Thirteen Birthdays

by Raina

Archive: yes please, M_A; nuttersinc (elsewhere please ask for distribution)

Paring: Q/O

Category: Qui/Obi, Romance, is there a category for pointless mush?

Rating: PG-13, at the most.

Disclaimer: I don't own them. Seriously, I don't. Look at my bank account, it'll tell you.

Feedback: If it's not too much trouble. Flames off-list, please ;-)

Summary: Every year of Obi-Wan's apprenticeship, he receives a special gift for his birthday.

Warning: Schmalz alert! Sentimental mush ahead. If you're a diabetic or allergic to dairy products, be warned: sweetness and cheese in abundance.

Spoilers: References to events recounted in flashbacks in "Destiny", so slight spoilers for that story, though it's not necessary to read Destiny first. I hope I've explained the references well enough.

Slight spoilers for JA 3 as well (the rock...)

Notes: While writing Destiny, I realised I had much more material for flashbacks than I could use in the story, so I thought I might write a series of ficlets to get these images out of my head. So this is the first in a possible series of "Destiny"-inspired ficlets. (And I think this header is waaaay too long. On my to-do list: learn to write shorter headers!)

Thank you's: to Leandra for not dying of sugar-induced shock when I told her about this mushy piece of sentimentality and as always to Temve for the quick and thorough beta. All remaining mistakes are my own, as usual.

indicates bondspeak

Thirteen

I did not realise the stone was Force-sensitive. I should have known you would have given me something of great value."

"Force-sensitive?" Qui-Gon frowned. "Well I never... I thought it was just a pretty rock."

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes at his Master's back. He never knew when the man was kidding.

Fourteen

Obi-Wan looked critically at the seed in his hand, then looked back at his Master, a question in his eyes he didn't quite dare to voice.

"It's a seed, Obi-Wan. Put it into the soil, water it, care for it, and it will grow to make you proud and bring you joy. As the seed grows into a plant, so you will grow with it." He smiled down at Obi- Wan and tugged gently at his Padawan braid.

"Yes, Master." Obi-Wan said with a glorious smile and ran off to plant his present.

Qui-Gon watched him leave with a smile on his face. I hope I'm watering you enough, Padawan, he thought.

Fifteen

"Come here, Padawan."

Obi-Wan rose and came to kneel at the indicated spot before his Master, obedient and unquestioning.

Qui-Gon took Obi-Wan's Padawan braid into his hands and started to unravel it. He smiled down at his apprentice reassuringly when he felt Obi-Wan tense in silent uncertainty, sending a wave of affection and reassurance over their newly established bond.

He combed out the hair of the Padawan braid and started to plait it again. For every time he wound the three strands together, he quoted the code, and heard Obi-Wan's answer.

"The Force guides us…"

"We serve the Force."

"There is no anger..."

"There is peace."

"There is no passion…"

"There is serenity."

"There is no death…."

"There is the Force."

Qui-Gon picked up a ribbon from the bedside table.

"This was given to me by my Master on my thirteenth birthday. Now I give it to you. The Apprentice is now the Master, and so it will once be with you. The bond between Master and Apprentice is a sacred bond of trust and affection. It connects one generation to the next, it connects us to all the Jedi who came before us and who will come after us. You, Obi-Wan Kenobi, are my hope for the future."

"You, Master Qui-Gon Jinn, are my connection to the legacy of the Jedi before me, my knowledge of the past, and my guide for the future. The Force guides us."

"May the Force be with you." Qui-Gon ended the ritual.

Obi-Wan smiled up at him. "Thank you."

Qui-Gon ruffled his hand through his Padwan's hair. "I think you're the only fifteen-year old who would thank his mentor for an affirmation ceremony as a birthday present."

Obi-Wan's smile deepened. "I couldn't have asked for a better one, Master."

Qui-Gon pulled his Padawan up for a spontaneous hug. "Neither could I, Padawan."

Sixteen

"Another rock, Master?" Obi-Wan smiled brightly, carefully examining the rock in his palm, trying and failing to figure out its significance.

