Before - Legends Loves Labors- A series on the Life of Qui-Gon Jinn. see Note in first post

Author: Noelie
Title: Once a Mother
Characters: Canon Characters and a few OC's such as Master Jilayne Yvett
Notes: My AU version of this character and my thoughts on how he became what we all knew on the screen.


The PM list. If you want off, please just let me know!

Aya-Na_Bashu
Ara-Gon
bi0nic
Kestrel_Kenobi
Princess_of_Naboo

~~~~~

Creche Master Jilayne Yvett was in the receiving nursery the evening they brought in the baby. It wasn't without precedence of course, since service to the Jedi to the order was a common enough practice.

To be sure most families were never in a position to be asked such a sacrifice, but everyone was aware that this request was made should they have the joy and the agony to have such a child born to their family.

She held out her arms for the precious bundle, as always feeling the urgency of giving what poor substitute she could for the likely arms of love that they had been torn from. Her views on the tradition of taking children from the bosom of families that were their own heritage were considered somewhat rebellious at best, but because her work with the quasi-orphaned force senstives was superb, there was really nothing they could do to silence them completely.

As Master Yoda had noted during her turbulent youth, she was meant to be here among them.

She would whisper endearments and songs into the soft ears of the two or three that were her special assignment until they moved on into the large open dorms for initiates. Her joy was the moments spent mothering her charges in honor of the arms they came from.

Her heart sank as yet one more time she wouldn't be able to tell herself that possibly it was an abandoned, unwanted baby. Sometimes that happened as it was not always a joyful thing when a force-senstive was born. Many on some worlds were sacrificed before they could be retrieved. Master Yvett had joy in those babes. There was a reason for them to be here before the age of accountability.

This baby smelled sweetly of those many ointments and powders available for the very fragile skin of infants. He was swaddled tightly in the best of katan's she had seen available, the delicate embroidery along the edges indicating wealth and position of some kind.

It would be no matter. All that life would be erased, gone.

She began to divest the small frame of the clothing, the fact that he was so newborn that his cord was still drying at the site of his naval, didn't surprise her as he was so tiny, but rarely did they get them this early.

They usually waited until hearts had bonded enough to break.

She swallowed that rebellious thought to continue with her work. Now that he was carefully dressed in standard Temple issue, she looked closer.

He wasn't a pretty baby, but his hands were elegant, and his gaze startlingly calm and wise for someone so little. Small tufts of thick dark hair adorned his head. He wasn't pretty but someday he would be a presence to be reckoned with. She was never wrong about these things.

"Well time to get you fed. Let me get your chart off this datapad so I can figure out what formula is likely to be correct." It didn't matter he didn't understand her, he looked as though he understood anyway.

She whistled in surprise and had to sit as she read the obtained information. This baby was one of some consequence. A prince of his land although the issue of a very lesser wife to a King. At least now she knew that this child had likely been wanted and loved by at least one person, yet was likely a political sacrifice by the same token. Someone that wanted Jedi support no doubt.

"So little one, they have blessed you with an impossibly ridiculous name in honor of
your station. One that someone is sure to recognize sometime. Well little Qui-Gon Jinn, welcome to your new home."

 

What a wonderful post, so heart-warming and tender.

To think that Qui-Gon was ever small is just inconceivable.

Please PM me when you update, I don't want to miss any posts.

 

Of course Qui-Gon was a prince. Awesome beginning.

 

Aya-na_Bashu: You bet. We shall see how this goes. I want to do it but after I got the first post up I am having a severe case of nerves. Hopefully the butterflies will not get in the way of the brain, so I don't disappoint!

Ish: Ah but that is only a set up for the complete Snobbery I saw on the Part of Dooku. Of course when he was younger it wouldn't have been so set, but frankly his feelings were so out there that way, I couldn't help but think that even younger he would only choose someone he felt of "consequence". Qui-Gon won't care in the least about it, because as we see that is just never his thing... pathetic lifeforms and all of that.

 

Hey this is intresting. You should continue. Qui-Gon's a prince, that makes my head turn.

 

Great start Noelie! That was a very touching little scene.

I really like Qui-Gon as royalty, that could help connect the dots between him and Dooku in terms of them both being from privileged backgrounds. Nice idea that, I look forward to more.

 

Lovely. Sweet and heart-wrenching at the same time.

The bit about him having an "impossibly ridiculous name" was funny.

May I have PMs, please?

(And don't lose your nerve. I'm very interested to see where you take this.)

 

Don't stop writing this one. I suspect it has the potential to be as good as BST. I like how yoiu described the setting with the baby. It reminded me much of my work in the nursery. I often wondered what kinds of homes these babies were going to. In this case it is that wonder of what kind of home did they come from. I am sure it is much like the feelings of many foster families today.

 

Ara-Gon- thanks for Stopping by. Certainly I will pm when I get something posted again. I will try not to get too shy about it all, because I really want to do this. Appreciate the pep talk!

Araxie: BST? I know you love that fiction... I hope so. Someone made me a great character to start with. We can talk tomorrow about it..

Edit to add: Holy smoke. I have told people I have permently lost it these days, but I didn't asknowledge two others that read this


LilQui-Gon: Hehe I am glad that made your head turn. I am going to try and continue

and Bi0nic: I went back through and I don't know what I was doing! I missed telling another of my dearest friends from the boards that I know you were here?

Since I read the Stover novelizaton and Dooku's snobbery was such a part of the story, I couldn't help but feel that something would have made Qui-Gon worth his notice, because in truth their motivations and personalities were sort of in opposite corners. I wanted to explain why someone with Dooku's propensity just to get his way would deal with someone else that would be attempting that on the part of others, and would be emotive even in response to his more reserved coolness.

 

aw, lovely beginning Noelie...please continue. I loved your description of baby Qui.

And could you pm me when you update? Thank you!

 

Oh wow, what a great back story for Qui-Gon! Now I wonder what planet he's from...

"So little one, they have blessed you with an impossibly ridiculous name in honor of
your station. One that someone is sure to recognize sometime."

That's such a powerful line. It gives humor and a sense of foreboding. Will someone recognize his ridiculous name? What will that mean for him? Ah, the possibilities.

Could you PM me when you update?

 

Kestral_Kenobi-Thank for reading! Yes I would be honored to Pm you.

Princess of Naboo: Hello Yes there is a lot of possibilities. I will make sure you know of the updates!


