Qui-Gon Jinn and Mace Windu rounded a corner, coming across a very green padawan and nine little initiates. Mace raised one eyebrow as Simeon turned to the pair, a foolish grin on his face. The eight children in their group went out to mingle with the other nine. Qui-Gon glanced at his friend. �You take Simeon and I�ll talk to our delinquent?� he asked. Mace shrugged running a hand over his head, as though trying to scrub something off of it. Qui-Gon stifled a chuckle at the movement, remember the earlier events, earning a glare from his counterpart.

�You take Simeon,� Mace retorted, feeling confident he had finally received the better end of the deal. A dark look crossed Qui-Gon�s face, making his one dark eye look fearsome then disappeared. He gave a nod and headed over to Simeon, who had seated himself in a drunken heap on a park bench.

The padawan looked at the master as he sat down beside him. �Jemmiiss sssearinsom, mmmm, mmmeniiiiiiisssssbotssssss,� he commented, his speech slurred beyond understanding. Qui-Gon blinked, startled.

�What was that? In Basic, this time, preferably,� he responded, trying to figure out what he was saying. Simeon hiccuped and nudged Qui-Gon in a secretive way which made him wary.

�Jeeemmmmmmmi. Ahhhhhhh?� he began, hiccuping again. �Heeeeeerboooootssss . . .� he said, gesturing to his feet. Then, he winked at Qui-Gon, who was now thoroughly confused.

He shook his head. �Jemmiah�s boots? What are you talking about?� Simeon opened his mouth to make another response, but Qui-Gon waved him into silence. �Never mind, never mind, that�s not important right now.�

Giving the padawan another good look over, he got an idea. He hauled the padawan to his feet and lugged him to a nearby decorative pond, where a few ducks floated some distance away. Lowering the padawan to the ground, he thrust Simeon�s head underwater, feeling the icy liquid flow over his hands. Then, he pulled him back out; the padawan coughing and sputtering incoherently, his entire head completely wet.

�What in Sith do you think you�re doing, drinking a controlled substance while you�re supposed to be watching initiates?!� he asked quietly, although his voice was firm and unyielding. Looking terrified at the master, some of Simeon�s wits returned. �And why is your skin greener than Yoda�s? What is in the stuff you drank?�

Glancing around for an escape, Simeon found Qui-Gon�s hand holding his arm tightly. �I . . . . ah . . . .� he stalled, having no good explanation for the questions. Suddenly, Isadora ran up to the pair, giving the damp Simeon strange looks.

�Master Jinn!� she cried, tugging on his robe.

Giving her a look and then giving one to Simeon for good measure, he responded. �Just a moment, I�m talking to Simeon right now.� Simeon gulped at the emphasis on talking.

Isadora shook her head, looking urgent. �But Master Jinn . . .!�

He cut her off. �Haven�t you learned to listen to your elders? I will talk to you in a moment when I�m finished with Simeon,� he said firmly, his blue eyes flashing with pent-up annoyance.

�Jemmiah�s going to have a baby! She�s in the barn with your padawan!� she blurted out, then instinctively took a few steps back at the look on Qui-Gon Jinn�s face.

His face was a mask of cool fury, his eyes having taken the tint of ice. Simeon felt the grip on his arm increase slightly and squirmed under the pain. He could feel the master shaking with anger and frantically began to wish that he, too, could move away. Suddenly, Qui-Gon let go of his arm and stood stiffly. �You and I will finish our talk momentarily,� he said harshly, giving Simeon a look accompanied with a mental image of what would occur if he disappeared in Qui-Gon�s absence. Then, the master turned, the picture of deadly grace.

Isadora�s terror-filled face turned to one of smug satisfaction as he began to make long, stiff strides towards the children�s barn. Simeon rubbed his arm painfully as he watched the master go, suddenly sobering up. May the Force be with them, he thought grimly as Qui-Gon disappeared into the barn.

*******

Qui-Gon strode doggedly towards the farmyard barn, a thousand conflicting thoughts playing in his mind. His gut reaction to Isadora�s little bombshell was disbelief, followed in rapid succession by anger and hurt.

And above all else: betrayal.

The fact that his padawan had been going behind his back to see Jemmiah had been bad enough, but then to have been so irresponsible�the consequences of his actions would have a knock on effect for many, many people. Then there was the child. What if�

The child might be force sensitive.