It was extraordinary neither in colour nor in form, a dull grey and having vaguely rounded edges. He tested the stone for Force- sensitivity, but gained no enlightenment, as its Force-sensitivity equalled that of a credit chip.

Qui-Gon hid a smile and waited for Obi-Wan to end his contemplation.

Obi-Wan finally gave up and shot Qui-Gon a questioning look. "All right, it's a rock."

Qui-Gon crossed the room to sit beside his apprentice. "I picked this up at the cliffs where you pulled me back from falling."

Obi-Wan, overwhelmed, closed his eyes, remembering. Tahl's death, the confusion and the pain he'd felt radiating from his Master. The day when he'd followed Qui-Gon to the cliffs on a Force-forsaken planet where Tahl's murderer had hidden. He'd felt Qui-Gon's desperation, his crumbling resolution, had felt how close his Master was to falling or turning, and had done everything in his power to chain his Master to the Light, to life and to himself.

Qui-Gon's voice cut through the memory like a ray of light cut through the dark. "I never thanked you for that."

Obi-Wan opened his eyes when he felt his chin being seized by gentle fingers and his head being turned to meet his Master's eyes.

Tears glistened in the blue depths of Qui-Gon's eyes. He took Obi- Wan's hand and closed both their fingers over the rock. "Thank you."

Seventeen

"OK, I give up. Why did you give me this?" Obi-Wan's tone was good- natured and teasing as he held up the small white dried flower Qui- Gon had given to him for his birthday.

Qui-Gon stood up and went to the window, gazing out at the Coruscant skyline.

Obi-Wan's amusement faded. "Master? I'm sorry, I…"

He trailed off when Qui-Gon turned and waved his apology away, "No, Padawan, it's just..."

"What?"

Qui-Gon sighed deeply. "When you were shot on Cellis, you were close to death for a long time. When you finally came out of the bacta tank and the doctors told me you would live, I was in the hospital's garden, and the first thing I saw when my vision cleared was this flower."

He sighed and took the delicate plant from Obi-Wan's palm. "It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen in my life. I picked it for you. I wanted to give it to you when you woke up, but I forgot, and so I dried it."

Obi-Wan smiled, though his eyes glistened with unshed tears, their ever-changing depths a deep, radiant blue. Deeply moved, he shook his head and whispered, "I don't know what to say, except thank you."

Qui-Gon put his hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder. "That's more than enough, Padawan."

Eighteen

Obi-Wan opened the little parcel with care. He wasn't used to receiving his birthday gifts in little wrapped-up boxes, but he knew his Master had his reasons.

He sighed. If only his Master could be with him on his birthday. But it wasn't possible. Obi-Wan had been sent off on a mission under the supervision of another Master, and Qui-Gon was far away on Coruscant.

Before Obi-Wan had left, though, Qui-Gon had put the little wrapped box in his hand with the gentle reminder, "Don't open it before your birthday."

Obi-Wan carefully put aside the wrapping and opened the box's delicate cover to reveal a beautiful, almost translucent blue-green shell, it's insides covered with mother-of-pearl.

Awed, he took the shell between trembling fingers and examined it, turning it around carefully, almost reverently.

His brow furrowed in concentration, he tried to work out why Qui-Gon had given him a shell. It was breathtakingly beautiful, but he knew Qui-Gon Jinn never picked gifts because of their beauty, so he reasoned that there must be something else behind all this.

He sighed. Riddles. Always riddles.

Looking inside the box once more, he found a small note, that said, "Look into a mirror. Happy Birthday."

Obi-Wan frowned, but did as he was told. He took the shell, stood in front of a mirror, then looked alternately at his reflection and the shell. The mother-of-pearl shifted in colour from green to blue to almost grey as the light wandered over it.

For a long time, he was puzzled. Then, all at once, he saw it.

He turned the shell so that its colour seemed more green than blue, and suddenly he realised that the shell's colour matched his eyes exactly. He'd heard a lot about his changeable eyes, but seeing the vivid display of colours on the insides of the shell matching the change in his own eyes made him believe the tales for the first time.

