Archive of Our Own

Soulmates were a fascinating concept in any universe. In some they have little notice. In others, they are just a thing people talk and dream about but do not truly exist. Then there are those that can impact a person's life beyond just having a mark. 

This is one such universe.

In this universe, everyone has the potential to unlock a mysterious power that they did not have before. And there was only one way to do so. Meet their soulmate. 

That could be trickier than people thought. Sometimes powers went unnoticed because they might not notice that they don't lose things anymore or that they can always throw accurately without trying. 

Sometimes powers were big, noticeable things, especially if they met their soulmate in adulthood. If a set of soulmates met in childhood, their powers started off small, so they could grow into them. 

There was only one way to tell besides powers if a person had met their soulmate. And that was by the colored bands around their ankles. If they had not met their soulmate, there was no color to be found. 

These little bands looked like ankle bracelets and were in the colors that most showed their powers.

.

Quinlan and Obi-Wan knew they were soulmates from a young age because the icy blue, dark blue, and black soulmarks matched perfectly. 

Everyone overlooked this, however. No one even noticed the splash of color, and as they got older and did more on their own, there were less people to notice anyways.

Quinlan and Obi-Wan assumed everyone knew, and never brought it up. Why bother? They were close, and they had no need to talk about soulmates and such yet. Or so they thought. 

If the masters knew, they would have been in lessons on soulmates and how to be a Jedi with a soulmate as soon as they were old enough. 

It was not uncommon for Jedi to find their soulmate with another Jedi, but it was uncommon for them to find them before they even turned six as they were usually at least in different clans and clans didn't start interacting fully until they were in lessons, so many younglings met at the age of six or older, assuming they were the same age or close to it. 

Obi-Wan was two, and Quinlan was four when they met. It should have been noticed, but their age mates were a rowdy bunch and the masters were always splitting their attention. Or at least that was what they assumed as they got older and started wondering why no one knew they were soulmates.

And so it went unnoticed. Their powers went unnoticed as well, strangely, though they thought nothing of it for years.

After all, shadows and ice responding to Obi-Wan and Quinlan respectively were only small little things at first, because they were so young. 

When Quinlan was eleven and realized that no one knew they were soulmates, he wanted to say something, but something held him back. He ended up forgetting all about it as time went on. 

By then, he had pretty good control over his ice power, which was growing every day. He thought it strange though that when he lost control in fits of emotion and left patches of ice behind, no one seemed to notice.

Stranger was that Obi-Wan could melt into the shadows and no one noticed him disappear or reappear. As bullying became a problem, this became a very convenient ability to avoid trouble. Unfortunately, it also caused the bullies to be meaner and go farther when they did corner Obi-Wan because they were angry he evaded them so easy.

This meant Obi-Wan lashing out was worse, so he ended up in worse trouble, just less frequently than he would have other wise.

And once Quinlan was a padawan... he couldn't help Obi-Wan as he once had. He was too busy even though he kept trying to look out for his soulmate. 

The bullying got to the worst it'd ever been just one month from Obi-Wan's thirteenth birthday. He'd already been informed of what was going to happen even though normally that only happened once initiates turned thirteen so that they could have a smoother transition and they'd made it to the end.

Obi-Wan was goaded into a sparring match ahead of the big tournament that would be his last chance to catch the attention of a master. 

It was to take place at night. 

Obi-Wan asked Quinlan to be there just to have a witness. Even if no one believed Quinlan's account, at least someone else saw it. Sometimes, sometimes Obi-Wan would second guess how bad the bullying really was only to discover bruises later where he was grabbed before or after he lost it.

Quinlan knew a large part of the problem was that no one ever heard what Bruck or any of the others said to Obi-Wan. They expected Obi-Wan to just let those taunts roll off his back.

He kind of understood sometimes. It was bad to act on feelings instead of controlling them. But everyone had a breaking point and no one seemed to realize just how much Obi-Wan held in before he broke. They just saw that he broke too frequently and never considered that it was a sign of how bad things were rather than an issue of control.

Ahead of the expected match, Quinlan checked the cameras and as he expected, there was no audio. He'd have to record it himself. And consider carefully which Jedi he wanted to show it to. 

He didn't want to show it to Yoda. He loved Master Yoda but every time he gave Obi-Wan advice it just seemed to make things worse when Obi-Wan followed it. Like suggesting that Obi-Wan ask masters himself. That went over well and damaged Obi-Wan's already near non-existent self esteem. About the only thing keeping Obi-Wan going sometimes was Quinlan because no one understood him like his soulmate.

So who could he show it to that could actually make a difference? He knew Master Tholme would try but he'd seen other masters try to make a difference with Obi-Wan but it always fell through. 

Master Plo and Master Mace would listen. Master Plo was kind to everyone and always seemed very patient when younglings made mistakes. Master Mace was very strict but he was also fair. And many knew he had a soft spot for younglings. If he didn't, he would never have let Obi-Wan and Quinlan get away with pranking the Council after catching them with the supplies. Instead he just took the supplies to dispose of and winked at them. It probably helped that part of the prank was color and they got him with his favorite color rather than any of the others.

Quinlan decided to plan further. He knew that if things went too far, Obi-Wan would be blamed and it would be harder to get anyone to listen to the recording he would have. 

So he had to get Master Plo and Master Mace at least on their way before others intervened. 

