Deep in the night, the large door of the darkened room opened soundlessly. A
small figure entered stealthily as he looked into the room with a mixture of
awe and terror. The city's orange night lights filtered through little gaps
from the half closed windows, imprinting long stripes of light on the walls
and furniture, while casting odd shadows. Things that looked normal during
sunlight, now appeared menacing and scary. But, the small figure managed to
control himself, convincing his young mind that the horrible creatures that
appeared to be in front of him, were not real. That it was just his
imagination. It worked...somewhat. But it worked long enough to allow him
to go on and fulfill his task.
Suddenly, a quick flash caught his attention. After a few seconds, a loud
thundercalp broke across the sky, breaking his determination with a scared
gasp. Outside, it was raining rather hard. He frozed in the very place where
he was, unable to move. He was starting to think that his idea wasn't such a
good one after all. Then, he remembered why he was there, and strightened his
4-year-old shoulders with recovered determination. His wide, ice-blue eyes
appeared to sparkle like two diamonds as he searched. They sparkled even more
when he found what he was looking for. He run towards it, trying not to trip
over anything.
*****
Minutes before his arrival, Master Qui-Gon Jinn was trying to fall asleep. He
was suffering from a very nasty and very strong cold, caught during a 'little
adventure' in the rain falling outside.
-------
Qui-Gon walked happily and peacefully through one of the halls that lead to
the Gardens. When he finally reached them, he noticed the pouring rain
outside. He sighed, a bit frustrated. Inside the Temple he had not heard the
rain. He was planning on spending these last few days, that the Council had
granted him, relaxing as much as possible. One of his ideas was to relax and
meditate in the Gardens. He was about to leave when he heard a giggle. Then
another. And another, and then a loud splash.
/What the...?/, he streached his senses trying to find the origin of the
noises. He rolled his eyes as a smile stretched his lips as he realised who
was out there. It was his new little friend, Obi-Wan Kenobi, who had
apperantly escaped from 'nap-time' and was walking around soaking wet in the
gardens. Without thinking, he stepped under the rain and immediately regret
doing so. It was raining quite hard and a cold wind was beginning to blow
gently. He spotted the boy playing alone around a mud puddle, completely
soaked and muddy. Qui-Gon winced at sight.
/I'm sure they're going to blame me for this.../Shaking his head he walked
towards the child. But, before he reached him, Obi-Wan felt his presence,
turned and set off a dead run towards the already soaked Master, a huge smile
on his little face.
"Wygee!!", he yelled.
Qui-Gon couldn't help but laugh at the nickname the the child had given him.
Obi-Wan lunched himself at Qui-Gon's arms, giving the Master the strongest
bear hug he manage. Qui-Gon returned the gesture, hugging the little frame
tightly. But, after a few seconds, responsiblity kicked in, "Obi-Wan, you're
all wet! What are you doing out here?"
"I like pwaying in da rain! Wygee pway with me!", the little child said,
grabbing Qui-Gon's large hand with both of his and pulling him towards the
mud puddle.
"Oh no! We're going inside before you get sick and all your Masters blame me!"
But Obi-Wan was determined to play with him and knew how to convinced the big
Jedi. Giving Qui-Gon his best puppy-eyes while pouting with his lower lip,
he was quite able to persuade the master.
"Ow, all right!", he said, "But stop looking at me like that or you're going
to make me cry! Manipulator...". He scooped the giggling boy up and placed
him over his shoulders. They played under the rain for hours, chasing each
other and playing mud wars until the night began taking hold of the sky, and
it was time for them to return to the Temple.
This is when Qui-Gon realised he was sick. Surprisingly, Obi-Wan was
completely well, not even a sneeze was heard from him. After a short visit to
the healers, Qui-Gon was told to stay in bed for two or three days while told
to take various syrups and pills.
