~<>~<>~

When the Governor's Secretary led Mace into the healing chamber, he stopped short -- almost causing the Jedi to walk into his back. Seeing the empty bed, the shorter man's mouth opened and closed several times as words refused to come. Stepping around the floundering man, it was easy for Mace to see that the bed had recently been slept in.

"Is this your idea of a joke, Torrin?" He turned as he spoke, ignoring the empty bed in favor of intimidating the other man. When the Secretary remained mute, he added, "Or shall we continue to watch your impersonation of a flounder fish?"

Shocked out of his stupor, the man shook his head. "How dare you. I am the head assistant to the Governor of Nahbey, and..."

"And I ceased to care the moment you withheld Qui-Gon Jinn from my custody," Mace interrupted. Silently he knew that the Council would have his hide if the Nahbey were to complain, but he failed to mention that point. "Now where have you taken him?"

Throwing his hands into the hair, he shook his head. "Nowhere! On the heads of my forefathers, he was to be waiting here."

Mace stepped closer, so that he was leaning forward and almost nose-to-nose with Torrin. "Then I suggest you find him." His low voice rumbled in his chest and caused the bureaucrat to jump. "Now."

Wanting little more than to be free of the Jedi, agreement or not, the Secretary bowed awkwardly. "Yes, Master Jedi." He turned to face the two men that had followed them waving his arms in the air while barking orders.

Mace had just walked out into the hallway when his communicator beeped. Dread filling him, he went back into the room so that neither the Secretary nor his men could eavesdrop. With a final glance around, he pulled it from his belt and activated it. "Yes?"

Elyzabe's voice echoed scratchily from the speaker. "Come to the ship."

"What?" Mace's brow scrunched in confusion. "I'm still trying to find Qui-Gon."

More static ripped from the small device a moment later. "We have him. We need to go. Now." The shock that rippled through him didn't show on his face, and a million questions crossed his mind. Rather than asking, as they would have ample time on the return trip, he only nodded.

"On my way." Returning the communicator to his belt he ducked out of the healing chamber. A quick look around to orient himself, he turned to the right and proceeded down the corridor. Just to be certain, he reached out along the Force until he felt Elyzabe's familiar signature.

Hurrying his steps, he followed that signal, echoed by a fainter one from Obi-Wan and one that was fainter still, from Qui-Gon. The Secretary called to him from several doors back, but he ignored the man. Protocols be damned, he thought silently. What was one more thing for the Council to complain about with a list as long as his and Elyzabe's?

Reaching the ship was remarkably easy. The near-panicked search for Qui-Gon had worked the main building into an uproar and it was a remarkably simple task for Mace to slip by in the confusion. Even with the satchel of medical supplies thrown over his shoulder no one paid him any mind.

Nonetheless he was relieved when the doorway to the landing bay was in front of him. As he neared it, he was met by a young man in healer's robes. Just when they crossed paths the man whispered, "They are waiting for you. Fare well, Master Jedi." He gave the briefest of bows, such that an observer might not have even seen it, and was gone.

~<>~<>~

"Elyzabe?" Mace's voice rang out through the ship as soon as he was aboard.

Noise from the passenger compartments greeted his question and he turned that way. "Back here." Her voice carried through the hallway. Then to the pilot she added, "Get us out of here!"

When he reached them, Obi-Wan was perched on one of the beds while Elyzabe had turned the next one over into a makeshift medical bed. He watched in silence, standing out of the way as she buzzed around the bed. When she pulled the bag from his shoulder and ripped into it he jumped.

Plugging in various pieces of equipment and attaching several monitors to Qui-Gon, she didn't speak for several long moments. Mace, having finally seen his friend clearly, was stunned into silence while she worked.

Clearing his throat he finally managed, "Is he?"

Not looking away from her patient, Elyzabe shook her head. "He's alive. We just need to keep him that way." At that she did turn and glance over at Obi-Wan.

Mace read her intentions and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Why don't you come with me, Obi-Wan? It might be best if..."

"No!" The boy's cry echoed off the walls and Mace pulled back half a step. "I'm not leaving him again."

The sheer determination in his voice was impressive, if not offset by the pout on his lips. He crossed his arms and continued to stare at Qui-Gon. If strength of will could save their friend, Obi-Wan's would be the one to do it.

It was the tears in his eyes that ended the debate, though. Elyzabe nodded, "Okay, Obi-Wan. You can stay." During this time, the teacher had yet to slow down. Taping a monitor to Qui-Gon's temple, she looked over at Mace. "Find me anything and everything on Herrins root, and I mean now."

