First of all, I would like to apologize to all of my readers. I meant to have this story finished by now, but sadly real life has had other plans. I promise you that this story will be finished. There will be 6 chapter in total, so there are two more after this. I would like to believe that I can have them up within the next two weeks, but we will have to see how life goes. They are written, but they still have to be looked over before they can be posted.
Next I would like to extend a big thank you to all of the readers who have not only reviewed but also put this story on Story Alert or on their favorites list. It means a lot that people think enough of this story (and its counterpart) to favorite it. So thank you very much.
I think that that is everything. Enjoy the fourth chapter of "Redefining Limits!"
Setback
He did not want to wake up. For the first time in a long time, Obi-Wan Kenobi felt completely at peace. So he just stayed put. A hand started to gently brush through his ginger hair, the movement tempting him back down into the deep darkness of sleep. But for some reason, he resisted that pull. He did not even know why, but he suspected that it had something to do with wanting to be with his Master.
Yesterday Qui-Gon had started to restore his confidence by assuring him of his place in the Force. And in his Master's life. It felt weird. He had spent so long knowing that he was inferior. He was not worthy to use the Force's great power. And he most certainly was not worth being Qui-Gon's Padawan. Everything that he had done was to try and earn his place, first in the Force and then as his Master's apprentice. And now he was being told that he did not have to do that. That he had earned his place by just being him. It was so disturbing to the teen. After all, it single-handedly reshaped everything that he believed. But he was starting to see where maybe the logic that he was following was wrong. And maybe his Master was right.
After a torrential downpour cut the pair's hike short, Qui-Gon and his Padawan came back to the cabin. Both changed out of their wet clothes to help fend off the possibility of illness. Obi-Wan did not feel the need to dirty another set of clothes so instead he just put on his sleep clothes. After all, it was not like they were going outside again today.
Now comfy and dry in his sleep clothes, Obi-Wan went back into the common room to find his Master. Qui-Gon had also changed his clothes into something more comfortable, now dressed in workout clothes, and was currently making tea in the small kitchen. Not really knowing what else to do, the Padawan went to go assist his Master with the tea. The apprentice had expected his Master to launch into a new discussion about the topic that had been breeched earlier in the day, but it didn't happen. Instead, Qui-Gon offered to teach Obi-Wan how to play sabacc. At that point he had almost wanted to talk more about his place in the Force just to try and make sense of it all. But at the same time giving the topic a temporary break sounded very appealing and so he accepted the offer.
The two spent the rest of the afternoon playing the new game. Qui-Gon was a good teacher of games, as well as the Jedi arts, and by the end of the day the student had beaten the teacher. Twice. After the game, the Jedi worked to prepare a meal, which they enjoyed together.
Once they had cleaned up, Obi-Wan settled on the couch. He had been feeling increasingly tired over the past two hours and it felt nice to just sit. A few minutes later, he was joined by his Master, who handed him a sugary cookie as he sat down. Obi-Wan ate the cookie, staring up at the visible stars.
He had spent a wonderful afternoon and evening with his Master, but constantly in the back of his mind he thought about what his Master had confronted him about earlier. After a little while he talked with his Master about some of his confusion. The initial inquiry led to a discussion that had lasted most of the night. As the student came up with concerns and questions, the Master patiently countered them. It was that discussion that slowly got Obi-Wan to think that maybe his Master was right. Eventually he started to fall asleep. He had really wanted to keep talking with his Master, but his body gave out. At this point he could not even remember what he was talking about. All he remembered was his Master pulling him down on the couch, cushioning the student's head on his lap. Soon he had stopped talking and gave into the pull of slumber. The last thing that he remembered was his Master's voice telling him that he was loved.
It seemed like Qui-Gon had stayed with him all night, which caused some guilt in the teen. Here he was nice and comfortable and Qui-Gon had been forced to stay in a sitting position on the couch all night.
"I am very comfortable, Obi-Wan. And I am exactly where I want to be."
Damn. His shields had slipped again. But even though he thought about putting up some shields, he refused. He just did not feel up to the effort.
"Ready for some breakfast, Padawan?" The teen really did not feel like eating but that was probably because he was still groggy. At his nod, Qui-Gon gave his hair a quick ruffle before lifting up his upper body and sliding off the couch.
Obi-Wan slumped back down on the couch after his Master left. He felt kinda weird. His head felt heavy and his chest was tight. A dry, deep cough escaped his throat. Force, he was sick!
Needing to tell his Master of his current condition, Obi-Wan dragged himself off the couch and into the kitchen. When he stood up pain shot through his head. He knew that he was not seriously ill, but he felt worse with every passing moment. As he walked into the kitchen, his headache grew even worse because of the painfully bright sunshine streaming through the windows. It had not been so bright in the common room and the teen found that in this new light he had to stop and fight the new wave of dizziness.