--------
/Two or three days....what a coincidence! In two or three days my short
vacation will end! Isn't it nice?/, he thought sarcasticly as he blew his
nose once more and added another tissue to the big pile on the night table,
/Happy Holidays Qui.../
Well, everything wasn't 'that' bad after all. At least he was going to get to
rest and relax a lot now. Master Skyla Lo' Tren had offered to buy the syrups
and pills for him. One problem solved. Now all he had to do was sleep until
Skyla returned. That wasn't so difficult. He snuggled under the covers and,
finding the perfect position, allowed the music of the raindrops to lull him
to sleep.
*****
At last, he had found the bed! Obi-Wan looked at it for a brief moment. It
appeared very big and the top was out of his reach. He decided to climb
through the covers. Grabbing them, he began to climb, but slipped when he
tried to use his feet to push himself up. The socks he was wearing made it
very difficult to climb without slipping. He tried again, and this time
succeeded while utilizing a little help from the Force.
There, he was up. Now to find Quigee. He dove under the covers and began
crawling while giggling softly. Suddenly, he tripped on a long arm. He
grinned widedly and struggled to get out from under the blankets. There was
Quigee. Now all that he had to do was to sit quietly and wait till Quigee
woke up. While he was waiting, another loud thunder clap rumbled fiercely
through the sky, sounding as if it had split in two. Unconsciously, he
grabbed the Jedi's arm tightly. The sudden movement woke Qui-Gon from his
light sleep. He looked down at his arm and found a small trembling figure
clutching him with all his strength. Qui-Gon squinted and rubbed his eyes
with his other hand as he realized who was there.
"Obi-Wan?"
The boy's head shot up at the sound of the Jedi Master's voice. Qui-Gon could
now confirm that it was Obi-Wan, those glowing ice-blue eyes were unique. He
also looked very scared. So, Qui-Gon shifted his position, and rested his
weight on his right side, to have a better view of the boy and of the
situation.
"What's wrong? What are you doing here?", he asked sleepily. /Oops, that
didn't sound good!/, Qui-Gon thought, observing as Obi-Wan's eyes fell.
Choosing his words carefully, he spoke again, now more gently, "I'm glad that
you came to visit me, but it's too late for a little guy like you to be
wondering around the Temple."
"I showwy Wygee", Obi-Wan apologized, he eyes casted down.
"It's all right. I used to do that all the time too", the Master said while
ruffling Obi-Wan's hair.
"Reawwy?"
"Really. Now, would you like telling me why did you come?
"Wygee shick. I take care!", he announced proudly.
Qui-Gon couldn't supress his laugh. But although the whole situation struck
him as funny, he again felt touched by the little boy's concern. No one had
ever cared for him like this without being forced or obliged. He wasn't
known for being a very nice patient.
Obi-Wan patted his cheek and brought him back from his thoughts.
"You too hot", he stated.
"Yes, I guess I have fever."
"You shick cuz you eat many chocolate?"
Qui-Gon laughed,"No, I think our little 'adventure' out in the gardens was a
bit too much for me"
Obi-Wan frowned confused and a little concerned. "You shick...my fout?"
"No!", Qui-Gon reassured him quickly, "No, it's not your fault. I'm a big
boy. I know how to take care of myself, and I knew that I was going to get
sick. It is my fault."
Obi-Wan smiled as Qui-Gon ruffled his hair again. But that smile was
short-lived when another thunder clap shook the Temple. Obi-Wan threw himself
against Qui-Gon's chest, hiding his face behind his little hands. Qui-Gon
supressed the urge to smile and hushed the too scared boy while rubbing a
soothing hand on the tiny back.
"Shh...It's okay, nothing can happend here...Shhh..."
Taking his hands slowly away from his face, the initiate asked in a little
voice, "Wha wash dat?"
Qui-Gon considered his answer. He could explain the process of rain to the
3-year-old boy, or perhaps tell him something Master Yoda had once told him
when he was as scared of thunder, as Obi-Wan was now.
"That was Blarto"
"Ba'to?", Obi-Wan asked curious, forgeting about the thunder for a while.
