Title: The Quandary
Author: BaBaKaNuSh-13
Email: Action (an adequate amount, anyway), Angst, AU (Age 13) (If only '13' started with 'A', too!)
Summary: AU to the ending of Jedi Apprentice: The Dark Rival. Qui-Gon didn't take Obi-Wan as his apprentice after the incident in the mine, and the young Jedi is faced with the task of trying to stay alive as another prospective master takes an interest in him.
Rating: PG/K+
Spoilers: Minor ones for the JA books
Archive: Yes, of course! That is, if anyone would want it. Just please email me first.
Disclaimer: The Star Wars universe belongs to George Lucas. I'm not making any money out of this, so please don't sue.

A/N: Well, here we are. The last chapter. I hope I haven't disappointed any of you with this fic (I don't know why I thought of saying that now, since it's actually finally finished. I can't really change the storyline even though I did change it a couple of weeks ago, and just decided to stick with this version this morning :) or anything, at this stage. Well, I could, but I'm too lazy to do that. I'm blabbering on again. I should have some sort of blabbering alarm around my neck, which zaps me every time I do it. My hair would end up being as spiky as Obi-Wan's is – even though mine's much longer. Ouch! That was my blabbering zapper going off again. I'd better quit while I'm ahead. Wow, look how much I just wrote, and it's all in brackets. Ouch!) .

Anyway, enough!

Enjoy.

Dedication: Once again, to Writer of all, who helped me get back on my horse after I fell off (well, not literally, of course – metaphorically). Anyway, thanks for your help and support! Oh, and I guess I should dedicate this to all my reviewers, too. Thanks to you guys, as well! Your support throughout this fic has really boosted my spirits and confidence, which often tends to wane without my permission for it to do so. Thanks!

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Chapter 10

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Obi-Wan drifted towards consciousness hazily. He was warm all over, he realised, and felt utterly weightless. He slowly opened his eyes to find that he was totally surrounded by, and covered in, a viscous pink liquid.

Startled, he realised that he was in a bacta tank.

Obi-Wan had only ever been in one once before, when he'd fallen off a balcony in the Temple gardens a few months ago. He'd wanted to prove to Garen that he could back flip off the railing into the lake, a good few metres away horizontally. Unfortunately, a Master had spotted him at the last minute, and had yelled at him to get down at once, breaking his concentration. He'd slipped off the balcony, wet from his already-dripping clothes, and had fallen the four stories to the ground. The only reason he had even survived, and was fortunately impermanently damaged, was the fact that he was a Jedi, and one with excellent reflexes.

Needless to say he'd been in a lot of trouble after that. And a lot of pain.

The young Jedi looked beyond his tank to the room around him. It was empty of any medics, but he wanted to get out. He felt stifled and hot, now, and needed fresh air. On the other side of the room, his readouts were flashing with each heartbeat, and a light indicated that he was conscious, yet no one came to check on him since there was no sign that he was in any trouble. If the breather covering his nose and mouth would have permitted it, Obi-Wan would have sighed, frustration welling up in his chest. He wanted to get out! Now!

As that irritated thought flashed through his mind, a tall figure walked calmly into the room. It took Obi-Wan a second glance for his mind to register who it was. But there was no mistaking the formidable presence of the reputable Jedi Master, Qui-Gon Jinn.

Obi-Wan was sure that he'd only been imagining the man's presence on Bandomeer, that the whole situation when the Jedi Master had come to save him was merely a hallucination or a dream – no, more like a terrible, horrible nightmare.

It mustn't have been.

But that meant …

Oh Force, no …

He'd killed Xanatos.

He was a murderer.

He ducked his head so that the Master couldn't see his face.

It had been different when the pirates had attacked their cargo ship to Bandomeer, Obi-Wan thought. He had been saving more lives than he was killing, and he hadn't directly killed the pirates, hadn't seen their destruction. Even when he'd returned the stun bolt towards the whipids and they'd both fallen to their deaths off the cliff into the churning sea below, he hadn't actually intended for them to die. It had been an unfortunate accident. No less upsetting, but an accident, all the same.

