Qui-Gon walked wearily through the wide, open hallways of the Jedi temple, happy to be home. He had been away on a string of missions, the latest of which had been at the behest of the Supreme Chancellor. It had taken all of his resources as a diplomat and a fair amount of luck to keep it from falling apart entirely, and it had been the best of the missions since his last visit to the Temple.

He'd not been on Coruscant for the better part of a year and was quite frankly ready for a rest. While it had been his choice to accept the missions the Council had sent him on, he still felt that they chose those situations that would try the patience of Master Yoda himself. The Council was expecting his report, but there was nothing he could tell them that was not in the written summary he'd submitted to them on his way home. He wanted nothing more now than a shower and his bed for the next several days. He was certain the universe could spin along quite happily without him.

He was so lost in his own thoughts and visions of sleep that he did not notice the small form running towards him until it made contact. The small body bounced off of his and landed on the floor with a muffled thud. He looked down in surprise at wide, blue eyes and a untamed mass of golden hair.

"Obi-Wan?" He recognized the boy immediately, though he looked much better than the last time he'd seen the small boy. "You must be feeling better." He held out his hand, an offer to help him up.

Obi-Wan nodded as if the answer were obvious. "Been better for months." He stressed the words making it sound as though it had been a terribly long time. He supposed to a four-year-old it had been.

As he helped the little boy to his feet, Qui-Gon scanned the corridor looking for the adult who should be accompanying the small child. When he saw none, he turned back to him. "Are you out on your own Obi-Wan?"

He nodded.

"Are you supposed to leave the Creche without an adult?"

He shook his head.

"Why are you out without an adult?"

Obi-Wan shrugged. "I'm with you."

Qui-Gon controlled the smile that threatened to break free. He'd forgotten what logic was like to small children. "But you didn't know I would be here. I think I should take you back before someone starts to worry about you. How does that sound?"

"Okay." Obi-wan held out his arms in the universal signal to be picked up.

"I think you can walk, Obi-Wan."

The boy simply stood, arms outstretched with his eyes wide and innocent.

Qui-Gon sighed. He stooped and picked the boy up, years of negotiation skills telling him when he was being manipulated.

Obi-Wan looked around at the Temple walls and doorways as he was carried. "You're really big," Obi-Wan said, looking at the ground as they walked.

"For a human, yes I am."

"Will I be as big?"

"I don't know, Obi-Wan. I guess you'll have to wait and see when you grow up." After spending the last several years with diplomats and other adults, he had forgotten what an impression his height tended to have on children. "So, what have you been up to the last few months while you were better?"

Obi-Wan shrugged again. "Started new classes."

"Are they interesting?"

Obi-Wan nodded and started picking at a loose thread on the shoulder of his robe.

"Don't do that, please. It is old and can't really take much more."

Obi-Wan's small hand stilled, though his fingers twitched and Qui-Gon suppressed a smile, knowing what a temptation the loose thread provided. "Why don't you get a new one?"

"I like this one; it suits me. We have been together for a long time now."

Obi-Wan looked at him curiously, then suddenly began squirming in his arms. "Down! Down!"

Confused, Qui-Gon placed the small boy back on the floor, wondering if he had somehow upset the child. It had been a long time since he had been in the company of a child so young. He watched Obi-Wan as the boy ran immediately to the windows along the walls of the corridor. The large windows, which stretched from the floor to the ceiling, looked out over the cityscape of Coruscant showing the large building and air traffic.

Obi-Wan pressed his elfin face and hands into the glass, avidly watching the small personal crafts fly in the distance. As understanding dawned, Qui-Gon knelt next to the boy and took in the view with him. In the rush from one mission to the next, he often forgot to stop and appreciate the particular and unique beauty that was Coruscant.

"Do you like the ships, Little One?"

Obi-Wan nodded, his eyes fixed on the skyline, awe apparent in his every movement.

Qui-Gon knelt next to the boy and watched the ships flying by for several moments. Obi-Wan's fascination was more than enough to prevent him from hurrying the boy along. Finally, Qui-Gon stood and held out a hand to the small boy still pressed against the glass.

"Come along, Obi-Wan. You need to get back to the Creche before someone starts to worry."

Obi-Wan shook his head. "Not Creche, class."

"Well, you need to get back to class then."

Obi-Wan gave one last look at the skyline before taking hold of the much larger hand and walking along side the Jedi. Qui-Gon was forced to slow his pace significantly on account of the boy's short legs. Obi-Wan himself did not seem particularly disturbed walking beside the much taller Jedi as he was currently hopping along, stepping only on a particular color of the Temple's floor tile.

Qui-Gon watched in quiet amusement. It startled him to find how relived he was that Obi-Wan had recovered from his illness. He was also surprised to find he was happy to be in the boy's presence, if only for a brief while. It wasn't that he had ever wished any of the temple's children ill; he simply did not consider them much, save for the time he spent watching over them after a difficult mission.

The unlikely pair rounded the final corner to the area of the Temple reserved for the Creche classrooms only to be greeted by a worried Teacher. The short woman wore the customary robes of a Temple Teacher, her short blond hair and brown eyes complimenting the golden tone of her skin.