"Yes, Blarto. He's a Palooka, a big furry creature that lives over the
clouds", Qui-Gon spoke as he drew the covers around the boy.
"He bad?"
"No, he's a very good monster. Up there in his house he has tons of flowers
and teddy bears", he smiled as he saw the marvelled expression on Obi-Wan's
face. Now that he had caught the boy's attention, he proceed to tell the
story, "As he has lots of teddy bears, he has lots of big, wide cupboards
where to put them. And, from time to time, he changes all those cupboards
from place to place so as to make room for more teddy bears and flowers. When
he moves these big cupboards, all the clouds start shaking and all the water
inside them falls down".
The story itself was very weird, but it was diverting Obi-Wan's attention
from the storm which was the main reason for the story. But Qui-Gon had not
anticipated Obi-Wan's line of questioning.
"An' wy he hash sho many teddies?"
"Because he likes them a lot", the Master answered smiling.
"Oh...An' wheah dey cam' fom?"
"He...buys them in a store", this time Qui-Gon's answer was a little unsure.
"Ah...An' wheah is dat stor'?"
"Emm...On...ammm...a...cloud!...a cloud near his house", Qui-Gon was running
out of ideas.
"Oh...An'-"
"Okay, okay, enough questions. You want to hear the rest of the story before
the night is over, or not?"
Obi-Wan giggled and nooded.
"That's better... Now, where was I? Oh yes! The noises... Well, those loud
noise are the sound that the cupboards do against the floor when Blarto moves
them, just that. Nothing to be afraid of...", he looked down and found the
little initiate falling asleep, his head resting on the crook of his arm and
his small hands clutching his tunic. Just like the last time he was with
that grumpy tummy.
"Wow...", he whispered softly as his eyes started to close and yawning he
finished, "Than' you Wygee"
Qui-Gon pulled him closer, "You're welcome, now go to sleep big guy..."
It wasn't necessary to tell Obi-Wan twice. As fast as he could close his
eyes, Obi-Wan was sound asleep. Qui-Gon used the moment to contemplate the
little boy snuggled beside him. All innocence and kindness seemed radiate in
the little boy's soft features. Qui-Gon dropped a gentle kiss on the top of
Obi-Wan's head, whispering a good night but not falling asleep. Instead, he
stayed awake stroking the little boy's hair absently, as he looked through
the small gaps in the window where the light was filtering in.
*****
About an hour later, Skyla finally arrived with the syrups and pills. Opening
the door as silently as Obi-Wan had done before, she tiptoed inside the
darkened room.
"Qui-Gon?", she called with a whisper, "I brought all the stuff that you
told me". There was no answer.
/He's probably asleep.../, Skyla thought as she headed to the Master's room.
She opened the door and was surprised to find Master Qui-Gon Jinn with his
index finger to his lips gesturing -a little exaggerated- towards her to be
silent, while in the crook of his other arm a small student sleept soundly.
"Qui, what is he doing here?", she asked without being able to hide her smile
as she approched the bed.
"He's taking care of me", Qui-Gon whispered the answer so that he wouldn't
wake Obi-Wan.
"Oh Force, what am I gonna do with this boy?", she said almost laughing, "But
he's definitely doing a great job!"
Qui-Gon started laughing, but the movement woke the young student. Ice-blue
eyes fluttered open a little confused,
"Daddy?"
The softly spoken question startled both Jedi. But this time Qui-Gon didn't
question himself or hesitate.
"Yes, it's me, Obi...sorry for waking you. Keep sleeping", Qui-Gon whispered
softly.
A low rumble of thunder sounded outside. "Ba'to sti' wowkin'?", Obi-Wan asked
sleepily between yawns and closing his eyes again, knowing that if Qui-Gon
was near, everything would be all right.
"Yes, he's still working...", the Master answered with a deep tone, "And you
should be sleeping"
Suddenly, the two large eyes opened again, "Wygee sti' shick?", he asked
very asleep, just wanting to be sure that Qui-Gon was all right . If he was,
then he would sleep. But if he wasn't, he would stay up all night taking
care of the big Jedi...well at least that was what he wanted to do.
