Title:   Another Night Only
Author:  Alexandra Duvall (alexandra_duvall@yahoo.com)
Archive: Yes to all
Pairing: Q/O, O/f, Q/f
Category: Non Q/O, PWP, Mild Angst, POV
Rating:  NC-17

Warnings: This story contains both m/m and m/f sexual
situations. It also contains intimations of f/f sexual
situations. Now that I've assured that no one will
ever read this.... <g> While I hope everyone will give
this poor story a chance, if you find any of those
situations intolerable, be warned now.

Spoilers:  Very mild for JA and TPM. You won't even
know they're there unless you're looking carefully.

Summary:  A Jedi ritual mating.

Feedback:  Oh, yes, yes, please. Anything, really. I'm
so sad and lonely. And I eat up constructive feedback
with relish. And hollandaise sauce.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I walked silently through the quiet Temple halls, the
floor strangely warm under my bare feet in contrast to
the cool air currents against my ankles.  The long
dark robe I wore covered the rest of me, brushing
maddeningly against my over-sensitized skin as I
moved.  I kept the cowl drawn low over my face to
protect my privacy, although every person I met,
whether Jedi or not, courteously turned their gaze
away and let me pass undisturbed. 

Their avoidance was not entirely motivated by
courtesy; the role I assumed was not one openly
acknowledged in the Temple, nor spoken of except
between private parties.  If it became widely known in
the Republic, the whispers would swiftly build into an
outcry of fear-motivated protest. The Jedi are viewed
with as much dread as respect, and anything smacking
of eugenics has long been a sensitive subject both
within and without the Temple.  But those who make the
continuation and strengthening of the Order their
business have also long known that Jedi ability is a
genetic trait, and the children of two Force-strong
individuals have a much greater chance of being
exceptionally strong themselves.

I had known this fact in the most general way since my
earliest childhood as an initiate in the Temple, but
it was not until my thirteenth year that I ever
considered it more than distantly relevant to my life.
But when I stood before the Council, tears streaming
unheeded down my face as I mourned the loss of my
chance to become a Jedi Knight, it suddenly became the
most important thing in the universe.  The Force did
not will that I would be a Padawan, but I could still
serve it as well as the Jedi who had always been my
only family. 

I was a girl, and a girl with a higher concentration
of midichlorians than average, which gave me an
opportunity other did not have.  Instead of joining
the Agri-Corps or the military, I could remain in the
Temple and train to become one of the creche masters
who had tended me as a child--and eventually, to bear
children from the best of the human male Knights in a
ritual union so infused with the Force and the Light
that a child of extraordinary virtue could result.

In my twentieth year, I experienced my first
Force-enhanced encounter with a strong and willing
Knight, to whom I bore my first daughter.  She was a
bright toddler in another woman's creche when I
conceived my second child, a son, with a different
man, and a few years later I went to the father of my
third child, a handsome and distinguished Master named
Qui-Gon Jinn.  Our joining was as powerful as I had
ever experienced, the pleasure extreme and my
certainty of conception absolute. I did not see him
again, and by custom he never knew the name of our
daughter, although I thought of him every now and then
when I heard of his great successes and battles with
the Council.  Although he was by nature a maverick,
his blood was powerful, and I was not the only one
delighted when word came that he had consented to
father another child.

I rubbed my hand over my bare abdomen beneath my
cloak, shivering with anticipation of the sacred act
ahead. As I made my way to his quarters, the avoidance
of my peers was fortunate for me, since I could
imagine the muffled snickers that would follow me if
they could see the excitement-and the smugness-on my
face.  So fortunate that I was at the most fertile
point in my cycle; I would have done almost anything
to be the one to go to him again. He had been so kind
to me, even if I could not, in our brief hours
together, touch the great sadness that lingered
pall-like over what should have been a brilliant
spirit.

"But he isn't so sad anymore," my bondmate had
whispered in my ear that morning, her lips fluttering
along my cheekbone.  "Or hadn't you heard?  He took
another apprentice, finally."

