Author's Note- I really ought to be working on Lost, but this is finished,
so I see no harm in uploading it periodically. If you're reading this and
you haven't, check Lost out! It's my masterpiece!
A/N2- I know this isn't what was posted earlier. That, for some reason I
cannot fathom, was the second chapter of Lost. It made absolutely no sense
with the story, but I'm guessing I saw the two in the file name and thought
I had the right one. Sorry about that!
Disclaimer: If I owned them, I wouldn't be writing this on such an old
computer. Actually, I probably wouldn't be writing this, because the
series is way past this point.
Kayne- That's because it's in chapters. It's all written, though (
(- Ff.net NEVER doesn't mess up my stories. I went back and fixed it. (I
hope)
Now, on wit the story!
"Goodbye Mace. I'll see you when I get back." Picking up his bag, Qui-Gon
headed towards the hangar. Mace looked down at Obi-Wan and saw the look on
his face. Uh oh. The situation was worse than he had originally thought.
The kid looked like a lost puppy. Qui-Gon hadn't even told him goodbye.
Of all the things the Master could have forgotten! Mace knew Qui-Gon had
never left Obi-Wan behind when he went on a mission, and he knew that the
kid missed his Master, but he looked so...abandoned. Like he didn't think
Qui-Gon was coming back.
Deciding that the best thing to do for Obi-Wan was to distract him, Mace
said, "What are we standing out here for? Let's go in." Obi-Wan picked up
his bag and walked into Mace's quarters. "The guest room is on the left of
Bant's. You know where to find it. How about I make us some tea while you
get settled?" Mace's voice was kind, but Obi-Wan seemed totally
unresponsive. He picked up his bag and headed down the hall towards the
guest room
.
Once there, he set his bag down at the foot of the bed before collapsing
heavily onto it. He hadn't even said goodbye. He'd said goodbye to Mace,
but not to him. Obi-Wan decided that his Master was even angrier than he
had previously thought. Deciding not to keep Mace waiting any longer, lest
he tell Qui-Gon he was still being a brat, Obi-Wan walked into the living
area of Mace's apartment. The Master was still in the kitchen making tea,
but he came out a moment later.
"Do you like your room?" Mace's voice was gentle; it was as if he were afraid the boy would bolt at one wrong move.
"It's fine...I-I mean-n yes sir." Obi-Wan hoped Mace wouldn't tell Qui-Gon he wasn't behaving properly. He had meant to answer him respectfully, he'd just forgotten. He never spoke like that unless he was at something formal, but Qui-Gon's words about "best behavior" stuck in his mind. He was going to be a perfect angel while his Master was gone, and maybe he wouldn't drop him. Losing Qui-Gon's affection and trust was a devastating blow, and he didn't think he could deal with being cut out completely.
Mace looked at him in surprise. The boy seemed terrified, as if he thought he was going to get in trouble if he didn't behave like a model apprentice. "Obi-Wan, when Bant's well you two spend half your time running around here. You know I'm not that strict. Loosen up a little."
Obi-Wan winced. In trying to be good, he had displeased Mace, which was exactly what he was trying to avoid. Without thinking, he blurted out, "Please don't tell Master Qui-Gon!" His hands flew to cover his mouth. Oh no! Now Master Windu would tell Qui-Gon that he was misbehaving AND trying to hide it from him. He got up and ran to his room, slamming the door. He leaned against the door and collapsed, curling up in the fetal position and rocking quietly. Dimly he realized that running had most likely made a bad situation worse, but he was too upset to care. "Best behavior, best behavior, best behavior." Obi-Wan repeated it over and over to himself, as if trying to drum it into his mind. There was no way after that outburst that Mace wouldn't go straight to Qui-Gon, and any hope he'd had of convincing his Master to keep him had dissolved.
Obi-Wan was startled by a soft knock on the door. "Obi? Come out here." Mace's voice was gentle, and he didn't sound at all angry. Mindful of his Master's instructions, Obi-Wan was reluctant to disobey, and quickly stood up. Opening the door, he stepped out, wondering what Mace wanted.
"Follow me." Mace's voice was kind, but it still made Obi-Wan nervous. When no other explanation was offered, he followed Mace, wondering where they were going. He was surprised to find himself in the Room of A Thousand Fountains. Mace guided him to a bench near the waterfalls and sat down, gesturing to the seat beside him. Sitting, Obi-Wan looked around, confused.