But when he'd stabbed Xanatos with his lightsabre, it had been with intent. He'd had to stop the man … and he had run him through, been mere steps away when he'd done it, had seen the life leave the older man's cruel eyes as he gasped for every last breath.

Obi-Wan turned his face away from Qui-Gon's probing gaze, ashamed and filled with an all-consuming guilt.

Qui-Gon stepped up to the tank, nonetheless. "I'd expect that you'd be wanting to get out of there by now," he said softly with a slight smile, reaching out to slap his palm on the large, red button next to him to summon a Healer. Qui-Gon had felt the unshielded waves of frustration and impatience practically radiating off Obi-Wan through the bond they shared. Obviously the boy still hadn't noticed the link, yet. After a concussion Qui-Gon hadn't expected any less.

Qui-Gon stood back to give the Healer's access to the bacta tank and waited while they removed the boy, dried him off, and helped him dress into fresh clothes. Obi-Wan was still yet to meet his eyes since he'd walked in.

The young Jedi sat still through a check-up, and despite a little wooziness he would feel from the necessary sedation to be submerged in the bacta tank, combined with the after effects of his concussion, the Healers assured him that he would be fine to leave. So, Obi-Wan waited patiently for the papers which would release him from the infirmary, staring at his cleaned boots, unsure of how to acknowledge the presence of the older man in the room.

Qui-Gon could feel the turmoil in the boy and decided to speak up.

"I have to thank you, Obi-Wan, for saving me earlier."

Obi-Wan finally glanced up at Qui-Gon, but merely nodded his head before looking away again.

"You save me, too. We're even," he said neutrally.

There was a stretch of silence.

"Why are you here?" Obi-Wan finally blurted out. He suddenly looked shocked at his outburst, but Qui-Gon rushed to reassure him.

"It's okay, Obi-Wan," he said. "I felt that you were in danger, and came to Bandomeer to see if I could help you in any way," he explained.

Obi-Wan cocked his head to the side and looked at the older man curiously. Qui-Gon sighed and knew he would have to explain it further to Obi-Wan.

"We have a bond, Obi-Wan. Look for yourself."

The boy looked surprised, but obediently closed his eyes and stretched out with his Force-senses. A moment later, Qui-Gon felt Obi-Wan tugging gently on his side of the bond. He smiled slightly.

Obi-Wan's eyes flew open. "I feel it."

Qui-Gon nodded. "Yes. As much as I wished to deny it, it has always been there, only it's stronger now."

Qui-Gon took a deep breath, steeling himself. "I've ignored many things, Obi-Wan – you, Yoda, the Force – but I can't run away anymore. I unwittingly called you Padawan in the mines, Obi-Wan, but it was only until I thought Xanatos was going to kill me that I realised it. You are my Padawan, Obi-Wan, in everything but title. I'd denied it for so long, but I can't any longer.

"I would be honoured, Obi-Wan Kenobi, if you would be my Padawan Learner."

Obi-Wan inhaled sharply. He looked confused for a moment, and Qui-Gon was sure he would refuse after all he'd put the boy through.

Obi-Wan opened his mouth, and Qui-Gon waited on baited breath for his answer, his stomach surprisingly twisting itself into a tangle of nervous knots.

"I would be my pleasure to be your Apprentice, Master," Obi-Wan said, smiling brilliantly for the first time in so long.

Qui-Gon grinned back – a true, relieved grin – and placed his hand on the boy's shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

They lapsed into a comfortable silence, and Qui-Gon could feel Obi-Wan tugging on the weak, but ever-growing, bond as if for reassurance that it was really there – that this was really happening. Qui-Gon smiled slightly, and eventually broke the mutual silence, giving Obi-Wan's shoulder another encouraging pat.

"Well, Padawan, it looks like we'd better get you a haircut before we return to our first mission. King Sandrobar refused to begin the festivities until I returned to Riskala. I'm sure that he will be most pleased to welcome another guest."

