Force Blessed

Force-Blessed

by Anastasia (padawan_ana@yahoo.com)

Categories: angst, h/c, romance, AU

Rating: NC-17

Pairing: Q/O

Status: Complete

Series: May have a companion piece to follow at some point...

Archive: M_A

Spoilers: Nope

Summary: In a universe where love between master and padawan is forbidden, the results of Obi-Wan's love for Qui-Gon must be hidden...or it will destroy them both.

Warnings: THIS IS A BABY!FIC...that means that if having one of the boys pregnant (Obi-Wan) squicks you, now is the time for you to hit the 'back' button. Unfortunately, you will be missing a lovely story...

Feedback: Please. Thank you. : ) Flames, should you feel the need to send them, will be cheerfully forwarded to the ferret, who will hunt down all flamers and bite their ankles.

Disclaimers: We all know who these characters belong to (Thank you, Mr. Lucas!), so there's no question as to who's getting all the credit, money, attention, etc. for these wonderful Jedi. (Hint: It's not me...) Disappointing as that is, I'd just like to borrow them to tell this story...

Thank yous: This story was started from an idea from April. After reading 'After Azali', she wrote to ask if I'd do a 'pregnant Obi' story. As it's not an idea I'm naturally drawn to, I resisted, but she had some interesting thoughts on the subject. I must say that this story is nowhere near what she was envisioning, but her ideas did get me started on the road to this fic. So I offer her thanks for that inspiration. Thanks also to Caly Rose, Robin Serrano, and Emrin Alexander for their thoughts on this, a fic written in about twenty-four hours' time. Without them, the ending would have been much less satisfying. Thanks, you three!

Note: / / denotes telepathy

Qui-Gon paced back and forth, every nerve on alert, every sinew taut. The situation would have to be handled carefully, gently. Obi-Wan had not reacted well to Qui-Gon's discovery, but he must not be made to feel ashamed or wrong for what had happened. Finding his leggings, where they had been tossed onto the floor earlier, he slipped into them and waited.

When Obi-Wan reappeared from the bathroom, he was dressed once again in tunic and leggings, face drawn and pale. Qui-Gon's reservations disappeared and he covered the space between them in four long strides.

"Oh, Obi-Wan," he said as he took the young man's face and tipped it back. "I love you so much." As the pride and love in his heart began to make their way to his brain, Qui-Gon leaned over his apprentice for a long, slow kiss. "The news is wonderful, Obi-Wan, really."

Obi-Wan gasped into Qui-Gon's mouth, obviously not agreeing with the opinion. "Wonderful?" he demanded, breaking away from his lover's grasp. "How can you say that? This," he indicated Qui-Gon's embrace and the mouth that had just captured his. "Is not even allowed by the Council. We have lived every day of the last five years in fear of being discovered. Can you imagine how they would feel if they knew this?"

Now it was Obi-Wan who paced, going 'round and 'round in a circle as if his life no longer had direction. Sweat beaded on his brow and he wiped it away with the sleeve of his tunic.

"Oh, gods, Qui-Gon," Obi-Wan said as he walked. "What are we going to do? We're not always entirely successful at hiding our relationship-sometimes I swear Master Yoda knows about it and is just waiting for the right time to expose us. But what of this? If the Council refuses to allow loving among the Jedi, what will they have to say about...about..."

The despair cut Qui-Gon to his soul.

"Qui-Gon...I'm...carrying a child..." Obi-Wan seemed to be trying to convince himself.

"Obi-Wan, I know this is unexpected, but the Force does not allow anything to happen without a reason." Qui-Gon caught his padawan in mid-stride and led him to the bed. "Come, sit down."

Obediently, Obi-Wan sat, but he could not remain still. Muscles twitched beneath his skin, jaw clenched and unclenched, fingers grasped the blankets in search of comfort, something to hold on to.

"We should never have started this," Obi-Wan murmured almost to himself. "Hiding a bond is one thing, but hiding a baby? I'm sorry, Qui-Gon. I'm so sorry..."

Suddenly Obi-Wan was off the bed again, not pacing, but moving restlessly.

