Hi, All! I'm sorry that it's been a long time again since my last post! I've honestly been trying to get this chapter to post for days, but it wouldn't download! Argh! Well, anyway, here's the latest! Thank you so much for your reviews! I LOVE them!

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Completely attuned to the Force, Obi-Wan walked purposefully through the El Abrell jungle. Anakin had to jog periodically to keep up with him. Obi-Wan could sense that they were getting near another one of the mercenary teams now. He didn't know if they would be able to keep the element of surprise with all the teams, but they would certainly try. Avoiding blaster fire would definitely help, as it could be heard from quite a ways away. /We're getting close, Padawan. Be ready./

/I'm ready, Master. May I disarm two of them this time/

/Anakin, this is not the time to try and prove a point! Too much is riding on this. You may try to disarm two of them if, and ONLY if, there are more than three of them. Is that understood/

/Yes, Master./ Anakin didn't understand why his master wouldn't let him prove himself. He was the Chosen One! He could handle two of these creeps! Why was Obi-Wan holding him back? He knew that he could be so much further in his abilities if his master would let him go at his own pace. His lightsaber skills were already way beyond the other twelve-year-olds. They'd be even better if he had more classes in saber technique and fewer in Jedi philosophy!

Obi-Wan glanced back at his apprentice. /Focus, Padawan./

Anakin didn't respond. He was too busy trying to reign in his mounting anger. He released his emotions into the Force. He would prove to his master that he could handle more of the action!

Obi-Wan peeked through the leaves and watched the figures before him. There were three again. One was a woman. And from what he could gather, she was the team leader. Well, I'm certainly not going to kick a woman in the chin! He quietly maneuvered towards one of the bigger males. He gestured for Anakin to move into the space he just vacated.

Anakin peered through the foliage and was instantly angry again. He wants me to disarm the woman! Not only would his master not allow him to take on two of the mercenaries, but the one he was told to handle was a woman! Talk about adding insult to injury!

Obi-Wan looked sharply at his padawan. /Your thoughts betray you, Anakin. Mind your prejudices. Don't underestimate an opponent simply because she's female./ He shook his head. He'd have to have a long conversation with his apprentice when this mission was completed.

Obi-Wan moved like a flash from his hiding spot. It was almost an exact repeat of the last time. In the blink of an eye, one man lay unconscious and the other two mercenaries were disarmed. Obi-Wan again stood watch as Anakin grabbed the vines they had already gathered.

The woman eyed Obi-Wan with a disbelieving look. "You're the Jedi?"

"Disappointed?"

"I expected Jedi to be a bit…cleaner."

Obi-Wan kept his Jedi mask intact. He'd almost forgotten how filthy and unkempt he must look. "This is my disguise."

The woman smirked. "Oh, I see." She glanced beside her as Anakin tied up her comrade. "Why are you holding your weapons on us? You won't hurt an unarmed person. I know about your Code."

Before Obi-Wan could answer her, she knocked her male friend down on top of Anakin and dove into the greenery. Obi-Wan was after her in a flash. With a flying leap, he tackled her and brought her down. He pinned her down to the ground using his weight. "No, I won't hurt you, but I WILL stop you."

Anakin climbed out from under the bulky male. He finished tying him up in jerking motions. He hadn't even seen that coming! His face was red with anger and embarrassment. Oh yeah, he'd just proven to his master how capable he was, all right! Blast that woman!

/Padawan, bring me some vines./

Anakin grabbed some vines and went to his master. Obi-Wan had the woman pinned to the ground. Anakin glared down at her.

"Tie her hands, Anakin." Obi-Wan moved off the woman, but continued to hold her arms in place. When Anakin was finished, Obi-Wan pulled the woman onto her feet and escorted her back to her comrades. They again tied the three mercenaries to a tree. Obi-Wan tried questioning them using the Force, but these mercenaries were just as resistant as the others were. Blast, that's peculiar!

The woman glared up at him. "You're just going to leave us here?"

Obi-Wan knelt down and smiled at her. "For now, yes. Things might be different if you were a little more cooperative. But since you're not, you may just have to be here a while." He pulled out a couple strips of his cloak.

"Wait! Let me go, and I promise I'll make it worth your while." The woman looked at Obi-Wan meaningfully.

Anakin rolled his eyes. What IS it about him, anyway? Filthy as he was, his master still attracted women!

Obi-Wan kept his face neutral. "Madame, the only thing you can offer me that I would have any interest in is information." He watched as her eyes turned icy. When she didn't respond, Obi-Wan shrugged his shoulders. "Suit yourself." He gagged the woman and nodded for Anakin to do the same with the others.

