DISCLAIMER: Star Wars and all publicly recognisable characters, names and references, etc are the sole property of George Lucas, Lucasfilm Ltd, Lucasarts Inc and 20th Century Fox. This fan fiction was created solely for entertainment and no money was made from it. Also, no copyright or trademark infringement was intended. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. Any other characters, the storyline and the actual story are the property of the author.
A hellish red glow poured from the enemy's lightsaber, as Obi-Wan shrieked. His hands clenched and unclenched at his sides as he watched Qui-Gon stumbled a step back, his strong form crumpling inward as he fell. He looked surprised and shocked.
For a moment, the creature just leered at Obi-Wan, savoring every moment of the Jedi's fury. Obi-Wan glared at him through the red forcefield, as if his eyes alone could burn through and run through the Sith, as that thing had run through his master.
The field cycled down--
--and Obi-Wan jerked awake, arms flailing, legs tangled in his bedsheets. Sweat streamed from his face as he shook himself to consciousness, feeling his stomach twist in misery. Another one of those horrible dreams that had plagued him for the last week.
Slowly, he lay back down on the pillow and pulled the sheets up to his chin, but the emotions that roiled deep within him still remained, keeping him wakeful.
He missed Qui-Gon. Over the past ten years, whenever he had had a nightmare, Qui-Gon had always awoken, no matter what the distance, and had soothed his apprentice's mind through their mental link. That presence was so dulled now that Obi-Wan could barely feel it...
"Master?"
A high, clear voice. Anakin. Obi-Wan rolled over and sighed, wiping the few tears from his face. "Yes, Ani?" he said calmly, hoping that he didn't sound too forced.
"You had a bad dream."
Obi-Wan suppressed the growing urge to groan and cover his face. "Yes, Ani. It's a memory... I imagine it'll fade."
A flickering dark shadow passed by the side of his bed, and the lights flared into their full brilliant strength. Obi-Wan groaned and closed his eyes. The light level instantly went down, and Obi-Wan opened his eyes to see Anakin, clad in a simple tan tunic, standing by his bedside. "Master?" he said softly.
"Yes, Ani?"
"I have bad dreams too."
Obi-Wan frowned, then quickly changed his expression to one of sympathy. "What do you dream about, Ani?" He pulled the small boy up onto the edge of his bed and looked into the uneasy dark eyes.
Anakin's face twitched as he said quietly, "I dream about Master Qui-Gon, when he was on Tatooine. He was sitting on a rock and talking to me, when I saw this huge black cloud. It was ugly and bad and I thought he'd see it coming, but he didn't. Then suddenly it just grew around him. He looked scared and surprised, then he looked sad. Then... then I couldn't see it anymore. Then I woke up."
He looked at his new master, worried and uneasy. His slowly-growing friendship with his new master was far too new for him to say such things easily, but the honesty warmed Obi-Wan's heart.
"Ani," he said quietly, putting his hands on the boy's shoulders. "What you're dreaming about is what happened to Master Qui-Gon. He was caught by that dark cloud... the Sith... but he didn't see it coming. He had no idea of what was going to happen to him, or if he did, he never thought that it would happen like that." He swallowed hard. "I dream about it too, Ani. The dreams will go away..."
Anakin nodded, tears beginning to seep down his cheeks. Obi-Wan gently wiped them away, and patted his new apprentice on the shoulder. "If you have the dreams again," he said quietly, "just come to me, and tell me about them. No matter what I'm doing or where I am, I'll listen."
Anakin nodded.
"You'd best get back to bed," Obi-Wan said softly, shoving Anakin to the door. The boy scampered away and out the door.
Obi-Wan reached up and switched off the light. As he settled back under the covers, he felt a faint touch at his mind, like an echo of a heard from a far distance. He reached back, half-expecting to hear the familiar "Yes, Padawan?" reply in his mind. But there was no reply, only a soft chuckle that dissipated through the Force like a patter of raindrops.
Obi-Wan smiled a little and allowed himself to drift into unconsciousness. He knew that there would now be no nightmares....