"Did he?"  I replied absently, my focus already moving
into the beginning of my meditations. She should know
I sought out little news of my past mates; to do so
was to invite jealousy, greed and darkness. 

Her arms tightened around me.  "He did.  Five years
ago, maybe? No, closer to seven, I think. Obi-Wan
Kenobi.  The boy is a young man grown now, nearly
twenty.  I've seen him on the practice
grounds--absolutely beautiful and as strong in the
Force as Jinn, although he's still too young to sire
children of his own.  Completely devoted to his
training, and his Master.  Such a shame."

That piqued my curiosity, as she'd known it would. I
could feel her smile against my temple even before I
spoke. "What is?"

"As the gossip wheel runs, he's never taken so much as
the most casual partner within the Temple. He's either
sworn celibacy for his apprenticeship, or he finds his
comfort in his Master's arms."

"Has it occurred to you, my love, that perhaps the
young man is simply admirably discreet?"

Her soft snort told me better than words what she
thought of that notion.  "No one is that discreet.
Besides, you do remember what Qui-Gon Jinn looks like,
don't you?  If I were sharing sleeping quarters with
that man, I wouldn't waste a second."

I laughed, suddenly even more pleased that I soon
would be doing just that, if only for an evening. "I
remember Master Jinn quite well.  And I'll find out
about young Obi-Wan soon enough."  I stilled her lips
with mine.

The door opened at my approach, and a young man faced
me. Serious green eyes held mine for a moment .
"Lady," he murmured, and bowed.  Dressed only in a
loose white tunic and trousers, his apprentice braid
falling across his chest, he made a powerful sensual
impression, both visually and within the Force.

"You must be Obi-Wan," I said and allowed him to
escort me through the door.

He smiled, a sweet expression on his solemn face.
"Yes, I am.  My Master is still in meditation. He has
instructed me to serve you in any way you require
until he can join you."

I returned his smile, and if my expression was a bit
too smug, he did not seem to notice.  My love had been
right.  Obi-Wan almost glowed with brilliant sexual
Force energy, and the feel of Qui-Gon Jinn was heavy
on him.  Like me, Qui-Gon had been in meditation since
dawn, building and preparing the living Force within
him for the night to come.  Ten years ago, he had
jokingly envied me the aid of my bondmate; now he
obviously did not lack in help of his own.  Gracious
of him to offer that help to me for my final
preparations. "I am happy to accept you assistance,
Obi-Wan. Thank you."

Another, smaller bow, then he led me through the dim
and silent quarters to the bedroom that had been
prepared.  Soft light illuminated the simple
furnishings, drawing my gaze to the wide bed, adorned
only with simple linen sheets and pillows, but ample
and strong enough to encompass the grappling of mating
bodies.  I inhaled deeply, feeling the lush, sweet
scent that hung in the air flow through me,
stimulating and soothing at the same moment.

"I hope everything is to your satisfaction."  Obi-Wan
watched me with open appreciation as I approached the
bed and knelt upon it.  His anticipation was palpable,
although he demonstrated remarkable composure for one
so young. I would not insult him by explaining the
conditions of this brief liaison.  He would know
perfectly well the purpose of his service as well as
what was to occur after, and would govern himself
accordingly.  I could not climax and neither could he,
lest my readiness for Qui-Gon be destroyed, but any
other indulgence would only make me more receptive to
the ultimate conception, my lifeforce primed for true
sexual union.

"Indeed it is."  I let my robe fall from my shoulders,
heard his sharp intake of breath, then turned and
lowered myself onto the cool sheets, beckoning him to
join me.  He paused by the side of the bed and looked
at me questioningly; at my nod, he undressed, the
clothing slipping easily from his slender, muscular
form, his impressive member already half hard. 

