First of all, I want to thank you all for reading. And a huge thank you to you, wonderful reviewers. It's such a joy to share the story and to know that people read. And even like. Thank you!

For the chapter 9 though… It is ready. I am not. The T rating and the warning found in the summary of this story are mostly for this chapter and I'm very nervous and unsure about it. I'll let you read. But, sensitive souls, please proceed with caution.

Valairy Scot : Thank you! I'm glad that you like Obi-Wan's portrayal. For me, Qui-Gon, with his shadows, guilt and creeping sorrow, is easier to write.

I promise to do my best, when the time comes for the two of them to talk and sort things out. Those chapters were so very hard to write.

Thank you for your review.

Rangermaid : Thank you for reviewing! I'm glad you're enjoying the fic so far. It wouldn't leave me in peace until I started writing. Qui-Gon wouldn't leave me in peace :-)

You're drawing? Wow. I've always wanted to be able to do that, but... I'd better stick to writing :-)

Thank you for taking the time to comment.

Chapter 9

Fire

There were no mornings in their dark recess. And there was no daylight in space. When the starship lurched, shuddering its way out of hyperspace, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan woke up with a start. They stayed still, assessing the change in their surroundings. Qui-Gon's eyes narrowed as he probed with the Force and found his answer. The white coldness towards which the ship was heading felt familiar.

'Delanor?' asked Obi-Wan.

Qui-Gon nodded. His arms were still wrapped around the boy. Obi-Wan smiled lopsidedly. To be held like this certainly lessened the unease of their last discussion. As the slumber left them, though, another sort of discomfort started to build. The two Jedi untangled their limbs and sat up.

Qui-Gon smiled at the boy's timidity. 'Morning, Padawan.'

'Maybe it's still night,' Obi-Wan mumbled, suddenly fascinated by the floor.

'On Delanor, I'm sure it is.'

Obi-Wan rubbed the sleep from his eyes with the back of his hand.

'How gracious of our captors to have given us a ride.' He yawned, then sat up straighter. 'Qui-Gon, why did they attack to bring us here? We were coming anyway.'

'They wanted us on their terms, I suppose.'

'Are we?'

Qui-Gon lifted an eyebrow at him. Obi-Wan chuckled.

'Then I'll go make the terms even less agreeable. Master, I want to help the prisoners escape before we land.'

Qui-Gon's brows furrowed.

'Obi-Wan,' he said slowly, 'I did not sense any distress from them. I still don't.'

Obi-Wan shook his head. Why was Qui-Gon so reluctant? Wasn't it their duty to help free the captives?

'There was fear in their voice,' he said.

'Have you talked to many?'

'No. Only one. You've talked to him too. But there was fear, Qui-Gon. I've heard it.'

Qui-Gon's voice was gentle.

'Obi-Wan, I did not feel any distress,' he repeated. 'Did you?'

The Padawan frowned. 'No,' he said finally. 'But I can't always judge.'

Qui-Gon gave him a sharp look. 'What do you mean?'

'When my leg… um… Sometimes…' the words tumbled reluctantly from his lips. 'When I use the Force to dampen the pain, I…' Obi-Wan shook his head. 'I…'

'You block the pain and the Force blocks much of everything else?' Qui-Gon finished for him.

Obi-Wan nodded, unwilling to meet the Master's eyes. Qui-Gon was silent. Obi-Wan looked up after a moment.

'The prisoners…,' he began.

Qui-Gon cut him off with a shake of his head. 'We'll land soon. We'll deal with them afterwards.'

'But what if it is too late, then?'

'Padawan, I doubt the Delanorians smuggle people through space, if that's indeed what's going on, to have them killed on the arrival.'

'What if we are unable to deal with the captives after the landing?'

'Padawan…'

'Master, maybe I can help. Please, I want to do that. I want to try.'

