"I cannot control him unless you allow me to use the pup, Father."

"You will not use my legitimate heir to…"

Moran held up his hand in a silencing gesture. "If you wish for the Sith's protection then there will be obedience here, Father."

The king took a menacing step forward, his royal cloak swished elegantly about his feet. "Hamish is my son."

"The boy himself recognizes the Jedi as his parental figure. He is still John, not your Hamish. Let me change that for you, let me turn the child against his master." Moran played his father like a set of reed pipes. His words flowed with the Force.

"How?" The king asked, at last sounding desperate.

Moran pulled out a small jab and ran his thumb over the needle. "With help from my own master.

oOo

John was beginning to forget his dislike of Harriet.

She referred to him only as "John", no longer Hamish. She allowed him to practice with the Force under her watchful eye. She even sparred with him occasionally. John grimaced as a play sword cut his leg.

Harriet was immediately apologetic, but John waved her off. He was in too good a mood to be worried about a small cut.

Today was the day his master promised escape.

John leaned against the stone walls of the training facility and watched his leg heal itself. Harriet watched in awe. "Did the Jedi teach you this?"

"No." John said proudly. "I have always been able to heal myself."

Harriet unlaced her combat boots slowly, she placed her sword on the weapons table. The young woman worried at her lower lip. "Not when you lived here, John." She said slowly.

John shook his head. Clearly Harry didn't remember. "Harriet, I could heal myself from the first day I arrived at temple."

John remembered slipping on the way from his savior's ship and getting a bloody nose. His rescuer merely smiled as he wiped the blood away. It was the only part of the Jedi's face he had been allowed to see, for fear of developing attachment the Jedi kept his hood drawn over his head.

"Easy, little guy." The master chuckled. The Jedi grinned when he noted the absences of any injury to the child's nose once the blood was cleaned. "Look at that. You are quite strong with the Force, kid."

John had beamed with pride.

Harriet roused him back to the present moment with a soft shake. He blinked at her, she had her jaw clenched defiantly as a robed figure approached. John jutted his chin out proudly as he sense the Sith's spawn approach. Moran grinned evilly at the little boy.

With a lazy click of the fingers he tried to summon John to his side. The boy merely cocked a defiant eyebrow. Moran chuckled. "Ah, this will be fun."

Harriet stepped between the brothers protectively. "What do you want, Seb?"

"To take the boy to his master, dear sister." Moran said sweetly. "I am having the Jedi prepared for his arrival now, it would be a shame to keep him waiting. Wouldn't it, John?"

"What do I have to change?" The child said cautiously.

"Nothing, dear child. Your master has agreed to change for you."

At that the child leap from his spot, his eyes bore in Moran's angrily. Moran inclined his head thoughtfully at the child's temper. "Two steps behind and to the left, Johnny boy."

John swallowed his temper whole. He pulled his bear from its perch, it never left his side since being blessed by his grandfather.

Master?

Nothing.

oOo

As a child healing had been more excruciating than the torture.

The first time Lestrade tried to take him to the healer, Sherlock had sob shamefully and begged at his master's feet not to make him go. As the imbecile's reattached his shoulder joints he remembered why.

The ball was thrust back into the socket mercilessly. Sherlock gave a small grunt of pain, the Jedi thrashed away from the "healers", but was immediately silenced by several whips to the back. They pinned his arms behind him as the young Jedi struggled.

There wasn't a bone in his body not broken. The healers ignored those and set all his dislocated joints back into place. Sherlock gave a murderous yell when the reasserted his hip bone into place. His broken bones screamed loudly with protest.

They held his head down forcefully and began reattaching nerve fibers in his neck. The Jedi kicked out, managing to strike one swiftly in the stomach. The healer flew back. "Leave me be, damn you!"

Sherlock was immediately restrained again under rough hands. When they made their way to his back and began relocating his spinal cord into proper position he blacked out. He allowed himself to be washed away by the will of the Force. It was a mild comfort, one that was interrupted as he was slapped awake.

