RING!

"Five more minutes..." Anakin groaned, tossing and turning in his bed. "Anakin," a soft voice calls out, and Qui-gon's long hair lightly brushes the back of Anakin's neck. "It's time to get up, now. Come on," Qui-gon coaxed. Sighing at the youth's refusal to get up, Qui-gon pulled the covers off of his young charge.

"Qui-gon!" Anakin yelled, pretending to be annoyed. He gave his guardian an expaserated look before finally getting up and going to the bathroom. Qui-gon chuckled before setting the covers back and going back to the table, browsing his holopad while sipping tea. "How's mom doing?" Anakin yelled from the bathroom. "She sent a message last night, she and Cliegg are fine, Anakin," Qui-gon informed him. "Just checking," he told him before shutting the door.

Anakin ran his fingers through his hair, trying to figure out how to greet Padmé that morning. Unfortunately, he always seemed to make a fool of himself in front of her. He suddenly sensed a melancholy feeling from his bond with Qui-gon, and he knew that Qui-gon was reminiscing over his time as a Jedi. He frowned, wishing that he could say or do something to make Qui-gon feel better. Part of Anakin felt guilty, as he had been the one to take Qui-gon away, but his master had assured him that Anakin was more important than he could possibly imagine.

Still, he felt bad for his master, and slightly angry at the Jedi Council for refusing to train him. If it hadn't been for their refusal, Anakin and Qui-gon wouldn't be outcasts on Naboo, and perhaps Qui-gon would've had the chance to mend his relationship with his estranged former apprentice. Anakin had met Obi-wan briefly, but he seemed like a nice person, despite his slightly hurtful comments, and it was a shame they never got to know one another.

Qui-gon mused on his apprentice. Anakin was very protective over the people he loved, which included Qui-gon, Shmi, and Padmé Amidala. It was just in his nature. Sipping the tea, he reflected over his life these past ten years.

FLASHBACK

"What do you mean I can't train him? Anakin is the Chosen One!" Qui-gon raised his voice, calm even though he was internally furious with the Council. "Qui-gon, we've already refused to train the boy. End of discussion," Windu said firmly.

"What am I supposed to do? Leave Anakin on some desert planet? No, he is the Chosen One, and if you cannot see it, then I have no other choice. I am leaving the Order to train him in the ways of the light side of the Force. One day, he will save us all," Qui-gon swore before storming out of the Council Room, Yoda and Windu staring at his retreating form in shock.

"Master?" Obi-wan called out in shock, and Qui-gon stops at the sound of his padawan's voice. His padawan, who risked his life to save Qui-gon from the Zabrak Sith by squeezing through the laser shields just in time. His intrepid padawan, who showed tremendous strength and courage, and was about to be knighted for it.

His padawan, who deserved a Master who would not leave him.

But the Force was pushing Qui-gon towards Anakin, and he could not ignore the Force's call. It wasn't that he wanted to leave Obi-wan, but he had to make a choice. The future of the galaxy was at stake here. So, he continued on his way, a single tear slipping down his cheek, never seeing the matching look of despair on Obi-wan's face.

Qui-gon and Anakin had gone to the kind Queen of Naboo, Padmé Amidala, who gave them work as her bodyguards and compensated them well for their services. She was a senator now, and Qui-gon had noticed a certain attraction between her and Anakin, but he hadn't actively discouraged it. He and Anakin were no longer Jedi, so it didn't make sense to preach a non-attachment rule that they didn't have to live by.

Anyway, Qui-gon liked Padmé. She had not only looked out for him and Anakin, but she had checked on Shmi as well and used her wealth to free her from slavery. Shmi was currently living with a man named Cliegg, Anakin's stepfather, and Qui-gon heard that they were both extremely happy.

However, Qui-gon still taught Anakin the ways of the Force like he would teach a Jedi. He taught the young boy Force levitation, lightsaber combat, and several other skills needed to be a Jedi. Qui-gon was astonished by Anakin's powers; the boy was a quick learner, especially when it came to lightsaber combat.

There were times when Qui-gon missed the Temple. Missed the tranquility of the meditation gardens. Missed his old friends, even that meddling troll. In those times, all he had to do was look at Anakin, and look at how far the boy had come. He was a natural when it came to using the Force, and Qui-gon knew, without a shred of doubt, that this is what he was meant for. He grew to care for the boy as he would his own son.