Qui-Gon immediately recognized the woman and suppressed a sigh. He had never been on good terms with the Teacher and he hoped his involvement with the boy would not affect her opinion of Obi-Wan. "Teacher Mulaina, I think you may have misplaced something," Qui-Gon said lightly before the other Jedi could begin scolding the boy.

She looked at him for a moment before turning her attention to the small boy. "Obi-Wan, what have I told you about wandering off? You must stay in the Creche with the other children."

"Sorry." The previously cheerful boy suddenly withdrew, his head hanging.

"I am sure Teacher Mulaina was only worried for your safety, Obi-Wan. We wouldn't want you to get lost in the Temple, would we?"

The boy slowly met his gaze and shook his head. "No, Master Qui-Gon."

"Yes, well, we have to go now, Obi-Wan. Master Jinn, thank you for your assistance." Mulaina nodded briefly to him, though his years of diplomatic training were not needed to tell him that she was not pleased with his interference.

Qui-Gon watched the two departing figures for a moment before turning away and heading toward his apartment.

***

"So, what is this I hear about you heading another project for the Council?" Qui-Gon asked his friend between bites. He sat in Mace Windu's apartment, sharing a meal.

The other man shrugged, trying to play it down. "It's nothing really. It was really more a combination of common interests. They wanted to look into trends in some intergalactic trade routes and I have always been interested in the commodity flow of Spice and how it affects intercultural tensions so..." He shrugged as if the entire thing had simply fallen into his lap.

Qui-Gon raised an eyebrow. "Since when have you ever be interested in anything even remotely involving commodity chains?" He didn't pause for an answer before he continued. "Oh, that's right, when you decided you wanted to be on the Council." He smirked at his friend, who opened his mouth to protest. "Don't even try to deny it, Mace. I've known you far to long to be fooled. I doubt the Council is either."

Mace sighed. "Still, it's a step in the right direction. You know, there's nothing wrong with gaining the Council's approval." He looked at the other man pointedly. "Something you may want to take into consideration."

Qui-Gon shook his head. "I can remember just a few years ago you were right next to me in believing the Council was far to rigid in its forms and procedures."

"I'm not saying that change would be bad; I simply think there are other ways to effect that change. You've been arguing with the Council for how many years? How far has it gotten you? I also think that not all the Council does is bad."

Qui-Gon let the comment go, knowing that neither of them would change their minds. They had argued the same point in the past and he had no wish to fight about it with one of his oldest friends. Mace was quite entitled to his own opinion, even if he was wrong.

"So I saw Alla last month. She was on her way to Gilatren to mediate a settlement and couldn't stay long. She seemed to be doing well, though." He looked as though he wanted to say more, but was reluctant.

"I'm sorry I missed her. I did get a message from her last week, though. She said that Gilatren was going well. She always did manage to put the best face on bad situations." He looked at his friend. He knew what the other man was not saying, but he had no intention of helping him broach the subject. If Mace felt it was necessary to talk about it, he would have to begin the conversation himself.

After several moments of silence, Mace sighed and began to speak hesitantly. "You know, Alla has turned out to be quite a fine Knight. She is capable, strong-willed, compassionate, a credit to the Order." He paused. "Perhaps it is time that you looked at the good you could do the Order if you took another Padawan."

Qui-Gon sighed. "Yes, Alla turned out very well. Xanatos did not." Even now, saying the name was painful. "Those are not odds that I would take under the best of circumstances, which is not what I would be working with. The Order is full of Jedi who are far more than capable of training Padawans; my absence will do no harm." His voice was calm, though inside he was slightly agitated. No one would leave him be on this subject. No one seemed to understand that he could not take another Padawan. He could carry on as a Jedi, but he would never again take the life of another young person into his obviously flawed care.

A disturbance in the Force pulled his attention away from their conversation. It had come across so clearly and quickly, Qui-Gon knew that it had to be centered in the Temple somewhere. Fear, pain and panic were the evident emotions, causing the two seasoned Jedi to jump to their feet and run from the room without a thought. They were joined in the halls by what appeared to be every available Jedi in the Temple.

Qui-Gon and the other Jedi began moving through the halls to the source of the disturbance. After only a few moments, it was apparent that the disturbance had come from the Creche. Inexplicably worried for the small boy he had left there only a few hours ago, Qui-Gon increased his pace, easily outdistancing many of those around him.

When Qui-Gon finally reached the area of the Temple for the Creche, he was horrified to see smoke billowing into the corridor. The scene that greeted him was one of controlled fear and worry; lines of children were being led quickly away from the rooms by calm Teachers. Qui-Gon was distantly aware that had the children not been Jedi, it would have been a scene of unadulterated panic.

He quickly found one of the supervisors for the children. "Is everyone out of the rooms?" he asked over the noise of the frightened children and the fire.

"One of the back rooms was blocked by the fire. We have some of the Teachers trying to reach them now." The Jedi nodded to one section of the Creche, her attention split among several different concerns.

