Rebirth #02 - Naming Day

by Angelica ( lilithschilde@roadrunner.com )

Archive: M_A, anyone else just ask

Category: AU, Angst, Q/O

Rating: G for now

Spoilers: Tiny little ones for AOTC

Series: Rebirth

Series Timeline: Begins a few weeks after AOTC

Summary: Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi does the unthinkable and clones his dead master. Now he must deal with the consequences.

Disclaimers: George owns it. I play with it. But I give all my money to Star Wars merchandising, so I have none to give him if he sues me. Feedback: Please!? I'll love you for ever and ever...OK, well, I'll be really happy.

Notes: This part of a series. I don't know how long it will be. I suppose it will depend on the feedback I receive. :o) If you like it, I'll keep going. Special thanks to my Master, Jenn, for encouraging me to run with this bunny.

"The child is Qui-Gon Jinn, and will bear his name." Obi-Wan's demanding voice echoed through the chamber.

The Council had sat in session for the past two hours discussing what to do with the infant that Obi-Wan had returned to Coruscant with. They were loath to believe that this child was the former Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, but all tests had confirmed Obi-Wan's claim. The Knight had admitted that the infant was a clone of his former Master, and accepted whatever punishment the Council decided upon. His only request was that the infant be raised in the crèche, and be trained as a Jedi. When the Council had finally agreed to the training, they also decided that the infant would not be called by his former name. Instead, he would be given a new name, to go with his new life. Obi-Wan had protested in vain for almost half an hour, insisting that the child be allowed to maintain his true name.

"Enough of this, Obi-Wan. Your dedication to your former Master is understandable, but this child is not Qui-Gon! We must not force the child to be what he is not."

Obi-Wan stared at Mace Windu, hoping to find some hope that his argument was not in vain, but found only sheer determination in the dark eyes.

"He is Qui-Gon. You're tests have proven as much." Though he continued his debate, even the knight was beginning to tire, his voice becoming more resigned to the fact that he would not win this point.

"Though his body is that of Qui-Gon Jinn, his mind and soul are his own, unique. He should not be forced to live in the shadow of your former Master. The Council has made a decision, and it is final, Knight Kenobi."

Obi-Wan thought he would break down, right in the middle of the Council chambers. He felt his knees weaken, and fought to control his emotions and force his body to be strong. He was a Jedi; he could not let his emotions run rampant over him! Taking a deep breath, he met the gaze of Master Yoda. His eyes full of tears, he slowly knelt before him.

"Please," he pleaded. "He is Qui-Gon. I have felt it. When he looks at me...I know he is within this child. I know it as surely as I know my own name: this child *is* Qui-Gon Jinn."

His gaze did not fall as the diminutive Master studied him. If anyone would see the truth of his words, it was Master Yoda.

"Consider this further we will. Until then, Qui-Gon Jinn the child will remain."

Obi-Wan's eyes closed, silently thanking the Force for the wisdom of the ancient Master. He rose slowly and gave a deep bow of respect to the Master, backing away several steps before standing before the assembly again.

"You will remain on Coruscant for the time being, and look within yourself for the reasons behind your actions. You have put the creation of this child before all else. You have neglected your duty to your Padawan. You must ask yourself why you have done this. May the Force be with you, Knight Kenobi."

Bowing again, Obi-Wan moved back and out of the room, away from the questioning eyes of the Council. Taking deep, steady breaths, he willed his heart to calm and walked towards the only thing that mattered to him at this moment.

Arriving at the crèche, he was met by Knight Sidana. The young woman had been a few year behind Obi-Wan in their temple training, and he had always guessed that she would train to work with children. She had a kind heart, and infinite amounts of patience. When he arrived on Coruscant with the infant Qui-Gon in tow, Sidana had been on duty. She immediately set up a crib in the nursery for the baby, and made every effort to ease Obi-Wan's mind that Qui-Gon would be cared for. She looked up from tending one of the toddlers and gave Obi-Wan a heart-warming smile, sending the little one back to play.

"Obi-Wan. How did things go?" Sidana held out a hand to the older Knight, and Obi-Wan found himself being pulled into a hug. He relaxed into the embrace, needing the comfort now more than ever. His heart and mind were set in a constant turmoil, with the love of his life in the center of it all.

Obi-Wan pulled back, and reached a hand up to push aside a stray wisp of blonde hair that had fallen out of the girl's long braid.

"As well as could be expected, Sidana. The Council is allowing Qui-Gon to be trained as a Jedi, and have made the concession that we may still call him Qui-Gon, even though they hate the idea. They won't believe that he *is* Qui-Gon. They'd rather see him as a genetic duplicate of the man they once knew and leave it at that. They aren't willing to believe that he is more, so much more."

