Love's Reflection

by Krystine (krystine3@worldnet.att.net)

Archive: MA, anyone else please let me know
Category: Humor, romantic fluff
Rating: G
Pairing: Q/O
Spoilers/Warnings: None
Feedback: All comments (or criticism) greatly appreciated.
Disclaimer: The characters belong to Mr. Lucas, no offense (or profit) is intended.
Notes: Many, many thanks to Master Ferfer and Crystal for their comments, suggestions, and encouragement.
Summary: Not all myths are silly tales.

There it was again, that persistent feeling that was telling him to get out of bed and go ... somewhere. The problem was Qui-Gon didn't know if that somewhere was in his quarters, in the Temple, or even in the galaxy.

It had started as a small nudge against his mind as he tried to fall asleep -- nothing so concrete as to be called a thought or warning, but merely a feeling that had not been there before. Over the span of a few minutes, it had grown in strength and form until now, it was not only brushing against his mind but also prodding him with invisible fingers. He couldn't sense any danger, but whatever it was, it refused to be ignored.

A glance at the chrono on his bedside table showed that it was a few minutes before midnight. With a sigh, Qui-Gon pushed back the blanket and stood. The night air was chilly against his bare skin as he dressed. If whatever was calling to him had him wandering through the Temple, he didn't want to do it in his sleep clothes.

The Jedi Master noticed a faint light coming from the refresher as he walked through the hall connecting the bedrooms to the main area of the quarters he shared with his padawan. Stopping in front of the open door, he found his padawan standing before the mirror with his eyes closed. Wearing only his sleep pants, the younger Jedi was combing through his short hair with one hand while holding something over his left shoulder with the other. A candle set on the vanity offered the only light.

Unable to see what his padawan was holding, Qui-Gon moved forward and reached out to touch the unknown object. At the same time, his student opened his eyes and saw the reflection of the older man in the mirror.

"Master!" Obi-Wan cried and spun around, dropping whatever he had been holding.

Startled by the sudden cry, Qui-Gon jumped back into the wall behind him. "Force, Obi-Wan! What in blazes are you doing?" he demanded hotly.

"You startled me," the fifteen-year-old accused after taking a deep breath.

"As you did to me."

Stepping into the small refresher, Qui-Gon's boot connected with something solid and sent it sliding across the floor. A touch of the Force turned on the lights, revealing a dagger speared with slices of muja fruit. It was the object Obi-Wan had been holding.

"What exactly were you doing in here?" he asked, picking up the dagger and holding it out to the younger man.

"I was conducting an experiment," Obi-Wan offered sheepishly as he accepted his lost item.

"An experiment," Qui-Gon echoed flatly.

The padawan nodded and waited, hoping the brief explanation would be enough for his master. When the elder's head tipped ever so slightly, but never the less threateningly forward, he realized he was going to have to tell the entire story.

"You see, Reeft had been reading to us an old legend he had found in one of his master's books. It said that if you impaled slices of fruit on a dagger and held if over your left shoulder while combing your hair, at the time when one day changes to the next, you would see your future lover's reflection in the mirror as they reached for the fruit."

Qui-Gon looked at him skeptically. He found it hard to believe that his logically minded student would fall for such an enchantment.

"You believe this?"

"Of course not, Master!" Obi-Wan exclaimed. "When I told them it was nothing more than a silly tale conjured up to satisfy the yearnings of some lovesick fool, Bant dared me to prove it, and so..." he shrugged casually and turned to extinguish the candle behind him.

When he turned back, he found his master smiling at him.

"Well, Padawan," Qui-Gon said as he clapped him on the shoulder, "you can see that it's nothing more than a myth, and we still have a training session at seventh hour. I suggest you get some sleep, unless, you're not finished with your experiment?"

"No, I'm finished, Master," the younger man quickly assured him. "I proved my point. Besides, I couldn't do anything more tonight anyway. It's already past midnight."

"In that case, pleasant sleep, Obi-Wan."

"Pleasant sleep, Master."

Leaving the refresher, Qui-Gon found that the strange feeling bothering him just a few minutes earlier was gone. At first, he was relieved. He had no desire to track down its elusive source. While changing back into his sleep clothes, he realized that the feeling had disappeared at the same time he had interrupted Obi-Wan's experiment. Surely, it wasn't because it was his reflection in the mirror that Obi-Wan was meant to see?

Absolutely not, he decided after reexamining everything that had taken place. It was merely a coincidence. Or perhaps, the feeling had originated from Obi-Wan in the first place. If his padawan had been nervous, he might have unknowingly projected a part of that emotion to his master. His shields could have blocked the imprint of who was projecting and why, which would easily explain the difficulty Qui-Gon had in locating its source. Although Obi-Wan's shielding skills were advanced, they were not perfect.

Yes, that was it, he decided and crawled into bed. Evoking images of future lovers, love rituals -- nothing but pure nonsense.

Five years later...

Qui-Gon couldn't keep from smiling as he watched his lover absently twirl his index finger in the graying hairs on his chest. They had just finished making love for the second time that night. Obi-Wan was everything he could have ever wanted in a lover... generous, tender, beautiful, and insatiable. Gods, how he loved him!

"What are you thinking about, love?" he asked, planting a kiss on the head that lay across his shoulder.

"Hmm? Oh, I was just thinking that I owe Bant an apology. I was wrong when I told her I didn't see my future lover's reflection in the mirror. I did."

Finis