Alright, so here is the chapter that begins the climax of the story. It's a bit lengthy, but it is important for the ending.

Now, without further ado...

Chapter Sixteen: When It All Falls Apart…

After a long, exhausting week, Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and Jane walked through the halls of the Temple. They were alone because it was late at night; they had just returned from a mission, still trying to comprehend what had happened at the trade convention.

"I'm just glad Denn and Jace couldn't make it this year," Qui-Gon said. "I wouldn't have wanted either of them involved."

"And, as we all know, that would have been inevitable, because where Jane goes, Jace follows," Obi-Wan said, ruffled Jane's hair.

"Shut up," Jane muttered, grabbing Obi-Wan's wrist and flinging his arm away. She was tired and not feeling well, the mix making her extremely grumpy.

Seeing Obi-Wan's hurt and confused face, Jane sighed.

"I'm sorry, Obi-Wan," She said. "I just don't feel good."

Qui-Gon reached over and put a hand on her forehead.

"You do feel warm," He said, frowning. He stopped her from walking further and scooped her up in his arms, holding her against his chest.

"I can walk," Jane moaned.

"I know you can, but you're not going to," Qui-Gon told her to her frustration. Having recently celebrated her ninth birthday, Jane had decided that she needed to act less child-like and the primary way to do that—in her opinion—was to not be carried around by Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon, though she grudgingly admitted that she still liked it when she was carried around piggy-back style.

Qui-Gon was surprised when she didn't argue further and, by the time that they had gotten back to their quarters, Jane was fast asleep. Though he regretted doing it, he woke her up so that she could change into her pajamas. Within five minutes, she was changed—a trail of clothes following her; Qui-Gon figured that could wait till the morning—and he was tucking her in, though she was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Qui-Gon placed the comforter on her, then put Jane's yellow blanket on top of the comforter; Jane shifted and grabbed her blanket and pulled it closer to her. Qui-Gon smiled; the blanket had always been Jane's rock. It came on missions, trips to the Healer's ward, and was usually brought out whenever she was upset. Recently, Jane had started leaving it at home more, and, when asked, the girl simply responded that she was getting too big to be always dragging around a blanket.

Qui-Gon kissed Jane's warm temple and whispered 'good-night' then left the room to prepare to seek sleep for himself.

The following morning, Qui-Gon stood against the counter, a mug of tea in his hand. It was almost noon, and Jane still hadn't wakened. Thinking it was just that her body was fighting off whatever illness she had, Qui-Gon didn't think waking her at this time was a good idea. He left her door open so he could hear her if she woke up, planning on waking her up later to at least get her to drink something.

But as he was getting up from the couch to wake Jane up, she came tottering out of her room, one had clutching the doorframe for support, her other arm wrapped around her stomach.

"Good to see you awake," Obi-Wan said, grinning at her.

But Qui-Gon knew something was wrong. She was shaking, her eyes were glazed, her face was pale and covered with sweat.

"Jane?" Qui-Gon said. She shook her head…

And fell in a heap onto the floor. And she wasn't breathing.

Qui-Gon paced. There was nothing he could do but pace. Pace, and wait.

He and Obi-Wan had rushed Jane to the Healer's. The on-call Healer took one look at Jane and snatched her out of Qui-Gon's arms. They had taken her to triage and instantly gotten to work. Within seconds, she had a machine breathing for her, a drip full of fluids attached to her, a computer monitoring her every heartbeat. Winna and Bant had stepped into the room not a minute later, having been paged through the Force to come to the Healer's Ward.

The two healers had taken over Jane's care; Winna examined her while Bant asked what had happened, if she had been wounded on their mission whatsoever, anything that could give them a clue as to how to treat the girl.

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan had answered every question asked, but the information gave them no new leads. After what felt like an eternity later, the two were allowed to see Jane. She looked small, frail and helpless to Qui-Gon's eyes. His heart panged; the last time he had seen someone he cared for looking like this, she hadn't survived.