Pushing aside the part of his conscience sternly that reminded his rebellious mind that they had other matters to deal with (such as the memorialistic funeral pyre for the tragic loss of his wayward former Apprentice, whose body now rested back at the Jedi Temple), Qui-Gon felt Obi-Wan's sheer joy rippling through his mind – through the tenacious bond that linked him to this strong, talented, amazingly loyal and selfless boy.

Looking into his Padawan's youthfully beaming face, the boy's cerulean eyes finally lit up and swirling with excitement, Qui-Gon realised that he and Obi-Wan had a long journey ahead of them. He knew that it wouldn't always be an easy one, but he looked forward to every minute of it. He would have to talk to Obi-Wan, to help him come to terms with the death of Xanatos, and with everything that had happened to him. He could still feel the boy's uncertainty and guilt gently seeping across the bond, and would need to address it soon.

For a few days, however, they could afford to enjoy themselves as they embarked on their first and most important mission: of becoming Master and Apprentice.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

A happy ending! See, I'm not such a big meanie, after all. Besides the fact that I killed 4 characters. My ancients … er, I mean, my grandparents (nah, I love them, it's just what my sister and I call them since mum and dad are the olds) … thought I was cruel when they asked how many people I was going to kill in my story, when I told them I was writing one. They were only joking, but were, to say the least, a little shocked when I told them how many. I told them about the whole Xanatos situation and about his character and what he'd done, though, and they forgave me. :) My pa thinks it's hilarious.

Anyway, I think this is my last goodbye.

Well, not forever.

I'm currently writing another JA fic, The Death of All Hope, and another which I actually started before this one, but it's a novel-length, so it might not be out until the end of the year. If you wanted to read a small outtake of it, it's on my yahoo group. Just go to my profile page and click on "homepage." Also, I'm posting a very short one-shot JA fic, to explain Obi-Wan's balcony accident mentioned at the start of this chapter. And finally, I'm going to write a one-shot sequel to this. Just to tie up some loose ends.

So, I guess this is tootles, TTFN, ciao, whatever you want to say, it's still goodbye for this particular fic … and most of all: thankyou.

Also, thankyou to all those who were concerned about my grandmother. She thankfully died two weeks ago (which sounds terrible, but she had cancer and was in a lot of pain, so it was awful to see her like that), and we had her funeral last week. It was really nice.

Oh, and remember what I taught you: Read and Review Religiously! Religiously as in 'all the time,' you don't have to quote psalms to me from the bible, or anything. Unless you want to, of course, I'm not fussed :).

Okay, I'm waffling.

Oh, BTW, the length of my reply doesn't mean I like one of you more or less … you're all awesome! It just means that I have a tendency to ramble on with some topics, and those people with really long replies have had the unfortunate experience of hitting my weakness on the head with unnerving aim!

And, just so you know, all my wonderful readers and reviewers … I LOVE YOU ALL! (though I have to admit that I love reviewers more than just readers ;) Nothing personal, I just thrive on the feedback and the thought that you've taken up your free time to review as I have done to write this fic).

Also, if everyone could tell me their favourite chapter, that would be awesome! Just because I'm curious. Chapters 8 and 5 seemed to be everyone's favourite, judging by the stats. I'm not sure, though, so it would be awesome if you could tell me. Thanks!

To replies:

wyldcat: Uni can be really hard. Argh! It is now. At the moment I'm skipping a class to write this … whoops! I have so many things due at the moment and I'm so stressed out, but I just HAD to write this now:) Hope all your assessments went okay at school. I hate assessments … teachers always pop them on you at the last minute. And I'm really not an organised person, so I just don't cope! Anyway, thanks for your support with this fic, and hope to hear from you in the future! All the best.

Sithspawned: I'm glad one person liked me killing Xanatos … lol! He has such a following out there in the Star Wars universe! ;D And killing him did solve things really well, didn't it? So, thanks for your awesome review, and support of my fic! All the best. Oh, and I don't know if I've told you this before, but if I have, I'll mention it again … I LOVE your penname! It's awesome!