He waited until Obi-Wan and Bruck had started, sitting in the shadows that seemed more like old friends these days than something to be scared of, thanks to Obi-Wan. 

He spotted Bruck's friends, the usual ones who would help him corner Obi-Wan and make sure Obi-Wan got in trouble. He immediately got to work on the message he was sending to Master Plo and Master Mace.

Master,

Initiate Chun challenged my friend Obi-Wan to a duel earlier today and now they're starting and I'm worried about Obi-Wan.

Bruck and his friends are always bullying Obi-Wan and no one ever believes him because he snaps and fights back and is caught. 

I don't know why Bruck challenged him but it's just him and Obi-Wan and some of Bruck's friends arrived and I'm here too, but I don't think I can intervene without getting into trouble because I'm almost fifteen and a padawan and they're just initiates under the age of thirteen. 

I'm recording, just in case. Bruck gets really mean sometimes.

Please help. 

Padawan Quinlan Vos

Quinlan scanned it over briefly then nodded to himself. Good enough. He sent it and turned his focus to the fight once more after making sure he was still recording. 

Obi-Wan was ignoring Bruck's taunts for the most part, focused on trying to score a point. He occasionally made a quip back that was actually rather funny, but mostly, he just continued working on trying to find an opening and end the duel.

Then Bruck went way too far. 

"Hey, Oafy-Wan. Even if you can beat me in the tournament, you will never be a padawan. All the masters know you're not cut out for it. Too emotional and clumsy and not good for anything. It's too bad that the Jedi that found you didn't just let you drown. That would have been the kind thing to do for you."

Obi-Wan froze, stunned by the words.

Seeing that he was getting to Obi-Wan, Bruck continued, while gesturing at his friends. They started walking towards the duel, though they stayed off the mat for now. 

"I can't believe you really think you're meant to be a Jedi. You're nothing. Pathetic. Who would ever want someone like you going on missions and making decisions? Do everyone a favor and go kill yourself."

Obi-Wan made a wounded noise, hand going to his arm to rub at it where he had hurt actually himself at one point.

"It's not like anyone cares about a big oaf like you who can't do anything right. You can't even do emotions right you're so useless."

"Y-You're wrong!"

"Oh, thinking about Vos are we? Vos is a nightmare who is somehow worse than you between how much he cuddles and hangs off of people and he's always so loud and excited. No one wants that around."

"Don't you ever talk about Quin like that!"

"Oh, we will." Bruck smirked. "Oh yeah, didn't Vos' parents die when he was like four and that's the only reason he's here? Too bad he didn't die with them. He doesn't belong here either."

Quinlan's jaw dropped and he fought tears from appearing. He still had nightmares from his parents death and how they died for no reason though they tried to keep the intruders from hurting him. 

Obi-Wan shrieked with rage and lunged at Bruck. 

Bruck laughed. His friends grabbed Obi-Wan and held on to him.

"Let go of me!" Obi-Wan growled, too angry to think straight.

Quinlan had to tune out what Bruck was saying as its as making him cry and he didn't want that to cover up what was being said. He still sniffled on occasion and had to wipe away his tears, wondering why this was affecting him so much. 

He knew this was how others viewed him. But then, he'd never seen Obi-Wan's reaction to those words before. He'd known that no one would care what was said about him, if they even believed him in the first place.

And bringing up his parents who were murdered in front of him... and the trauma of that coupled with his mistaken grab at his mother and grabbing her necklace and then the psychometry showed him her last moments and emotions and the trauma had taken him years to overcome enough to hide it, and he still had nightmares and struggled with it. 

Obi-Wan broke free of those holding him back and fought. Quinlan had never seen him fight like this. Desperate, no holds barred, and willing to do anything to get them to back off and shut up. 

By the time Plo and Mace arrived, the other initiates were on the ground crying from their injuries, which included broken bones. 

Obi-Wan was repeatedly punching Bruck. "Shut up shut up shut up! You don't know what you're talking about!" 

Bruck had not sensed the masters' arrival and also apparently had a death wish. "Please, everyone knows that if Master Tholme didn't have a soft spot for Quinlan, he never would have become a padawan. At least in a month I'll be rid of you for good finally."

Quinlan was handing the recorder over to Master Plo when he heard those words and he gasped, stepping back. He couldn't deny that the thought had crossed his mind before, but to hear Bruck say that...

Master Mace was already walking to separate out the fight. 

He picked up Obi-Wan and held him under his arm while Obi-Wan flailed.

"What is going on here?" he asked sternly.

Bruck apologized and gave a version of what happened that had the main facts- the duel and the taunts, but it sounded from Bruck's explanation like Obi-Wan had no reason to act like that.

"Do not lie to me. I just heard you tell Initiate Kenobi that you will be rid of him in a month 'finally'."

The blood drained from Bruck's face when he realized he'd actually been caught in the act for once.

Plo wrapped an arm around Quinlan and joined the group. He started the recording for them all to hear. For a near thirteen year old, Obi-Wan actually did a decent job of not reacting to Bruck's taunts until he went to worse and worse levels of taunting.

Quinlan fidgeted, looking down. He didn't know what to say now. He had done what he could for Obi-Wan and now... now he heard things he could never forget. How many people viewed him that way? He knew he wasn't the most popular padawan. He knew people thought the worst of him, but it was still startling to hear those words come out of Bruck's mouth.

