The Way It Should Have Been
Summary: An alternate (very spanky!) ending for Jedi
Apprentice #5
Timing: Obi-Wan is 13
Disclaimer: Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan belong to George
Lucas. All other characters belong to Jude Watson. I
don't own any of them, folks, and I'm sure not making
any money from this. :)
Note: This story is heavily indebted to Gloriana's 'Impact of Strewn Paper' for its inspiration.
"How did you blow the deflection towers?" Qui-Gon
asked Cerasi and Neild curiously. "You'd have to hit
them from the air. But floaters couldn't do that job.
You'd need..."
Qui-Gon paused. He turned to look at Obi-Wan. Slowly,
Obi-Wan pushed his chair back and stood. He looked
nervous, but he met Qui-Gon's gaze squarely.
"So it was you," Qui-Gon said. "You took the
starfighter. You took it knowing it was our only way
off the planet. You took it knowing it was the only
hope for Tahl."
Obi-Wan nodded. "Yes, Master," he said firmly, pleased
that his voice did not tremble. He was *not* in the
wrong here. He had done what needed to be done.
Qui-Gon's eyes flashed, and he stood. "We will speak
in private, Obi-Wan," he said, his voice low and
dangerous. "Come with me."
Obi-Wan followed his Master from the room, out into
the tunnels. Qui-Gon led him down the tunnels into one
of the storage rooms, away from the main gathering and
sleeping areas. Once inside, he turned to face the
boy, and Obi-Wan winced at the look on his Master's
face.
"You disobeyed me, Padawan," he said angrily. "I
forbade you to get involved in this. Do you have any
idea what damage you could have done?"
"But I helped the Young, Master," Obi-Wan protested.
"Now they have a chance--"
"And you completely disregarded our mission," Qui-Gon
snapped. "Our mission is to rescue Tahl and get her
back to Coruscant. What if the starfighter had been
damaged? Then we would have been trapped here, and
Tahl might have died."
"But the starfighter is fine! I'm a good pilot,
Master, and I was careful."
"Careful? I think not," Qui-Gon said, fixing the boy
with a penetrating look. "You were recklessly
disobedient, and I will not tolerate it."
Obi-Wan bowed his head in the face of his Master's
wrath. He was still glad he had helped the Young, but
Qui-Gon was right about his disobedience. He had
disobeyed a direct order - a serious infraction for a
Jedi Padawan. But he had been so driven by his need to
help the Young that he had not thought of the
consequences. And seeing the look on Qui-Gon's face
now, he knew for certain that there would be
consequences - and they would not be pleasant.
"I will have to discipline you for this, Padawan,"
Qui-Gon said finally. "I cannot allow such
disobedience to pass unpunished."
Obi-Wan swallowed hard. He knew that the method of
punishment used was entirely up to the Master. He had
heard rumours of the kinds of punishments meted out to
misbehaving apprentices, all different; their nature
depending on the Master giving them. He had wondered
what kind of punishment Qui-Gon would choose to give
him if he misbehaved - now he was about to find out.
"I have not used physical punishment before," Qui-Gon
said thoughtfully. "Neither on my first apprentice nor
on Xanatos. However, I was clearly too lenient with
Xanatos. I let him get away with far too much. I will
not be making that same mistake with you, Obi-Wan."
Obi-Wan looked up at his Master, wide-eyed. "You
mean...you mean you'll...*hit* me?" He asked,
horrified. Corporal punishment was not uncommon among
the Jedi, but Qui-Gon had seemed so...well, so remote,
so *detached*, that Obi-Wan had never dreamed that it
would be his Master's choice of discipline. Qui-Gon
had barely even touched him in all the time they had
spent together. Frankly, Obi-Wan couldn't imagine his
Master voluntarily getting that close to him.
Qui-Gon looked at him for a long moment. "Were you
ever spanked while you were an initiate, Obi-Wan?"
"Y-yes, Master," Obi-Wan stammered, flushing.
"A childish punishment. Your disobedience was a
childish act. I think it will be fitting."
Obi-Wan stared at him. "You - you're going to *spank*
me? But, Master - you can't! I'm not a child!"