Would Jemmiah stand by and let her child be taken from her? And what of his apprentice? He still had many years of learning ahead of him. It could be several years before he took his trials. This was not what was needed right now. Bitterness welled in Qui-Gon like a hot spring. And also something else.

Guilt.

He had thought he had taught Obi-Wan better. And as for Jemmiah� she had always had a wild streak. His anger at her intensified. It was her fault. Obi-Wan was never disobedient, not before this little incident. Well, he thought unsympathetically, let her suffer the consequences of her folly.

He breathed out. He was lying to himself, he knew. They were both as guilty as each other. His padawan was NOT perfect, nor had he ever pretended to be. And by keeping them apart, Qui-Gon had made the situation into what it was. Yes, he must suffer some of the blame too.

He could sense Obi-Wan as he neared the barn entrance, but he was equally sure that his apprentice had not sensed him. Shielding tighter than he had ever before, Qui-Gon continued his approach. He spotted the pair of them lying amidst the straw, eyes closed, in a quiet embrace, and once more had to keep a tight reign on his anger. No longer finding the need for stealth, Qui-Gon walked soundlessly to the middle of the barn before letting go of his shielding altogether.

Realization hit Obi-Wan like a bucket of water in the face. A surge of terror spiked in him as he recognized the oh, too familiar presence of his master, and he sat bolt upright. Jemmiah blinked and followed suit, and the horrified expression on her face was something that Qui-Gon would remember for some time to come.

�Mmmmaster.� Stammered Obi-Wan in fright. �We didn�t expect to see you��

�So I see, Padawan.� Qui-Gon fixed him with a look betwixt disgust and coldness.

�Master Jinn,� Jemmiah began, her voice raw, �It�s not what you��

�Spare me the �It�s not what you think� routine, Jemmiah. I�m not stupid. Don�t think,� he paused to dart an icy look at his padawan, �that I don�t know about your secret assignations.�

�Master�� Obi-Wan began.

�I�ll speak to you later, Obi-Wan. Right now I�m going to have a little talk with Jemmiah.�

�But��

�I said out, Padawan.� He breathed dangerously.

For a moment Qui-Gon thought he would refuse to go, but then he saw Jemmiah squeeze his hand so quickly that the movement was barely perceptible, but he caught it all the same.

At this signal of acquiescence, Obi-Wan reluctantly, and decidedly unsteadily, got to his feet. He looked from his master to his friend and then back again.

�I�ll wait outside.� He stated in a challenging tone.

�No you won�t.� Qui-Gon replied. �I have a lot to say, and you look as if you�re about to fall flat on your face.� He folded his arms to meet his apprentice�s challenge. �I�d go back to your friend Simeon. He could do with some moral support right now, and by all the stars you are both going to need it by the time Yoda and I have finished with you. You may go, Padawan.� He dismissed Obi-Wan as if he were a child.

When Obi-Wan had left, he turned to an extremely pale Jemmiah Gleshan. She was shaking, and looked like she were about to collapse, but Qui-Gon�s annoyance was extreme.

�I know about your little secret.� Qui-Gon stated simply.

He watched as Jemmiah�s expression went from apprehension to distress in one swift stroke. �He promised me!� She yelled as if her mind were about to snap from the shame. �I made him swear not to say a word to anyone! How could he?!� She balled her fists tightly at her sides in white-hot fury.

Qui-Gon was not about to correct her misunderstanding regarding how he had found out, but now he had heard her confess the truth more or less with her own lips.

�That is hardly the point. Tell me, are you hell bent on ruining your life, Jemmiah?� He circled her, watching as her shaking seemed to become more pronounced. �Ever since we met you�ve been in scrapes of one sort of another, something which Yoda always seemed to put down to youthful high-spirits.� He glared at her. �It�s gone a bit further than that now, hasn�t it?�

Jemmy couldn�t find her voice. She just nodded, completely crushed.

�And what about your departure to Corellia? Did you think that would solve anything?�

She tried to speak. �N-nnot really. �She managed to get out after a couple of attempts.

Qui-Gon looked at her as if he were repulsed by the sight of her, and Jemmiah found it extremely difficult to hold on to her �no crying in front of the grown-up�s� rule that she�d always maintained. The tears were burning her eyes, but they didn�t fall. Not yet.

