These are just little random one-shots that I will be doing about the relationship between Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. They will be updated as often as I can, and if any wants me to expand on any of them or if you have a prompt for me, just say in the review :)

/words\\ = Bond speak

Please read and review :)

Prompt from bluedragoninamber: Qui-Gon dies, Obi is knighted (maybe by Dooku), but Anakin is taken as a Padawan by Yoda. The Council decides Obi is too young and inexperienced to train Anakin. Dooku, who has come to the Temple for Qui-Gon's memorial service, offers to take Obi to Serenno with him for a temporary "leave of absence." Angry at the Council's decision and grieving his master's death, Obi agrees. Dooku and Obi spend time together. The two of them grieve together...and perhaps Dooku could be a little less prickly and a little more comforting? Something to show that he cared for Qui-Gon and for Obi-Wan. It would be nice to see him as a little more human...for the love of the man that he has come out to save from himself, time and again.

….

Taking another sip of tea, Dooku couldn't help but feel like something was wrong… something was missing inside.

Resting in his chair, Dooku found himself staring at his personal communicator. Whilst he personally, would not contact the Jedi Order, if something was truly wrong, his old Master would contact him.

Another 30 minutes passed, before the communicator began to beep.

As he answered it, Dooku was dismayed to see Master Yoda at the other end, his ears slightly drooping… which was never a good sign.

"Back at the Temple, you are needed." The older Master sighed, "Sad news, I have."

Dooku frowned, leaning forwards (despite internally, not wanting to know what had happened). "What's happened?"

"… Passed on to the beyond, Master Qui-Gon Jinn has."

Feeling as though his heart had sunk to his stomach, Dooku pushed himself to his feet and turned away from the communicator, not wanting Yoda to see how shaken he was by the news. After a few seconds, he took a deep breath. "How?"

"Killed by a Sith Lord, he was."

Now this caught Dooku's attention as he span back around, "A Sith Lord? That's impossible! They've been extinct for years…" A sudden thought occurred to him, "What about Padawan Kenobi? Is he alright?"

Whilst he and his Grand-padawan had very few interactions over the course of the boy's training, Dooku found that he was quite fond of him. The boy was sensible and polite, almost to a fault, but there was something there that made him… different.

A certain, unique quality.

Master Yoda winced slightly, but quickly maintained his composure. "Defeated the Sith, he did. Recovering now, he is."

"He defeated the Sith?" Dooku questioned, some pride in his voice, "Impressive for someone who's not quite made it to knight-hood"

"Hmmmm, unusual it was."

Recognising the tone in his ex-Master's voice, Dooku frowned. "I sense there's something you're not telling me."

"… Concerned the council were. An investigation there was."

"Into Obi-Wan? Why?"

"Concerns about the Dark side, there were."

Dooku couldn't believe it. Before he could protest and question the sanity of the council, Master Yoda held up a hand to stop him.

"Cleared he was. The Dark Side, he did not use."

Feeling a sense of relief at this, Dooku resisted the urge to sigh. "So…" he began, "… what happens now? With Obi-Wan?"

"Knighted he will be, we have decided."

"Knighted? He has just lost his Master… emotionally, he might not be ready."

"Never-the-less, knighted he will be."

"I want to be there. If his Master can't perform the ceremony, then his Grand-Master should"

Yoda nodded, "Agree, I do. Ask you, I was going to."

"… I'll be there as soon as I can."

…..

Knighting ceremonies were usually a positive occasion. To have a student, who had practically been raised by their Master, reach the end of their training and rise in the Jedi Order was a celebratory event.

Not this one.

Mutely, Dooku glanced down at Obi-Wan, who was kneeling before him. As he took a hold of the padawan's braid, ready to remove it, Obi-Wan tensed.

Ah yes… the sensation of someone other than his Master touching his braid must have been uncomfortable.

Without dwelling on the thought, Dooku finished the ceremony by uttering the final statement and removing the braid with his lightsabre.

Obi-Wan Kenobi was now a Jedi Knight.

"- but I promised Master Jinn- "

"Understand, I do. But ready, you are not."

As Dooku rounded the corner, he watched as Obi-Wan seemed to deflate in defeat, turning away from Master Yoda and heading in the opposite direction.

