Incognito12 – Well, now we know why Mia was on the run.

sterling5842 – Yes, I wouldn't mess with Xan. It is really sad that he loves her, but doesn't really know how to love her. The only way he knows how to show he cares is to control her, something she doesn't take kindly to.

Chapter 5

It was time.

The past weeks had been spent forcing herself to stay awake at night so that her daytime fatigue would be real, and Xanatos would consider her weaker than she really was. He had left on business three days ago, and Mia had waited, not making her move immediately. It was her hope that days without incident would lull household security into letting their guard down. Now all that remained was a world of "ifs".

If she could get outside the estate walls – she was accomplished with a blaster, but Xanatos' security was very well trained. It was her hope that they would be under orders not to use force for fear of harming Crion. It was an awful feeling knowing that her son would be her shield, but she had little choice. She wouldn't allow Xanatos to be the lone voice in her son's upbringing after she was gone.

If the speeder and ship were waiting as promised by an outside contact – it had been difficult to evade Xanatos' communications net and make contact with her former life, but she had paid well to have transportation waiting.

If Crion had not been moved – her plan left little room for error, and precious time could be wasted if she had to search for her son. It could mean the difference between success and failure.

If Xanatos was truly away – this was by far the most troubling thought. He could be waiting right outside her door, and she didn't want to even consider what might happen if he was.

She took a deep breath. As soon as she disconnected her monitors, the medical staff would flood the room, and then she had a matter of minutes before security would arrive. The alarm sounded, and she slipped down beside her bed, collecting a small bag she had hidden and a blaster she had managed to acquire. She used the confusion of the moment to slip, unseen, out the door and close it on them, locking them in her prison. Swinging the bag onto her back, she made a run for the nursery.

Crion was sleeping, so peaceful, so beautiful, and she hated to wake him.

"Crion," she whispered, stroking fingers down the side of his face. Bright blue eyes looked up at her, and she smiled.

"Mama," he beamed sleepily.

"Come on. We need to go bye bye," she said.

He reached for her, completely trusting. She began to leave.

"Da?" he questioned.

"No, Sweetheart. He's not coming," she said, pressing a gentle kiss to the child's forehead.

Just a moment's rest, it was all she needed. The staircase was proving to be more of a drain than she had anticipated; especially considering the weight of the sleeping child she carried in her arms. She sat down on the steps, not caring that the glances of those passing by lingered on her. All that mattered was the precious boy cradled against her chest. He was the reason she had pushed herself beyond reasonable expectations for someone in her state of health.

"Mia, come down and let's discuss this."

Soren, Xanatos' right-hand man, stood at the bottom of the landing ramp. She stood, half-hidden by the hull of the ship, ready to duck behind its safety should anyone fire on her. The blaster in her hand never wavered, firmly trained on the man's chest.

"You honestly expect me to come down," she scoffed. "I seal this door, and I'm free."

"Didn't you think it was a bit easy? You were allowed to escape, Mia," the man said. "Xanatos did not want to take a chance on injuring either of you. He hoped that if I remained behind, I would be able to talk some sense into you. He doesn't have to know. If you come now, we can return to the estate and pretend this never happened. If you go, he will come to retrieve you on his own."

"Xanatos will know," she said.

"This attempt is futile at best, Mia," Soren urged. "You have nowhere to go. He knows about the accounts, even the ones you have tried to channel funds into for this escape. Once you access them, he will know your location. This ship is tagged. You won't get far … and I doubt you will find his forgiveness this time."

There was no choice. While her death in some form was a certainty, if she surrendered, she would never see Crion again. "I hope you're wrong," she said as she hit door controls and made her way to the cockpit.

The past two months had been hell, weeks of arriving somewhere and just beginning to feel as though she could breath, only to have Xanatos show up days later. Exhaustion, worry, and fear had quickly begun to take their toll on her already weakened body.

Soren had been truthful. The ship had been tagged, as had her accounts. She had escaped one port because a kind, elderly shop keeper had informed her of images being circulated of her and Crion, offering a substantial reward. It had prompted her to change her appearance and keep her son covered. Another narrow escape had come because Crion had 'sensed' Xanatos near and gleefully alerted Mia to his presence. She only hoped her son would one day forgive her for taking him away from his father.

They had ultimately been reduced to traveling as refugees, hoping to elude Xanatos, using what little credits remained for food. She was now at the end of her rope, hanging on with desperation, exactly where he wanted her to be. Her last hope stood before her.

She surveyed the large, elegant structure, the one that rose high into the skyline and dominated everything around it. Slowly, she began to climb the stairs again. She pushed through large doors that opened into a guest foyer and reception area. A young human girl sat at the desk, talking to a young Mon Calamari.

"Can I help you?" the girl asked.

Mia hesitated. The world was going in and out of focus, sweat beading on her forehead. She closed her eyes to still the spinning. After gaining composure, she said, "I need to speak with a Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn. It's quite urgent. Can you tell me if he's here?"

"Please, have a seat," the girl said cheerfully. "I'll check and see if he is on Coruscant."

