Return of the Haunted Bantha

by Red_921 (Red_921@yahoo.com)

Category: Humor/Drama/Pre-Slash (Age 9)/AU

Summary: Obi-Wan had a nightmare and Qui-Gon tries to help him through it.

Rating: PG

Spoilers: Spoiler Free for you’re convenience.

Feedback: Yes please anything on or off list is great. I live for feedback.

Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING MORE THAN MANY, MANY DOLLARS IN STAR WARS MERCHANDISE please Mr. Lucas don’t sue me or I’ll have to sell it all to pay for the law suit!! I do this only for the love of your characters.

Author's Note: This is un beta-ed so you have been warned. Also this is on the premise where padawans are taken at an early age.

It was all just a bad dream. It was all just a bad dream. It was all just a bad dream. It was all just a bad dream. Obi-Wan continued this mantra over and over as the shadows got bigger and bigger. Finally it was too much.

"MASTER!!!" Obi-Wan cried as he ran from his room and into his master’s launching himself onto the bed once he had cleared the door.

Qui-Gon Jinn was awakened by a stab of pure fear from his padawan then was jolted into full consciousness as the 9 year old landed directly on his chest. What little air he had was forced out of his lungs by the nearly 70 pounds on him.

"Padawan would you care to get off me?" he said in a calm voice. Obi-Wan looked down, his face still full of fear. Slowly, he nodded and inched off him to the side of the bed next to the wall. "Now would you mind telling me why you are trying to wake most of the temple by yelling and running around?"

Obi-Wan got quite red and began to inspect the blankets on Qui-Gon’s bed. "Well... when I was over visiting Bant yesterday, we watched Return of the Haunted Bantha. She thought it was just funny but I didn’t think so." he mumbled quietly.

"So this holovid scared you?" Qui-Gon asked calmly. Obi-Wan nodded. "Well you just have to remember that it was only a holovid and holovids can’t hurt you. Now we have work we will have to do in the morning. So please go back to bed." Qui-Gon carefully lifted his padawan and set him back on the other side. Obi-Wan hurried back to his room and jumped on the bed.

The haunted banthas could hide under your bed. They could be anywhere. Obi-Wan curled up in his blankets and squished into the corner of the wall his bed was next to. He tried to sleep but it never came.

The next morning Qui-Gon saw that Obi-Wan had less energy to work on katas and made more mistakes then usual. Qui-Gon carefully noted these flaws and tried to correct them but Obi-Wan just became self-conscious and shy. Qui-Gon was at a loss at what to do for his padawan.

"NO! STAY BACK!! YOU CAN’T HAVE HIM !!" Qui-Gon was jolted again into wakefulness by Obi-Wan’s scared cries. This time he got up and went to the second bed room. He found Obi-Wan tangled in his sheets, most of the blankets were on the floor. He was struggling roughly and was sweating hard. "NO! You can’t take Qui-Gon!" he cried again.

Qui-Gon moved to his side and gripped his shoulders shaking him lightly. "Obi-Wan, wake up."

"No, you ....wha..." Obi-Wan opened his eyes and gazed at Qui-Gon, "What happened?"

"You had another bad dream, you were yelling in your sleep."

"The haunted banthas were trying to take you away from me." Obi-Wan looked embarrassed, "I had to stop them.... then they tried to take me." Obi-Wan finally looked up and Qui-Gon could see his eyes well up with tears.

Obi-Wan must have thought he had seen something for suddenly he burst out, "I’m sorry," he hugs his master tightly and cried into his sleep shirt, "I know I’m a disappointment but I can change. I won’t be afraid of anything just like you, just don’t leave."

Qui-Gon was in shock. He held Obi-Wan close to him and tried to figure out where his apprentice had gotten the idea that he would ever leave him. "Obi-Wan look at me." When the small, round, tear streaked face looked up Qui-Gon couldn’t help but smile. "I would never ever leave you, a herd of haunted banthas couldn’t drag me from your side. I am here to love you and help you become the wonderful knight I know you can become. Nothing will ever change that. And to tell the truth... I used to have nightmares about swimming." Qui-Gon confided.

Obi-Wan’s eyes went wide. "You did? Why?"

"When I was very young I dived into the lake and when I came back up my swim trunks were on the over side of the lake. I used to dream that it would happen again and I wouldn’t notice and I would go off around the temple like that."

Obi-Wan just giggled.

~Fin~