Kidnapped
Author: Celestia Vitaria
Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars. Xanatos DeCruet belongs to Jude Watson. I own Layla, Tiriana, and Healers Aria and J'Torn. Casey, Yogi and Stella belong to my friend. ::Tries to calm over-enthusiastic lawyers:: Hey, we don't get paid for this, you don't sue us, ok?
Summary: Just a little plot bunny that literally came to me in my sleep. Things are seemingly peaceful at the Temple about six months after Tiriana is born. But an attack is made on Layla and Qui-Gon by someone they'd hoped never to see again. Tiriana is kidnapped, and Layla and co. must find her before it's too late. But the one thing the intruder doesn't realize, however, is that the most dangerous place in the world is between a mother and her child...
Archive: Fine, but just leave a review with the site addy so I know where it's going and give credit where credit is due, okies? And now, on with the fic! ::grins::
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Things were finally back to normal.

Or so it seemed to Layla Blair as she sat with her Soulmate, Qui-Gon Jinn, and their six-month-old daughter, Tiriana, out in one of the gardens of the Temple.

Layla sighed and closed her eyes, lifting her face towards the sky. The warmth of the sun on her skin had a calming effect on her, and she smiled. Qui-Gon leant down and gently kissed her forehead, causing her to snap out of her reverie and look up at him.

"Are you all right, love?" he asked softly.

She nodded, glancing down at the child in her arms. "I'm completely at peace right now, Qui. I want to stay like this always. For the first time in my life, I feel like nothing horrible could ever happen to us," she said quietly.

She spoke too soon. There was no warning as the universe suddenly seemed to explode around her. She and Qui-Gon were thrown backwards several feet by the blast that seemed to come from out of nowhere, and at some point between the explosion and landing, she had let her hold on her daughter slip, and the child was torn from her arms.

After a few moments, the smoke started to clear. Layla tried to get up, but she was badly injured and cried out as she collapsed back to the ground again on top of Qui-Gon. It was then that she realized that she no longer held Tiriana. She lifted her head, her honey eyes scanning the area desperately for any sign of her daughter.

Just then, a tall, slender figure appeared, seemingly from out of nowhere. He was dressed entirely in black, only his cold blue eyes visible from beneath the hood of his cloak. Layla stared at him for a long moment. There was something painfully familiar about those ice-blue eyes.

Those eyes...

Then the realization came to her like a sharp slap across the face and she gasped. "Xanatos," she said quietly, her voice barely audible and laced with pain.

The cloaked figure nodded. "I see you remember me," he said smugly.

Layla tried to stand, but fell back down after a moment. She glared at him defiantly. "What do you want?! Get out! You're not wanted here!" she shouted.

Xanatos gave her a nasty smile that sent shivers of revulsion down her spine. She had seen that look only once before, when he had taken her hostage so long ago. "Not wanted? Such a pity," he remarked.

It was then that the soft cry of a baby reached their ears. Layla inhaled sharply, and her eyes went very wide with horror as she willed the child to be silent so Xanatos would not hear her.

::Please, dear God, no. Don't let him hear her. Hush, little one. Tiriana, please don't cry. It's all right. I'm here, mommy's here. Oh, please don't let him take her:: she thought desperately.

But it was all in vain. Xanatos grinned and walked over to where the child lay crying on the ground. He picked her up and glanced back over at Layla, smirking. He then moved to her side and knelt down next to her.

"I told you I would have my revenge," he whispered.

He stood up again, staring down at the injured woman. Then he lashed out at her, and an instant later his booted foot made contact with her side and she screamed as she felt several of her ribs crack with a sickening audible *snap*, the pain spreading through her like a wildfire. She whimpered in agony, coughing up blood.

After a few moments she looked up again, but Xanatos was gone, as was Tiriana. Tears streamed down her face, both from the pain and also from fear.

"No, oh please, God, no. Tiriana!" she whispered.

//Layla? Is everything all right?//

//Casey?//

//Yeah.//

//Get down here now. Bring Obi-Wan too. Please. Hurry.//

//Layla? What's going on?//

//There's no time to explain. Qui-Gon and I have been injured. Just get down here!//

//All right. Where are you?//

//We're out in the meditation garden. Tiriana's gone. She's...been...//

//Layla? Layla, answer me! Are you there?//

There was no response. Layla had obviously lost consciousness. Casey cursed viciously under her breath.

"Damn it!" she hissed just as Obi-Wan walked in.

Obi-Wan gave her a confused look. "Casey? Love, what's wrong? I felt a disturbance..." he started to say before she grabbed his arm and dragged him out the door.

"Come on, we have to get down to the gardens. Qui and Layla are hurt and Layla said something about Tiriana being gone," she answered.

"What happened?" he asked.