Without a second thought, Qui-Gon plunged ahead into the burning Creche, intent on helping. The damage from the fire was immediately obvious and smoke was quickly filling all the rooms. Qui-Gon kept as low to the ground as he could and took only shallow breaths. This was not his first experience with fire and he knew how to minimize the risk to himself. He could feel the Force being manipulated in another section of the connected classrooms as other Jedi began battling the flames.

He stretched out with his senses searching for the trapped children. They were immediately obvious by their fear and Qui-Gon quickly moved towards them. He entered a much smokier section of the Creche, and suppressed the urge to cough as he went deeper into the classrooms. He used the Force to extinguish as much of the fire as he could and when the flames grew too intense, he concentrated his effort on holding them back.

He finally reached the door to the blocked room and opened it, finding a small group of five children huddled in a corner. He rushed forward, gathering the smaller ones into his arms and calling the others to him. He shielded them with his body and the Force as he herded them toward safety.

"Wait, we can't go!" one of the children cried, trying to stop. A very young Mon Calamari looked up at him, her large eyes watering from the smoke which was so foreign to her aquatic homeworld.

"Don't worry. This way is perfectly safe, come on," he urged the small child who had stopped.

"We can't, Obi-Wan is back there!"

Qui-Gon nearly stumbled at her words, his stomach clenching in fear for the boy he had met only a few times. "I didn't see him."

"Teacher Mulaina made him go back to his bed in the dorm for being bad. He's all alone," another child spoke up.

"Don't worry, first we need to get you out of here, then I will go back for him myself," he promised the girl as he began pushing to children towards safety once again.

Qui-Gon emerged within moments with the children. He handed them over to Mace, who was helping to calm the others.

"There is still one more left inside." Without another word, Qui-Gon rushed back into the Creche.

"Qui-Gon!" He heard his friend call after him, but he was too intent on helping Obi-Wan to argue.

On his reentry into the Creche, the smoke was much worse. He found it difficult not only to breathe but to see, and his concern for the small trapped boy grew. He could sense the other Jedi were making some progress in fighting the flames, but it seemed the fire was quite serious.

He stretched out his feeling along the Force, trying to locate the small boy who was trapped and alone in the Creche. When he found a sense of the boy, he could feel the boy's fright and his sense of loneliness, though he did not seem to be in pain. However, something was slightly off about his signature, so Qui-Gon couldn't be certain the boy was unharmed. He picked up his pace, uncertain of what he would find.

When he neared the area of the Creche containing the sleeping bunks of the children, he almost took a step back. The heat and the smoke were much more intense. Encircling himself in a shield of the Force, Qui-Gon pushed on, intent on finding the boy and bringing him to safety.

After a few tense moments of searching, he found Obi-Wan seated on his bed, surrounded on all sides by flames. Shockingly, the fire was not moving towards him, and it was only then that Qui-Gon was able to understand the strangeness of the boy's Force signature. He had built a wall around himself to keep out the fire. Brushing aside surprise, Qui-Gon moved quickly towards the boy, who was sweat-covered from the heat and smudged with soot.

"Obi-Wan," he called over the noise of the fire and those battling to extinguish it.

Obi-Wan looked up, fear and exhaustion apparent in his small features. Obviously the strain of holding the shield in place was quite intense for the small child. His face relaxed into relief when he saw Qui-Gon, though his hold on the shield against the fire never wavered.

Qui-Gon moved quickly to his side, pulling the boy into his arms for the second time that day and began running out of the Creche. The fire was spreading and he had no desire to be trapped. He finally made it out of the last section of the burned Creche and into the hallway with his precious cargo, chest heaving from exertion and smoke inhalation. A group of Healers immediately rushed to his side, gently taking Obi-Wan from his arms and leading him to a temporary medical station.

Qui-Gon refused to let the Healers look at him until he was certain Obi-Wan was safe. Only when he saw the small boy placed on a low hoverbed did he submit himself to the work of the Healers. They left him alone after a few moments of examination with an oxygen mask in place over his nose and mouth.

He leaned back against the wall, eyes closed. Images of the fire filled his mind and he could not help but think what might have happened had he arrived only a few moments later. They all considered the Temple to be a place of safety, but this incident had shown him just how fragile that safety was. The Creche was most likely destroyed, but no one had been hurt and while it could have been much worse, it was quite bad enough.

A tentative tug on his slightly singed pant leg brought his attention back to the moment. The sooty and tired face of Obi-Wan was looking up at him.

"Ah, you are brave, aren't you, Little One?" he asked as he lifted the boy next to him.

"I was scared," the boy admitted quietly as he laid down next to Qui-Gon, his head pillowed on Qui-Gon's leg.

He reached over and covered him with a blanket. "But you didn't let your fear rule you. You did very well, Obi-Wan," he said quietly, running his hand through the boy's short hair. "Sleep now."

Qui-Gon watched as Obi-Wan's breathing slowly evened and he fell into sleep. The damage had been bad, but it could have been far, far worse. He let out a slow breath and released his fears to the Force.