Qui-Gon must have noticed that his student was in pain because he immediately stopped what he was doing and he came over to him. "Obi-Wan? What's wrong?" The Padawan hesitated before answering needing the head rush to stop.
"I don't feel so good, Master."
"Okay. Come on and sit down."
The elder guided him to one of the kitchen chairs and gently sat him down. Obi-Wan bowed his head to try and make the throbbing subside. He heard Qui-Gon moving around the room before putting a glass of juma juice in front of him, while kneeling next to him. Obi-Wan took a sip of juice before meeting his Master's concerned gaze.
"Will you let me do a scan, Padawan?" Obi-Wan just nodded. The Padawan lowered all of his shields so that Qui-Gon could scan his body for the source of his discomfort. It only took a minute for Qui-Gon to surface from the scan.
"You will be fine, Obi-Wan. You just picked up a cold from being out in the rain. A couple of days and you will be back to your normal self." Qui-Gon gently ran a hand over his back before resting the caring hand on his shoulder. "Finish your juice and then you should go back and lie down. Rest will be the best medicine for you."
Obi-Wan really did not want to drink anything else, but he slowly downed the glass, knowing that it would be good for him. Once he had finished, Qui-Gon took the cup back and placed it in the sink before helping his student up from his chair.
"Do you want to sleep in your bed or on the couch?"
Obi-Wan did not really care. He just wanted to lie down. Qui-Gon seemed to understand and just led him to his bedroom. Obi-Wan was really glad that he was already in his sleep clothes, as he was able to just crawl into his sleep couch. He started to drift off as soon as his head hit the pillow. He had a vague sense of his Master talking to him and dropping a gentle kiss on his forehead before the teen surrendered to the pull of sleep.
Obi-Wan awoke a few hours later and while he was still sick, he had to admit that he felt better. At least the throbbing in this head diminished. Deciding that he had spent enough time in bed, the teen cautiously got out of bed and into the common area. Looking around, Obi-Wan found his Master in the living room, seemingly in meditation. The teen grabbed a bottle of water before walking to the living area and sprawling on the couch.
A few minutes later, Qui-Gon surfaced from his meditations. "How are you feeling, Padawan?"
"Better, Master."
"I found some medicine if you think it would help."
"Thank you, Master. But I think that I am okay. Unless you have something for my headache…"
"Actually I think that I do have some aspirin. But are you sure that you do not want anything else" Qui-Gon asked as he felt his student's forehead.
"Yes, Master. I feel better than I did. I still feel sick, but the only think that really hurts is my head."
"Alright. I will get those pills for you, but if you decide that you need something else you just need to ask me."
"I know, Master."
Ruffling his student's hair as he passed, the teacher went to get the appropriate pills. It only took a moment for Qui-Gon to return, two pills and a glass of water in hand. After swallowing the medicine, Obi-Wan looked up at his Master expectantly.
"Yes, Obi-Wan?"
" What are we going to do, Master?"
"What do you feel up to?"
"I feel okay now, except for my headache. And I am really tired of napping."
The elder just laughed. "Okay, Obi-Wan. Well, it is still raining out, so we will have to stay inside. But we can do anything that you want in here."
"Could we watch a holovid?"
"Yes, I suppose so. I just have to set it up. Why don't you go get the case of vids and pick one out?"
Easily agreeing with his Master, Obi-Wan found the box of vids that Qui-Gon brought and started to sort through them. By the time the teacher had the system set up, Obi-Wan found a comedy that he wanted to watch. Together the two sat on the couch and enjoyed one of the child's favorite vids.
Once the movie had concluded, Qui-Gon suggested a light meditation session. While the teen had to admit that meditation was not high on his list of things to do, he agreed. The Padawan had not meditated in quite some time and he knew that it would be good for him. Obi-Wan got off the couch and situated on the floor. However, the movement reminded the younger of the headache that had been plaguing him all day. He looked up at his Master with a concerned glance and Qui-Gon, not unexpectantly, understood.
"Don't worry, Obi-Wan. We will take it slow. And if your headache increases, we will pull out."
"Okay, Master."
Fear diminished, Obi-Wan settled into a meditation pose. Together, Master and Padawan dropped down into the serenity of the Force. Immediately, Obi-Wan felt much more relaxed. Meditation after long periods of time generally just made him frustrated, but that initial contact was always soothing.
Qui-Gon gently guided his student through some simple exercises. They were ones that Obi-Wan learned as a youngling and at this point he did not need any help adequately performing them. However, Qui-Gon was still present on his student's meditation, a steady source of support.