"Mmm...let me check", Skyla said as she placed a hand on Qui-Gon's forehead,
"Well, the fever has lessened quite a bit, but he's not completely okay yet"
Moving his head slowly till he could see the other Master sitting by the bed,
Obi-Wan smiled sleepily, "Hi, Mashtah Lyla"
"Hi, Obi. All right Qui, I guess you don't need me now, Obi-Wan will take
good care of you", the Master said brushing her hand gently on the chubby
cheeck, "Bye bye, Obi"
"Bye bye, Mashtah Lyla. Nite nite Wygee", he murmured snuggling again beside
Qui-Gon and immiedately fell asleep. Qui-Gon pulled the covers close around
the boy, "You know, Qui-Gon, if I hadn't seen this boy being brought to the
temple, I would swear that he was your son... Okay, I'd better be going. Bye,
Qui", Skyla said her goodbye, lightly squeezing the Master's arm.
"Bye...", he answered absently, looking down at the boy. He had no idea why
Skyla had said what she said. But, either way, he felt proud and content
that she had. He no longer felt those uncertainties when he thought of
Obi-Wan as his son. This little fellow had changed his life so much since the
day he met him, bringing back the long lost happiness and joy he thought he
would never feel again. He just wanted to protect this boy, to be always
there when he needed him. To be the family that he had lost...to be the
father that Obi-Wan never had.
The rain was still falling outside, and distant thunders could still be
heard. Obi-Wan stirred a little and snuggled closer to Qui-Gon, tightly
holding onto the Master. Qui-Gon smiled, "Sleep well, my little son. Sleep
well and don't worry about anything, I will always be here with you...Dad
will always be with you and love you a lot...". It was a promise, one he
would keep until he became one with the Force.
Qui-Gone was beginning to fall asleep when he felt something like a soft
mental breeze, but with a familiar touch, one he had never felt before, brush
against his mind, whispering,
//I wuv you too, Daddy//
small figure entered stealthily as he looked into the room with a mixture of
awe and terror. The city's orange night lights filtered through little gaps
from the half closed windows, imprinting long stripes of light on the walls
and furniture, while casting odd shadows. Things that looked normal during
sunlight, now appeared menacing and scary. But, the small figure managed to
control himself, convincing his young mind that the horrible creatures that
appeared to be in front of him, were not real. That it was just his
imagination. It worked...somewhat. But it worked long enough to allow him
to go on and fulfill his task.
Suddenly, a quick flash caught his attention. After a few seconds, a loud
thundercalp broke across the sky, breaking his determination with a scared
gasp. Outside, it was raining rather hard. He frozed in the very place where
he was, unable to move. He was starting to think that his idea wasn't such a
good one after all. Then, he remembered why he was there, and strightened his
4-year-old shoulders with recovered determination. His wide, ice-blue eyes
appeared to sparkle like two diamonds as he searched. They sparkled even more
when he found what he was looking for. He run towards it, trying not to trip
over anything.
*****
Minutes before his arrival, Master Qui-Gon Jinn was trying to fall asleep. He
was suffering from a very nasty and very strong cold, caught during a 'little
adventure' in the rain falling outside.
-------
Qui-Gon walked happily and peacefully through one of the halls that lead to
the Gardens. When he finally reached them, he noticed the pouring rain
outside. He sighed, a bit frustrated. Inside the Temple he had not heard the
rain. He was planning on spending these last few days, that the Council had
granted him, relaxing as much as possible. One of his ideas was to relax and
meditate in the Gardens. He was about to leave when he heard a giggle. Then
another. And another, and then a loud splash.
/What the...?/, he streached his senses trying to find the origin of the
noises. He rolled his eyes as a smile stretched his lips as he realised who
was out there. It was his new little friend, Obi-Wan Kenobi, who had
apperantly escaped from 'nap-time' and was walking around soaking wet in the
gardens. Without thinking, he stepped under the rain and immediately regret
doing so. It was raining quite hard and a cold wind was beginning to blow
gently. He spotted the boy playing alone around a mud puddle, completely
soaked and muddy. Qui-Gon winced at sight.