"I don't mean to sound impertinent, but what are we doing here sir?" Mace smiled, looking around for a moment before he answered.
"I know you and Bant come here sometimes, so I thought it might help you relax. We need to talk." Obi-Wan tensed slightly, and Mace feared that the boy would bolt if he said the wrong thing. "Something's wrong Obi-Wan, and I want to know what. You've seemed incredibly upset ever since your Master dropped you off." His voice was kind, and Obi-Wan found himself suddenly inclined to tell his Master's best friend everything.
"He's going to dismiss me." The words, spoken quietly, shocked Mace. He opened his mouth to comment, but closed it quickly as Obi-Wan continued. "I haven't been finishing my homework. I've been trying, but staying with Bant until eight, there's no way I can get everything done when I get home. The thing is, Qui-Gon said he wouldn't let me spend so much time with Bant unless I made sure my schoolwork didn't suffer. I promised I'd get it all done. Every night he asked me if I'd done all of my homework, and every night I told him yes. Then my history teacher sent a note home, but I was too scared to give it to him. I hid it in my backpack, but Master Knoels called today. I don't think I've ever seen my Master so angry." Obi-Wan choked, and Mace placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. He took a moment to calm himself before he began again. "He sent me to my room and told me he was 'too angry to deal with me'. The next thing I knew, he was telling me to pack. He didn't even say goodbye!" As he finished his story, Obi-Wan collapsed into tears. "I've been trying to be really good, so that maybe when he got back he wouldn't be so mad at me and maybe he'd keep me, but I keep screwing up."
Mace shook his head. Obi-Wan was the most important thing in his Master's life, and Mace knew that no matter what the boy did, that would never change. He just had to convince him of that. "Qui-Gon will not dismiss you. You mean to much to him."
"But he was so angry..." Obi-Wan's voice was uncertain. Was there still a chance? He hoped so, but he was reluctant to believe it.
"Of course he was angry! Not only did you lie to him, you pushed yourself too hard. If Master Knoels hadn't called when he did, you might have kept going until you landed yourself in the healers, and that's something your Master wouldn't be able to live with." Mace smiled fondly at the boy. The concept of Qui-Gon dismissing Obi-Wan was crazy. "Now, why have you been acting like such a nut since you came over?" This was a question he wanted answered. The boy literally shook with fear at every little thing, and it was starting to wear on Mace's nerves.
"He said I had to be on my 'best behavior'. I was afraid if I annoyed you you'd tell him and he'd be even more upset. I just want him to love me again." The last sentence was barely whispered, and Mace wasn't sure he'd really heard it. Mace gave him a moment to compose himself, before standing up.
"We should be going back now. Your Master said you were to be in bed by nine every night, so we've got about ten minutes." Mace laughed as Obi-Wan jumped up.
"Sith! There's no way I can get back there and ready for bed in ten minutes!"
"Language, little one, language. I don't want to have to tell your Master you were cursing." The last he had meant jokingly. He wasn't really going to go tell Qui-Gon about every little thing. It seemed Obi-Wan didn't realize this, as he immediately straightened up.
"I apologize for my language Master Windu. It will not happen again." Mace rolled his eyes, and the two headed back to his quarters.
Once they had gotten back, Obi-Wan changed into his pajamas and went straight to bed. Despite hurrying as fast as he could, he was still a few minutes late. Mace stood in the doorway watching him as he climbed into bed. "I'm going to call your Master later, do you want to stay up to talk to him?" Obi-Wan shook his head.
"My Master said I have to be in bed by nine o'clock. I know the rules. No matter why I want to stay up, I can't. I'm already in for a lecture when he gets back for being late. I don't want to make things any worse." Obi- Wan sighed. He'd tried his best to be in bed on time, but ten minutes wasn't enough when he had to walk seven of them just to get back to his room. One of the worst things he could do when he was grounded was not be in bed on time. The resulting lectures were horrible, and more often than not his curfew got earlier and his grounding got longer.