"You have behaved like a child, Padawan. So, I will
punish you like a child. Perhaps it will teach you a
lesson." He took a seat on one of the benches that
littered the storage room. "Come here, Padawan."
Obi-Wan gaped at him. "You mean - *now*?" He was taken
completely by surprise. The fact that Qui-Gon would
spank him was bad enough, but Obi-Wan had never
imagined that he would do it here and now. They were
in a *relatively* private spot, he supposed, but they
hadn't come that far from the main areas, and sound
carried down here.
"Yes, now," Qui-Gon said sharply. "Come here."
"But, Master - please! Please, not now!" All Obi-Wan's
composure had deserted him completely.
"Padawan, further disobedience will only add to your
punishment. Now *come here*."
There was no way out. Swallowing hard, Obi-Wan slowly
took the few steps to his Master's side.
"Take your pants down and bend over my lap."
Obi-Wan felt his cheeks flush scarlet. "Master,
please..."
"*Now*, Padawan. Any more disobedience and I will add
extra."
Chin quivering, Obi-Wan loosened the tie on his pants
and slowly pushed them off over his hips and down to
his knees.
"Underwear as well."
Obi-Wan obeyed silently, unable to meet his Master's
gaze.
"Over my knee, little Padawan."
Obi-Wan's cheeks burned even hotter at being called
'little', but he obeyed, stepping forward and leaning
over Qui-Gon's lap. Qui-Gon took Obi-Wan's hips in his
big hands and maneuvered the boy into the perfect
position; head down near the floor and backside high
in the air, balanced over the Jedi Master's right
thigh. He flipped up the long tunic, baring the boy's
bottom, and heard Obi-Wan give a little whimper of
embarrassment as he was exposed to his Master's gaze.
"Put your hands behind your back, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon
said, intending to hold the boy in place for the
punishment. It was going to be severe, and he doubted
Obi-Wan would be able to hold still for it.
"No, Master, please!" Obi-Wan gasped. "I'll keep still
- I promise!"
Qui-Gon raised an eyebrow. "I doubt that, Padawan, but
we will see. You may stay as you are for now, though."
"Th-thank you, Master," Obi-Wan choked out, sounding
close to tears.
Qui-Gon laid one large hand across Obi-Wan's backside,
feeling the boy start with surprise at the gentle
touch. "All right, Padawan, tell me why you are being
punished."
He felt a faint ripple of anger through the Force from
Obi-Wan at this added humiliation, but the boy stayed
stubbornly silent.
"Answer me, Obi-Wan."
Another ripple of anger, stronger this time, but still
no response.
Qui-Gon swiftly brought his hand up and then down in a
stinging swat on the left cheek, immediately followed
by another on the right. He heard Obi-Wan gasp.
"That is not the response I was looking for, Padawan.
I would suggest you control that notorious temper and
show some repentance, because you are going to be over
my knee until you do. Is that understood?" He
delivered another pair of hard slaps to Obi-Wan's
upturned bottom, eliciting another gasp.
"Oh! Master, please--"
"Is that understood?" Qui-Gon barked, administering
two more hard swats to Obi-Wan's backside.
"Yes, Master!" Obi-Wan yelped.
"Good. Now, why are you being punished?"
"B-because I was disobedient," Obi-Wan said softly.
"That is correct." Qui-Gon smacked the boy hard, twice
on each reddening cheek. "And hopefully this
punishment will teach you that I will not allow
disobedience. You took an oath of obedience to me,
Padawan. And if you do not honour it, I will make sure
you regret it." He slapped Obi-Wan again, this time
low down where his buttocks met his thighs. Obi-Wan
winced and squirmed.
"Keep still, little Padawan. We're nowhere near done
yet."
And with that, he began to spank the boy in a steady
rhythm, making sure every swat really stung. Obi-Wan's
backside reddened quickly under the assault, and
Obi-Wan was biting his lip to keep back the whimpers
of pain. His backside felt like it was on fire. He
couldn't help squirming, but he kept his hands on the
floor and tried as hard as he could to stay silent,
only his stifled gasps betraying the pain he was in.
