Chapter Two

Obi-Wan toed off his boots and tossed his belt through the open door of his bedroom, where the article of Jedi attire bounced off the mattress of his bed and hit the floor with a thud.

Qui-Gon watched this display with mild curiosity and concern. Earlier, he had felt Obi-Wan's resignation, followed by worry. Now, all he could feel coming from his Padawan was mild agitation.

Obi-Wan was remarkably tidy, insisting on keeping their quarters immaculately clean while they were on-planet, and so it was highly uncharacteristic for the boy to haphazardly throw his belt onto the floor and leave it there.

But he had.

Plodding heavily across the common room in his socked feet, the young man threw himself sideways into the overstuffed leather chair, allowing his feet to dangle off one arm, sighing loudly.

The Jedi Master closed the text on The Botanical Evolution of the Altavarian Tree, he had been reading to give his student his undivided attention.

"Siri and I broke up."

A raised brow was Qui-Gon's only reply. He would allow his apprentice the opportunity to divulge further information as he saw fit. The Jedi Master would stay silent for the time-being, since he was afraid he'd say something inappropriate. He had never liked Siri Tachi. She was a bossy, little know-it-all. Qui-Gon thought his apprentice deserved much better, and seeing that Obi-Wan was obviously troubled, he decided to keep his opinions to himself.

"I thought…I mean, we thought we should've bonded by now."

"A lover's bond cannot be rushed, Obi-Wan. You have to allow the Force time to act."

Qui-Gon nearly chuckled out-loud when Obi-Wan's faced curled up incredulously.

"Two years! We've been seeing each other for two years, Master! It's obvious we're wasting our time, so we decided to call it quits."

The Jedi Master looked at his student carefully, noticing the furrowed brow and tested their training bond. He discovered Obi-Wan was not as hurt as he was frustrated.

"Tell me what's really troubling you, Padawan."

Another long sigh heralded the truth.

"Reeft bonded today."

"Is that so?" This time, Qui-Gon couldn't keep the amused look off his face, though he did try to disguise it with a brush of a hand across his features.

Reeft was one of Obi-Wan's oldest friends, and the last he had expected to bond with a lover. The overweight Dressellian had one other interest outside of becoming a Jedi, and that was food.

"I saw that." Obi-Wan accused with jabbing finger. "You're as surprised as I was! Why, Master? Why him? I know I should be happy for Reeft, but I can't be."

"Jealousy leads to the Dark Side, Obi-Wan."

"I know. I'm not jealous. Honest. I'm just worried, I guess."

"Why are you worried?"

"How can you ask me that? Two years, Master. Do you know how long Reeft and Dartilla dated before they knew? Two hours!"

Qui-Gon immediately put a face with the name. A rather robust face, as a matter of fact. The two Padawans at least had one thing in common. Further proof that the Force knew what it was doing.

No matter what his Padawan thought.

"The Force sometimes works in mysterious ways. Try not to worry, Obi-Wan. I'm sure you'll find your soulmate soon."

"And if I don't?"

Obi-Wan hated having these thoughts, but he couldn't help it. At the age of twelve, he had barely escaped the destiny of becoming an Agricorps farmer; Qui-Gon having chosen him as a Padawan at the very last possible moment.

He wanted to put his faith in the Force. He really did, but he did not want to relive the experience of having to wonder if he really was going to be a Jedi Knight after all.

"You must trust the Force."

If he had a credit for every time he had heard his Master and his Master's Master say that….

"Tell me how it was with you and Tahl."

Qui-Gon recognized Obi-Wan's need for reassurance and he was willing to give it, although he was sure he had shared this story with his Padawan at least twice already.

"I was nineteen. Tahl was twenty-two and getting a bit nervous as you are, with only three years of her apprenticeship left.

We had been companions for a long while, but never had the opportunity to investigate the possibility of something more.

Until the mission to Belkadan.

The Jedi had been requested to intervene in an extremely volatile situation, which required the most powerful of Jedi. Master Yoda and myself were sent, along with his bonded, Master Yaddle and her Padawan, Tahl.

The peace talks failed, a civil war erupted, and Tahl and I were separated from our Masters.

There was an explosion, a wall collapsed, and Tahl was trapped. I feared for her safety, if she was even alive, and that's when I heard her voice in my head, giving me her location and assuring me she had only suffered minor injuries."

Obi-Wan smiled as Qui-Gon finished the abridged version of the tale. He realized he had heard the story at least twice before, but reliving the moment with his Master eased his worries and gave him some hope.

That's what he wanted. A bond such as his Master had with Tahl, where telepathic communication had developed. It was the most advanced ability the Force afforded, which was why it was required before knighting. Bonded knights were much more effective in the field. Various studies over centuries had proven that.

And unless one of them were given a Padawan, they were paired as a team, undergoing missions together all over the Galaxy.

It was a comfort knowing that when Obi-Wan's apprenticeship with Qui-Gon was finished at age twenty-five, he would not be alone. There would always be someone at his side and in his mind. It was what he wanted and what he hoped for.

The alternative was unthinkable.