"For what, Obi-Wan?" Qui-Gon asked gently. "You have done nothing wrong." He smiled. "And if we are placing blame, I believe that I had an equal hand in the creation of this life."

"I never should have allowed it to happen!" Obi-Wan continued as if he had not heard Qui-Gon. "I should have had more restraint! Jedi control!" He snorted in disgust. "For myself, I would take whatever punishment the Council set...but you? You could be stripped of your position because of this. They could forbid you to take on another padawan." His face paled further at the thought.

"I have the only padawan I will ever need," Qui-Gon told him. "And I will have you in my life forever. Padawan, knight, Jedi, friend, lover, lifemate," Qui-Gon gestured with his hand. "Whether I train another after you is inconsequential. I will live in the moment, and in this moment I have you. Nothing else matters."

Pulling the apprentice down onto the bed once again, Qui-Gon took Obi-Wan's hands in his own, pressed them to his lips, kissing them lightly. "Do you want this, Obi-Wan?" he asked quietly, looking over the top of their joined hands. The blunt question caught Obi-Wan off-guard.

"Y-yes!" he stammered, as if he'd only just come to the conclusion. "I-I do. More than anything. To have a child with you...a child created out of our love for each other..." His green eyes were filled with wonder. "I'm just so..."

"Scared?"

Uneven breath. Blond head nodding.

"Of the situation and what the future holds-or of the Council's reaction to it?"

"Both, actually," Obi-Wan admitted, his cheeks turning a dusty rose.

"We will get through this," Qui-Gon assured him, ever ready to play Master to an uncertain padawan.

Obi-Wan fell against Qui-Gon's chest. "I...I just n-never...thought it would happen," he said, at last, not meeting Qui-Gon's eyes.

Qui-Gon pulled the apprentice into a solid embrace. "We've always known there was a possibility," he reminded Obi-Wan. "Childbearing is a trait native to both the males and the females of your homeworld."

"A trait which has been all but eliminated in the males over the last several centuries!" Obi-Wan exclaimed. "One in one hundred thousand. One in one hundred thousand men become bearers of children!" His voice shook with his disbelief.

Qui-Gon held him tighter, stroking the short hair comfortingly. "I know this has come as a terrible shock to you. I will admit that I, too, was stunned. But," he placed one large hand on Obi-Wan's belly, now acutely aware of the small life within. "I cannot think of a more perfect way to show the depth of our love than to bring a child into the world. And I do love you, Obi-Wan."

So saying, he laid his padawan down on the bed, straddling the slim hips more carefully than he had just that morning. Bracing his hands beside Obi-Wan's shoulders, Qui-Gon rocked his hips sensuously against the still-clothed padawan. Immediately aroused, Obi-Wan surged into the movement, lifting his hips, demanding more contact. Even fully-clothed, the sensation of hardness against hardness was indescribable.

Consumed with the need for more, Obi-Wan held onto Qui-Gon's upper arms, thrusting up as his master thrust down; both were wound too tightly for anything but hard, fast release. Gasping, back arching, Obi-Wan exploded, feeling Qui-Gon's climax follow his own.

"Oh..." Obi-Wan said breathlessly as reality swam back into focus. "I needed that...thank you."

Chest heaving from the exertion, Qui-Gon lifted himself off of the other, sparing a glance down to inspect their soiled leggings. "My apologies for not preparing you properly," he said, equally out of breath. "I'm afraid we'll be needing showers and clean clothing."

"I couldn't have waited any longer," Obi-Wan admitted, sitting up. "It had to be right then, clothing or not. Thank you," he said again softly. He brushed hot fingers against Qui-Gon's temple, placed a soft trail of kisses in their wake.

Qui-Gon leaned into the touch, sighing with contentment. "A shower first and then meditation," he said after a time. "The Force will guide us in this."

Hair and skin still damp from the shower, both men knelt across from one another on the floor. Heads bowed, eyes closed, they reached into the Force together, searching out answers to the direction their lives had taken this day.

