Saga And the Stars Be Our Witness -- Qui-Gon/Shmi -- Romance/Drama -- PG - Complete

Title: And the Stars Be Our Witness
Author: Wendynat
Characters: Qui-Gon, Shmi, Anakin
Genre: Romance, Drama
Summary: A late-evening conversation the night before Anakin's podrace leads to something that Shmi never expected.
Notes: As always, I love and adore feedback! Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy .


"Last time, Anakin."

"But, Mom, Master Qui-Gon and I were-"

"Bed. I know you're excited about the race, but if you don't sleep now there won't be a race for you." Shmi Skywalker sent a pointed look to her son, and Qui-Gon withheld a grin as the boy reluctantly obeyed. Anakin had stalled as long as he could, more than once coming up with "one last thing" that he needed to do before giving in to sleep.

"Go lay down, I'll tuck you in in a minute-"

"Can Master Qui-Gon do it?"

He could sense her hesitation and, with a smile, he answered. "Certainly. Now, listen to your mother." Anakin let out a whoop and took off into his room, leaving the two adults alone.

Shmi stared after her son, exasperation and fondness battling each other in her expression. "Thank you. He's not normally so-"

"It's the excitement. The race, and visitors." Qui-Gon's smile grew reminiscent. "He's fine. I've had headstrong Padawans before, so it's not quite as foreign to me as you might think." Even now, I have a rather headstrong one, though Obi-Wan no longer argues over bedtimes.

Shmi smiled tentatively, looking at him, and he could sense something from her? a strange feeling of anticipation, and something else that he couldn't put into words. "We don't often have visitors."

"Particularly not visitors like us. An attractive young woman, a Gungan, and an old, worn Jedi."

Her smile grew bolder as she looked at him, and that feeling came again, this time mixed with humor. A sense of fond teasing. "You're hardly old. Or worn."

Rather than answering, he chuckled and then, with a small nod, left to attend Anakin.

The Tatooine heat had broken slightly when the twin suns set just a couple of hours before, and as Qui-Gon Jinn spoke with young Anakin Skywalker in his small room, he had to admit he was relieved that this planet did, indeed, grow cooler at some point. Mindful of Shmi's wishes, Qui-Gon did not allow the conversation to continue for long.

"Now, I believe it's time for you to sleep, Anakin. Rest. Tomorrow, we have a podrace to win." He smiled kindly, and pulled the thin, frayed coverlet over the boy.

"Thank you, Master Qui-Gon."

In moments, the child was asleep. And, when he paused to look into the second small room, he saw that the other was also asleep, exhausted from the events of the day. Though Padmé would not, perhaps, appreciate being called a child, it was how Qui-Gon viewed her. A handmaiden, forced into a war, brought against his counsel to this spaceport. The Queen of Naboo had wished to learn more of the planet, and requested that her handmaiden accompany them, to serve as her eyes and ears. It was, he'd believed, a very bad idea. But, it was possible his initial instinct had been incorrect; the boy had taken a liking to her, trusted her. Perhaps that would serve as the extra push to convince him?

He had to bring the boy back to Coruscant, somehow. It wasn't just chance that brought them here, to this remote world. It wasn't just chance that they happened upon Watto's shop first, rather than trying many of the other merchants. It wasn?t just chance that the slave boy who assisted in that shop bore a higher midichlorian count than anyone on record. Somehow, Qui-Gon had to bring this boy to the Council, to train him. He was the Chosen One, there was no doubt in Qui-Gon's mind, though the Council would likely remain unconvinced until it was proven so.

However, there were obstacles. Things that would hold the young boy here, on this sandy plane. Friends, a certain amount of notoriety from being the only human able to compete in the podraces, his mother?. Anakin loved his mother, that was obvious/>

Lovely, touching story

This was a beautiful vignette. You did an excellent job of portraying Shmi's character before, during, and after Anakin left.

I really enjoyed this line:

She wept for Qui-Gon, and reveled in her son's glory, and tried to not let the one tarnish the other.

Very well done

This was quite lovely. I loved that you were gentle with their only night, that the romance built up naturally and you were able to intergrate it into the movie lines. Living in the moment indeed. I also loved that Shmi could hear him talking, even though she initially thought she was hearing things.

Great job.

Aldocassidy - Thank you! I'm very glad you enjoyed it

Exeter - Thank you! That was actually one of my favorite lines in the story, so I'm glad that you picked it out to comment on . And thanks for the compliments on Shmi's character, I appreciate the feedback!!

Dianethx - I loved that you were gentle with their only night, that the romance built up naturally and you were able to intergrate it into the movie lines. Thank you! When I write canon characters, in particular, I try my best to stay completely within the bounds of what's been set in the movies (lines and all ). I'm glad you liked it!! Thank you very much for the comments .

She was wise, a wisdom won through life and not through study ? she was an embodiment of the Living Force; even though her past and future remained unsteady, she lived life as wholly as she could. She loved her son, and found joy in the day-to-day offerings of the Force.

Perfect characterization. A great little vignette. Well done.

Lovely! Wonderfully well written! Great work with the characters! Loved Shmi!!

Great vig! I feel bad for Shmi, she has to put herself aside and focus on getting Anakin out of slavery. But of course that's what any good mother would do. I'm glad she found contentment with Qui-Gon--they both deserved it.

Wow! Completely engrossing adn beautifully written! This was really great!
I liked how Shmi could hear Qui-Gon at the end, very touching that she was reassured by his voice.

Bale - Thank you so much! I appreciate the comment on the characterization - I'm glad you enjoyed it!

Kynstar - I'm glad you liked it, and thanks for the compliment on the characterization!

Anakins_Force - I feel bad for Shmi, she has to put herself aside and focus on getting Anakin out of slavery. I know how you feel - even though it's what any good mother would do, it had to tear her apart to let him go. Thanks for commenting, and I'm really glad you liked it

Jennifer_Lyn - Thank you! It definitely did reassure her to hear him - I'm glad you liked that part .

Jedi_Trace - I gotta confess to being totally jealous of Shmi in this one. You're not the only one . Thank you so much - and I'm very glad you pointed out that line, as it was actually the inspiration for the fic itself. It popped into my head while I was working on the scenario, and I thought it fit well. Thanks!

A very lovely story.

Aww, that was gorgeous! Who knew I was a Qui-Gon / Shmi shipper?

Great job! I loved it!

That was really touching. I never saw that kind of depth in Shmi character.
Great vignette.

CrystalKenobi - Thanks!!

VA_Parky - I'm glad you liked it . Who knew I was a Qui-Gon / Shmi shipper? LOL! I just love the subtle chemistry between the two in TPM, and when a friend mentioned it as something she'd like to read, I couldn't resist . Thanks!

Oqidaun - Thank you! The Shmi character has a lot of room for development, since we don't see a lot of her in canon, and that's just the next best thing to an OC . I'm glad you enjoyed it!!

Shmi is one of my all time favorite characters! And you certainly brought her to vivid life in this story. This was a beautiful vignette!

Beautiful -- how could I have missed replying to this before? I know I read it! Oh well that just gave me the pleasure of reading it again -- fabulous, fabulous work, wendynat!

Aw that was sweet.

VaderLVR64 - Thank you so much! I'm glad you liked it, and I'm also a huge fan of Shmi.

Layren - Oh, thank you so much for the reply . I'm flattered that you liked it, even the second time!

MoeTharen - Thanks

Hey! I remember this fic from FF.net!
It's on my fave list over there! It's awesome! I love the Qui/Shmi ship!