The plea mixed with worry and resolve in her eyes galvanized him into motion. "I'm on it," he said with a quick nod before ducking back into the other room. They had just reached orbit when he connected to the Temple database through the computer.

Entering his search parameters, he tapped his fingers on the desktop. If there was one thing he didn't have at that moment, it was more patience to spare.

~<>~<>~

Sometime later Elyzabe collapsed into the chair next to Mace's. "Tell me you've found something."

Sighing, Mace stretched his arms up over his head. "Nothing. Not a mention of it anywhere." He looked at his friend for a moment, taking note of the bags under her eyes. "You don't look so good, Elyzabe."

"I'll survive," she replied warily. Glancing at the computer screen she rubbed a hand over her face. "But we need to know what that root does to humans. Specifically Force sensitive ones."

Mace blinked in surprise. "There's a difference?"

"I think so." She nodded and yawned at the same time. "Somehow it's cut him off from the Force. Combined with the fever and the viral properties... It's smothering him from the inside out." Mace continued to scroll through indexes while she spoke, however he had to turn to hear her when she added, "There's brain swelling and the other readings are off the charts."

He lowered his voice, hoping that if Obi-Wan was still awake it would not carry through the open door. "Will he make it?"

Moist eyes looked up to meet his. "I hope so, but I don't know. I'm a teacher, there's only so much I can do." The hopelessness she had been fighting since they found Qui-Gon filled her voice.

"How's Obi-Wan?"

Resting her elbows on her knees, Elyzabe shook her head. "He's no longer ill, thank the Force. I'm not sure what was wrong." Brushing her hair away from her face, the teacher sighed sadly. "But he's so determined. He feels guilty for what's happened, I worry what he'll do if we do lose Qui-Gon."

"Then it's simple," Windu replied, trying to smile. He could easily see the signs of exhaustion in the other master and wondered what toll this adventure was going to take on all of them before it was over. "We simply won't let the old windbag get away from us."

Elyzabe smiled half-heartedly at his attempted humor. "I can only hope it's so easy."

"You get some sleep and take Obi-Wan with you into the other sleeping room." His tone brokered no arguments and when she tried to object he held up a hand. "I'll keep looking and in a while I'll wake you and we'll trade."

She still didn't look convinced but nodded anyway. Neither had been able to get much sleep, but when Elyzabe refused to argue it only proved how tired she was. Inwardly, Mace was grateful for at least one small favor. "Okay, but I can't guarantee either of us will get any rest."

Motioning for her to leave, Mace shook his head. "You're practically asleep on your feet. Somehow I doubt it will be problem. Go on, I'll wake you soon."

"Yes, Master." She winked and stood, Mace watching as she pulled the other door closed behind her.

Turning back to the computer console, he blinked quickly and ignored the urge to yawn. There would be time to sleep later. For the moment, his concern was discovering what in the universe Herrins root was.

~<>~<>~

Elyzabe woke to someone shaking her shoulder. Possibilities -- most of them bad -- ran through her mind and she sat up quickly, almost hitting Mace's chin with the top of her head. "What?" she asked, wide-awake.

"I found it," Mace whispered. He jerked his head in the direction of the door, "In there, so we don't wake Obi-Wan."

She nodded, following him from the secondary sleeping room and into the other, which was only semi-dark. A quick glance over at Qui-Gon and the monitors attached to him revealed no change and a part of her wondered how long she had managed to sleep.

In the bright light of the main room, Elyzabe squinted. Once Mace closed the door behind him he gestured to the computer. "It was buried in an old document."

Sitting behind the console, Elyzabe blinked quickly and began to scan the information. "How old is old exactly?" she asked, not turning to address Mace, her attention focused on the screen.

"Very. About five hundred years."

Elyzabe whistled under her breath. "That's old." Finished reading the limited information once, she glanced at the chrono. "Mace, it's almost dawn." At his obstinate look, she growled. "Okay, on Coruscant, at any rate. Get some sleep."

Looking at him, she would guess he looked almost as bad as she had earlier that night. He tried to fight a yawn, but failed miserably. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," she replied with a barely there smile. "Go." She waved a hand toward the door. "Just don't wake Obi-Wan. It took me an hour to get him to sleep earlier."

Turning her attention to the information that Mace had managed to find, Elyzabe barely noticed his leaving the room. Nor did she pay attention to the time that passed after that. Instead, she saved the scrap of data and went in search of more.