It had been during one of his many meditations that Obi-Wan had become aware of the presence...the life...inside himself. Believing-or perhaps wanting-it to be some sort of delusion or Force-vision, he had not mentioned it to Qui-Gon. Only today, had Qui-Gon sensed it as well.

Hands on Obi-Wan, gently cleansing him after their early morning love-making, Qui-Gon had frozen, blue eyes suddenly locking with green.

"Obi-Wan? What...?" He'd reached out his mind, searching, grasping for answers to the force signature he felt. When he'd been sure of its origin, he'd reached out for Obi-Wan. "Obi-Wan...my Obi-Wan. Why did you not tell me? All these weeks...you have kept this a secret unto yourself..."

Gentle understanding was not what Obi-Wan had been expecting from his master, and it seemed almost cruel, considering.

"It is impossible!" Obi-Wan had shouted, rolling away to cover himself as if he could not bear to be.

"It appears to be quite possible, padawan," Qui-Gon had answered back.

"You know what I mean!" the other exploded. "It is impossible for me to bear this child. I cannot. It is against the code, against the very beliefs of the Jedi."

"Love is not against the Jedi code, padawan. And that is what this child is. Love."

"Don't purposely twist their words! They will make me end this. You know it as well as I do," he said with a conviction so absolute it made Qui-Gon's stomach clench.

"Obi-Wan..." a tendril of Force, wrapping around the distraught apprentice. "Allow me to help you. Together we can..."

"No!" came the viscous response. "Physical love between Master and padawan is forbidden. A product of that love will be..."

He couldn't finish the horrible thought. While he had kept the truth to himself, he been able to deny it, to bide his time while he meditated on a solution. But now...now that Qui-Gon knew...Obi-Wan could no longer pretend it was not so.

Shaking, he had fled into the bathroom. Kneeling miserably on the floor, getting sick for nearly half of the next hour. And he hadn't wanted Qui-Gon anywhere near him.

Coming out of the meditation, Qui-Gon saw Obi-Wan raise his head as well...as he swayed on his knees and pitched forward.

"Obi-Wan!" Qui-Gon's reflexes were quicker than the gravity, and he managed to get his arms around the dead weight that was his padawan. Reality was sometimes a double-sided lightsaber, Qui-Gon reflected, and it had just hit his apprentice as surely as a physical blow.

Getting to his feet, Qui-Gon carefully lifted Obi-Wan and carried him to the bed. They would get through this. All three of them.

A cold cloth on his forehead brought Obi-Wan around. Blinking, he looked miserably up into Qui-Gon's face.

"You have always been stronger that I," he said in defeat. "What makes you think I can do this?"

"Nonsense," Qui-Gon said lightly. "You are suffering from a tremendous reshaping of your perceptions and an enormous amount of physical change. I merely have more energy than you at the moment."

Obi-Wan closed his eyes again, concentrating on the cool patterns being traced along his face and neck, and basking in the calm that was his master.

"What will we do, Master? It will be another three months before the child..." The words caught in his throat. "Before our child is prepared to make its entrance. By that time-or even by the first of those three months-what has happened will be obvious. We will not be able to deny it. And trying to mask the erratic force signature of an infant..." He shivered.

Qui-Gon consider the point. Among Obi-Wan's people, gestation for a fetus was usually four months, the unborn infants developing at twice the rate of many other species. Obi-Wan was correct. They would not be able to hide their secret for long, here at the Temple. However...

"A mission, Obi-Wan. If you carry the child to term while we are away from Coruscant..."

"Away on some warring, back-water planet, with no access to clean sheets much less an acceptable medical facility or a skilled healer?" Obi-Wan sounded appalled.

"Or here, at the Temple, where those skilled healers will not even assist you when your time comes because it violates the code..." Qui-Gon reminded painfully.

Obi-Wan was silent, weighing the choices. "Then a mission appears to be the best option," he admitted. "And the further away from the Temple, the better our chances of not arousing suspicion...or the force-sensitivities of the Council."

"Agreed," Qui-Gon said. "And speaking of missions, we have a meeting with the Council in an hour to discuss where they are to send us next."

