Part 10

Qui-Gon moved about the transport ship in a daze. He had not slept well the night before. Lying on the sleep pallet in what had once been Anakin's bedroom, he had been acutely aware of Shmi's every movement in the night. He heard her go into her bedroom, heard her move about it--perhaps changing into her bed clothes--and heard the heart-wrenching sobs as she cried herself to sleep. And Qui-Gon spent the night feeling guilty for having brought her to tears. He'd been wrong to press the issue... been wrong about the whole thing. The Force had not brought him to Tatooine for Shmi; he'd been sent there only for Anakin. He'd always believed as much...

...so why did he feel so horrible? Why should confirmation of his beliefs make him feel so empty?

It did not make things easier on him that the transport was small and he couldn't move about without constantly being reminded of Shmi's presence. It made things a million times worse. Every time he saw her, he wanted to hold her, to comfort her, to be comforted by her in return. But he knew now that these things could never be; she didn't want them.

Shaking his head, Qui-Gon headed off in the direction of the small cramped quarters he had given over to Shmi for the remainder of the trip. He'd resigned himself to stay in the cockpit with the pilot, but he needed to fetch a few things before the flight got underway. It would be best for both of them, he decided, if he didn't have to return to the bedroom later.

Shmi was seated on the bed when he got there. "I came for a few things, and then I'll be out of your way," he told her in a polite but curt manner. The awkwardness between them was all too evident. Shmi said nothing, but merely nodded her head. Qui-Gon collected a data pad and few other items and turned towards the door. Just then, Shmi cried out, calling his name. He turned towards her expectantly, but when she said nothing, he spun on his heel, moving towards the exit. The door slid open automatically.

"I thought about you, too..."

The whispered words halted the Jedi Master mid-stride. He turned and found himself staring down into her eyes--eyes which raged with the same desire and doubts that he had been feeling. Taking two long strides, he bridged the gap between them. The door behind them slid shut with a relieved sigh.

Qui-Gon knelt before Shmi on the floor, taking her hands in his own. The mere touch sent ripples of energy through his body. Reaching out, he allowed his fingers to sweep through her hair, loosening the binding which held it tight to her head. Her brown tresses swung free, cascading down her back. Qui-Gon's hand caressed the back of her head, massaging hair and scalp in a sensuous manner. Then he pulled her towards him, capturing her mouth in a kiss. The moment
their lips touched, however, a fire was kindled inside him. He needed her--needed to be inside her. There was no reason for it, no reasoning behind the sudden rush of primal emotion which swept through him.

And yet... something was compelling him to act upon it.

With the large hand still buried in her hair, Qui-Gon dragged her closer to him, pulling her completely off the bed and onto his lap. As his lips found hers in another searing kiss, he began to remove her clothing by way of the Force. As her blouse peeled away from her upper body, Qui-Gon's hands roamed her chest and abdomen. Feverishly he caressed her breasts with his large hands before dropping his head in order to nuzzle between them with his fuzzy, bearded chin. At her
sighs, he took one nipple in his mouth and began to nurse from her as would a babe. This drew more sighs from Shmi's lips. Another push of the Force and her shirt and the remainder of her under-garments were both a mere memory. He traced the curve of her hips with his time-callused hands, his fingers wandering to the soft, warm valley between her thighs. Then he released the nipple he'd been tormenting with tongue and teeth and spread soft, wet kisses down her stomach,
past her navel, until his lips met the moist folds of her nether lips. Shmi gasped as he latched onto the outer layer of her womanhood with his mouth,
suckling her there as he had at her breast. Then his tongue invaded her, drawing a low moan from the depths of her soul.

The sounds of Shmi's desire heated Qui-Gon's blood all the more, causing his own desire to grow to a frenzy within him. With help for the Force, he shed his Jedi vestments in seconds, revealing his naked form to her. Shmi, in turn, reached out to him, drawing him closer until he hovered above her just between her legs. The wild desire in her eyes told him that she wished him to take there, on the floor. When he hesitated, her hands flew to him, caressing their way down
his muscled chest... down his tight waist... touching at last the swollen length of manhood. There she touched him--stroking and squeezing until he could stand it no more. Pulling her onto him once again, he guided her body until her opening rested just above his hardening shaft. Shmi opened her thighs wider, and wrapping her legs around his waist as they sat there on the floor, she guided him into her. At first, they just sat there, Shmi wiggling slightly to adjust
to the feel of him inside her. Then Qui-Gon grasped her hips and begun to guide her in an easy, half rocking half sliding motion, moving her up and down on his cock. At the same time, his lips found a spot in the curve of her neck and he began to suckle and nibble at it intently.

