Ice Puppet and Despo, thanks so much for reading and taking the time to review.

Laura of Maychoria, my loyal reader! Thank you for all your praise and encouragement. More Qui and Obi is to come in the next chapters. You're right, Obi-Wan can't continue clinging only to Xanatos.

The dancing Cavalier, I always believed that it was unlikely that Xanatos was just plain evil. Everyone starts as a good person and then something terrible happens to turn them around. I'm glad that you like my portrayal of him. Thanks for reading.

Chapter 15

Obi-Wan had been treated and then gone back to Master Jinn's quarters, and now he sat on his bed, watching the speeders outside while Xanatos was preparing dinner with his Master. He had asked to be alone for a while and the other two had granted it. Obi-Wan was still a bit amazed that he'd had the courage to ask, especially after what had happened today.

He was confused. He had striven so hard to conceal his injuries, to avoid anyone noticing what his Master had had to do to him. But now that they knew, he felt strangely relieved. With Xanatos's discovery and his acceptance of it had come a thought he'd never considered:Calan hadn't had to do these things to him, he had simply done them. Of course, that didn't mean he could just break down like that. Xanatos had seen him at his worst now and Obi-Wan just hoped that the older Padawan would be as understanding about that as about everything else.

But whatever awaited him now, for the first time in over a year Obi-Wan had hope again.

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Qui-Gon and his Padawan were working silently in the kitchen, the Master glancing sideways at his apprentice from time to time. Xanatos seemed to concentrate completely on the task at hand and Qui-Gon was wondering whether he should start a conversation. They had to talk about what had happened and Qui-Gon knew that if he didn't start now, he would never get his apprentice to talk.

"Obi-Wan seems to be taking it well,all things considered."

Not looking at him, Xanatos replied, "He didn't when we were alone."

Qui-Gon stopped stirring the salad he was making and turned fully towards his apprentice. "But maybe this was exactly what it took to get through to him. Maybe without wanting to, Bruck even helped Obi-Wan."

When no answer was forthcoming, the Master took Xanatos by the shoulder and turned him around, forcing him to look up.

Xanatos eyes narrowed and his words were defensive. "Am I supposed to be grateful?"

Qui-Gon was taken aback. He hadn't realised how deeply the events of the afternoon had affected Xanatos and that, more than anything that had happened, concerned him.

In a mild voice he said, "I'm not asking you to be grateful, just to acknowledge the fact."

With a sigh, Xanatos turned away again and continued chopping the vegetables. "Yes, I know."

No apology about being short-tempered, but Qui-Gon ignored it, took the plates and went into the common room.

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Dinner passed quietly. Qui-Gon made a few attempts at conversation, but Obi-Wan was shy as always and only gave polite, short answers. Xanatos didn't say anything and just ate his meal with his eyes on his plate.

After taking the dishes to the kitchen, the older Padawan excused himself and went into his room. Obi-Wan hesitated a moment and then followed. But Qui-Gon had something else in mind and before the boy could close the door, he called, "I would like to talk to you for a moment, Obi-Wan."

The young Padawan tensed up immediately, but turned around obediently and stood facing Qui-Gon.

The Master smiled at him encouragingly and said, "Obi-Wan, I know that you're having a hard time at the moment, but I want you to know that you can always ask me for help whenever you need it."

Surprise showed in the boy's eyes for a moment, but then he smiled shyly and said, "Thank you, Master Jinn."

"So what would you like to do now?"

"I…don't know." He hesitated again. "I'm really tired."

Qui-Gon didn't doubt it, although he would have liked to spend a bit of time with the boy.Obi-Wan clung too much to Xanatos at the moment and Qui-Gon feared that he wouldn't be able to let go if another Master wanted to take him as Padawan. And he sincerely hoped that someone would tackle the task of showing this boy what a real apprenticeship looked liked.

Hiding his worries behind a gentle smile, he said to Obi-Wan, "Go to bed then. I'll see you tomorrow at breakfast."

When the boy had disappeared inside Xanatos's room, Qui-Gon sighed heavily. He knew that he should talk to his Padawan, but was also aware that Xanatos needed some time to cool down first. Tomorrow then. Realising how tired he was himself, Qui-Gon put the feeling aside, and went to his room to meditate on the uneasy feeling he'd had since that afternoon.