Obi-Wan attempted to sit up, grateful for the hands pressing him back toward the pillows as he grew dizzy and his stomach threatened to rebel again.

"I have a meeting," Qui-Gon corrected himself. "You will remain here and rest."

"But master...it will call attention..."

"It will not. I will tell them that you are feeling ill-the truth-and that you send your apologies for not attending. They will think nothing of it."

"Yes, Master," Obi-Wan mumbled, even as he felt himself succumbing to Qui-Gon's force-suggestion to sleep.

/Master! Ahhhh!/

In a light meditation as he listened to the Frescan emperor drone on and on, Qui-Gon was jerked to full awareness by Obi-Wan's desperate mind cry.

/Master...Master, help me!/

Flushed, feeling Obi-Wan's pain and uncertainty, Qui-Gon quickly got to his feet, the emperor so involved in his speech that he did not even notice. Making an excuse to the cabinet member seated next to him, Qui-Gon held onto decorum until he was out in the corridor. Then he took off at a run which would have surprised many of the palace attendants, had they seen him.

It is too soon! he thought to himself as he navigated the long, winding corridors. It is too soon for the baby to be born. And yet...Obi-Wan is projecting...

He rushed headlong into their shared quarters, nearly knocking over the padawan as he leaned, panting against the doorframe.

"M-master..." he panted, clutching his stomach. "Please...something is...w-wrong..."

"Obi-Wan! Come, lie down."

Qui-Gon stood at Obi-Wan's back, arms wrapped around him, urging him to let go of the door. But although Obi-Wan's knuckle's turned white under the pressure, he would not-or could not-let go.

Obi-Wan whimpered. /It hurts, master...oh, it hurts.../

With supreme effort, Qui-Gon peeled Obi-Wan's fingers away. If he could not get him to the bed, he would lay him on the floor. Either way, Obi-Wan needed to be off his feet.

"Here...Obi-love...let me see..."

Qui-Gon gently took Obi-Wan's hands away from his belly, now round with child. At two months along, the only way his condition was not fully visible was hidden beneath the fullness of his Jedi robes. And to avoid drawing too much attention to themselves, they had done just that during the mission. No one knew, as far as they were aware, and that was as they wanted it. They were Jedi first, and anything of a personal nature was second to that.

Concentrating, Qui-Gon drew the Force around him like a cloak and sent a tendril of it weaving through his writhing padawan.

Obi-Wan gasped, feeling the energy only as another pain to be endured.

"Shhh...I'm sorry, love," Qui-Gon soothed. He felt so inadequate! Certainly he was no healer...

Obi-Wan panted, grasping his belly again. "Make...it...stop..."

Sending his thoughts spiraling, Qui-Gon focussed on the force signature of the fetus. Yes. The problem lay here.

The infant's thoughts were unorganized, as Qui-Gon would have expected. But they were also electrical, pulsating. It was mesmerizing. Pulling himself away from the captivating undulations, Qui-Gon delved deeper. Ah. Something in the fetus was telling it that the time had come for it to be born. And something in Obi-Wan's body was warring against it. Vehemently. It was no wonder Obi-Wan was experiencing such pain.

Carefully, Qui-Gon held onto his connection with the baby while communicating his discovery to Obi-Wan. Immediately, he felt the apprentice's fear and denial.

/It's too soon, Master! This can't be happening./

Obi-Wan's pulse raced, making that of the child do so as well. And with its increased heart rate came an increased push to make its way into the world.

/Obi-Wan, listen to me. You must calm down. Your mood affects the baby. The more frantic you are, the more disturbed the infant becomes." Qui-Gon spoke aloud. "Your body knows it is not yet time, Obi-Wan. Focus on my voice, my thoughts, and allow me to help you."

He could feel Obi-Wan clamping down on his emotions, forcing himself to consciously relax. For the moment at least, he had Obi-Wan's attention.

/Good, padawan. That's it. Now,/ he warned. /I am going to place my hands on your abdomen. I need to convey to the child that now is not its time and I need to use thought as well as touch./

Obi-Wan sent his acquiescence and mentally braced himself.

