"Father!"

"Leila, wait please!"

"I will not!"

Qui-Gon closed his eyes. "I never get a moment's peace anymore," he grumbled to Mace. "Between my apprentice and my daughter, there's always something happening. Usually its something Leila convinced Obi Wan she had to do something. And Obi Wan had to get her out of the trouble she caused."

Mace stifled a smile.

Qui-Gon now had two children, it seemed. Leila. And Obi Wan, her shadow.

The door flew open and Leila stomped in. She was covered in dust from head to toe. Her black robe was barely black anymore. But brown with the dirt, mud and dust caked on it. The tie from her hair either fallen out or broken because her hair was everywhere. And on top of all that, there was a gash on her forehead. Blood dripped down her forehead. The gash had dried blood caked all around it but still fresh blood was coming.

"Good night, Leila!" Qui-Gon jumped to his feet. "What happened?"

Leila glared at Obi Wan.

He was stifling a smile.

Qui-Gon grabbed her head and tilted it back to the light. "Obi Wan, go and get me a cloth."

Obi Wan held out his hand and there was a damp cloth in his hand. "I've been trying to give her that for the last hour, Master."

"Leila, look at you!" exclaimed Qui-Gon. "Where have you been?"

"Tatooine!"

"Whatever where you doing in that slaver country?" asked Qui-Gon as he dabbed carefully at the cut.

Leila winced and jerked her head away. "That hurts!" she snapped.

"Hold still!" ordered Qui-Gon.

"She was racing," said Obi Wan.

"Tell-bearer!" exclaimed Leila. "Father, I was racing for a friend."

"A friend?" Qui-Gon got most of the blood off her head. "I suppose you can't tell me who that friend is?"

"That's right," said Leila.

Qui-Gon sighed. "That's going to leave a nasty scare unless you can convince Master Yoda or Yaddle to do something with it."

"I'll get rid of it without either of them," said Leila.

"Your Master was looking for you," said Qui-Gon.

"Why?"

"I don't know," said Qui-Gon. He looked at his apprentice. "Obi Wan, go with her to the temple."

"I don't need…"

"Come on, Leila," said Obi Wan. He opened the doors for her. "I'll be back later, Master."

"Not without her, if you can," called Qui-Gon. He sat back down and sighed. He looked at Mace. "You saw for yourself. What a strange relationship they have."

"Relationships are…"

"I know," said Qui-Gon. "But it's quite fitting for my daughter to disregard those rules." He smiled. "I have little use for them myself."

"They act like brother and sister."

Qui-Gon nodded. "But I know that Leila feels differently for Obi Wan. And I sense he feels differently for Leila."

Mace raised his eyebrows. "And I suppose you encourage them?"

Qui-Gon shrugged. "There's no harm. They're two of the best up and coming Jedi in the temple. Yoda sees nothing wrong with either of them. And you know he senses everything."

Mace raised his hands in defeat. "As Master Yoda says, rules are made to be broken."

The two friends where silent for a moment.

Then Qui-Gon asked, "Am I wrong to not step in?"

"No," said Mace. "You're right. If their love or whatever they have between them, causes them to become better Jedi, leave them be. Both of them are completely selfless." He pointed at the door they had gone out of. "If you where to enquire deeper, you would find that Leila was racing on the sands of Tatooine, in order to gain some slave's freedom."

"I can't believe you where so foolish," said Obi Wan, looking straight ahead as walked through the halls of the temple.

"I'm doing quite well without your lectures, Obi Wan," said Leila. "That wreck I had was worth it. I still won. And that's what matters. Little Aren now has her freedom. That's all that matters to me."

Obi Wan stopped and turned. He looked at her for a long moment.

"Don't look at me like that," said Leila.

A slight smile tugged at the corners of Obi Wan's mouth. He shook his head and continued walking down the halls. "Promise me something."

Leila followed him. "Anything."

Obi Wan turned.

Leila ran into him.

He grabbed her to keep her from falling over backwards. He brought his face closer to hers. "How do you know I won't ask you to race again?"

"You wouldn't do that," Leila answered immediately.

"You're right," said Obi Wan. "Promise me you won't ever go there without me."

"I'm not stupid, Obi Wan," said Leila. "I would never go to Tatooine without you."

"Good." Obi Wan pointed to the Council Chamber doors. "Go. Your Master's waiting for you." He pointed at the spot where he was standing. "I'll be waiting here for you when you come out." He studied the gash on her forehead. "And we'll go get Master Kit to fix your head."

Leila smiled beautifully at him. "I'll be back, Obi Wan." She disappeared into the Council Chamber.