Plo guided Quinlan over to Mace. "I will take care of these initiates, you go with Master Mace. It looks like Obi-Wan could use a friend." 

He took a minute to talk to Mace anyways. 

Quinlan nodded quietly, ice growing around his feet more than usual.

Obi-Wan had finally calmed down and was looking around in confusion. When Quinlan joined him, Obi-Wan half hid behind him, taking comfort from the chill of the ice. He had not expected the interference. 

"Thanks for recording," Obi-Wan said to Quinlan quietly.

"No problem, Obes. Had a feeling it'd get bad this time."

Obi-Wan nodded, leaning slightly on Quinlan until he noticed Mace looking at them. He straightened immediately, then looked down.

Mace frowned. Something wasn't right with those two. He'd suspected there was more to Quinlan than meets the eye but Quinlan seemed far more affected by Bruck's words than he would have expected. Obi-Wan seemed to think he was about to be attacked any second. He also seemed even more uncertain once he realized Mace was watching him.

He shook his head and said good bye to Plo. Better for Plo to handle the bullies than Mace. He had no patience for such behavior, unlike Plo. 

"Let's go," he said to Quinlan and Obi-Wan. 

They nodded obediently and followed him. 

Mace was unnerved by the silence. But it did give him time to think things over. The message he had received from Quinlan was out of character from what he thought he knew of Quinlan, but it was the most genuine words he had ever seen from the padawan. 

They were both a headache, but sometimes headaches were worth it, and now Mace wanted to learn more. Starting with talking to them about the bullying and trying to get to the bottom of it. 

Bullying rarely got that bad among initiates because for that to happen several masters and knights in the creche and among the teachers and even some healers had to not take it seriously enough and look the other way. 

So for it to escalate to what it had, with the cruel words aimed to hurt... It meant several had failed along the way. Did Bruck and his friends have more than one target, or did they only focus on Obi-Wan?

Mace led them to his rooms. "Sit," he pointed to the couch before going to get some ice and his first aid kit. Obi-Wan was a bit bruised and there were a couple of saber burns. It wasn't enough to visit the healers, especially with the bullies filling the rooms.

Quinlan sat down next to Obi-Wan and wrapped his arm around his soulmate. "Are you okay?"

"I... I think so?" Obi-Wan responded uncertainly, glancing after Mace. "I'm mostly just angry about what Bruck said... Did you hear?"

"Yeah. I did." Quinlan looked away. "He really wanted you to snap."

Obi-Wan nodded. "He wanted me in trouble again... I was thinking... maybe he wanted to get me out of the tournament altogether to guarantee that I will be leaving." 

Before Quinlan could respond, Mace was back. "Show me any bruises or burns," he told Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan bit his lip and rolled up his sleeves to reveal the worst. There were old bruises there, yellow and green, fading away.

Mace paused. "I need to take a picture."

Obi-Wan just stared at him blankly.

Quinlan recognized his protective mute state. Obi-Wan was overwhelmed and would not have anything to say anymore. So it was up to Quinlan to speak for him.

"Why?"

"Not all of these bruises are from today. Today should be red, maybe some purples... but I see some yellow and green. Proof of past bullying."

Obi-Wan nodded once, still holding out his arms.

"How do you know they're not because Obi-Wan is clumsy?" Quinlan was a little surprised but mostly suspicious.

"He may be clumsy but I know the difference between usual bumps and bruises and what's caused on purpose." Mace took the picture and started working gently to make sure any injuries were properly taken care of.

Obi-Wan stayed still, watching quietly, uncertainly. 

"Oh. But no one's ever believed him."

"I don't know why but I will be investigating. I wish I had known, but you are both good at hiding what is bothering you."

Quinlan blinked in surprise, then fidgeted, a bit embarrassed by getting his own complement. 

Mace finished with the arms. "Where do you want me to look next? Is there any place that may be from another incident?"

Obi-Wan bit his lip as he thought it over, then took his top off to reveal the bruises on his shoulders and torso. He twisted to show that there were some on his back.

Mace frowned. "Are those all from Initiate Chun and his friends?"

"No," Quinlan answered for Obi-Wan. "Some of the masters get a bit rough when Obi is in trouble, though most of them I don't think mean to leave bruises."

Mace nodded and took pictures before gently getting to work soothing the aches and pains. 

Obi-Wan held still and waited quietly. He wasn't sure what to expect. He thought things were surely going to take a turn for the worst. This was probably the best interaction he had with an adult aside from Yoda in a long time. So it had to turn bad. Right?

Quinlan watched, anxious for Obi-Wan and desperately trying not to think of the words said earlier. He could not spiral, not right now when his soulmate needed him. He rubbed his arms without thinking.

Mace finished up. "Alright, that's your back done. Anything on your legs?"

Obi-Wan bit his lip, this time drawing blood. He didn't notice. He let out a sigh and nodded, pulling up his pants legs. 

Mace studied the bruises and took pictures. He noted that there were not as many bruises, but there were some odd cuts. "And these?" 

Quinlan winced. "The bruises tend to be from being pushed, especially on slopes or the stairs. The cuts..." He glanced at Obi-Wan, who hunched over and nodded. "...are intentional." 

Mace's expression softened further. "I see." He took care of all of them carefully. Then he turned to Quinlan. "Are you hurt?"

