Author's Note: I have just realized that my scene breaks have been disappearing when I upload my chapters. My apologies to any confusion this has caused.

Valairy Scot - I truly enjoyed writing the differences between the two fathers' reactions here.

Jedi Kay-Kenobi – Siri is definitely the more forward of the pair.

Lillafiore – Obi-Wan would rather not have to deal with Siri at this point, but he really doesn't want her father involved.

Utuu – I am glad you are enjoying the story. And the scene breaks should be evident from now on.

phantom-jedi1 - I do enjoy writing Siriwan banter.

AndrossKenobi – Thanks

sterling5842 - (ch 19) I loved writing a scene where the negotiator took on Palpatine. Not something that ever happened in canon because Palpy was chancellor and Obi-Wan a respecting Jedi. (ch 20) I have enjoyed writing how consumed Qui-Gon has become with the Holocron and his mission. I can really see Qui-Gon forgetting everything when focused.

Countdown – I look forward to integrating more favorite characters into this universe.

Chapter 21

Siri entered Obi-Wan's room looking for the source of the disturbance, surprised to find only Obi-Wan gripped firmly in the throes a nightmare, struggling against sheets tangled around his torso and legs.

"Kenobi!" she called from the doorway.

She was answered with silence and moved closer, close enough to see eyes tightly closed and sweat drenched features locked in an expression of intense desperation and determination. The borderline rage had dissipated, but the anguish and great sorrow remained, flowing off of him in waves.

"Kenobi!"

She drew even closer, taking a seat on the edge of the sleepcouch, and reached out to give him a firm shake. He lashed out clumsily and she dodged the awkward swing of his arm, taking the opportunity to move inward. She quickly caught the sides of his head, cupping his face gently in her hands as he let out a slight sob.

"Obi-Wan," she called in a more tender voice, pouring out waves of calm and comfort through the Force.

Long-lashed eyelids finally lifted, allowing a pair of trapped tears to escape down his cheeks and meet her fingers. His breath came in forced pants as wide blue eyes traced the room, the transparent gaze fully exposing the confusion and torment within his soul.

"It's okay," Siri soothed, never having seen Obi-Wan Kenobi seem so vulnerable and lost since she had known him. "It was a dream."

Obi-Wan met her gaze and his lip trembled momentarily. "It's not me … it's him," he mumbled as though in shock, still somewhat detached from his surroundings. He grew distant again as he pushed dampened locks of hair away from his face, acting as though she weren't there.

"Who?" she asked softly, reaching down to take his hand. It seemed the comforting thing to do.

Obi-Wan looked at her hand covering his and then snapped his head up to meet her gaze again. She saw the haze begin to dissipate at the same time strong shields snugged firmly into place. "What are you doing in my room?" He broke his hands away and backed across the sleepcouch, finally recognizing who was sitting near him.

"You cried out and I sensed a disturbance. I came to make sure you weren't being murdered in your sleep," she said. "Is there something wrong with that?"

He eyed her warily as he began to slide off the opposite side of the sleepcouch, wearily nodding his head negatively. "Just go … please."

"You probably should talk about whatever that was … you still seem pretty upset …"

"Go!" he barked out as he retreated into the refresher, sliding the door shut in her face. She placed her palm on the door ready to protest, but heard the sound of water start running in the shower. Closing her eyes, she pulled her hand away from the door.

The sound of the front door opening drew Siri from where she was seated on the sofa, and she hurried to meet the tall man who stepped through. Of course he would be able to let himself in; he had more right to be here than she did. He shrugged off a coat that had obviously been thrown on over sleep clothes.

"I'm sorry if I woke you Master Jinn. I didn't know what else to do," Siri said. "He still hasn't come out … not that I expected it … I can't imagine I would be thrilled to wake up to him after a nightmare."

"I'm glad you called." The Jedi master smiled warmly before starting down the hallway. Pausing at Obi-Wan's door, he knocked gently. "Padawan?" Receiving no answer, he opened it, disappearing into the room as the door shut behind him.