Obi-Wan noticed his apprentice smirking at him. "Don't say a word!"

Anakin put on an innocent face. "What, Master?"

"Whatever witty remark you had on the tip of your tongue." Obi-Wan shook his head and got up as Anakin continued to grin at him.

Obi-Wan collected the extra blaster and the leader's comlink. He tossed the blaster to Anakin. "Go ahead and keep that one." He already had a confiscated blaster in his belt from the last team.

Anakin caught the blaster with a surprised look on his face. "Thank you, Master." He was surprised that his master would entrust him with one of the weapons. Maybe Obi-Wan did have some faith in him after all.

Obi-Wan pocketed the comlink as he started off again. He fervently hoped that no one would call in. He'd have a hard time imitating this particular team leader's voice. He glanced back at his padawan as they walked. "Anakin, why were you so surprised when I gave you the blaster?"

Anakin hesitated. Should he tell Obi-Wan the truth? Of course, you idiot, he'll know if you're holding back! "I was…I was surprised that you would have that much faith in me."

Obi-Wan stopped in his tracks and turned back to his apprentice. "You were surprised that I had faith in you? Anakin, when I tell you 'no,' it's never because I don't have faith in you. I have the utmost faith in you, as well as the utmost pride in the great Jedi Knight I know you will become."

Anakin now felt like a heel. He'd hurt his master with his own lack of faith in HIM. What should he say now? "Master, I…"

Obi-Wan put his hand on Anakin's shoulder. "What have I done to give you that impression, Anakin?"

"Well, it's…I…You never seem to let me learn at the pace I want to and am able to. It always seems like you're trying to hold me back." Anakin was looking down at the ground, poking the mud with his boot.

Obi-Wan took a deep breath. "It seems that way because I AM trying to hold you back, Padawan. You're trying to go too far too fast. Anakin, bad things happen when a Jedi tries to take things too fast. The Force is our foundation and patience is the cornerstone. You can't rush through your training – no Jedi can. As I told you earlier, your time will come, but you have to be willing to wait for it."

Obi-Wan lifted Anakin's chin up with his finger. "I do have faith in you, Anakin. And I'm very proud of you. You've learned so much, so quickly. But I feel we must slow down the pace. Faster isn't necessarily better, Padawan." Obi-Wan move his hand back to Anakin' shoulder. "That leads me to a question that I must ask you. Do you trust me enough to be your guide?"

Anakin felt panic rise up. Did Obi-Wan not want to be his master anymore? Had he blown it? "Yes, of course I trust you, Master! I didn't mean to question your guidance. I'm sorry! Please don't…"

"Anakin! I'm not trying to tell you that I don't want to be your master! But trust is an important thing in a master/padawan relationship. So I will ask you again, do you trust me enough to be your guide?"

Anakin looked solemnly up at his master. "Yes, Master, I trust you more than anyone."

Obi-Wan smiled down at his apprentice. "Good. Therefore, you must trust that what I do, I do for your own good – even if you disagree."

"Yes, Master. I didn't mean to seem ungrateful. I think you're a great teacher!"

"I think you're a great padawan. I hope I never give you cause to doubt that again."

"I won't doubt you again, I promise!" Anakin gave Obi-Wan an enthusiastic hug.

Obi-Wan returned the hug and ruffled his padawan's hair. "Come on. Let's go hunt some more mercenaries, shall we?"

"Okay, Master." Anakin felt infinitely better. He'd been so scared there for a minute that Obi-Wan didn't want to be his master anymore. He couldn't imagine anyone else ever having that role. He wouldn't want to be anyone else's padawan! Anakin felt so relieved and so happy. Obi-Wan was proud of him! That meant everything to him! He would try to remember that his master reigned him in for his own good.

Thoughts whirled in Obi-Wan's mind as he walked. Have I really given him such cause to doubt my faith in him? He now looked back on the last three years. He thought he had always tried to compliment Anakin when he did well and correct him when he did wrong. Obi-Wan thought back to all of the insecurities and doubts he'd harbored about his relationship with Qui-Gon. Qui-Gon had never been one to show a lot of outward affection or offer a lot of praise. A part of him had always wondered if his master was truly proud of him – actually, it doubted more than it wondered.

Obi-Wan was determined to never let his padawan have those same doubts plague him. I will correct him when he needs to be corrected. But I will also be sure Anakin knows how proud I am of him and how much he means to me. Obi-Wan could feel his padawan's joy. It was emanating from him like a beacon. The strength of Anakin's emotions and the rate at which they changed was mind-boggling. Being a master sure had it challenges! Would he ever totally feel up to it?