"Um, they usually ignore me because Master Tholme cares."

"Usually?"

Quinlan sighed. "They go after me when they know someone is right around the corner- if I fight back, all they have to do is call for help and I'm in trouble since they're more than two years younger than me and I'm a padawan, so I must be the aggressor."

Mace frowned, but nodded. That was a harder type of bullying to catch, but someone still should have noticed. "And Master Tholme?"

Quinlan looked away, scratching at his wrist. "It's happened so many times, he's not sure he should believe me anymore. But it doesn't happen much, just... whenever they can catch me, and since I'm a Padawan our paths don't cross much and they're usually focused on Obi not me if I'm with him."

Mace nodded. "Do you have bruises or anything I should look at?"

Quinlan fidgeted uncertainly. He glanced at Obi-Wan, who was now curled up and watching solemnly. He sighed. "Not much, last time was a bit more than a week ago... and... I do get targeted by some of the older padawans, sometimes. The ones that aren't that busy with stuff. They don't like me. They say I'm not a Jedi."

"Alright. Have you told Master Tholme?"

Quinlan shrugged. "Didn't seem important enough."

That was a weird thought to have. Mace knew, as did many, how much Tholme cared for Quinlan. It was strange that Quinlan was not sharing much with him at all.

Quinlan pulled off his top and rolled up his pants, just to get it all over with.

Mace almost missed the cuts on his arms, doing a double take.

Quinlan wrapped his arms around himself self consciously and looked away. "...yeah the cuts are intentional," he whispered. 

Mace took the pictures, then started taking care of each just as he had with Obi-Wan.

"Does your master know?"

Quinlan shook his head. "Don't want to hurt him with that. He's done so much for me already. Since. Since he brought me here."

"You should tell him. He will be hurt more when he finds out that you didn't tell him."

Quinlan nodded slightly. "Okay."

Mace didn't ask anymore questions as he finished up. He put away the first aid kit. Then he grabbed some cookies and brought them out for them. 

Both looked stunned, like they were not used to spontaneously being offered cookies. Mace was now doubly determined to investigate what was going on. No padawan or initiate should be unused to random masters giving them cookies. It was practically a competition between masters at times.

Once they were on their second cookies, Mace decided it was time to try talking. He hoped they had started trusting him enough but maybe they had not.

"I saw that you have the same colors around your ankles."

"You did?"

"Why is it not in your files that you are soulmates?"

"No one noticed. We only realized a few years ago that they didn't know, and figured it would cause more problems if we brought it up."

"We don't separate soulmates. Regardless of if Obi-Wan will be a padawan or not, he will be staying in the Temple." Mace smiled at them.

Quinlan nearly started crying. He wasn't going to lose his soulmate for good. They could stay together. Obi-Wan gaped at Mace in disbelief that turned into a slow grin before he tackle Quinlan in a massive hug, ignoring his bruises. 

Mace gave them a few minutes. "What are your powers?"

Quinlan turned to him and held out his hand. An ice cream cone made out of ice appeared instantly. "You didn't notice?" 

Mace looked at the ice, and only then did he realize just how much ice was surrounding the Padawan. His head ached, though he just ignored it with practiced ease.

"Ice, not a bad ability for a Jedi of any sort to have. And you, Obi-Wan?"

Obi-Wan hesitated, then stood and stepped into Mace's shadow and disappeared, reappearing near the wall, before coming back and playing with the shadows with his hands.

"Shadows, huh? That's good too." Mace wondered how no one had noticed. How he hadn't noticed. He should have. "You'll have an easy time getting out of tight spots with that."

Obi-Wan smiled and leaned on Quinlan.

Mace continued to ask questions and get answers from Quinlan. It was at times very slow going as they were not very forthcoming on their answers, but it was at least giving him something to work with later. 

He really didn't like the picture he was getting. Something had gone wrong. And yet, there were things that seemed... familiar. He remembered having been ignored in similar ways when he was younger. Dooku, Qui-Gon, and others had also faced some similar circumstances. Nothing anywhere near this bad. But it could have been. 

There was a reason Mace was so involved with the younglings. He wished he had been paying closer attention, that he had seen what was going on. 

At the same time, he wondered why he hadn't noticed. Because now that he was aware of the problems Quinlan and Obi-Wan faced, he was starting to see everything. He could see the way ice coated Quinlan's feet and hands, and melted. How sometimes ice would grow with his distress only to disappear seconds later as he got his emotions under control. How shadows curled around Obi-Wan like a good friend, how he was half melting into them at times. How the same shadows seemed to favor Quinlan, how the ice didn't affect Obi-Wan and he even seemed to get some of his own at times- they were close soulmates. Closer than the average for their age. 

Mace finished his questions and had a debate with himself over what to do now. "Quinlan, are you expected back any time soon?"

Quinlan shook his head. "Master Tholme is on an investigation while I take classes. He's not supposed to be back til after midnight. I'm supposed to be in bed by then."

Mace nodded. "Good. You're both going to stay here then. I'll send him a note." He stood and started making hot chocolate.

"What?" Obi-Wan asked, gaping. 

"The second bedroom is ready for guests. With what happened, I am not sending you back to the creche tonight. Quinlan is your soulmate, and I am certain you need his support, and he yours. So you are both staying here tonight, and maybe for more nights while I investigate this matter."

"...investigate what?" Quinaln asked uncertainly. 

