Master Apprentice
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Archive: MA, BailNow, Archive of Our Own.
Category: Obi-Wan/Bail, non-Q/O
Rating: PG
Summary: Obi-Wan must leave on a mission. But, before he goes, he has something for Bail.
Warnings: Sappy. WAFFy.
Disclaimer: George own them. I don't.
Notes: This is a one-shot side story that fits into a greater arc developing a friendship, and later romantic relationship, between Bail Organa and Obi-Wan Kenobi. In order, stories are: Echo, Match, Juncture, Homecoming, Disclosure(WIP), Always, Exigency(WIP), Reconciliation, and Memories of Water.
Obi-Wan let himself into Bail's apartment. He found the man sound asleep on the sofa; sprawled out with his clothes still on, a hand grasping one of the many datapads on his chest. A tray with a decanter of brandy and an untouched meal sat on the low table next to where Bail lay -- a testament to hard work and exhaustion.
All Obi-Wan could do was shake his head. How, he wondered, had he managed to become caretaker to two individuals in such a short period of time? He went to the bedroom, took a throw from the foot of the bed, and went back into the entertaining area. After draping the throw over Bail's legs, he perched on a corner of the table near Bail's chest. Carefully, as not to wake the man, he removed the datapads and placed them in a neat stack on the floor. He was almost finished when Bail jerked awake with a start.
"It's only me." Obi-Wan took the last datapad from Bail's hand and placed it on the table. He reached out and brushed the backs of his fingers over Bail's cheek. "I'm sorry I woke you."
"I'm not." Bail sighed in a combination of relief and pleasure. "I do wish you would stop startling me like that though. What would the people of Alderaan say if I had a heart attack?"
"The same thing I would say. You work too hard."
"Don't they teach you anything at that Temple of yours?" Bail smirked and sat up. "Politicians and royalty don't work; we are an indolent class living off the labor of others. We spend our days being pampered and worshiped."
"Too true." Obi-Wan returned the grin. "You're an untrustworthy, greedy, and corrupt bunch as well."
They both laughed.
Bail rubbed a hand over his face in an effort to get his bearings; falling asleep on the sofa while reading was becoming a habit in spite of the fact that it left his back in knots. He felt a bit foggy. "I don't mean to sound ungrateful, Ben, but isn't this the wrong night of the week? Shouldn't you be with Anakin?"
The expression on Obi-Wan's face became serious. He looked down at his hands. "I've been given a mission."
Bail sat there blinking for a long time. In the back of his mind he realized he must look like a complete idiot. "Well, we knew it wouldn't last forever," he said sadly. "I suppose I should be grateful. After all, we've had almost two years."
Obi-Wan just nodded.
"Where are they sending . . ." Bail caught himself before he finished the question. He closed his eyes and sighed. "I'm sorry. I know you can't answer that. I shouldn't have asked."
The response Bail received wasn't what he expected. Obi-Wan moved from the table to the couch and took Bail's hand in his. "Knight Kenobi may not be able to give mission specifics to Senator Organa, but Ben can tell Bail a few things. In confidence."
"Are you sure?" Bail frowned his concern. "I don't want you to say anything that would cause you problems with the Council."
"I would never do anything that would conflict with my duties, but I acknowledge a certain amount of responsibility within our relationship. I may not be able to tell you where I'm going, or the details of the mission, but I can say that it is a simple diplomatic matter. I shouldn't be gone more than two standard weeks."
After a moment's hesitation Bail asked, "Is Anakin going with you?"
Obi-Wan shook his head. "He's learning quickly, but it is my opinion that he's not ready. The Council agrees. Though he is already equal to his age mates where the lightsaber is concerned, cultural matters like etiquette and custom are still difficult for him. However, you should know that Master Yoda told me after the briefing that it is the consensus of the Council that I be sent on regular missions from now on to 'keep my feet wet.' I expect it won't be long until we are assigned joint missions and placed on the regular rotation schedule."
Bail absently picked at a loose thread on Obi-Wan's tunic. There was another question he wanted to ask, but he wasn't sure he was ready to hear the answer. "You really should get this replaced. It's starting to fray."
"I leave in the morning."
Bail was rather proud he didn't wince. "How did I know you were going to say that?"
"Bail . . ."
"It's all right. I've always known I'd have to face this. It's just that the longer things went without you being sent off-planet, the easier it was to not think about it." Bail took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "It's the first time they've sent you somewhere since Naboo."
"I know," Obi-Wan sighed. "It will be the first time I've taken an off-planet mission -- much less a diplomatic one -- without Qui-Gon."
Bail gave Obi-Wan's hand a squeeze. "I'm sure you'll do fine."
