"What do you mean I have to stay here for a while?" Qui-Gon asked indignantly, trying to stare down both the group of healers and Master Yoda.

"You have been injured more than any other Jedi in the Order in the past year. We feel that you need both time to recover and time to consider what exactly it is that you do during your missions that makes you so accident prone." Charr'a looked at him pointedly. She had never been shy about sharing her opinion of having to treat him so often.

"I can't just sit here in the Temple and do nothing. Too few Jedi are out in the field as it is. I can't stay here biding my time because you think I'm accident prone. It isn't as though I asked that young man to mug me. It was chance, nothing more." Qui-Gon sat on the edge of one of the beds in the infirmary, ready to leave as soon as he was cleared. He had expected that everything would go smoothly, though it seemed the others had different ideas.

"No such thing as chance there is. Will of the Force are things. Stay here you will and be idle you will not. Still recovering you are, so teach classes you will. Give your years of experience to the younger generations you will." Yoda tapped his stick on the ground at the end of each sentence to emphasize his point. Qui-Gon could tell that the little troll would much rather be smacking him with that stick had he not been ill. Not that it had stopped him when Qui-Gon had been his Padawan.

"Master, I--"

"No, no arguing will I hear. Stay you will, teach you will. Enjoy it you will." Yoda's tone was one that Qui-Gon had grown very used to over the years. He knew his former master would hear no further arguments. The little troll could be stubborn when he chose.

Qui-Gon sighed. "What classes will I be teaching?" He tried very hard to ignore the smirk on Charr'a's face.

"Report to Teacher Mulaina you will. Instructions she had for you and a list of classes. When finished with this term of classes only then sent into the field again will you be." Yoda's ears seemed to flatten against his head, as though he were truly angry, though that thought was absurd. The ancient Jedi Master was never angry, and Qui-Gon could think of no reason for him to be upset.

"Yes, my Master. I will do as you ask." Qui-Gon said, knowing he was beaten. He stood as the others began to file out of the room and gathered the few belongings he had collected during his stay in the infirmary. To his surprise, Yoda stayed behind.

"A word with you alone I wished," he said after the others had gone. Qui-Gon nodded and waited for the Jedi to speak. "A long time have I watched you, long before my Padawan you were. Potential in you I saw long before the others and my wish to have you as apprentice I announced." The small Jedi sighed. "Wish to lose you I do not. A punishment this is not." He made a small noise and then reached out with his stick and tapped him lightly on the leg. "Dine with me tonight you will, yes?"

"Of course, my Master. Let me just get my things settled." He turned to leave, but stopped before he reached the door. "I am sorry to have worried you Master. I try to be careful."

The small Jedi grunted. "Do or do not. There is no try."

***

Qui-Gon neared his door in the east section of the Temple and immediately noticed something was different. Smiling slightly, he was both amused and touched at the same time. It was pleasing to know he had friends who would throw a surprise party for his return to health, but they should know better than to try and fool a Force sensitive. He touched the panel to open his door and stepped inside into a dark room and tried very hard to look surprised when the lights came on and a small group of people stepped out and shouted at him.

"Surprise!"

After the initial commotion had died down and Qui-Gon had deposited his things, Mace caught his elbow and pulled him aside.

"You knew." the other man accused, though there was no real heat in the complaint.

Qui-Gon affected his best innocent expression. "Me? No. No, I just thought all the other Force sensitive life forces I could feel coming out of my room were a misunderstanding, you know a reaction to the medication." He smiled. "This is very nice, thank you. Really, thank you." He knew Mace understood he was being thanked for more than the party.

Mace smiled. "Anytime. Though you might want to consider giving us all a break and stay out of the bad sections of the cities you visit after dark. You know, be prepared and all. Just something you might want to take into consideration." Mace sobered quickly. "Seriously though, my friend. That one was a little too close. I do not appreciate you trying to die in my arms, okay?"

"Okay, I will be more careful, I promise."

"I will hold you to that, you know. Besides, you still owe me for the last time I pulled you out of the fire." Mace raised his eyebrows and tilted his head forward slightly.

"What? No, as I recall, you were the one who got me into that situation. So your help was nothing more than what I was due." Qui-Gon smiled, recalling the event. "It is sort of surprising that they still send us on missions together. You'd think that they would learn that you are a trouble-maker."

"Yes, and you attract it like no other Jedi in the history of the Order."

Qui-Gon shrugged. "Well, it makes life interesting."

"I think I could do without an interesting life in that case." Mace smiled. "Now come on, I wouldn't want the others to think I was monopolizing on your time. Rai and Demeron just got back yesterday and would really like to see you."

Qui-Gon found Rai sitting on his couch in the common room of his apartment, watching the small groups of people conversing. He sat next to her and kissed her lightly on the cheek in greeting.

"You are looking well. How was the mission?" he asked settling into the cushions, grateful to be sitting.

"It went well. Easy negotiations, no major conflicts, I was very pleased with the way that it turned out. And do you want to know the best part?" she asked, a gleam in her eyes.