/I'm sure they're going to blame me for this.../Shaking his head he walked
towards the child. But, before he reached him, Obi-Wan felt his presence,
turned and set off a dead run towards the already soaked Master, a huge smile
on his little face.
"Wygee!!", he yelled.
Qui-Gon couldn't help but laugh at the nickname the the child had given him.
Obi-Wan lunched himself at Qui-Gon's arms, giving the Master the strongest
bear hug he manage. Qui-Gon returned the gesture, hugging the little frame
tightly. But, after a few seconds, responsiblity kicked in, "Obi-Wan, you're
all wet! What are you doing out here?"
"I like pwaying in da rain! Wygee pway with me!", the little child said,
grabbing Qui-Gon's large hand with both of his and pulling him towards the
mud puddle.
"Oh no! We're going inside before you get sick and all your Masters blame me!"
But Obi-Wan was determined to play with him and knew how to convinced the big
Jedi. Giving Qui-Gon his best puppy-eyes while pouting with his lower lip,
he was quite able to persuade the master.
"Ow, all right!", he said, "But stop looking at me like that or you're going
to make me cry! Manipulator...". He scooped the giggling boy up and placed
him over his shoulders. They played under the rain for hours, chasing each
other and playing mud wars until the night began taking hold of the sky, and
it was time for them to return to the Temple.
This is when Qui-Gon realised he was sick. Surprisingly, Obi-Wan was
completely well, not even a sneeze was heard from him. After a short visit to
the healers, Qui-Gon was told to stay in bed for two or three days while told
to take various syrups and pills.
--------
/Two or three days....what a coincidence! In two or three days my short
vacation will end! Isn't it nice?/, he thought sarcasticly as he blew his
nose once more and added another tissue to the big pile on the night table,
/Happy Holidays Qui.../
Well, everything wasn't 'that' bad after all. At least he was going to get to
rest and relax a lot now. Master Skyla Lo' Tren had offered to buy the syrups
and pills for him. One problem solved. Now all he had to do was sleep until
Skyla returned. That wasn't so difficult. He snuggled under the covers and,
finding the perfect position, allowed the music of the raindrops to lull him
to sleep.
*****
At last, he had found the bed! Obi-Wan looked at it for a brief moment. It
appeared very big and the top was out of his reach. He decided to climb
through the covers. Grabbing them, he began to climb, but slipped when he
tried to use his feet to push himself up. The socks he was wearing made it
very difficult to climb without slipping. He tried again, and this time
succeeded while utilizing a little help from the Force.
There, he was up. Now to find Quigee. He dove under the covers and began
crawling while giggling softly. Suddenly, he tripped on a long arm. He
grinned widedly and struggled to get out from under the blankets. There was
Quigee. Now all that he had to do was to sit quietly and wait till Quigee
woke up. While he was waiting, another loud thunder clap rumbled fiercely
through the sky, sounding as if it had split in two. Unconsciously, he
grabbed the Jedi's arm tightly. The sudden movement woke Qui-Gon from his
light sleep. He looked down at his arm and found a small trembling figure
clutching him with all his strength. Qui-Gon squinted and rubbed his eyes
with his other hand as he realized who was there.
"Obi-Wan?"
The boy's head shot up at the sound of the Jedi Master's voice. Qui-Gon could
now confirm that it was Obi-Wan, those glowing ice-blue eyes were unique. He
also looked very scared. So, Qui-Gon shifted his position, and rested his
weight on his right side, to have a better view of the boy and of the
situation.
"What's wrong? What are you doing here?", he asked sleepily. /Oops, that
didn't sound good!/, Qui-Gon thought, observing as Obi-Wan's eyes fell.
Choosing his words carefully, he spoke again, now more gently, "I'm glad that
you came to visit me, but it's too late for a little guy like you to be
wondering around the Temple."