Occasionally she would glance through the open doorway into the room where Qui-Gon lay. As she researched part of her mind was attuned to the readings on the monitors. With little information and the barest of equipment, she couldn't afford any of the chances that being totally distracted might bring.

It was mid-morning on Coruscant when she found another, even older, record of the elusive poison. She read the passage once, scrolled up and read it again just to be sure.

"Herrins root is poisonous in its natural form. Not always deadly, some seem to possess a natural immunity. There is no known antidote. Found only along the Outer Rim, scattered along a handful of worlds, it is not believed that it will ever present a great threat to the Republic."

Elyzabe wanted to growl under her breath. Apparently any threat wasn't enough -- it was typical bureaucracy. Continuing to read, a cup of tea never far from her side, she found another source. At over eight hundred standard years, it was the oldest of the group. It was the report the Jedi had feared she might find.

"In the unlikely event of ingestion by someone with a connection to the Force, death is certain. The subject is subjected to a slow asphyxiation on both the physical and spiritual planes. Cure, none."

As she took in the information, the knot in her stomach tightened. Upon reading it a second time, a heavy weight settled in her chest.

She sighed and lowered her head into her hands. If the data was to be believed there was nothing they could do, and all of their efforts had been for nothing. Taking a deep breath she sat up straight, she knew that was no way to approach the situation. Determined to do whatever they could to change the odds, she stubbornly refused to think otherwise.

Next to the computer was a commboard. Activating it, she punched in the coordinates for the Jedi Temple. After a delay she was routed from the main board to Yoda's quarters. Moments later the tiny master's face appeared on the screen.

"News you have?"

Elyzabe nodded, happy to skip any preliminaries. "Someone has given him Herrins root." As she spoke, she watched Yoda's eyes for any signs of recognition. "Mace and I both have spent most of the night researching."

"Feared the worst I did, toward the end." She refrained from asking why he had kept that thought to himself, nor spoken for his padawan in the Council. "Little you found, hum?"

"No, Master Yoda." She shook her head, remembering the extremely limited -- yet condemning -- detail she had read. "Three small mentions in the records and even those are hundreds of years old."

Yoda nodded, his eyes closing for a long moment. "Bring him home you must." Lack of sleep and an excess of worry almost drove Elyzabe to roll her eyes at the diminutive master. As if they were doing anything but bringing him home. She was startled from her thoughts when he added, "Yes, home. If a chance he is to have."

"It said that there is no cure." Elyzabe's surprise broke through her voice. "How might the healers save him?"

"Always a chance." For a second she would almost swear he smiled. "Stubborn my padawan always has been. Change now, I doubt he will."

She had to agree with Yoda on that point. It was that stubbornness which had kept Qui-Gon alive so long already. "We are en-route, but are barely a day out of Nahbey." She paused, glancing toward the bedrooms when she heard Mace enter the room behind her. "We should be back in five more days."

"Waiting we shall be for your return." The screen faded to black and Elyzabe sat there for a long moment before turning to Windu.

"Well?" he asked, tunics rumpled with sleep but his eyes alert.

Motioning toward a chair, Elyzabe handed him the two newer data-pads. "I've found two more records." She paused for several moments as he looked at the data. Sighing, she finished. "Unless it's wrong, or something happens..." She met Mace's gaze with sad eyes and finished in a barely audible whisper. "He's not going to make it."

Shock filtered across his features and Mace placed the pads on the desk. "There must be something we can do."

"I'm afraid it may be out of our hands," she said, standing. Elyzabe rested her hand on his shoulder briefly before leaving the room. What she had no idea how to do was tell Obi-Wan.

~<>~<>~

The days passed in a subdued blur. For the time being Elyzabe had decided against telling Obi-Wan about their findings. She didn't know if it would make it any easier for the boy, but knew for a fact it would break her heart.

As it was, she was relieved that whatever had caused him to feel poorly while on the planet had passed. Immediately after she managed to get Qui-Gon as stabilized as possible she had ran several scans on Obi-Wan as well. Nothing registered as out of the ordinary.

The thought crossed her mind that maybe it was something to with the bond they shared, and the effects of the poison on Qui-Gon's connection to the Force. However she had no proof. Whatever caused it she may never understand; but was content to be relieved with the knowledge that physically at least Obi-Wan was okay.

