SO FAR AWAY
By Tariana Adren
kenobis_lover@yahoo.com

Archive: m_a. Anyone else, sure. Just tell me where and keep my name and
email addy attached.
Category: A/U, Angst, PWP.
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: None
Spoilers: For that scene. However, it's different so I suppose it doesn't
count.
Disclaimer: George's. Not mine. They die with him. With me, they have GREAT
sex.
Summary: Qui-Gon gets a welcome surprise
Feedback: Feedback would be greatly appreciated, privately or on-list.
Thanks: To Kain for looking it over, even though she complained about my
"wussing out"...
Dedicated to my Padawan, Antigone. :)



Qui-Gon awoke with Coruscant's artificial sunlight bathing him. He swung his
long legs over the side of the bed, stood up, and walked to the window.
Looking out over the already-bustling city, he raised his arms above his
head, stretching. He winced and drew in a breath as he over-extended,
straining muscles not yet fully healed.

He walked over to his closet, removing his sleeping pants and tossing them
in the general direction of the laundry basket before heading to the
'fresher.

Shortly, he was standing in the shower, letting the warm water sluice over
him, cleansing and refreshing. He lathered his hair with his preferred
shampoo, a blend of tingling Arconan mint and musky Jandar flowers, and then
rinsed himself off, stepping from the shower and wrapping a towel around his
waist.

Patting his hair dry with another towel, he headed to his mirror, where he
combed his hair, noting the presence of seemingly more gray than yesterday.
Pulling the silken strands back into a tail at the nape of his neck, he
carefully fastened a leather binding around the hair, smoothing it down with
his fingers.

Dropping the towel, he walked to the closet, pulling a pair of leggings from
their hanger and sliding them on. He then pulled a tunic and two
under-tunics, as well as his sash and belt, from their proper places.

He walked back to the mirror and stood before it, contemplating his
reflection. Bringing his hand up, he ran long fingers across his chest,
skimming over the circular scar, examining the hairless pink skin.

Although the healers could have completely regenerated the skin, leaving no
scarring, Qui-Gon had chosen to keep the scar to remind him of Obi-Wan's
devotion.

As if he didn't thank Obi-Wan for each day he lived.

When he had been struck down by the Sith, Obi-Wan had jumped into the fight,
besting the Sith and then expending almost all of his own life Force to keep
Qui-Gon alive until the Queen's medical staff could be summoned.

Qui-Gon had spent a month in a bacta tank, and then undergone several months
of physical therapy. Just recently released from the therapists' clutches,
Qui-Gon was slowly returning to the physical level he had been at before the
confrontation on Naboo.

He finished dressing, and then headed to wake Anakin. The boy was a constant
source of joy in his life, eager and inquisitive, learning each lesson with
vigor and enthusiasm. He also had a grasp of the Force that many masters
never achieved, and all this with almost no formal training. Sometimes
daunted by the task, Qui-Gon was still grateful the Council had allowed him
the honor of training Ani.

He awoke a slightly recalcitrant Ani and sent him grumbling toward the
'fresher. For all his talents, Ani was harder to wake up than anyone Qui-Gon
had ever met.

Breakfast, prepared by a more awake and much more cheerful Ani, and then off
to classes for the boy. He would return in the late afternoon with stories
of the teaching Masters and his fellow students, delighting Qui-Gon with his
vivid and often scathingly accurate mimicry of the others' voices and
mannerisms.

After Anakin bounded out the door, on his way to his favorite class, Master
E'shelha's 'saber training session, Qui-Gon cleaned up the few dishes he and
his Padawan had dirtied, then walked around, looking for something to do. He
tended the few living plants he and Ani kept in their quarters, picked up
the debris from a model Ani had made and tossed it in the recycler, and then
inspected his bookshelf. He chose a volume, sat down, almost immediately
lost interest, put the reader down, and resumed his wandering.

He considered visiting Mace or Yoda, and found himself wishing he had taken
the time to become more friendly with some of the other Knights and Masters
during his brief stays at the Temple.

Finally, he abandoned the pretense and gave himself over to his favorite
occupation-thinking of Obi-Wan.

When he'd stopped thinking about the young man as simply a Padawan and
started thinking of him as so much more, he couldn't say. He could only say
that it had happened, and left him with conflicting emotions that seemed to
be in turmoil.