A knock on the door interrupted Qui-gon's musings. Who could be at their apartment at this early hour?

Qui-gon walked over and opened the door, revealing none other than Mace Windu himself. A man that Qui-gon hadn't seen since that fateful day in the Council Chambers.

"Qui-gon," Windu greeted grimly. "We need to talk."

"That's him, isn't it? The Sith Killer? What is he doing here? You think he wants a padawan?"

Younglings whispered and gossiped over the appearance of none other than Obi-wan Kenobi, a young knight famous for slaying a Sith Lord a decade ago. Rumor had it, the Council was considering Kenobi for a seat on the Council, which would make him one of the youngest Masters ever.

The man in question, however, was simply waiting for the tournament to be over.

Every year, the initiates had a lightsaber tournament, where they would get to show off their skills to potential masters. It was every initate's dream to be picked by a venerable master, and somehow Obi-wan had let the old troll rope him into attending this one.

"I should be on a mission," Obi-wan murmured to his great-grandmaster, who happened to be sitting right next to him. "Hmmm. Perhaps. Or perhaps, meant to be here, you are," Yoda reprimanded. "Tell you to focus on your present, your master always did."

Obi-wan winced. As if he needed the reminder. The old troll must be ticked off, because he rarely ever mentioned Qui-gon directly in their conversations, choosing to allude to him in vague references instead. When Qui-gon left the Order, left Obi-wan, it had hurt him in ways he couldn't even fathom. Qui-gon had been his father, but he turned his back on the Order, and on him. For what? A slave boy from Tatooine that may or may not be the Chosen One? Obi-wan remembered the day like it was yesterday.

" A Knight of the Jedi Order, you are, Obi-wan Kenobi," Yoda pronounced, smiling proudly at the former padawan. However, he stopped smiling at the despondent look on Obi-wan's face, his large, hazel eyes reflecting the sadness of the youth in front of him.

Gently, Yoda cut the braid with his own lightsaber, making it official. Obi-wan had been dreaming of this day for years, the day when he would finally be a full-fledged Jedi Knight... but it didn't feel like he thought it would. When he envisioned this day, it was always with Qui-gon by his side. Qui-gon, his master, the one that was supposed to cut his braid. But Qui-gon had abandoned him, and Dooku had left the Order as well, leaving just Obi-wan and Yoda.

"Let go, you must. Even as a knight, face trials you will. Learn to overcome your attachments, you must," Yoda insisted, but uncharacteristically, he patted the young knight's shoulder in a gesture of comfort.

Obi-wan scowl deepened at the memory, and he forced himself to watch the tournament, brushing it aside. The initiates were good, but he wasn't drawn to any of them. He remembered being an initiate once, being so eager to please. Those days seemed so long ago, the innocence of youth now long lost. When the tournament was finished, he clapped with the other masters before heading towards the exit.

"Worry for you, I do," Yoda murmured softly, walking with Obi-wan. "Companionship would be good for you. Ease the burden of loneliness on your long, dangerous missions, it would." The emphasis on "dangerous" was clear; Obi-wan knew that Yoda disapproved of most of the missions Obi-wan insisted on going on. They were all high risk missions, and Obi-wan got injured often, but the Council would send him because he was one of the best negotiators they had. They needed him, especially since the Seperatists had been stirring up trouble lately.

"I can handle myself, Master," Obi-wan said stiffly, but immediately apologized. The last thing he wanted to do was anger Master Yoda; the annoying, diminutive master had been there for him when nobody else had, and he was one of Obi-wan's closest confidants. Not that Obi-wan had many of those. He had learned the hard way that trust was a double edged sword.

"A new mission, the Council has for you," Yoda told him reluctantly, in a tone that immediately put Obi-wan on guard. He knew the old troll's mannerisms well after being his student for years, and he could tell that whatever Yoda was going to tell him, he wasn't going to like it. "Who does this mission concern?" he asked carefully.

"Padmé Amidala, Qui-gon Jinn and Anakin Skywalker."

P.S I made Obi-wan slightly younger in this story, in case you're wondering, for plot purposes. What do you guys think of the first chapter? Review if you want; I love to hear all of your thoughts!