Archive: Yes
Archive Date: June 25, 2001
Author's Webpage: http://diana.slashcity.com
Category: Pre-slash
Notes: This series totally ignores any of the Jedi Apprentice books.
Pairing: series -Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan; this story - pre-slash
Rating: G
Series: Children of the Temple #6
Summary: Knights Qui-Gon Jinn and Kishara Meduri resolve their differences.
Knight Qui-Gon Jinn and his companion, Padawan Mace Windu, wearily made their way off the freighter and looked ahead at the Temple with undisguised relief.
"Gods, it's good to be home," Mace said with a sigh.
"Indeed, Padawan," Qui-Gon agreed, heading towards the main corridor. "I am looking forward to a hot shower and my own bed."
"And decent food." Mace shuddered at the memory of the space rations they had been eating for the past two months.
"Which reminds me - I need to order in supplies when we get to our rooms, or there won't even be rations to eat."
As they entered their suite of rooms, Qui-Gon sent Mace off to the 'fresher first while he went to the communications console. After ordering supplies to stock their barren larder, he quickly scanned the list of messages waiting for his attention. Nothing that couldn't wait, he decided, although there were a couple from Trellin that he knew would be weekly updates about Obi-Wan - if there had been anything serious, he would have been contacted directly. He smiled as he filed the messages for reading after dinner, looking forward to hearing how Obi-Wan was doing, and squashed the urge to go down to the Nursery to see for himself. It could wait till he was clean and had something in his stomach, he decided.
Mace surrendered the 'fresher to him and, after advising the young man to listen for the delivery droid, Qui-Gon went in to get his own shower. He blessed the limitless supply of hot water after spending a month on an ice planet with two week journeys there and back on ill- equipped freighters and stood under the stream without moving for ten full minutes before he began the task of washing out his matted hair.
By the time he emerged, Mace had disappeared into his room again and a quick look in the larder and chiller confirmed that their supplies had been delivered. He pulled out a few things to toss together for a quick stir-fry, then headed into his room to pull on some comfortable clothes and do something with his hair.
Qui-Gon had just given up and bound back his hair for the night when the door buzzer sounded. A familiar tingle through the Force made him smile as he realized that Obi-Wan had come visiting, and he headed for the door.
"Trellin, what a nice sur- " he began as the door slid open, then stopped and blinked. "Knight Meduri?"
Kishara gave him a wry smile from behind the bouncing toddler in her arms. "Hello, Jinn. Someone wanted to see you. He's been fussing since about the time your ship docked."
Obi-Wan turned a toothy smile on Qui-Gon and cried happily, "Zhinn!" He held out his arms imperiously. "Hug!"
Qui-Gon smiled delightedly at hearing his name on the child's lips and scooped the toddler into his arms. "Very good, Obi-Wan," he said hugging the child and kissing his cheek.
"Good Obi," the little boy echoed, clapping his hands together.
"Quick, isn't he?" Qui-Gon asked Kishara, gesturing for her to come into the suite.
"You have no idea," Kishara said dryly as she entered. "And once he got walking under control, he started talking up a storm."
"I wish I could have seen it," Qui-Gon said wistfully, settling down on the floor with Obi-Wan in his lap. He fished out a bag of toys from under the couch that he had kept from Obi-Wan's last visit and handed one to Obi-Wan. As he settled the child, he noticed that the older knight was pacing restlessly around the room.
"Is something wrong, Meduri?" he asked curiously.
"What?" Kishara looked around at him, surprised, and then blushed when she realized what she was doing. She dropped into a chair with a short laugh. "Sorry. I've had my wings clipped and I'm not taking it very well, I'm afraid."
Qui-Gon nodded in understanding. Searchers were just as prone to burnout as Field operatives, and Kishara had been doing this for a long time without respite. It explained a lot, especially her unusually negative response to his bond with Obi-Wan four months earlier. During the two months before he had gone on his last mission, they had managed to avoid each other when spending time with Obi-Wan, so he was surprised that she had come here with the child. It was a kindly act, and the least he could do was be gracious in response.
"How long?" he asked sympathetically.
She shrugged. "A year. Less if I prove to the Council that I'm not going to fall apart." She made a face. "So far, I'm not doing too good a job of that."
"I can understand. I'd be very frustrated if they did that to me."
A smile quirked up one corner of her mouth. "The Council wouldn't dare - they'd be worried that you'd just ignore them, and then where would they be?"
He chuckled. "A reputation as a maverick has its advantages. So - filling up your time working in the Nursery?"
She shrugged. "A little. I've also been helping a couple of the older pre-initiates get settled in. And I've been working with Obi- Wan every day - his vocabulary's up to 30 words."
"Including my name?"
"Of course. You're the most important person in his life." Kishara got up again and paced over to the window. "He missed you a lot these past two months."
Qui-Gon looked down at the child playing happily on his lap. "I missed him, too." He looked over at Kishara's back. "Look, I know that you and I don't see eye-to-eye on this bonding - "
Kishara blew out an impatient sigh. "I'm sorry about what I said. It's just - I get so infuriated when I see someone turning his back on the best thing that ever happened to him! Something that most of us never even get a chance to experience!"