~~~~~

Title: The Warmth of Love

It has been one month since Master Yvett had received the latest in her string of infants to raise to the age of five when they would be moved to the open dormitory of their initiate years.

It was during these months of her assignment that a delicate balance between the Jedi Code and the needs of infants had to be realized, and it took unique talents on the part of the Masters assigned such duty.

For those two ideas seemed to be at exact opposition. The application of the code for Jedi Knights was that there was to be avoidance of emotional attachments. Babies of most known species on the other hand, existed in a state of complete defiance to such an order. It had been millennia since the acknowledged fact that infants need attachment, bonding, and love to grow healthy and happy had been written and studied in science.

Thus it was that this was the one place in the Jedi Temple, that not only were attachments enouraged, it was expected.

For Master Yvett, it had been a long night, because they had been having some difficulty in finding a formula that wasn't upsetting young Qui-Gon.

Jilayne now found herself in the large comfortable repulsorchair, with the baby asleep on her shoulder. It had finally been the only way the poor little mite found a moments relief from the pain in his abdomen. It was a sign of just how important these children were that they were finally taking general donations for breast milk for this boy. It was just a matter of making sure each donation was pure and clean.

Her heart was torn, between the sleep she was in desperate need of, and the need to make sure her charge was going to finally be alright.

A voice startled her from her reverie of the wonder of just two hours of uninterrupted sleep.

"Master Yvett? I am here for my shift."

She had three young padawans assigned to her duty, to assist with all the challenges little ones of this age bring. Jilayne had no idea how parents outside of the temple managed. She didn't even want to consider the complexity that one or two would have to manage everything there was to do, plus work just to feed the family.

Of course if young Qui-Gon had been left on his home, there would have been no end of servants to take care of such mundane tasks.