Casey shrugged as they ran. "I don't know. Let's just hope we aren't too late."
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Pain. That was her first thought as Layla slowly started to come back to consciousness. Her eyes fluttered open and immediately she started to panic when she realized she was in an extremely small, cramped space surrounded by some kind of liquid with a mask of some kind on her face.

Frightened, she started to thrash around violently, trying to get out, and a Healer quickly hurried over, followed closely by Casey and Obi-Wan.

//Layla! Layla, calm down, or you're going to make the damage worse// Casey sent to her.

//Must...get out. Must...huh? Wh-where am I? What happened?// she sent back after a long minute.

//You're in a bacta tank right now. You were hurt pretty bad// Obi-Wan replied before Casey could answer.

//Wait. Where's Qui-Gon and Tiriana?// she asked.

//Qui-Gon's fine. He just had some bad burns and was knocked out when the explosion went off.//

//What about Tiriana?//

//Tiriana was kidnapped// Casey sent to her after hesitating just a moment too long.

Layla's eyes became very wide as the memory returned to her. She started to thrash in the bacta again, and the Healer gave her a look that was somewhere between sympathetic and disapproving. She ignored it.

"I think you'd better get her out of there soon, before she breaks out herself," Obi-Wan said ruefully.

The Healer shook his head. "It's too soon..." he started to say. Then he glanced back at Layla and reluctantly gave in. "Very well, but not for very long. I don't want her to injure herself even further than she already is."

Then he gestured for the medical droid that hovered just inside the doorway to come in. The droid obeyed and began to drain the bacta tank. Layla was taken out, and a soft towel was wrapped around her slender shivering form. The Healer let her hold onto his arm as he helped her over to an empty bed. She lay down, hissing in pain at even the slightest movement, and looked over at her friends.

Obi-Wan reached over and brushed a few strands of her dripping wet hair out of her eyes. "What happened?" he asked.

Layla shuddered as she remembered. "There was an explosion, out in the gardens. Qui-Gon and I were thrown backwards, and I lost my hold on Tiriana. When the smoke cleared, I saw Xanatos. He took Tiriana, saying he'd told me before that he would get his revenge. Then he kicked me in the side..."

"That would explain the broken ribs, then," Healer J'Torn said thoughtfully.

"...And then he was gone. We have to go after him. He could hurt Tiriana without a second thought, and I can't lose my daughter. I won't," she continued as if J'Torn hadn't even spoken.

J'Torn shook his head. "I can't release you just yet, Layla. You're too badly injured, and you could make the damage worse," he said, laying a hand on her arm.

She bristled at the touch, pulling away roughly. "What do you mean, you can't?! Why you cold-hearted, sadistic...!" she started to yell angrily before Casey and Obi-Wan stepped in.

"He's right. What good would it be to her if you hurt yourself worse than you already are? Besides, we don't even know where he's taken her, and even if we did, I don't doubt that he wouldn't hesitate to kill her if we rush in. You just concentrate on healing, Layla. Obi-Wan and I will handle it until you're able," Casey said.

"Who's bloody side are you on, Casey?!" Layla demanded irritably, even though she knew her friend was right. That didn't mean she had to like it, though.

"Would you listen to yourself? You're in shock right now, and you're being stubborn. You know we're on your side. But I'd like to get her back alive just as much as you do," Casey said.

Layla bit back her stinging retort and sighed, finally relenting. "Fine. But the second I get out of here, I'm helping with this search, ok?" she said.

Her companions nodded. "Fair enough," the other woman said.

Obi-Wan gave her hand a reassuring squeeze that Layla returned. "Don't worry. Everything will be all right. We're going to go see how Qui-Gon's doing and let you get some rest."

Layla nodded. "All right. Tell him I said hello if he's awake," she requested.

"We will," Obi-Wan promised, letting go of her hand.

Then they turned and left the room. Layla watched them go, then turned back to the Healer who still hovered close by. He gave her a sympathetic smile.

"He's right, you know. Things will be just fine," J'Torn said.

"I know. I'm sorry I snapped at you like that a few minutes ago. I had no right to do that. I'm just so scared right now," Layla replied apologetically.

"I understand completely. I'd feel the same way if I were in your position," J'Torn said.

Layla smiled a little in spite of herself. "I wouldn't wish this on anyone," she muttered. ::Except maybe that slimeball Xanatos:: she thought to herself, but didn't bother to voice that particular thought.

J'Torn patted her arm reassuringly. "Just rest right now. You might have to go back into the bacta later, it depends on how you're doing. I'll be back in a little while to check on you," he said.

Layla nodded as she lay back further into the pillows behind her, letting her eyes drift closed again. "All right. Thank you, J'Torn," she muttered before she slipped into unconsciousness and the darkness claimed her, thankfully untroubled by any dreams.
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TBC...MWA HA HA!!!! Leave a review and let me know what you think, but I'm going to add onto it whether you like it or not... ::grins::
~*Celestia Vitaria*~