"He's not breathing." He pronounced the words slowly, as though he could not believe his own senses.

"What?" Bel-San asked in shock, trying to shift over and lend his help.

"He's not breathing, Bel-San, he isn't breathing." His voice rose as he spoke and the reality of the statement sunk into his mind. Qui-Gon looked at his friend in panic as he held the small, still boy close in his arms. Terror flashed through him and for a moment he could do nothing but stare between his friend and Obi-Wan. He distantly heard Bel-San speaking to him but he was too stunned to focus on the words.

Slowly, the sound of his friend's voice brought him back to the moment. He realized that he was helping no one and he took a breath to release the emotion to the Force. He could still feel the panic, guilt and shame hovering just behind his shoulder waiting to overwhelm him again, but he now had control.

Qui-Gon placed Obi-Wan on a relatively clear space on the floor and laid his hand against the boy's chest to feel for any signs of life. When he found none, he released another wave of panic before he calmed and continued. He knew he had to work quickly to save the boy. Focusing his mind he tried to reestablish the link between himself and Obi-Wan, he needed to know if the boy was close to life or if . . . He couldn't even mentally finish the thought. Obi-Wan will be fine, he told himself fiercely. He sought the thin line of shared consciousness that they had established while healing Bel-San and looked for the presence of the child.

The boy was still there, but only barely. Nothing was wrong with him other than the drain of his energy, which Qui-Gon himself had caused. Closing his eyes briefly, the Jedi stored those thoughts and feeling in a distant part of himself where he could deal with them later. Obi-Wan needed his full attention now.

Qui-Gon released a quick breath before he placed his large, calloused hand on Obi- Wan's chest and willed his own energy into the boy. He knew he was dangerously close to exhaustion and if he pushed himself too far he could easily end up in the same position as Obi-Wan, but it didn't matter. Nothing mattered other than keeping the small boy in his arms alive. He watched the pale, elfin face carefully and willed the boy to respond, to breath, to do anything.

He poured as much of himself into the boy as he could, briefly worrying it would not be enough. Finally, when he feared he would be able to give no more before he had nothing left, he felt a slight movement in the boy's chest. He pulled his hand back slowly, absently noting how it shook, and watched as Obi-Wan drew a shuddering breath and opened his eyes. They boy blinked slowly as though just coming out of a deep sleep and looked up at Qui-Gon.

"Obi-Wan? How do you feel, Little One?" He asked suddenly weary beyond nearly all thought. Relief and exhaustion combined to leave him shaking.

The boy looked around. "I feel better, awake." He pronounced, as he looked cautiously at Qui-Gon who had begun to sway in his seated position.

"Good." Qui-Gon said softly. The Jedi held onto consciousness long enough to ensure that his own heart would not stop, before he fell back and let himself fall away from the moment.

* * *

"He will be fine with rest, Obi-Wan, just leave him alone."

"But maybe he needs something. I think we should wake him up."

"Just leave him, young one. Come away, now. He'll join us again when he is ready."

"I think he is close now anyway."

"And how do you know that?"

The voices grew clearer as Qui-Gon struggled to consciousness. Although the two were quiet, the small nature of the room and the exaggerated whisper Obi-Wan spoke in did not help him sleep. He knew he was no where near healed enough, but he didn't want to leave his injured friend and the child alone in the rubble of the earthquake. He shifted slightly and opened his eyes, only to be met with a gritty darkness. The last he remembered there had still been some light left, he must have been out for some time.

"See, I told you." Obi-Wan said with a frown evident in his voice. Qui-Gon turned his head and saw the small boy carefully making his way to his side. The small boy reached out hesitantly and placed a small hand on his face.

Qui-Gon reached up with great effort and captured the small hand in his much larger one saying nothing for a long time. He could think of nothing other than how close he had been to losing the small boy, and how there was absolutely no one to blame other than himself. Had Obi-Wan been beyond his reach . . . He didn't even know how to end the thought. The small boy had come to mean so much to him over the past year and he could not imagine what it would be like to have such a bright flame extinguished.

