Before - Legends Far From Home - from the Qui challenge, cover art added

Title: Far From Home
Author: VaderLVR64
Genre: Short story in progress
Timeframe: Pre- JA
Characters: Qui-Gon Jinn, OCs
Summary: The birth of a Jedi legend.
Notes: The product only of my odd mental meanderings.

This absolutely gorgeous cover art was done for me by the talented Gina. Thank you, again!




[image=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v466/VadersLover/FarFromHome.jpg]


Also, if you would like to see more of these characters, ithesock is writing an amazing tale called The Fields of Elysia featuring them. I'd love for you to check out her tale! It's wonderful....




Far From Home



?Congratulations, milady,? the midwife said quietly. ?You?ve got a fine boy here.?

Lenora Jinn lay back wearily on the pillows. She reached out her hands. ?Let me see him. I want to hold my son,? she whispered.

The two women shared a smile. They had shared the long hours of Lenora?s labor together and the midwife was almost as tired as Lenora herself. But the new mother felt all of her exhaustion fade away as she held her newborn son. The crackle of the fire in the hearth was all that was to be heard in the room, for the baby was quiet and content to be held.

She ran her hands down the length of his body and shook her head in wonder. ?He?s so big,? she said. ?He?ll be a big man.?

Sarta, who was both her childhood friend and midwife, grinned. ?I?m thinking that?s what took so long.? She leaned over and inspected the quiet babe more closely. ?Look at those feet, Lenora!?

Lenora held the boy?s feet and chuckled. ?I think we?ve got a fine pair of feet with a son attached.?

The baby stared up at her with deep blue eyes, his little fists moving about, but he was not crying. She pulled him closer and his head turned unerringly toward where he sensed his sustenance would come. Lenora gave a sigh of contentment as the little one nursed. She brushed her fingers over the moist brown strands of his hair.

?He?s going to have my hair,? she murmured. ?And his father?s eyes.?

Sarta laughed. ?I?m sure they?ll get word to him soon,? she said as she began setting up a cradle for the baby. ?And he?ll come rushing in with his big loud voice and take charge, mark my words.?

Lenora smiled fondly at the thought of her large, boisterous husband holding their son. His huge hands would dwarf their new son, even as large as the babe was. The baby continued nursing, not at all disturbed by their conversation. He wriggled closer, his tiny hand resting against his mother?s flesh.

The two women heard a commotion outside her chamber and Sarta hurried to open the door. Before she reached it, the door opened wide and there, framed by the light spilling in from the windows behind him, stood Amri-Lon Jinn. His eyes were immediately drawn to the bed and when he saw his wife cuddling their baby he gave a wide grin.

He rushed to her side and sat down on the bed. He peered closely at his son. ?Well now, that?s a fine?? he stopped and smiled at his wife, his blue eyes alight with laughter. ?Boy? Must be a boy; too big for a girl, wouldn?t be proper!?

Lenora laughed. ?You?ll take what I give you, Amri!? Then she drew back the blanket. ?But yes, this is your son.?

Amri gave her a swift, thorough kiss. He seemed to always be in a rush, forever hurrying from one task to the next. Sometimes she felt as if she lived in the center of a whirlwind, but knew she wouldn?t change one moment of her life with him if given the chance. She didn?t even notice Sarta discretely slip out of the chamber.

The baby continued to eat steadily, although his eyes had been drawn briefly to the deep, loud voice that sounded above him.

?That?s my son all right,? Amri bragged. ?Nothing comes between him and his supper!?

Lenora pulled her husband closer and gave him the soft kiss she had been longing to share with him the moment he had walked into the room. ?And now your lady wife is hungry,? she informed him

 

Lovely! As I said in the challenge thread, I LOVE Qui's parents. They are well-drawn and interesting. And the cute bit widdle baby feet. Oh yes!

I'm glad you'll be writing more with this.

 

AAAAAHHHHHHHH!!! Another challenge for Qui-Gon!!!

 

I'm so glad you decided to take this farther! Can't wait to see how it develops. Poor Papa Jinn... I have a feeling this won't be easy on him.

 

Yay! You posted it here! I thought it was so cute! great work!

 

Excellent!!! So happy to see this one continuing!!!

 

Glad to see this one continuing! Looking forward to more of the family.

 

Hurray- you're going to continue this

 

You're continuing this? How wonderful! I really love the way you portrayed Qui's parents and now I'm looking forwards to learning even more about them.

 

Yes!!! <does a jig> I knew this warranted a sequel Great work!

 

maychorian These characters immediately claimed a place in my heart!

LilQui-Gon I was inspired!

Mistress_Renata No, it won't.

Kynstar Thanks! I hope you like the rest of it.

Layren Thank you!

dianethx And the fact that it's Qui-Gon doesn't hurt, does it?

PadawanKitara I just had to, Lenora threatened me if I didn't.

Alethia Me, too. They've been whispering in my ear since I wrote the first vignette.