Obi-Wan smiled. Beautiful, he repeated silently to himself. He thinks I'm beautiful.

Nineteen

"Open it already. You've been staring at it the whole evening." Qui- Gon smiled indulgently at his blushing apprentice and handed him the tiny box.

Obi-Wan stared at it a little longer, then started to unwrap it carefully. He wasn't normally one to fret over gifts, but the ones he received from his Master on his birthday were always unique and very precious to Obi-Wan.

He opened the box and found a single white bead. Frowning, he turned the small sphere around between his thumb and index finger. "It's perfect."

Qui-Gon smiled and waited for the inevitable question.

"What is it?" Obi-Wan smiled, acknowledging and following the ritual this exchange had become.

"It's a bead, Padawan."

Obi-Wan raised his eyebrows and shot Qui-Gon a look, "I can see that, Master."

Qui-Gon chuckled and gave in, "It's for your braid. The Prime Minister of Malastare sent me a bit of their finest crystal as a gesture of gratitude for our help in negotiating the peace. Since your dedication and hard work were the only reasons for this mission to be successful, I thought the honour should be entirely yours, so I had the crystal made into this." He gestured at the bead.

Obi-Wan shuddered. He didn't want to be reminded of that mission. He'd failed. He hadn't been able to prevent Qui-Gon getting shot during a fire fight and then he'd pulled the negotiations together, coaxing and threatening every single representative present at the negotiations to wrap the peace talks up so he could get his Master back to Coruscant and into the care of the Jedi Healers.

He looked down at the simple bead, then back up at his Master, who was watching him with an unreadable expression. He took a deep breath, "Master, I don't deserve this. I failed you..." He trailed off when he saw Qui-Gon's surprised look.

"Failed me?"

Obi-Wan started to pace, "You got shot, spent weeks in bloody rehab, just because I wasn't fast enough to cover your flank."

Qui-Gon stood up and stopped his apprentice's pacing by taking the young man firmly by the shoulders and forcing him to look at his Master, "Listen to me, Padawan. You could not have prevented what happened. You were protecting the delegates, you were monitoring the escape of civilians, you did your bloody job, just as I did. And afterwards, you managed to calm an increasingly heated situation down and wrapped up the peace talks successfully, all by yourself."

Obi-Wan looked at him wide-eyed. "But you were shot," he whispered.

Qui-Gon enveloped his apprentice in a crushing hug. "Yes, Padawan, I was shot. But I didn't die, thanks to your excellent care, clear thinking and rational behaviour under great stress. I'm very proud of you, Padawan. I want you to remember that always."

He took the bead from the table where Obi-Wan had left it and held it up.

Smiling, Obi-Wan sat down on the floor, with Qui-Gon sitting on a chair in front of him, and started to unravel his Padawan braid, presenting it to his Master to be rewound with the evidence of his Master's pride in it.

His Master's pride in him. He would always carry it with him now.

Obi-Wan blinked to prevent himself from crying when Qui-Gon started to braid the bead into the symbol of his apprenticeship.

Twenty

Obi-Wan slowly and carefully unrolled the small roll of blue silk that contained his latest birthday present. He was grinning in anticipation, knowing that as always, the present from his Master would be special, if not entirely as personal as last year's since this time they weren't alone, but at a rather noisy and crowded party in Obi-Wan's honour.

He would have liked to open his Master's gift later, when they were alone, but Bant had found it among the presents and had pressed him to open it.

The silk unravelled and brought to light three highly polished, gleaming sabre crystals. One of them was deep blue, the second one was green and the third one was a clear, sparkling white. Every one of them was flawless. Perfect.

The assembled Jedi in the room all inhaled sharply. They all knew how rare and expensive pure saber crystals were. And they all knew the significance of the gift.

In the sudden and eerie silence that had fallen over the gathering, Obi-Wan stared at the saber crystals in awe.

