Master Apprentice Archive Be Careful What You Wish For Quick search:

Archive: m_a...and anywhere else, but let me know where so I can go look at it and have the warm fuzzies.

Category: Humour/Fluff

Pairing: Q/O

Rating: PG just to be on the safe side

Warnings/Summary: This one is all Emu's fault. She said she would like to see a story where a bond wasn't necessarily all about warm fuzzies. But this is not intended to in any way ridicule the many good bonding stories out there. This was also not intended to be the first fic I posted, but the damn bunny wouldn't die.

Disclaimer: All things Star Wars are owned by George Lucas, who makes large sums of money from them. No deliberate copyright infringement for profit intended. Sue and all you get is a cat with an attitude and my dust mites.

Author's Note: ** denotes mindspeech.

Feedback: I live for feedback. On list or off, one line or many. I will take it any way I can get it. *grin*

Everyone keeps telling me I'm the luckiest person they know. And I can't say that I disagree with them. I am lucky. In just over four days, I, Obi-Wan Kenobi, will declare the oaths of a formal bonding ceremony and begin the first day of the rest of my life with the most amazing man I have ever known. Many of those who consider me lucky however, also consider me to be much too young to fully understand what committing myself so utterly to one man would require. Indeed, those who object say that my age, lack of experience and the implicit trust that was the foundation of my long-term relationship with Qui-Gon are all keeping me from making a clear-headed, impartial decision.

I tried to reassure them all, but I couldn't. I was certain that Qui-Gon would be able dispel all their concerns, but as we stood before Master Yoda, I wasn't so sure. No one in the council chamber looked impressed by my impassioned speech about how much the two of us truly loved one another. But before I could really begin to worry, Master Yoda was speaking, and I wrenched my attention back to the matter at hand. "Given our approval for this relationship, the council has. But many problems could come of making the relationship a life bonded one. Listened to all sides of the argument, we have. The decision of the council is that you will be sent into seclusion together to initiate the bond. Three days and three nights you will have to experience the bond and all that it entails. Evaluated at the end of those three days you will be. Then and only then will the council make its final decision whether to allow the bond to be completed." Rapping his gimer stick on the floor to emphasize his point, the diminutive master paused.

Even as I opened my mouth to object, I saw that Qui-Gon was nodding his approval, so I stifled my protest and followed obediently as he said his goodbyes and left the chamber. It only took a few minutes to get back to our quarters, where we waited for the two masters who would be arriving to initiate the bond. "I don't understand why they can't see how right this is," I offered after several long moments of silence.

"Their opinion doesn't really matter my Obi-Wan. We merely need to let them see the depth of our love for one another and this situation will solve itself," my beloved answered soothingly.

I took a deep breath, releasing the lingering remnants of my temper into the Force. He was right and I knew it. Holding on to my anger at their lack of understanding would accomplish nothing. Indeed, if I was still upset when the masters arrived, my lack of control would only be seen as one more mark against us. Idly I let my gaze roam around the main living area, taking in the paintings Qui-Gon had purchased on one of our last missions, and the new furniture set I had chosen only a week before. Taking comfort in being at home, I chose a more neutral subject. "What exactly did Master Yoda mean, the bond and all it entails?" I asked Qui curiously.

"Well," he began, "as I am sure you know, life bonds can be difficult at first, and can cause a great deal of problems as the couple adjusts and they balance each of their needs in accordance with their new intimacy. I think he was simply reminding us that we would have to deal with not only the positive effects, but also the less than pleasant but temporary side effects. In a less enduring relationship than ours there would be concerns about matching mental abilities and individual privacy during the adjustment period. But that shouldn't be a problem for us, as we have no momentous secrets from each other, and have been in contact mind to mind numerous times in the past," he finished, anticipation lighting his eyes.

I found myself nodding in agreement, but couldn't keep a slight case of nerves from creeping up on me. "But what if there are problems you haven't foreseen?" I asked, hating the slight tremble in my voice.

Shaking his head Qui-Gon smiled at me and I felt some of my tension dissolve. "Don't worry, love. The bond will only enhance what we already have. There is absolutely nothing to worry about," he told me confidently.

Gracefully, he stood up and resettled himself beside me, and we sat for a time, enjoying simply being together while we waited. When the masters arrived, I observed while Qui let them in, then played gracious host for a few minutes, before we reconvened out on the balcony. I always felt most secure meditating outside, weather permitting, so we had already decided that was where we would be most comfortable. Once we were all in position I waited, excitement quickly replacing my earlier nerves. Finally what we both wanted for so long would come to be.

I knew the two masters who were overseeing the bond only slightly, and Qui-Gon only a bit more so, but the lack of familiarity didn't matter. The pair of them were here only to guide us through the bonding process and be sure that proper procedures were followed. They would then assist us in balancing our newly combined mental energies and verifying that the bond had in fact been initiated properly.

In due course, we had performed the correct meditations and rituals and had only to completely lower our shields to allow the bond to form. Because a person's shields formed over their whole life, mine were weaker and easier to drop, so I went first. Even though it was difficult, I dropped all of my barriers without hesitation, unconsciously holding my breath while I waited for Qui-Gon to do the same. Projecting my love and respect as best I could, I waited. And waited. And waited. Finally, after several very long seconds I felt it. The resistance, the barriers that had been Qui's shields, were gone. I was swamped with a wave of emotions that I knew were not my own - love, respect and so much more all rolled into one. It was wonderful, but more than a little overwhelming and I found myself losing track of my surroundings.