Qui-Gon was impressed by the boy's courage, but he had
no intention of letting Obi-Wan get through this with
his dignity intact. He spanked harder and harder,
covering every inch of Obi-Wan's twitching backside.
And when he finally landed a hard swat on the tender
skin at the top of Obi-Wan's thigh, the boy could
stand it no longer and let out a yelp of pain as his
hand flew up, vainly trying to shield the area from
further abuse.
Qui-Gon stopped and caught Obi-Wan's hand, securing it
at the small of his back. Obi-Wan squirmed and moaned
softly as he tried to come to terms with the intense
stinging in his backside, and Qui-Gon felt a pang of
sympathy. But he had to make it clear that he would
not accept disobedience, and he intended to make this
first lesson one to be remembered.
"We're not finished yet, Padawan," he said, keeping
his tone stern. "And the next part is going to be much
worse."
He heard Obi-Wan whimper at this news, and hardened
his heart to the boy's distress. Unless this
punishment was severe enough to deter Obi-Wan from
disobedience, he *would* do it again - and in
situations such as these it could easily get him
killed.
"It is going to hurt, Padawan, but the point of it is
to drive the lesson home. What lesson are you learning
here, Obi-Wan?"
Obi-Wan took a deep breath. "Not - not to disobey you,
Master," he said tearfully.
"Very good." And with that, Qui-Gon lifted his hand to
continue with the spanking. Before, he had delivered
his smacks all over Obi-Wan's backside, but now he
concentrated on the tender skin just above the boy's
thighs, making the blows much harder than they had
been before.
Obi-Wan cried out from the first blow and tried to
squirm away off Qui-Gon's lap, but Qui-Gon's firm grip
kept him in place. He continued to spank the boy,
increasing the force of the blows more and more, and
Obi-Wan was soon writhing desperately, trying futilely
to evade the stinging slaps.
"Master, not so hard - ow! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!
Please!" He wriggled frantically on Qui-Gon's lap,
trying to climb over it, anything to get his backside
out of reach of his Master's firm hand. As the sting
increased to unbearable proportions he began to cry in
earnest, pleading through his tears for an end to the
punishment. Qui-Gon continued to smack his Padawan's
scarlet backside, intending to make this spanking a
memorable one...especially memorable when the boy sat
down for the next few days.
As the rain of slaps continued, Obi-Wan finally broke
and began to buck childishly against Qui-Gon's hold on
him, sobbing his heart out and begging for the end.
"No, please, no more - OW! Oh Master, stop, please
stop, I can't take any more!"
The genuine anguish in Obi-Wan's voice made Qui-Gon
pause. Perhaps the boy really had had enough. He
looked down at his Padawan, who was sobbing miserably,
his breath coming in hitching gasps. Obi-Wan's
backside was crimson, and Qui-Gon had no doubt that it
must be stinging unbearably. All right, that was
enough. Just a little more to finish off.
With that thought, he delivered a last flurry of hard
swats, ending on a particularly forceful pair of slaps
across the tops of the boy's thighs, and then stopped.
Obi-Wan, for his part, had surrendered himself
entirely to tears. He gave up all pretense of fighting
and simply lay over his Master's lap and bawled. He
could not remember ever having been spanked that hard.
His entire backside felt like it was going up in
flames.
Qui-Gon looked sympathetically at his sobbing Padawan.
He let go of Obi-Wan's hand and moved his own hand up
to gently rub the boy's back, trying to soothe him.
"There now, Padawan, it's all over."
Obi-Wan tried desperately to get himself under
control. He managed to choke back his sobs, but the
tears continued to fall and he seemed powerless to
stop them. He tried to push himself to his feet, and
felt Qui-Gon gently assist him, steadying him when he
swayed slightly. Obi-Wan pulled his pants back up and
refastened them, and stood with his hands clenched at
his sides, fighting the urge to rub his burning
backside.
Qui-Gon stood up then, and gently pulled Obi-Wan into
a hug. He felt the boy tense momentarily, but the
offer of comfort was too hard to resist, and Obi-Wan
relaxed against him and buried his face in Qui-Gon's
tunic, still sniffling.
"Shh, Padawan, it's all over now," Qui-Gon said
softly. One big hand began to rub soothingly across
Obi-Wan's back, trying to help him calm down.