�And what exactly are you going to do about it all?� He asked indifferently.

It was his �I couldn�t give a spit� attitude that proved too much for her. She swept at her eyes with the back of her hand, like a child. Which, thought Qui-Gon bleakly, she still was. A poor, foolish child. And a scared one.

�I don�t know,� she sobbed, �I�ve no idea. I�m�I�m so frightened.�

As her shaking seemed to get worse, Qui-Gon�s pity snapped back into place. What right had he to bully her? The deed was done. And she was visibly upset. She needed support, not criticism. Her tears moved him and even though the sense of disappointment remained, the anger he had felt had gone. She never cried, everyone had remarked on it time and time again. Jemmiah never cried.

He made a swift move forward to comfort her, and was shocked when she pulled back, as if frightened of being hit. Sith, cursed Qui-Gon silently, she really was afraid.

Of him.

Had he been that much of an ogre over the last two months? Had his refusal to forgive, to except her sincere apology when it was offered contributed to the situation they all found themselves in now? The guilt he had been feeling earlier returned in waves. She looked as if she would pass out.

Qui-Gon reached out to her in much the same way that Obi-Wan had done earlier.

�I will never harm you.� He said, repeating the first words he had ever spoken to her, some seven years ago on a force-benighted dust bowl of a planet called Nargotria. And just as she had then, she buried herself in his cloak.

He held her for a while, as she stood shivering and weeping, all traces of impudence and cutting sarcasm gone from her. �Hush,� he soothed gently. �You�re going to make yourself ill. And that wouldn�t benefit anyone, would it?�

He got no response, except for another bout of tears. Eventually, she seemed to calm by degrees, and the sobbing subsided.

�I�m too young to get married.� She tried him with a watery smile.

He smoothed her long hair back from off her sticky face, wet with tears. �Tangles, we can talk about all that later on. We should be getting back to the others. Do you feel up to it?� He asked, using the name he had coined for her many years ago.

She seemed unsure, but gave a hesitant nod. Both remained completely unaware of the crossed wires they had regarding the whole affair.

�Good,� he tried to reassure her again.

They walked slowly out of the barn. How strange that they should be re-united in this way, thought Qui-Gon. Not exactly how he had wanted it, but�

�I don�t want to go to Corellia.� She said softly.

He put his arm over her shoulder. �You don�t have to.� He replied simply.

His com-link chirped.

�Mater Jinn, this is Bai!� The voice sounded panicked.

Jinn snatched his com-link. �What is it?� He asked, feeling that something ominous was about to happen.

�It�s that little Alderaani kid, Master. He�s deactivated the force barriers to some of the enclosures��

Qui-Gon gulped.

The animals were free.

*******

�JAAAAY-EE-DEE-EYE! It�s fun to train with the JAAAY-EE-DEE-EYE-YI!!��

Oh, Abran is reaaaaly gonna get it this time!

Padawan Kylenn rolled her eyes and put her head in her hands as Dorlin and Mabricc launched into their 32nd rendition of �J.E.D.I.� while a third, an E.T. called Runa, bobbed his head and pulsed his finger-light along to the rhythm.

I�m never going to forgive him for teaching these little Sithlings that hideous song! Alright, just for this I�m going to freeze his underwear in carbonite!

She and her close friend Abran were near opposites of each other; he was the consummate showman while 16-year-old Kylenn was among the more reserved members of the Temple. While his antics often raised concern among the other Jedi, particularly Master Jinn, she found him rather amusing and, admittedly lived vicariously through him. She wasn�t necessarily shy, she just preferred to watch and listen rather than jump immediately into the middle of things.

And what short straw did I pull to end up in the middle of this?

Kylenn smiled wanly as a passerby chuckled at the little Jedi dance show going on in the middle of the walkway.

Urgh! She hid her head in her hands. What possessed Master Yaddle to send me along, I'll never know.

She looked over at the remaining child, a 5-yr-old Wookie named Zibacca sitting on the ground next to a bench with his legs curled up underneath him. He was quietly playing with a set of Corellian Fighter Pilot action figures he had pulled out of his Happy Hutt lunch box.

*Sigh* At least one child isn�t behaving like a crazed Wampa on stim.

