Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or Jedi Apprentice, or the characters that belong to George Lucas and Jude Watson. This is just a compliment to their work.

Broken Love

Chapter 1

I'm full of regret
For all things that I have done and said
And I don't know if it'll ever be ok to show
My face 'round here
Sometimes I wonder if I disappear
Would you ever turn your head and look
See if I'm gone
Cause I fear
There is nothing left to say to you
That you wanna hear
That you wanna know
I think I should go
The things I've done are way too shameful

-Maroon 5

Qui-Gon

He had been through a lot in the past three years.

His apprentice was gone; stolen from him with guile and treachery. He had been a victim and a villain at the same time. Qui-Gon's padawan was the betrayed and the betrayer.

He had failed twice before, and yet something had possessed him when he was on a solo mission to the Outer Rim.

It was absurd, the idea that a young boy well beyond the proper age could be trained in the ways of the Jedi. Anakin. Nine years old, completely unheard of.

But the boy was so strong, and so gentle. Anakin's blue eyes shone with innocence, the way that his had glowed before… well, that didn't matter anymore. Qui-Gon would never see him again. Anakin was what mattered now, him and his future as the Chosen One. Qui-Gon had dismissed the idea when he first met the boy, a natural adeptness in the force does not make someone a hero.

But there was something… selfless about the young slave that made Qui-Gon think twice. Purity of his thoughts and actions, devotion to helping others.

Perhaps, Qui-Gon had thought. Perhaps he is.

The doubt had been dimmed and then eradicated quickly. The boy was the Chosen One. He was meant for greater things.

Qui-Gon smiled to himself. Who would have thought the prophecy spoke of a slave living on a backwater world called Tatooine?

He had failed before, but he would not, could not, fail this boy.

~*~

"Master?" Anakin asked, glancing up with his large blue eyes.

"Yes?" Qui-Gon smiled back at him. They had been relaxing after their training session, and Anakin hadn't stopped fidgeting. Qui-Gon knew there was something on his mind.

Anakin glanced out the window, and then returned his stare to Qui-Gon. The Jedi Master was shocked by the fear in the young boy's eyes.

"Do you sense it?"

"Sense what?" Qui-Gon asked, bewildered.

"The darkness," Anakin's eyes fell to his hands, as if ashamed.

"I don't sense anything," Qui-Gon said gently. "You're alright Ani."

"I'm not afraid for myself," Anakin shook his head. "It's someone else who is in danger. Someone I think I'm connected to, but I don't know how."

Qui-Gon placed a hand on his young padawan's shoulder. "Who is it?"

"That's the problem. I don't know."

"Insight should never be ignored Anakin," Qui-Gon said softly. "But enigmatic messages from the force should not solely occupy your mind. Log this knowledge away, and you'll have it when you need it. Until then, focus on what is happening now, in this place."

"Yes master," Anakin nodded.

Anakin looked slightly dejected, and Qui-Gon's heart panged. He wasn't making friends at the temple, though on Tatooine people seemed drawn to his happiness and charisma. He was soaring through his studies, but Qui-Gon feared that he felt intimidated by those around him. They had been Jedi potentials all their lives; he had only been at the temple for a few short years, and had yet to go on a single mission.

Qui-Gon sighed deeply. "We'll finish later. It's time for your class."

Anakin's eyes flashed with an emotion Qui-Gon couldn't identify. "Do I have to?"

The Jedi master raised an eyebrow. "Of course, how else will you learn?"

Shaking his head, Anakin fiddled with a loose thread on his tunic. "The instructor for this session, Master Bant, makes me… uncomfortable. I don't think she likes me."

For a moment Qui-Gon didn't know what to say. He himself had spent the last three years avoiding Bant for the same reason. She was such a huge part of… the past that it pained him to be around her. A past that Anakin knew nothing about, and that he wanted nothing more than to forget. Perhaps being near the boy reminded Bant of her own personal pain as well.

"She does not dislike you Anakin," he said softly. "You just remind her of someone she once knew."

The young boy looked at Qui-Gon with wide blues eyes. "Who?"

Qui-Gon shook his head.

"It doesn't matter anymore."

~*~

Bant didn't make eye contact with Qui-Gon when he left Anakin in her care. They had been doing this for the last few years, and it seemed silly to suddenly acknowledge each other now. There was too much grief, and it was better this way.

Qui-Gon felt especially heavy as he walked back to his quarters. Some days the pain was light, almost nonexistent. Anakin was a joy, and he made his master smile again. But the boy couldn't always be carefree, and when his despondent days came Qui-Gon felt completely lost and alone.

He sighed as the door to his chamber slid open silently. Sometimes his sleep was peaceful, but other times it was haunted with nightmares of a ship of slaves and a boy he would have died to save. The Jedi Master didn't bother with the lights when he entered the room.

There was a sudden ripple in the force that startled Qui-Gon. Someone was there with him. He turned sharply towards the window. There was a man silhouetted by the dancing Coruscant lights.

The figure turned slowly.

"I need your help."

~*~

A/N: Hey guys! Thanks to all of you who have returned, and welcome to all of you who are new. This is the last part of my Xanatos/Obi-Wan trilogy, and it's spanned for several years now so kudos to all of you who have stuck by me. I intend to actually have a schedule for this story so that you guys aren't waiting over a month for an update like last time. I'll be updating every other week from now on, so the next update will be Nov. 28. I can't guarantee what time of day it will be, but I promise that the new chapter will be up. I hope you enjoyed this first chapter, please review.