Princess_Arulmozhi Should I blame this on YOU?

---

[b]Chapter 2[/b]

Lenora sighed with contentment as she nursed her son and looked out the window. Amri was directing the farm hands, showing them which areas of the field he wanted worked next. Every now and then he would glance up at the window where he sensed she was, though he could not see her.

She leaned out a bit and waved, prompting a grunt of protest from her son who lost his grip on his food source. ?Shhh,? she soothed quietly, arranging him to his satisfaction once more. He wriggled closer and gave a little hum. He was a very vocal baby, which made his father laugh. Little Qui-Gon enjoyed eating so much that he sometimes hummed his way through a meal.

Amri insisted that he purred like a kitling with a full belly, while Lenora insisted that he was merely trying to see if he could be louder than his father. Finally, the baby gave one last tug and pulled away with a satiated groan. ?You?re a rare glutton,? Lenora said fondly.

He looked up at her somewhat drunkenly, milk dribbling out of the corner of his mouth. A wide grin appeared on his face, and then his eyes crossed and he loudly filled his diaper. Lenora could not help but laugh. ?Oh, that?s going to be a bad one, isn?t it little one??

She kissed the tip of his tiny nose. ?Perhaps we should call your brave, brawny father up here to attend to it??

Qui-Gon wiggled happily as his mother placed him on the bed and prepared a new diaper. He seemed content to merely lay there and watch the play of the sunshine on the ceiling and chew on his toes. At three months of age, he was an active and content baby. He rolled over on his belly and began scooting closer to the edge.

Lenora took hold of his little ankles and dragged him gently back to the center of the bed. ?Oh, no you don?t! You?re staying right there until I get you cleaned up, young man.?

He stuck out his tongue and blew hard, a wet [i]blat[/i] that apparently pleased him because he did it again in short order. He glanced up at her and smiled as if to ask if she had noticed his wonderful new trick.

?You are a boy of many talents,? Lenora laughed.

Again, he started scooting toward the edge of the bed, moving his tiny body back and forth until he achieved some momentum and his body would inch forward. He looked around and gave her a pleased grin.

Lenora smiled back. ?You think you?re something, don?t you? Getting around on your own and giving your poor mother grey hairs!?

Qui-Gon chortled and scooted some more.

Amri flung open the door and scooped his son up in his huge hands. ?And where do you think you?re going, my son?? He nuzzled the baby?s neck with his heavy, black beard. Qui-Gon bowed his back and laughed, clearly enjoying the scratchy sensation.

?The boy?s mobile now,? Amri said, pleased. ?I?ll have him outside with me sooner than I thought. We can take a ride every afternoon.?

?You?ll not be taking that baby in a speeder,? Lenora said as she quirked her brow. ?I?ve seen you drive, Amri Jinn. And the memory doesn?t inspire confidence!?

Her husband shot her a chagrined look. ?He?ll be safe, I promise.?

?I know he?ll be safe,? Lenora answered. ?Because he?ll be staying right here with me, thank you very much!?

Amri looked crestfallen. ?You take all the fun out of it.?

?That?s my job; I?m his mother.?

The big man turned his attention back to the baby boy in his arms. ?I?ll teach you to drive that old speeder that scares your mother so much,? he whispered. ?And we d

 

Awww! Loved that! Qui scooting away!

Ahhh mum and dad sound so sweet together! Great job!!

 

Very cute. Qui-Gon is certainly an interesting baby.

 

Awwwwwwww ....I just love how well you've portrayed Qui-Gon's parents..this is just lovely.

 

That was adorable. It is clear that you are a parent (even if I didn't know that you were) because the baby's actions are so right on for his age. LOL on the speeder thing.

Keep going.

 

Wonderful, VL. I normally don't read young Qui-Gon stories, but this one really caught my attention. It's cute, but promises to be very meaningful. Your lanuage flows easily as always and sucked me into the story from the first sentence. I can't wait to see where you're going with this.

 

This is wonderful VaderLVR! I love the way Qui's parents interact with each other.

A now mobile Qui... Lenora I feel your pain! I've got a very mobile 20 month old. We don't call him Hurricane or Stitch for nothing!

 

Ah, wonderful. I always loved the way you write babies (right from the time I read your 'Force help me, she's pregnant!' - LOL, that was a scream - in fact, as soon as I read this chapter, I had to go back and read that again. )

That said...anything and everything Qui-Gon interests me - and I particularly liked how you've written Qui's father - and Qui-Gon is a precocious infant. Glutton, is he? Gah, loved it.

>>>Should I blame this on YOU?>>>

Would you? Please? Pleasepleaseplease?

 

KynstarI'm glad you like his mom and dad; I've fallen in love with both of them (which could prove uncomfortable!)

-DarkSaber- Luckily, I have lots of material to work with.

Layren Aw, shucks!

dianethx Yeah, I can't deny it! And thank you!

