Window to the Soul

by Merry Amelie

Title: Window to the Soul
Author: Merry Amelie
Archive: MA only
Category: Alternate Reality, Qui/Obi, Romance, Series
Rating: PG
Summary: A private moment witnessed by Masterson eyes
Series: Academic Arcadia -- # 87
A chronological list of the series with the URLs can be found under the header 'Academic Arcadia' at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/master-apprentice/files/

My MA story page: http://www.masterapprentice.org/cgi-bin/qs.cgi?keyword=Merry+Amelie

Feedback: Is treasured at MerryAmelie@aol.com
Disclaimer: Mr. Lucas owns everything Star Wars. I'm not making any money.

For
My beta team: Nerowill, Emila-Wan, and Carol
Mali Wane for posting
My former betas: Alex and Ula

A simple kiss. A broken heart.

The living room window at Alder Run had become a lit stage for John's own personal tragedy. He'd gone back for a forgotten hat, and seen what no father should have to witness. No longer could he tell himself his fears were groundless, his intuition wrong. No longer could he look his son in the eye without blinking.

The vast difference between suspecting and knowing had been brought home to him with a vengeance.

And all because of a kiss he never should have known about. Love, passion, tenderness -- all the emotions he felt for Ginny had been on display to his disgusted eyes.

And now that he'd seen it, he could never forget.

So this was why his son refused to marry and continue their line. This perversity he'd never suspected until Ian came into the picture. How had he missed this flaw in Quinn? True, he had missed much of his childhood, sacrificed to research and conferences. He probably wouldn't have noticed if Quinn had kept his own personal harem in his bedroom. Make that stable of catamites, he amended sourly.

Quinn knew perfectly well that this type of behavior was unacceptable to his family. It had been made clear to him since earliest childhood that girls were his only choice for love. How could he go against a lifetime of example?

Quinn had always been an independent boy, with strong ideas and ideals of his own. But he'd been seemingly respectful of his parents' ways, and had certainly never challenged them.

He knew in his heart that Quinn loved them, and that was the only reason his innately honest son had hidden his feelings for Ian. How many times had he told him that if he had to hide something, he shouldn't do it? Memories of stray puppies and kittens under Quinn's bed suddenly came to mind.

What would he do the next time he saw Quinn? He'd see the lips kissed into softness by Ian, the eyes that had looked at his lover adoringly, the hands that had covered strong shoulders.

He'd spent the past few months trying not to imagine such things, but now he was forced to confront them. And all because of a ten-year-old hat. He barely suppressed the bitter chuckle rising to his lips like bile.

He had never told Ginny his suspicions about Ian and Quinn. How could he tell her now that her son was a queer? Bad enough that he remained a bachelor at 35, but this would gut her.

He was at full stop. The steps back to the car seemed like climbing Mount Everest. He couldn't tell Ginny, but how on earth could he hide it?

He was now in Quinn's position, he thought angrily. He didn't want the insight on his son's struggle that this unwanted knowledge had given him.

He took a tissue from his shirt pocket, and hoped his cold would be enough to explain his state.

He had a lot of thinking to do.