TITLE: It all started with a BANG!

SERIES: Hearts and Souls

AUTHOR: Scorpio

ARCHIVE: Sentinel Cat, CKoS, The Den and WWOMB. All others ask first.

FANDOM: StarWars (pre TPM)

PAIRING: Qui-Gon and Mace (waaaaay pre-slash)

RATING: G

CATEGORY: fluffy stuff, vignette

WARNING: extreme cuteness and sweetness, possible diabetic sugar overload.

NOTES: This takes place *before* "Fingerpaints and Friendships" and "Subtle Changes", but its still a part of the "Hearts and Souls" AU.

DEDICATION: As always, to Sentinel Cat. If any deserves an overabundance of sweetness and cuteness, it's her. She can have the giggles, smiles and squeals of happiness. All dirty nappies come to me.

DISCLAIMER: The characters and the concept of the Jedi all belong to George Lucas, God of the StarWars Universe. I do this for love, not profit.

SUMMARY: A two-and-a-half year old Qui-Gon Jinn meets Mace Windu for the first time in the creche playroom at the Jedi Temple.

It all started with a BANG!
by Scorpio

Go! Go! Go! Go!

Joyous giggles and bubbling excitement spilling from him in waves, Qui-Gon Jinn pumped his sturdy little legs as fast as he could. Chubby fingers wrapped tightly around the foam padded push-handle of the little toy 'shuttlecraft' in front of him, Qui-Gon geared up for another lap around the creche's play area.

Repetitive admonitions to 'mind the babies' caused him to slow down slightly on the turn as he passed the small group of wriggling infants laying belly down on a brightly colored blanket. Then he reached another 'straightway' that ran parallel to the toddler sized tables and chairs. Seeing all that wide open space, Qui-Gon's grin grew even bigger and he picked up his speed once again.

Go! Go! Go! Go!

BANG!

Qui-Gon's race around the creche's playroom came to a sudden jarring stop as his 'shuttlecraft' collided with a wheeled infant walker. Stunned, Qui-Gon looked up into equally stunned deep brown eyes surrounded by soft smooth brown skin. Two sets of eyes blinked.

The other child was littler than him, he knew that right away, but Qui-Gon could tell that the smaller boy wouldn't be needing the wheeled walker for very much longer. He could probably all ready crawl very very fast. Tilting his head slightly, Qui-Gon wondered who the other boy was, he didn't remember seeing him before.

Suddenly, the boy smiled at Qui-Gon and let out a loud squeal of sheer happiness. Giggling back at his new friend, Qui-Gon tugged back on his push-toy. For a brief second, he wobbled on suddenly unsteady legs, but then he regained his balance again. With a grin of his own, Qui-Gon steered his 'shuttlecraft' around the dark skinned boy in the wheeled walker and dashed off. After a few steps, he stopped and turned slightly to look behind him. The boy gazed back at him quietly, no longer smiling. With a mild touch of exasperation, Qui-Gon gestured to the other child even as he used one of the words in his ever expanding vocabulary.

"Baaa-Beeee!"

The boy's dark eyes widened slightly, but then he threw his hands up in the air and squealed with renewed happiness. Short dark legs pushed off against the floor, propelling the other child and his wheeled walker towards Qui-Gon. Giggling with joy, Qui-Gon turned back to his push-toy and began to pump his sturdy little legs to complete yet another lap around the creche's playroom. This time, however, the trip across the room was better. Special. This time, he raced about with a friend by his side.

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http://members.tripod.com/sentinel-cat/Scorpio/