Seeing Qui-Gon's face and knowing where his mind was going, Obi-Wan put a hand on his shoulder.

"Master, I think you need some fresh air," Obi-Wan said.

Qui-Gon nodded.

"I think I'll run over to our quarters," He said. "Pack some of her things. For when she wakes up."

"That sounds marvelous," Obi-Wan said with a comforting smile. "I'll stay here and keep an eye on her."

Qui-Gon kissed Jane's forehead, squeezed her hand and then left the room, hoping to talk to Winna before he left.

He told her where he was going, and that he wasn't planning on being gone long. Winna nodded, and then told him what her plan was.

"We're going to run some blood tests," Winna said. "We think she may have an infection. Hopefully the tests will help us narrow down the options. Also, I'm trying to locate her Corellian medical record and birth certificate. Those are the only things we have not been able to obtain, and they may have answers we need."

Qui-Gon nodded, bid Winna farewell and headed out towards the apartment.

He was finishing packing some of Jane's clothes when he heard the comlink sound. He rushed towards the comlink, thinking it could be the Healer's, but was surprised to see Jace Solo's face appear.

"Hi, Master Qui-Gon," The eleven year old said cheerfully. "Can I talk to Jane?" His smile fell when he registered the look on the Jedi's face. "Is everything alright?"

"No, Jace, it isn't," Qui-Gon said. "Jane is very sick. She's unconscious in the Healer's Ward and is having trouble breathing on her own."

Jace's eyes widened.

"What, how?" The boy asked. He was silent for a long time as Qui-Gon explained. Finally, he whispered, "Can me and my dad come to Coruscant? I just want, I just kind of want to see her." His voice ended in a whisper.

Qui-Gon heard the unspoken words: In case this is the last time I can.

"You'll have to ask your father," Qui-Gon said.

"I've already got the navacomputer changing coordinates," Denn said, coming to stand behind his son. "We should be there by morning."

"Thank you," Qui-Gon said. "I will alert the Temple's guards so that you don't run into any problems when you arrive."

They said their good-byes and hung up.

Qui-Gon had hoped that Jane's condition would improve over the next few hours, but if anything, he felt she was getting worse. Her heart seemed to be slowing down, her temperature dropping from boiling to near freezing.

Winna encouraged Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan to talk to her, as she could hear what was going on subconsciously. So they did: Qui-Gon told her Jace was coming to see her, Obi-Wan seemed to be trying to bribe her awake, and they talked about everything until the very last thing they could discuss was the weather.

Jace and Denn arrived in record time; Denn embraced Qui-Gon in a brotherly manner and asked if there was anything he could do.

"You're here," Qui-Gon responded softly. "That is enough."

Jace asked softly if he could see Jane; he sat down beside her and took her hand.

Winna's search was not going well; they had determined that Jane did have an infection, and that it was related to her parentage.

"At first we thought it was Corellian Fever," Winna said one late afternoon. "But those tests were negative. We've sent the samples to Coruscant General, but they can't tell us what it is until they know where her father is from. They have a few geneticists trying to find out."

"I take it the search for her birth certificate isn't going well?" Obi-Wan said.

"Not well at all," Bant said. "If I knew what region of Corellia she was born in, that would help. Has she ever told you where she was born?"

"Not at all," Qui-Gon said as Obi-Wan shook his head. Qui-Gon turned to Jace, who sat starring at his hands in his lap. The boy had barely spoken since he arrived, which was strongly uncharacteristic; even when he was upset by something, he would get his two-cents into a conversation. "Has Jane ever told you what part of Corellia she was born in?" Qui-Gon asked him.

"No, sir." Jace said softly, not looking up.

Bant sighed.

"Wish me luck. I have one last idea that might work. Just got to hope that the Corellian senator remembers me." She said, then went back into her office.