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Fifth day had been Sabacc eveningfor his Master ever since Xanatos had known him and had first arrived in his quarters as a newly-made Padawan at the age of eleven. The small group that gathered together the next evening hadn't changed in the nine years and Xanatos greeted Masters Windu, Linko and Tr'hen only in passing as he went to his room. Whenever it was Qui-Gon's turn to host the evening, Xanatos made a point of staying out of the way. Something about being in the presence of four Masters - one of them a Council Member - always had him slightly on edge.

As he entered his room, datapad in hand, not especially looking forward to a whole evening of studying, he stopped when he saw Obi-Wan sitting on his bed. What made him stop wasn't the boy's presence, but the expression on his face. The blue-green eyes were wide open, Obi-Wan's body taut and upright.

Xanatos closed the door before he began to speak. "What is it, Obi-Wan?"

Frightened eyes turned to him and for a moment Xanatos felt himself back where they had started. But then Obi-Wan spoke and the feeling was shattered. No, they had made progress. Obi-Wan would never go back to that silent, frightened shadow.

"Masters Windu and Linko are here."

Obviously there were some things that hadn't changed. The young Padawan could still puzzle Xanatos with his statements. "Is something wrong with them?"

"Master Linko is my teacher and, well, Master Windu looked after me for some time." Looking down at his hands, Obi-Wan blushed as if he had uttered shameful words.

But Xanatos understood what the boy was aiming for. "Obi-Wan, they're only here to play Sabacc. They do every fifth day." With a small smile he added, "It's best to stay out of their way. Otherwise they might appoint you as their personal servant for the time they're playing. And besides, seeing them during their game might destroy a whole lot of illusions you have about them."

Xanatos didn't have long to wait for the reaction. A small smile appeared on Obi-Wan's face and his eyes started to twinkle. They shared a conspiratorial wink when Xanatos suddenly had an idea. Maybe it was rash, but what better time to help Obi-Wan's newfound confidence along than now? Standing up, he motioned towards the door.

"Let's go greet them."

A look of horror took over Obi-Wan's face immediately. "Now?"

Xanatos grinned slightly. "Well, now they're here."

The boy blushed again, but remained silent and rooted to the spot.

"Come on. They won't bite and I promise that I won't leave you alone with them."

Reluctantly, Obi-Wan eased from the bed and followed the older Padawan out the door. The Masters had already sat down at the dinner table and were sorting through a stack of playing cards, but looked up when the door opened. Xanatos stepped into the room and bowed shortly while Obi-Wan seemed to be doing his best to stay out of view.

Master Windu, however, had seen the young Padawan and his face broke into a wide smile. "Obi-Wan. It's nice to see you again. How are you?"

Nolonger able to hide, Obi-Wan bowed deeply and greeted in a quiet voice, "Masters."

Then suddenly realising that he hadn't answered Mace's question, he added quickly, "I'm doing well, Master Windu."

The Council Member's smile didn't waver. "I'm glad to hear it."

"Was there something you needed, Padawan?" Qui-Gon looked questioningly at Xanatos.

"No, Master. We just wanted to say good evening."

With a knowing look, Qui-Gon opened his mouth to dismiss his Padawan and free Obi-Wan from the situation, but was prevented from doing so by Master Linko. Obi-Wan's 'sabre teacher looked at his young student and smiled encouragingly.

"Obi-Wan has made a lot of progress recently. His 'sabre skillsare advancing quickly."

Obi-Wan, who had spent the last few minutes staring at the floor didn't seem encouraged at all by the praise, but blushed furiously and looked up desperately at Xanatos, then down again. "Thank you, Master Linko." It was only a whisper and the older Padawan realised that it would be better to get out of the room now.

A moment later he wished he had taken that decision sooner. Master Tr'hen, a long-necked Quermian, who obviously thought the young boy needed some reassurance, chose that moment to speak his own words of encouragement to the flustered Padawan. "That's high praise indeed, Padawan, coming from Master Linko. I'm sure your Master will be very proud of you."