"I showwy Wygee", Obi-Wan apologized, he eyes casted down.
"It's all right. I used to do that all the time too", the Master said while
ruffling Obi-Wan's hair.
"Reawwy?"
"Really. Now, would you like telling me why did you come?
"Wygee shick. I take care!", he announced proudly.
Qui-Gon couldn't supress his laugh. But although the whole situation struck
him as funny, he again felt touched by the little boy's concern. No one had
ever cared for him like this without being forced or obliged. He wasn't
known for being a very nice patient.
Obi-Wan patted his cheek and brought him back from his thoughts.
"You too hot", he stated.
"Yes, I guess I have fever."
"You shick cuz you eat many chocolate?"
Qui-Gon laughed,"No, I think our little 'adventure' out in the gardens was a
bit too much for me"
Obi-Wan frowned confused and a little concerned. "You shick...my fout?"
"No!", Qui-Gon reassured him quickly, "No, it's not your fault. I'm a big
boy. I know how to take care of myself, and I knew that I was going to get
sick. It is my fault."
Obi-Wan smiled as Qui-Gon ruffled his hair again. But that smile was
short-lived when another thunder clap shook the Temple. Obi-Wan threw himself
against Qui-Gon's chest, hiding his face behind his little hands. Qui-Gon
supressed the urge to smile and hushed the too scared boy while rubbing a
soothing hand on the tiny back.
"Shh...It's okay, nothing can happend here...Shhh..."
Taking his hands slowly away from his face, the initiate asked in a little
voice, "Wha wash dat?"
Qui-Gon considered his answer. He could explain the process of rain to the
3-year-old boy, or perhaps tell him something Master Yoda had once told him
when he was as scared of thunder, as Obi-Wan was now.
"That was Blarto"
"Ba'to?", Obi-Wan asked curious, forgeting about the thunder for a while.
"Yes, Blarto. He's a Palooka, a big furry creature that lives over the
clouds", Qui-Gon spoke as he drew the covers around the boy.
"He bad?"
"No, he's a very good monster. Up there in his house he has tons of flowers
and teddy bears", he smiled as he saw the marvelled expression on Obi-Wan's
face. Now that he had caught the boy's attention, he proceed to tell the
story, "As he has lots of teddy bears, he has lots of big, wide cupboards
where to put them. And, from time to time, he changes all those cupboards
from place to place so as to make room for more teddy bears and flowers. When
he moves these big cupboards, all the clouds start shaking and all the water
inside them falls down".
The story itself was very weird, but it was diverting Obi-Wan's attention
from the storm which was the main reason for the story. But Qui-Gon had not
anticipated Obi-Wan's line of questioning.
"An' wy he hash sho many teddies?"
"Because he likes them a lot", the Master answered smiling.
"Oh...An' wheah dey cam' fom?"
"He...buys them in a store", this time Qui-Gon's answer was a little unsure.
"Ah...An' wheah is dat stor'?"
"Emm...On...ammm...a...cloud!...a cloud near his house", Qui-Gon was running
out of ideas.
"Oh...An'-"
"Okay, okay, enough questions. You want to hear the rest of the story before
the night is over, or not?"
Obi-Wan giggled and nooded.
"That's better... Now, where was I? Oh yes! The noises... Well, those loud
noise are the sound that the cupboards do against the floor when Blarto moves
them, just that. Nothing to be afraid of...", he looked down and found the
little initiate falling asleep, his head resting on the crook of his arm and
his small hands clutching his tunic. Just like the last time he was with
that grumpy tummy.
"Wow...", he whispered softly as his eyes started to close and yawning he
finished, "Than' you Wygee"
Qui-Gon pulled him closer, "You're welcome, now go to sleep big guy..."
