Part 9

His words had the desired effect on Watto. The next day, Qui-Gon returned to the salvage shop with the rest of the money and was informed by a somewhat disgruntled Watto that Shmi was back at her hovel, packing her few belongs. This was exactly where he found her.

Qui-Gon's breath caught in his throat when she opened the door to his knock. Shmi Skywalker was exactly as he remembered her from the year before, except maybe a little more care-worn. Her lovely eyes regarded him for several moments, recognition dawning in them.

"Shmi..." he said hesitantly, a kindly smile warming his face.

"Master Jinn," she replied, her voice catching in her throat. "Please... please come inside." She stepped back, allowing him access to her home. It was a wreck, as she had been busy packing her few belongings. As the door closed behind them, hundreds of hurried questions flew from Shmi's mouth, all of them boiling down to one common theme--how was Anakin? She only stopped babbling when Qui-
Gon began to chuckle softly. "I'm sorry," she said at last. "You have come all this way and here I am babbling on..." she paused, casting her eyes upon the disheveled room in which they stood. "I regret that I cannot offer you more hospitality, Master Jinn, but my master as sold me and my new owner will be coming soon to take me away."

As she spoke, Qui-Gon could see tears forming in her eyes. Watto had not told her, he realized, who had bought her. He wouldn't have, the miserable fly. "Shmi..." he said gently, reaching out to smooth the tears from her cheeks. "There is no new owner."

"What?" she asked at his softly spoken words. Their eyes met, and Qui-Gon could see that she wanted to--needed to--believe his words, but could not wrap her mind around them.

"There *is* no new owner," he repeated. "I have bought your freedom, Shmi."

"My freedom?" she echoed, looking at him in disbelief. She stepped back, sinking into a chair beside the table. Qui-Gon knelt before her, taking her hands in his own.

"Yes. Your freedom. Never again shall anyone own you or dictate your life." In gentle tones, he told her of Queen Amidala and the secret plan to reunite Anakin with his mother.

"The girl... the girl who was here... she is a queen?" Shmi asked, still unable to understand it all. When Qui-Gon nodded, she shook her head. "Why would she wish to give me my freedom? I am but a slave."

"Amidala remembers fondly your hospitality to us, Shmi," he said. "And also... she remembers your son fondly, as seeks to make him happy." He paused, smiling warmly at her.

"Amidala has a very generous heart."

The two of them remained this way--Qui-Gon kneeling before her, caressing her small hands with is large ones--for several minutes. A comfortable silence fell between them, and remain unbroken until Shmi spoke again. "Does Anakin know?" she asked.

Qui-Gon shook his head. "The Queen wished it to remain a secret. I did not even know until after I left Coruscant."

"Tell me about my son?" she asked. Qui-Gon complied, and as they spoke, he aided her in bring the house to order.

********

Later in the evening, Qui-Gon found himself caught up in a reenactment of his fantasies as he and Shmi sat down to what would be her last meal in her modest home. The only thing missing, of course, was Anakin. They ate mostly in silence, making some small talk, but each of them seemed lost in their own thoughts. Then, Shmi broke the silence, asking him for the first time of himself. "You've
spoke much of Anakin, Master Qui-Gon," she said, "but nothing of yourself."

"I did not think you would be interested," Qui-Gon replied, raising his eyes from his food to meet her own. Was it his imagination or did a spark fly from her eyes to his? When she told him that she would indeed be interested
in hearing more, he began to tell her about all that had happened since he'd left with her son nearly a year ago. He told her about the battle on Naboo and how he almost died. What he did not--could not-- tell her, however, was about his dreams... the fantasies he'd been having of her. As he spoke, Shmi reached out,
placing a small hand over his large one. The action was both comforting to Qui-Gon and exhilarating at the same time, and he felt the sudden urge to take her in his arms.

"I'm so sorry," Shmi said as his tale ended. "It sounds like a painful experience..." her voice trailed away as her eyes dropped to their clasped hands. Suddenly, she jerked away from him and rose from the table. "I--I should
clean up now," she said nervously. "There's so much left to do." With that, Shmi hurriedly gathered the dinner dishes and rushed them to the sink.

Qui-Gon watched her go, confused emotions raging through his body. Something had passed between them, he felt it in his soul. But what did it mean? Again, he heard Yoda's words in his mind, telling him to follow his instincts. His nstincts were telling him to go to this woman, take her in his arms, and kiss her like he'd never kissed a woman before. Was this truly what the Force was leading him to? Could he trust his emotions? The sudden turmoil he felt was compounded by Shmi's own actions. He now found himself wondering if she had
thought of him? Did she desire him as much as he did her? Would she welcome his attentions, were he to give them?

It was these questions Qui-Gon was struggling with when Shmi passed by the table, stopping to clear away some crockery. As she moved to leave, he stopped her with his hand. "Shmi... " he began, but was unable to say more, his voice failing him as he looked into her eyes. When their eyes met, however, a wave of raw emotion flowed between them. "Shmi..." he began again, pulling her towards him. But as her lips neared his, Shmi pulled out of his grasp and again hurried to the small kitchen area. This time, Qui-Gon followed her.

Standing behind her as she placed the dirty crocks into the sink, Qui-Gon could feel the emotions swirling tumultuously around them both. "Shmi..." he said again, and as she turned to face him, he could see the mutual longing in her eyes. Taking two long strides, Qui-Gon closed the gap between them and suddenly found her in his embrace. The kiss was not gentle, as he had envisioned it in his dreams, but a near-frantic meshing of lips and tongue. Just as Qui- Gon pulled her closer, however, Shmi began to push him away. She then turned back
to the sink, her back making a wall between them.

"Shmi..."

"Please, Qui-Gon... don't." Her voice was thick with emotion, and Qui-Gon could nearly feel the tears which he knew coursed down her cheeks as she spoke.

"No," he replied. "Shmi, we need to talk about it. There is something happening between us, can you not feel it?"

She did not answer, and her only action was to concentrate harder on the dishes in the sink. When Qui-Gon could stand the silence no longer, he reached out, placing a hand on each of her shoulders. At his touch, her sobs became louder. "You may not want to hear this," he said, "but I need to say it." There was still no response from the woman before him. "You have been on my mind from
the moment we met last year. I thought, at first, that what drew me to you was Anakin, but now I know that it isn't so. Shmi... I need you." At this, she gave a slight gasp, but still said nothing. He continued to pour his heart out to her. "I need you... need you in my life, by my side... in my bed. Shmi, please don't turn me away."

"How can you say such things? We hardly know one another," she said at last. Her voice was strained from her tears.

"I know only what I feel, and what I feel in my heart is that the Force led me here-- to find you."

"I... I cannot..." Shmi choked out, the words faltering in her throat. "Please...don't ask this me, Qui-Gon...please..."