After a while though one of the masters spoke and gently recaptured our attention. "We verify that the life bond you both sought has been initiated. Remember that we will be visiting you several times a day to evaluate your progress. Also, please keep in mind that a complete mental connection takes much more than three days to develop, and can be difficult to regulate in the beginning. Problems are to be expected. Don't be stubborn," she added, looking pointedly at Qui-Gon. "Ask for help if you need it, and don't forget to be sure and take care of yourselves physically during this time of discovery. Congratulations to you both," she finished. With those final words, the pair left, and we were alone at last.

Barely seconds passed before were in each other's arms, kissing hungrily. Finding our new balance could wait, especially weighed against the ability to truly experience lovemaking completely through the eyes of the other. In no time at all we were stumbling into the bedroom. We hadn't quite made it to the bed when it occurred to me that I was wearing too many clothes. Pausing briefly to remove my shirt, I quickly went back to the pleasant business at hand. But just as I was about to lower my head for another kiss, a thought floated into my head. **I never really did enjoy that shirt. I always thought it made you look washed out.** I felt my mouth drop open, as I pulled back from him reflexively. "If you didn't like it, why not just say so?" I asked, feeling a prickle of hurt creep into the general wonder and contentment of the evening.

"Obi-Wan don't you think we have more important things to do than discuss fashion?" Qui retorted more than a bit testily. "I simply didn't mention it because I knew you liked the shirt and I was attempting to be considerate of your feelings. I didn't want to spoil your enjoyment of it."

After a moment I accepted that and we continued exploring each other while darkness began to fall outside. We weren't in any hurry for completion, just enjoying the new feeling of closeness between us, and reminiscing about other times when we had been more intensely connected in the past. Then Qui-Gon who brought up the mission to Ryloth and I couldn't help but cringe. That particular culture had been very much rooted in the fine arts, particularly formal dance. Some of the events that Qui remembered so fondly had been rather trying for me. I was reaching to slide my hand up his inner thigh when I sensed him tense. I could feel his frown more than I could see it in the near darkness of the bedroom. "What do you mean, you don't really enjoying dancing with me in public?" he demanded.

With a sigh, I turned to face him, wondering how much more truth we would both be able to stand this evening. But he had answered my question, and if we were to become secure within the bond, I had to answer his. "The audiences always seemed to make you nervous and you were constantly stepping on my feet if you must know," I told him, keeping my tone as even as possible.

There was a pregnant pause, while Qui-Gon sat down on his side of the bed. "It seems we have both been making a habit of keeping things from one another," he observed after a moment.

"I would never keep anything important from you, my love," I told him reassuringly. "You know that. And the little details that we may have neglected hardly matter now. It doesn't mean anything, no matter what it concerns. Hellfires Qui, you could tell me that you'd screwed the crown Prince of Ryloth himself and it still wouldn't matter," I continued, feeling more than a little frustrated at the awkward turn the evening had taken.

But then right behind my eyes, a picture formed of the two of them together, Qui in his uniform robes and the well endowed crown Prince tangled in the sheets of an opulent bed. I could feel my mouth drop open again. "That was only an example," I spluttered in shock. "You were with the Prince," I choked. "Which means that the near scandal circulating before we left the planet was at least partially true." I stopped, shock battling with temper for a moment. "So you weren't the model master all the time back then." I finally managed to retort with a bit of a smirk.

"And I never claimed to be," came the calm answer, though his eye was twitching a bit, a sure sign he was uncomfortable. "Our relationship was different then. I was still very much your primary teacher. It would have served no purpose to set you such an example," Qui-Gon finished.

I shook my head, then answered a bit sharply. "Alright, maybe our relationship was different back then, but why wasn't he on your list of partners when we were talking our past liaisons?" I demanded.

"It slipped my mind," Qui informed me, tone no longer quite so placid.

Suddenly apprehensive, I frowned at him. "And just what else may have slipped your mind?" I asked, almost against my better judgement.

But before I could get an answer, another voice intruded. "Obi-Wan, get up. We both need to get to the teaching wing before first bell." Qui's voice was warm and amused, and seemed to be coming from somewhere in the vicinity of my right ear. "If you don't get moving soon, we'll both be very late," he continued. I opened my eyes and blinked in confusion, no longer sure of where I was, or what time it was. All I knew for sure was that I felt a strong sense of foreboding.

Then I caught a glimpse of Qui-Gon headed into the refresher, muttering as usual about his upcoming classes. Relief made me light headed as I realized it was morning and I was safe at home in bed. The uncomfortable realizations of the previous night had only been a dream. Qui's side of the bed was still warm from where he'd slept, his sheet and pillow still permeated with his scent and the comforting aura of his Force signature and I scooted over to bask in that familiar comfort for a few moments. I was so drained I wanted nothing more than to simply curl up, and sink back into sleep.

However, my sense of duty insisted on niggling in the back of my brain, so I didn't. Slowly, I got up and got ready to face the day. For the moment, Qui-Gon and I were both assigned to a teaching rotation, which was fortunate because it meant we would both be done fairly early. Once we were done with our respective classes of Initiates and Padawans, it looked like some fairly serious and probably extended discussion was in order. It appeared that Qui's tentative suggestion over late meal the previous night had bothered me more than I thought. We definitely needed to discuss the possibility of bonding in much more specific detail before we even considered it, no matter how far in the future it might be.

~~FIN~~