With this chapter, this story has been officially resurrected. For old readers, if there are any of you left, that means I rewrote the whole thing before writing this chapter, so I'd recommend going back to read the first six chapters because there have been some changes.

I'm having so much fun with this story now that I've given it the new life it deserves. I really hope you guys are enjoying it!

"This is ridiculous. I can't believe I let you convince me that this is a sensible thing for me to wear. I don't care if it will help me distract morally bankrupt slave traders - I can't breathe."

Falon paused in her complaining to inhale deeply several times, holding Qui-Gon's gaze as she did so to ring her point home. He had the decency to look fairly sympathetic.

"Do you want me to try and loosen it a little?" He asked.

"Please."

She turned around and pulled her hair over her shoulder so he had access to the fastenings at the back of the tight brown vest that was more of a corset than anything else. It had been almost impossible to get on without help, and she hated it passionately within ten seconds of having it on.

His fingers tugged for a minute at the fabric and clasps. She felt a small give in the garment as it loosened just enough to let her exhale with relief. It was still tighter and more low cut than she preferred, but now she could breathe.

"Thank you," she told Qui-Gon as she turned around again.

"You're welcome. Now, try not to butcher my hair too much, will you?" He sat down on a nearby rock and she picked up the laser shears.

"I told you, I can't make any promises," she said apologetically, her fingers trailing through his hair and rather regretting what she was about to do.

Twenty minutes and a few close calls later, the majority of Qui-Gon's hair was on the ground and what remained was trimmed around his ears. Not particularly well, but if anything it just added to the persona he was going to be using.

"How do I look?" He asked worriedly when she stepped back to regard her handiwork.

"Different."

"Good different or bad different?"

"It'll take some getting used to." She tilted her head. "I suppose you look younger, or you will once you get rid of the beard."

That took even more time and considerably more care since Qui-Gon hadn't shaved properly in years and certainly not with such primitive tools, but finally he turned to face her. Clean shaven and short haired, she almost would have struggled to recognise him if not for the twinkling blue eyes.

"So, how do I look?"

Falon couldn't help the odd giggle that escaped her. "You just...don't look like Qui-Gon. But that's exactly the point. It's strange, though. And you look younger."

"The more different the better," he said, coming to sit next to her.

"I preferred you as you were," she told him, "But yes, it is good, I suppose."

His clothes were at least not too different from Jedi robes, leggings and boots with a plain sleeveless tunic that revealed his impressive arm muscles. She assumed that was the point, anyway - for him to look intimidating and powerful to anyone who might consider giving them trouble.

Hers, on the other hand, were designed to attract attention (unless the fewer layers were more to do with the humidity, but she doubted that). The vest emphasised her breasts and cleavage and revealed a fair bit of her stomach. Her dark leggings were similarly tight. Only her boots were blessedly practical. Qui-Gon suggested wearing her hair loose if only because Jedi with long hair tended to favour more practical hairstyles, so that was what she was currently doing, but she'd probably put her hair right back off her face when working on droids.

The idea of being sexually attractive to any degree was such a bizarre one that it made her feel a bit ill whenever she thought about it. No one thought about Jedi like that - or if they did, they'd never dare say anything. From the moment they entered the secondary port, she'd be opening herself to this new experience. She was dreading it no matter how many times Qui-Gon assured her that as a 'married woman' it would be mostly fine. Maybe most of it was because it was something she didn't personally understand as anything more than an abstract concept.

"It occurs to me that if we're posing as newlyweds, we'll need to be a little more physical with each other," Qui-Gon said. Falon lifted her eyebrows at him and he actually blushed. "Nothing amorous, of course, but comfortable in each other's proximity and used to more contact."

"I'm comfortable in your proximity," she told him honestly.

"Good. But we'll need to be a little more...tactile to convince others of a happy marriage since we'll obviously be avoiding any larger displays of affection."

"Couldn't we just be a more restrained and private couple?"

Qui-Gon smirked. "We could, but it would still bring unnecessary scrutiny. We don't want them doubting us for any reason. Besides, am I so repulsive?"

Falon rolled her eyes good naturedly. "Don't be ridiculous." She hesitated for a moment, before slowly taking his hand in hers and entwining their fingers. "So, like this?"

He chuckled. "Yes, like that." His other hand reached out to brush her hair behind her ear, taking her by surprise. "See? It's not so difficult."

"I never said it would be difficult," she said, smiling back, "Just different to what I'm - we're used to."

"I was thinking of something else to help us with this."

"Oh?"

"Although I almost never braided my hair, I'm perfectly capable of doing it. I was thinking that during our nightly sessions I could braid yours for you."

Falon nodded. "Good idea." The nightly sessions he was referring to were of course when they opened their thoughts to each other, which after the awkward first time had gone well the three times since. "But first, signing practice."

They'd started the day before, and had found that while he was quite good at interpreting her signing, his own needed a lot of work, especially since that would be the crucial part if something were to happen to her hearing aids.

"No, like this," she said, interrupting one of his sentences to reach out and correct his hand's shape. "It needs to be rounder."

When she was satisfied with his progress for the night, they decided to get changed and retire to the tent early, starting their session once in their sleepwear and with Falon's back to him so that he could braid her hair.