"Who said I was going to tell Qui? It was my fault more than yours. I dragged you out to the Fountains and made you late. I'm sure, if I saw fit to mention it, that Qui-Gon would understand." Obi-Wan visibly relaxed at this statement. He had not looked forward to facing the music for being late, even if it was only by seven minutes. He vividly remembered being only ten minutes late to bed the last night of a three-week grounding, only to wind up grounded for another week, which had resulted in his missing Garen's fourteenth birthday. He had nearly gone stir crazy, but the disappointment in his Master's voice as he lectured him on responsibility had been far worse than the grounding or missing the party.
Mace smiled at the boy. "Sleep tight." Obi-Wan nodded, collapsing onto the bed. The stress of the day finally caught up with him, and he was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.
In the living room, Mace dialed Qui-Gon's com number. A mini holo of his friend appeared in the living room, looking tired and stressed. "How's the flight?" "The flight's fine. How's my Padawan?" Well, Mace mused, Qui-Gon certainly didn't have a problem with getting straight down to business.
"He's...well, I suppose he could be worse. I think he's just lonely because you left him. He's not used to being left here alone. We went down to the Room of A Thousand Fountains to talk, and he wound up crying. He seems to think you don't love him anymore. We didn't get back in time for him to be in bed by nine, and I thought he was going to have a nervous breakdown when he realized he was late! For whatever reason, he seems to be terrified of disappointing you." Mace knew he was hurting Qui-Gon by telling him this, but he also knew that he needed to know.
Qui-Gon just stood there a moment before answering. "Terrified of me? Why would he be scared of me? I'm his Master! I care about him and love him more than anything in the world. Where is he? I need to talk to him!"
"Shh Qui, don't yell. The poor kid's asleep. He was exhausted. I asked if he wanted to stay up to talk to you, and he said he couldn't because it was after his curfew. He was asleep practically before his head hit the pillow."
Qui-Gon frowned. "I'll call back once I get settled tomorrow then. I really need to talk to him. I can't have him scared of me. It's probably because I yelled at him. It's got to be because I yelled at him about behaving for you. I didn't mean to upset him. It's just that he's been so unpredictable lately. I didn't want him giving you any trouble."
In his room, Obi-Wan began to cry softly. He hadn't been able to understand anything Mace had said, but Qui-Gon's yelling about needing to talk to him had woken him up. He knew Qui-Gon had continued talking afterwards, but he hadn't been able to make out what he'd said. Knowing suddenly beyond all doubt that his life as a Jedi was now over, he fell back onto the bed, crying himself to sleep.
The next morning, when Mace came into Obi-Wan's room to wake him up, he was stunned to find the boy sitting at his desk, bent over a datapad. "What are you doing?" Obi-Wan looked up from the datapad. "I'm trying to get some of my History homework done." He had decided that if he was going to be kicked out of the Order, he wanted to leave with everything done. He had already completed several nights worth of assignments, and was confident that if he worked through lunch he could have all of his late work done by class. If he worked through History on his Mathematics and Navigation homework, he ought to be able to complete the few assignments he had missed, leaving him completely caught up at the end of the day. He could borrow the history notes from Garen, who had just gotten back on planet earlier that day. Copying them down would stick them in his mind just as well as listening to them would.
"Just remember you've got class in two hours. You should eat breakfast before you go, or you'll be hungry all day. Come home directly after class, you should probably do some of your homework before you go visit Bant." Mace's manner was brisk and cheerful. He could tell that something was bothering Obi-Wan, but he didn't want to force it out of him. He wasn't the boy's Master and he couldn't expect him to confide in him. The reason he wanted Obi-Wan to come home directly after class was that Qui-Gon planned to call. The Master had been very upset to hear that his Padawan thought he was angry with him, and fully intended to set things right. He had been very upset by his Padawan's behavior, but that didn't mean he loved him any less. He wanted to make sure the boy understood that. Mace wished he could tell the boy this, but knew that he wouldn't believe him. He knew Obi-Wan wasn't going to believe that Qui-Gon loved him until he heard it straight from his Master.
Obi-Wan worked hard for the next hour and a half. He had only part of one assignment left, which he would probably be able to get done in free writing in his first class, Basic, where they were supposed to learn not only how to use the language properly, but how to negotiate effectively. Basically, it was study hall, with a lecture at the beginning. It turned out that, a) he was very good at Galactic History when he put his mind to it, and b) they really didn't get that much homework every night. A combination of these things had helped Obi-Wan complete his assignments in a time he wouldn't have thought possible. He was tempted to just finish and get it over with, but Mace had said he had to eat breakfast, and he knew that being late to Basic, however pointless the class, would only make the situation with his Master worse.
