Title: HSU: The General's Birthday: A Vignette
Author: Judy
Rating: ITSTHAR (It¹s Too Short To Have A Rating)
Disclaimer: We have the real General. So there!
Archive: This little thing?
Timeline: After Kendra's PMS fic
Notes: Just a self-serving ficlet (well, it ended up a little longer than I thought, so I guess it's an actual fic) about Obi's birthday and what he got from the bartender. All mistakes are mine.

General Obi-Wan Kenobi looked up at the quiet knock on his door, his wire-rim glasses slipping slightly down his nose.

"Yes?"

Judy peeked around the door and grinned at him.

"Got a moment?"

"For you, Judith dahling, I've got more than a moment. I've got two." He sat back in his large, leather office chair and gave the bartender a decidedly mischievous Look.

"Oh my, aren't we clever today?" Judy said as she closed the door with a quiet click. She sashayed over to his desk. She was holding a large white paper shopping bag. Obi-Wan's eyes were drawn to it.

"What's in there?" he drawled.

Judy set the bag on the floor. "I'll get to that in a bit. First, I have a little problem I need your help with."

"Oh?" He sat up in his chair at that. "What sort of problem, love?" He frowned suddenly and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "This doesn't have anything to do with what Kendra did to your bat, does it?" Trepidation was evident in his voice. "I mean, the shrine is a nice tribute, but..." He trailed off at Judy's scowl.

"No, Kenobi, it's not about *that*. Don't worry, I'll deal with my padawan soon enough." Her eyes gleamed with thoughts of mayhem and destruction. And of the new bat being shipped to her. She mentally shook herself. Enough of that, she had something much more imprtant to attend to. The General was still eyeing her warily. Better ease his mind since he'd recently had to endure them all PMS-ing at one time.

"No, this problem involves you," she said pointing a finger at the lovely indentation in his chin.

"Me?" Obi-Wan, relieved, leaned back in his chair. He wasn't sensing anything dangerous from the bartender....no...on second thought, there were some danger signals, but the good kind. He steepled his fingers thoughtfully and stared at her. "So, what have I done this time?"

"No, it's nothing like that. You have to help me decide something." Judy countered his Look by leaning forward over his desk, revealing not a little cleavage from the V-neck of her white, form-fitting t-shirt. Kenobi's eyes adjusted downward.

Judy smirked. "That's not where my face is, Kenobi." He jerked up, the tips of his ears turning red. The bartender gave a shout of laughter. "Ha! Made you look!"

"That wasn't playing fair," the General groused as Judy shrugged and gave him an "all's fair" kind of grin. So, that was the game, was it? He sat forward in his chair, putting his elbows on the desk, and considered her challenge. Licking his lips, he rose up until his face was mere inches from hers.

"So," he purred, "what did you need my help with, deah?" He nuzzled her cheek lightly with his stubbled one. He felt more than saw the barkeep swallow convulsively and shiver at his tone and touch.

"We...ahem..well," Judy cleared her throat, but managed to hold her ground. "I need to know if you want your birthday present all at once or in two parts?"

Obi-Wan cocked his head to regard her. "My birthday present? I get two gifts from you then? Hmm..." He pursed his lips and Judy couldn't resist stealing a kiss.

"Sneaky," he winked before stealing one back.

"I try. So, what's your answer?"

Obi-Wan sat back in his chair and leaned all the way back, propping his booted feet on his desk. He clasped his hands over his stomach.

"Two gifts, you say? I can have it all now or save some for later? Well, in that case, I want my gift in two parts. More for me," he leered.

"My, but you're awfully confident as to the nature of my gift," Judy tsked. The General raised an eyebrow, daring her to contradict him.

"Okay, then. Here's part one." She lifted the shopping bag up and plunked it on his desk. Something clinked inside. The General looked at the bag, then he looked at her, then back at the bag.

"Well, don't just stare at it. There's a box in there that's yours."

Obi-Wan looked a little put-off. He hadn't been expecting an actual gift. Hot sex, yes. Actual object in a box that required unwrapping, no. But he peered dutifully into the bag and reached in to pull out a smaller, gift-wrapped box. It was encased in a simple dark blue paper with a light blue fabric ribbon tied in a simple bow. It was about the size of a shoe box, maybe a little larger. He set it on the desk and stared at it.

"Well, open it!" Judy huffed, her arms crossed. Men. Didn't know what to do with a simple present.

Obi-Wan easily untied the bow, then reached underneath the box and popped the tape, neatly pulling off the paper. With a little twist of the Force, the tape on the box snapped and the lid flew off to land on the floor. Inside were two oblong objects wound securely in bubble wrap. He picked one up, then gasped. The bubble wrap was ripped off in a single motion, and a beaming Jedi Knight held aloft a bottle of ale. Not just any bottle of ale...

"Corellian Dark!" he exclaimed, his eyes alight with excitement. "Yes!" He turned the bottle around in his hands, almost possessively, then he set it gently on the desk, like he was afraid it would break. Grinning like a little kid, he grabbed the other wrapped bottle, quickly disposed of the bubble wrap, and gently placed that bottle next to its twin. "I haven't had Corellian Dark in ages. It's so hard to come by. Thank you so much, Judith. How did you...?" He gazed down at his beloved brew that was a rarity outside the Corellian system.

"I have my ways," Judy smiled. "And a whole two cases are in the storeroom--just for you. No one else knows. Not even Qui-Gon."

Obi-Wan grabbed a bottle and clutched it to his chest, exclaiming in mock dismay. "He must never know! These are mine! All mine!"

"You wouldn't even share with your dear former master?" Judy grinned as she sat on the edge of the desk.

"Well...I'll think about it," he shrugged, leaning forward to place a soft kiss on the bartender's lips. "Thank you again, love. This is definitely something I'll enjoy." Judy claimed another kiss, then stood up to leave. The General tried to pout but was still too excited about his gift.

"Don't forget. I still have the second part of your gift to give you," the bartender wagged a finger at him.

Obi-Wan looked up sharply. "But I thought the two cases..."

"Silly man. Like I'd ever just give you beer for your birthday. No, for the second part, stick around after your party tonight. I'll need a little help with inventory..." A feral gleam lit the General's eyes.

Judy blew him a kiss and slipped out of the office.

The end.

So, what did everyone else give the General? Birthday boinking doesn't count. That's a given. <g>