I held out my hand to him and he took it, kissing my
palm as I drew him onto the bed beside me.  The
fingers of his other hand brushed teasingly along my
bare hip, and I sighed my delight. No celibate, this
one. "I'm not the first woman to enjoy your touch, I
can see," I said teasingly. "A shame. I was rather
hoping."

He raised his eyebrows. "So is that what they're
saying about me now?"  I brought the hand I still held
to my body, and he teased my stomach before moving up
to cup my breast.  His thumb stroked my nipple,
sending an electric shiver through me.  The fires I
had built throughout the day, which had faded to a
dull smolder during my long walk through the Temple,
began to revive with even greater heat.  A mischievous
grin made his eyes dance and my breath catch again. "I
have had my share of experience.  My attentions have
merely been... more intensely focused of late."

"Master Qui-Gon is quite a remarkable man, isn't he?"
We shared a conspiratorial look, born of mutual carnal
knowledge.  I could never know Qui-Gon the way Obi-Wan
did, but we both had an appreciation for the man's
more intimate physical talents.

"He is.  Quite remarkable," Obi-Wan murmured, his gaze
drifting back to the breast he still caressed.  I lay
back against the pillows just as he lowered his mouth
to trace the hardened flesh with his tongue.  He
nibbled and teased for a moment, then wet heat
engulfed the spot.  I moaned and rubbed my cheek
against his soft brush of reddish gold hair.  My lips
dropped an encouraging kiss to the top of his head,
and he began to work his way down my body. 

I let my head fall back and closed my eyes as wet
kisses tickled my ribs delightfully.  His lips
reverenced my belly, stoking the heat and pressure
inside.  My body's trained knowledge of its own
fertility, augmented by my full day of meditative
arousal, would before long turn normal excitement into
frenzy, both for me and my partner. 

The Force surrounded me, and I opened myself to it
again, letting myself fall into the light trace state
I needed.  It flooded through me as it had during my
private meditations, but this time the urgency
gathered faster between my legs, spreading swiftly up
into my abdomen, demanding more.  When at last he
parted my thighs to kiss between them, I arched up
against his mouth, craving the pleasure of even the
slight penetration of his tongue into my core.

"More," I gasped, and he obeyed me, sucking and
tugging gently at my folds, then probing as deep into
me as he could, over and over.  It was not enough, but
nothing other than full copulation to completion could
be, and that Obi-Wan could not give me.  The Force
gripped me, urging me to mate; I knew Obi-Wan could
feel the strength of it as he lifted his head from me,
gasping and wild-eyed.  He kissed and bit lightly at
the inside of my thigh, looking to me dazedly for
guidance.

A sudden flash of memory passed between us as I met
his eyes, and I saw the last time he had been in this
position, kneeling between legs that were much thicker
and stronger than my own, with a taste very different
from mine lingering on his tongue.  Through his eyes I
caught a glimpse of Qui-Gon as he must have looked
this very day: more silver in his hair than ten years
ago, but his face smoothed with an ecstasy I knew had
been beyond my power to bring him, even in our
Force-compelled mating.  I had never seen a more
erotic vision.

I seized Obi-Wan's arm and pulled him up my body.  He
came down on top of me with a soft huff of breath, his
cock hard and pulsing against me.  It pressed against
me, but I urgently wanted it inside my flesh, filling
me until I could be filled the way I needed to be.  I
took the smooth, hot length of him in my hand,
stroking it until he groaned, then guided it between
my thighs.  He held back, locking his hips into
immobility.  "I can't... the risk...," he gasped.

"Yes," I insisted, pulling him inexorably closer until
the tip of his cock was pushing into me. Did he think
I didn't know what I was doing, that the Force would
not protect what it had ordained?  He only had to keep
control, and his Master would never have allowed him
here if he could not manage that much.

