I'd like to dedicate this chapter to Dark Fire for reminding me that I hadn't updated this story in awhile. I apologize to all my readers, but I write about seven stories on this site (not to mention my book…) and I somehow manage to go to uni as well, so there isn't much time to write most days. I am also not the fastest writer in the world, despite my efforts to the contrary, so, thank you to all my reviewers. It's really your encouragement that keeps me writing here.
Disclaimer: Well it's still not ours…
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Altered States #6 – Intersections In Real Time
Qui-gon strode into the room, barely sparing a glance for the spacious quarters that Lucas had provided him with. He settled himself, cross-legged onto the bed and took an object out of his pocket that had never been far from him in the past year. Obi-wan's stone was slightly warm in his hand, and he was struck once again by the beautiful golden lines imbedded in it that had called the rock to him all those years ago. He settled a little gift of Lucas' in front of him. A map of Earth in obscenely bright colours. With both the rock and the map, he should be able to narrow in on Obi-wan's position with or without the boy's cooperation.
He took a breath and settled deep into meditation, the rock cradled gently in his strong hands.
There was this planet. Teeming with strange life. All familiar to the Force. So many languages, people and customs, but he did not need to understand them to find Obi-wan. He focused on the rock, willing it to remember its time in Obi-wan's care. Obi-wan had spent many hours meditating over this rock. It knew him and Qui-gon knew him too. He let himself become a conduit for the rock. Let it seek out its master.
Qui-gon didn't know how long he sat there, but it was dark in the room when he opened his eyes. He looked down. The rock lay on the map. He lifted up the rock and read the name of the country. The United Kingdom. That was where he needed to go.
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Two days later, Qui-gon found himself standing across from a set of buildings somewhere in the city of Edinburgh. There was a drizzling rain coming down that managed to soak anyone who was out in it for more than five minutes. Qui-gon had been enduring it in silence for over an hour.
He had found Obi-wan. In fact, he had seen him go in only a little while ago. But it hadn't been the Obi-wan he remembered. This young man was wearing the clothes of this planet like they belonged on him, right down to the fact that he had probably been sleeping in them for the past few nights. He had walked drunkenly up to the door and fumbled with his keys. When he bent down to pick them up, Qui-gon had had a clear view of the other side of his head. No braid.
Qui-gon stood there and waited. He wanted to run up to that door, knock it down and burst into whichever flat was Obi-wan's. He wanted to demand why Obi-wan was shutting him out, why Obi-wan was arriving at his flat at three in the afternoon dead drunk. Instead, he stood silently underneath the scant shelter provided by a door lintel. He waited patiently for the Force to show him the proper way.
The door opened and two women and a tall man came out. One of the women had the man's wrist in a death grip. Qui-gon would have ignored them, but he felt the Force surge through him, and with one last glance at the door across from him, followed the trio down the street.
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It was raining when the three of them left the flat, but it was always raining in Edinburgh. Sarah and Liath didn't even bother to pull up the hoods on their coats. Adam complained about the weather the entire way, but he always complained about the weather. The one time Liath had pointed out that he didn't have to live here, he had acted offended, and she was forced to drop the subject.
And so they found themselves some minutes later ensconced in the comfy if oddly shaped chairs that littered the nearby coffee house. Adam was sharing a pot of tea with Liath, while Sarah was enjoying a caramel macchiato. Everyone focused on fixing (or just stirring) their respective drinks until they were staring at each other over the oblong table.
"So," said Sarah. "What do we do about Alex?" Adam took a long sip of his tea, then spoke.
"Has he always been like this?" he asked. Lia grimaced into her tea.
"If you mean that he's moody. Yes, definitely, but he usually snaps out of his funks. Well, he did for the month we knew him before you did," she said.
"We don't know much about his life before," said Sarah. "He likes his privacy." Liath snorted.
"It's more like he bites your head off if you mention it," she explained to Adam. They all went back to their drinks until Liath spoke again. "We should have two goals. One to find out what happened to him in the past that made him freak out in the crypt and go into his current state of depression and two, to figure out what we can do now to get him back to his normal, annoying self."
"What makes you think that there is anything we can do for him?" asked Adam. Lia gave him an annoyed look.
"You're here aren't you?"
"Only because you dragged me here," he pointed out. Sarah sighed and decided to break up the two of them. They could bicker for ages if they wanted to, though as far as she could tell, neither was actually serious about it.