"How-" He began, but his voice was thick in his throat and he had to begin again. "How do you feel Obi-Wan?" He asked the small boy as he sat up slowly and propped himself against one of the more stable pieces of rubble.

Obi-Wan gifted him with a bright smile and crawled into his lap. "Good." He paused and tugged slightly at the hem of Qui-Gon's sleeve. "You came for me." He said quietly, explaining in the only words he had for the incident.

Qui-Gon reflexively drew the boy to him and hugged him close. Resting his cheek against the fine, golden hair he let the presence of the boy wash over him. "Always." They stayed close for a long moment before Qui-Gon's attention was captured by a self- conscious cough nearby.

He looked up in the dim light and locked his eyes with Bel-San. The other man was watching the two of them curiously and suddenly, guilt washed through Qui-Gon. He drew a breath and released as much of it as he could to the Force, knowing he would have to do more than that to truly be at peace with himself, if he ever could. Slowly, he relaxed his hold on the boy, though neither of them made any attempt to make any other movement.

"How are you, Bel-San?" He asked quietly.

"I could be better, but I don't think anything is that bad. Nothing that a little medical attention couldn't fix." The other man said lightly, though Qui-Gon could hear the edge of pain in his voice.

"How long was I out?" He asked, looking around the room for anything that might be of help in their situation.

"Just a couple of hours. It wasn't too bad, once we knew you just needed sleep. Obi-Wan and I kept each other company, though he really, really wanted to wake you up." Bel-San said, the smile evident in his tone.

Obi-Wan shrugged in the darkness and said nothing. He shifted slightly in Qui- Gon's lap so his head and back rested against Qui-Gon's chest. After a moment, he picked up one of the Jedi's hands and began playing with his fingers. Qui-Gon allowed the boy access to his hand; he had no need it for at the moment anyway.

"Have you heard anything from a rescue party? Has Gar tried to contact us?" He asked, closing his eyes briefly trying to search the area with the Force for the presence of any other life forms.

"We haven't heard anything, but that is likely because of the extent of the damage. This Temple was built with earthquakes in mind and if it collapsed that means that was quite the earthquake. The entire Temple is probably down which probably means we aren't the only ones who didn't get out in time. It should only be a matter of time, and as it stands we aren't too bad off." His tone took on a sarcastic bite. "You know all three of us nearly," He paused and darted a quick glance at the boy in Qui-Gon's lap. "Well, I suppose it could be worse."

Qui-Gon let out a sigh and dropped his head back against the rubble at his back. His head still ached and weariness clung to his every move and thought. He hoped someone would be able to come and get them, because he did not think the small wayward group was in any condition to make their own escape. The only one not particularly perturbed by their situation was Obi-Wan who was happily humming to himself and making the Jedi's fingers dance across his leg.

He heard a slight movement from across the room and a muffled groan as Bel-San tried to change his position. He sat up, but Obi-Wan was off his lap and across the room before he could even heave his tired body off the floor. He must have given the small boy more of his energy than he had thought. He supposed there was really nothing like a little terror to really make inspire his best effort. He moved slowly to the other side of the room to Bel-San's side, even as Obi-Wan was trying to lend his own assistance.

"Really, Obi-Wan, I'm fine, I just forgot that I can't move like that right now." Bel- San told the boy in a slightly exasperated tone. He shifted his attention to Qui-Gon as the other Jedi came near. "He's been hovering over both of us since you went out." He explained with a slight smile.

Qui-Gon brushed a hand over the boy's golden hair, touched by the gesture. With a sigh, he settled back against a still standing wall well within range of Bel-San. He reached out and touched the other man's arm. At the heat of the Teacher's skin, Qui-Gon frowned and moved to check his forehead. Bel-San tried to duck away from him, but his injuries prevented him from moving too far.

"How long have you had a fever?" He asked, his face lined with concern.

Bel-San shrugged as far as his broken bones would allow him. "I don't know." He said with a somewhat evasive tone.

Qui-Gon narrowed his gaze. "How long?" He repeated, hoping his tone would force the other man to speak.

Bel-San just shook his head. "It is so hard to tell time in places like this, it was nearly dark when we got here, and now it is darker, but I really don't know how much." He explained slowly, trying to make it sound as feasible as possible.