His resistance lasted only a moment, then he let out a
long, shaky sigh as he sank into me.  I echoed it and
pushed up to meet each deeper thrust until the head of
his cock nudged the entrance to my womb.  "Oh," I said
distantly, my voice a thin, reedy sound.  The molten
heat of Obi-Wan's arousal swept me effortlessly into
the still, perfect place in the Force where I was
supposed to be.  My excitement plateaued into a stream
of absolute pleasure that I craved like a drug.
Obi-Wan buried himself again, and again, each
withdrawal a loss, each return a blessed relief as the
pleasure resumed.

At last he stilled deep inside me.  Through the haze
of ecstasy I could see his body arched above me, his
jaw clenched, eyes squeezed shut as he fought against
the orgasm he ached for.  I surged against him
instinctively, my body already missing the motion of
his thrusts.  He moaned and tried to still me.
Finally he pulled himself away, withdrawing and
lurching to the side, ignoring my whimper of pain at
my emptiness. His breath came in short pants as he
clutched at the sheets, still fighting his own
desperate arousal.  His body trembled and his cock
jutted out, impossibly hard, still gleaming with my
fluids. He had gained only a tenuous control when I
felt an intense wave of carnal recognition.  There was
another presence in the room, and I knew him.

Qui-Gon stood near the foot of the bed, a tall figure
swathed in a dark cloak that could not hide the pure
erotic power that flowed from him, every wave
resonating perfectly with my own energy.  The Force
called us together. Our meditations had connected us
as the Force recognized and commanded us to mate, to
create the new life into which it would pour its
power.  We had brought ourselves to the pinnacle of
readiness for this act, to the point that we were
utterly incapable of preventing our joining. 

Obi-Wan seemed to feel it almost as much as I did.
His soft moan  harmonized with my labored breathing,
and he leaned toward his Master as though compelled.
"Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said, his voice hoarse with the
same need I felt, and beckoned to his apprentice.
Obi-Wan got to his feet and crossed the few feet that
separated them.  As Qui-Gon opened his arms to his
Padawan, I saw the enticing lines of his bare form in
the dim light; then he pulled Obi-Wan against his
naked flesh, enfolding them both in the voluminous
cloak.  He rubbed the younger man's back as Obi-Wan
wrapped his arms around his Master and buried his face
against Qui-Gon's neck.  Qui-Gon whispered to him
softly, and Obi-Wan shuddered once, twice, and again
before going limp in his Master's embrace.

Pressing gentle kisses to his face, Qui-Gon held him
as Obi-Wan regained his composure, his pleasure still
resonating in the Force.  After a moment, Obi-Wan
pressed a kiss of his own to his Master's neck, and
Qui-Gon released him. Face calm again, though his body
still shone with sweat, Obi-Wan went from the room
without a word, leaving us alone.

Qui-Gon glided forward a few steps until he stood over
me, his body calling silently to mine. His robe fell
back, and he shrugged it off his shoulders.  He caught
a corner of it to clean his stomach, where the
evidence of Obi-Wan's release still glistened,
shadowed by the heavy cock that arced up against his
belly, fully erect.  He shivered as his fingers
brushed the full organ and trailed through the thick
come, then gripped the trailing fabric with his other
hand.  His eyes closed and his head tipped back, face
smoothed in the same ecstasy I had seen through
Obi-Wan's eyes, as his fingertips moved in small,
tight circles, rubbing his Padawan's semen into his
skin.  He paused, lost in the obviously familiar
moment, then sighed raggedly and wiped the remnants
from his hand.

Then he smiled, dropping the cloak to the floor as he
sank down onto the bed beside me.  I met his eyes, the
burning blue of his gaze searing through me, renewing
the urgency of my need.  "Hello," he said softly,
almost affectionately, reaching over to cup my face.

I was suddenly acutely aware of my state: lying naked
in his bed, legs spread, juices soaking the sheets,
flushed and hot with desperate sexual need.  For the
brief time we lay together in this bed, my body was
his to enjoy, to penetrate and fill with the sole
purpose of planting his life within me.  The Force
commanded union and I could only obey, hooking my leg
over his as he pulled me to him.  His erection found
the damp heat between my legs as though it belonged
there, and with no more preamble than that, he slid
into me.