Qui-Gon could have argued that, since his perceptions were clearer, and since he was, after all, the Master in this Master/Padawan team, they should follow his lead. But the boy was troubled. He would not hear reason, now. And yet, hear it he must.

'Obi-Wan.' Qui-Gon's voice was sharp enough to bring his student's eyes up to him. 'We are about to land.'

Qui-Gon stopped. Something in the boy's face made him hold his breath.

What am I doing?

Protecting, came the immediate answer.

Yes, rush out now would be foolish. But Obi-Wan was uncertain of himself. Maybe even uncertain of his place among the Jedi. If Qui-Gon denied him… The Master closed his eyes. He could not reject the plea he saw in his student's face. He had denied Obi-Wan enough.

'Obi-Wan, we are about to land,' Qui-Gon started again, his voice hollow. 'The passages will be unsafe.' The hurry will not help you, Padawan. Patience, he wanted to add, but made himself hold his tongue.

The boy pounced at the offered opening.

'Master, I'll go as we did yesterday. They'll not see me.'

Qui-Gon continued to look at him. Obi-Wan smiled.

'I'm stronger, now that I have eaten. I'll be able to control the Force. They'll not see me.'

The Master bowed his head.

'Then go, Obi-Wan. May the Force be with you.'

The boy ducked out of the small alcove with a resounding /Thank you/ singing through the bond. Qui-Gon's hands fisted in his robes. His jaw clamped shut until his teeth ground together. He let out a low growl.

Old fool! What have I done?

Qui-Gon sat in silence and in darkness, and waited. The minutes trickled by. He was motionless, focused solely on the little shade of light that crept the corridors above him. Obi-Wan was well centered in the Force. He will not falter.

The ship screeched, tilted, shuddered and went still. They have landed. Already.

The Force swirled darkly around the Master. Qui-Gon was out and running without any conscious thought. But it was too late. Somewhere, his boy screamed in pain. The echo of that scream and of the pain drove the Master forward. Soon, a heartbeat later, it seemed, Qui-Gon was at the door where he had found Obi-Wan yesterday. It hanged open, revealing an unlit room that was too small to hold many people.

But you knew that already, you fool!

Qui-Gon ignored his thoughts. His Padawan's presence was growing dimmer. Obi-Wan was still struggling, but… A fiery pain came through the bond. Qui-Gon swayed. For a moment, his vision swam black. No…

/Little one?/ he sent, shuddering.

No answer.

Darkness.

'Wait,' whispered Qui-Gon. 'Wait, I'll come for you.'

More corridors, more doors, more rooms. Too long!

/Obi-Wan!/

The lifeless bond echoed hollowly with the Master's dread.

A voice, the gruff voice Qui-Gon remembered from yesterday, boomed through the ship.

'Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn!' it called. 'Come, Jedi Master. Take a look.'

Screens flickered to life in every passage. The blue-grey light of the Delanorian evening filled the corridors with a peaceful glow. Qui-Gon approached, his face white and haunted in the sudden brightness. There was nothing peaceful in the images that filled the screen. His Padawan was dangling from restraints, his arms twisted above his head, chains slung over a tree branch. A man stood beside Obi-Wan.

'Welcome back to Delanor, Jedi. Had I known you harbored such a burning desire to rejoin us, I might have arranged your return sooner. We've never actually met. But don't you mind. I've heard more than enough about your… exploits… here. The power is mine, now. And you both are my precious, precious guests. Have you enjoyed your trip, Jedi?'

Qui-Gon didn't answer. He was looking at Obi-Wan. The boy's head hang low. Blood dripped through his lips and fell on the snow at his feet.

/Padawan?/ Qui-Gon probed through the bond.

The boy didn't stir.

'You're too late, Jedi,' the man continued, smiling. 'You will die. But the lad will live. Are you glad?'

Qui-Gon looked at him for the first time. The man was large and stocky. Cold face ; dark, dangerous eyes ; lips twisting in pleasure. The leader of the group, probably.