"The mistreatment and neglect. I am very concerned by what you described, including how even your own master has not noticed your bruises and self harming."

Quinlan winced and looked down, fidgeting with his gloves as ice spread up his legs and arms. 

Mace brought them mugs of hot chocolate, then took Quinlan's hands. "There is nothing to be ashamed of. When you don't know how to deal with feelings, how to express them, there is only so much you can do with them. Many turn to self harm, you would just never know it by looking at them as they, just like you, have learned how to act like everything is fine because that is what everyone expects of them."

Quinlan fought tears, not sure why this was getting to him so much. 

Obi-Wan leaned on him, offering his quiet support. 

"One day you'll both feel secure and stable enough that self harm will seem like a distant memory," Mace promised them. He then sat down on the couch and pulled Quinlan into a hug before offering his arm to Obi-Wan. 

Obi-Wan hesitated before accepting the offer.

"It's okay to cry. If you have tears, it's for a reason. You're safe here, you can let them out without worry."

Quinlan held on just long enough to confirm that yes, he and Obi-Wan did feel safe here for once, then he let himself cry.

Obi-Wan wasn't far behind. 

Mace watched them and vowed to get to the bottom of this. Something was very wrong and no one had noticed. He had to do something about it.

Eventually, he was left with the pair sleeping on him. Mace smiled and covered them with a blanket, only moving enough to summon a holopad to his hand so he could start his research. 

An hour later, Plo returned. Mace smiled at his soulmate. 

Plo sank into a chair, letting out a weary sigh.

"I take it you had trouble?" Mace asked. 

"I had to play that recording countless times as no one believed that Obi-Wan had held back from attacking them. Everyone believes he has a short temper. The initiates will be fine, though punishment is still being decided."

"They better be glad I removed myself," Mace grumbled under his breath. 

Plo huffed. "They did seem to think I was going to go easy on them. How are Obi-Wan and Quinlan?"

"It is bad," Mace said quietly. "I have told you of how at times I was ignored and neglected in the creche, often when I needed people in my corner the most. It is like that, only with no breaks, few that care for them aside from their crechemates and a few masters, and even those who do care... do not notice everything."

"Such as?"

"They are soulmates. It isn't in their files anywhere, and yet, Quinlan has ice powers, and Obi-Wan has shadow powers."

"That is concerning. Such powers should have been noticed by now. How did we miss it?"

"I don't know, but I don't like it." Mace paused. "You can see the shatterpoints." This was fact; Mace's powers were tied to his ability to see shatter points, and as such, Plo could see them as well with some difficulty. "This is the biggest one, for both of them. This is going to make or break them, and we best be sure it makes them."

"Indeed. I take it you have a plan?"

"I am... very concerned by a pattern I noticed. They didn't just share experiences in common with me, but others, including Dooku, and Qui-Gon. It is not something that is limited to just the Jedi in charge of the creche and education currently. It is something wrong with the Order itself." 

"Or maybe it is something else," Plo said thoughtfully. "What are other things you and the others who you know experienced this have in common?"

Mace frowned and thought it over. He glanced over the list of Jedi, including some he added based on records of them in the creche and later in life. He did a double take. 

"All of us have made an impact in some way. Prodigies, padawans of respected masters, often to the confusion of others, being the reason a crisis resolves with minimal death... We all had potential." Mace swallowed. 

"Which puts a totally different perspective on those who are on the list I have that seem to follow the patterns in reports but never had a chance to prove themselves- unless they were sent to the Corps or left the Order less than ten years ago, they're all dead or unaccounted for, and even many who had not succeeded in finding a master in the last ten years are dead or missing."

"We're being sabotaged. This is bigger than it seems." Plo stated. He let out a breath and cookies appeared. His power had to do with created food, and if he just generically focused on what people needed, he could make that appear. Or he could focus on something specific.

Mace snagged one immediately. "It is. I don't want to jump to conclusions but... for it to affect so many, so randomly, we need to consider all angles. It's certainly a big conspiracy. But for us to just not notice something... it's like we're not supposed to notice it... which leads me to believe either someone is using their powers for this, which doesn't explain how it goes back at least to Dooku if not further... Or the Dark side is being used."

"Which leads us to the Sith, and the possibility that they are in the shadows and not as eradicated as we thought." Plo finished the thought then fell silent in contemplation. "We shall have to be careful... and start by examining them to see if there's any signs of the Dark side being used on them."

"And myself. I am not letting them deal with it alone. You know I still occasionally face some problems."

"Despite my best efforts." It was something that bothered Plo quite a bit.

"Yes... but now we might have an explanation and work towards solving it."

.

Mace was right. It was the Sith. They would regularly try to see the younglings in the creche, and sniff out the ones that had the most potential. Those ones got a special cocktail of Dark techniques to ensure that they were perceived incorrectly and were easy to overlook, along with many other things. Their goal was to weaken the Jedi and to get some younglings to train as their own apprentices and followers.

Mace, Quinlan, and many others were lucky their masters didn't quite get fooled by the Sith techniques, and followed the Force, sensing a potential that no one else saw until they were proven wrong, and even then they remained skeptical. 

Much changed over the following years as they dealt with the Darkness and the damage it had caused the Order, including changing their policies on initiates and padawans to ensure that no one slipped through the cracks again. It likely would happen; it was difficult to catch everyone. But this way they could make a good attempt.