They needed to dress him.

He was shoved cruelly into the black uniform of Sith's. Dark black pants, a tight muscle shirt, that now fit him, his hair was greased back into place, and all his curls became smooth. He noted the lady healer took her time pulling his pants up. As if it wasn't humiliating enough to be dressed, he was being thoroughly examined by a woman with lingering eyes.

They pushed him back into his cell with no chains.

Only his collar.

He didn't want John to see him dressed as the thing the boy feared most. He didn't want John's mind to think his master had willing changed to a Sith. The knight paced nervously, his limbs were on fire.

The cell door creaked open, Sherlock's eyes fluttered to the Acolyte and the boy standing side by side, Moran's hand rested painfully on John's shoulder. John shot Sherlock a pleading look.

"Come here." Sherlock commanded softly. The boy pulled out of Moran's grasp and ran to his master's side. Sherlock did not comfort the child, he merely pushed the boy behind him as Moran produced a small needle. John clutched his mentor's leg. "He's only a child."

"It did not stop us from using it on you, and you were younger." Moran's eyes glittered wildly. Sherlock cast Moran a bored look.

"If this is what it takes for you to control a child, it is no wonder you were never made a Sith's apprentice." Sherlock carefully tapped John's head. His pocket saber was hidden in a small crevasse behind the boy's leg. The code was well received.

"Unfortunately it is not meant for him, my friend." Moran said coldly.

Sherlock was baffled for only a second. It was meant for him, to show John what a full Sith Lord could do. It was meant to chase John away. "Moran…"

"Oh yes, please beg. Not that it will change anything."

Sherlock shoved his padawan away from him forcefully. John shot him a look full of hurt, Sherlock cringed. "John, run. Go find your sister."

Moran cocked a sly smile. "Stay here, boy. Or I will torture your master into his next life."

"Little one, run. Now." Sherlock said shortly as Moran approached him with the jab. Sherlock reached for the Force though the collar drained away his life energy. He laced his voice with power. "John, obey me!" He shouted.

John did the exact opposite of his master's wishes. A small green blade came to life in his hand, to which he attacked Moran with. He sank the blade into the Acolyte's leg. Moran screamed and fell back, the jab clattered to the floor.

"Master, what is…?"

"A liquid form of the blood crystal." Sherlock shoved John behind his master's leg. "It is the source of your nightmare, little one." John clutched Sherlock's pant leg terrified. Moran limped towards them, needle back in hand.

"Master, m-my nightmare, I d-don't…" John wept nosily. In his nightmare he had tortured his master, the boy couldn't let that happen. "Sherlock." He whimpered.

The knight scooped the boy close to his chest, the boy's bear fell to the ground. "That is enough, little one. You are a very unattractive little boy when you cry."

John buried his face in his master's neck. "You said we were gonna escape…" He muttered.

"Yes, John. And Jedi do not lie." Sherlock's voice was far away. The knight placed his lips against the child's fair head. The boy faltered. "I am attached to you, John."

"Mas-"

"Goodbye, my little one."

If pulling a light saber apart knocked him out, pulling Moran apart would surely kill him. Especially with the effects of his collar.

Sherlock held John's head delicately against his strong shoulder, reaching into the Force he centered on protecting his padawan. His focus remained trained on John as the collar fed off his life energy. Moran's being began to shimmer. Sherlock focused on his padawan's soft hair, the way it tickled his nose. The small body that was clinging to his shirt, Sherlock marvel a finally time at John's tiny hands. He took comfort in the fact that his padawan would never be harmed by the Acolyte.

Moran was screaming, he stared at his limbs as hands vanished before his eyes. Sherlock pressed John tighter against his neck. He kept the child's eyes cover and felt the warmth of tears on his palm.

One day John would understand.

He had to stay safe.

The little boy had to stay pure.

Moran's arms were gone, his legs, his lower half.