Xanatos froze, his eyes flickering to Qui-Gon's. Obi-Wan didn't react at all, his gaze firmly fixed on the floor. Xanatos wished he could see the boy's face, but instead prodded him through the Force. It was no use, however. Without a bond he couldn't sense anything from Obi-Wan. The silence stretched for an uncomfortable moment, but then Qui-Gon, as always the skilled diplomat, intervened. "Why don't you two go out for a bit tonight? You don't need to be holedup in that room of yours the entire evening."

The older Padawan gave his Master a grateful look. Qui-Gon had reacted well and his words gave the two apprentices the chance to escape their quarters for some time. "Yes, Master." Laying his hand lightly on Obi-Wan's shoulder Xanatos steeredthe boy out into the hallway, letting the door slide shut behind them.

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They walked towards the large meditation garden in silence. Xanatos kept glancing down at the smaller boy, but all he saw was the bowed head. Looking at Obi-Wan now and knowing that he was hurting again, Xanatos felt resentment against Master Tr'hen well up in him. But for the sake of the boy beside him, he fought to set the negative emotions aside. He knew that it wasn't the man's fault. In an effort to protect Obi-Wan's privacy, the boy's fate hadn't been discussed openly. For Tr'hen Obi-Wan was just another young Padawan whose Master was probably away on a dangerous mission and had left the boy in someone else's care.

They had reached the garden while Xanatos was lost in thought. A few Jedi were wandering about in the cool air of the simulated evening and the two Padawans made their way over to a secluded spot by the lake. After they had both settled on the ground, Xanatos waited. After all, what was he supposed to say? But it turned out that he didn't have to say anything as Obi-Wan spoke after only a few moments.

"Master Calan is not going to come back, is he?"

The question was so completely unexpected that Xanatos's head snapped up. This wasn't at all the direction in which he had expected the conversation to go.

He stared at the boy in shock for a moment. Obi-Wan stared back, but then lowered his head again, his eyes betraying that he knew the answer to his own question.

Silence again. Xanatos felt helpless. He knew that he had to say something. Staying silent would mean letting Obi-Wan down.

"No, he most likely won't be coming back. But I can assure you that even if he does, he will be severely punished for what he did to you."

It was meant to reassure the boy, but it clearly didn't. "You said you talked to him before he left."

"Yes, I did. I caught up with him on the lower levels before the storm started and confronted him. I had suspected that he was doing something to you." He paused for a moment, his eyes losing their focus. "I had just hoped that I was wrong." He looked at Obi-Wan again and to his surprise the boy looked directly back at him. "I promise that he won't ever hurt you again."

Obi-Wan's eyes stayed on him, but there was a sudden certainty in them that Xanatos couldn't quite explain. "I'm not a Padawan anymore. I don't have a Master." The voice remained matter-of-factly and Obi-Wan didn't even blink. The eyes seemed to challenge him, to test if he really had an answer for everything.

Taking a deep breath, Xanatos gave the boy the only answer he could at that moment. "You're right, you don't have a Master. But you're still a Padawan. Someone else will train you, someone who deserves you."

There was a brief flicker of hope on Obi-Wan's face, but it quickly died and the boy looked out over the water, absently fiddling with his braid. "Nobody will want me. Not anymore."

"Why do you say that?"

Silence reigned for several moments. Not moving his gaze from the water, Obi-Wan finally answered in a whisper, "I'm scarred. I can't act like a Jedi anymore. What good is a Padawan who's afraid of everything?"

Xanatos was speechless. What was there to say? Before, he had alwayshelped Obi-Wan overcome his fears, but how was he supposed to help restore Obi-Wan's faith in himself if it had been so completely destroyed? And how could he restore the boy's image of the Jedi to what it was supposed to be, when his own was beginning to crumble? Damn the Jedi anyway for not realising what one of their own was doing to an innocent child. How dare they preach about emotions when they couldn't even keep one of their Masters from being consumed by them?

"There will be a Master for you, Obi-Wan. You're special. You have so much potential and someone will see it. The Jedi don't desert their own."

Now if only he could believe those words himself.

And Obi-Wan just kept on staring across the lake.