terminal that they had landed at earlier. Other people and families had already set up for the night, but Obi-Wan managed to set his luggage down in a corner in the back of the room. He took out one of his coats, set it out like a pillow, and laid down. Satine curled up next to him, resting a hand on his chest while the other brushed the remaining snow out of his hair.

"This will do for tonight," Obi-Wan confirmed, relaxing into the makeshift bed. It wasn't comfortable, it wasn't supposed to be, but for now it would do, as long as they had each other.