*******

Master Jinn hurried Jemmiah gently but firmly back towards the errant group consisting of his padawan and Simeon Cates, along with their group of ten initiates. He remained quietly concerned. She had composed herself admirably, wearing a mask of calm that would have fooled anybody.

Except Qui-Gon.

Well, his padawan too, he amended ruefully. The last seven years had fled at such an alarming rate that the Jedi Master didn�t know where they had disappeared to. He couldn�t pin down a specific time when the young lady by his side had turned from being the undernourished, scrawny little child his apprentice had rescued into the attractive woman that he now saw.

He�d missed her birthday; he realized, amidst all the trouble his silent rebuke had caused. She would be seventeen now, maybe not so much a child after all. But her pallor and general behavior made him feel worried on her behalf. He sensed relief from her. Relief that they were now speaking again. Apprehension for what he might do to Obi-Wan. Well, she had every right to be concerned on that score. He hadn�t even begun to think what he was going to say to him. Overriding all these powerful emotions was fear. It was not usually something that could be sensed from her. He saw her pull her shawl around her for warmth, and in return he tightened the grip on her shoulder.

She looked up in gratitude at the small gesture of comfort, but it was a cautious, wary smile that she returned to him. She�d always found trust a problem, possibly why she had few, if any friends other than Obi-Wan. And considering her life on Nargotria, Qui-Gon thought sadly, it was hardly a surprise.

He remembered so many of the incidents, or �scrapes� as he had called them, that had helped to forge a bond between them of sorts. The floor-scrubbing escapade, when Obi-Wan had been wrongly accused of causing a fight in the temple between himself and Master H�darri�s padawan, and had been set the onerous task of washing the walls outside the Jedi�s apartment. Not to mention all the adjacent apartments as well. Jemmiah had known full well that Obi-Wan had not been even remotely guilty and had refused to abandon him to his punishment, helping him with his chore. �Make a good job of it,� Master H�darri had said in a threatening tone to them.

Well, she certainly DID make a good job of it.

Whilst Obi-Wan worked on the walls, Jemmiah worked on the floor. She paid special attention to the patch of floor directly outside H�darri�s door. She�d got a real shine to it, reflected Qui-Gon with the merest hint of a smile.

The master had walked briskly out to inspect the work and had gone sliding down the corridor like a Gabali puck against ice. He�d gone crashing into Master Yoda on the way, and when their momentum had stopped, Yoda had simply said �Hmph!� and rapped him hard on the knee with his stick. Qui-Gon had caught up with Jemmiah the next day, and found her to be in a distinctly un-repentant mood. She was re-washing the walls that Obi-Wan had been cleaning only the day before.

�What in blazes are you doing, child?� He�d asked in puzzlement.

She didn�t so much as look at him, instead her eyes seemed to be fixed intensely on a single speck of dirt on the wall that wouldn�t budge.

�Punishment.� She sighed in her lilting accent.

Qui-Gon�s frown had grown. Had Master Yoda set her this task? Surely not, she had Yoda well wrapped round her little finger. Everyone knew that the troll was especially fond of her.

�Punishment?� Echoed Qui-Gon�s voice.

She nodded, still not looking at him. �When you do something wrong, aren�t you s�posed to pay for it?�

Jinn�s bafflement extended further. �I don�t understand. Who set you this punishment?�

�Nobody.� She replied.

�You�re not making a lot of sense.�

Jemmiah had smiled. �I�ve been up since early this morning cleaning these walls so that I can honestly say that I have atoned for my sins.�

�Why, what have you done?� Qui-Gon asked uneasily.

�Nothing.� She smirked. �Yet.�

The door to H�darri�s apartment slid back once more, only this time it revealed the smaller, petite figure of his padawan, Junine, who had been so quick to accuse Obi-Wan the day before. Jemmiah had been waiting her chance.

Snatching the bucket of soapy water, she turned from facing the wall with such speed that Qui-Gon had found himself taken completely by surprise. The next thing he knew, Padawan Junine was soaking wet, and then to add insult to injury Jemmiah had slammed the upturned bucket on her head for good measure.

�You�re lucky I don�t make you eat the soap as well, you verminous little vrelt.�

As she had walked away, Qui-Gon was left in doubt as to who had been responsible for the fight the day before. When the stunned Junine had removed the bucket from her head, Qui-Gon�s eyes bore down on her, promising retribution.