"Yet you knew how long I had been out."

"Well, that is entirely different, I was watching you closely." The Teacher defended, his eyes moving restlessly.

Qui-Gon felt a slight tug on his robe. He looked down to find Obi-Wan sitting quietly between them with a serious look on his face. "He's been hot since about an hour after you went to sleep." The boy reported, casting a worried glance at Bel-San as though he expected the other man to retaliate.

"Well, Obi-Wan, it seems that you have taken better care of us than we have taken of you." Qui-Gon said sadly.

The small boy simply shrugged. "I could. Are you hungry?" Obi-Wan asked suddenly looking at both of the men.

Qui-Gon and Bel-San shared a confused look. "Well, I suppose we are, but don't worry Obi-Wan, I am sure that someone will find is soon." Qui-Gon said slowly, offering reassurance to the boy, though he wasn't sure that was where this was going.

Obi-Wan shook his head and dug through his pockets for a moment. After a moment he gave a small sound of satisfaction and pulled out a brightly wrapped package. "I was saving this until you were both awake, so we could share." He offered the small package to Qui-Gon, obviously trusting the larger man to divide the goods evenly.

Qui-Gon stared at Obi-Wan for a long moment before he took the small package from the boy. He held it in his hands and thought about the selfless act that the small boy was making. After his use of the Force to help save Bel-San, the boy would obviously be hungry, but he had chosen to share with them. The small action once again brought the entire incident to the forefront of Qui-Gon's mind. He could have lost the boy so easily because of his carelessness.

He looked briefly at Bel-San and saw the man nod. He smiled carefully at Obi- Wan, afraid his emotions would overtake him. "Bel-San and I think that it would be best if you had this Obi-Wan. We are both fine, we have been trained to go for long amounts of time without food, but you are a growing boy and you should have this. It was very generous of you to offer to share, and to wait until we all could share, but we would like it so much better if you ate it." He spoke carefully and tried to convey all of his pride in the young boy with his voice and his expression.

Obi-Wan looked between them both for a long moment. His lower lip began to tremble and Qui-Gon knew that he had said the wrong thing. "I just wanted to make things better." Obi-Wan said in very quiet voice. His eyes shone with unshed tears as he looked at Qui-Gon. "I just wanted to help." Slowly, large tears began to fall from the boy's bright blue eyes, and he turned away form the adults.

Qui-Gon shot a look at Bel-San who merely shrugged. "Obi-Wan--"

The boy shook his head, wiping at his eyes as he kept his face hidden from him.

Qui-Gon reached out and gently laid his hand on Obi-Wan's back. The boy did not turn around, but he did not pull away from the touch either. Taking that as a sign that he could talk to the boy, he moved closer. "Obi-Wan, we know that you want to help. That is a very commendable thing, it is very good." He paused. "We just want you to be as comfortable as you can. We may be in here for a while yet, and you are still very young. You know that there is nothing you have to make better right? That you didn't cause any of this, and we would still love you if you ate the food?" It wasn't until he spoke the words that he realized that what he said was true. He did love Obi-Wan. Somehow, the small boy had worked his way beneath shields that had been in place for better than three years and had made him a part of the Jedi Order again.

Obi-Wan turned his face finally, his eyes still watery but his tears had stopped. "Promise?" He asked softly.

Qui-Gon held out his arms to the boy and Obi-Wan closed the space between them instantly and clung to him. "I promise."

* * *

"I think he's asleep." Qui-Gon said quietly as he pulled his robe over the sleeping boy in his arms. He let out a sigh and rested his head against the wall behind him. As he turned his gaze to Bel-San he was concerned to see the other man was quite a bit paler than he had been. "How are you holding up?" He asked, hearing the exhaustion in his own voice.

"As well as can be expected I suppose. I think it would be a really good idea to get out of here soon, though." Bel-San answered, his tone light but his words serious.

"I can't understand why no one has come to look for us yet. We have been here hours." Qui-Gon said, knowing the other man was thinking the same thing.

