Song Series 4: What Do You Say?

by Amy Fortuna ( amyfortuna@yahoo.com )

Rating: PG

Category: Angst, POV, Q/O

Disclaimer: I don't own the Jedi, and I don't make a dime.

Archive: master_apprentice, WWOMB, SWAL; anywhere else, just ask, I won't say no.

Series: The 'inspired by a song' series--the same universe, but can be read in any order. Timeline is (Color Them Wonderful), What Keeps Me Down, Star-Crossed Voyager, What Do You Say?, Can't Be Really Gone, In The Still of the Night, Leave It All Behind.

Spoilers: Yes, for TPM.

Summary: Obi-Wan has to tell Anakin about (spoiler).

Feedback: Does Obi want his master?

Notes: Inspired by Reba McEntire's 'What Do You Say?'

Obi-Wan raced up the last catwalk and passed through the still-open door into the hanger.

A small crowd of pilots, apparently just back from the airfight, was gathered around a single plane, and in the plane...

"Oh, no," Obi-Wan groaned, walking up. "What did he do?"

A pilot turned at the sound of his voice and began telling him how Anakin flew the plane, blew up the Control Ship and saved the day.

Obi-Wan shook his head. Already Qui-Gon was proven correct, he thought, the boy needed to be trained.

A stab of pain went through him at the thought that Qui-Gon was not here to be proud of the feat, but he shoved it down, buried it in the depths of his being, and called over the chattering crowd to the boy.

Anakin rushed over to him, eyes narrowing when he did not see Qui-Gon there too.

"Where's...oh."

It must have been something in Obi-Wan's expression, because comprehension dawned in Anakin's eyes and he flung himself forward, abruptly, into Obi-Wan's arms.

"No, no, don't tell me," Anakin said. "He's dead, right?"

Tears sprang to Obi-Wan's eyes as he knelt on a level with the boy.

"Yes. He is."

Anakin closed his eyes, and unexpectedly, laid his head on Obi-Wan's shoulder, shaking, silent tears streaming down his face to soak into Obi-Wan's tunic.

The pilots filed quietly away, and Anakin and Obi-Wan sat together there for a long time, not speaking, sharing their first moment of unity in their grief for Qui-Gon.