[Hiyas! Sorry for the delay on this chapter. I had German test yesterday, and a trig test today. So much studying to do in such little time. Oh well, here's a chapter that focuses on Qui-Gon. Although it's not an eventful one, it's a necessary one so you can all see what I think Qui-Gon is thinking. His memories in this chapter I just made up out of nowhere. They might contradict other stories... but they're just random things I threw in there. ^^ Tee hee. Have fun and except an Obi-Wan chapter later tonite!]

Despite the infinate number of stars and various cosmic arrangements, space seemed empty. As the stolen ship flew through the stars, only the emptyness could be seen by Qui-Gon's weary eyes. So much emptyness. So cold, so empty, and so alone.

Anakin, however, was about to burst from his happiness. With the help of R2D2, he was flying the ship. Perhaps if Qui-Gon had been in a better mindset, he would have refused to allow the boy to fly the sleet Naboo ship.

"R2, could you pull up the flight guide for me?" Anakin asked.

The little droid beeped and sent the needed information to Anakin's viewscreen. The boy and the droid continued conversing, but Qui-Gon didn't pay attention. His thoughts were elsewhere.

"He was like a son to me," Qui-Gon thought, "what a damned father I was to him. I wish I had truly died in that attack. If Obi-Wan should ever find out the truth... Oh, I mustn't think of that. What's done is done. If the will of the Force is for Obi-Wan to know, then he will..." He sighed and stared out at the passing stars. "I do pray he never finds out."

He struggled to keep his focus on Anakin. He had faked his death, hurt his padawen, hurt the queen of Naboo just so he could watch this boy, yet now he could barely pay any sort of attention to him. His mind kept drifting into memories. Both good and bad memories danced through his mind.

He remembered a young boy, much younger than Anakin, with red hair and gray- blue eyes that held a hopeful sparkle. Those eyes would stare up at him with such an eagerness to learn. He would smile so adorably with his two front teeth missing. Sometimes it was hard for Qui-Gon not to call the boy his son. He raised this boy, clothed him, fed him, took care of him when he was sick. This adorable, little boy was the very meaning to his life.

He remembered a boy, about Anakin's age, who had a need to question everything. Training him was like a constant interrogation. "Why, Master?" he would ask. The question was both the most irritating and most amazing question. Irritating because Qui-Gon would often wonder just why this boy had to know every little detail. Amazing, though, because this boy wanted to know every little detail. He struggled a little with the Force, as most padawen's would, but once his questions were answered, he would accomplish each task with such perfection.

He remembered a boy, much older than Anakin, caught in the typical in- between stage. It was no longer a little boy, but certainly not an adult. Although he could carry on the most intelligent of conversations with anyone of any age, his worries were often childish. He worried constantly about where the Force would lead him in life. "Just trust in the Force, Obi- Wan, it will always lead you where you need to go. It will never leave you," Qui-Gon had said to his beloved padawen. Sometimes he would worry about if he would become a great jedi knight. He struggled in the construction of his light sabre and worried that perhaps he would never be quite good enough. But once he put his worries aside, he proudly showed his master the elegant, blue weapon he'd made for himself.

He remembered a boy, left behind for Anakin, who wanted nothing more than to obey his master whom he loved as a father and respected as an elder. He had never angered Qui-Gon, never disobeyed, never spoke against without apologizing pathetically -even then it happened very rarely. He was truly the best sort of padawen any master could have asked for. He fought without fear or worry against the vicious Sith. Horror had filled those once hopefully innocent, gray-blue eyes. He avenged his master's supposed death by destroying the Sith in one swift swipe. He rushed to his master's side. He hung upon every supposed dying word. He followed his master's wishes. But, to make things even worse upon Qui-Gon's guilty heart, he had believed in his master without ever questioning him. He trusted his master completely.

"Master Qui-Gon, sir," Anakin said, disrupting his mournfully guilty thoughts, "we're almost home!"

"Good, Annie. Very good." Qui-Gon said with a forced smile.

Another trusting padawen. Qui-Gon sighed. He closed his eyes to attempt to clear his mind of such haunting thoughts. However, his mind's eye was greeted by that terrible memory of Obi-Wan standing behind the red, security curtain. His gray-blue eyes grew wide from complete horror and agony. "Master!" he had screamed as though his heart had been ripped from his chest and broken.

"I'm sorry, Obi-Wan, I'm so sorry..." he thought.