He locked eyes with his Master, who was blushing, faintly embarrassed to have his gift thus exposed to all of their acquaintance. Obi-Wan just smiled at him, though, unembarrassed and truly grateful. "Thank you."

Qui-Gon returned the smile, a warm grin that radiated into the Force, "You're welcome. It's past time you built your own lightsaber, and you'll need these." He gestured at the crystals.

Qui-Gon put a hand on his apprentice's shoulder and squeezed. Obi-Wan nodded his thanks again and the guests returned to their conversations.

Obi-Wan wasn't finished with his Master, though. Three? I only need one for the saber.

Qui-Gon's eyes twinkled. Well, it's good to have a spare. Besides, now you have a choice as to the colour.

Obi-Wan looked down at the three crystals. He was sure there was more to them than that. He raised his eyebrows and looked at his Master. Let me guess. One for you, one for me, and one for the Force, right?

Qui-Gon had trouble hiding his grin. You're getting good at this

Something like a mental snort travelled through their bond before Obi- Wan's voice I should be after eight years.

Qui-Gon's eyes grew even warmer when he laid his hand on Obi-Wan's head to gently run his hand through the spiky hair. Don't you want to find out which one is yours?

"What?" Obi-Wan only realised he'd spoken aloud when the whole assembly turned to him again.

Qui-Gon only looked at him. Obi-Wan repressed a sigh. Jedi weren't the most candid of individuals at best, but Qui-Gon Jinn had raised making a cryptic lesson about the Force out of everyday life to an art form.

Focusing as best as he could while being ever so slightly intoxicated, he stretched out his fingers to rest on the saber crystals, closing his eyes and simultaneously reaching out with the Force to "see" the stones with his mind's eyes.

He tested first the white crystal, noticing nothing unusual in its Force energy.

The green crystal made him smile. It had a distinctly 'Qui-Gon' like feel to it.

When his fingers came to rest on the blue crystal, he was astonished by the wave of light that washed over him, blazing in his mind like a beacon.

He smiled and opened his eyes. He was more than a little surprised to find that the glow in his mind had been transferred to the physical dimension. The crystal in his hand glowed in a soft blue light that pulsed with every one of Obi-Wan's heartbeats.

Everybody was staring at him, but he only saw Qui-Gon's eyes, glowing almost as brightly as the crystal in his hand.

Interlude

"What do you want for your birthday, Obi-Wan?" A surprised frown answered the Master. "You never asked before." Qui-Gon smiled, "Padawan, the twenty-first birthday is very special for a Jedi. So how do you want to celebrate the day?" After a thoughtful silence, Obi-Wan spoke at last, with a shy note in his voice, "Well, there is one thing, Master."

Twenty-One

Obi-Wan rose slowly from meditation, feeling his Master's consciousness rising to wakefulness alongside his own. His mind became aware of his body again as his senses slowly returned to the here and now. Opening his eyes, he watched Qui-Gon slowly regain consciousness, taking the moment to observe his Master's moonlit features undisturbed.

He smiled when his Master opened his eyes, their blue depths still slightly disoriented, but glowing warmly with Qui-Gon's answering smile.

Unwilling to disturb the quiet that surrounded them, Obi-Wan used their bond to speak. Thank you Master.

Qui-Gon smiled and shook his head slightly. This is not how I imagined you would want to celebrate your birthday.

Why? You said it yourself. This is an important threshold in a Jedi's life. My training is entering its final phase… Obi-Wan trailed off, not willing to follow that train of thought to its conclusion.

Qui-Gon reached out to Obi-Wan, who was kneeling opposite him, taking the Padawan braid between his fingers, running his fingertips over the strands, taking in the white bead and the fastening he had given Obi-Wan. Nine years.

He sighed. Sometimes it seems like barely a day has passed since you were an eager twelve-year old boy with huge eyes and even bigger hopes.

Obi-Wan's smile seemed almost sad, as he whispered, "I'm no longer a boy."

Qui-Gon only nodded. I noticed that, he thought dryly to himself.

Obi-Wan's mental voice brought him back from his reverie Master, the ritual?