Obi-Wan hurried into the kitchen, where he made himself toast. On the counter was a note from Mace, saying that he had had to go to a Council meeting, but that he would probably be home well before Obi-Wan got back from school. Shouldering his backpack, Obi-Wan headed to Basic.
It never would have happened if he hadn't tried to take the shortcut. Obi- Wan had seen that he only had fifteen minutes to get to class, and wanting a chance to talk to Garen before the bell rang, he had taken a shortcut, which took him through several rarely used corridors. In one of them, he ran into Bruck. "Well, what do we have here? Oafy-Wan, I'm surprised at you. Skipping class?" Obi-Wan felt himself color at the nickname. Oh how he hated being called Oafy-Wan. "No, actually I'm going to Basic. What're you doing here Bruck?" Obi-Wan's voice held a hint of rage. Bruck knew he could push him over the edge, and was more than happy to do so.
"Like I'm going to tell you, Oafy. Hey, how's fish girl? I heard she was going to die." His voice was casual, as if he were talking about the weather, rather than a classmate's possible death.
"Her-name-is-Bant-and-she-isn't-going-to-die!" Obi-Wan choked out the words, barely able to keep himself from attacking Bruck. His Master would kill him if he got into a fight.
"Do you really think they're telling you the truth Oafy? For all you know, she died last night. They probably think you'd go berserk if something happened to her. Everyone knows you're unstable already. The only reason you've got a Master is that they felt sorry for you. Speaking of which, I heard your Master had left you here. Is he finally getting rid of you?" That did it.
"Bruck, just because I'm the great Qui-Gon Jinn's apprentice and you're some Knight's doesn't mean I'm a sympathy case. I'm better than you. Just deal with it already." Obi-Wan was seeing red. How had Bruck known? Was his situation really all over the Temple already?
"Why you..." Bruck's voice was choked with anger as he launched himself at Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan sidestepped his attack, watching with satisfaction as Bruck crashed into a wall. The next lunge didn't miss, and the two boys found themselves rolling around on the floor. Obi-Wan was too afraid of what Qui-Gon would say to actually attack Bruck, but he was defending himself, and the other boy's nose was already bloody from his run in with the wall. They were both shocked to hear a voice behind him.
"Obi-Wan Kenobi! Padawan Chun! What is going on here?" The two boys rolled apart quickly, standing up and brushing themselves off in an attempt to look presentable.
"He attacked me sir! I was walking to class, and he just came out of nowhere and attacked me!" Bruck was a very good actor. His voice was convincing, and had Mace not known Obi-Wan, he would have believed him in an instant. As it was, the case against the boy was very bad. His lip was bleeding, but Bruck's bloody nose was far worse. Mace vowed to get to the bottom of the matter at once.
"Go to your quarters and get yourself cleaned up Bruck. Obi-Wan, come with me." Obi-Wan nearly threw up at the tone of Mace's voice. He was dead. He might as well pack up now. There was no way Mace would even wait for Qui-Gon to return after this. The two walked back to Mace's quarters in silence, both lost in thought. When they reached Mace's rooms, the Master went to the kitchen, returning a minute later with an ice pack, which he handed to Obi-Wan.
"Now Obi-Wan, what exactly happened back there? I've never known you to attack anyone unprovoked." Mace's voice was serious. Fighting was forbidden at the Temple, and whether Obi-Wan had started it or not, the bloody nose Bruck had been sporting proved that he had hit the boy rather hard.
"I didn't attack him! I didn't even hit him! I took the shortcut to Basic, because I wanted to talk to Garen before class began. When Bruck saw me walking down the empty hallway, he started tormenting me about Bant, and about how he'd heard she was going to die. I didn't believe him, but then he started talking about how unstable I was and saying that I was only a Padawan because the Masters felt sorry for me, but he figured that since Qui-Gon left me here I wasn't going to be one much longer. I got mad then, and I told him that just because my Master outranked his didn't mean I'd cheated. He got really mad and jumped at me, but I stepped aside. That's how he got the bloody nose. He ran into the wall. He jumped at me again, and this time we wound up rolling around on the floor. He kept hitting me, and I was trying to get on top so I could pin him down, or at least get a hold of his arms. I never hit him!" Obi-Wan's voice rang with sincerity, and Mace didn't need the Force to tell that the boy was telling the truth.