"It hurts," Obi-Wan mumbled, and was immediately
mortified. He sounded about six years old. But the
comforting arms around him felt so good - not only a
comfort after the painful and humiliating punishment
he'd just had, but also after the weeks of loneliness
and rejection that had preceded this point. He had
felt so unwanted; even, he now realised, after Qui-Gon
had accepted him as his Padawan. Qui-Gon had been
patient with him when he behaved well, and stern with
him when he didn't, but there had been no signs of
affection. The contrast between then and now was so
great that Obi-Wan could scarcely believe it.
Qui-Gon smiled slightly. "I know it hurts, Obi-Wan.
It's supposed to. But you were very brave." He ran a
gentle hand over Obi-Wan's spiky hair. "My poor little
Padawan," he said, still stroking the boy's back. "I
didn't want to have to punish you. But it has taught
you a good lesson, hasn't it?"
"Yes, Master," Obi-Wan said softly, still sniffling a
little. "Not to disobey you."
"And you will think hard before you disobey me again,
won't you?"
"Yes, Master, *very* hard." The wry tone in Obi-Wan's
voice told Qui-Gon he was recovering his composure.
"Then the punishment had the desired effect, didn't
it?" He pulled Obi-Wan closer to him. "I give orders
because I want to protect you, my Padawan," he said.
"I must keep you safe, and the only way I can do that
is if you obey my instructions. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Master."
"I hope so, because I will not hesitate to repeat this
performance if your behaviour warrants it," Qui-Gon
said, more sternly.
"Yes, Master, I understand," Obi-Wan said obediently.
"Good," Qui-Gon said, ruffling Obi-Wan's spiky hair.
He gave the boy a last hug and then released him.
Obi-Wan stepped back and tried to compose himself,
rubbing his eyes and wiping his tear-stained face on
his sleeve. Qui-Gon calmly pulled a soft cloth from a
pocket of his robes and handed it to him, giving
Obi-Wan time to collect himself.
"Are you feeling better now, Padawan?" he asked when
Obi-Wan had finished.
"Yes, Master," Obi-Wan said, then grinned wryly.
"Messy, but better."
Qui-Gon smiled. "Good, because we have work to do."
Obi-Wan looked up curiously. "Master?"
"As much as I did not want to become too involved in
the situation on this planet, Padawan, we are now very
much involved." Obi-Wan flushed and Qui-Gon put a
comforting hand on his shoulder. "You have been
punished for your disobedience, Obi-Wan, now put it
behind you. Your intentions were good. However, you
did involve yourself and we must deal with the
situation that has arisen."
"But what about Tahl, Master? Don't we still need to
get her back to Coruscant?"
"Yes, Padawan, and we will. However, I think we have a
little time left before we *must* leave...and if we
can stop this situation from escalating too badly,
then perhaps it will still be salvageable when we
return."
"When we return - you mean, we're coming back after we
take Tahl home?" Obi-Wan asked hopefully.
"Yes, so long as the Council will allow it - and I
think they will. And even if they have
reservations...well, I am known to be quite good at -
ah - persuading them."
Obi-Wan glanced up at his Master just in time to catch
the grin Qui-Gon flashed him. He was taken by surprise
for a moment - who would have thought that his stern,
serious Master could look so mischievous? - but then
he grinned in return. "Well, Master, you certainly
*persuaded* me that disobeying is a bad idea!"
"I should hope so," Qui-Gon said wryly.
"I hope one day to achieve your skill in persuasion of
all types, Master," Obi-Wan shot back, deadpan.
Qui-Gon smiled down at him and ruffled his hair again.
"I'm sure you will, Padawan. And now, if you're ready,
we have work to do here...and we will both need all
our skills in persuasion to do it."
"Yes, Master," Obi-Wan replied, and fell into step
behind Qui-Gon as his Master headed back out into the
tunnels. Stinging backside or no, he felt better than
he had felt in weeks. It would be all right now, he
just knew it. He and Qui-Gon were together, and
together they would make sure that everything turned
out as the Force willed it. And they would help
Melida/Daan to find peace, just as they had found
peace with each other.
The End