"Hang on, what about me?" demanded Tiv. Qui-Gon gave her a tired look.

"What about you?" he snapped.

"When are you going to explain all this to me?"

Qui-Gon sighed. "I won't. The Council will when you become a Knight."

"I can't wait that long!" exclaimed Tiv. "Anyway, they're not Knights, and you told them." She pointed accusingly at Luke, Ani and Boba, who were huddling outside the door, not wanting to get involved in an argument between the two. Then she turned to Leia. "And she's only eight! She isn't even training yet, so why do they get to know when I don't?"

"Whining, Padawan," Qui-Gon warned. Tiv changed her tone, but didn't stop.

"I don't care what you say; I've got a right to know! Give me one good reason why they do and I don't!"

"This directly affects them, just as it affected Luke and Ani when we told them."

"So why Boba? And how can you say that it doesn't affect me? I want to know what's going on!" Tiv cried angrily.

"Boba was simply there at the time, and the rules hadn't been established yet. And as for how it affects them more than you, to explain that would be to tell you, which I will not do."

"Why not?" demanded Tiv. "You never cared about the rules before, why start now?"

"Sometimes the rules are right," Obi-Wan pointed out.

"That's a very good point Obi-Wan," Tiv said sagely. "For a different situation. The rules aren't right, admit it! You know it's true!"

"Tiv!" Qui-Gon snapped. "This will all be explained to you when you are a Knight, now get out!" Boba, Luke, and Ani scuttled away, sensing that this was going to get ugly. Obi-Wan and Anakin gave their master a regretful look and followed their Padawans. Taun We stayed put, glad that Padmé, Jar Jar and Colac were at home and out of the way.

"No!" exclaimed Tiv. "Not until you tell me what's going on!"

"Tiv…" began her master warningly, but was interrupted by the younger Obi-Wan, who was still in the room.

"I guess Sith don't explain things to their children very well. Or is she your apprentice?"

The pair turned to gape at him. "What?" asked Qui-Gon finally.

Obi-Wan shrugged. "Seeing as you're dead and I'm not, I would assume that the Dark Side is the only logical explanation, especially since the Sith are back." He cocked his head and the asked curiously, "So is this a hologram, or are you shape shifters? I know there can only be two Sith at a time, and there must be one new one after I killed the one that murdered Qui-Gon."

Recognizing her chance for an explanation, Tiv bent down and asked him, "Qui-Gon was killed by a Sith? When?"

"A few months ago," Obi-Wan told her. "After he was, I took Anakin as my apprentice, and killed the Sith that murdered him. Not in that order, of course."

Tiv blinked. "Anakin as in Anakin Skywalker?" she asked.

"Yes, how many other Anakins are there out there?" responded Obi-Wan. So he had her master's friend's sarcasm as well as his name.

"Well, how old is he?"

"Tiv…" began Qui-Gon warningly, but once again, Obi-Wan cut him off.

"He's nine," he told her. "So I guess since you don't know any of this, you're not a Sith?"

"I- well, I don't think so," said Tiv. "At least, I've never thought I was a Sith. They told me I was training as a Jedi." She jerked her head at Qui-Gon and the door through which the others had exited.

"Really?" asked Obi-Wan, intrigued. "I've never met a Sith who wasn't evil before."

"I guess, if you're right, I've never met a Jedi before," Tiv told him.

"Are you disappointed that you ended up on the opposite side then you thought?" the young Jedi asked her.

Qui-Gon started forwards to stop his Padawan from doing any more damage to his former apprentice's already confused mind, but Taun We spotted something on Tiv's face and stopped him. Together, the two friends watched the younger pair discuss this apparent reversal of sides.

"Not really," Tiv replied. "I mean, I guess I'm a little annoyed that they lied to me, for obvious reasons, but I never really wanted to train as a Jedi."

"Really? Why not?"

Qui-Gon thought the more appropriate question would be why she was, but Taun We was stopping him from asking it, so he had to leave it up to Obi-Wan.

Tiv shrugged. "I dunno, I guess I always heard bad things about them and their rules and stuff, so I wasn't sure if this was really what I wanted. And, you know, with that whole 'commitment not easily broken' junk going on, I didn't know if I could just quit if it turned out that I wasn't up to it, or didn't want to do this with my life."

Qui-Gon was amazed. In the short weeks they had been together, Tiv had said less to him than she was now to his injured apprentice from another timeline. Well, it wasn't that she spoke less words, but they were more trivial, not the important things that she was now telling Obi-Wan so freely.

And to his increased surprise, Obi-Wan nodded sagely. "Yeah, it's tough stuff, being a Jedi. I really don't know you well enough to say if you're up to it, but you've got a good master, and you seem smart, so I guess you'll do fine."

"I thought we'd agreed that they were Sith?"

Obi-Wan stopped, and then smiled. It didn't quite reach his eyes, as the expression goes, but it was an effort. "Yeah, I forgot about that," he said. "It's good illusions, this stuff."

"Yeah," agreed Tiv. She looked around. "Is this really what it was like, training as a Jedi? Does the place look the same, I mean, and the people?"

"It's perfect," Obi-Wan sighed. "The only flaw is… well, Master Qui-Gon, really."

"What's different about him? In the real world, I mean?" asked Tiv.

"He's dead," said Obi-Wan bluntly, and glanced down.

"Oh," muttered Tiv quietly. She hesitated, and then asked, "Were you his apprentice? I mean, the you in their version is, but…"

"Yeah, yeah I was," Obi-Wan told her softly. He seemed distant, sad. Qui-Gon wanted to comfort him, but Taun We still kept him firmly rooted to the ground. That, and his utter shock at Tiv's sudden openness.