"Very well then. When your lip feels better, you need to go to class. I'll write your teacher a note, explaining that you were attacked in the hallway and that it's not your fault you're late. I need to call Bruck's Master and then yours I think." Obi-Wan paled. Qui-Gon would kill him. Whether or not the fight was his fault, his Master would be angry with him for goading the boy by mentioning his Master's rank. Pride was an unacceptable emotion for a Jedi, and Obi-Wan had definitely been gloating. He knew his Master was already going to drop him, but he seemed to keep doing things that were going to make it worse. Having his Master drop him was going to be awful, but he wouldn't survive it if his Master despised him.
"I think I should just go back to class now. The bleeding has stopped." Nodding, Mace pulled at a datasheet and scrawled a note on it, explaining that Obi-Wan had been injured and had had to deal with his injuries before he could go to class. Thanking the Master, Obi-Wan headed to class.
"Do you like your room?" Mace's voice was gentle; it was as if he were afraid the boy would bolt at one wrong move.
"It's fine...I-I mean-n yes sir." Obi-Wan hoped Mace wouldn't tell Qui-Gon he wasn't behaving properly. He had meant to answer him respectfully, he'd just forgotten. He never spoke like that unless he was at something formal, but Qui-Gon's words about "best behavior" stuck in his mind. He was going to be a perfect angel while his Master was gone, and maybe he wouldn't drop him. Losing Qui-Gon's affection and trust was a devastating blow, and he didn't think he could deal with being cut out completely.
Mace looked at him in surprise. The boy seemed terrified, as if he thought he was going to get in trouble if he didn't behave like a model apprentice. "Obi-Wan, when Bant's well you two spend half your time running around here. You know I'm not that strict. Loosen up a little."
Obi-Wan winced. In trying to be good, he had displeased Mace, which was exactly what he was trying to avoid. Without thinking, he blurted out, "Please don't tell Master Qui-Gon!" His hands flew to cover his mouth. Oh no! Now Master Windu would tell Qui-Gon that he was misbehaving AND trying to hide it from him. He got up and ran to his room, slamming the door. He leaned against the door and collapsed, curling up in the fetal position and rocking quietly. Dimly he realized that running had most likely made a bad situation worse, but he was too upset to care. "Best behavior, best behavior, best behavior." Obi-Wan repeated it over and over to himself, as if trying to drum it into his mind. There was no way after that outburst that Mace wouldn't go straight to Qui-Gon, and any hope he'd had of convincing his Master to keep him had dissolved.
Obi-Wan was startled by a soft knock on the door. "Obi? Come out here." Mace's voice was gentle, and he didn't sound at all angry. Mindful of his Master's instructions, Obi-Wan was reluctant to disobey, and quickly stood up. Opening the door, he stepped out, wondering what Mace wanted.
"Follow me." Mace's voice was kind, but it still made Obi-Wan nervous. When no other explanation was offered, he followed Mace, wondering where they were going. He was surprised to find himself in the Room of A Thousand Fountains. Mace guided him to a bench near the waterfalls and sat down, gesturing to the seat beside him. Sitting, Obi-Wan looked around, confused.
"I don't mean to sound impertinent, but what are we doing here sir?" Mace smiled, looking around for a moment before he answered.
"I know you and Bant come here sometimes, so I thought it might help you relax. We need to talk." Obi-Wan tensed slightly, and Mace feared that the boy would bolt if he said the wrong thing. "Something's wrong Obi-Wan, and I want to know what. You've seemed incredibly upset ever since your Master dropped you off." His voice was kind, and Obi-Wan found himself suddenly inclined to tell his Master's best friend everything.
