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When it came down to it, Siona much preferred the company of animals to the company of babies. Animals were intelligent, playful, and could usually entertain themselves. Babies were loud, smelly, required constant attention, and liked to throw up on you.

Obi-Wan Kenobi was no exception to the rule. Although he spent perhaps less time throwing up than some of the other children, he made up for it in other, annoying little baby ways.

"I hate you," Siona said conversationally to Shawn as she tried to convince baby Kenobi that her braid was not a chew toy. "I really hate you."

"You're just saying that to make me feel better," Shawn quipped back, looking up from where he was playing with two small toddlers.

"You know, Qui-Gon told me yesterday that we're just like he and Mace were when they were younger." Giving up on retrieving her hair from the infant's mouth, Siona moved to sit next to Shawn, who was having considerable more success entertaining the children than she was.

"What, I'm handsome charming like my Master, and you're grumpy like yours?" Shawn smiled innocently at his best friend, lifting one of his small charges upside-down and listening to the small girls delighted screams.

"No. You keep doing dumb stuff that gets both of us stuck with baby-sitting duty." Siona glared at Shawn.

"I /like/ baby-sitting duty," Shawn replied, uprighting the giggling toddler and planting a kiss on her forehead. The small girl squealed, squirming around to hug Shawn with her tiny arms.

Obi-Wan chose that moment to pull Siona's braid, showing considerable strength for a one year old. She winced, trying once again to pry the hair out of the baby's fist. "Well I don't. Having little children screaming and pulling my hair and spitting up on me is /not/ my idea of a good time."

"Here--give me little Obi. See if you can do better with the toddlers." Reaching out, Shawn deftly plucked Obi-Wan from Siona's eyes, dropping the toddler girl into her lap instead. "Here, Aila--play with Siona."

Both children started screaming--Obi-Wan reaching out for Siona and Aila scrambling over Siona's legs to cling to Shawn. "Bad person!" the tiny girl screamed, scrambling into Shawn's lap.

Siona rolled her eyes. Children seemed to universally hate her. Qui-Gon teased her about it constantly--there was /no/ little creature that didn't immediately love and run to her Master--but they ran away from Siona even more quickly.

"I think little Kenobi likes you," Shawn said, dropping the infant back in Siona's arms. Obi-Wan immediately reached up a grubby fist to lock around Siona's braid, pulling it painfully with a little gurgle of delight.

"Great. I've got a baby attached to my head." Siona sighed. "There's just no help for it, Shawn. I can't be you friend any more. I don't think I can /survive/ any more stints as a baby-sitter!"

"Nonsense," Shawn said, smiling. "It's easy. Watch me."

Siona settled back, rocking Obi-Wan lightly, as Shawn rolled over on to his back, holding out his arms to little Aila. She ran to him as fast as she could on her unsteady legs, diving onto his stomach. Siona winced as the tiny elbows and knees dug into Shawn's ribs, but he only laughed before boosting the small girl onto his knees, lifting her up carefully. Siona could sense the Force flowing through him as he supported the tiny girl, lifting his legs higher.

"Flying!" the girl cried out gleefully, spreading her arms and crowing with delight. "Moremoremore!"

"He's good with the children, isn't he?" A familiar voice asked from behind her, and Siona turned her head without thinking, wincing when Obi-Wan's grip on her braid pulled it painfully.

"Better than I am, Master," Siona sighed mournfully, looking up at Qui-Gon. "Almost as good as you are."

"May I?" Qui-Gon asked softly, reaching out. Siona gratefully handed the infant over, marveling as he went quietly into Qui-Gon's hands.

"He's a beautiful young baby," Qui-Gon murmured, cradling the infant gently in his large hands. Siona spent a few moments marveling anew at the size of her Master's hands--the baby was completely cradled in them, one large thumb stroking the downy hair softly.

"He likes to eat my hair," Siona replied with a wry smile. "But if I try to give him to Shawn he cries and screams."

"He like you," Qui-Gon responded, kneeling down and tucking the baby back into Siona's arms, running a gentle finger down the infant's cheek. Obi-Wan grabbed Qui-Gon's large finger with both of his small fists, cooing happily and trying to bring the finger to his mouth to chew on.

"Where did you learn to be so good with children, Master?" Siona asked curiously as her Master freed his finger and rose, smiling over at Shawn who was still playing with the toddlers.

"As I told you before, my Padawan--Mace landed me with baby-sitting duty often. I hated it at first--but grew to love it." Casting his Apprentice a serious look, he turned to go. "Maybe you will too, someday."

"And the great Jinn as spoken," Shawn intoned as Qui-Gon disappeared around the corner. "He has foretold a great love of children unfolding in the barren heart of his Padawan. One can only infer that it is to come to pass, for the Great Jinn is never wrong." Turning his head to look at Siona, Shawn gave her a naughty wink. "Maybe he's hoping to father a couple. Feeling up to it, Ja'Larkin?"

All of the responses Siona could think of were highly inappropriate to say around children, so she settled for rolling her eyes, turning her face back to stare down at the infant cradled in her arms. Obi-Wan was obviously growing sleepy, large blue eyes only half open as he gazed up at Siona contentedly.

Siona didn't mind as much when he reached up this time to pull on her braid. She shifted the infant so that his head rested against her neck, rubbing the small back softly. It wasn't so bad, to have this warm trusting child cuddled up against her. Maybe he wasn't even that smelly.

And then Obi-Wan decided to throw up on her.

Siona glared as Shawn erupted into howling gales of laughter, watching her with tear-filled eyes as she tried to scrub the smelly mess off of her tunic. Obi-Wan continued to stare at her contentedly, eyes devoid of anything resembling remorse for the mess he'd just made on her tunic.

If Qui-Gon thought she'd come to love babies, that man had another thing coming.