Nathalia Potter: That would be awful for Jane! Euck! Pregnant on one of those old, barely-sea-worthy ships! Poor thing! Well, I have ancestors from everywhere (all over the UK and Sweden, at least), but I know that some were convicts and my some-number-of-greats-grandfather was one of the leaders of the Eureka rebellion. That's all I know. And don't worry about bragging … I always brag to people that I'm related to Banjo Patterson (it's true, but I still like to show off :D) and apparently to Ned Kelly, but I'm not sure if that last one's true. It's just what my Nan told me, and I think she might be making it up:) Anyway, thanks for reviewing! All the best.

Cowgirl4Christ: Glad you liked it! And glad you liked Qui-Gon in this chapter … he can be so frustrating, sometimes – especially in this fic. But, I forgive him now, after this chappie. :) So, hoped you like the ending! And I agree with you about the emotion thing … I couldn't even imagine having to kill someone! And watching someone die would be awful. I'm just glad that they don't have the death penalty in Australia … I don't think anyone deserves to be killed – I think it would be much more punishment if they were just left to rot in jail. Anyway, I'll hastily get off the very controversial topic now :). All the best, and thanks for your support! Oh, and your reaction to one more chapter made me all warm and fuzzy inside … I can't tell you how much. Thankyou!

Ann Jinn: Suspense … I love suspense, so I'm glad you appreciated it:) Hmm, I actually based Obi-Wan's shock on what I've felt before when I've been hurt. It's really disorientating and you have no idea what's going on around you. You don't know what you're saying and what others are saying to you, and it feels like everything is happening to someone else. Wow, I'm rambling now! Oh, and thankyou for your about my grandmother, it was much appreciated. Anyway, thanks for your support of this fic! All the best. Oh, and "WELCOME!"

Master Kaym: Lurking is no good:) I'm glad you come out of it, though. It was awesome to get your review! I'm glad you like this fic, too. Thankyou so much! I love hearing from everybody. So, thanks for coming out of lurking and for reviewing! Much appreciated! All the best.

whatevergirl: Thanks, I was getting worried about my mental state:) and I'm glad you forgave me about Xanatos … I'd hate to lose you at this stage! And I LOVE your faith in Qui-Gon … it's very refreshing. Anyway, I always love getting your reviews, so thankyou so much! So, all the best, and thanks a billion for your support! And thankyou SO much for reviewing both editions of the chapter! I really appreciate it! And I'm glad you liked both. :) All the best.

coymelody: Hope you weren't late on my behalf! I'd feel really really bad about it! Sorry if you were! Sorry it took so long for me to get this out, too. Hope you forgive me :) I'm a bit hopeless if you hadn't noticed it yet ;D. Anyway, thanks for your brilliant review an your support, and, as always, all the best!

Writer of all: I'm glad you liked this! I love hearing from you, as you already knew! Sorry about the long wait for the update, and thankyou so much for your continuing help and support! Hope to hear from you soon! Talk to you later! Oh, and thank you so much for reviewing both chapters and … well, for everything!

Nelarun: thanks! Yes, I made sure Obi-Wan was alright … though for a moment there I changed the storyline so that he wasn't … aren't I evil? It was a good storyline, though, but it meant that I would then have to write a sequel, and I didn't know if I had it in me. So, glad you've been reading and reviewing this fic, hope you liked it, and all the best. Thanks for your brilliant support!

Fifilla: Yay, he is okay! And no, thankYOU for your support of my fic … it was great hearing from you. And thankyou SO much for your review of my second-take of the chapter. I was so excited when I read it! I'm glad you liked it even better. And I was happy with it, thankyou :). I must say, thankyou once again for all your marvellous support of this story, and all the best.