"Why don't we get him drunk?" she suggested.
"Didn't we already do that?" said Liath, whose memories of that night (or any other night they had spent at the pub with him) were practically non-existent after a certain point.
"But we didn't ask him any questions while he was pissed. He's pretty talkative after he's had a few drinks. We could probably learn anything we want to know," Sarah pointed out.
"And if he remembers it the next day?" asked Adam. Lia shrugged.
"He'll kill us," she said and frowned. "I suppose he could kick us out of the flat as well. It is technically his, even if we do have permission to store a corpse under the floor boards." Sarah rolled her eyes.
"Can we not go into this again?" she said. Adam looked curious.
"Corpses?" he asked while taking a sip of tea. Lia launched into a vivid description of their interview for the flat, while Sarah ignored them and looked around the room. There were only three other people in the room for some reason, despite the time of day, and two of them were the employees behind the counter. The only customer was a big man. He had long brownish grey hair and made the overlarge coffee cup seem properly sized against his hands. He caught her looking and met her gaze. She froze.
He was looking inside her, and she was caught within the icy blue eyes. He didn't seem to move, but suddenly he was up and walking towards them. Sarah had to fight to pull her eyes away. It felt like she was trying to drag them through sand on a thin string and even when she looked away, she had the impression that he had let her go. She opened her mouth to warn her friends, but by then he had reached their table.
"Good evening," he said in a warm voice. Adam and Lia gave him some non-committal nods. Now that he was so close, Sarah could see that his clothing was sopping wet.
"You should at least wear a coat in this weather. You can catch a nasty chill if you're not used to it," she heard herself say. The man looked amused.
"I shall keep that in mind." He essayed a little bow to them all. "My name is Qui-gon Jinn. I am sorry to trouble you, but I could not help but overhear your discussion about your flatmate." Liath looked sceptical.
"You overheard our conversation from all the way over there?" She gestured at his recently vacated table. Qui-gon smiled mysteriously.
"I have good ears." Both Sarah and Lia rolled their eyes at the useless answer, while Adam looked at the man with suspicion.
"Do you know Alex?" asked Sarah. Did she see a flicker of surprise in Qui-gon's eyes?
"Yes. I know Alex, but I know him by the name Obi-wan Kenobi." They all stared at him.
"Like in Star Wars?" asked Lia incredulously.
"What do you mean by 'like in Star Wars'?" he asked. Liath shook her head.
"I mean Obi-wan Kenobi was a Jedi knight in the Star Wars movie. You've never seen it?" she asked.
"Sorry," said Qui-gon. "This movie wasn't directed by a Mr. Lucas was it?" Sarah nodded.
"It was," she said. Adam spoke up for the first time since Mr. Jinn had come over to their table.
"What do you want with Alex?" he asked pointedly. Qui-gon appeared to study the man before answering.
"I want to help him. He is like a son to me, and I don't like to see him in such a state."
"Neither do we," muttered Sarah.
"Why approach us then?" asked Adam. "You followed us from the flat, so you obviously know where he is." Sarah and Lia exchanged incredulous looks. Adam was a lot more perceptive than they had ever given him credit for if he had noticed them being followed by this strange man. Qui-gon looked saddened.
"I don't think Obi-wan is the young man I remember," he said. Would Obi-wan reject him in person just like he had mentally? The flatmates exchanged looks.
"You can't see Alex," said Adam flatly, "though you are welcome to tell us anything you know about him. Once we have more information, we may let you see him." Qui-gon frowned. There was something very disconcerting about this young man. A door slammed behind them, and everyone turned to look.
Alex took an unsteady step into the room, than froze when his eyes took in their unexpected visitor. His face grew very pale and he turned to leave.
"Alex wait!" said Qui-gon in a commanding voice. Alex didn't even pause. He was out the door when Qui-gon tried again. "Obi-wan!" They all held their breath, but the open door did not close, and slowly Alex made his way in again. He took a deep breath and marched up to Mr. Jinn. He looked the man resolutely in the eye, though Sarah could see that his hands were clenched to keep them from shaking.
"What do you want?" he demanded. Qui-gon was pretty sure what the answer to his question would be, but he had to ask.
"Don't you recognize your own Master, Obi-wan?"
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Next Chapter: Alex's answer and an old friend of Alex's shows up and causes even more trouble.
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