She looked at Landis Boren and smiled. She had seen him raised here during her own years as a padawan assigned this duty. Landis was here only when he wasn't out with a very busy Master, because unlike Master Yvett, he had a knack for the skills of a Jedi Knight. He just happened to be blessed with that perfect blend of compassion to make him admirable help in the nurseries.

"You look tired. Is he still not settling on any feeding?" his voice was that charming stage between boy and man where childhood gentleness still remained.

"No, but he has just had his first feeding of the donated breast milk. If he can't make do with this I don't know what we will try next."

She began to get up, and Landis stood, "here let me take the little man, so you can get up."

If pressed she would have admitted that Landis was a personal favorite. The young man should make an astounding Jedi Knight when his trials came, but for now she was grateful he was young enough to be able to help her with the raising of this baby.

She smiled in agreement to the plan, and the young Qui-Gon did the reluctant stretches that accompany every change in position for infants.

"Let me show you how to make sure the milk is suitable for him to eat. He should be ready for another feeding in an hour. And he will need another diaper change. Did you want me to stay awake that long?"

Landis laughed, "They are raising me to be a Jedi Knight. I believe that might qualify me for the terror of a messy diaper or two. Get some sleep. I think my young friend and I will be fine for the next few hour

 

If pressed she would have admitted that Landis was a personal favorite. The young man should make an astounding Jedi Knight when his trials came, but for now she was grateful he was young enough to be able to help her with the raising of this baby.

Aww.

She whispered, "don't tell anyone, but I am pretty sure I love you little one."

The blue eyes that had yet to make the final decision that they would stay blue, widened, and the rosebud mouth let go of the nipple. With milk streaming from both sides of the little mouth, one of those moments that make parenting the worthwhile pasttime it is, happened.

Tiny Qui-Gon beamed up in fully requited love to the only person he would ever know as his mother.

Once again, aww. That was incredibly bittersweet. On the one hand, someone loves and cares about him. On the other, he doesn't get to know his real mother.

I was highly amused by the milk thing. The little princeling can handle only the best.

Thanks for the PM!

 

Another wonderful post. Gave me the warm fuzzies.

 

Noelie - that was such a beutiful post. Master Yvett is a wonderfully well written character.

I adored the fact that Qui-Gon would only take breastmilk (I'm a Breastfeeding Councillor)...and the ending was gorgeous...

She whispered, "don't tell anyone, but I am pretty sure I love you, little one."

The blue eyes that had yet to make the final decision that they would stay blue, widened, and the rosebud mouth let go of the nipple. With milk streaming from both sides of the little mouth, one of those moments that make parenting the worthwhile pasttime it is, happened.

Tiny Qui-Gon beamed up in fully requited love to the only person he would ever know as his mother.

Well done - a joy to read.

 

I love the last line especially, but there is a bit of irony in this entire thing.

 

Oh that was so sweet. I wanted to cry near the end. I like how you have some men in the nursery too! After all babies and children need male influence as much as a mothers.

 

Princess_of_Naboo: I am glad you liked the moments with the young padawan, and yes the milk thing was amusing. It always seems that way in real life AFTER you figure out what the baby needs.

Aya-nu_Bashu: Warm fuzzies? In the summer? Thanks for reading!

Kestrel_Kenobi: That is a very cool job you have! I am glad that you liked that part.

I like Jilayne Yvett too. A joy to read? That is a very sweet compliment indeed!

DarthIshtar: Thanks for reading hun!

Araxie: Well I don't mean to make you cry! And yes it felt right that they would find a balance of the presence of both in these littl one's lives. Men are too marginalized in our own world. Let's hope that is a mistake they never made.

