Disclaimer: Alas, I cannot be the lucky person named George Lucas to go around the universe proclaiming that I own Star Wars. But if he would ever like to give me Obi-Wan, I'd be more than grateful.

Summary: In an alternate universe where Qui-Gon lives, what else could change…? Obi-Wan tries to deal with feelings of jealousy, Anakin struggles with love, and Qui-Gon begins to doubt the Republic. A look at how the series could've turned out, starting with AotC.

Author's Notes: Sadly, this is indeed the last chapter of this story. But don't worry; there will definitely be a sequel, or a continuation, or whatever you want to call it. Thank you for your continued support while I've been writing this story, and please remember not to kill me after you finish reading this chapter! I really value my life.

Katieelessar - Well, at the moment, no I'm not going to kill Qui-Gon, but I'm not making any promises for future chapters and stories. Hehe.

Funyun - I hope this was soon enough for you. Please don't strangle me!

Hieiko - Yes, Qui-Gon's good like that. Thanks for the review.

Mjk306 - Just because it's the last chapter of this story, doesn't mean it's the last chapter of the series. I've got a lot planned for these poor characters...

SW Fan - I'm sorry to hear you're not happy with it. Yes, I do have to follow the movies a little bit, but that is because I'm trying to be realistic. They wouldn't just forget about the assassination attemptsand go off on some grand adventure because Qui-Gon's alive. When I do AU stories, I make them as realistic as I can possibly get them, and as much as I didn't want to look like I was following the movie, I had to put some aspects of it in the story. Perhaps you'll be pleased with the next story in this series (if you choose to read it) because I can assure you it will be quite original and purely AU with plenty of twists thrown in.

Darth Vengeance - Yes, well, you'll just have to read the next story to find out, won't you?

Ally127 - Yes, I did say next story. There's no way I could just leave it hanging after this chapter. I'm pretty sure I'd have mobs of people surrounding my house with pitchforks and torches.

Out of Phase - Wow. Thank you for that incredibly kind review. I'm so glad you've enjoyed this story and I hope you enjoy the sequel!

Starfish - Thank you so much! You're very kind! There will be plenty of Obi-Wan in this chapter, but...well, I can't say any more than that.

Lord Infidus - Well, you don't have to wait any longer for here it is!

The Strange - Wow, that's so nice of you! I'm just a simple fan fic writer trying to make my way in the universe. I watch thesemovies way too much. Thanks for the review!

Jealousy, Love and War

By Kekelina

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Chapter Eleven: Betrayal

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Obi-Wan was up and heading over to Dex's Diner before dawn broke the next morning. The sky was a peculiar shade of gray and Obi-Wan suspected it would rain later. But at the moment, the sky was calm, just waking like the patrons of Coruscant. But Obi-Wan, unlike the sky, was not calm. In fact, he was a swirling mass of mixed emotions that all led to one conclusion:

He had a bad feeling about this.

He had had a bad feeling about this meeting since Dex had first suggested it yesterday. He didn't know why, but he had felt something – a warning from the Force, perhaps? – when Dex became very nervous. His loud friend was never nervous, yet Obi-Wan had seen that look in his eye. He wasn't nervous; he was scared. But why would Dexter Jettster, friend to many and loved by all, be scared? And of what was he scared?

These questions had plagued Obi-Wan all night, leaving him tossing and turning in his sleep. Then, to top it all off, Obi-Wan had felt something of Qui-Gon's end of their dimming Master/Padawan bond. It had been sorrow, and that had made Obi-Wan concerned. Had something gone wrong with his former Master's mission? Was Qui-Gon all right? Obi-Wan may not have had the bond with his Master that he had had when he was a Padawan, but he still had the right to be concerned for him. Every Jedi was in danger simply for being a Jedi. Too many of his friends had died on missions.

To put it succinctly, Obi-Wan had gotten no sleep last night (though he rarely got sleep any other night) and it only increased his emotions – good and bad. He was irritated, upset, and nervous. His hand remained next to his lightsaber as he walked. This feeling of foreboding kept causing him to lose his concentration on the moment. His mind was too full of thoughts and worries to let him slip into brief meditation. He was going in blind, and this only made his suspicion rise.

There it was. Dex's Diner. Obi-Wan stopped quite a distance away and observed it. All the lights were off, including the sign. The shutters were pulled down as they always were during closing. The gray morning light cast an eerie shadow on it and the buildings around it. The early morning risers of Coco town passed by without a second glance.

Obi-Wan sighed. He could do two things. He could either rely on his feelings and turn back, finding safety in the Jedi Temple, or he could continue walking forward and enter the diner, where he could gather important information that could help him solve the mystery of the bounty hunter. Either way, he risked losing something. Neither way was appetizing to him, but he was a Jedi. He could protect himself. He knew what to do.