Siri found her thoughts consumed about what could possibly be so horrible that it would have the ever calm, never flustered Obi-Wan Kenobi sobbing and frightened like a child. The cry that had woke her still resonating in her mind, she wandered into the kitchen and started water boiling for tea.

From the door, Qui-Gon could see Obi-Wan kneeling on the floor with his back to the door. His posture was consumed with tension, evident in everything from his rigid spine to the white-knuckled fingers clenched tightly into fists, resting futilely on his thighs. Obviously he was trying to meditate, but he was also about as far from the currents of the Force as he could get, instead swallowed up by his own thoughts. Qui-Gon made his way over to the one he considered a son and knelt before him.

/Padawan?/ he called gently into the troubled man's mind. There was a hesitant pause, as though he were gauging whether the voice was real or not, before eyelids fluttered open.

"Master."

Without warning, Obi-Wan reached out and snatched the older Jedi into a bone-crushing embrace, and Qui-Gon simply wrapped his arms around the younger man, holding him until Obi-Wan finally pulled away after a while, stray tears tracing down his cheeks."

"Padawan, what's wrong?" Qui-Gon asked as he reached out to wipe the tears away. "I was already up, sensing you were greatly troubled, when Siri called."

"Siri called you?" he whispered numbly.

"Yes, she is rather distressed at whatever she sensed from you." He leveled a stern gaze at Obi-Wan. "We will get to why she is here later." Softening his expression again, he smiled. "I assume you saw something."

"You could say that," Obi-Wan said as he chuckled wearily.

"Go on," Qui-Gon said, noting the way Obi-Wan's posture closed in as the young man settled to a sitting position, clutching his knees to his chest.

"We were fighting the Sith lord again – the same one I've seen before in visions. We were separated and I was somehow trapped behind something. I don't know what it was, but everything was pink … perhaps, a force field. I'm not sure." Obi-Wan paused, closing his eyes, as the memories of the vision stirred in his mind. He kept his eyes closed even as he talked his way through what he had seen. "You were doing well, fighting the Sith alone and I was impatient, sensing your strength was waning. You were in danger, but didn't realize it. And then, he made an unexpected move, throwing you off balance. While you were recovering, he im …" The young man stumbled over the word, pausing before he continued. "He impaled you. The wound was fatal." He looked to Qui-Gon to see his reaction.

Qui-Gon sat back, resting his elbows on bent knees. Folding his hands, he thoughtfully rested his mouth against his knuckles. "I see," the Jedi master said calmly after a time. "Is there more?"

"I will fail you, Master," Obi-Wan said quickly.

"How so, Padawan?" Qui-Gon asked, inclining his head. "You were trapped, and I seemed to have made the fatal mistake in the vision."

"I lashed out in rage against the Sith when I was finally free. I wanted revenge … I wanted him to die." He paused, dropping his gaze to the floor. "That's probably what Siri sensed that was so unsettling."

"And did you kill this Sith in your vision?"

"Yes, Master, I did."

"In the Darkness?"

"No. I killed the Sith in the Light. You drew me back, reminded me of what you had taught me, and I let go of the anger."

Qui-Gon smiled gently. "There, then you didn't fail me." He reached out, resting a hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder. "You remembered the Light and returned."

"But, you still died Master … in my arms." Tears began to pool in his eyes again and Qui-Gon scooted next to him, pulling his head to his chest. "The strangest part was that your last words to me were to ask me to train a young boy, Master. You said that he would bring balance."

Obi-Wan felt Qui-Gon's sturdy frame tense. "What is it?" He backed away so he could meet the older man's gaze. "Master, please don't hide whatever it is from me. You've been acting strangely since we spoke with Master Yoda last."

"I have accepted a mission. I will be taking a sabbatical from my teaching at the end of this term so that I can fulfill it."

"From the elders?" Obi-Wan asked.