As Shmi moved against him, Qui-Gon felt his hunger for her increasing. It was as an aching need in soul and only she could sate it. Unable to stop himself from seeking the fulfillment he was yearned, Qui-Gon's hands gripped her hips and buttocks more tightly, thus increasing the speed of her movements. In response, Shmi found his lips with her own. Their tongues met instantly, darting from mouth to mouth in a primal mating dance. The pounding of Shmi's hips became harder as again and again she impaled herself on him. Sweat coated both of them, making skin slippery. At last, Qui-Gon felt his release coiling inside him, even as he felt Shmi's muscles beginning to tighten around his shaft. Her body slammed yet harder into him as they both raced towards the ultimate pleasure. Then came the sweet release, and Qui-Gon exploded within her. As he did, he felt Shmi's own explosion just before he collapsed, falling backwards until his
back rested firmly against the side of the bed. Shmi slumped forward, her head coming to rest his sweat-soaked chest.

As the sexual frenzy faded into calm, Qui-Gon cradled Shmi in his arms, neither of them moving. His land lazily stroked her hair. In the silence, he could hear her crying softly into his chest.

"Shmi...?" he whispered, suddenly unsure. Had he hurt her? "Shmi? I'm sorry. I... I thought this was what you wanted. If I have harmed you--"

His apology was cut short by her lips pressing into his flesh, just below the nape of his neck. "I did want it..." she whispered. "Perhaps too much..." her voice faded away as she looked up into azure eyes. "I thought about you, Qui-Gon," she told him.

"So you said."

Shmi shook her head sadly. "Not like I should have. I thought about you more than I did my own son. Each day, I said to myself, 'I wonder what Ani is doing' and no sooner did I think of him than my mind wandered to you. My son--the light of my life--received nothing but a passing thought before I spent the rest of the day fantasizing about the man who took him from me. I felt so... so..." her voice cracked as another sob burst from her chest.

"Guilty?" Qui-Gon supplied for her in a voice husky with emotion. When she nodded, he sighed deeply. "Then I, too, am guilty, darling Shmi, for you are all I have thought about." Qui-Gon found himself telling her about his slow battle with the nightmares which had once haunted him. "In the darkest hours of my sorrow," he told her, "it was you that I clung to... because dreaming of you always chased away the demons and made me feel whole... and loved." As he spoke, he'd been looking anywhere but at her, fearing his words would cause her to turn from him. Now he met her eyes and found only compassion and understanding. "I tried to fight those feelings. I didn't understand them, because I'd never felt that way about anyone before."

"Neither have I..." came Shmi's whispered response. "I still... still don't understand what it is I am feeling."

"I think I do... now. This thing which binds us to each other... it is greater than both of us." Shmi looked at him in confusion. Again, Qui-Gon sighed. "A very dear friend of mine once told me that for every man and woman alive there is but one soul mate--one person alone whom the Force has chosen to fulfill their lives." Qui-Gon chuckled, recalling the day Branon had said these words. "I didn't believe him at the time. I was young, and did not understand how
these two people were to find one another in so large a galaxy. Also, I thought my friend was merely trying to justify a course of action I did not particularly approve of."

"And now what do you think of your friend's advice?" asked Shmi as she snuggled into his embrace. her sorrow had faded away and all Qui-Gon could feel was the love which radiated from her.

"That he was wise beyond his years," he murmured as he bent his head to kiss her sweet lips.

When the kiss ended, Shmi cocked her head slightly, gifting him with an amused smile.

"What?" His look was one of pure confusion.

"Are you aware that we're... ummm... " Shmi cast her eyes about them, indicating that they were still on the floor, with Qui-Gon leaning against the bed for support. "Not that I mind snuggling here with you--it's a dream come true for me--but should someone see us..." Her eyes were sparkling with a mild mirth which Qui-Gon found infectious.

"It would be difficult to explain?" he supplied for her, chuckling softly. "Shall we relocate to the bed?' he inquired. Shmi concurred and they rose from the floor and settled on the bed.

Qui-Gon leaned back onto the pillow and pulled her to him so that her body half covered his own. As Shmi rested her head on his broad chest, Qui-Gon stroked her hair lovingly. "I, too, have dreamt of this," he said in hushed tones, as if speaking mostly to himself. Shmi responded to his words by kissing his chest, sending a shudder running through him. Then she raised her head to meet his gaze with own. Passion shone in both their eyes.

Just as his lips found hers, however, his comm link began to sound. Swearing lightly, Qui-Gon reached out with the Force and brought the comm link to him. "Jinn," he answered crisply.

"Your pardon, Master Jinn," came the voice of the transport's pilot. "but you expressed the desire to know when we were nearing Naboo."

"I did," Qui-Gon replied.

"Well... we *are*, sir, and we've received a transmission from them. I thought you'd wish to know of that, as well."

Qui-Gon cast a longing glance at Shmi. He'd much rather stay in bed with her, but he knew he should go and prepare for their arrival. Shmi seemed to understand this and nodded, giving silent permission for him to leave her. "I'll be right there," Qui-Gon told the pilot.