Qui-Gon slid deep into meditation, hands upon Obi-Wan. Gently, he soothed the ragged edges of the infant's frantic reactions, quieted its mental squalling. Carefully, he planted a force suggestion that the baby remain as it was, to grow and mature until such time as it was ready to be born naturally.

Slowly withdrawing his presence, Qui-Gon brought himself out of meditation. Obi-Wan was breathing heavily, head thrown back, hands pressed flat to the floor as if he expected more of the pain.

"Obi-Wan? Can you hear me?" Qui-Gon asked aloud. Slowly, the padawan's eyes opened, the shadow of remembered agony still within them. "Obi-Wan, I know this has been difficult for you, but you came through it beautifully. Do you still feel pain anywhere?"

Obi-Wan appeared to mentally catalogue his body. He gave a small shake of his head. Qui-Gon let out the breath he'd been holding.

"I am happy to hear that," he told the younger man. "At least for now, I believe I was successful in convincing our son that this is not his time. Whether it will be a problem again, I cannot be certain."

/What if this does happen again, Master...this early labor...?/ came Obi-Wan's anguished thought. /I have two months yet to go! The baby could not survive, born this early!/

"We will bide our time and allow the Force to direct us," Qui-Gon answered. He just hoped that that would be enough.

Obi-Wan's job became resting. While Qui-Gon finished the dealings with the Emperor of Fresca, Obi-Wan rested. While the people of Fresca celebrated their newly-elected cabinet and threw a party to honor Qui-Gon's hand in it, Obi-Wan rested.

Qui-Gon knew that it bothered Obi-Wan a great deal, to be shut up like an invalid while his master covered for him in the field. But he also knew that the scare they'd had a month ago had frightened Obi-Wan badly. And the two or three false alarms they'd had after that, while Obi-Wan was up and moving about, had been more than enough to convince both of them that bed rest for the last eight weeks would be wise. As long as Qui-Gon could tend to business alone, there was no need to take unnecessary risks.

Three weeks before the baby's scheduled arrival and nearly twice as large as he been only a month earlier, Obi-Wan could seem to find no peace. Both restless and exhausted, he was uncomfortable no matter how he stood or sat or lay. His only relief seemed to come from the warm, herbal baths Qui-Gon prepared for him...but getting in and out of the tub was difficult for all involved.

Soaking in the tub was where Qui-Gon found his apprentice as he returned from his final meeting with the emperor.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, kneeling down above the sunken area, leaning in for a kiss.

"Mmm..." Obi-Wan made a satisfied sound. He turned pleading eyes on Qui-Gon.

It didn't take a hyperdrive scientist to interpret the look.

"Oh, Obi-Wan..." Qui-Gon said, shifting uncomfortably, already growing hard. "No. We can't. Absolutely not."

Obi-Wan gave him an injured look. "I can't even remember what it feels like anymore," he lamented. "We haven't...been together...in over a month."

"Obi-Wan, you know as well as I do that we can't risk it. I promise you, as soon as the baby is born, I will take you in any and every way you can think of." He sealed his promise with another kiss, tongue slipping over Obi-Wan's lips and teeth, a reminder of things left too long undone.

"Ahhhhh..." Obi-Wan groaned. "Please...just touch me. You don't need to do more, but I need to feel your hands on me, loving me, making me feel alive again. Please..."

Qui-Gon found that he could not resist. In a matter of moments, he had divested himself of his clothing and was in the tub, Obi-Wan resting awkwardly in his lap.

"Better?" Qui-Gon whispered. Obi-Wan practically purred. "Is that so?" he said into Obi-Wan's ear, enjoying the pleasure Obi-Wan seemed to derive from the simplest of pleasures. When he moved so that his hard shaft lay between Obi-Wan's sensitive cheeks, Obi-Wan let out a yelp and nearly catapulted from the water.

"Qui-Gon! Are you trying to cause me to go into early labor? Because if you continue this, you may very well be successful!" Obi-Wan's words were a mixture of anger and lust.

Qui-Gon was repentant. "I'm sorry," he told his padawan guiltily. "You know I would never do anything to endanger you or our son." He sighed. "You are right...it has been a long time."