"He seems… upset." Dooku stated, frowning as Yoda shook his head.

"Disappointed, he is. A promise he made, to Qui-Gon."

"What kind of promise?"

"… To train Anakin, he promised. Ready, he is not."

Dooku couldn't help but shake his head upon hearing that. "What was Qui-Gon thinking… "he muttered sadly, "… to place that large a burden on Obi-Wan's shoulder on his deathbed. Surely there were reassurances that everything was going to be okay? That Obi-Wan made him proud?"

Yoda shook his head, "Silent Qui-Gon remained, on that matter."

"Damn him…."

Without waiting for his old Master to say anything else, Dooku strode after Obi-Wan.

Eventually, he found the newly-knighted Obi-Wan in an abandoned training room. Silently, he watched as Obi-Wan made his way through kata after kata, his movements fluid and strong… despite the pain on his face.

"I have a proposition for you…" began Dooku, "… You need some time away. Time to clear your mind. My home is always open."

Obi-Wan barely paused in his training. "I have to stay…" he argued, "… I have to train Anakin."

"Because Qui-Gon told you to…. He was wrong to do so."

Spinning around at this, Obi-Wan glared at his Grand Master, "I can do- "

"- I know you can do it. That's not what my old padawan got wrong…. He should have said so many other things with his last breath, and none of them should have included Skywalker."

There was a tense silence, before Obi-Wan seemed to deflate. "I feel like you're the only one who believes that… Everyone else believes I was knighted too early. I know why… because Master Yoda believed that there was no-one who would be willing to continue training me. Better to knight me and keep me in the Temple until I am ready."

It sounded harsh, but Dooku knew that the majority of the statement was correct. No, Obi-Wan was not ready to be knighted. Not so soon after the death of his Master…. But there would have been lots of Masters willing to train the young man, especially as Obi-Wan was quickly building the reputation of becoming a master negotiator.

"You need time away from the Temple." Insisted Dooku, choosing not to express his own views, "Being here is only going to make you feel worse in the long run."

"I need to be here…. I promised I would train Anakin."

"You need time to grieve… away from the prying eyes of the council."

Judging by the look on Obi-Wan's face, he knew that his Grandmaster was right.

"Alright…" muttered the ex-padawan, "…. Alright. Maybe I can spare a few days away from the Temple. Where would we go?"

"Serenno. I own a… comfortable little property there."

"Should we inform the council?"

"Leave that to me. Go and pack your essentials, I'll meet you at the docks."

"You're going to do what?" exclaimed Master Windu, an eyebrow raised in disbelief.

"Me and Obi-Wan are going to take a little sojourn to Serenno." Answered Dooku in a matter of fact manner, choosing not to look at Master Yoda, "I think he could do with some time away from the Temple."

"He needs time to heal!"

"Agreed… and he can't do that here. Not when half the council suspects him of drawing on the Dark Side to defeat his Master's killer."

With slight satisfaction, Dooku observed some of the council members flinch… hopefully in guilt.

"And…" he continued, "… we all know that he was not ready to be knighted. Some extra training with me won't go amiss."

There were a few minutes of silence as the council all glanced at other, silently debating their options. Eventually, they seemed to reach a decision and Master Yoda cleared his throat.

"Go with you, Obi-Wan may. In two weeks, he should return."

Two weeks was better than what he was expecting, so Dooku chose not to reply, simply bowing his respects and turning to head out of the room.

A little over half an hour later, Obi-Wan was packed and ready to go.

"Is there anyone you want to say goodbye to?"

Obi-Wan shook his head, remaining silent as they headed towards Dooku's personal transport.

"Are you sure?"

Another nod as Obi-Wan sighed, "The rumour spread that I drew on the Dark Side…" he whispered, "…and everyone, even those I considered to be my friends, believed it. I haven't spoken to my friends in days and they've actively avoided me…. I don't have anyone to say goodbye to."

Slightly saddened by the thought of the Order turning against the talented young knight, Dooku chose not to say anything, simply following Obi-Wan into the transporter. As he glanced behind him, he saw his old Master standing near the entrance to the hanger bay, his eyes drooped low in sadness.