Taking a deep breath, he continued forward nonchalantly, as if nothing mattered to him on this early day. He looked around his environment without seeming to, picking out possible threats yet finding no warning in them. Whatever was bothering him was inside the diner.

He hesitated at the door, praying that his feelings were wrong, then stepped inside the dim diner to find no one. Obi-Wan blinked, letting his eyes adjust to the less amount of light, yet still saw absolutely no one. The diner was deserted. Force, what was going on?

"Dex?" he called out, turning around in hopes that Dex was simply behind him and he hadn't noticed. But Dex was not there. However, someone else was.

"Looking for me, Jedi?" a figure covered in body armor and a bucket-shaped helmet asked him. Obi-Wan heard the grin in his voice and his eyes trailed to his extended hand which held a blaster aimed directly at Obi-Wan's chest.

My dream, Obi-Wan suddenly realized, remembering the horrible nightmare that had plagued him for so many nights. This was the bounty hunter he was looking for, but how had he found him?

Obi-Wan grabbed his lightsaber and ignited the electric blue blade quickly as he realized that Dex had betrayed him. His long-time friend, the person he had thought to be the most loyal in the galaxy, had betrayed him. He'd set him up, called the bounty hunter to come at the same time Obi-Wan came. That was why he had been nervous. But how had he known the bounty hunter, and if he had known him, why hadn't he done this before when Obi-Wan had come searching the first time? None of this made sense…

"Confused, Jedi?" the bounty hunter taunted. "I shouldn't be surprised."

"If you put the blaster down and come quietly," Obi-Wan said in a diplomatic Jedi voice. "No one will get hurt."

The bounty hunter just laughed. "I don't think so."

Without the slightest bit of warning, he pulled the trigger on the blaster. The shot was angled in such a way that Obi-Wan was unable to block it was his lightsaber and he had to duck in order not to receive a fatal wound. It did, however, hit his left arm, and he cried out briefly in pain.

Obi-Wan wielded his lightsaber at the bounty hunter, but he dodged quickly using his rocket-pack and as Obi-Wan made for another attempt, the bounty hunter said "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

The comment caught Obi-Wan off-guard long enough to hear an all-too familiar sound of machinery clicking and clinking on durasteel floors, and multiple blasters being revealed. Obi-Wan spun around to see four droidekas squeezed into the diner, surrounding him. He gaped in shock.

"You didn't really think I'd come without protection, did you?"

Even as Obi-Wan raised his lightsaber in defense, he knew it would do no good. There was no way, even with the help of the Force, that he could take on four destroyers and a bounty hunter by himself. This was the end for Obi-Wan Kenobi. As a Jedi, he was prepared for death, but that didn't mean he wanted it to come this soon.

The rocket-man landed in between Obi-Wan and the destroyers and Obi-Wan faced him with a passive face, drawing in the comfort of the Force. He would be one with it soon, and he had no regrets.

"If you put the lightsaber down and come quietly," the bounty hunter said, echoing Obi-Wan's earlier words. "No one will get hurt."

Obi-Wan looked at him curiously. "You don't want to kill me?"

The bounty hunter laughed the familiar eerie laugh that Obi-Wan had heard far too much this morning. "You're worth a lot of money to me, Jedi."

Obi-Wan could only imagine what that meant. There was a bounty on his head. But why would someone want him…alive, no less? He had made many enemies in his years as a Jedi, but none that would want to keep him alive, unless they wanted to kill him personally. It was only another piece to add to the growing puzzle that was his life…however brief it might now become.

He glanced from the destroyers to the helmeted head of the bounty hunter. Either way he took, whether death or capture, would not get him out of the situation the way he wanted. But he knew which one he had to take, which one would offer him more chance for survival. He had been capture many times in his life, yet he was still here. I can make it out, he reasoned with himself, trying to ignore the feeling that clearly stated this wasn't like the other times.

Hesitantly, his arm moving mere centimeters per hour, he handed his deactivated lightsaber over to the bounty hunter. The bounty hunter snatched it up and grabbed Obi-Wan's wrist roughly, shoving something sharp into his skin. As the greenish liquid in the vial emptied into his bloodstream and the room became fuzzy and dark, Obi-Wan thought one thing:

Poison.

Then he collapsed.

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The Other Author's Notes: Yes, so there it is! The end of my story. I know I'm quite cruel to end it on a cliffhanger, but I told you guys before that I was evil. Moohahaha. Make sure to keep a look out for the sequel to this story, Jedi Trials II: Torture and Death. I'm looking forward to lots of reviews. If you have any questions, I'll answer all reviews from this chapter in the first chapter of Torture. Thanks for reading, guys!