The Jedi Master smiled and started to speak, in a low and serious voice.

"We take the night to remember.
We take the night to listen to the Force, as it whispers to us from the past.
We take the night to ask our hearts to show us our failings, our successes, our weaknesses and our strengths.
We take the night to send a quiet prayer to the light for lives lost, for the enemies whose lives we've taken, for the friends who went before us to the Force."

Obi-Wan took over, his clear voice firm but warm.

"We take the night to cherish memory.
We take the night to face our demons.
We take the night to let all we were, all we did, pass through us,
and we ask all that was to teach us, to guide us, to make us understand how we became the people we are.
We give the night to the future. We take what we learned and go back into the world, cleansened, stronger, prepared by the lessons we learned from our own heart and the Force."

Qui-Gon took over again.

"What we learn this night will be with us forever. It is our own.
What we learn this night we teach ourselves, for the own heart is our truest judge and our wisest teacher. May what your past has taught you serve you well in the future.
Obi-Wan Kenobi, I was honoured to be your guide in the Ritual of Remembrance and I am honoured to continue with you on your path to the future. May the Force be with you."

Obi-Wan bowed solemnly.

When he was upright again, he gave Qui-Gon a smile so bright it melted Qui-Gon's heart to warm quicksilver heaviness that trailed down his spine and seeped into all his limbs. The urge to touch his Padawan was overwhelming, so he reached out with one hand and trailed the dried tear-tracks on Obi-Wan's cheeks.

He was unable to voice the question that burned in his mind, but he needed to know.

Padawan, was it all worth it?

Obi-Wan's smile grew even wider, but faded when he felt Qui-Gon's insecurity.

For a moment, he did not know how to phrase his answer, what words to use to assure Qui-Gon of his sincerity. But then he knew. He'd just say what he always said.

Yes, Master.

It was enough.

Qui-Gon closed his eyes in relief, a single tear slipping down his cheek.

Exhaustion began to make itself known and suddenly Obi-Wan could not stay awake another minute. It had been a long night, after all. He felt himself sink to semi-consciousness, his eyes closed and his body just collapsed.

He felt himself being pulled to his feet and guided to his bedroom. He felt Qui-Gon putting him to bed and wanting to leave, but Obi-Wan didn't release his Master's hand. He did not want to lose contact now. All night they had been so closely linked, he could not endure distance now.

When he felt Qui-Gon getting into the bed next to him, he sagged against his Master's form in relief and total exhaustion.

He was asleep almost before his head came to rest on his Master's broad chest, the last sensation his brain registered were tender fingers settling in his hair.

Twenty-Two

Obi-Wan looked up from his data pad and glanced at his Master, who was hovering in the doorway.

He used the data pad to hide his grin. If he wasn't certain that Qui-Gon Jinn didn't fidget, he'd say that was exactly what the man was doing.

He locked eyes with his Master and was surprised when Qui-Gon dropped his gaze rather quickly. He reached out over the training bond and was met by strong shields. Nevertheless he could sense Qui-Gon's nervousness vibrating through the Force.

When it became obvious Qui-Gon wouldn't speak on his own, Obi-Wan cleared his throat, "Anything I can do for you, Master?"

Qui-Gon blushed slightly and took a step towards his Padawan. He held out a data pad, and as soon as Obi-Wan took it, he withdrew from the room again.

Obi-Wan frowned and looked at the data pad. It contained forms for a kata he was unfamiliar with. He set aside his Advanced Diplomacy course material and studied the kata more closely. In his mind, he ran through the exercises, imagining them, trying to find a match to any known kata, but he was unsuccessful.

He frowned in confusion. Normally, when his Master assigned him a new kata, he just showed it to him, or gave him a data pad to copy, but never before had he just put the thing in his hand. And was it the light or had Qui-Gon actually blushed? He'd never seen Qui-Gon quite this embarrassed or nervous.

He shrugged. There was a first for everything. Still wondering about the kata, Obi-Wan tried to go back to his reading, but he couldn't take his mind off the mystery of his Master's behaviour and how the kata entered into it.