Qui-Gon didn't really want the answer, but knew she would offer her opinion no matter what he did. "What would that be?"

"Neither Demeron nor myself managed to get mugged by some local boy. It is simply amazing the adventures you have Qui-Gon, really, they should be making holovids about your life. They could call it "Master Jinn: Humanoid Target". I am sure that it would be quite popular. How is it that you manage these grand adventures?" She shook her head.

"Luck, I suppose. I don't know why everyone is making this into such an ordeal. It isn't as if I intended to be mugged by that boy." He felt as though he had been explaining himself to everyone lately and he was starting to get more than a little defensive.

"We are making this an issue because we care about you. You nearly died this time Qui-Gon. We don't want to see that happen."

Qui-Gon said nothing, suddenly uncomfortable. He had made it a point to spend so much time away from the temple since Xanatos that he sometimes forgot about the life he had had before. Before everything went wrong. People here still cared about him and thought well of him despite his failure. It was nice to be reminded sometimes.

***

"Sit, sit. Long time has it been since visited me you have." Yoda sat on a small cushion in the middle of his room.

"I have been away, Master," Qui-Gon spoke as he entered his Master's quarters and sat next to him.

"Running away you have been," Yoda said with some authority. "Allowed it too long we have. Time for you to rejoin us."

Qui-Gon drew his eyebrows together in confusion. "I'm not sure I know what you mean."

"Know you what I mean exactly. Since Xanatos turned how long has it been?" The small Jedi examined him closely.

"Two years, seven months, fifteen days." The answer was automatic; he didn't even need to think about it. It was as though there was a small part of his mind that had been given over to the task of counting the days without him having to consciously consider it.

Yoda nodded. "Difficult it is to lose a Padawan. Know this I do. Many have I trained, only you survive. Mourned each of their losses, I did. But move on I did, and move on you must. Dwell on the past you must not." He poked his Padawan with his stick. "Take another Padawan you should."

Qui-Gon laughed, a surprised, bitter sound. "I will not."

Yoda looked as though he would argue further, but instead a sly, guarded look entered his eyes. "Follow our wishes the Force always does not." He paused. "Now, speak of your last mission we will. Get mugged by teenage boys, Jedi should not. Wander unfamiliar streets while ill, Jedi should not. Be more careful, you should. No wish have I to lose my last Padawan."

Qui-Gon opened his mouth to reply when the chime sounded to his master's door. He rose to answer it, Yoda's voice sounding behind him. "Ah, my other guest for dinner." He opened the door to find the small figure of the boy Obi-Wan standing uncertainly before the door.

"Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said in surprise.

"Master Qui-Gon," Obi-Wan said softly, still hovering uncertainly at the entrance to the room.

"Young Obi-Wan, come in. Stand in doorways a Jedi does not." Yoda instructed as he neared the door. He reached out a small green hand to draw the boy inside.

Qui-Gon could not help the smile that tugged at his lips as the boy entered and walked beside his former master. They were nearly of the same height, though their difference in age and training was immense.

"Doing well in your classes are you?" Yoda asked the boy as he seated him at the table, motioning for Qui-Gon to join them.

Obi-Wan nodded, his elfin face lit with excitement. "Master Jerric is teaching us about how we can use the Force to move things and um, then we got to practice but it was really hard and I was doing good until I got distracted by, um a bug on my desk and my cup fell and hit Maina's foot and she got distracted and hers fell and, um she started to cry and um, her cup it fell and it hit Yeera, who just got mad which we aren't supposed to do but um, he got mad anyway and he threw his cup at Gewat who was laughing at him. I didn't really know why were using cups and not something softer, because um lots of people got hurt and that wasn't very good."

Yoda nodded encouragingly as he walked into his kitchen to retrieve the food he had prepared. Qui-Gon wondered idly how the old Jedi had received his reputation for being so strict when in fact he was quite willing to listen the smallest of children with great interest. He knew that he himself had subjected his master to much the same sort of diatribe on occasion as a child.

"And then, um we were in the dining hall at lunch and Reeft wanted to know if he could do the thing if there weren't the Teachers there and I told him that was a bad idea, but he didn't listen and, um he started a food fight and we made a really big mess." The boy laughed, his eyes lighting at the memory. "But then we got in trouble and tomorrow we have to clean the rocks in the Meditation Garden."

"Talk with Qui-Gon you should about cleaning the Mediation Garden. Much practice has he had," Yoda commented as he sat back at the table with their dinner.

Qui-Gon shot his master a dark look, before smiling at Obi-Wan, who was looking at him with wide eyes. "Master Yoda is joking. I was an exemplary Padawan," Qui-Gon assured him.

Yoda grunted but made no further comment.

"What is this?" Obi-Wan asked, his face crinkled in disgust.

"Great delicacy it is, from my home planet," Yoda said proudly.

Obi-Wan's face crinkled even further, and he poked it experimentally with his fork. He looked suspiciously at Yoda. "It looks gross."