Without warning, Qui-Gon's hand swept underwater, finding Obi-Wan's stiff readiness. Whispering words of love into his apprentice's mind, he grasped the fullness, wrapping his hand around it, sliding it deliciously through his fingers.

"Oh, force!" Obi-Wan cried out as he rose off Qui-Gon's lap, back arching. "Oh..."

Qui-Gon fought to retain his hold on the slippery apprentice as his callused hand moved one, twice, three times up and down Obi-Wan's throbbing hardness.

"Oh...yes...!" Obi-Wan came with a shout, muscles in his belly contracting as he erupted into the warm water. "Oh, gods, Qui-Gon..." he sighed. "Thank you."

"It was my pleasure," Qui-Gon answered, absently rubbing his hands over place where their son slept peacefully on, unaware that anything untoward had taken place. "I love you, my Obi-Wan. Never forget that." As Obi-Wan turned his head, Qui-Gon caught his mouth in a kiss, drinking in the taste that was so uniquely his padawan.

As the kiss deepened, turning Qui-Gon's thoughts inside out, the communications console beeped. At first, he ignored it, knowing that whomever it was, he could contact them later, when...this...was over. But as the beeping persisted, he began to lose his resolve.

Untangling himself from Obi-Wan's grasp, he attempted to get his feet under him.

Obi-Wan made a sound of discontent. "Stay?" he begged. "Whoever it is can wait. We've had so little opportunity to be together like this."

"I'll come back," Qui-Gon promised. "Just wait here."

Obi-Wan snorted as he watched Qui-Gon climb out of the tub and wrap an inadequately-sized towel around his waist. "Where would I go?" he asked. "And how would I get there?" He could hear Qui-Gon laughing as he made his way into the next room, and the sound warmed him immensely.

Moments later, when Qui-Gon returned to the bathroom, the smile had disappeared from his face. In its place was a grim look that spoke of bad news.

"Master?" Obi-Wan asked in concern. "What is it? Who was the message from?"

"The Council, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said quietly. "We have been ordered to return to Coruscant."

"Coruscant! But we can't!" Obi-Wan exclaimed. "Not now! They'll see...they'll find out..."

"I know, I know." Qui-Gon's mind raced as he helped Obi-Wan awkwardly out of the water. "And so we will come up with another option."

"But we must return," Obi-Wan said. "We can't defy the Council..."

"We will not," Qui-Gon assured him as he toweled Obi-Wan dry and prepared to help him dress. "But if they only wish us to return to report on our mission and to offer us another one, perhaps there are ways to get around them seeing you. And once we are safely aboard the next vessel, headed for the next planet..."

Obi-Wan did not look convinced. "There are always problems, Master. Nothing is ever as simple as it seems."

"Then we will face those problems when we encounter them, my Obi-Wan. If we encounter them."

They had disembarked in the wee hours of the morning, and the traffic in the hanger was almost non-existent. That was to their advantage, but it had been much harder than Qui-Gon had imagined, to smuggle Obi-Wan onto the Temple grounds.

To avoid calling any more attention to themselves than necessary, they had not gone to their quarters. Reaching them would have taken Obi-Wan a considerable length of time, if he could have made it at all, and they had a meeting to attend in Council chambers at seventh hour.

Not knowing what else to do, Qui-Gon had picked a deserted spot in the Temple arboretum and settled Obi-Wan there to await his return. With any luck, he could make his report, receive any instructions the Council had for them, and return to Obi-Wan with no one the wiser. It was a risk, but it was one they had to take if they wished to continue their status as lovers. Obi-Wan's quiet acceptance and his whispered, "Force go with you," stayed with Qui-Gon long after he was inside the Temple and heading for the Council room.

"Welcome back, Qui-Gon," Mace Windu nodded from where he sat beside Yoda. "And congratulations on completing the mission. The Council is impressed by the speed with which you completed it. We were not expecting to hear of your success for at least several more months."

Qui-Gon had to force himself to remain calm. Small talk! Why couldn't they accept his report as it was written and move along? "Yes, well, the emperor and his people were most cooperative."