Mace ended up taking on Obi-Wan as his Padawan. The more he worked on solving the problem, the more he grew to like the initiate, especially seeing Obi-Wan's true personality start to come out as he realized he was truly safe.

Tholme was horrified by how much he missed in his Padawan's life, and refused any more missions that took him away from Quinlan until he was a senior padawan.

Quinlan and Obi-Wan trained as mission partners, able to use their powers and the Force in tandem as necessary. It just took them a while to figure out what kind of Jedi they wanted to be. Quinlan enjoyed investigating, but wasn't sold on the undercover and shadowy part of being a shadows, so they ended up finding a balance between diplomacy and investigation that worked for them, including being called in for crisis situations because they were good in a crisis.

Quinlan also trained as a healer, just so that one of them could heal if necessary, considering the sorts of missions they kept ending up on as padawans. It was sure to be worse once they were Knights. (It was)

Eventually they ended up on Tatooine at the same time as Qui-Gon and were lucky enough to witness Anakin Skywalker meet his soulmate. 

Padme getting fire abilities was intriguing. Better her than Anakin, Obi-Wan decided years later. Anakin got the ability to put tech together with just a wave of his hand. 

Qui-Gon was thrilled to have witnessed it.

Obi-Wan had to talk to him about how to actually free a slave, while Quinlan helped Anakin's mom out quietly, occasionally using his ice to bring out water just to have water. Ice melted quickly on Tatooine. Luckily, Quinlan could make ice anywhere, though it was a bit more draining in a place like Tatooine.

Anakin was fascinated. He asked endless questions.

Both Obi-Wan and Quinlan were ready to have him be their padawan by the time they left Tatooine. 

They had a little fight with Qui-Gon over the matter, while Anakin is nearly refused from the Order before Obi-Wan suggested that Anakin get given a chance to learn the basics before any decisions were made.

In the meantime, the drama on Naboo was ongoing, and Qui-Gon and the Queen of Naboo both requested that Obi-Wan and Quinlan help out, especially since he suspected a Sith.

Between the three Jedi, and their unique soulmate abilities, they were able to help free Naboo of the Trade Federation and defeat the Sith without too much trouble. He had not met his soulmate and so, he did not have an extra power to hold up against ice, shadows, or plants. Qui-Gon could control plants, which was a surprisingly powerful power when he actually used it in a fight.

Quinlan took on Aayla as his padawan not long after. Anakin was put out, but Obi-Wan and Quinlan did keep visiting him, so he couldn't be too upset.

Eventually, he was deemed to have potential and so, Obi-Wan was cleared to take him on. Obi-Wan happily did so, and Anakin moved into the third bedroom in the quarters where Obi-Wan, Quinlan, and Aayla already lived.

Obi-Wan was alarmed when the Chancellor wanted to talk to him and Quinlan and their padawans more and more. Supposedly because Quinlan and Obi-Wan were heroes of Naboo for their parts, and their padawans were their students, and so interesting.

Quinlan was in agreement. There was something wrong with how he was treating them. 

Eventually they put it together that he was the Sith. He was one of the ones who had ensured that they were overlooked as initiates. That their soulmate abilities were obscured and unnoticed. 

Anakin was twelve when they finally had enough to present to the Council about their suspicions. 

It took almost a year before the Council was satisfied with a plan to take the Sith out. 

Obi-Wan and Quinlan had to play a part but they did it well, thankful that Tholme had volunteered to take their padawans out for the day. Keeping them oblivious to exactly what Quinlan and Obi-Wan were up to. They knew it was a dangerous mission that should only take a day. They had no clue it involved Sith, or that it involved the Chancellor.

Quinlan laced their fingers together. "Ready, Obes?"

"Ready, Quin. Just a little nervous. We're going in and warning him that the Council is onto him, and then if he does reveal himself, we have to fight him and hold him off until the Council is able to get to us... It's a lot." Obi-Wan patted the microphone he had on him just to reassure himself it was still there.

"It is... but if we couldn't do it, the Council would never have trusted us with this mission. There are other ways this could go, but... it'll be better for everyone if we can get him to confess."

"Right." 

With that they took the plunge, turned on all recording devices they had, and entered the office. 

"Ah, come in come in. It's always good to see you two, but you usually don't come unannounced."

"Sorry, Chancellor," Obi-Wan apologized. "We just... The Council just told us they think you're a Sith Lord, and that's laughable... Right?" He made sure to sound as if he was confident that Palpatine was not the Sith, but the Council claiming such put just the slightest doubt in him.

"Ah, I see. I am surprised they came to that conclusion so early on... that will change my plans..."

"What do you mean, your Excellency?" Quinlan asked tentatively. 

"Quinlan my boy, Obi-Wan... you two have such great potential... join me." 

"What?" Obi-Wan gaped at him. 

"I noticed it right away when I saw you... I was there the moment you two met, you know."

"What." Quinlan squeezed Obi-Wan's fist as the last piece of the puzzle that was the neglect they'd experienced fell into place. 

While they had found the sources of sabotage, no one had been able to explain why it affected them so much stronger than all the others. 

"So... you saw my shadows, and Quin's ice?" Obi-Wan asked slowly, just to be sure.

"I did, and for two toddlers, it was an impressive display. I knew then I would be unstoppable if you were at my side. Join me." 