It wasn't necessary to tell Obi-Wan twice. As fast as he could close his
eyes, Obi-Wan was sound asleep. Qui-Gon used the moment to contemplate the
little boy snuggled beside him. All innocence and kindness seemed radiate in
the little boy's soft features. Qui-Gon dropped a gentle kiss on the top of
Obi-Wan's head, whispering a good night but not falling asleep. Instead, he
stayed awake stroking the little boy's hair absently, as he looked through
the small gaps in the window where the light was filtering in.
*****
About an hour later, Skyla finally arrived with the syrups and pills. Opening
the door as silently as Obi-Wan had done before, she tiptoed inside the
darkened room.
"Qui-Gon?", she called with a whisper, "I brought all the stuff that you
told me". There was no answer.
/He's probably asleep.../, Skyla thought as she headed to the Master's room.
She opened the door and was surprised to find Master Qui-Gon Jinn with his
index finger to his lips gesturing -a little exaggerated- towards her to be
silent, while in the crook of his other arm a small student sleept soundly.
"Qui, what is he doing here?", she asked without being able to hide her smile
as she approched the bed.
"He's taking care of me", Qui-Gon whispered the answer so that he wouldn't
wake Obi-Wan.
"Oh Force, what am I gonna do with this boy?", she said almost laughing, "But
he's definitely doing a great job!"
Qui-Gon started laughing, but the movement woke the young student. Ice-blue
eyes fluttered open a little confused,
"Daddy?"
The softly spoken question startled both Jedi. But this time Qui-Gon didn't
question himself or hesitate.
"Yes, it's me, Obi...sorry for waking you. Keep sleeping", Qui-Gon whispered
softly.
A low rumble of thunder sounded outside. "Ba'to sti' wowkin'?", Obi-Wan asked
sleepily between yawns and closing his eyes again, knowing that if Qui-Gon
was near, everything would be all right.
"Yes, he's still working...", the Master answered with a deep tone, "And you
should be sleeping"
Suddenly, the two large eyes opened again, "Wygee sti' shick?", he asked
very asleep, just wanting to be sure that Qui-Gon was all right . If he was,
then he would sleep. But if he wasn't, he would stay up all night taking
care of the big Jedi...well at least that was what he wanted to do.
"Mmm...let me check", Skyla said as she placed a hand on Qui-Gon's forehead,
"Well, the fever has lessened quite a bit, but he's not completely okay yet"
Moving his head slowly till he could see the other Master sitting by the bed,
Obi-Wan smiled sleepily, "Hi, Mashtah Lyla"
"Hi, Obi. All right Qui, I guess you don't need me now, Obi-Wan will take
good care of you", the Master said brushing her hand gently on the chubby
cheeck, "Bye bye, Obi"
"Bye bye, Mashtah Lyla. Nite nite Wygee", he murmured snuggling again beside
Qui-Gon and immiedately fell asleep. Qui-Gon pulled the covers close around
the boy, "You know, Qui-Gon, if I hadn't seen this boy being brought to the
temple, I would swear that he was your son... Okay, I'd better be going. Bye,
Qui", Skyla said her goodbye, lightly squeezing the Master's arm.
"Bye...", he answered absently, looking down at the boy. He had no idea why
Skyla had said what she said. But, either way, he felt proud and content
that she had. He no longer felt those uncertainties when he thought of
Obi-Wan as his son. This little fellow had changed his life so much since the
day he met him, bringing back the long lost happiness and joy he thought he
would never feel again. He just wanted to protect this boy, to be always
there when he needed him. To be the family that he had lost...to be the
father that Obi-Wan never had.
The rain was still falling outside, and distant thunders could still be
heard. Obi-Wan stirred a little and snuggled closer to Qui-Gon, tightly
holding onto the Master. Qui-Gon smiled, "Sleep well, my little son. Sleep
well and don't worry about anything, I will always be here with you...Dad
will always be with you and love you a lot...". It was a promise, one he
would keep until he became one with the Force.
Qui-Gone was beginning to fall asleep when he felt something like a soft
mental breeze, but with a familiar touch, one he had never felt before, brush
against his mind, whispering,
//I wuv you too, Daddy//