She didn't know what she had expected, but it turned out that the feeling of his fingers sliding through her hair after the brush was incredibly relaxing. Her eyes shut as his knuckles skimmed her neck and back a few times as he worked.

"How am I doing?" He asked.

"I don't know, you're the one that can see it."

She could sense his quiet concentration on the task, just as she imagined he could sense how relaxed the whole thing was making her feel.

"I'm right in thinking I'm not hurting you, aren't I?" He asked after a while.

Falon laughed. "What?"

"I'm not pulling too hard?"

"Qui-Gon, I'm a grown woman and Jedi who is more than capable of dealing with a little pain. Not that there is any pain - you're being more gentle with me than most mothers are with their children."

"I have been trying."

She grinned even though he couldn't see. "Well, that's sweet of you. It actually feels very nice."

"I'm glad."

When he finished the braid, they sat in silence for a while, just letting their thoughts and feelings swim around each other until the time came to go to sleep.

Over the next week, they fell into an easy routine. Sparring in the mornings, then getting changed into the clothes they had to get accustomed to, and packing up camp. Quizzing each other on Thermon with signing as they walked, practising two things at once. Setting up camp for the night, eating and swapping stories about their padawans or about their own padawan days, then practicing doing each other's face paint before getting changed and him braiding her hair while attuning themselves to each other. Sleep always came easily after that.

On the final day, they did the face paint in the morning and packed up for the last time before beginning the walk that this time would only be a few hours.

When the port came into view between the trees, Falon took in a deep breath. She'd become comfortable in their routine, but now it was all about to change. As soon as they entered the port, they would be living a lie, no longer themselves but Falon and Tee Koon.

"Ready?" Qui-Gon asked as they found a service hatch to sneak in through.

"As I'll ever be."

They came out in a secluded corner and wasted no time in stepping out into the bustle of people moving through the port. Falon grabbed Qui-Gon's hand to ensure they didn't get separated.

It took them a while to find the right hangar, but eventually they found the ship headed for Kimm Cresh. It was far from glamorous - bulky with scratched grey paint - but that was to be expected.

Falon and Tee Koon were on the list of pre-booked and paid tickets so they had no trouble. What Falon hadn't been expecting was the accent that Qui-Gon put on out of nowhere when he was addressed by the co-pilot. It was like his natural one but much thicker, a brogue that had her blinking at him and wondering why he hadn't mentioned this was going to be part of the act.

"So we're not leaving for another few hours, but you can check your luggage and either get comfortable on board or stretch your legs out here," the co-pilot said cheerfully.

"Thank you," Falon said, and they headed for the cargo hold to dump their packs (one held their clothing and camp essentials, while the other held the necessary parts and tools for their droid tech service). The hold was empty and gave them a brief chance to talk in privacy. "The accent took me by surprise."

"It just seems like a good idea. An extra level of protection."

"Oh, definitely," Falon agreed, nodding, "I just wasn't expecting it. It's nice, though."

"I'm glad you like it," he said, with a chuckle, "Since you'll be hearing a lot of it over the next few months."

By the time they emerged and found their seats, other passengers had started to arrive, and they found themselves pulled into casual introductions and chats. It was a chance for them to put all their practice to good use. They had been married not two weeks before, and were moving to Kimm Cresh in hopes of eventually picking up a decent contract for droid upgrades and repairs. They'd met when 'Tee' had brought in a translator for repair and stayed to chat while she worked on it, and the rest was history.

Watching Qui-Gon tell the story, with his strong accent and shaven painted face and short hair, he really did seem like someone completely different to her friend. But then he would smile at her, those all too familiar eyes of his shining with humour, and he was back.

All the same, it was a bit of a relief when they were able to go and sit down on their own and at least partially discard the pretense for the time being.

"You're very good at this," she said to him quietly. "The lying."

"You'll get used to it. A good start is thinking of it as pretending instead of lying."

Falon frowned at him. "Semantics. They're the same thing."

He looked rather amused by that assessment. "Regardless, we're doing this for the greater good. What you might consider lying is hopefully going to help a lot of people."

"That sounds dangerously like 'the ends justifies the means'." He just lifted an eyebrow at her, and she chuckled. "Don't worry, I know that's not what this is. But you know what I mean."

"I do."

They fell into a brief silence, and Falon cast her eyes around the room filled with fellow travellers before bringing them back to Qui-Gon.

"Well, if there's anyone I had to pretend to be married to, I'm glad it's you," she said to him, grinning.

Qui-Gon laughed. "The highest compliment I could hope to receive."

Given that Liam Neeson is Northern Irish, that's the accent I imagine him putting on as Tee.

Next chapter we'll get to see them fully jumping into being fake married, which is guaranteed fun because who doesn't love that trope? It's certainly going to be interesting and a bit different given how incredibly demi Falon and Qui-Gon are, but in an innocent and cute way, hopefully. (I just really love giving these guys a nice solid platonic foundation before bringing in any romantic or sexual attraction, it's Important.)

Thanks for reading, let me know what you thought! I'm super excited to get this story going again.

-MayFairy :)