"He's going to dismiss me." The words, spoken quietly, shocked Mace. He opened his mouth to comment, but closed it quickly as Obi-Wan continued. "I haven't been finishing my homework. I've been trying, but staying with Bant until eight, there's no way I can get everything done when I get home. The thing is, Qui-Gon said he wouldn't let me spend so much time with Bant unless I made sure my schoolwork didn't suffer. I promised I'd get it all done. Every night he asked me if I'd done all of my homework, and every night I told him yes. Then my history teacher sent a note home, but I was too scared to give it to him. I hid it in my backpack, but Master Knoels called today. I don't think I've ever seen my Master so angry." Obi-Wan choked, and Mace placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. He took a moment to calm himself before he began again. "He sent me to my room and told me he was 'too angry to deal with me'. The next thing I knew, he was telling me to pack. He didn't even say goodbye!" As he finished his story, Obi-Wan collapsed into tears. "I've been trying to be really good, so that maybe when he got back he wouldn't be so mad at me and maybe he'd keep me, but I keep screwing up."
Mace shook his head. Obi-Wan was the most important thing in his Master's life, and Mace knew that no matter what the boy did, that would never change. He just had to convince him of that. "Qui-Gon will not dismiss you. You mean to much to him."
"But he was so angry..." Obi-Wan's voice was uncertain. Was there still a chance? He hoped so, but he was reluctant to believe it.
"Of course he was angry! Not only did you lie to him, you pushed yourself too hard. If Master Knoels hadn't called when he did, you might have kept going until you landed yourself in the healers, and that's something your Master wouldn't be able to live with." Mace smiled fondly at the boy. The concept of Qui-Gon dismissing Obi-Wan was crazy. "Now, why have you been acting like such a nut since you came over?" This was a question he wanted answered. The boy literally shook with fear at every little thing, and it was starting to wear on Mace's nerves.
"He said I had to be on my 'best behavior'. I was afraid if I annoyed you you'd tell him and he'd be even more upset. I just want him to love me again." The last sentence was barely whispered, and Mace wasn't sure he'd really heard it. Mace gave him a moment to compose himself, before standing up.
"We should be going back now. Your Master said you were to be in bed by nine every night, so we've got about ten minutes." Mace laughed as Obi-Wan jumped up.
"Sith! There's no way I can get back there and ready for bed in ten minutes!"
"Language, little one, language. I don't want to have to tell your Master you were cursing." The last he had meant jokingly. He wasn't really going to go tell Qui-Gon about every little thing. It seemed Obi-Wan didn't realize this, as he immediately straightened up.
"I apologize for my language Master Windu. It will not happen again." Mace rolled his eyes, and the two headed back to his quarters.
Once they had gotten back, Obi-Wan changed into his pajamas and went straight to bed. Despite hurrying as fast as he could, he was still a few minutes late. Mace stood in the doorway watching him as he climbed into bed. "I'm going to call your Master later, do you want to stay up to talk to him?" Obi-Wan shook his head.
"My Master said I have to be in bed by nine o'clock. I know the rules. No matter why I want to stay up, I can't. I'm already in for a lecture when he gets back for being late. I don't want to make things any worse." Obi- Wan sighed. He'd tried his best to be in bed on time, but ten minutes wasn't enough when he had to walk seven of them just to get back to his room. One of the worst things he could do when he was grounded was not be in bed on time. The resulting lectures were horrible, and more often than not his curfew got earlier and his grounding got longer.
"Who said I was going to tell Qui? It was my fault more than yours. I dragged you out to the Fountains and made you late. I'm sure, if I saw fit to mention it, that Qui-Gon would understand." Obi-Wan visibly relaxed at this statement. He had not looked forward to facing the music for being late, even if it was only by seven minutes. He vividly remembered being only ten minutes late to bed the last night of a three-week grounding, only to wind up grounded for another week, which had resulted in his missing Garen's fourteenth birthday. He had nearly gone stir crazy, but the disappointment in his Master's voice as he lectured him on responsibility had been far worse than the grounding or missing the party.
Mace smiled at the boy. "Sleep tight." Obi-Wan nodded, collapsing onto the bed. The stress of the day finally caught up with him, and he was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.
In the living room, Mace dialed Qui-Gon's com number. A mini holo of his friend appeared in the living room, looking tired and stressed. "How's the flight?" "The flight's fine. How's my Padawan?" Well, Mace mused, Qui-Gon certainly didn't have a problem with getting straight down to business.
"He's...well, I suppose he could be worse. I think he's just lonely because you left him. He's not used to being left here alone. We went down to the Room of A Thousand Fountains to talk, and he wound up crying. He seems to think you don't love him anymore. We didn't get back in time for him to be in bed by nine, and I thought he was going to have a nervous breakdown when he realized he was late! For whatever reason, he seems to be terrified of disappointing you." Mace knew he was hurting Qui-Gon by telling him this, but he also knew that he needed to know.