Qui-Gon sat back and said shrewdly, "I don't think you're talking about just me, Meduri. Are you?"
She turned her head and gave him a rueful smile. "You don't miss much, do you, Jinn?"
"That's why I'm good at my job," he said mildly. "Diplomacy's as much about what isn't said as what is."
Kishara walked back to her chair. "I always hoped that I'd pair- bond with someone," she said wistfully. "My master and his mate have been bonded for forty years. I grew up watching the two of them together, and I suppose I assumed that someday I'd have that. But it never happened." She sighed. "And then someone else comes along who pair-bonds twice in his lifetime and who is being so da - " She paused and looked down at the child who was watching the two adults with wide, interested eyes. " - darned stubborn about it -"
"So naturally you take offense and bite his head off," Qui-Gon said gravely, nodding his head.
Kishara grinned. "I did, didn't I?" Then the grin faded. "And you didn't say a thing. Would you have let me do it?"
"I was stunned," Qui-Gon admitted. "The thought of having a second bond ripped away from me after losing Lestia like that - it was devastating." He looked down at the child and ran his hand over the bright curls. "But no, I don't think I could have let you do that." He gave her a smile with a hint of mischief in it. "See - even a young fool like me can learn to accept the Will of the Force."
She grinned again. "There's hope for you yet, Jinn."
"Zhinn," Obi-Wan repeated happily, recognizing a familiar word from the adults' talk. "Zhinn, Zhinn, Zhinn."
Qui-Gon winced slightly. "Something tells me I'm going to get awfully tired of that word."
Kishara chuckled. "Tough. You're stuck with it now."
The door to the padawan's room opened and Mace came out, looking surprised to see that there were guests in the suite. "Master? I didn't realize we had guests. Did you want me to prepare some refreshments?"
"That won't be necessary," Qui-Gon reassured him. "Knight Meduri brought Obi-Wan to visit, and I'll take care of them."
Mace nodded and crossed to kneel by the child. "Hello, Obi-Wan," he said politely, then looked at Qui-Gon with a smile. "He's grown a bit while we were gone, Master."
Obi-Wan eyed the older boy suspiciously. "Mine," he said decisively, placing a small hand on Qui-Gon's chest. "My Zhinn."
Mace grinned widely at the child. "He certainly is," he told the boy seriously. "And you'd best keep a tight grip on him or he'll get into bad trouble."
Obi-Wan gave him an uncertain look. "Bad Zhinn?"
Qui-Gon rolled his eyes. "Thank you so much, Padawan," he said ironically. "My life only lacked having a toddler scold me."
Mace grinned back, unrepentedly, and Kishara chuckled. "I don't know. There's a sort of justice in that, don't you think? And I imagine the Council would be thrilled to know that there was someone with the hope of controlling you."
Qui-Gon gave her a mock glare. "You're not helping, you know." He looked down at Obi-Wan and said, solemnly, "Not 'bad-jinn'. 'Bad- mace' and 'bad-kishara'."
Obi-Wan nodded. "Bad Shara. Bad, bad."
Qui-Gon cast a triumphant look in Kishara's direction, and she burst into laughter. Mace just rolled his eyes at the spectacle the two knights were making of themselves and stood up. "Master, if you don't need me tonight, may I go out?"
Qui-Gon smiled knowledgeably. "Merilla is back in Temple?"
Mace flushed slightly. "Yes, Master. She and her Master got back last week."
"Go on, then, and have a good time. I'll see you in the morning - we have a report to give the Council, remember."
"Yes, Master," Mace said with a wide smile. "Thank you, Master."
He hurried out of the suite as Kishara managed to control her laughing and wiped her eyes.
"Gods, I haven't laughed so much in a long time."
Qui-Gon smiled at her. "You should. You look much more relaxed."
Kishara gave him a surprised look and said slowly, "I feel better, too. I guess I needed that."
Qui-Gon nodded and looked over at Kishara seriously. "The work you do is important, as heart-breaking as it may be. You put your heart and soul into each Search, and bond a little bit with every child. It tears a piece out of you each time you part with one of them and still you continue to Search.
"You are a strong woman, Kishara Meduri, but even the strongest have to take time to Heal. So what you need to do is take advantage of this 'down-time' the council has so generously given you instead of trying to fill it with busy work. Relax. Read. Go out to dinner with friends. Speaking of which," Qui-Gon stood up, scooping up the child and setting him on Kishara's lap, "what would you like for dinner?"
Kishara's mouth fell open. "You're inviting me to dinner, Jinn?"
"I like having dinner with my friends, too," Qui-Gon pointed out.
"At least let me help - " she began, starting to get up.
"You are," he said firmly, gesturing for her to remain seated. "You are entertaining your foster-son - and keeping him from getting under my feet in the kitchen. Not teaching or Searching or anything else but enjoying the Moment."
"Yes, Master Jinn," she said mockingly.
He bopped her lightly on the head. "That's 'Qui-Gon' to you, Knight Meduri."
She flushed slightly and dropped her face into Obi-Wan's curls to hide her unaccustomed loss of control. "Kishara," she said softly. "And I'm rather partial to stir-fry."