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.
Aboard the shuttle en route to his own planet, Qui-Gon looked up from the terminal, struck by a sudden thought. "Padawan, when we get to my Mother's house, it is customary that you remove your boots in the entry way and only walk about in the house with your socks on. Your socks are clean, aren't they, Obi-Wan?"
Qui-Gon knew well the habits of adolescent boys, having been one himself. Too long ago for his liking, but that was by the way.
Obi-Wan shrugged and blushed faintly. "Clean enough, Master."
"And no holes?" At a deeper coloring, Qui-Gon pointed a stern arm towards Obi-Wan's cabin. No words were necessary.
When they disembarked at Qui-Gon's home, Obi-Wan was struck with how cozy it seemed. Suddenly people, laughing, shouting, hugging, and kissing overwhelmed them.
"Qui-Gon, you old son of a-"
"Hal, little pitchers have big ears."
"What's this, eh? New scars? Have you been fighting again, son?"
"It's been far too long. You've no idea how much we've missed you."
"Uncle, look!"
Laughing, Qui-Gon held up his hands. "Enough, enough. One at a time."
Obi-Wan stood off to the side, feeling rather embarrassed and lonely. Just the day before, he'd had his own family's affection. No matter what he told himself to the contrary, the fact remained: Obi-Wan Kenobi was homesick.
The whole party made its way into the little stone cottage. Or not so little, Obi-Wan realized, looking around. The cottage stretched back into the hillside, so that it was much bigger than the outside appearance had led him to believe. As Qui-Gon had instructed him, he removed his boots. He noted that everyone else did as well, although their footwear was more conducive to easy removal.
Following somewhat behind the main press of people, he arrived in a central living area. The floor was covered with the pelts of long dead animals and a cheery fire burned in a stone fireplace. The chatter of people nearly overwhelmed Obi-Wan. He stood near the door, watching the happy family scene disconsolately.
"Hi." At the sound of a female voice, Obi-Wan turned.
"Um, hi." He replied.
"My name's Fea'la. What's yours?"
"Obi-Wan."
He took a step back, letting the light fall more on the girl. She was about his own age, maybe a little older. She stood at his height. This was unusual. Obi-Wan had never met a Human girl that at thirteen was as tall as he. He realized belatedly that she shared genetic makeup with Qui-Gon and that was probably the reason.
"Obi-Wan," She smiled. Obi-Wan decided he liked the way she said his name. "Are you Uncle's Apprentice?"
He could only nod, dumbly.
"How old are you?" She asked.
"I'll be fourteen in a few months," he answered.
"I'm fourteen now," she said with a grin. "I love Alban Arthan. It's not often I get to see all my cousins. And of course Uncle Qui-Gon."
Fea'la's hair was dark, and braided in two braids that fell just past her shoulders. She tossed them back with her hands. "Do you want to meet everybody?"
"Um, okay," Obi-Wan shrugged.
"Well, there's Hal, that's my father. And my Mum's name is Boni. My dad is Uncle Qui-Gon's older brother."
Obi-Wan was still trying to deal with the image of his Master having an older brother. It was disturbing.
"I have one older brother and two younger ones. I have an older sister too, but she's married. She just had a baby two days ago. Everybody thinks it's just the greatest, but it's just all red and squally right now."
"It?" Obi-Wan said with a faint smile. "Is 'it' a boy or a girl?"
"It's a boy. He doesn't even have a name yet. Keena, that's my sister, said she was waiting for Uncle Qui-Gon to get here so he could find its name in the Force. I think she's just being silly. Can you find really someone's name in the Force?"
Obi-Wan looked startled. "I, uh, I don't know. I've never tried."
Fea'la shrugged. "Oh," she said. She sounded disappointed. She shrugged it off quickly though. "Do you wanna go sledding?"
"Sledding?"
"Yeah, you know. Riding on a sled. Down a hill. It's fun."
"What's a sled?" Obi-Wan asked, perplexed.
Fea'la wrinkled her nose at him. "It's wooden and it has metal runners. It's fun. Come on."
"I should ask my Master…"
"Oh, please," Fea'la said sarcastically. "Uncle Qui-Gon won't be mad. He never gets mad."
Obi-Wan was about to protest that yes, Qui-Gon could get very mad indeed, but Fea'la slipped her little mitten-covered hand into his. His eyes briefly widened in shock. He blinked. He liked the way her hand felt in his. It made him forget everything else. He let her lead him into the entryway, where he put his boots and cloak on. He let her lead him out of the cottage and up the hill.
Qui-Gon had been ensconced in family joy for a long time before he realized his Padawan was no longer nearby. He looked up, scanning the room.
"Where did that boy get to?" He asked of no one in particular.
"Your Apprentice? I don't really know. He was standing kinda over there," Hal pointed vaguely.
"I tried to talk to him, but he seemed really shy," someone else put in.
"I saw him talking with Fea'la," a small voice said.
"Oh really, Mul'kan?" Qui-Gon asked his little nephew.
"That little saucy minx," Hal said with a grin. "She probably led him off to a quiet corner."
Qui-Gon's eyebrows raised.
"I'm just kidding, brother mine," Hal said, laughing at the expression on Qui-Gon's face. "She probably took him over to the old sledding hill - and then seduced him."
Qui-Gon laughed then. He realized with a start that he needed to have a long talk with Obi-Wan. The thought made him vaguely uncomfortable.
"I'll go look for them if you want me to, Uncle," said a young man of about eighteen. "I'm pretty sure I know where she went."
Qui-Gon nodded his assent.
Obi-Wan's cheeks were flushed with the cold and the wind. Fea'la's were too, and Obi-Wan thought she looked especially pretty that way.