 

A Gentle Heart
~~~~~

With young Qui-Gon at his daily formal learning, Master Yvett was free to be in the receiving nursery. She was given word yesterday by a team of Jedi that a young babe had been born in a place of war, and while she had helped receive many that went on to loving families,their being force-blind, this one was coming to be Jedi.

In the last day since she had heard of coming infant, Jilayne had gone over all her documentation for making the transition of being an 'older brother' easier on her two year old charge.

After they had sorted out his feeding problems, he was a supremely easy child to deal with, bright and observant. He had adjusted well to life in the temple, and to her as his 'foster' parent. He even got on well with the older children that she had personally raised, a half a dozen or so that could claim that privilege.

As with any parent they would stop by, meet their new 'sibling' and fight for time to take him to the gardens or out for a bit of julaberry slush. Qui-Gon took it in stride, quietly enjoying the attention given and a mature sense of respect for these other 'adults' in his life.

Quickly she took the baby, this one delicate and pretty, her little molded doll-features at odds with the power that was now resting quietly within, until the long and arduous lessons on how to use it properly. She hurried to her quarters, so that she and the baby could be settled before Qui-Gon returned.

She went to her room where she had already placed the afghan she had bought at an outdoor market on some remote world, its workmanship somehow appropriate for the perfection of a baby. Silany Traaves slept on quietly, her light blond curls shining against the darker threads of the blanket.

Jilayne heard the door open, and a small, deep voice cry, "Ma-Vet, Ma-Vet, where you?"

He hadn't quite gotten the idea of word pronunciation down yet, but as with all two years olds it was so charming that she neglected to correct him. By the time he was an adult she could only assume he would have learned to say them right and with power.

She quickly went out to him, standing there like a tiny adult in his brown tunics. He had been asking for a robe, but it wasn't the custom to give them to children, seeing that most of their life was within the temple walls.

"Shh, the new baby is here, would you like to come and look?"

He followed Jilayne, copying her movements and exaggerating his in that adorable two year old way. Was it all right for a Jedi Master to use the word adorable?

She went to the side of the bed, prepared for any resistance in the little boy.

Master Yvett need not have worried.

Qui-Gon's eyes went large with wonder, as he reverently climbed up on the bed to sit. He watched the sleeping baby carefully for long moments, as Jilayne stood observing the scene before her.

With a two year old sense of wonder and worship, gently he bent down and placed adoring kisses on the tiny head.

 

Qui-Gon's eyes went large with wonder, as he reverently climbed up on the bed to sit. He watched the sleeping baby carefully for long moments, as Jilayne stood observing the scene before her.

With a two year old sense of wonder and worship, gently he bent down and placed adoring kisses on the tiny head.

Awww, I love how you're writing little Qui...I want one! Adorable is just the right word!

Lovely Noelie

 

Awww, I love my Qui-Gon...your Qui-Gon...something like that. And I love Ma-Vet.

 

Aww! I love how Master Yvett has a little group of Jedi she's raised that come to her and treat her like a mother.

Hmm, Tahl perhaps?

 

"They are raising me to be a Jedi Knight. I believe that might qualify me for the terror of a messy diaper or two." Landis just won my heart!

"The blue eyes that had yet to make the final decision that they would stay blue, widened, and the rosebud mouth let go of the nipple. With milk streaming from both sides of the little mouth, one of those moments that make parenting the worthwhile pasttime it is, happened.

Tiny Qui-Gon beamed up in fully requited love to the only person he would ever know as his mother."

Oh, you captured so perfectly one of the sweetest moments of motherhood!

And little two YO Qui kissing a baby--!

With Master Yvett caring for the babies I might--just might--be able to forgive the Jedi--a little--for asking for their charges at such tender ages.

 

Very sweet again. Just like the two year old I watch running around my house, and I'm sure much like your little ones when they were that age.

 

Shame on me for not replying in so long! Please place me on the PM list so I don't forget to check up on this again.


The application of the code for Jedi Knights was that there was to be avoidance of emotional attachments. Babies of most known species on the other hand, existed in a state of complete defiance to such an order. It had been millennia since the acknowledged fact that infants need attachment, bonding, and love to grow healthy and happy had been written and studied in science.

You've explored this source of conflict for Jilayne, being required to form intimate emotional attachments as part of her job, really smartly so far, Noelie. I really liked the way she looked at two-year old Qui-Gon and understandably calls him adorable, but then almost berates herself just for using such an emotive term to describe someone who is in essence a fellow Jedi.

Veery interesting dilemma you've got going there, I wonder how Jilayne and Qui-Gon's relationship will change as he continues to age.

I like the character of Landis, too. It's good to see us guys represented there as being just as capable of dealing with the little 'uns as the ladies.