�Master Jinn,� She had said, pointing after Jemmiah�s retreating back, �Aren�t you going to do something?�

Qui-Gon just nodded, as if considering. �Yes, I am. Here.� He reached over to the cloth that Jemmy had dropped. �I�m going to give you this cloth. I think you�ll find she missed a bit.� He pulled himself up to his most intimidating height. �I want to see my face in this when I come back.� He placed the cloth in her hands. �Get scrubbing.�

Qui-Gon found himself smiling again. He recalled the time when she�d been given temporarily into the care of Master Sal-Fina and her padawan, Ambianca, when he and Obi-Wan had been assigned another mission shortly after their return to Coruscant. When the council had asked if she would like to remain roommates with Ambianca rather than move in with Evla Sovalla, Jemmiah had famously replied �Thanks, but I�d rather Corelli-kiss a Hutt�s behind.� Whilst trying to remain dignified and stern, most of the council members had been desperately trying not to laugh. Yoda�s eyes had lit up in glee. Sal-Fina was not everyone'� favorite Jedi, and by all accounts the padawan was equally as bad as her master.

That had settled things in Evla�s favor.

He was disturbed from his reminiscence by the shaking he felt coming from Jemmiah. It didn�t seem to be fear this time.

�You�re not well.� He stated.

She was about to answer him when she felt the sudden return of the sickness she had suffered earlier. Damn Simeon and his Cherryblade mix! She felt terrible! Ashen faced, Jemmiah turned and ran once again. She�d only just made up with Qui-Gon, and she didn�t think that being sick all over him would make him any more disposed to like her better�

*******

Pandemonium was breaking out in a small scale in various parts of the zoo. There had been a report of five drugged and virtually unconscious children in the vicinity of the duck pond. An attempted abduction had turned out to be a case of mistaken identity, resulting in a security man being left up to his neck in Gundark manure. Complaints of children running riot all over the place, terrorizing the visitors, and of lewd and drunken singing near the Gurnaf enclosure had been filtering in all afternoon. To top it all, there had been a report of a �flasher� loose in the grounds exposing himself to the public.

And now, half the animals in the zoo had escaped.

These repeated disasters had done nothing for the nerves of head keeper Dylain Bonar, as he shoveled down yet another tranquilizer, followed by yet another glass of water. Flashers, and Jedi child abductors�it only ever happened in his zoo. No more nerves. He would be fine, he told himself, as long as nothing else happened. He WOULD be fine�

One of the junior keepers ran into his room. �The Krayt Dragon�s escaped!�

Bonar smiled insanely to himself, cradling the harpoon gun he held in his hand under the table�

*******

Qui-Gon stood once more beside Jemmiah, his hand on her back.

�When you get back to the temple, you�re going straight to see An-Paj.� He ordered.

�Thanks. That�s just what I need. To be locked in a room with a bunch of trainee healers who�re just waiting like Sarlaccs in a desert to haul you into their lair and stick you with giant needles.� She moaned at the thought. �Once you�re in there you never come out again for months.�

�All the same.� He tucked her hair behind her ear. He knew how much she hated medicentres, healers and needles. Not to mention blood.

�Knowing my luck, I�d probably get Padawan Dimwit, who�ll no doubt give me an enema to swallow or something.�

�I think you�ll find that�s Dimallie.� Admonished Qui-Gon softly. Although Jemmiah did have a point. Dimallie did have a bit of a blemished record on the medical mix-up front.

She stared at him. �Master Jinn, if you don�t mind me asking, what happened to your eye?�

�Err...a slight altercation with another one of the visitors.� Qui-Gon tried to sound convincing.

She grinned, despite how ill she felt. �You mean somebody thumped you!�

He put a hand to his eye. �Yes.�

�Oh.� The smile remained, albeit fainter.

�We�re going to have to move. Obi-Wan will think I�ve murdered you, and Bai will be at his wits end. If these animals really are loose��

�What about Kylenn. Has anyone heard from her?�

Qui-Gon thought. �No. Perhaps we should check on her. Inform her what�s going on. Better safe than sorry.� He looked at her again. �Feeling up to it?�

�Do you want me to lie?� She asked.

Qui-Gon helped her to straighten up. �Let�s see what Obi-Wan�s up to.