Before - Legends The Unchosen (Qui/Obi AU) note from the author 4/9

Chapter 41: The Last Barrier

This was it, then. The last barrier had fallen, spilling its load of pain and grief. Qui-Gon had expected to feel some sort of relief, but instead there was only sadness, deep and dark and endless. He sat there on the couch, holding his frail young son against his chest, stroking his hair, trying to soothe his trembling, and still his limbs felt weighted with his own impotence. There was no balm, no healing?the wounds were open and raw, exposed to his sight, and that of their small Jedi visitor. Had they only made it worse?

Obi-Wan?s body was still stiff against him. Qui-Gon continued his calming efforts, hoping to feel a loosening, a relaxation. What was the boy waiting for? It wasn?t only pain that held him, but also dread. But surely he could not be afraid now?he had told everything, as he had promised. There was nothing more to fear in the telling he had avoided for so long.

?Little one?? Qui-Gon murmured hesitantly. ?Is something wrong??

The boy?s head shook minutely back and forth, a shaky gesture of negation that Qui-Gon didn?t believe at all.

?Is there anything else you?d like to tell us? We want to help you, dear boy. That?s all we want.?

?I told you everything.? Obi-Wan?s voice was raspy, empty. Hopeless.

Qui-Gon released a breath he hadn?t known he was holding. He?d half-expected there to be something more, some other horrible abuse that his son had been afraid to reveal earlier. But he sensed now that this was truly all?at least Obi-Wan had been spared some of the more despicable things that sometimes happened to children in slavery. Qui-Gon could be grateful for that small favor, as infinitesimal as it was against all that his boy had suffered.

Still, it was not right. The air ought to be clear now, but it wasn?t. Obi-Wan still withheld something, even if it wasn?t an actual event. And Qui-Gon couldn?t imagine how to convince him to reveal it.

It was then that he understood that this wasn?t the last barrier, after all. There was at least one more. And this one would be the most difficult of all to break.

?Yet if nothing is wrong, still there is something that is not quite right.?

Qui-Gon glanced at the wizened little Master in surprise. Yoda?s eyes were narrowed to thoughtful yellow slits, and one clawed finger rested against his closed lips. He was the very picture of patient expectation, willing to sit there until the mountains were ground down to dust by the friction of the wind before he would stop waiting for an answer to his question.

Obi-Wan shook his head, but it seemed to be more an expression of quiet despair than an actual contradiction. Still, he said nothing.

Qui-Gon breathed a sad little sigh. ?Oh, my Obi-Wan. You don?t trust me.?

The boy flashed him a look of pure pain, and it pierced the man to his core. Then, what was even more agonizing to the older Jinn, he withdrew his arms from around his father?s neck and pulled them against his chest. He huddled there within himself, though he still pressed against Qui-Gon?s side as if desperately seeking shelter he was not sure of finding.

The man winced. He had not meant to hurt his already aching child. He knew that what he had said was true, though he wasn?t sure how, but he obviously should have found a better way of saying it. Perhaps it was time to try a more conciliatory route. Obi-Wan had been pushed and commanded and bullied into revealing his darkest secrets quite enough for one day.

?Oh, sweetheart, I?m sorry.? All this passed through Qui-Gon?s mind in an instant, and he quickly pressed the boy to him and kissed his tangled hair. ?I know it was difficult for you to tell us all that you have. Thank you for opening yourself to us. It means a great deal, and I love you even more than I did before. You trusted me with all of your pain, all that you went through, and I am honored. Deeply, profoundly honored. You are amazing, my Obi-Wan, and I cannot be more proud of you.

?But what are you waiting for, little one? Your body is tense with dread, as it is every t

 

Poor baby. *offers candy to L'il Obi*

 

Gotta love the mush. Poor kid, to think that he still thought Qui-Gon would reject him for the things that he had to do. Glad to see that Qui-Gon recognizes that Obi needs the Force as much as air. glad to see that he also realizes that Julune is not going to be happy about this. LOL on the yelling part.

So the barrier isn't broken, merely identified. It's going to take a long road back before Obi's whole enough.

Good job.

 

Now that the barrier has been identified, it can be broken down. I can't wait!

Here I was worried about QuiGon taking off after Obi's tormenters, but now I'm thinking it's Momma Bear Julune who will need to be held back!

Lori

 

poor baby

but I will happily take more mush

 

Lovely mush. Poor, poor Obi. At least he trusted his father enough to tell him. Force, how much that must have cost him. And yet, he took the final step, seemingly. But there's still a long way to go. I must admit I'm curious about what Julune will say.

this post. Such a moving one. Beautiful, May.

Bravo!

 

Sorry, I have not replied in a while. Got a little behind on things.

My, my. This is so hard for Obi-Wan, I know. I'm glad Qui-Gon is there as an accepting presence. Without his love, it would probably be devastating for the boy.

 

Poor Obi-Wan... I hope they can help him.

At least now they know what has happened, and know why he has been suffering so much.

I hope that you do well on your finals.

Ani-maniac

 

Wait till I dry my tears sniff! sniff!
that was so lovely Qui-Gon was so sweet
poor Obi-wan how cruel the outside world has been
to him.
Dont ever leave Qui-Gon and Julune.

 

That was beautiful, Maychorian. All I can say is poor Obi, poor, poor, Obi-Wan.
A very touching and mushfilled chapter.
I look forward to the next when that barrier finally smashes down!

 

Awwww most definitely more mush! At least they now know the last step is to get Obi reconnected with the Force. Now that is gonna be a true challenge! But I'm sure Yoda and Qui can help the youth do it!

Well done Padawan! Good luck on those finals hon!! I'll keep my fingers and toes crossed for ya!