The Burninator Named Trogdor: I'm sorry! cringes I knew you'd be upset with me:( sorry. I'd planned this so long ago, and as I was re-editing the last few chapters, I was literally cringing when I thought about what it would do to you. Sorry. I truly do love getting your reviews, though … I really look forward to them! And I LOVED your ideas for salvaging this story … they were brilliantly inspired:D So, can't wait to begin the story, but I know what you mean about falling out of fanfiction. I haven't been around much either, and when I have been … well, I'll just say that I TOTALLY understand what you mean about stressed:) Well, I hope some things are clearing up for you now, and I hope you did well on your AP tests (even though I'm ashamed to admit that I don't know what AP test are!), I'm sure you did. And thankyou for what you said about rewriting. You made me feel heaps better about it. :) thankyou so much for all your constant support. Hope you feel better. returns the hug. That made me feel better, thankyou. :) Oh, and thanks for reviewing both versions of the chappie! All the best!

Child-of-the-Dawn: I'm glad that was okay. Mush? I don't think I achieved it, but I hope you liked this story anyway. I'm not very good at mush. Sorry. :) So, every review from you has been a pleasure to read, and you have such awesomely positive spirit in each one! Thanks for the constant support of this fic, and all the best!

des: A big, fuzzy warm "WELCOME!" to my review page! Thankyou for your review. I know, I take a long time to update, but life's been a bit hectic these last couple of months, so I hope you'll accept my sincerest apologies. And I hope you enjoyed this fic, and the ending to it. Well, the part-ending. I've currently written an outtake of Obi-Wan's balcony accident and am writing a tying up of loose ends sequel. So, I'm really blabbering on now. Anyway, thanks for reviewing! All the best.

Justice of the People: You changed you name! Aw, I like this name heaps, too, but I absolutely LOVED Bloody Dead Rose. :D Ah, well. I do have to say, though, that you have a unique sound to your pennames … and that's a good thing, I just can't describe it. You come up with awesome names. Anyway, wonderful ideas with Xanatos' body – the concept of it made me tingle, and you can't even imagine how tempted I was to change the story line to adapt it. However, I've been going on too long with this fic, which was meant to posted really quickly, so I'm afraid I realised that, although brilliant, I just couldn't make it work. Thankyou, though. And thanks for your spiffing (I LOVE that word, and so I had to use it even though it doesn't really fit into the sentence!) reviews, as always. Thankyou so much! All the best. Oh, and thankyou so much for reviewing both chapters, it was much appreciated. I understand what you mean about Obi-Wan and Xanatos being so different and similar at the same time … I guess it came down to their choices, as to who they turned out to be, though – yes, I do read too much Harry Potter, if you were wondering:) Thankyou so much for your sympathies. It wasn't really that hard for me when she died, though. It was so much better to know that she was in peace, rather than suffering. Anyway, thankyou once again!

Galimeril: I'm sorry to hear about your losses. It's hard, I know, I've lost many in my family to cancer, too. Thankyou for your sympathies, they were much appreciated and welcomed. My grandmother died two weeks ago, although I see it as a mercy, since she was in so much pain and couldn't even recognise my mum in the final stages of her life. Anyway, I'll change the morbid topic, and say "WELCOME!" and thankyou so much. Your review really touched me, and I'm glad that you like the fic. And again, I'm sorry to hear of your losses. Hope you're okay. All the best.

i luv ewansmile: Delicious … aww, thanks! I'm all fuzzy inside, now! I'm going to miss this story, too, just because I love hearing what all you guys think of it. Aww, I'm really all fuzzy and mushy inside! Thanks … I'm speechless, I don't know what to say! Just know that I'm eternally grateful for your wonderful review! Thanks for your constant support of this story, and … just thankyou! All the best.

Holiday From Real: Flute? I loved your review, though I must admit that I'm a little worried :). I'm glad you like this fic. It's nice hearing from you. Thankyou so much for reviewing, and I have to say a big, warm, fuzzy, "WELCOME!" to my review page. Feel free to make yourself at home, as long as you promise not to try and bash my head in anymore! Lol! Thanks. All the best!

Anyway, tootles!

BaBaKaNuSh-13