"She knows the Senator?" Denn asked, his brow furrowed.

"Jedi have a lot of… interesting… connections," Obi-Wan said with a shrug.

"Ah," Denn said.

Impatience and quick-tempers were running high the rest of that afternoon with the two Healers. Winna was upset because the geneticists weren't working fast enough and Bant had apparently run into another wall trying to find Jane's birth certificate.

"According to their records, there is no Jane Marie Mago born on Corellia in the last decade. And don't get me started on the smart-aleck aides." Bant said bitterly. This was the first time Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan had ever seen her this upset over anything.

"That's impossible," Denn said, outraged. "No matter where she's born, she should have a birth certificate. She would have to in order for her mother to name Qui-Gon Jane's guardian."

Qui-Gon, too, was upset. Bant was at a dead end and Jane was getting sicker and sicker as the moments ticked on.

Obi-Wan, sensing Qui-Gon's frustration, led him out of the waiting room and into the hallway.

"Jace knows something," Obi-Wan said softly.

"What do you mean, Jace knows something?" Qui-Gon asked.

"I sensed guilt from him, and confusion. Like he wants to say something, but doesn't want to betray someone's trust."

"Whose trust could he betray?" Qui-Gon asked.

"Jane's," Obi-Wan said. "He's torn between telling and possibly losing her trust, and not telling and more than likely losing her life. I think he needs help in making the decision, or at least someone to talk to. Someone he trusts, that he knows he can tell only so that Jane's life will be saved, and that nothing will be thought more of or less of him, Jane and whatever secret they have."

Qui-Gon pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, knowing the younger man was correct.

"How did you get to be so wise?" He asked.

"I learned from the best," Obi-Wan said, grinning.

"Thank you, Padawan," Qui-Gon said, smiling.

Obi-Wan's brow furrowed in confusion, but his eyes twinkled.

"Master, I was talking about Jane." Obi-Wan said. He winked then walked back into the waiting room.

With a chuckle, Qui-Gon followed. He saw Jace, sitting the farthest away from everyone else, his head in his hands.

Qui-Gon went and sat down beside the boy.

"You are facing a hard decision," Qui-Gon said. "To lose trust to save a life, or to remain faithful and watch someone you love die."

"I can't lose her," Jace mumbled. "I'll either lose her trust, or lose her to death. I will not attend her funeral. So I have to lose a friend."

Jace took a deep breath and raised his head to look at Qui-Gon in the eyes.

"I know why Bant can't find Jane's birth certificate," He said in a breath.

"Was she not born on Corellia?" Qui-Gon asked. "Was she born on her father's homeworld?"

Jace shook his head.

"Her birth certificate is on Corellia," Jace said.

"Then is she registered under her father's surname?" Qui-Gon asked.

"No, sir," Jace said, shaking his head.

Qui-Gon was now very confused.

"Then, what is it?" He asked.

Jace swallowed as tears welled up in his eyes.

"It's her name," He choked out. "Her first name. It's Jaina, not Jane."

"Jaina?" Qui-Gon repeated. Jace nodded then put his head in his hands again. "Did she tell you this?"

"Not directly… I figured it out, and she told me I was right," Jace said.

"Why did she change her name?" Qui-Gon asked.

"It's not my place to tell you," Jace said solemnly. "It's her story. She should be the one to tell it."

Qui-Gon could not disagree. In fact, he knew for a fact that he and Jane—Jaina—would be having a very long talk after she was better.

Bant, too, was shocked. But as soon as she placed in the new name, it was found instantly.

"Jaina Marie Mago," Bant said, looking at the piece of paper in her hand. She read off Jane's—Jaina's, Qui-Gon reminded himself—birthday and blood type. "Mother, Jocelyn Ella Mago. Father-" Bant cut herself off and scowled. "Father, unknown."

While Jaina's birth certificate did not shed any light on Jane's father, it did give them an easier time finding Jaina's Corellian medical record.