Time passed and Obi-Wan stayed immersed in the Force. Despite the length of time he was under, the Padawan felt nothing, but peace. He suspected that this was because Qui-Gon was not trying to instruct him or push his limits, which usually ended up in frustration and disappointment. But now he was happy and perfectly content to not push, simply…be.
After a considerable amount of time had passed, Qui-Gon suggested that they pull out. Obi-Wan had been stationary in the Force for some time and was happy, but he agreed knowing that the relaxation he had found would stay with him for little while.
He was wrong. When Obi-Wan shifted in the Force to pull out, pain shot through his head. Immediately Qui-Gon was there, helping to manage the pain and gently guiding him out of meditation. When he surfaced, Obi-Wan felt his headache greatly increase, between all of the Force movement and the daylight streaming through the windows.
Trying to move away from the light, Obi-Wan sunk forward, putting his hands over his eyes. He heard Qui-Gon moving around the room. (It seemed so much louder than normal.) After a moment his master was back at his side, rubbing his back and trying to take the edge off the pain using the Force. It took some time but the throbbing did subside and the teen was able to sit up.
The first thing that he noticed was how much darker in the room it was now than previously. Qui-Gon must have closed the curtains, effectively blocking out the sunlight. Before Obi-Wan could even try to stand, Qui-Gon gently pushed him down. Handing him a bottle of juice, the Master laid a cool cloth on his forehead.
"Just relax, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon whispered to his boy. Feeling soothing waves enter his mind, Obi-Wan gave into his body's demands and fell into a dreamless sleep.
He was not asleep long, but he had to admit that when he awoke he felt a lot better. He decided to be brave and attempted to sit up. He was very pleased to find that his headache was mostly gone and there seemed to be no residual effects from the meditation.
"Should you be up," came the question from the kitchen.
"I feel okay, Master. My headache is pretty much gone."
"Alright. I just don't want a repeat of what happened earlier."
"Me neither."
Qui-Gon was silent as he sat down next to his student. The two sat in silence as Obi-Wan worked up the courage to ask his master the question that had been on his mind since he woke up.
"Master…during the meditation…what happened?"
"I have to admit that it is my fault. I let you push yourself and as a result when you tried to pull out the Force overwhelmed you, causing a severe head rush. There will be no lasting damage, I am just sorry that you had to go through that."
"Master. I don't blame you. I mean it hurt, but I felt better when I was in the Force. And I feel better now."
"Thank you, Padawan."
"Master, can we eat now?"
"Yes, Obi-wan," the Master laughed.
Together the two ate a meal and enjoyed a quiet night, reminiscing over past missions and friends now parsecs away. Once darkness had descended, Qui-Gon started to end conversation, signaling that he wanted his student to go to bed. Obi-Wan tried to keep the conversation going, but sure enough a few minutes later Qui-Gon suggested that the younger prepare for sleep. Although he did not want to, seeing how comfortable he was, the boy agreed. He knew that he was still overcoming his illness and he should rest.
Once he was finished getting ready for bed, he went to his room to find his Master turning down the blankets on his sleep couch. Without a word, Obi-Wan got onto the couch, Qui-Gon tenderly covering him with the soft blankets.
"Good night, Little One," Qui-Gon whispered, gently kissing his forehead. "I love you."
"I love you too, Master," Obi-Wan whispered back.
Smiling at the teen, Qui-Gon turned, switched off the light and left the room.
Alone in the darkness, Obi-Wan was left to ponder how his Master had been behaving towards him lately. The Padawan always knew that his Master cared about him, but the amount of affection that he had shown over the last week was amazing. It was almost as if the stress that had befallen the team had turned Qui-Gon from a Jedi into a …father. It was so strange. Obi-Wan had never had anyone that he would consider a parent before. It was actually comforting, knowing that there was someone that was always going to be there for him. There was a part of him that wondered if this was all going to disappear once the team went back to Coruscant.
But even as he thought this, he did not believe that it was true. As scared as he was that this was going to disappear, the logical part of his brain kept saying that Qui-Gon would always be there for him in a parental way. After all, the crisis was over. He was on a relaxing vacation and he had already worked out with his Master how he would deal with the schoolwork once he got back. But his Master still cared about him. And the care that his Master had shown when he was ill had once again further supported the theory.
Obi-Wan would still need to be careful and not rely on this new attitude too much, in case this was only a temporary thing. Force, he hoped that this was forever. He had just been alone for so long…
Trying to push all of the negative thoughts out of his head, Obi-Wan tried to let his body get the rest that he needed. His last thoughts before he slipped into slumber were a silent prayer that the parental relationship was real because it would hurt so much if it wasn't.
To Be Continued…