Qui Gon Jinn entered the hospital room just in time for Nero to wake up. The boy smiled brightly at him. "They told me you were leaving."

"I am, Nero."

"Did you find Xanatos?"

"No, he escaped." Qui Gon paused. "Aheme was with him."

Nero nodded slowly. Qui Gon noted something was gone from his eyes. He lacked the innocence. "I'm sorry. Will you return to the Temple and chose another Padawan?"

"No, Nero I won't. I have decided not to train another."

Nero noted something was gone from his eyes. The Jedi before suddenly looked very real and very jaded. And suddenly Nero understood. Being a Jedi was not the story he had believed it to be. Before him was not a mere Knight, he was a Master and had bleed, hurt and killed to earn that title. Qui Gon had died a thousand times for the right to call himself a Jedi and Nero had no idea what secret nightmares kept him up at night. Before him was a hero. "You told Crion something and later Xanatos mocked it. I was wondering- what is the price of power? Of being a hero?"

Qui Gon looked at him with a defeat, worn expression. "It is to be forever alone. Forever without home, family or love. To posses these things are to prepare yourself for harm, betrayal or worst. It is to do what you must because you cannot do anything else. It is to be forever betrayed, forever wounded, and yet continue. It is to bear an impossible burden."

"You're wrong." Nero said thoughtfully. He struggled to find the words of what he felt. "Heros and leaders chose to become what they are. They make the choices because only they can, only they are strong enough too. They get hurt and hurt another because all living beings do. That's life and with the greater importance of yours, the more it will hurt. Heros are more then regular, they do it forever..." Nero smiled gently. "And get stories written about them." He handed Qui Gon a disk with his stories on it. "Thank you."

Later on Coruscant, Qui Gon climbed the stairs of the Temple wearily with Nero's words echoing through his head. As he walked, he passed various rooms each connecting to a various memory; like the Star Map room, the Room of Thousand Fountains, the Archives, the Lake, and the Hall of Remembrance where each fallen Jedi's name was inscribed in white marble. In there he had more friends then he cared to admit. As he walked, Jedi he knew nodded, or muttered greetings or smiled at him. Tahl smiled warmly and brushed his shoulder as he passed.

Mace Windu, his closest Jedi friend, was in his quarters waiting for him. A fresh pot of tea was waiting for Qui Gon on the table.

"I just sent her to clean up." Mace whispered softly. He embraced Qui Gon, welcomed him back and then retreated to leave him alone. Mace understood Qui Gon and that's why he left.

On the floor were countless fingerpaint drawings. Some were done by Mace, others by the child he had been watching for Qui Gon. He leaned down and gathered her pictures together, smiling as he studied each one. He poured himself a cup of tea and sat down to read Nero's stories. He skimmed the first then smiled. "Adame, come here."

"Daddy?" He heard his daughter call. A moment later the five year old came running to his arms, her hair still wet from the bath. "Daddy!"

He laughed and helped her climb into his arms. "I'm going to read for you, ok?" He asked.

She nodded happily and pressed her head against his chest.

"She was the kind of person you hear stories about. A Jedi Knight from parents of the same legacy, she was in every way a hero in the making..."