'Are you glad, Jedi?'

Very. You just keep talking, thought Qui-Gon, stretching his awareness, searching the ship for the closest exit.

'What have you done to the boy?' he asked.

The crew had taken Obi-Wan outside. Qui-Gon felt that the ship was empty, except for him. The Jedi was deep below the first opening. He might as well cut his way out with the 'saber.

Laughter redirected Qui-Gon's attention. Obi-Wan's captor was stroking the boy's hair, gazing out at Qui-Gon, taunting him. The men around the pair cheered. The sheer level of their hatred was staggering. The leader seized the back of Obi-Wan's skull in one thick palm and jerked the boy's head up. Obi-Wan's eyelids fluttered, but he did not wake. A black collar was clasped tightly around his neck.

Qui-Gon's expression grew grim at the sight of the Force repressive device. So this was the source of his Padawan's pain. The ache burned even through the muted and twisted bond.

The leader trailed his thumb over the boy's cheekbone in a mockery of a caress.

'I have done to him very little, Master Jinn, compared to what I am about to do.'

Qui-Gon felt himself go cold. He headed for the door, pulling his lightsaber out.

'Take one more step, Jedi, and I'll blow this ship sky high,' said the man. 'Your Temple may be still standing, but this ship will not.'

Qui-Gon faced the screen once more. The leader held a sleek remote control in his upturned palm.

'All I have to do is hit a button. Your call, Jedi.'

'What do you want from me?' Qui-Gon asked.

'I'll let you know in a minute. Right now, your apprentice is too tempting.'

The man grabbed Obi-Wan's jaw in one hand, the other still at the back of the boy's head, and, making sure nothing blocked Qui-Gon's view, forced Obi-Wan in a long, deep, languorous kiss. The boy struggled sluggishly, moaning his pain into the other's mouth. The man growled in satisfaction.

A cold fury ripped through Qui-Gon. He clutched his lightsaber in a crushing grip. Stay unconscious, he willed Obi-Wan silently.

But the apprentice disobeyed him this time. Obi-Wan's eyes flew open. The boy stared at the face above him, shocked into immobility. Then revulsion twisted his features. He bit down hard, drawing blood from the man's lips. The leader retreated a fraction, jerked Obi-Wan's head backwards and sank his teeth into the boy's throat, just above the collar. He crushed Obi-Wan's air passage, silencing his scream of pain and denial.

'Sweet,' the man purred to his trembling prey. 'We'll have fun.' He gave Obi-Wan another kiss, smeared their combined blood across the boy's mouth and turned to Qui-Gon. 'Tell me, Jedi, did I taste you on him?'

Qui-Gon shuddered.

'Master?' came the unsteady whisper.

The leader stepped aside with a smile. The apprentice saw Qui-Gon's ashen face, looking at him with an agonizing tenderness from a monitor. Horror and utter shame swept over Obi-Wan. He shrank away from the clear, blue gaze of his teacher.

Qui-Gon's fury became a searing, raging fire inside his chest. Fire. Flames. Hot, unchecked rage. A howl rose in the back of his mind - his own feral cry of denial. But Qui-Gon curbed it all.

'What _ do_ you_ want?' he repeated, grounding each word out through clenched teeth.

'From you? Death. While your little pet is watching.'

Obi-Wan's head snapped up. His mouth hang open.

'What? No! No. Please, don't!'

The leader chuckled.

'See what I mean, Jedi? Afterwards, we'll celebrate, have fun.' His hand came to rest on the small of Obi-Wan's back. Obi-Wan jerked away uselessly. 'Your boy will not last long. They never do. And there is nothing you can do about it, Jedi.'

Qui-Gon straightened to his full height.

'That's where you are wrong.'

His bloodied and beaten apprentice was fighting wildly against the restraints. At this moment, there was very little the Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn could or would not do.


Thank you for reading. This was… Was it very horrible?