Marry Her, Quinn

by Merry Amelie

Title: Marry Her, Quinn
Author: Merry Amelie
Archive: MA only
Category: Alternate Reality, Qui/Obi, Romance, Series
Rating: PG
Summary: An unsettling dream.

I'm posting Arcadia and Q/O drabbles to TPM 100.

Series: Academic Arcadia -- # 128
A chronological list of the series with the URLs can be found under the header 'Academic Arcadia' at the Master Apprentice ML.

My MA story page is here.

Feedback: Is treasured at MerryAmelie@aol.com.
Disclaimer: Mr. Lucas owns everything Star Wars. I'm not making any money.

For
My beta team: Nerowill, Emila-Wan, and Carol
Mali Wane for posting
My former betas: Alex, Ula, and Padawan Sue

"Marry her, Quinn."

Quinn woke up in a cold sweat. The middle of the night pressed darkness upon him. He shivered as he reached out to touch Ian's stubble in reassurance. It wasn't true. Nothing but a dream.

Lying back on his pillow, he remembered those very words, spoken in real life. Twelve years ago, his mentor and thesis advisor, Professor Duncan, had sat him down for a decidedly off-topic conversation. His blunt advice, to get married soon, had haunted Quinn for months.

Hungry women were all around him, eyes eager for the least indication of his regard. It would have been the easiest thing in the world for him to woo a future wife. Not to mention the cruelest thing in the world, for both of them.

Implicit pressure to marry, the offhand invitations by his mother's friends with marriageable daughters, had become explicit, with his professor's intervention. Apparently, a wife was one component of a successful career.

But Quinn was made of sterner stuff than his classmates and would not succumb to social or parental pressure. He would not, could not, sacrifice an innocent girl and himself upon the wedding altar.

When Quinn got his Bailor diploma, his parents and Professor Duncan had cheered in the audience, but he could tell by their faces that they were waiting for another ceremony, one even dearer to their hearts.

The weight of their expectations, even after he'd achieved his doctorate, was crushing. Master Yodama and the serenity of aikido were just the counterbalancing force he needed at the time.

He would surface from his sessions refreshed and ready to do battle against those who would dictate his future. At times, he even felt a phantom comrade at his side, a thrill of support he couldn't quite see.

When he first met Ian, he knew he'd finally met that comrade in arms, however fanciful it seemed. And now his lad was stirring beside him, reaching out to touch his hair.

"Bad dream, love?" Ian asked, still half asleep.

"Not anymore, laddie. It's over now." And Quinn realized that it finally was. "Go back to sleep."

He turned over to catch dreams of blue-green eyes shining over a dimpled chin.

Dream into reality.