[AU where Qui-Gon doesn't die, Anakin doesn't mess everything up and Obi-Wan is 16]

[Extreme fluff later]

[Age doesn't matter much to Jedi council and laws for the convenience of this plot]

[Padme x Anakin] [Obi-Wan x OC ]

"Ow ow ow!" I breathe as the water in my bucket slurred as i moved from side to side on the hot sand.

Anakin was walking next to me, his blonde hair blowing in the wind, his eyes squinting at the bright light.

We made our way back to Watto's. I put down the bucket of water and scratched my neck. We heard someone talking with Watto. It was one of his friends and they were setting bets for this upcoming podrace.

"They're probably voting for that Sebulba guy again," Ani mutters under his breath.

I giggle at him and gesture for him to follow

me to watch the store's entrance.

3 Strange customers entered with a droid. There was a man with shoulder

length hair and sparkling eyes who wore long brown robes that draped over him.

Then there was a strange creature who I'd say was rather clumsy although I'd never say it out loud.

The third was the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen.

I'd imagine Ani would agree since he didn't take his eyes off her once.

The man went in, leaving the others behind to browse.I kept a careful eye on the creature. He activated one of the products I didn't know but Ani told him how to switch it off.

"Are you and angel?" he asks the girl swiftly. I feel heat rise to my face as the girl looks down and smiles. I frown but try not to show how I feel.

"What?" she asks, amused.

Anakin and the girl kept on talking, mainly consisting of Ani complimenting her without any filter and the girl trying not to be awkward.

The girl and Ani introduced themselves. I learnt her name was Padme.

Ani tells her about being a slave and how good of a pilot he is.

"The best I know!" I chime in, smiling brilliantly at the girl.

She looks down at me, not having noticed me before.

"I'm Vylik. Vylik Emril." I extend my hand with a grin. She takes it and smiles warmly back at me.

"Nice to meet you Vylik."

"I'm not a slave like Ani," I gesture to the boy next to me, "I just work for Watto and he pays me. Not a lot. It's enough to give to Shmi though. I stay with Ani and her."

I put my hand over my mouth, embarrassed with how much I babbled on. I return to being a spectator and listen to their conversation.

From a young age, I learnt it was best to stay quiet when it wasn't necessary to talk.

Padme and Ani were still talking when the man came back into the shop, followed by a blue and white droid.

"We're leaving. Jar Jar?" The odd group leaves the shop but I turn to Ani. I don't have to say it but we both know we'll see them again.

Watto comes out, complaining about the Outlanders and their tricks. The only thing that he said which caught my interest was when he said Ani and I could go home if we cleaned the racks.

He looks at me excitedly and we hurry to finish.

Ani and I had finished our jobs for the day and were now trudging tiredly towards home. I pushed my messy hair back but the blonde fuzz refused to co-operate. Eventually I left it.

Shmi opened the door and as usual hugged Ani and then me before sitting us down. We tell her about the people that came to the shop and about how we had found odd rocks outside the Ricker's box.

She nodded her head and gave us knowing looks. Like always, I sizzled down and Ani carried on doing the talking on my behalf.

When he mentioned Padme I couldn't deny the twang I felt.

NEXT DAY.

"Vy!" Ani calls from behind me, "Wait for me!"

I turn around to look at him, my hair swishing from the running.

We twisted and turned our way through the crowds. He wanted to see if we could use some of the money Watto gave me to buy some Boxzi'rs candies.

I turn around again and notice he's not behind me. I stop running and retrace my steps to try find him.

Soon I see him talking to a very angry-looking Sebulba. Upon closer inspection I notice the odd creature next to him from yesterday. Staying where I was I watched as Ani talking to Sebulba and the dug eventually left with a huff.

I ran up to the rest of them.

"Hi!" He said to the group cheerfully.

"Hi there." Says the man with the long hair.

"Your buddy here was about to be turned into orange goo. He picked a fight with a Dug. An especially dangerous Dug called Sebulba."

Ani and the Man carried on talking while the rest of the group followed close behind. I waved to Padme and she smiled back at me.

We went to Jira's but she mentioned a storm coming. Because the odd group didn't have shelter, Ani offered them our place to stay. We quickly make our way home with the group behind us.

Shmi Skywalker greeted her son and me before having a shocked expression. She stared at our guests until Ani told her they were his friends.

I smiled at the way he explained it but didn't say anything.

The man with the long hair steps forward to Shmi. "I'm Qui-Gon Jinn." He nods at her and makes a small smile. He calmly explains the situation to her about how they were offered shelter by Ani.