Mia quickly took the seat offered. The world was spinning again, darkness creeping into her vision. She closed her eyes, hearing the Mon Calamari speak.

"Master Jinn returned from a mission two days ago."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course, I just saw Obi-Wan when I accompanied Master Nuran on her rounds this morning."

The voice grew louder, its owner moving toward her. Mia opened her eyes when someone touched her face. The Mon Calamari was standing in front of her, finned hands resting gently on either side of her head, large silver eyes smiling at her. "You're not well at all," she said softly.

"No," Mia admitted. Warmth filled her body, the fog fleeing from her mind. She felt sleepy, her entire body heavy and sinking.

The Mon Calamari girl looked away for a moment. "Kiyla, tell Master Jinn to meet us in the Healer's Ward." Then she looked back to Mia. "My name is Bant. I am going to have someone come and take you and your son to see our healers."

"I don't have time," Mia whispered, trembling. "He will find me."

"I can't imagine anyone would storm the walls of the Jedi Temple looking for you. Even if he did, I assure you, you're safe here."

"Look who's awake," Bant said softly.

The boy looked at her with large, still-sleepy eyes. Thick, dark locks stuck up at odd angles around a bright face.

"Mama?"

"Shhh," she replied. "She's there – sleeping. We should let her sleep."

Her face contorted before she whirled around, leveling a stern look at the russet-haired, teenage boy standing in the doorway. His face was gleefully defiant, jeweled eyes sparkling with delight as he prepared to be scolded.

"And what exactly are you doing up, Obi-Wan Kenobi?"

"The fever broke, so I am no longer contagious. Master Nuran said so herself this morning."

"You still look awful … besides, that's not the point. Master Nuran's orders were to stay in that bed."

"My master is still tied up with the Council, debriefing our last mission. He asked me to come see about our guest, and I can't refuse my master's order." The boy crossed his arms in front of his chest as though daring her to refute his reasoning. She playfully glared at him. "Do you know who she is?" he asked, entering the room to get a better look at the sleeping woman. "Did she say why she wanted to see my master?"

"No, but someone is following her. She's terrified of him finding her. We examined her son. He had a small tracking chip planted beneath his skin. Master Nuran removed and disabled it."

Obi-Wan turned and looked at the boy who was staring up at him and Bant in fascination. "He's Force sensitive." A quick brush against his mind had the teenager's eyes widening. "And, it looks like he's been around someone else Force-sensitive … someone who has at least started teaching him some awareness of his abilities."

"The 'he' she referred to?" Bant wondered.

"Maybe," Obi-Wan replied, placing a hand against the wall to steady himself. He had grown pale, and looked like he might lose the morning meal he had struggled to get down.

"I thought you were feeling fine," she teased. "You might want to get back to your bed now."

"Don't rub it in," he said, scowling as he turned to leave. "Just, let me know if she wakes up before my master gets here."

Mia gradually grew aware of the world around her. She hadn't been this warm, or clean, or comfortable in weeks. She was in some sort of medical center. The hum of equipment filled her ears; the sweet smell of bacta hung in the air. Deep, melodic laughter broke the monotony of sound followed by the giggle of a child, and an insistent, "up!"

Mia looked to the side. A tall man covered in a dark, mahogany-colored robe lifted Crion high over his head. The boy giggled as he was lowered, reaching out to grab a handful of long, chestnut hair.

The Jedi lowered Crion to the ground, remaining hunched over as he attempted to separate his hair from the boy's strong grip.

"Let go, now," he chided in a sing, song baritone.

Mia resisted the urge to laugh. She shouldn't when her son was being so mischievous. Suddenly panic overtook here. She had no idea how long she had slept. She struggled to sit up, unable to force words from her mouth. Two large hands settled her back to the pillow.

"You're fine, you are safe," the man soothed, sitting down before scooping Crion up into his lap. "The healers examined the boy. They removed and disabled a tracking chip …"

"Oh no," she sobbed. Why hadn't it occurred to her before that Xanatos would be tracking them?

"The range on that sort of device is limited. If you haven't been here long, I doubt whoever is following you even knows you are on Coruscant."

"I came directly here from the docking station," Mia murmured. "Are you Master Jinn?"

She knew little of Qui-Gon Jinn other than he had once been Xanatos' mentor, and that he was the man who had killed Xanatos' father. Xanatos had done his best to discredit the Jedi master, but Mia had difficulty believing that the gentle man sitting beside her was the treacherous betrayer Xanatos made him out to be.

"Yes." He studied her for a moment, brows furrowing as he took in her face. "Have we met before? I meet many people throughout the galaxy and sometimes have difficulty remembering names."

"No." She nodded her head. "My name is Mia Kender, and that is my son … Crion Marojni."

The Jedi master visibly paled at the name. Tenseness in his posture and arms created an almost visible barrier between him and the child. Crion looked up at him, confused at the change in demeanor. Mia lowered her head.

"I am sorry to open old wounds," she said gently. "But, I've run out of time. I'm dying, and I don't have the strength to run anymore. I can't die in peace without knowing that my son is safely away from his father. Can you help me?"