Crying out, I clung to him. This was always the most
intense, the first moment of joining when all the
Force energy we had built separately coalesced inside
me, having finally found its purpose. And I had
forgotten his size.  His arms held me tight against
the solid, overwhelming mass of his body even as his
swollen flesh impaled me, a demanding physical
connection we could not break until we completed it.

When the first dizzying flash had passed, we began
moving together, touching and caressing as best we
could with respectful tenderness.   We struggled to
keep at least fleeting control over the pleading cry
of our bodies so as to allow only the Light to be a
part of our coupling.  My breast fit perfectly in his
cupped hand, and I spared a disjointed thought to
wonder if he could feel Obi-Wan's touch on me as
strongly as I could feel it on him. I found his
lovemaking by necessity more powerful than Obi-Wan's;
I could not imagine what I might feel like to him.

My universe narrowed until I knew nothing but the
salty skin beneath my lips and the cock sliding wetly
in and out of me.  The head of his cock found the same
spot Obi-Wan's had, and a breathy scream escaped me.
Yes, oh, there was where I needed him to be, deeper
and harder until I could draw him completely inside
me.  My grasping flesh craved his cock as frantically
as my womb craved his seed.  I writhed over him and
against him, tangling our limbs until his enormous
hands were trapped against my back and side, and my
own could grip his strong, heavy flanks to grind him
deeper into me.

His mouth sucked greedily at my neck and shoulders,
beard scraping my skin, hands kneading me rhythmically
in time with his thrusts.  I keened softly as our
mating, so wet and soft and hard and hot, approached
the moment when the Force would wait no longer.  It
twined and sparked around us, binding us in union so
intense I could never imagine feeling anything like it
outside of this rite, this gift.  He was all I could
feel, all that existed, no distance at all between us,
giving all that we were to the Force and each other,
and suddenly, we shared a moment of mental communion
as intense as our physical communion. I knew why he
wanted to do this, why he had agreed ten years ago,
and why he had agreed again now.

He felt the recognition with a tumult of emotion, and
it broke through the last of our resistance. Control
gone, we could only surrender to the drive for
completion.  Abruptly he turned me to my back, lifting
my hips effortlessly and plunging fully into me.  My
grip on him broken, I closed my eyes and let the waves
overtake me.  I was floating, arms outstretched, body
taut, my only anchor his hands and thrusts.  My back
arched to its limit, pushing me harder onto him, the
Force within me crying for his essence.

His shaft seemed to expand, and I hazily wondered if
he was swelling even further or if I was simply
clenching him harder.  I hoped for the former-I needed
to come.  I needed him to come. With a shuddering
moan, I  sent into his mind the imperative of the
Force, that he spill  his seed inside me, impregnate
me within the cocoon of strengthening Force energy we
had built between us. His body jerked, and I knew he
had heard me.

Sweat from his thighs dampened mine as he buried
himself in me with a choking gasp.  Then his body
convulsed over me, and he bathed my insides with warm,
wet spurts.  The heavy internal caress of his
ejaculation was what my body had waited for.  With a
low groan of relief, I surrendered to the explosion of
pleasure that wracked me until my entire body shook
with the force of orgasm.

He echoed my groan as he collapsed on top of me, his
sweat burning my skin.  Erratic surges of electricity
still crackled between us, and I had barely passed
through my first orgasm when he began moving inside me
again, seeking to dissipate the remaining energy with
a second.  Our lovemaking was less frantic this time,
although my limbs still trembled uncontrollably.  I
took the time to enjoy what I had only peripherally
felt before: the warm weight of his body; the heavy
silk of his hair between my fingers and over my face;
the texture of his skin, varying smooth and
battle-scar rough, moving across my breasts and under
my hands; the slim hips and hard muscles between my
thighs. 