These thoughts never far from her mind, she saw to Qui-Gon. Dutifully she persisted in replacing the cooling packs and fluids while keeping an eye on Obi-Wan as he kept a vigil with the comatose Jedi master. Mace hovered in between, continuing to research the poison and sitting with his friend.

When Obi-Wan sat with Qui-Gon, he held one of the larger hands in both of his own. He told Qui-Gon stories about the Temple and Fyre, about what had happened while Qui-Gon had been away. At some point Elyzabe heard him mention something called a snarfblat, but had no idea what the child was talking about.

She smiled sadly watching him one evening as he continued talking to Qui-Gon. If he wasn't asleep or eating, Obi-Wan was with the unconscious master. It was hard to believe that Qui-Gon was cut off from the Force, as strongly as it filled the room.

~<>~<>~

When they were not quite two days away from Coruscant, Elyzabe was sleeping in the next room, but Obi-Wan couldn't sleep. Bored, and wanting to see Qui-Gon, he snuck out to sit with him. He was careful to be quiet, so as not to let Master Windu -- who was in the outer room -- hear him.

He had only been sitting there for a few moments when Qui-Gon stirred, causing the boy to jump. Obi-Wan's first instinct was to run and get one of the masters, but a larger part of him didn't want to go anywhere. He wanted to stay with Qui-Gon.

Crawling up on the bed, cautiously so as to avoid the equipment, he looked down at Qui-Gon's eyes. "Master Qui-Gon?" he asked in a hushed whisper. Obi-Wan's forehead was scrunched in confusion. Qui-Gon's eyes looked funny.

The man blinked slowly, staring at the boy perched above him. "Who?" he managed to rasp. Qui-Gon licked his lips, but it did little good. Coughing softly, he tried again, but even sitting right beside him Obi-Wan could barely hear him. "Who are you? Where?"

Obi-Wan blinked, tears springing to his eyes. He tried to touch the bond they shared, like Master Qui-Gon had shown him, but it was as if the connection wasn't there. "Master?" he asked in a shaky voice.

Qui-Gon's eyes fell closed, the confused look never leaving them. Shaking his head from side to side, the tears in Obi-Wan's eye spilled over and covered his cheeks. "Master?" he asked again, not expecting a reply.

He pushed at the bond they shared, only this time he didn't stop when there wasn't a response. Instead, Obi-Wan kept pushing.

A monitor began screaming and the boy almost jumped off the bed. Elyzabe and Mace both rushed into the room at the alarm. One eye on the monitors and another on Obi-Wan, she pulled him from the bed and into her lap. He continued to cry as she sat on the extra bed and rocked him gently. "Shh, shh," she repeated.

Mace checked the sensors and pressed a button, causing the noise to cease. Elyzabe looked over the top of Obi-Wan's head at him. "What happened?"

"Brain pressure spiked," he replied in a shaky voice. Watching the monitor he shook his head. "But it's back to where it was now."

In Elyzabe's arms, Obi-Wan was shaking. "My fault," he mumbled, pressing his face into his teacher's tunics. "My fault."

"What's your fault, Obi?" she asked, rubbing her hand over his back soothingly.

He took a shuddering breath and rubbed his knuckles over his eyes. Instead of looking at Elyzabe or Windu, he looked over at Qui-Gon. "Master Qui-Gon woke up."

The two masters looked stunned at his words. "He woke up?" Mace asked with incredulity. When Obi-Wan nodded, Mace rubbed the bridge of his nose. Meeting Kohn's gaze he held out his hands. "How? There's no sign on the equipment."

She shrugged, looking at Mace over the top of Obi-Wan's head. "I don't know, but if Obi-Wan says he woke up, then he did." The tone of her voice was one she might use in class, not allowing for any question in the matter. Brushing Obi-Wan's hair from his face, she asked softly, "What happened then?"

"He didn't know me." His tortured whisper echoed in the quiet room, broken only by Obi-Wan's hitched breathing. He turned at looked up at his teacher, lower lip shaking with pent up tears. "Why didn't he know me?"

Elyzabe pressed her lips to the top of Obi-Wan's head. "Oh, Obi-Wan. I'm sorry."

The boy just shook his head. Taking a shuddering breath he blinked away fresh tears. Elyzabe wrapped her arms around him more tightly and glanced at Mace with tears in her eyes when Obi-Wan repeated in a whisper, "He didn't know me."