Qui-Gon just stood there a moment before answering. "Terrified of me? Why would he be scared of me? I'm his Master! I care about him and love him more than anything in the world. Where is he? I need to talk to him!"
"Shh Qui, don't yell. The poor kid's asleep. He was exhausted. I asked if he wanted to stay up to talk to you, and he said he couldn't because it was after his curfew. He was asleep practically before his head hit the pillow."
Qui-Gon frowned. "I'll call back once I get settled tomorrow then. I really need to talk to him. I can't have him scared of me. It's probably because I yelled at him. It's got to be because I yelled at him about behaving for you. I didn't mean to upset him. It's just that he's been so unpredictable lately. I didn't want him giving you any trouble."
In his room, Obi-Wan began to cry softly. He hadn't been able to understand anything Mace had said, but Qui-Gon's yelling about needing to talk to him had woken him up. He knew Qui-Gon had continued talking afterwards, but he hadn't been able to make out what he'd said. Knowing suddenly beyond all doubt that his life as a Jedi was now over, he fell back onto the bed, crying himself to sleep.
The next morning, when Mace came into Obi-Wan's room to wake him up, he was stunned to find the boy sitting at his desk, bent over a datapad. "What are you doing?" Obi-Wan looked up from the datapad. "I'm trying to get some of my History homework done." He had decided that if he was going to be kicked out of the Order, he wanted to leave with everything done. He had already completed several nights worth of assignments, and was confident that if he worked through lunch he could have all of his late work done by class. If he worked through History on his Mathematics and Navigation homework, he ought to be able to complete the few assignments he had missed, leaving him completely caught up at the end of the day. He could borrow the history notes from Garen, who had just gotten back on planet earlier that day. Copying them down would stick them in his mind just as well as listening to them would.
"Just remember you've got class in two hours. You should eat breakfast before you go, or you'll be hungry all day. Come home directly after class, you should probably do some of your homework before you go visit Bant." Mace's manner was brisk and cheerful. He could tell that something was bothering Obi-Wan, but he didn't want to force it out of him. He wasn't the boy's Master and he couldn't expect him to confide in him. The reason he wanted Obi-Wan to come home directly after class was that Qui-Gon planned to call. The Master had been very upset to hear that his Padawan thought he was angry with him, and fully intended to set things right. He had been very upset by his Padawan's behavior, but that didn't mean he loved him any less. He wanted to make sure the boy understood that. Mace wished he could tell the boy this, but knew that he wouldn't believe him. He knew Obi-Wan wasn't going to believe that Qui-Gon loved him until he heard it straight from his Master.
Obi-Wan worked hard for the next hour and a half. He had only part of one assignment left, which he would probably be able to get done in free writing in his first class, Basic, where they were supposed to learn not only how to use the language properly, but how to negotiate effectively. Basically, it was study hall, with a lecture at the beginning. It turned out that, a) he was very good at Galactic History when he put his mind to it, and b) they really didn't get that much homework every night. A combination of these things had helped Obi-Wan complete his assignments in a time he wouldn't have thought possible. He was tempted to just finish and get it over with, but Mace had said he had to eat breakfast, and he knew that being late to Basic, however pointless the class, would only make the situation with his Master worse.
Obi-Wan hurried into the kitchen, where he made himself toast. On the counter was a note from Mace, saying that he had had to go to a Council meeting, but that he would probably be home well before Obi-Wan got back from school. Shouldering his backpack, Obi-Wan headed to Basic.
It never would have happened if he hadn't tried to take the shortcut. Obi- Wan had seen that he only had fifteen minutes to get to class, and wanting a chance to talk to Garen before the bell rang, he had taken a shortcut, which took him through several rarely used corridors. In one of them, he ran into Bruck. "Well, what do we have here? Oafy-Wan, I'm surprised at you. Skipping class?" Obi-Wan felt himself color at the nickname. Oh how he hated being called Oafy-Wan. "No, actually I'm going to Basic. What're you doing here Bruck?" Obi-Wan's voice held a hint of rage. Bruck knew he could push him over the edge, and was more than happy to do so.