He'd kept his feelings carefully in check while Obi-Wan was still his
student, not wishing to break the trust that existed between himself and his
Padawan. He'd held on to the hope that when Obi-Wan passed his trials, he
would come to his master and offer his love.

But Obi-Wan had been Knighted and had left on his first mission about six
months ago, without giving so much as an indication that his feelings were
any more than normal respect that a Padawan should feel for his Master.

Qui-Gon heard from Obi-Wan frequently, but in the transmissions, there was
no hint, either. Qui-Gon took great joy in the fact that Obi-Wan was a fine
knight-one of the best, in his entirely unbiased opinion. Qui-Gon was proud
of Obi-Wan, and loved Anakin dearly, but somehow, it wasn't quite enough.

Suddenly, the sound of the door chime interrupted his reverie. He cursed
softly, and then got to his feet, wincing again as his muscles reminded him
he shouldn't be jumping out of chairs at this stage in his recovery.

He walked to the door and opened it, preparing a welcome for whoever stood
on the other side.

The words died in his throat at the vision standing on the other side of the
door.

Obi-Wan, clad in the traditional Jedi brown and cream, stood with his hand
on his hip, his hair longer by far than it had been the last time Qui-Gon
had seen him, hanging nearly to his chin, which was covered with a faint
scruff of beard. The familiar gray-green eyes greeted him with a bit of
impatience as Obi-Wan asked, "May I come in?"

Qui-Gon recovered his composure, and said, "Of course, Obi-Wan. But why...?"

"Why am I here?" Obi-Wan asked, smiling cryptically. "I needed to tell you
something."

"You know that you may tell me anything, Padawan." Qui-Gon said, ushering
Obi-Wan inside and offering him a seat.

Obi-Wan eschewed the chair that had been his favorite, opting for the couch,
and patted the cushion next to him, inviting Qui-Gon to sit.

Qui-Gon did so, and waited for Obi-Wan to speak. It was obvious that Obi-Wan
was keeping something carefully shielded from him, for what reason, however,
Qui-Gon didn't know.

Obi-Wan appeared to be focusing and gathering his thoughts, contemplating
what he was going to say.

"Master... I thought you should be the first one to know."

Qui-Gon's heart plummeted at that. Phrases like that were usually the
beginning of something bad.

"I..." Obi-Wan began. "I've fallen in love with someone."

Qui-Gon wasn't able to keep the disappointment out of his voice as he said,
"Oh. How wonderful for you, Padawan."

"I'm planning to ask him to pair-bond with me."

So it was serious, Qui-Gon thought. Pair-bonding was the Jedi equivalent of
marriage, except, unlike marriages in many cultures, once a pair-bond was
initiated, it couldn't be broken, except through the death of one of the
bonded.

"You must love him deeply." Qui-Gon said, knowing Obi-Wan was looking for a
response from him.

"I do." Obi-Wan replied.

"And who is he? Do I know him?"

"Yes, very well." Obi-Wan responded.

Then, abruptly, Obi-Wan dropped his shields. All of his shields.

Qui-Gon was hit with a rush of emotions from his former Padawan, and in the
few moments it took him to sort them out, was reeling.

Then he looked up at Obi-Wan with wonder in his eyes.

"It was me?" he asked, disbelievingly.

"It was always you." Obi-Wan replied, leaning toward Qui-Gon. Qui-Gon also
moved forward, anticipating a kiss, and was surprised when Obi-Wan reached
up to unfasten the tie at the nape of Qui-Gon's neck, loosing the heavy,
silver-brown fall of Qui-Gon's hair.

Qui-Gon luxuriated in the sensation of Obi-Wan's fingers gently running
through his hair, as he leaned forward, finally kissing the man he'd loved
for so many years.

A long moment later, Obi-Wan pulled away with a gleam in his eye.

"Qui-Gon, I believe we have a little time before Anakin is due to return."

Qui-Gon pretended to study his chrono, then stood and grasped Obi-Wan's
hands, pulling the younger man up to stand with him.

He backed toward his bedroom, pulling Obi-Wan along with him.

"So we do, Obi-Wan. So we do."

fin