Thanks for sending any comments by email Harriet and Nike!!! Thanks a million guys!!!!!!!!
I'm not going to say anything for this chapter either beside that you may need a tissue you for the occasional part or two…*weep* Btw, I'm evil…Happy Reading!
And for anyone reading Payback's a B- that will be updated by next week. I'm out of state right now and the only reason this is being updated is because I took my disk with me and I forgot to put PBB's ch. 4 on there. Ooopsssss… heh. Again, Happy Reading!
Ch. 14 Treading Dark Waters
Qui-Gon quietly observed his apprentice. The young man hadn't moved at all since the they had placed him in the bed 3 hours ago from being in the bacta tank for nearly 2.
Strangely enough, because of lack of space, the three children were in the room with him. Jesi's children…She'd purposfully left a small piece of paper addressed to Dr. Merican. The good doctor had taken what was written on that piece of paper and signed it's contents to small cards. Name cards.
Moving towards their cribs he read each name to himself.
Danion Ni-Kial Stafferi, boy B.
Trevor Gairce Stafferi, boy A
Si'Reia Tiss Stafferi, Girl
Merican had told Qui-Gon what Jesi had written beside the names. He knew full well what Tiss meant. Jinn in Kishir.
"She left this for the two of you shortly before she left." One of Jesi's team members, who had stayed behind for IGPG purposes, said from the door way. Qui-Gon looked at the woman as she held out a signal piece of paper. He gingerly took it from her and she offered a slim smile and exited again.
Qui-Gon moved to the chair near him and took a seat turning the folded paper over and over. With a sigh he unfolded it and gazed apon her handwriting.
I'll be there, I promise.
Always,
Jesi
Qui-Gon turned the paper over silently and sighed. What was that supposed to mean? Where? Be where? …Did she know that she wouldn't come back? Did she even have a thought she might not? Why did she go?! Why didn't she just listen to him?!
Jinn rubbed the side of his head with his free hand. If she just would have listened to him. Just this one time, things would have been so different.
Obi-Wan took a deep breath near him and shifted. Qui-Gon looked at him as his eyes slid open slowly. He winced in the light and his eyes shifted to him.
"Xan-"
"He always has a back door I'm sure." Qui-Gon told him reaching for the water near him and handed it to his apprentice.
Obi-Wan drank a bit then handed it back to him. "How long have I been here?" He asked.
"Just over 5 hours." Qui-Gon told him.
One of the children stirred in the cribs making a small noise. This drew Obi-Wan's attention quickly. His eyes lite up.
"I have young visitors this time huh?" He asked with a smile. Qui-Gon couldn't even force a smile, and was glad that Obi-Wan wasn't looking at him.
"Yes…There's no place for them anywhere else."
Obi-Wan looked at him and was shocked at the grim look on his face.
"Master?" He questioned.
Qui-Gon took a deep breath. He had to tell him. He had to right now.
Obi-Wan felt some thoughts and feelings seeping out of his Master's shields and his heart jumped in his throat. Someone was gone. Someone wasn't coming back, hadn't come back… He suddenly looked at the three cribs and around the room. The observation window was tinted but he could see figures outside it.
"Master…Where's Jesi?" He said, hardly above a whisper. He was suddenly very aware of the very small area in his mind that was dim.
Qui-Gon looked Obi-Wan in the eye and changed seating to the bed rather than the chair.
"Obi-Wan…Listen to me Padawan."
Obi-wan's wide eyes looked so young again. Below his nearly 18 years. Those sea green orbs looked at him trusting, but fearfully.
"When we were battling with Xanatos, Jesi went back to the control room. Xanatos and Trace had changed the system, they had sent the area into that of a very dangerous explosive one…Jesi believed she could stop it. She knew she could stop it." He paused looking at Obi-Wan as his eyes began to shift away from him.
"She didn't have enough time Obi-Wan."
"No.." Obi-Wan murmured.
"She did all she could. There was nothing anyone could do."
"She's still here. She has to be.." Obi-Wan continued.
"I tried to get her back Obi-Wan, I swear I did. She wouldn't listen."
"She couldn't…She's here, I know she is." Obi-Wan said almost to himself. "There's a mistake, she's alive!"
"No one could have survived the blast Padawan. It was too hot, too fast. Workers are hardly getting in there now."
"No! She's here! She was here!" Obi-Wan exclaimed sitting up dispite his protesting chest.
Qui-Gon didn't know what else to do…With a deep breath he took Obi-Wan into a gentle embrace. "I'm sorry Padawan…" He murmured.
Obi-Wan was stiff against him a while, not returning the embrace, but then he closed his eyes returning the gesture clenching his teeth tightly and keeping his eyes shut so was not to do anything he'd regret later. Still, the prickling behind his eyes and that horrible feeling in his throat was enough. He swallowed taking a shuddering breath.
After a long moment they parted and Obi-Wan was surprised to see Qui-Gon looking so tired and grim. He handed him the small piece of paper in his hand and the youth looked down at it.
Obi-Wan's eyes wavered and glistened but he clenched his jaw tight. He was no child…he wouldn't cry as one. Jesi wouldn't want him to.
He took in a sharp breath at the thought and Jinn tightened his grip on his shoulder.
"She was the only mother I had."
"I know." Qui-Gon replied simply, honestly.
"You think…She's back with her family again?" Obi-Wan asked. He sounded so much younger than he was.
"Yes, I do. They were waiting for her, just as she will be waiting for us Obi-Wan." Qui-Gon told him gently. …She'd be there. That's what she meant…
Obi-Wan didn't reply. He just looked at the three infants near the bed.
"They are to be trained as Jedi. The Council has decided."
"They'll be powerful Jedi…" Obi-Wan said quietly.