"Like I'm going to tell you, Oafy. Hey, how's fish girl? I heard she was going to die." His voice was casual, as if he were talking about the weather, rather than a classmate's possible death.
"Her-name-is-Bant-and-she-isn't-going-to-die!" Obi-Wan choked out the words, barely able to keep himself from attacking Bruck. His Master would kill him if he got into a fight.
"Do you really think they're telling you the truth Oafy? For all you know, she died last night. They probably think you'd go berserk if something happened to her. Everyone knows you're unstable already. The only reason you've got a Master is that they felt sorry for you. Speaking of which, I heard your Master had left you here. Is he finally getting rid of you?" That did it.
"Bruck, just because I'm the great Qui-Gon Jinn's apprentice and you're some Knight's doesn't mean I'm a sympathy case. I'm better than you. Just deal with it already." Obi-Wan was seeing red. How had Bruck known? Was his situation really all over the Temple already?
"Why you..." Bruck's voice was choked with anger as he launched himself at Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan sidestepped his attack, watching with satisfaction as Bruck crashed into a wall. The next lunge didn't miss, and the two boys found themselves rolling around on the floor. Obi-Wan was too afraid of what Qui-Gon would say to actually attack Bruck, but he was defending himself, and the other boy's nose was already bloody from his run in with the wall. They were both shocked to hear a voice behind him.
"Obi-Wan Kenobi! Padawan Chun! What is going on here?" The two boys rolled apart quickly, standing up and brushing themselves off in an attempt to look presentable.
"He attacked me sir! I was walking to class, and he just came out of nowhere and attacked me!" Bruck was a very good actor. His voice was convincing, and had Mace not known Obi-Wan, he would have believed him in an instant. As it was, the case against the boy was very bad. His lip was bleeding, but Bruck's bloody nose was far worse. Mace vowed to get to the bottom of the matter at once.
"Go to your quarters and get yourself cleaned up Bruck. Obi-Wan, come with me." Obi-Wan nearly threw up at the tone of Mace's voice. He was dead. He might as well pack up now. There was no way Mace would even wait for Qui-Gon to return after this. The two walked back to Mace's quarters in silence, both lost in thought. When they reached Mace's rooms, the Master went to the kitchen, returning a minute later with an ice pack, which he handed to Obi-Wan.
"Now Obi-Wan, what exactly happened back there? I've never known you to attack anyone unprovoked." Mace's voice was serious. Fighting was forbidden at the Temple, and whether Obi-Wan had started it or not, the bloody nose Bruck had been sporting proved that he had hit the boy rather hard.
"I didn't attack him! I didn't even hit him! I took the shortcut to Basic, because I wanted to talk to Garen before class began. When Bruck saw me walking down the empty hallway, he started tormenting me about Bant, and about how he'd heard she was going to die. I didn't believe him, but then he started talking about how unstable I was and saying that I was only a Padawan because the Masters felt sorry for me, but he figured that since Qui-Gon left me here I wasn't going to be one much longer. I got mad then, and I told him that just because my Master outranked his didn't mean I'd cheated. He got really mad and jumped at me, but I stepped aside. That's how he got the bloody nose. He ran into the wall. He jumped at me again, and this time we wound up rolling around on the floor. He kept hitting me, and I was trying to get on top so I could pin him down, or at least get a hold of his arms. I never hit him!" Obi-Wan's voice rang with sincerity, and Mace didn't need the Force to tell that the boy was telling the truth.
"Very well then. When your lip feels better, you need to go to class. I'll write your teacher a note, explaining that you were attacked in the hallway and that it's not your fault you're late. I need to call Bruck's Master and then yours I think." Obi-Wan paled. Qui-Gon would kill him. Whether or not the fight was his fault, his Master would be angry with him for goading the boy by mentioning his Master's rank. Pride was an unacceptable emotion for a Jedi, and Obi-Wan had definitely been gloating. He knew his Master was already going to drop him, but he seemed to keep doing things that were going to make it worse. Having his Master drop him was going to be awful, but he wouldn't survive it if his Master despised him.
"I think I should just go back to class now. The bleeding has stopped." Nodding, Mace pulled at a datasheet and scrawled a note on it, explaining that Obi-Wan had been injured and had had to deal with his injuries before he could go to class. Thanking the Master, Obi-Wan headed to class.