"Obi-Wan. That is not the way you treat someone who has made a meal for you. You haven't even tried it. Apologize to Master Yoda right now," Qui-Gon directed the young boy sternly.

Obi-Wan looked at him stricken, his blue eyes wide and watery. He turned to Yoda, his head downcast and his voice barely audible. "Sorry, Master Yoda." Then the small boy bravely picked up his fork and took a bite of the strange looking food. He would not meet Qui-Gon's eyes.

He sighed, realizing he had never spoken to the small boy in such a manner before. Obi-Wan must be thinking that he was angry with him. He reached out and stroked the golden head, cupping Obi-Wan's chin and lifting his face. Tears stood in the boy's eyes, but did not fall.

"I am not angry with you Obi-Wan, but you must understand that even if something does look gross or taste bad, if another person made it for you, you should be polite and thank them. Do you understand?" he asked, compassion evident in his voice.

Obi-Wan nodded, and gave Qui-Gon a tremulous smile. Qui-Gon smiled in response and Yoda watched it all with an amused expression on his face.

***

Obi-Wan sat contentedly in Qui-Gon's lap as they listened to yet another of the entertaining stories from Yoda. After the initial incident, the meal had gone well, and Obi-Wan had ended up liking what Yoda had made. Qui-Gon had still felt bad about the way he had startled the boy, and had picked him up after dinner and held him as they listened to his former Master.

Soon, Obi-Wan began to yawn and Qui-Gon checked his chronometer. "Well, Master, thank you for a wonderful evening, but I think it is time that we returned Obi-Wan to the Creche so he can get some sleep," Qui-Gon said as he stood, shifting the small boy so his head rested against his shoulder.

"Not tired," Obi-Wan protested in a sleepy voice from his shoulder, but the boy made no move to change his position or be placed on the floor.

Yoda laughed. "Heard the same things from Qui-Gon when he was small, young one. Sleep now, visit again we will." Yoda smiled up at his Padawan, letting Qui-Gon know the directive was for him as well.

Qui-Gon nodded to his master. "We will speak more tomorrow, my Master. Sleep well."

He left the familiar apartment of his Master, a place in which he had spent many years of his younger life as Padawan to Yoda. As he walked through the mostly deserted halls of the Temple, Qui-Gon reflected on the words Yoda had spoken earlier, about taking another Padawan. The thought was absurd, he had no wish to ruin yet another promising young individual. Besides, who would want him as a master?

"Master Qui-Gon?" Obi-Wan asked quietly, rubbing his face into the shoulder of his robe. He really needed to train the boy out of that habit.

"Yes, Little One?"

"Where we going?" He asked in a sleepy voice.

"I'm taking you back to the Creche before we worry your new Creche Master," Qui-Gon answered, amused that the boy would think he would be taking him anywhere else. He hoped the woman who was in charge of Obi-Wan now that the boy had moved out of the dorms for very small children would be present when he returned the boy. He had been hoping to meet her.

"Master Heri knows," the little boy said indignantly. "She's not worried."

"I'm sure she does, but it's very late, and little boys need their sleep."

"Not tired," Obi-Wan said, the pout evident in his voice.

"I think you are. Once you are in bed I bet you will be asleep in no time," Qui-Gon assured him.

"Master Qui-Gon?"

"Yes, Obi-Wan?" Qui-Gon answered with a smile, fully expecting to be grilled on the need for sleep until they had reached the Creche.

"Did you really have to clean the rocks in the Garden?" Obi-Wan lifted his head and looked at Qui-Gon's face.

The older man paused, thrown for a moment by the unexpected question. Still, his years of diplomacy had taught him how to recover quickly. He brushed back unruly hair from the boy's eyes and smiled in remembrance. "Master Yoda saw fit to have me clean the rocks on occasion, yes. Though more often than not, it was unwarranted."

Obi-Wan laughed into his shoulder; obviously the thought of the impressive Jedi cleaning rocks was very amusing.

When they reached the new section of the Temple devoted to housing the children, Obi-Wan had fallen into a light sleep. He walked quickly to the area that was now Obi-Wan's room which he shared with only three other children. The boy's Creche Master was nowhere in sight, so he moved quietly to the boy's bed. As he placed Obi-Wan in his bed, he ran a hand over the boy's forehead, causing Obi-Wan to stir to wakefulness.

"Good night, Obi-Wan. Sleep well," he whispered in the darkness in deference to the other sleeping children.

"Master Qui-Gon?" Obi-Wan asked, gripping his sleeve in a small hand.

"Shhh, Obi-Wan, you should be sleeping," he told the boy softly, though he paused to hear his question.

"Are you mad at me?" came the soft question hesitantly.

Qui-Gon quickly knelt beside the bed and gathered the boy in a quick embrace. "No, Obi-Wan, I am not mad. I was never mad, and I am sorry if I made you think otherwise."

Obi-Wan said nothing, though he clung to the larger man tightly. After a few moments, the small boy finally let go and laid back in his bed.

"Good night Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said, brushing his fingers lightly over the boy's eyes to close them.

"Good night," Obi-Wan said softly around a smile.