"What was he like in real life?" she asked. Obi-Wan didn't look up.

"What's he like in here?" he replied.

"Well," Tiv paused, but didn't even seem to notice Qui-Gon standing there. "He's strong, and very brave, probably one of the best Jedi in existence." She stopped again, and then continued. "And he's very kind, and doesn't overlook anyone, no matter how unimportant they are. He's forever picking up strays, from what the others tell me, always taking in…" she frowned, not sure what to call it.

"Pathetic life-forms," Obi-Wan said quietly, still staring at his hands.

"Yeah," Tiv grinned. "Like me."

"Oh!" the young Jedi looked up, embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean…" He saw that the other was laughing.

"Actually, I tend to call myself a pathetic life-form quite often," she told him.

Obi-Wan gave a sad smile. "Yeah, sorry. It was just… well, Qui-Gon and I used to always talk about it and whenever he picked up a new… friend, I'd call it a 'pathetic life-form'. It's a stupid joke, I know, but I guess I was just glad to have a joke just between us, and someone to share it with."

Tiv smiled, not as sad as Obi-Wan had. "I understand," she said softly. "It gets lonely sometimes, not really having any friends." She winced, realizing how obvious that was, but for once, Obi-Wan didn't make any comments on it.

"Don't you have friends here, at the Temple?" he asked, looking up.

"They're all Sith," she pointed out. "Or holograms or whatever."

"Well, before you knew that, I mean."

Tiv hesitated for what seemed like the thousandth time that day, and then said, "I don't know. There are some other Padawans who I hang out with a bit, and Luke says I'm his friend but… I guess I just don't trust that easily. I've had a hard time believing that they really care. I guess now it's just proven that they don't."

If Taun We hadn't been holding Qui-Gon's arm so tight, he would have shouted something to them. You might wonder why her holding his arm would stop him, and the reason was because her other hand was over his mouth, preventing him from reaching out to either of his apprentices. They had to work this out on their own.

"Why?" asked Obi-Wan. "Did you have a hard time believing that they care, I mean? Even before you knew the truth?"

Tiv shrugged. "I dunno. I guess just because I couldn't see any reason for them to care. I mean, they didn't know me, I wasn't important, nothing I could do would help them." She stared down at her hands, assuming the same position he had just been holding.

There was a quiet pause during which Qui-Gon seriously considered biting Taun We's hand to get her to let go. But he didn't because A) he knew that wouldn't make her let go and B) she was right. The pair had to work this out without his help. He was just a fly on the wall.

"You asked me what Master Qui-Gon was like in real life," Obi-Wan said suddenly. Tiv glanced over at him. "Well, he was mostly like what you described, but the main thing was, he always cared. About anyone. Whether he knew them or not. I guess that was his real defining trait. It's what everyone loved about him."

"But he's like that in this false reality too!" Tiv exclaimed. But Obi-Wan shook his head.

"Not as much as I remember. Not if he can care about you and you can still believe that he doesn't, or wonder why. That's what really was Qui-Gon, his caring for people."

"I wish I had known him," Tiv said quietly. Before, she had just assumed that the Qui-Gon she knew was exactly like the real one. But if this one trait was the only difference, then she felt as if she truly didn't know him at all, and had missed knowing a great man.

This time, apparently thinking that this would be too much for him, Taun We yanked harder on Qui-Gon's arm, and pulled him out of the room.

"What?" he hissed, glaring at her as soon as she removed her hand from his mouth.

"What, what?" she retorted. "You know that maybe the only thing keeping Obi-Wan from believing that we're all Sith is Tiv."

"Are you out of your mind!" Qui-Gon snapped. "Tiv's feeding his crazy theory, not stopping it!"

"Maybe that's exactly what he needs," Taun We responded calmly. "Reverse psychology."

"Reverse- Taun We! You can't honestly believe that would work!"

"Okay, maybe I don't," the cloner admitted. "But still, this talk is helping Tiv, and, in some inexplicable way, it seems to be helping Obi-Wan."

Qui-Gon couldn't argue with that. His friend was right, as much as he hated to admit it. "Alright," he muttered finally. "But if this doesn't work…"

"You'll blame me, and then spend twenty minutes thinking of all the gruesome things to do to me, and threatening to do them, I know, I know," Taun We said. Qui-Gon grinned.

"Okay, so I'm getting a little predictable in my old age, so what?"

"You're not that old, Master," Tiv commented, coming up on them. Both adults turned around.

"So you've decided that I'm not a Sith?" asked Qui-Gon, trying to hide a smile.

"No," answered Tiv calmly. "But I've decided that I don't care, if that's what you mean." And she walked off.

"She doesn't… What was she talking about!"

"I think," Taun We said, "that she now believes that you're a Sith, but it doesn't make any difference to her."

"I told you this wouldn't work," moaned Qui-Gon. "What am I going to do now?"

Taun We shrugged. "Well, if I were you, I'd be wondering why Tiv doesn't care which side she's on."

Okay, that's probably as long as I need it to be. Thank you, Fell Dragon for reviewing. Oh, and a special note to Alley Parker, although the rest of you can read it too: I've been re-reading the reviews of Mirrors, trying to get ideas that I might have missed you guys suggesting, and I noticed that you said Obi-Wan calling people pathetic life-forms was mean. So I made him apologize. Hope you liked that! Have a nice today!