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The scene at Dex's Diner was a fun one. Good cheer and smiles were woven throughout the vicinity. It was Sarah's thirteenth birthday, and it was just a simple get together of friends and some of Dex's delicious food.
Before the party, Anakin had pulled Sarah aside and gave her his present. He did not really want to make a public scene out of it. He had spent a few weeks trying to find just the right design and metal to a make a small pendant. When she had opened it, she had been speechless. Finally, she simply threw her arms around him and whispered, "Thank you," in his ear.
He helped her hang it on her neck and they sat and talked for awhile. From across the room, Obi-Wan sipped his drink and watched his Padawans, happy to see how well they were getting along. He took out a small stone from his pocket and turned it over in his palm, feeling its smoothness and the warm feeling of the Force radiating from it.
He stared at the shiny black stone reflecting the faint red stripes in the light for a long time, lost in the memory of his own thirteenth birthday, when Qui-Gon had given this stone to him. Obi-Wan had come to love this stone. It had helped him through his days as a Pad wan, reminding him that the Force was always near, and he had long hoped, even as a Pad wan, that he would some day pass it on.
When Anakin's thirteenth birthday had come, Obi-Wan had thought that he would give the stone to him, but the more that he thought about it, he decided that though Anakin would appreciate the gesture, it was not something that the boy would truly love. Finally, Obi-Wan had settled on a mechno-tool that had more functions than Obi-Wan could even count. When he gave it to Anakin, he knew that he had made the right choice. Anakin now used it for every project and it had even come in handy on missions.
And so, the stone had remained tucked away, until a new day came around. Now that it was Sarah's birthday, Obi-Wan wanted to make the right decision for her as well. As much as he wanted to pass on the stone to a Pad wan, he wanted it to be right.
So Obi-Wan had wrestled with the idea for quite awhile. Eventually though, as he watched his Padawans closely, he realized that it was the right thing to do. Anakin so often reminded Obi-Wan of Qui-Gon that the grief would rise up again inside of his heart. Though it was no longer an acidic pain, it still panged inside of his heart to see Anakin's similarities to Qui-Gon.
And yet, Sarah was so much like Obi-Wan it seemed. She was much more serious, quiet, and always quite content to simply meditate while Anakin twitched while failing miserably in his attempts to concentrate. Obi-Wan had decided that the stone that was so precious to him, would find a new home with his Padawan.
When Anakin and Sarah rejoined the party, the small group of friends and Jedi ate and talked and had a good time. Some of the older Jedi told stories of when Obi-Wan himself had been a Padawan. It seemed that Anakin and Sarah were quite successfully carrying on in his tradition, as Obi-Wan had apparently attracted quite a bit of attention from females when he had been a Padawan, and as Siri cheerfully reminded them, he still did.
Obi-Wan didn't think that he had ever blushed so much in his life. He was having a wonderful time, but there, deep in his heart was a small ache. I wish you were here, Master. Oh how Obi-Wan wished that Qui-Gon could be here. Obi-Wan could see him as a bit of a doting grandfather-type. Obi-Wan knew that were Qui-Gon here, he would indeed be proud of Obi-Wan, and his Padawans. Perhaps it is better though, they would probably like him better, Obi-Wan thought ruefully.
He was then snapped out of his reverie when he heard the words Melida/Daan. He quickly interjected. Clearing his throat he said, "I think that that's quite enough about me for now," glaring at his friends. "Perhaps we should save that particular story for another time."
This statement of course drew loud cries of protest from the younger Padawans that were there. Finally though, he managed to change the subject, and soon Dex was entertaining everyone with loud stories and impersonations as his days as a prospector on the Outer Rim. Obi-Wan personally would rather that Dex not fill his Padawans' heads with his stories that, at times contained quite objectionable content, but in any case, Obi-Wan was glad that the focus was off of him.
After awhile, Obi-Wan pulled Sarah away from the crowd, which was now laughing uproariously. Obi-Wan caught a few words that sounded suspiciously like, "bantha" and "inebriated." I don't even want to know. He led Sarah away from the crowd to a bench outside.
He took a deep breath and began, "Well, Padawan, it is your birthday."
Sarah raised her eyebrows at him. She could not help a small smirk, "Indeed, it is."
"Insolent youngling." Obi-Wan muttered, pretending to be offended.
"You've always been quite the drama queen, Master." Sarah said, giving Obi-Wan an innocent look.
Obi-Wan smiled and drew the stone out of his pocket and handed it to her. "Happy birthday, my Padawan."
Sarah turned the stone over a few times in her hands, feeling its smooth surface, running her fingers along the faint red lines.
Obi-Wan paused a moment before speaking, and then he said, "This was the very stone that my own Master gave me on my thirteenth birthday. It means a great deal to me. I hope that it will to you."
Sarah opened her mouth to speak, but could not. She stared at the stone in her hands, feeling the warmth radiating from it. Finally she managed to speak. "Thank you Master. I am honored."
Obi-Wan put his hand on her shoulder. "You are a good Padawan Sarah. You have made me proud. Never forget that the Force is always with you. It will forever reside in your soul whether you choose to feel it or not. Please do not forget that. I hope that this stone will remind you always. Don't forget."
Sarah bit her bottom lip, feeling her eyes watering slightly. "I will never forget, Master. Thank you."
They stood and he draped his arm across her shoulders giving her a quick hug. "Happy birthday Padawan." She tucked the stone safely away in her tunic, and together they returned to the party.
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The celebration went relatively late, and after seeing everyone off, Sarah, Anakin, and Obi-Wan were sitting at their favorite booth drinking Jawa Juice and eating leftovers, laughing and talking even later into the night. Finally, they said goodnight to Dex and returned to the Temple.
As they walked up the steps into the towering ziggurat, Obi-Wan ruffled both his Padawans hair. The silent gesture was kind and loving, and when they arrived back at their quarters, they stayed up even longer talking and joking.
They finally said goodnight to each other, though there was not much night left. Obi-Wan told his Padawans that they could sleep in late the next day. All three went to bed feeling quite content and full of Dex's food.
Obi-Wan and Anakin fell asleep almost immediately, but Sarah stayed awake a little bit longer. She could feel the pendant that Anakin had made on her neck, its weight comforting, and she held the river stone in her hands, feeling the warmth of the Force. Smiling, she thought of Obi-Wan and Anakin, and how Qui-Gon had passed this very stone to Obi-Wan.
As the night passed and the stars twinkled in their vast bed of darkness in the sky, all of these Jedi were most certainly connected.
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A/N: Sorry this took so long to update...but that horribly inconvenient thing called life kept butting in. Thanks for reading, I will try to update sooner next time!