"So you are the Sith," Quinlan said flatly. "Which means the answer is no."

"That was not a request. That was an order."

Sidious raised his hands and twisted them. 

Both Quinlan and Obi-Wan yelped, hands going to their heads, as he activated the Sith techniques he had carefully layered on them the day he saw their powers activate. 

"I am your master, and you will obey me," he told them. Then he frowned. There was much less Dark in them than he had expected, considering the adversity he had set them up to fight. The Sith techniques should have encouraged the growth of Dark. And yet... No matter. The techniques would work regardless. No Dark just meant they could fight back. He was stronger.

"What did you do to us?" Obi-Wan gasped.

"I saw your potential and ensured you would always be mine... I just needed to wait. Now, you two are going to go tell the Council that they are insane and if they continue this line of thinking you will leave and take your padawans with you."

"No," Quinlan spat, then sank to the floor. He clutched his head. The pain was so much worse. 

"Come here, Quinlan."

He felt the impulse to move, to obey. The pain increased. He stopped fighting as strongly, trying to deal with the pain. The moment he moved, the pain lessened.

He stared up at the Chancellor and considered his options. This mission had turned out far more risky than they had planned. Possibly even a suicide mission.

Palpatine smirked and patted his head. "Good apprentice. You will obey me. Obi-Wan, join us."

Obi-Wan fought the order but the pain nearly made him black out before he just started moving without thinking. 

"You have your orders. Follow them."

Obi-Wan glanced at Quinlan. They were of the same opinion.

"Yes... master," Obi-Wan mumbled, head down. He grabbed Quinlan and disappeared into the shadows, as if they were going to use that way to get back to the Temple. It was certainly the fastest way across a planet. 

Instead he took Quinlan to an abandoned office room where they collected their composure. 

"It's suicide now," Quinlan said quietly. "I'm pretty sure fighting that hard will kill us."

"What choice do we have? He knows the Council is onto him, they're not going to be ready for another half hour, and if he doesn't hear from us soon, he's going to know something went wrong."

They had thought it would take the Chancellor far longer to admit to being the Sith so their original plan had included time for the Council to get ready for any fight.

Now they had to improvise. And they did not have much time. Their heads were already aching from not immediately going to the Council. 

Quinlan sighed. "You're right. Let's... I'm going to write Aayla a letter. Can you write Anakin a letter?"

Obi-Wan nodded and started writing. He finished it up and stared at it for a bit. 

"Are we certain that there is no other option?" he asked. "We can't break the Sith techniques?"

"Best to leave that to the mind healers. We either need to somehow completely break through with our own will power, or have them carefully removed... it sounds like they've been in our heads since we met... they're going to have deep roots."

"Right..." Obi-Wan sighed and closed his eyes. He leaned on Quinlan. "Sometimes I wish we did not live in a galaxy with soulmates. Our lives would have been so much better if he did not see the moment we met... He must have been visiting... all those politicians and..." He shook his head. "They've done their best to clean up and ensure that the initiates are as safe as can be. That's all they can do right now. We just need to ensure the Sith is gone. He might not even have another apprentice since it sounds like he was relying on us."

"True." Quinlan let out a breath. "Okay, I'm ready. What about you?"

Obi-Wan kissed him. "It's a suicide mission. I want to take a few minutes enjoying that we're us. You're my soulmate."

Quinlan smiled softly. "That's true. You're my soulmate." He kissed Obi-Wan back and cuddled him.

For a few minutes, that's all they did. Then they reluctantly pulled apart. It was time to confront the Chancellor.

They appeared in his office behind him. 

"Is it done?" he asked them without looking up.

"No. We would rather die than follow your orders," Quinlan stated.

Palpatine spun around, eyes blazing with anger. "What did you say?"

"He said we'd rather die than let you get the better of us."

"How dare you!" He hit them with lightning, one hand at each of them.

Both were surprised as they dropped to the ground with the pain of the lightning coursing through their bodies.

He didn't give them a chance to recover before he put his hands on their heads and viciously attacked their shields with the Dark side, aiming to break their resistance. 

After a few minutes, Quinlan slapped the ground and a spike of ice pierced the Sith's thigh.

He jerked back to remove it.

 Obi-Wan attacked with his lightsaber, grimly determined.

The Chancellor countered swiftly with his own, red, lightsaber. 

The fight was on. Two on one. 

Obi-Wan and Quinlan grimly fought on despite the pain in their heads. They would not let the Sith win. They would not leave the Jedi. They would not give into the Dark side. They would die Jedi. 

The Council along with a few other fighters arrived just as they were ready to collapse.

The Chancellor was taken by surprise at the initial volley, but blocked it, and then revealed his own ability. 

He could summon spikes of any sort of material he wanted, anywhere within eyesight. Throughout the rest of the fight, he bragged about killing his soulmate, among many other things. 

Quinlan and Obi-Wan reached for each other. The moment their hands met, there was an explosion of ice and shadow around the room, including a patch of ice that made Sidious slip, and a shadow that started sinking a statue of a Sith.

That burst of power took a lot out of them. It was the best technique any soulmate pairs had. They reached for each other, and then their power, put their powers together and then released it to see what happened. It was also dangerously powerful, so few soulmate pairs who knew about the technique actually tried it. 

They saw the advantage that it gave the Jedi as they fell together. 

