Title: The Gift

Timeframe: about 10 years before TPM

Spoilers: minor, if at all

Genre: AU, drama, angst

Disclaimer: I really don't make any money from this, I just really love playing in George's sandbox.

The Gift

Qui-Gon Jinn was uncharacteristically joyful. He stretched out his great length and could not stop the sigh of contentment that escaped him. He was lying on his back in the red tinged grass on a slope that overlooked the village. When was the last time he felt so at ease? Varrus was fast becoming one of his favorite planets. Everything from the pastel hued skies to the gentle people pleased him to his very core.

He supposed he should miss his apprentice more. After all, Obi-Wan had been a constant companion for the past four years. But the truth was Qui-Gon was relieved to have a break from the boy. He was a quick study and a good-natured companion, but the self doubt that his student seemed unable to overcome was wearing the Master down. He had battled to keep his praise measured and Obi-Wan from becoming too proud, only to achieve the opposite, a Padawan who truly believed that very little he did was good enough. Those closest to Qui-Gon knew that Obi-Wan was very special to him, more than just an apprentice. However, the Jedi Master felt it was more important for him to be a teacher not a friend or a fa...He stopped himself mid-thought. No! He most certainly could not be a father. How could he be an effective teacher if he allowed himself to think of the boy as his son? It wasimpossible, but still he...'No! It's impossible' he recited to himself, his voice sounding overly stern even to himself.

The Master sighed again and released all his anxieties to the force and was once more content. Obi-Wan was back on Couruscant, fulfilling required duties for the council and Qui-Gon was there on beautiful Varrus, his mission already successfully dispatched. It had all been so gloriously easy and without suspicion. Varrussians were a peaceful united people with a deep sense of respect and duty. The problem was they were growing past their agrarian roots and with the growth came inevitable pains. There had developed a rift in the population as to where the growth should lead them. Would technology destroy their planet's environment? If they eschewed new technologies, would outdated farming techniques and uncontrolled population growth destroy the environment just as surely? Unused to discordance, all sides immediately agreed to call in a Protector of the Peace. The Varrussians took Qui-Gon in as an honored, almost revered guest. The mission could not have been more simple, in fact it had been a joy. He simply taught them strategies and rules for debate; he showed them that disagreements didn't lead to the end of peace but to the beginning of compromise. It didn't take long before all sides agreed on some hard and long lasting decisions. Even though he felt he had hardly done anything, Qui-Gon was thanked profusely and talked into staying an extra couple of days. He told himself that he would have remember to thank the Council for this. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and let another sigh float free into that exquisite sky.

"Master Jedi Qui-Gon?" asked a voice from above, interrupting his thoughts.

Qui-Gon opened his eyes and saw Menenius, disciple to The Mistress. The Mistress was the spiritual leader of the Varrussians. She had been the one who kept the people focused on what united them, not what could tear them apart.

"Yes, Menenius, what can I do for you?"

"The Mistress requests your presence."

"Lead the way Menenius. I was hoping to have a chance to see The Mistress again before I leave tonight," he responded as he lifted himself up off of the grass. Part of him wished he could just stay on that hill and just wait for the force to claim him.