Disclaimer: Do you really think I own this? No, I don't. Would some really pay me for this crap? No, they wouldn't. This was made as a request from fic-on-demand at LJ.
An Accidental Kiss
Obi-Wan Kenobi trudged through the sand in complete darkness. He gritted his teeth and mentally cursed his master. He knew he was only a Padawan, but he was tired of getting the run around. The Nubians were getting on his nerves as well. He had explained to them many times as to why they could not send a transmission—any transmission, but that did not stop them from asking him if they could in various sorts of ways. They also questioned his master's wisdom, and while he defended the elder man's honor, he was beginning to question it himself.
Panaka could handle the guarding for a few hours. He knew there were dangers on the planet, but none were seeking the queen, and nothing (nothing) ever came near the ship. They were out of the way and safe. Also, he spent hours meditating before he left. He felt confident no one would notice he was gone.
It was quite dark in the middle of the desert, and he used the Force to guide him to Qui-Gon. He was careful not to touch him too much, though. He did not want to give his master enough warning to send him back before he even arrived.
Soon, he came upon Mos Espa and did not need the Force to guide him to civilization. He searched for Qui-Gon but instead found that presence his master must have—the one with the high midi-chlorian count. They had to be there, so he followed it. He became perplexed when he walked into the derelict part of town (though it was hard to tell the difference between pristine and derelict on Tatooine) and even more so at the home.
He knocked softly on the door. It was either quite early or very late after all.
He was surprised when the door opened immediately. A short, tired, worn woman stood in the doorway. She looked wary until she spied his attire; her face lit up. When he pulled back his hood, her face fell somewhat, but she still ushered him inside.
"It gets quite cold at night; I wouldn't want you getting chilly," she explained. She fetched another blanket, for she already had one on the couch where she had been sitting with a book. Obi-Wan almost protested, but he did not want to be rude. He supposed that if one was used to the twin Tatooine suns, the night would feel quite cold.
"Thank you," he smiled. "I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Obi-Wan Kenobi."
She blushed. "How thoughtless of me; I haven't either, and here I am pulling in a stranger and thrusting a blanket and hot punka on him." She disappeared behind a wall for a moment then reappeared with two mugs. With how quickly she had retrieved the beverages, he felt she must have made two before he came. Had Qui-Gon known he was coming somehow, despite his carefulness, and asked her to make it so that he could be warmed when he arrived? "I'm Shmi Skywalker. I assume you are a friend of Qui-Gon? He took a seat a moment after she did. She put her book away and pulled her blanket around herself.
"Yes," he affirmed. "I am." He glanced around the place.
"He stepped out for another one of his walks. He won't be back for, oh, another hour," she explained.
So the beverage was probably to warm Qui-Gon when he returned, and that was also why she was still up.
"Does he do that often?" Obi-Wan frequently went to bed before his master when they did not have to take turns for watch duty, so he did not know Qui-Gon's before bed habits as well as he probably should.
"About every night," she nodded. "Don't worry about the punka. I have plenty more, and we never drink it all, so my son heats up the rest in the morning before he goes to work in Watto's shop. If none is left, he'll be happy to have something else for a change."
"So you're the one with the son?" His eyes went to the door which concealed that power. Had it really been true when Master Jinn claimed the boy gave that sample? "How old?"
"He's nine." She frowned. "How much has Qui-Gon told you?"
"Not much," he admitted. "That's why I'm here."
She nodded, sipping more punka. "He has his own way of doing things."
Obi-Wan almost snorted at the understatement. "That, he does."
She regarded him for a moment. She wore an expression that was a cross between amusement and perplexity. "You're his…apprentice. The young man whom he's training, no? He's spoken very fondly of you."
He smiled and thanked her. They sat for a few minutes in silence, simply drinking their beverages while they were still hot. He took it as a chance to study the woman before him. She looked even more tired than she had when he arrived if that were possible. She should be in bed resting, not up waiting for Qui-Gon, he told himself. She gave him a small, thin smile and took one last gulp of punka. She stood and took his empty mug. He protested mildly, saying he should take it for her, but before he could finish speaking, she started to fall. His Jedi reflexes allowed him to catch her before she fell a meter. She had started to let out an "oh!" by the time he grabbed her.
"Are you all right?" he inquired. Blast! She's kept up so late she's fainting! It seemed a bit unlike Qui-Gon to deteriorate this woman's health when it had to be poor from the start, but his master's eccentricity had grown in the last few days. It was possible he did not even realize through what Shmi was going.
"I'm fine," she assured. "I was just clumsy enough to trip over my own feet." When Obi-Wan looked doubtful, she pointed to her feet which were entangled in the blanket.
He muttered an apology and set her on her feet, free of the blanket. A disturbance in the Force caused him to freeze, and his arms remained around her as he concentrated on what it could be. It felt like a warning; something big was coming, big and dangerous. However, it was not going to attack him then. It was a bit strange, almost ominous.
"Oh, Ani," Shmi's sigh brought him back to the tiny living quarters. "He's having another one of his nightmares." She went to kiss him on the cheek as a way to get out of his arms to go to her son. However, he had turned to ask her about he nightmares (Qui-Gon should know about them), and her kiss accidentally landed on his lips.
Perhaps it was that he was just too wound up from this mission. Perhaps it was that he had been lonely. Perhaps it was that he was feeling the coldness about which she had warned him. Whatever it was, he parted his lips slightly and deepened the kiss. She probably should have slapped him or at least pushed him away. He knew he deserved it for this conduct, but he was glad when she did neither and instead leaned into him.
His hands ran up and down her back, tugging slightly on her tunic. She dropped the mugs (neither noticed) and put her hands on his broad shoulders. She moaned slightly as she parted her own lips. He pulled her closer and kept caressing the nook that produced the moan. As he caressed the spot, her moans became longer, but not too loud, and she started tugging on his braid, something a certain someone used to do.
They pulled apart a moment for a breath, and she was about to direct him to her bedroom when he stopped her. His eyes widened slightly as he felt Master Jinn rushing back. He was very excited, and whatever it was that excited him kept him preoccupied enough that he had not noticed his deviant apprentice.
"Qui-Gon!" he hissed. "He's returning early."
"Are you sure?" she asked, though she knew the answer.
"Yes, and he can't see me!"
"I thought you came to see him."
"I did, but I've changed my mind. If he finds us like this…."
She nodded. "I understand. I know how he'll react." They could hear him rushing to them. "Go! Hide!" She pointed to a spot, and he dashed into hiding there.
"Shmi!" announced Qui-Gon as he burst into the home. "I've thought of a way to—is something wrong? You look flushed."
"Just waiting for you," she said in a slightly not-so-innocent voice.
"Again?" he asked. "I told you it's not healthy." Obi-Wan dashed out of there as soon as they entered the kitchen.
He shook his head and let the cool air bring him back to reality. If he stayed too much longer, Qui-Gon would notice him despite the distraction Shmi provided. He sprinted back to the ship and hoped no one would ever know.