We stood, arms wrapped around each other and I could feel the slow thump of Obi-Wan's heart against mine. It had been far too long since we had been together. We had no need for words, just a need to touch, to assure each other than we were no longer separated. I finally pushed Obi-Wan away from me and looked deep into his eyes.

"Padawan, mine," I said gently, clearing my throat, just looking at him, and he at me. I closed my eyes and shook my head in delighted wonder. I took a deep breath.

"There is so much to say, but we don't have that much time now. We'll talk on the ship. There's a Trade Federation blockade against Naboo; I am with the Queen and a few of her people. Anakin is with us. The Federation has occupied Naboo; the Queen is going back to fight for her people's freedom. They do not know of you, to them, you will be another Jedi, my padawan, we rendezvoused with here. And you, my Obi-Wan, are a Jedi back at my side where you belong."

"And is Anakin is to be trained?" he asked, after a moment spent considering my words.

"No," I felt my lips tighten. "The Council will change their minds, though. Obi-Wan, words can't express how much I missed you; how overjoyed I am to have you back, but…." I faltered, for this would not be easy to say.

"Obi-Wan, this will hurt you, but I have to tell you. I offered to take Anakin as my padawan. It means nothing against you, please believe me, but I believe that the Council has to be close to letting you take the trials, once you regain your footing. I don't doubt that you'll succeed."

I could sense Obi-Wan's shock, but I could see him silently trying to absorb all this, as he quietly sat down and bowed his head. His fingers were curling, and I remembered he often did that when deep in thought. At least they weren't clenched in anger or tense with fear as mine were. I made myself loosen my hands, and sit down beside him, though not right next to him. I wanted to give him some room to reflect.

My poor padawan, all but abandoned for five years with no memory, a slave subject to the whims and cruelties of others when his life had been devoted to the service of others. Then to be freed and told his place was being taken by another, for of course, that would be how he would see it. As would anyone. I didn't blame him, if he was upset, but it was best to be upfront with him, as he tried to figure out to step back into his former life – his real life.

The silence between us grew. I felt helpless, for I had placed this burden on his shoulders; how then could I help him bear it? My heart was heavy; then I knew there were things I needed to tell him. They were things I probably shouldn't speak of, but Obi-Wan needed to hear them.

I leaned forward and spoke slowly and gently. Though he appeared deep in his own thoughts, giving no sign of hearing my words, I knew he was listening. He always listened when I spoke.

"You don't know, Obi-Wan, that the trials are not always a formal test. Sometimes life itself is your trial. You had most of the skills, and this ordeal has not deflected you from the path that you were on. I know you remained true to your ideals – to who you were and still are, despite the cruelties of these last few years. You are still the Obi-Wan I guided so long, compassionate and brave. I would not be surprised if after the Council speaks to you – well," I leaned over and touched his braid while smiling at him, "this won't remain on long."

I sat with one hand on his shoulder as he continued to stare inward. I wished I knew his thoughts. Once, I would have. So much had been lost to us, so much time.

He sighed suddenly, and my hand tightened on his shoulder and I pulled him against me. He came, easily, and both my arms wrapped around him as if he were that young boy I had comforted so many times in the past as he leaned against my shoulder.

"Why couldn't you access the Force, Obi-Wan?" I whispered in his ear. "Why didn't you reach out for me? I would have come, I would have found you."

"I lost…so much, at first," he answered, haltingly. "I had no memories, nothing, and I was alone, so very alone." I could feel his shoulders start to shake, but he pulled himself together. I hoped he found safety in my arms, and that's why he could face it. I remembered the empty faces and silences of those others, mind-wiped on Phindar. They were mere shells of living beings, and my Obi-Wan had been much the same. My arms tightened around him.

"You have no idea what it's like – you hardly remember how to form words, or feed yourself – you're so helpless. Yet you have enough self-awareness to know how empty you are. It's a terribly lonely feeling, so very lonely."

His voice was achingly hollow, like a scream that echoed within a cavern and gave nothing back except the same sounds, magnified and distorted. It made my heart hurt, and I caught my breath at imagining the terror he had to have felt – he would have been no longer a Jedi, no longer a young man growing into adulthood, no longer even a child – only a vacant-minded, frightened being lost and alone – an infant in mind, turned loose without guidance. I couldn't imagine a fate more cruel, and it had happened to my padawan.

"When things started to come back, it was a blur, memories without meaning, faces without names, and abilities without knowledge. I knew I had been loved, once, but I wasn't sure by whom, or why they had left me – I'm sorry, Master," he whispered as a tear dripped from my face onto his at that last, and I saw that tears were trickling down his own face. He was so lost in his memories, that he didn't even know he was crying.

"After a while, I seemed to know when things were about to happen, but I couldn't seem to prevent them. If I tried, they beat me. Once I was beaten so badly, I thought…they would kill me, for being so useless. My arm was broken and several of my ribs. I couldn't work hard, so they kept punishing me for being slow."

"Why did they beat you?" I asked, gently stroking his forehead.

"Which time?" he asked absently. "That time - several drunken spacers kidnapped a child away from its mother. A young girl. She was just a few years younger than I, Master, and pretty. Her mother tried to intervene, and they were going to shoot her. I tried to save her, for I knew they didn't care if she lived or died, and if I distracted them enough to only wound her, she would live. I – I felt this surge through me and somehow, I knew I could somehow push against their arms and disturb their aim. Their shots only grazed the mother. I tried to bandage her wounds - then we heard the girl scream. Oh, Master, it was terrible. She was so young, and they…they…."

"Shhh, Obi-Wan," I soothed him quiet, for I could well imagine. Lawless space ports were no place for innocent children; too many were kidnapped or mishandled.