"Accompanied by your padawan, you are not," Yoda said suddenly, standing up. "His responsibility it is, to be by your side."

"Yes, Master," Qui-Gon answered, preparing to give the excuse he had invented.

"At our last meeting with you he was not either."

Qui-Gon was barely successful in masking his surprise and dismay. Leave it to the 900 year old master to recall a detail like that.

"What excuse have you to offer?" Yoda asked.

Qui-Gon bit his lip. Did the elder Jedi know he was hiding something? He had Force-duped the one padawan who had seen them enter the aborted, but he could not fool the entire Council that way.

"Ours was a long mission," he began. "Perhaps not as long as expected, but long enough. Obi-Wan worked as hard as I did on Fresca. He assisted with the mission details and prepared the reports we sent back to Coruscant as well as keeping up with his meditations and studies."

The explanation, as he gave it, sounded lame, even to his own ears. All that he spoke of was nothing less than what was expected of a senior padawan. Obi-Wan was twenty-five. Surely the Council would not believe he had been too tired to attend this meeting.

So he would add a bit more to the deception. In for a credit, in for a bar. He faced the doubting looks before him.

"Before we left the Temple on this mission, Obi-Wan received some disturbing news. He was quite affected by it and has struggled throughout our mission to be accepting of it. When he stepped foot on Temple grounds, he finally felt as though he could attain some measure of peace. I believed it more important for him to remain in the gardens to meditate, rather than to attend this meeting, which I can and will talk to him about later."

Qui-Gon held his breath. It was very nearly the truth. Would they believe him?

"An admirable decision," Depa Billaba commented. "Please convey to your padawan our deepest wishes, that he may find peace within himself."

"Yes, thank you, I..."

/MASTER!!!!!!!/

The mind shout caught him by surprise and Qui-Gon had to slam his shields up in mid-sentence, to avoid its broadcast throughout the chambers.

"Qui-Gon?" Mace was looking at him in concern.

"Yes," he began again, wishing he could remember what they had been speaking about. "I'll do that." The answer had already formed in his mind, and he spoke it, although he could not recall what it was in reference to.

/Unnghh! Qui-Gon...Our...SON.../

Suddenly there was nothing across their bond but burning heat and uncontrolled pain.

/Obi-Wan! Hold on! I'm coming!/

Focussing again on the Council, Qui-Gon felt them searching, exploring, trying to interpret the thoughts in his mind.

"I...I beg the Council's permission to adjourn this meeting for now," he said, concentrating on remaining still. "I am detecting extreme stress through our training link. My padawan has need of me."

/Ohhhhhhhhhh! Please......hurry!!!!!!/

Qui-Gon waited only until the majority of the heads in the Council room nodded. Then, spinning on his heel, he took off for the door at a speed that would not have been acceptable for a master inside the Temple at any other time.

/Obi-Wan, I'm on my way. Lie down and remain calm./ Qui-Gon sent through their bond.

/Remain...ahhh!...calm...?/ came the tense reply.

/I'm almost there, padawan,/ Qui-Gon soothed. /I'm almost there./

/I'm sorry.../ Obi-Wan was apologetic. /But it...HURTS...and...it's all happening...so fast.../ There was a pause. /OH, Please!!!!!! Hurry, Qui-Gon! I don't think I can.../

Qui-Gon rounded a copse of trees to find his padawan on his hands and knees, rocking back and forth, face contorted in his agony.

"Obi-Wan!" Qui-Gon threw off his robe and placed it on the ground, looking around only briefly to reassure himself that they would be away from any watchful eyes here. With a bit of Force manipulation, he moved the apprentice off of the cold grass.

"Not...here...!" Obi-Wan panted. "We can't...they'll find out..."

Qui-Gon was already stripping Obi-Wan down, laying the clothes aside and preparing himself to assist in whatever manner he was needed.

He eyed Obi-Wan's belly, noting that the baby already appeared to have shifted to a much lower position. "We have no choice, Obi-Wan," he said softly. "This baby isn't going to wait long enough for us to move elsewhere."