Nodding, Sidana took Obi-Wan's hand and lead him to the nursery, were the youngest Initiates were housed. Obi-Wan followed her gaze, and saw the twinkling blue eyes of a child peeking out over the rim of a crib. The boy's hair had grown longer in the past few days, now much more than the brown fuzz it had been when he'd taken the infant from Kamino, and he had just learned how to sit up. Obi-Wan took a few steps towards the crib, reaching out to play with the baby's hair as he approached the crib.

"Hello, Qui-Gon. Did you have a good nap? I'm sorry I took so long, but I'm here now." The baby giggled as he was picked up and held, cooing at Obi-Wan and twisting little fingers in the man's beard.

"He hasn't had his mid-day feeding yet. If you'd like, I can get the bottle for you. It would be a great help actually, since I have quite a few new arrivals that need tending to."

Obi-Wan looked to the woman and smiled, knowing that she, above all others who he had dealt with in the past few days, understood what he was feeling. "Thank you, Sidana. I would like that very much."

Sitting down in a nearby rocker, Obi-Wan cradled Qui-Gon in his arms. He'd grown so much in just a few short days, and Obi-Wan wondered how anyone could possibly keep up with the boy's training as he grew older. The cloners had explained that Qui-Gon's body would grow rapidly, at almost four years to every one of a normal human. The process would slow in ten years time, and return Qui-Gon to a normal rate of growth, allowing him to age as any human would. During this time of accelerated growth, Qui-Gon's mind would absorb knowledge, allowing his mind to grow as quickly as his body. Though a difficult process, to be sure, Obi-Wan had been assured that it had worked well in the past and would allow Qui-Gon some semblance of a childhood. The only other option being to allow the cloners to keep Qui-Gon in a maturation chamber for the next 10 years, training him in their facility and feeding information into his mind almost as a computer would be programmed. Obi-Wan could not bring himself to do this, preferring instead to allow his former Master to live and learn in relative normalcy.

Sidana returned with a warm bottle, handing it to Obi-Wan and laying a hand on his shoulder supportively before leaving to give the two some privacy.

Obi-Wan smiled down as the infant Qui-Gon reached little hands up to meet the bottle.

"Hungry are we? You know, you always teased me about my endless appetite, but you never mentioned that you had one just as big when you were a child."

The peace of the moment eased Obi-Wan's inner turmoil at having to have yet another fight with the Council. If it weren't for Master Yoda, he had no doubt he would be facing severe punishment for his actions on Kamino, and would not have been given so much say in Qui-Gon's raising. He had to remember to thank the Master for his support, when next they met.

Looking back down at the baby in his arms, Obi-Wan chuckled and placed a kiss on his forehead. "This isn't going to be easy, my Qui-Gon. There will be so many that don't understand. They can't possibly imagine doing such a thing. Cloning your dead Master isn't something the Code strictly forbids, but I don't think it's something the Council encourages either. But why shouldn't I have brought you back? You shouldn't have died on Naboo, and if the Council is right, and the darkness is gaining strength, then the Jedi will need your help in the coming battle." Obi-Wan noticed Qui-Gon watching him, as if listening to him intently. "*Have* I done wrong by you, Master? Will you come to regret my actions in the future? The Council is right, you know. I did act selfishly when I made my decision. Seeing all those clones...realizing that I could simply ask, and you would be reborn to me...how could I resist when I've been so alone, Master? I wasn't ready for you to leave me. I certainly wasn't ready to take Anakin as my Padawan! I'm so wrong for him. It's not like the bond we shared at all. Half of the time Anakin doesn't even show me the respect a Master deserves from their Padawan."

Sighing, Obi-Wan placed the now empty bottle on a nearby table and lifted Qui-Gon to his shoulder, rubbing the baby's back as he continued his confession. "Even now, I feel him slipping away from me, and I don't know what to do. I've warned the Council, I've asked for their help, but they don't see it."

Pulling the infant back for a second, Obi-Wan gently wiped Qui-Gon's chin with the back of his tunic sleeve and resumed his rocking. "Oh, how much I missed you, Master. So many times I needed your council or your support, and found it gone. So many times I would wake at night and reach for you but you were never there. If not for Anakin, I surely would have fallen to my grief; but you knew that, didn't you? More and more I think you asked me to train Anakin because it would give me something to do, someone else's welfare to concentrate on. You knew I would need that, didn't you?"

The baby simply stared at Obi-Wan, and the Knight laughed. "Nothing to say, my Qui-Gon? Well, I can wait. I waited for eight years to tell you I loved you more than as a Padawan should love their Master. I've waited ten very lonely years just to see your blue eyes again. I can wait for another five or six before you start dispensing sagely advice. After all, if there is one thing I learned from you, it's patience."

Rocking gently, his love securely in his arms, Obi-Wan looked to the future, and thought of what it might hold in store for the Jedi, for himself, and for the infant that would soon grow into the only person he ever truly loved.