"Of course I will." Obi-Wan shrugged off the reassurance. "It will just be different, that's all."
Bail leaned to rest his forehead against Obi-Wan's. He closed his eyes and tried to simply be, to enjoy the feel of Obi-Wan's skin, the smell of him. He knew that the memory of it would be all he would have for a while.
After a few moments, Ob-Wan let go of Bail's hand. "I have something for you."
Bail opened his eyes and watched as Obi-Wan reached into his tunic. Two small nerf-hide pouches appeared. One was tied with a blue cord and the other with white. They were so small that they rested neatly in the palm of Obi-Wan's hand. Bail tilted his head, studying the apparent gift. Obi-Wan had never given him a gift in all the years they had known each other. He was intrigued.
"On my thirteenth birthday," Obi-Wan began, "my Master gave something to me. It has grown to have deep meaning for me, and I keep it with me to remind me of the lessons it taught me. It taught me that appearances are not always as they seem, that small things are of great importance, and that my Master cared deeply for me and would always be with me."
Bail watched as Obi-Wan opened the pouch with the white cord and removed a small stone. At first it seemed to be black but, as Bail studied it, he could see faint veins of red threading through the surface.
"Qui-Gon found this on his home world when he was young." Obi-Wan placed the stone in Bail's hand. It was warm. "I thought it nothing more than a rock, and I was disappointed. But, in time, I understood what a treasure he had given me. He had given me a part of himself."
Bail looked up into the eyes of his lover. "Ben, I couldn't possibly . . ."
Obi-Wan silenced Bail with a small smile. He opened the other pouch and turned both of them upside down. A small half-sphere of rock tumbled from each pouch into Bail's hand. Deep blue with threads of white, gold, and green, they had obviously once been a single stone but now were split into two perfectly equal parts. They were beautiful independently, but Bail had a sense of sorrow that something so lovely had been altered from its natural state. He was just about to roll the two halves together when Obi-Wan reached out and took both pieces. He held them up, one in each hand, before Bail's face.
"I spent many hours in the All Planets Market wandering the shops. I wasn't sure what I was looking for exactly. When I saw this, it reminded me of Alderaan and the time I spent there with you."
"The merchant was unhappy when I asked that it be cut, but I insisted. I told him it had to be severed perfectly in half. You see, this rock is more than what it seems." Obi-Wan turned the pieces in his fingers and fit them together. The seam could barely be seen. "We come to one another independent, neither more nor less important than the other. Like the separated stone, we are each of us just as significant and complex on our own. However, when we are together..."
Bail watched through misty eyes as Obi-Wan removed his hands. The pieces floated together in the midair, spinning just a touch, held by the Force. The gold and white veins in the stone began to glow as if the rock were, somehow, alive.
Finally, the pieces of the sphere began to drift apart. Obi-Wan took up the pouches and let one half of the sphere fall into each. The black stone that Qui-Gon had given to Obi-Wan rose from Bail's palm and floated through the air into the pouch with the white cord tie.
"I only wear the ring you gave me when I come to this apartment." Obi-Wan's expression was earnest and grave. "Though I know the depth of meaning that it holds, it is more than a token of your affection for me; it is a tool that could be used against you should it fall into the wrong hands." He held the pouch tied with blue cord out to Bail. "I want you to keep this with you, close to your heart. You will know that I hold the other half next to mine. Distance is only space, Bail, as this is only a rock, and yet it is so much more. I will be with you, always."
Bail couldn't stop his tears; he didn't even try. They fell silently and he made no move to brush them away. Finally, he reached out and took the offered pouch, holding it in both hands as though it were the most precious and fragile of crystals. There was so much he longed to say, but for the first time in his life words completely failed him. They seemed so insignificant compared to what the stone represented. He sat there looking at Obi-Wan's tear-blurred form, mouth open to form words that simply wouldn't come. Bail felt unworthy of such a gift, and wondered if he should hand the little pouch back, but he couldn't make himself do it. His heart wouldn't let him.
Obi-Wan tucked his pouch back into his tunic. He reached forward and took Bail's face in his hands brushing tears away with his thumbs. "Bail? Are you all right?"
Words finally came. "I'll miss you," Bail croaked.
"I'll miss you too, Bail," Obi-Wan replied.
"You must promise me to be careful," Bail said sternly.
Obi-Wan nodded. "I promise."
"No heroics. No adventures. No saving damsels in distress. Lightsaber firmly clipped to belt."
"No damsels," Obi-Wan said with a smile. "Absolutely no damsels."
Tears continued to course down Bail's cheeks. "And, Ben?"
"Yes?"
"Thank you."
Obi-Wan gathered Bail up in his arms and held him close. "You are so very welcome."
~~~*~~~*~~~