After several trips flying down the hill on an old rickety sled, the two of them had started a snowball fight. A voice rang out through across the snow.
"Ho! Fea'la! Obi-Wan!"
"Over here, Seth'na," Fea'la called back. She turned to Obi-Wan with a grimace. "That's my older brother. He's a pain. He thinks he's so great just 'cause he's eighteen. He thinks he's all grown up." She rolled her eyes. "Here, shhh, don't say anything." She flung herself down in a hollow and began making a tightly packed snowball. She reached up and grabbed Obi-Wan, dragging him down beside her. When Seth'na topped the rise, she flung the snowball at him, hitting him squarely in the chest. He let out a yell, and then jumped into the hollow with the two already there. It turned into a three-way wrestling match with lots of shrieks and giggles.
Qui-Gon stood on the rise with his brother Hal. "It's nice to see they're enjoying themselves," he said dryly.
Hal grinned. "Either they're into something really kinky, or they're behaving themselves - sort of, anyway."
"You are a sick bastard. You know that, don't you?"
Hal laughed at his younger brother. "It runs in the family. At least I don't give my kids rocks on their birthdays."
Qui-Gon laughed as well. "Touché, brother mine. I suppose we should go get them?"
"Nah, they'll come home when they get cold enough and the presence of Seth'na will be enough to keep Fea'la's hands off your Padawan."
"You really don't have a very high opinion of your daughter, do you Hal?"
"I'm a realist, Qui-Gon. She'll be fifteen soon. I've already got one grandson, so what difference will a few more make?" He grinned and Qui-Gon knew that deep down Hal was just as concerned as any father. He just didn't want anyone to know how deeply he cared about his youngest daughter. It was all a show. He changed the subject.
"Speaking of this grandson of yours, I still have yet to see the wee laddie," Qui-Gon said, starting the walk back to the cottage.
"Aye, he's grand. Keena's waiting for you, you know. Before she names him. She said she wanted you to find his name in the Force."
Qui-Gon quirked an eyebrow at Hal. "Where did she get the idea that I could do that?"
Hal shrugged. "Probably some story she heard from her grandmother," he said with a wink in Qui-Gon's direction. "Mum carries tales about you everywhere she goes."
Qui-Gon peeked his head through the doorway of Keena's bedchamber. His niece was asleep in a big bed; her face was nearly as pale as the counterpane. In a tiny wooden cradle to the side of her bed slept his first great-nephew. Keena's husband, a burly man named Nun'ken, sat in a chair by the window, dozing. He looked up as Qui-Gon entered.
"Hullo, Qui-Gon," Nun'ken greeted him with a smile.
"Hullo yourself. I've come to get a look at the new arrival."
Nun'ken jerked his head in the direction of the cradle. "Look to your heart's content. He's a cute little critter." The pride in the new father's voice was evident.
Qui-Gon peered over the edge of the cradle. The tiny human being sighed gently. Qui-Gon felt a twinge of regret that he would never have one of his own. This was as close as he would ever get.
Nun'ken spoke again. "Keena thinks you can see his true name in the Force. Is that true?"
"To tell you the truth, I'm not sure. I've never done it before. No one has ever asked me anything like that. I shall think on it tonight."
Nun'ken nodded. "That's all the answer I need. If you can't find a name, I've got a few picked out myself."
Qui-Gon looked up from his tea mug as his Padawan tromped in with Fea'la and Seth'na. The three teenagers dumped their snow-covered boots and cloaks in the front hall.
"Hello, Obi-Wan. Did you have a pleasant excursion?"
"Yes, Master."
"Padawan, in the future, I would appreciate being told before you disappear."
Obi-Wan winced slightly. He knew he was going to get it for running off without permission. He tossed Fea'la an 'I told you so' look. She merely grinned at him, totally unsympathetic.
"And you, Fea'la," Qui-Gon said, giving his niece a stern glance and shaking a reproving finger in her direction. "Don't you ever steal my Padawan again."
Fea'la looked her uncle in the eye, unabashed. In fact, Qui-Gon swore she was teasing him. "Yes, Uncle Qui-Gon." She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. She giggled. Qui-Gon rolled his eyes to the ceiling. He knew about teenage boys. He could handle teenage boys. Girls on the other hand…. He thanked the Force that he had not chosen a female Padawan.
After having eaten his fill at a heavily laden table, Obi-Wan sat back. He sighed with satisfaction. Being a thirteen-year-old boy meant he was nearly always hungry. For once, he'd been able to eat all he wanted without looking greedy.
The young people were told to do the washing up, which they objected to, of course. But Obi-Wan discovered that Qui-Gon had inherited his sternest gaze from his mother, so they complied without too much complaining - at least, within the hearing of their elders.
"It's so unfair," Fea'la grumbled, under her breath. "They never do anything."
"Well," said Obi-Wan optimistically, brandishing a dishcloth, "They did do the cooking part."
"Shut up, little Jedi," snarled a bad-tempered young man named Nilko.
Obi-Wan took a deep breath. He did not want to be caught fighting in his Master's house. He had a feeling Qui-Gon would kick his ass from here to the Outer Rim if he did. He tried very hard to ignore Nilko. The boy was not one of Fea'la's brothers, but rather a cousin. He was the son of Qui-Gon's younger sister.
Obi-Wan returned to drying the dishes Fea'la passed to him. "Don't listen to him," she whispered to Obi-Wan. "He's a brute. He doesn't know how to leave well enough alone."
Obi-Wan nodded. "Sure, okay. I don't care anyway." He lied. He wondered if lying to Fea'la was wrong, but decided it wasn't. As long as he didn't lie to his Master, everything was okay.