"Jocelyn had Jaina vaccinated for all the Corellian diseases," Bant said. "This makes sense as the geneticists have determined she has nothing Corellian. They are going through a databank as we speak."

Just then Winna came storming out of the Healer's station. Qui-Gon watched as the older woman walked past, trying to read her expression. It was hard, almost unreadable. But Qui-Gon saw something, almost a cross between grief and fear, in her eyes. She went inside her office and closed the door; her door was never closed.

Excusing himself, Qui-Gon walked up and knocked lightly on the door.

"Enter, Qui-Gon," Winna called back in a tired voice. Qui-Gon opened the door. The room was dark, except for one lamp that was on Winna's desk. The gray haired woman sat with her head in her hands, staring down at a piece of paper.

"Is… is everything alright?" Qui-Gon asked.

"Yes and no," Winna said with a sigh. "Yes in that we know what Jaina has. What she has is a vaccine-preventable disease. This disease is native to only one planet in the entire galaxy and the vaccine is only in two places: that planet and here at Coruscant General. But Jocelyn didn't know that. It's treatable, and Coruscant General is sending over the treatment that we'll put in her drip bag. If all goes well, she'll be awake by midday tomorrow. Doctors say she's lucky. If she was any younger or wasn't Force-sensitive, there's a chance her body wouldn't be able to fight."

"That's excellent," Qui-Gon said, relieved. "Now, what exactly has this piece of paper done to offend you?"

He had meant it jokingly, to at least get Winna to smile. But she didn't.

"Because I know why Jaina has never told us who her father is," Winna said gravelly. "The disease is Telosion."

"That narrows it down to, what, a dozen Jedi?" Qui-Gon asked.

"Actually, they narrowed it down to one," Winna said. "After they discovered the Telosian gene, I sent over DNA samples from all twelve of those Jedi with the same descent. Out of those twelve, five were off-planet at the estimated time of Jaina's conception, this being based off the information on Jaina's birth certificate and the time of Jocelyn's departure. Four have strong alibis. Two were here in the med-ward. And one died the same week Jocelyn left. They got a match."

"So, who is it?" Qui-Gon asked.

Winna looked up at him sadly.

"The one who died." She whispered.

"I didn't know we lost a Jedi that week," Qui-Gon said.

"We had lost him years before that day," Winna said, looking away. "That day, he just lost his life."

Qui-Gon's face paled.

"You don't mean…" He whispered.

Winna nodded sadly.

Qui-Gon sat down, holding his head in his hands. How, how was it possible, that sweet little Jaina came from that monster?

She'll be awake by midday tomorrow, Qui-Gon thought. And she'll have a lot of questions to answer.

Jane's eyes blinked open slowly. She knew she had been sleeping for a long time, but she still felt tired.

She rubbed her eyes, jumping slightly as she felt something soft, cool and plastic brushing her arm. She looked down to see a IV drip placed in the back of her hand. She looked around the room. She was in the Healer's ward, though she wasn't quite sure how she got there.

Jane recognized the room instantly. It was the one she always had when she was brought to the Healers. Qui-Gon was sitting in the chair beside her, snoring softly. Jane smiled at him then continued to gaze around the room. She looked for the dry-erase board on the wall that would tell her that day's date. She wondered how long she had been asleep. She winced as she discovered she was out for four days.

She continued to read the board. It told her that Winna was her head healer, Bant was the junior healer, an apprentice was the nurse, what the weather was like today.

But then her eyes caught something at the bottom, a message.

Good morning, Jaina.

Her face paled and her eyes widened. How…?

She turned to look towards Qui-Gon, who was now awake.

"So." She said softly.

"So." Qui-Gon repeated.

"I guess you also know…" Jaina started.

"Yes," Qui-Gon said gravely.

They sat there and stared at each other in silence.

Finally, Jaina sighed.

"I guess the jig is up." She said sadly.