Their heads were exploding with searing pain. It was a wonder they were still functioning. 

As they clung to one another, one of Palpatine's wild spikes pierced through Obi-Wan's back through his stomach. Another pierced into Quinlan's side and out his shoulder on the opposite side.

They stared at each other, tired and let it be. They had known they would die in this fight, after all. 

They closed their eyes together with a quiet whisper of "I love you". 

.

"Master! Master! Wake up please, I need you. Why didn't you tell us... well I know why you didn't tell Ani but you can trust me.. right? Please... there's still so much more for you to teach me." There was the sound of sobbing and someone comforting them.

"Master Obi! Please don't go. I can't lose you. You're the best. Who's gonna help me with my homework? I can't believe the Chancellor did this to you... I... I 'm sorry for anything and I've ever said to you, and I promise I won't do it again." The sound of someone collapsing and sobbing.

"I've got you, Grandpadawan. Padawan, the Sith is gone, and so are his techniques. You are safe. Obi, you can rest if you want, but you don't have to. You can survive this. I know you can." Muffled sounds of crying, like he was trying not to cry while rocking the previous person who was still sobbing.

"Quinlan... I am so proud of you and I am so incredibly worried. I'm going to have to contact your family if you don't wake up... please don't make me contact your family. Please wake up. I miss you." Even this person was crying, though quietly.

More entreaties and crying. 

Eventually Obi-Wan managed to open his eyes and blink blearily at the ceiling. Ever part of him ached, but most especially his head. "Wha... what happened?" he asked no one in particular.

"A Sith nearly got you, but you fought him off, though it nearly killed you." Bant answered. "Good to see you awake, Obi. How are you feeling?"

"Ow." Obi-Wan took a moment to assess. "Mouth is dry, head is throbbing and feels... strange. Every part of me is aching, some as low as a four and others as high as an eight. Especially my stomach... that's just about burning."

Bant nodded. "The Sith used spikes. One got you in the stomach and you nearly bled to death."

"Ow." 

"Ow indeed."

"What about Quinlan?"

"He'll be okay. He got the same spike in his side up to his shoulder."

"Oh..."

"We're just waiting on him waking up."

"How long as it been?"

"Two weeks."

"Why am I still sore?" 

"Your body didn't handle the backlash of removing the Sith techniques from your head well."

"Oh." 

"You'll be okay, it just might take you a while to adjust."

"Yeah... ow."

Quinlan stirred next to him, grip on Obi-Wan's arm tightening then relaxing as he opened his eyes. He blinked a few times.

"...we're alive?"

Obi-Wan smiled at him and shifted. He kissed Quinlan's temple. "We're alive by some miracle."

The next few hours were a whirlwind of tests, including a visit from Yoda, visits with mind healers to check the damage to their minds and discuss recovery, and then they were almost alone for the first time when Mace and Tholme walked in.

Both went from worried to relieved as soon as they saw them.

There was some catching up, talking about how the two masters had been worried, and how upset Anakin and Aayla were, and then...

"You both handled everything well. The mind healers who removed what he did to your heads are impressed. The impact is relatively minor for all that it dug deep roots."

"Yeah, that's what they were saying. It's... weird, now." Obi-Wan admitted. "I never noticed how much I was fighting it until it wasn't there. It's weird to not be fighting some part of my head."

"Understandable. But you did impress the Council, and many others. You held off the Sith remarkably well. The recordings showed everything. As such, the Council has decided that you are both ready to be masters. Congratulations on your promotion." 

Obi-Wan stared at him, then turned to Quinlan. "I'm dreaming."

"Nope, you're not." Quinlan was torn between laughing at him and being stunned. "But... we're still young, we haven't done anything noteworthy yet."

"You were the two that the Sith targeted. And you are two of the best Jedi knights we have. You rose above everything he threw at you, acknowledging that the mission had turned into a suicide mission. And you still went straight for it. We are all impressed. You deserve to be considered masters."

"I'd like to add that there are several in the Temple who heard or saw some of the leaked recordings, going around and calling you masters," Tholme said quietly. "You do deserve it, both of you. Don't sell yourself short."

They discussed it a bit more, what to expect of the new rank, an so on. As it was getting late, Tholme and Mace promised to bring Aayla and Anakin to visit in the morning. They had been alternating who had the two padawans, as they understandably refused to be separated. 

Quinlan waited until he was sure they're alone. "Masters at thirty one and twenty nine... what's next, we're both on the Council before I'm forty?"

"...don't say that," Obi-Wan groaned. "You did say we'd both be masters before you turned thirty five when you passed your Trials." 

"...you know what, good point. But seriously, we actually made it, early, and the only thing more shocking is if we managed to make it on the Council."

"True... but you don't have to say it like that."

"Oh shut up and kiss me. I want to enjoy the fact that we're alive, apparently thinking completely clearly for the first time we can remember, and just. Be here with you."

Obi-Wan smiled at him and kissed him.

They recovered. 

As investigations into Palpatine continued, they uncovered his plans for war, which led them straight to Kamino and the clones that already existed. That was an awkward thing the Republic and Jedi Council had to sort through, but it was far better than Sidious' plans for them.

For Quinlan and Obi-Wan, life was good as they resumed raising their padawans and freely used their soulmate powers. 

They had made it.

(And Quinlan was right; they both were on the Council before Quinlan turned forty.)