Qui-Gon glanced at him then back to the children. "They will."
**** 2 Days Later ****
He'd tried to avoid the thoughts. Tried to keep a smile on his face like he knew she would tell him. He tried to be strong, and only support when others needed support. But now, as Obi-Wan watched the flame that was to represent her life fade away until only a small tail of smoke curled in the air and the dirge (A/N Funeral Song or commeration of the dead.) play softly, he found it harder than ever.
On one side of the memorial were mostly IGPG members. Co-workers, life savers, trustees.
On another side were many people he'd never seen before. Different species ranged from everything. People with young children and those who were just barely out of childhood themselves, alone there, and he wondered how they knew her, or how she knew them.
The last area in the service were Jedi. There weren't all that many of them. Yoda, of course, was present. Mace Windu and even Adi Gallia and Siri, both in which who hardly knew her, had come. Some Jedi came and he wondered if they really knew her, or if they were just coming to be respectful. Near him was Apalla and a few aides. In each aide's arms and in Apalla's were small bundles. Three children. Three children to become Jedi. Three children with completely black eyes.
On the left of him was his Master. He too with his hood pulled up just as every other Jedi in the area were. Even the nursery aides.
Many minutes had passed forming into nearly 2 hours when Obi-Wan finally realized that he and his Master were two of the few left in the area. Still, on the other side of the now well out flame, were Billy Gairce, and two people he hadn't seen in nearly over a year. Lynn and Pierce. He couldn't recall their last names. Far to the right of them was Thomas Hawkings.
Billy raised his dark eyes to meet Obi-Wan's and he nodded in recognition of the other's mourning and sorrow just as his own. Obi-Wan tilted his head towards him under his cloak's hood.
Billy glanced at Lynn and Pierce and the three silently walked up the stairs, out of the memorial cathedral. Obi-Wan looked at Thomas who didn't move in the least…just staring at the burnt area of the stone.
Obi-wan sighed and looked at his Master who turned his head to look at him.
"We can go now Master…" Obi-Wan said quietly.
"Only when you're ready Padawan." Qui-Gon told him gently.
Obi-wan looked at the burnt area of the stone. "I'm ready…" He murmured.
Qui-Gon placed a hand on his shoulder and they left the area with Thomas Hawkings still in it's shadows.
*** That Night ***
Obi-wan smiled down at the small boy in his arms. The nursery had long since turned out the lights, but he didn't mind. Dan giggled looking up at him streching his arms out towards the Jedi padawan. Obi-Wan smiled a little more and allowed the boy to grasp his finger.
"I think he's found a liking to you." Qui-Gon said quietly from the door.
Obi-wan looked up at him surprised. "So I'm told."
Qui-Gon chuckled a little entering. He looked down into the cribs with Si'Reia and Trevor in them, sleeping soundly.
"It's late, you should put him to sleep…You need some sleep yourself. Kik'Rin's going to kill me tomorrow in your check up." Qui-Gon told him. Obi-Wan glanced up at him and Qui-Gon questioned his choice of words for a moment but then Obi-Wan smiled a little.
"Yes Master." He briskly returned to the crib beside Reia's and laid Dan down. The little boy looked up at him with those wide dark eyes. Obi-Wan sighed and they left the nursery as silently as they could.
**************
Now, Obi-wan stood here, after Qui-Gon had gone to his own room, on the balcony. Thoughts swirled in his mind as fast as the speeders in the mere distance. After a long while he blinked and a single, lone tear slipped from his eyes and trickled down his face. He didn't bother wiping it away. It would run it's course, just as Jesi had in her short time in his life. Too short…
She wasn't supposed to go. He thought mournfully. She just wasn't…
Quickly, much too quickly and obviously for the 18 year old padawan's liking, his control slipped away and that lone tear was only the first of many.
Obi-Wan didn't know that in the room whose door had been closed for some time now was Qui-Gon looking out the window with something in his hand. He ran his fingers over it silently. Opening the top then closing it. Opening, closing. Opening, closing. He didn't read the writing inside, he knew what it said. The watch continued to tick in the night, day in and day out.
The Jedi Master sighed looking down at the hands of the ancient watch. She wasn't supposed to go…
*** 9 Months Later on the Planet of Durthay ***
Kandoin, the clerk on duty at the time, looked up as the door chimed open.
"Good day!" He called to the person that entered.
The dug frowned with no reply and watched as the shadow moved across the ground further into the store.
"Can I help ye find anythi-" His throat was suddenly tight as the costumer came into view. He couldn't breathe…The dug tried to move, say something, but he couldn't. The invisible grip clasped too hard around him. Soon the world around him dimmed and he slipped away from his body.
The person in the dark cloak released the dug who crumpled to the floor behind the counter. They looked up at the door when the person they'd been looking for entered. He sighed coming to their side. His dark hair swayed slightly as he shook his head. He looked at his accomplice and said mockingly, "What did it this time?"
"I didn't like him.." Was the reply in a light voice…With a heavy Kishir accent.
"Whatever you say." He replied moving past her, running his hand lightly through her straight, layered, golden hair.
She smiled at him as he passed and went towards the counter. She leaned over it to look at the victim.
"Where are my manners? …My name's Roan." Her gold eyes swept over the body as she turned away with a small smile of please.
End
Mwhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahaahaha! I'm so evil I love it!!!!!!!! *Laughs evilly again!* Whew, that was fun. Figured I'd use the second rated name on the voting list…But who really is Roan? You tell me! Continue- yes, no? Review!
Till Next Fic Possibly,
Elli
P.S. There's a few shorter ones that have to be put in before any longer one is put into the series…heheheh. Shouldn't take long…That is only if you want me to continue.. :)