Ani leads Padme off to go see 3PO and I'm left in the kitchen area with the man whose name I finally know is Qui-Gon.

I take a seat at the table and Qui-Gon sits down next to me. I look at him and find he's staring back at me. Shmi gives the man a look before going to fetch something to drink.

"So you must be Anakin's sister," He says softly to me.

"No actually, we're not related. I just live here." I look down at my fingers and fidget.

Before I can stop myself I blurt it out. "Sir, are you some sort of Jedi?"

The man looks taken aback but regains his composure. "What makes you say that?"

"You have a weapon that only Jedi's have, you've come from a large ship and generally large ships don't stay here in Tatooine for very long. You must be needing some service. Even so, if you were on a big ship, they would send someone simple to go and fetch parts but you're much more than simple. Which can only mean there aren't many people on you ship and therefore you're on an important mission. Jedi work I presume."

I finish with a smirk, still looking down at my hands. I hope I'm right otherwise it'd be very embarrassing to make all those deductions out of thin air.

Eventually I look at Qui-Gon and he has hidden humour in his eyes. "My my, aren't you perceptive."

"I think," I mumble with a smile.

"What do you think?"

"No I mean because I'm quiet I have time to think." By now I'm comfortable talking to the man and I smile at him.

"You're very smart for a 7-year-old girl," He adds. I shake my head. "Ani is 9, I am 10." I say matter-of-factly.

Shmi returns and sits at the table. She smiles at me before turning to the Jedi.

"You must be tired, you're welcome to stay with us for the duration of the storm, we have enough beds for the three of you."

Qui-Gon smiles and nods his head in thanks. "I was just talking to this girl here, she's very bright."

Shmi glances at me. "Vylik is her name, she's not very good at introducing herself." I blush at the compliment and the added tease.

The rest of the night passed with polite table chatter. I didn't miss the way Ani and Padme looked at eachother. Ani confronted Qui-Gon about him being a Jedi and he and I shared an amused smile.

When Shmi brought up slavery I noticed how passionate Padme got but was shut down when Shmi told her about how the laws don't apply on our planet.

Qui-Gon and Padme also revealed they were on their way to the Curosant and needed to repair their ship. I was right.

A plan was hatched for Ani to win the podrace and Qui-Gon would be able to get the parts needed for Watto.

The interesting thing was that I had a feeling the Jedi had untold plans.

Ani and I made our way to his racer where he was adjusting a few things to the pod here and there. I helped him by handing him tools and supervising. He was so stressed the last thing he needed was for him to make a silly mistake. When he was done he was about to climb into the racer. I ran up to him and threw my arms around him to give him a tight hug. "Goodluck," I mumbled into his shoulder.

He smiled at me and when I pulled away I blushed before giving him a short kiss on the cheek. He looked down and blushed before Qui-Gon came over to help Ani into his seat. Once he was off I grabbed the Jedi's sleeve and followed him to the stands. I really felt comfortable with Qui-Gon. He was a good man.

The anticipation was palpable as the racers climbed into their pods. I searched the ground until I spotted Ani lining up.

"You mentioned earlier that Ani has Jedi reflexes. If we win, do you think he'll come with you? To be a Jedi?"I say softly even though the crowd is roaring already.

"His midi-chlorian count is very very high." Qui-Gon looked down at me. "He will come with me, it is the will of the force."

I sighed, my heart wrenching at the thought of not being with Ani but also leaping at the possibility of him leading a good life.

The race started and for most of it I was turned into Qui-Gon's side, to scared to watch but when I heard the announcers say that Anakin had won I immediately stood up and cheered with all my heart. He was free, I could feel it.

He had won his freedom.

I ran down to where he was standing, being cheered and gave him my second tight hug of the day.

"You did it! You're free!" He didn't pay mind to what I'd said because of the crowd but perhaps that was a good thing.

Once I find Qui-Gon I ask him and he confirms that Ani is indeed free. I smile brightly at him. The Jedi explains to me that he needs to travel back to their ship but he'll be back in a day.

"I'd love to see the ship," I say in a tone that sounds more like a question than a statement.

The Jedi bends down so that he's eye level with me. "You'll see it tomorrow, Vylik."It takes a while for it to sink in. "Am I... can I... am I going with you? With you and Ani?" The Jedi nods his head

and his kind eyes glisten. "You're very strong in the force too. You are still young enough to be trained as a Jedi."