~<>~<>~

Although upset, Obi-Wan wasn't deterred by Qui-Gon's not recognizing him. If anything, he was propelled by it. He fell into a fitful sleep in Elyzabe's lap, but when he woke up he went directly to Qui-Gon's side and continued to tell him stories.

Once when Elyzabe went into the other room to speak with Mace, Obi-Wan crawled up into the bed next to Qui-Gon. He laid his head onto the master's chest and sniffled softly. Beneath his ear, Obi-Wan could hear the beat of Qui-Gon's heart.

Without thinking about it he reached for the bond in his mind. Like before, it wasn't right, but it was different somehow. It was more like there was static in his mind rather than an empty place. Remembering what had happened earlier, Obi-Wan was careful not to push at it. Instead he simply concentrated on the Force -- like they were trying to learn in class -- and surrounded the broken bond with it.

"I miss you," he whispered as the steady beating lulled him to sleep.

~<>~<>~

When Elyzabe walked back into the makeshift infirmary, the first thing she saw was Obi-Wan asleep on Qui-Gon's bed. The second thing, however, was that Qui-Gon's eyes were open. She opened her mouth to speak, but Qui-Gon shook his head just a bit, and she remained mute.

Her eyes followed the row of monitors, seeking reassurance to what she was seeing. Once that was done, shock settled into disbelief and a brilliant smile lit her face. Crossing the small room in just a few steps she leaned over Qui-Gon and felt his forehead. He was still warm, but nothing like the intense burning of before.

Still smiling, she asked in a low voice, "How do you feel?" Careful to not disturb Obi-Wan, Elyzabe adjusted the cooling blanket and placed a cloth on Qui-Gon's forehead.

Qui-Gon tried to speak, but only managed a rough croak. Cursing herself for not thinking in the first place, Elyzabe helped Qui-Gon to drink some water before he tried again. "Where am I?" he finally managed to ask in a hoarse whisper.

"On a transport back to Coruscant. You've been poisoned." She looked at him with concern. His eyes were glazed, hazy rather than their normal clear blue. Unable to forget Obi-Wan's anguished comments of before, she asked the question she wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer to. "Do you not remember?"

He shook his head slowly. Sucking in a quick breath he was closed his eyes quickly when the room tilted awkwardly beneath him. "No." His throat was still raw; she could tell by the way he was speaking. After another drink of water he squinted up at Elyzabe. "What are you doing here?" Qui-Gon took a shallow breath. "Aren't you finally teaching the children?"

"Finally?" Elyzabe blinked, trying to determine how much he had forgotten. "Qui-Gon, I've been teaching the children for sometime now." She thought for a moment, taking the opportunity to brush several locks of hair away from his face. "What's the last thing you remember?"

Qui-Gon stared off into space for a moment, trying to remember. "I remember." He stopped, blinking quickly. "Leaving Coruscant after Xana..." Elyzabe's eyes widened in recognition at what he was saying. Three years, gone. "After Telos," he finished, a raw pain in his eyes.

Taking his free hand, Elyzabe squeezed it and wondered where to begin. She wondered if she should even try to tell her friend what all had changed in the last three years. "Qui-Gon..."

Before she could decide, he interrupted her. "And who is this?" he asked, nodding toward the sleeping Obi-Wan.

"A little boy who is going to be very happy to talk to you." At that, her smile returned, sadder than before. That smiled faded just a bit as she realized what they were facing. "He's missed you very much."

Qui-Gon looked at her, confused. "I don't remember a little boy. Certainly not one who would want to use me as a pillow." Elyzabe laughed suddenly at the helpless look that crossed his face. "I don't know what to do with children." When she continued to laugh, he glared at her. "I'm glad you think this is funny."

"I'm not convinced it is funny, Qui-Gon." She managed to stop laughing, however the smile wouldn't go away. "I'm relieved, yes. Thankful even." Another glance at the monitors and she shook her head. "I still don't understand how you're even awake. And something in my heart tells me this little one is responsible for bringing you back to us."

"A boy?"

Smiling, Elyzabe nodded and brushed her fingers through Obi-Wan's hair lightly. She knew pride wasn't something Jedi were supposed to feel, could remember many lectures along those lines in fact just before she became one of the teachers. But sometimes you had to break the rules she had discovered since.

"A very remarkable boy, Qui-Gon. When you remember, you'll understand." Qui-Gon yawned, interrupting her and she smiled warmly, her eyes bright. "Go back to sleep. We're still a day from Coruscant yet."

Qui-Gon, however, was asleep before she even finished the suggestion.

~<>~<>~