And that was the last thing Dooku saw before the back door closed.

Three days.

Obi-Wan had spent three days barely interacting with Dooku, choosing instead to remain in his room, only coming out to train and eat.

Dooku wasn't having it anymore… they needed to talk.

"I have brewed us a fresh pot of tea…" he announced as he strode into his personal training room, where Obi-Wan was making his way through the katas of Form 3, "… come. I believe we are overdue a very important conversation."

"Maybe later. I have yet to master this particularly difficult- "

"- I'm afraid you don't get much of an option."

This caused Obi-Wan to stop in his tracks, spinning around to face Dooku as he frowned in confusion. "I-I don't"

"No…. now get changed into something fresh and we'll have some tea."

Less than 10 minutes later, Obi-Wan entered the main living area, his hair freshly washed and a fresh tunic on. Seating himself opposite Dooku, he gratefully accepted a cup of tea and nodded his thanks, choosing not to say anything.

Silence filled the room, broken only by the sound of sipping and the clink of cups against porcelain saucers…. Until Obi-Wan couldn't take it anymore.

"So, what is it that you wanted to talk to me about?"

Dooku remained silent for another minutes, wanting to make sure that he had Obi-Wan's full attention (and make the young man squirm slightly). As Obi-Wan began to flush uncomfortably, Dooku finally placed the cup on the saucer. "I would like to talk about Qui-Gon."

"I don't think- "

"- Talking helps you with the grief. Yes, it may never fully go away, but looking on your memories of Qui-Gon should be filled with happiness…. Not anger or sorrow."

"My Master is dead…" Obi-Wan stated, an upset frown on his face, "… I believe I am entitled to feeling sorrow towards him."

"But not so much that it outweighs the happiness… and not so much that it leads to anger and betrayal."

"I don't-"

"- Yes, you are." Interrupted Dooku, "Qui-Gon stated, in front of the council, that he would take Anakin as his padawan because he is the 'Chosen One'."

Judging by the tone in Dooku's voice, he clearly didn't believe in the Chosen One theory.

"Despite telling you that you weren't ready to be knighted…" continued Dooku, "… days late, he changes his mind… all because he wanted to train the Chosen One. He was arrogant enough to believe that he could be the only one to- "

"- Stop it!" hissed Obi-Wan, slowly putting his cup on the saucer as his fists clenched in anger, "Just stop it!"

"No… because your Master wasn't perfect, and you need to realise this."

Seeing that his words had upset the young man, Dooku sighed wearily and moved to sit beside Obi-Wan, placing his own cup down and slowly (and unsurely) pulling Obi-Wan into a one-armed hug.

"Talk to me Obi-Wan… just talk to me."

There was a brief silence, before Obi-Wan's shoulders began to shake uncontrollably, burying his face into his hands as muffled sobs broke through. "I-I felt so angry…" he sobbed, "… I felt humiliated in front of the council as he disowned me! I tried to tell him, but… he was Master…. It would have been disrespectful."

"You would have been confiding in him…. It is a Master's job to take care of and raise their padawan to knighthood. By casting you aside, Qui-Gon broke the unspoken rule that all Masters know and learn. None of it was your fault."

Obi-Wan shook his head, "With everything that happened before and shortly after becoming his padawan, I'm slightly ashamed that… that I wasn't shocked. I feel like I was expecting him eventually casting me aside."

"Yes. Mistakes were made on both sides during those early years…. But that does not excuse his behaviour."

"… What if Anakin is the Chosen One?"

"Then he is being trained by the Order's most powerful Jedi. Qui-Gon would have been too lenient because he is the so-called Chosen one, and you would have been the same, but only because of your guilt over your Master's passing… that boy needs a firm stick if he's going to get his emotions under control."

"Don't you mean firm hand?"

"No. His stick is worse than his hand… trust me."

Obi-Wan chuckled at this, letting the room fill with a comfortable silence. After a few minutes, Obi-Wan sighed, "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"It's all been about my grief… what about yours?"

Dooku sighed wearily at this, "Qui-Gon and I made our peace with one another long ago… it hurts, but… I am working through it."

"… Maybe we could do it together?"

Twisting around Dooku smiled at the younger man. "… I'd like that."