Sighing, he tossed his homework onto the bed, took up the pad with the kata forms and moved out of the door to find an empty exercise hall.

There was only one way to solve the mystery. He'd just have to perform it.

Learning a new kata usually took time, hard work, full concentration and effort. This one did not.

From the first move, it flowed through him as though he'd always known it, had performed it a hundred times in a hundred different ways.

With each movement, he felt himself drift further into trance, felt the Force move through him like seldom before. Every turn, every movement of muscle seemed to come from a place deep within him, seemed to set something in him free.

The kata took full advantage of all his strengths, made him exercise all his weaknesses, took him from form to form with an ease that was exhilarating.

He lost all sense of time and place as the kata unfolded through him, around him.

The Force flowed around him, cherished him, caressed him. It was like the kata was only there for him, had been composed for him. And in a sudden flash of insight he knew it was so.

Qui-Gon had composed the kata just for him.

He gave himself over to the movements that had been tailored to him, to his body and mind, to his very soul. All at once, he felt awed, dwarfed, cherished and lost. And he'd never felt this loved in his entire life.

The kata ended. Slowly, reluctantly, he drifted back to reality.

Reaching out with his senses, he realised he was no longer alone as he had been when he started the exercise. He smiled and tasted salt on his lips.

He opened his eyes as his Master moved towards him. He couldn't move an inch under the man's gaze, he could only watch as his Master's hand drifted towards his face and wiped away the tears that were still dampening his cheeks. Qui-Gon gave his Padawan a shaky smile, which was tentatively returned.

Neither knew what to say, but neither felt words to be necessary. The bond was open, Qui-Gon felt his Padawan's overwhelmed gratitude, and Obi-Wan felt Qui-Gon's relief and something else that was shielded from him, yet radiated enough warmth to make his head spin.

Finally, Qui-Gon found his voice, "Happy Birthday, Obi-Wan."

Twenty Three

"So what are we doing here, Master?" Obi-Wan smiled at the older man and leaned back onto the sand. "Not that I'm complaining, mind you. Still, is there nothing for us to do?"

Qui-Gon shook his head, amusement sparkling in his eyes. "No, Padawan. For the first time in ages, the universe seems capable of surviving a day without us."

"In that case, Master, wake me when my skin turns too red." Obi-Wan said sleepily and turned on his stomach.

Qui-Gon felt him drift off to sleep and allowed himself a sigh. Maybe he should have chosen another location for the short vacation he'd given Obi-Wan as a birthday present. He loved the beach, but sadly it involved a far too undressed Obi-Wan, and he was just now starting to succeed with getting a grip on his raging desires.

He shook his head. Fine Jedi Master he was. Taking the boy away on his birthday, selfishly wanting him all to himself this day, denying him time he'd certainly have spent with his friends.

Of course, Obi-Wan never complained, being the dutiful Padawan he was, but Qui-Gon remembered being 23, and at the time he'd treasured every minute of time at his own disposal.

But then again, he and his Master had never been this close, hadn't been friends, and he hadn't been the centre of his Master's life, the way Obi-Wan was the centre of his life.

Obi-Wan stirred next to him, and he put a hand on the boy's hair, calming him instantly.

He sighed again. Think positive, Jinn. It can't be worse than last year.

Shuddering, he tried not to think about how close he'd been to ripping Obi-Wan's exercise tunics off and just ravishing his apprentice where he stood. If only the lad wasn't so amazingly beautiful, especially when performing the kata Qui-Gon had composed for him. It had taken all of Qui-Gon's control not to let his white-hot desire for his Padawan leak through to the young man.

He looked at Obi-Wan's back, the wide expanse of tempting, slightly reddening skin, the freckles on his shoulders, the bumps of his spine, the rising and falling of his breaths, and sighed again. Tightening the shields that had slipped when Obi-Wan fell asleep, he resolved to wake his apprentice and advise him to turn over before he got sunburnt.