 

The boy flashed him a look of pure pain, and it pierced the man to his core. Then, what was even more agonizing to the older Jinn, he withdrew his arms from around his father?s neck and pulled them against his chest. He huddled there within himself, though he still pressed against Qui-Gon?s side as if desperately seeking shelter he was not sure of finding.
AHHHHHHh poor obi!!! POOR QUI!!!
so sad!!beautifully writen and good luck with finals!!
i understand the pain of finals... its evil.. okay im going to class now... really i am....

 

Wonderful Post.

I loved how Qui-Gon refused to be ashamed of giving Obi-Wan the love he so desprately needed.

May, if this isn't my favorite Fanfic ever it has to be in the top five. So needless to say I am looking forward to the next post and dreading the day (hopefully years from now ) when you draw this tale to a close.

 

If I tried to say what I liked about that post, while I'm sure the result would be well received by your eager readers I think you might just sue me!!
So, instead of copying out the entire post I'll content myself with: wonderful chapter! It really is too beautiful for me to spoil with words that aren't nearly enough to describe how very touching it is! I'm babbling- must go reread that!

 

Another great post. It's amazung. Hey Qui GOn, get to know Yoda. He's not mind reading, he's 800+ years old, he's seen a LOT. :-D I do like Yoda and Qui Gon's interaction. The lil' green dude is genuinly concerned for Obi Wan and wants to help him AND Qui Gon out.

 

No, the last barrier hadn?t fallen after all. It had only been identified.



^That just about sums up my reaction to the latest post.

Please more soon.

 

?It doesn?t matter?what you did, what was done to you, the past, the future, any of it. It doesn?t change how I feel about you. Nothing can. I love you, I love you, I love you, and I always will.?

I forgot how sad this story was! I'm sorry I haven't been reviewing. It's just so sad!

 

Wow, that was some beautiful mush. Very, very, very, lovely.

?I love you. I love you,? he found himself still murmuring. ?My poor, sweet boy. Do you believe me? I wish you could believe me. Do you??

Obi-Wan drew a shuddering, shaky breath past the tears he could not shed. ?I want to,? he whispered, almost too quietly to be heard. ?I want to believe. I do.? Believe him, Obi-Wan, believe!!

I hope they can get Obi to connect with the Force soon, and then he and Qui can reconnect their bond, and then Obi will be able to know for sure just how Qui feels about him.

Can't wait to see Julune's reaction. Those kidnappers had better watch out.

Thanks again for such a wonderful update, maychorian! Good luck with finals! I'm looking forward to more when you can.

 

I'm at a loss for words, actually.

This is, actually, more common than one might think.

This was a nice chapter, an eye of the storm (Julune is going to be the other half) that Obi-Wan needs. She will, I think, Have the presence of mind to attend to her son's needs before ranting about the idiots that did that to him...

And, hey. Qui-Gon happens to have some friends of his in town. It shouldn't be hard to send them off on a hunt or something.... That could be FUN. Well, it would also be really dangerous, I think. Drat. Don't want to kill of Qui-Gon's friends, but less so Julune. Hm...

I'll just wait.

I hope your finals went okay!

Just Jill

 

Poor, little Obi-Wan.

He already knows so much more about the world in a terrible way..

 

may, a post of this story is seriously like an event. It pushes all other thoughts and chores completely out of my head.

He looked down at the bright head resting on his chest, and smiled sadly, twining his fingers a little deeper into the soft, warm hair. ?My brave child,? he murmured, as much in wonder as in praise. ?You are so incredible, my little one. You have no idea. I am privileged to be allowed to call you mine.?


An amazing piece of evidence that shows just how deeply Qui-Gon cares for Obi-Wan. So very like Obi to think that Qui-Gon would find him unworthy or tainted, when he was only doing what he had to do. This continues to be a superb character study that draws me into an entire world created by your incredible imagination and deft touch with emotions.

 

Wonderful chapter!!!

In the fullness of time, Obi-Wan drifted gently into sleep. Still Qui-Gon sat there, content to hold him. And for the first time the boy did not curl up in a protective ball as he slept, unconsciously shielding himself from invisible enemies. He remained loose and relaxed

poor Obi. I hope that Obi can start to relax a little bit - to feel a little bit safer. I hope that Qui and Yoda can convince him that he is not tainted with the dark side and that he should open himself back up to the force (if he can? - since he's not sure exactly what he did, maybe he will need some help?)

Julune was going to be enraged when he told her about it

I can't wait for Julene to come back - I've missed her these last few chapters.

I can't wait until the next post.

duma

 

Mush!

I had the same reaction as Qui-Gon: I thought there would be this whoosh of relief once the story was out, but there's still so much sorrow. And that's realistic; of course things can't just be fixed in one day.

I too am looking forward to Julune's reaction.

 

His poor boy, still living in fear of himself. It wasn?t right at all. No child should think such things of himself, least of all this brave, kind, selfless being of light. He wasn?t dark; he wasn?t! Qui-Gon would never believe so.

Poor little Obi-Wan!

No, the last barrier hadn?t fallen after all. It had only been identified.

Yoda, this sounds like something that you might be able to help with, I hope...

Can't wait to see!

 

I keep forgeting to reply, and tell you how much I love this story May!

 

Beautiful mush! Poor Obi-Wan still can't trust Qui to keep loving him. But it does look like some progress is being made, with Obi actually relaxing in his sleep on Qui. At least they've now identified the last barrier. Hopefully Yoda will be able to help bring that down, reconnect Obi to the Force and show him that it wasn't his fault. Love that Qui wasn't going to apologize for his behavior towards Obi and Yoda surprised him by understanding.

Wonderful! Can't wait for Julune's reaction.