"Maybe, maybe they don't know we are in here. Maybe they think we're dead, that we got caught in the first tremor." Bel-San said slowly, voicing thoughts that had been in both of their minds for hours now.

"That shouldn't mean that they wouldn't look for us; they would still want evidence of our deaths." It seemed strange to speak of his own death with such detachment. "That is of course unless things are much worse for the survivors. I don't know Bel-San, I just think that--" He broke off as a rumblings sounded in the distance. He tensed as he thought another aftershock was going to run through the area. They had had to wait out several already, and he had no desire to be caught unprepared by another one. It took him a moment to identify the sound, when it registered he began to laugh, a weak and bitter sound. "Well, at least we won't have to worry about water to drink." He said, trying to find a positive angle to the thought of soon sitting in water.

Bel-San gave a short laugh. "Remind me to never ask you to go with me anywhere, ever again. I think the Council was right to try to keep you on Coruscant for a while. You don't have to find trouble, it just comes to you. How do you manage it?"

"If I knew, I would work with the Healers to try to get rid of it, my friend." Qui- Gon shook his head ruefully.

The two sat in silence for a long while listening to the sounds of the deepening night and the approaching rain. When the silence was broken, it was Bel-San who spoke. "You know Qui-Gon, you deal with him really well." He said hesitantly.

"It's strange, I didn't ever expect it. We just kept running into each other, all the time he would just show up and it would be right." He didn't know how to explain it.

"I think it is important that you think about what you want out of him in your life Qui-Gon." Bel-San began seriously. "What you did today is going to have some serious repercussions in the Council and if you want to keep him in your life you need to start thinking now about how you are going to fight for that. And you are going to have to fight for it, you can't do something like that with a five-year-old and think things are going to be fine."

Qui-Gon closed his eyes. "I know, it's just I didn't have time to come up with another viable option. You would have died if I hadn't done something right then. You know that there is absolutely no way you would have survived this long if I had done nothing."

"I know that, Qui-Gon and I thank you for it, but you know that isn't going to convince anyone. We are Jedi, we know the risks and we know that our lives are not our own." He stopped as the rain finally began to fall. As the dripping sound of water began to filter down to them he continued. "There is more as well. They will want to know how you managed to link with that boy, it may work to your advantage or it may work against you. He is obviously very fond of you, I had him in a class last term and I can tell you right now that he is a different boy from the one he was then. Part of that at least is due to your influence. He is still a year away from being called as a Padawan and I don't think-- "

"Now wait just a minute. Yes, I care about Obi-Wan and I would hate to loose him from my life, but I have never ever said that I wanted to take him as a Padawan. We all know how badly the last attempt turned out. Look at him Bel-San. He is so good and pure. What if I twist that as I did with Xanatos? I could not take it if I made Obi-Wan turn as well. He is too good."

"Do you listen to yourself when you speak or do you just open your mouth and shut your ears? You did not make Xanatos do anything. That boy had darkness in him from the very beginning and only the fact that you were such a good teacher kept him in the light as long as he was. Yes, Obi-Wan is good, which means that I highly doubt that boy would ever do anything to turn to the dark. Look at him, it killed him to think that you would be upset with him, he needed to know that you were okay both physically and mentally. I think that if you are not thinking of taking Obi-Wan as your Padawan when his time comes up that you are making a grave error that could mean far more than you could possible imagine." The Teacher regarded him seriously. "Just think about it, please, Qui- Gon, this is very important to both of you.

Qui-Gon sat silently for a long time. "I don't know what to say."

"Then don't say anything and just think about it Jinn." Bel-San directed him.

"Master Jinn? Teacher Jacoba? Obi-Wan?" The shout came so suddenly, Qui- Gon jumped.

Obi-Wan raised his head just as Qui-Gon lifted his head to reply. "We're here!" He called back, trying to pinpoint the sound with the Force.

"Don't worry, we'll have you out in no time." Came the slightly muffled response.

Qui-Gon let out a sigh of relief. "Did you hear that, Obi-Wan? Soon this will be nothing but a story you can tell to your friends back at the Temple." He told Obi-Wan as the small boy rubbed his eyes sleepily.

TBC