"The mother screamed at me, accused me of saving her life, of forcing her to have to listen to her girl's screams. She knew what they were doing to her in that alley; we could all hear it. She grabbed the guard's gun and put it into her mouth. She died, Master, blaming me for saving her." My arms tightened further around him, for he was reliving that day, not just telling me about it. I could feel the tremors within him.

"Then, I… well, I went after that girl to see what I could do, but it was too late. I knew it was too late, for she lay there bruised and bleeding and the life seeping away from her. They had heard me coming. They shot her, and I wasn't in time. They shot her and left her there to die on the ground. I tried to cover her, Master, I did, but my owner grabbed me and blamed for the mother's death, and I guess the girl's, too, for he was going to sell her. She would have fetched a good price….he beat me half to death. And I let him – I let him, for all I could think of was their screams, both of them."

Obi-Wan turned in my arms then, and buried his face against me, as he done when he had been young and hurt. He wasn't crying though, it was as if all his tears had been shed long ago.

I stroked the back of his head, and whispered, "Would you like your memories misted over?" I could have taken those memories away from him, or just blurred them, and I wanted to, but that was the worst kind of violation one could do to another, twisting another's mind like that.

We both shuddered at the same time, as I remembered his mind had already been wiped, and he at the thought of someone touching his mind.

No, not at touching, at taking.

Can I share your burden, then, my Obi-Wan? I silently asked, for I thought that by doing so, perhaps, I could help him live with those memories.

There is no need. My shoulders are strong enough.

There is every need. Your shoulders have borne this too long, alone, and you are already burrowing deep into mine. Feel my arms around you. Let me help you.

He nodded, and as easily as if the past five years had never been, his mind opened to me and I slipped in and relived much of those past five years with him, and he with me. Of course, this kind of mind-sharing is not as complete as it sounds, but enough comes through, augmented by bits and pieces of words, helped by a total and deep understanding of the other, that it seems like a total mind-sharing experience. There still would be more to discover and learn, but I wanted to relieve as much of Obi-Wan's painful memories as I could by helping him draw them into the open and to release them.

You searched for me, Master, and it wasn't a question, for he knew - just as I now knew he had tried not to give up hope, even when he didn't remember what hope was.

I am so very proud of you, I smiled at him, though shocked at everything he had endured, pleased at what he remembered. Pleased that there was indeed still a core of happiness within him that the past five years had not stolen from him. Yoda had known that, I knew now. He had seen, clearer than I, what lay deep inside Obi-Wan.

Master Yoda, I want to see him again, and I could sense Obi-Wan's longing. He and Yoda had always had a special connection. I looked forward to seeing their reunion.

"We'll see him after we return from Naboo," I said, smiling, and that reminded me that the Naboo were waiting for us. I shouldn't keep them waiting too long.

"Obi-Wan, go clean up, wash the sand of Tatooine off you," I gently prodded him. "When we leave here, you're leaving Tatooine behind forever. Even those blasted particles of sand that get in everywhere."

He smiled and headed off obediently, and I heard the water run for only a short time. Well, this was Tatooine and water was in short supply, so I shouldn't have been surprised.

When I heard the water stop, I knocked on the door, and was actually surprised when Obi-Wan told me to come in. I was only going to hand him his new clothing though the doorway, for I remembered how modest he was and wanted to give him all the time and space he needed. I raised an eyebrow and walked in. He had a towel around his waist and I could see every scar, every bruise that he had accumulated over the last five years. I froze, my mind in absolute shock.

Oh, Force, I whispered and put out a shaking hand to touch the newest one, purple and red and yellow and every color I'd ever seen, gracing the side of his chest. I sank to my knees, just stunned at this visible evidence of what I knew from his lips and mind.

He stared at me in surprise, then at the bruise. "It looks worse than it feels," he assured me, as he dropped to my side, his strong hands holding me upright. My poor battered padawan was reassuring me, and once again I knew the strength and compassion within him. The five years had not dulled it, but rather enhanced it.

I knew with absolute certainty that Obi-Wan was ready to be knighted. His skills may have grown rusty, his deft use of the Force uncertain, but the core of him, that part that was Jedi, was ready.

I was ready to let him know how I felt about him.

I had always tried to maintain a distance between us, for I had always been afraid that if he knew how strongly he had me wrapped around his little finger that his knowledge of that power might lead to its corruption. I wouldn't have risked Obi-Wan for anything. I always planned to let him know the depths of my love for him when he was knighted, when he was safe. Suddenly, I couldn't wait.

"I love you, Obi-Wan," I declared, twisting his wet untidy braid through my fingers.

"I know," he said, surprised that I mentioned it. Here we were, two Jedi sitting in a refresher by Force, talking about love. "As I love you."

"No, no, you don't understand," I said, shaking my head. "I've always tried to keep some distance between us, to protect you from the knowledge of just how much I love you. You wormed your way into my empty heart shortly after we bonded, but I never wanted you to know how deeply. You're more than my padawan, you're like the son I'll never have. I never wanted you to know how much you had come to mean to me, until, until… well, until you were knighted."

"But, why?" I had honestly surprised him.

"To protect you. You had such power over me, and I feared the knowledge of so much power might corrupt you."

Obi-Wan actually laughed. Put his head back and laughed, until I was laughing with him. He choked on his laughter, and then got very serious. His hands were clasping my forearms as he leaned forward, gazing deep into my eyes.

"I don't see how love can corrupt, Master. Love gives you strength and hope, and the desire to be better, do better. I always wanted to live up to your love. I knew, oh, I knew."

His eyes were burning with his earnestness, and I saw how both his love for me and mine for him had kept him sane and alive and – pure – these last five years.

It was love of him that had kept me going during those same dark years, only I had been less than I could be for so long, and he so much more. The padawan could still teach the master.