Climax shivered through me in slow waves and left me
limp with satiation, even as he gave a last shudder
and pushed deep.  He groaned, breath hot on my face,
and his seed emptied from him in weak pulses.
Softening at last, he levered himself off me and
lowered himself to my side, laying his head onto my
shoulder.  I tried to stroke his hair, but the
continued tingling in my lower extremities distracted
me, and I arched and stretched to spread the feeling.
The fingers stroking up my thigh and hip did not
improve my concentration.  He chuckled, but otherwise
remained silent, allowing me the privilege of choosing
conversation or not.

"I did not expect to see you again," I said at last.
What I had seen in his mind just before our shared
orgasm still weighed in my mind. "At least, not again
in these circumstances."

He smiled against my breast, and his hand found its
way between my legs, deftly touching my wet folds so
as to make all the lingering pleasure converge in the
perfect spot beneath his thumb.  I would have accused
him of distracting me to avoid the topic, but I was
already beyond words again as he brought me to gentle
release.  I felt the mild, but insistent contractions
in my pelvis drawing his seed ever further up into my
body, adding to the satisfaction of my climax.

I had not expected him to answer; his voice, as his
palm made soft circles over my stomach, startled me,
low as it was.  "I always had a vague intention of
siring another child, someday. Certainly the Council
has always been eager for me to agree to it, and I
would not shirk my duty. But not until recently did I
realize that it must be soon, or I would not be able
to bring myself to do it at all."

His meaning was not lost.  When a man like Qui-Gon
Jinn gave his love, he gave it completely, and even
duty would not be permitted to interfere with that
commitment.  "You were so sad when last I saw you."  I
turned my head and smiled at him just as he tilted his
head up to look at me.  I knew why he had done it
then, too, and I was glad for the difference in him.
"I'm so happy to see your soul healed."

He returned my smile, then returned to caressing my
belly.  "Do you ever see her?" he said after a time.

"Sometimes.  Not often.  She does not know who I am.
Not yet."  Our daughter would be a Jedi, and like
every Jedi, like all my children, she would have
little knowledge and no memory of her parents.  She
likely knew that her father was Jedi; if she wished,
she could seek either of us out when she was grown.
His acceptance filled the silence between us, and my
thoughts wandered back to our earlier words.  "Obi-Wan
will be a strong Jedi.  As strong as you, I don't
doubt."

"Stronger," he replied with quiet confidence.

"You know, of course, that the Council will pressure
him to father children of his own--probably as soon as
he is knighted.  His emotional ties will not deter
them."

"Obi-Wan will have many years longer than I to fulfill
his duty."  His hand stilled, and I regretted pursuing
the subject. I had almost forgotten what else I had
seen in him; the light of new love was far more
pleasant to contemplate. "The Council will wait for
him however long it takes."

Tears stung behind my eyes, and I blinked against the
heavy knowledge in his voice. "Qui-Gon--"

His fingers on my lips stopped my words.  "I, too,
have done what I must.  And now I can give myself to
him completely, for whatever time the Force allows.
There is no regret, even if I have another night
only."

"Jedi," I said with mock disgust, and he laughed
warmly, lightening the mood for us both.  I followed
the same Code in my heart, but Jedi training gave him
a serenity in the Force I could never attain
completely.  Another night I had had, and he would
have.  That much I could see in the Force, and it was
from that I took my own comfort.

We fell silent again, until the afterglow shifted into
a need for deeper meditation.  I lay my hands on my
abdomen, and he stirred, knowing his part was done and
that I needed to be alone with the Force and my own
body.  "I'll go now, and leave you in peace," he said,
still fondly, but with less regret than he had a
decade before.

Already drifting into trance , I smiled absently  as
he kissed my hand, and then my stomach in farewell.
He dimmed the lights, then redonned his robe and
slipped quietly from the room.  The last time he had
left me, he had gone to lie alone and cold; this time,
he could rest with contentment in his Padawan's arms.

I closed my eyes, and sought within myself the peace
of Qui-Gon Jinn.

***
END