Indra Wow, thanks! It's always very rewarding to me when someone reads outside of their usual comfort area and then likes it!

mouse2 If you read the comic "Baby Blues" they've got a climber. Megan was a climber, had to be taken out of a crib at one year old because she used to sneak out. Naughty Megan!

Princess_Arulmozhi Okay, I officially blame you, then.

---

[b]Chapter 3[/b]

At five months of age, Qui-Gon had discovered that not only were his hands infinitely fascinating to watch, they were also quite adept at [i]grabbing[/i] things. As always, he would chortle with delight when his lightning fast little hands grasped something that made the adults come running.

And everything that he could get his hands on usually ended up in his mouth.

[i]No, no Qui-Gon[/i] was the phrase of the day. He heard it so often that he?d begun to shake his own little head when he reached for something. He couldn?t speak yet, but it was obvious he had made the connection between his new game and the frantic shaking of the adults? heads. However, his own expression was usually delighted.

Lenora sighed as she removed yet another object of temptation. Sitting in a canvas chair that gently swung in the breeze, he had been reaching for a particularly enticing set of leaves. He frowned as his mother when she pushed them far out of his reach.

Grunting and pushing himself forward, he stretched out his little arms reaching for the dark green foliage that had captured his attention. He began to cry when he realized that he wasn?t able to reach them.

His mother couldn?t help but laugh at the woebegone expression on his tiny face and the tears which filled his dark blue eyes. His bottom lip stuck out and he scowled fiercely.

Picking him up, she began to lightly tickle him. His good humor restored quickly, as it usually did, and soon he was giggling wildly. He grasped her long brown hair and pulled.

?Ouch!? She said, more surprised than hurt. ?You?re getting sneaky!?

?I told you he?s smart,? Amri said from behind her.

She turned and lifted her face up to receive his kiss. ?Just like his mother, isn?t that what you said about his intelligence?? She asked coyly.

?Of course, milady, of course,? Amri replied as he held out his arms for his son. ?And how?s the little prince doing today??

?I?m afraid he is a bit angry with me,? Lenora replied as she sat down in her chair. ?I wouldn?t let him eat leaves.?

Amri looked at his son in mock outrage. ?Not letting the boy eat leaves? And you call yourself a mother!? Father and son locked gazes. ?I?ll find you a mother who?ll let you eat all the leaves you want, son. Just see if I don?t.?

Qui-Gon laughed and crinkled his nose as if to say he thought that a grand idea.

?In fact, she?ll bring them to you on a silver platter,? Amri promised. ?Does that sound good to you??

The baby boy squealed in delight and gave a loud blat to fully express his delight.

Amri looked at his wife with twinkling eyes. ?Well, I guess you can see which way the wind is blowing, my dear. I?m afraid we?re going to have to let you go and get a more cooperative mother for the boy here.?

She sighed dramatically and put her hand over her heart. Lenora sniffed and pretended to wipe away a tear. ?And I tried so hard,? she wailed.

Amri patted her shoulder. ?Now, now, Mrs. Jinn, it?s not as bad as all that. We?ll give you a good letter of recommendation. Won?t we, Qui-Gon??

But Qui-Gon had become distracted and was leaning toward his little canvas swing, holding out his arms.

The man laughed and secured his son in the seat. ?I think he?s bored with this topic, my love.?

?Easily distracted,? she said. ?Just like his fat

 

Ah, Qui-Gon's Force abilities begin to show!

Excellent posts, VL. Life with baby Qui-Gon is certainly interesting. Sweet of Amri-Lon to want to give his wife and fine things, and sweet of her to insist that she's happy without them. They're both strong, compassionate people--just like their son.

Wonderful work!

 

Ohhhh great chapter! We get a little peek into mum's past life. Ahhh the power of love. She left her family to be with the man of her heart! How sweet is that?

Uh oh... yep looks like Qui is discovering the Force!

I also loved the fact that Amri was/and still is willing to give Lenora whatever she wants. How loving! Though she already has what she ever wanted. A family of her own!

Excellent work!!

 

Naughty little Qui!

I just adore the way you write babies! Especially them at this age... grabbing everything in reach and then in the mouth it goes.. ..yep that's what I do everyday

So adorable! I can't wait for more, Kimberley!

 

Aww. I can already see some of Qui's well known personality quirks developing. And I love the romantic yet realistic banter between Lenora and Amri-they quite remind me of newlyweds. In all this happiness, though, I can't help but think about what must come...Qui-Gon leaving this happy family. *sigh* Anyways, an infant with force abilities? I hope Lenora has a ton of patience and understanding! I wonder if they know of the Force on this world? Otherwise, little Qui might be in some trouble...

 

Very cute- it brings back painful reminders of little Ethan and my long hair...

 

Uh-oh! Putting everything in the mouth stage. *sigh* It's amazing what they can find and stick in their mouths before you know it. Or what they can get when you think you've put it way out of their reach.

But I have a sneaky suspicion that Qui-Gon has a little something else helping him.