As Qui-Gon's hand travelled to make contact with an exposed shoulder to shake Obi-Wan awake, the Padawan turned his head away, smiling to himself. Sometimes it paid to be able to project sleep.

He'd just wanted to enjoy his Master's nearness without the awkwardness that seemed to be with them lately, but unawares of his awakeness, his Master had broadcast his thoughts so loudly it had almost made his head hurt. But what he'd learned had been worth it.

He wants me, Obi-Wan thought, amazed. He wants me.

A touch to his shoulder and a "Wake up, Obi-Wan." ended his silent glowing.

Grinning, Obi-Wan turned to meet his Master's gaze. "Master, I think this outing was an excellent idea."

Twenty Four

Blaster fire everywhere. The air stank of blood, smoke and dying.

Focus, Obi-Wan, damn it. Focus, he chided himself. He moved swiftly to block yet another blaster bolt, sending it back to its originator. He took three steps back to cover Qui-Gon, who was covering the refugees' progress towards the transport.

He used a temporary lull in the steady fire - he guessed they had to recharge their blasters - to wipe the sweat off his brow with his sleeve. He was exhausted. Three days of running, hiding, fighting and protecting the fugitives had taken much out of him.

Still, when the fire resumed, he raised his lightsaber and fought on, always moving, spinning, evading, jumping, making his next move unpredictable.

He moved quickly, efficiently, he was one with the Force, but when fifty people shot at one, the probability of one of them hitting was rather high.

At the last moment, after receiving a warning shout from Qui-Gon, he evaded a blaster bolt aimed at his head.

Finally, they reached the transport. He and Qui-Gon covered the refugees while they boarded, jumping aboard only shortly before the ship took off.

Totally exhausted, he felt himself being practically dragged to the cabin the two Jedi shared. As soon as the door was closed behind them, he was pushed against the door facing his pale, slightly trembling Master.

"That was too close, Obi-Wan," the Jedi Master whispered. "Much too close. You're going to be the death of me one day, Padawan."

He pressed Obi-Wan against the door, their bodies plastered together, their faces inches from one another.

"Sorry, Master."

Qui-Gon didn't seem to hear him. He ran his fingertips over his Padawan's face, smoothed sweaty hair back from his forehead, trailed his fingers along Obi-Wan's lips. "My boy. How will I ever sleep when you're out there alone?" he whispered, more to himself.

Obi-Wan smiled weakly, "Well, then, I guess you're going to have to keep me around, Master." His voice was as low as Qui-Gon's.

Qui-Gon's control vanished into thin air. He took his apprentice's face in his hands and brushed his lips against Obi- Wan's.

Obi-Wan responded by opening his mouth and drawing Qui-Gon's tongue in. They kissed for an interminable time, just revelling in the feel and taste of each other, warmth building between them, a warmth that had been there for years, acknowledged by both, but never acted upon, until this moment.

The blaring of the siren broke the peace of the moment, and both let go reluctantly.

Smiling, Qui-Gon ran his hand through Obi-Wan's hair again. "Sorry."

Obi-Wan shook his head, "Don't apologise. It's all right."

Qui-Gon sighed. "This mission's just getting worse and worse. Today is your birthday, and I don't even have a present for you. We've been so busy, I didn't have a chance to..." He was silenced by Obi-Wan's finger on his lips.

He watched in quiet fascination as Obi-Wan's fingers moved reverently to his own lips. "But you just gave me a present, Master."

Qui-Gon smiled. "Likewise, Obi-Wan."

Twenty Five

Qui-Gon stretched on the bed, glancing out at the beautiful Naboo sunrise. "So, Obi-Wan, what do you want for your birthday? Under the circumstances I'm sure you'll forgive me that I didn't have the time to go shopping."

Obi-Wan nestled closer to Qui-Gon, pillowing his head on the Master's broad chest. "Master.."

"Yes?"

"Breathe. Live. Love. Do all that, and I've got everything I ever wanted."

Obi-Wan smiled when the chest he lay on rumbled with a deep chuckle.

"I think I can oblige you, Knight Kenobi."

End