Beads of sweat dripped down the young Jedi's face. John began struggling against his master's grip. "Master! Master, please!"

Sherlock clasped the boy tighter as his life energy drained. Sherlock staggered forward and fell to his knees. Moran screamed loudly as his head was lost into the Force. Sherlock barely managed to maintain his hold on the boy as he fell to his side.

John called for him repeatedly, but the knight's ears refused to hear the boy's pleading calls. His ocean grey eyes looked deeply into John's sky blue and slowly, ever so slowly, closed.

"MASTER!" The child screamed.

Sherlock's eyes reopened when the boy screamed for him.

"Little one." He croaked. John was stroking his hair gently. Sherlock reached for the tiny hand and applied light pressure. "I haven't much time."

"Don't say that, Master." John sobbed heavily. "You came back when I called you."

Sherlock's eyes fluttered as he motioned for the boy to lay on his chest. John obeyed his teacher swiftly, Sherlock sighed. "I did not get to say good bye in the visions."

"Master." The child cried.

"Little one, listen to me." Sherlock stared downward into sky blue eyes. "I have contacted Mycroft, he will be at the base by the time you arrive. When I have…"

"Master, please. I beg of you…"

"When I have passed, you will go there." Sherlock gave his padawan a light squeeze. "And you will not look back." Sherlock nipped the child's ear. "You will not look back."

"You will not die, Master. You cannot leave me." The child cried selfishly.

"Little one, I will never leave you. There is no death, child. Only the Force, I will remain with you, if you will remain with me until I am given to the Force."

"I-I will stay, Master." The child curled into a ball as his master's breathing grew labored. "You knew…"

The accused smiled painfully. "Yes, John."

John's breath hitched, the pain the child felt was indescribable. Surely his chest would burst from pain, there was no plausible way his lungs would take in air the same way again. His eyes would never dry, his nose would always run. Sherlock caressed his padawan's back gently. "You are angry?"

"Of course not, Master." John cried.

"Scared?"

"Yes." John whispered. "Don't go."

"If I could stay…" Sherlock pressed his lips to the child's forehead. "My little one, you are the only reason I do not wish to pass."

John wrapped his hands in the tight muscle shirt, his master's arms were tight around him. John could hear the former strong heart beat beginning to fade beneath his cheek. His master grew paler with every second. John buried his face into the strong chest, Sherlock gave a muffled groan. "Master…you can't…" The child's heart began to break.

"Little one." Sherlock was surprised to find himself crying. He begged the Force to let him stay with his padawan, to let him raise the boy. The child wasn't ready to be without him yet, it wasn't fair to John. Nor was it fair to the knight, who had only recently discovered kindness at the child's hands. "You will always be my little one." Sherlock said with pain.

"You will always be my master." John whispered.

"You will…" Sherlock took a sharp intake of breath. "Move on, with time."

"No." John said truthfully, the boy wiped his tears on the back of his hand. "May I take that collar off, master? I-I…"

"Only the dark side can remove it, John." Sherlock murmured. "And I do not want you to feel…"

John reached for the collar slowly, shadows engulfed his hand threaten, but the padawan reached for the light side. "Buggar off." The child hissed as he undid the collar's buckle, the shadows retreated.

"Will you ever obey me, little one?"

John felt the pain of his master's breaking heart rush into his mind. Both Jedi gasped as the other's pain mingled with their own, neither could shield from the other. John sobbed harder.

"Master."

"John."

"Grandpa said…that he'd come at the end…" John cried as he realized the elder Jedi meant at the end of Sherlock's life.

Sherlock stroked John's hair lightly. "He will comfort you when I'm gone." Sherlock sighed. "Kick him in the shins for me."

"Why don't you do it yourself, Curly?" A warm voice flooded the cold cell.

John gaped as his grandfather appeared before them.

"Grandpa!"

"Master…"

Lestrade grinned at both his boys.

"'Lo, Curly. I have missed you."