"I prefer to think of it as a mission from the Force." Qui-Gon took a deep breath knowing that what he was about to say would be painful for his apprentice. "The Force has told me that I will find the Chosen One – the one who will bring balance." Qui-Gon reached out to gather Obi-Wan to him, but the younger man broke away from him, standing to his feet.

"You're leaving."

"It's necessary to complete my task." He stood as Obi-Wan put distance between them, pausing to give him time to digest what he had said. "I will still be able to correspond with you, and you will not be alone. Garen is a fine friend, and you don't know how glad I am that you have asked Byram and Auren to join you here …"

"To join us here," Obi-Wan interrupted curtly.

Qui-Gon sighed as he approached Obi-Wan, placing hands on the young man's shoulders to guide him to sit on the sleepcouch. "I think we both should meditate on this – and on your vision. I sense you have tried to examine it outside the context of the Force."

"I haven't been able to find my center, Master. I don't want to lose you … like I lost Dad and Mum. The vision was so real … it …"

"Is but a possible future that even this very conversation could alter," Qui-Gon said gently.

Obi-Wan bit down on his lip and swallowed hard. "But, you are going off alone and I won't be there to watch out for you."

Qui-Gon smiled and pulled Obi-Wan close so that the young man's head was resting under his chin. "And according to your vision, we are together whenever this happens. Right now, we must meditate. I will help you center yourself. Then you need a good, long rest."

"Master, I don't think I could sleep right now."

"I'll help you with that also." Qui-Gon smiled, shaking his head. "Somehow you seem to have to idea that being a knight and a senator means you can't ask me for help anymore. I'm always here for you."

The feeling of being watched woke Siri from where she had stretched out on the sofa in the sitting room. She blinked her eyes a couple of times and startled as she noticed Qui-Gon sitting in the arm chair across from her.

"Your tea is probably cold."

He smiled and reached across the small table, topping off her cup. She sat up quickly, picking up the cup and bringing it to her lips to take a sip.

"Was it a vision?" she asked. "My father says Obi-Wan has them from time to time."

"According to this vision, I will be killed by a Sith lord at some point in the future." Qui-Gon took a sip from his own cup, gazing past her head to somewhere on the wall. "He's understandably upset."

"The Sith are here, aren't they?"

It was more of a statement than a question and Qui-Gon simply nodded in response.

"What are you going to do?" Siri asked. "About the vision, that is."

"Nothing," Qui-Gon answered, drawing a look of shock. He smiled before clarifying. "Nothing, except follow the will of the Force."

"And if it leads you towards this death that Obi-Wan has seen?"

"If the Force requires my life, there is little I can do about it," Qui-Gon stated with calm, simple conviction.

"And if it is warning Obi-Wan so that a particular future can be avoided, shouldn't you listen? Losing you would be quite devastating, don't you think?"

Qui-Gon smiled with quiet amusement shining in his eyes. There were few young knights that would choose to challenge and question a Jedi elder, and Siri Tachi was among them. He leveled a serious gaze at her.

"I have every intention of taking my padawan's vision seriously. But, he must also accept the possibility that I will one day be gone." He allowed his expression to soften again, looking at her as though she were a stray piece to a puzzle he was assembling in his mind. "And now … I wonder, why are you here?"

Siri bowed her head, the thumbs of her lightly clasped hands fidgeting. "I don't know. I just know that I am where the Force wants me to be." She took comfort in the fact that she probably was talking to the one person in the Order who would not think that sounded ludicrous.

"You should call your father. He's terribly worried about you and is nearly accusing my padawan of kidnapping and brainwashing you," Qui-Gon said after a moment. "Talk to him about your thoughts ... he needs to hear it from you."

"He won't understand," Siri nodded with dejection.

"Times are quickly changing. I believe he will understand more than you think he will. Call him."

"I will," Siri said softly. "Are you going to stay?"

"Yes, for the rest of the night. Usually Obi-Wan doesn't dream twice in a row, but I would like to be near in case he needs me." Qui-Gon stood and started down the hallway. "I will find my way to a spare room. You contact your father."