Grunting as the pains came closer and closer together, Obi-Wan remained otherwise silent.

"That's right, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon urged, brushing his hand across the damp, heated forehead. "Take deep, even breaths. Close your eyes if you need to. Find your center..."

Obi-Wan gasped in pain, attempting to even his breathing. He rolled first onto his back and then curled onto his side, ending up, as before, on his knees, panting shallowly.

Qui-Gon maneuvered so that he could see beneath his lover. The birth had begun. Even as he watched, the head was crowning.

He reached down, soothing Obi-Wan with his hands and his voice. "Yes, Obi-Wan! You are doing wonderfully!"

It was amazing. The males and females of Obi-Wan's native planet had been created equally able to give birth to children. There were other details that set the genders apart, but in this they were all the same. For Qui-Gon, watching their son emerge, so naturally, from his father's body was no less than an act of the Force.

Concentrating, Qui-Gon reached out to Obi-Wan, enhancing his shields, reinforcing his control. One shoulder slipped free.

"Take a deep breath, Obi-Wan," he ordered. "And then push. One shoulder is out and the other will follow if you just help it along."

The breath was a shaky, unsure one, but Obi-Wan followed his master's instructions.

"Again, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon instructed. "Breathe deeply and push as you breathe out."

The second breath was more certain and as Obi-Wan let it out, he prepared to take another one. Pain radiated from his every pour, sweat beaded on his face, ran down his temples, but his breathing was all that was audible.

"No," Qui-Gon said, catching Obi-Wan mid-breath. "Do not push again. Wait for a moment if you are able."

Qui-Gon took the baby's slippery shoulders into his hands, feeling the warmth of the new life invade every pore in his body, feeling his son already mentally connecting with him.

"Now, gently, Obi-Wan," he coached. "Very gently. One more soft push, if you can manage it. I have his head and shoulders in my hands. He only needs a small amount of coaxing to make it the rest of the way out."

True to his very nature and his absolute faith and trust in Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan did as he was told.

"He's out, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said in awe.

Obi-Wan collapsed to the ground, panting.

"Oh, Obi-Wan, he's so beautiful. Look." Helping Obi-Wan to turn onto his back, Qui-Gon placed their son on his bare chest.

"He's perfect," Obi-Wan said, reaching out to hold Qui-Gon's hand as he ran a gentle finger along every part of the infant that he could touch. "And he's ours..."

Qui-Gon leaned over, shielding both of them with his body. He kissed Obi-Wan, wiping away the drops of effort from his face.

"Mmm...correct the Force was..." came a quiet voice from beside them.

Both Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon were startled, able to do nothing but remain as they were in a frozen tableau.

"Saw this in a vision, I did," Yoda said. "Shown I was...the union of two Jedi to form a third, more powerful Jedi. And here, in the Temple, did it have to take place." The elder Jedi sounded pleased with the accuracy of the prediction.

"Great your son will be. Important to the future of all Jedi he is. Seen this, the Force has, and acted on behalf of the Force you have. Mmm, yes," Yoda smiled serenely. "Blessed by the Force are this union and this life. Smiled upon and kept safe all of your days you will be."

As the Jedi master walked away, Qui-Gon lay beside his lifemate and his son, taking them both into his arms.

"Do you think what Yoda says is true?" Obi-Wan asked quietly, clearly overwhelmed by the announcement.

Qui-Gon gently touched a long finger to the infant's still-wet hair. It was going to be as light as Obi-Wan's had been when he'd been small. Moving his hands, Qui-Gon began to stroke the other man's back comfortingly.

"You have always been precious to me, my Obi-Wan," he said, "And now we have created something together that is equally precious. My heart sings with the joy our son is going to give us, and that song will continue regardless of whether he grows up to be a great Jedi knight or the captain of an ore freighter."

"Tay'Ren," Obi-Wan murmured. "Song of the heart..."

Qui-Gon paused, letting the ancient word's literal translation sink in. "Yes...that he is."

Obi-Wan cradled the infant, kissed both its cheeks. "We name you Tay'Ren," he whispered. "Our heart's song."

el fin