Saturday, July 11th, 2009
The priest turned to the new couple. "Travis, do you take Mina to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in health or in sickness, in richness or in poorness, till death do you part ?"
"I do."
"Mina, do you take Travis to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in heath or in sickness, in richness or in poorness, till death do you part ?"
"I do."
"By the powers invested in me as High Priest of the Catholic Church of New York, I now pronounce you… Husband and Wife. You may kiss the bride."
As Travis Blank and now Mina Bonteri-Blank shared a passionate kiss, the guests erupted in cheer. From her side, Ahsoka allowed a tear to roll down her cheek. Lux had never been so proud as of now. Mina's younger brother, Daniel, had served as the Best Man, while a friend of Mina's named Lisa was the Maid of Honor. By Lux and Ahsoka's side, Burt and Linda also shared great pride for this momentous occasion.
As the crowds exited the church, there was a great deal of activity while the newlyweds accepted greetings and wishes from all guests present. The reception would take place in a Community Center not too far.
There was a plethora of food and drink offered. Sandwiches, fresh vegetables, all sorts of tasty meats, desserts, etc… Mina and Travis had gotten a special license to sell alcohol to the guests present. It was a pleasant evening with much to share and tell. By the end of the night, around 2:30 am, Ahsoka, Lux, Burt and Linda stayed behind to clean up.
Lux chuckled as he gathered all the empty half-gallon flasks in a bag. "I knew we'd get a crowd, 'Soka, but I didn't think we'd go through those 10 half-gallon flasks of spiced rum. People really enjoy those !"
"Given the majority of the guests were high-school acquaintances of the two, that's not too surprising, Lux. I can understand why they're so popular with the youths, it actually tastes great, even with Coke !" She gathered all the empty foam cups, they were everywhere.
Linda was gathering what remained of the cold meats and vegetables into small plates. "I have to say it was a wonderful evening. To see our son and your daughter so happy together, it was worth it, right ?"
"Heck yeah, it was ! I should've seen it coming when you two brought little Mina in our room when we just had Travis a few hours ago. God… that was almost 24 years ago. 24 years ago ! We didn't see time pass by at all, did you ?" Burt gathered the sandwiches and desserts in small plates.
Lux cleared his throat. "Not at all, Burt. We've all been so busy raising our children, working so hard at our day jobs… But I'm sure we can all agree… those 24 years that we've lived to this point, we wouldn't change anything in them, right ?"
Ahsoka shot a smirk towards the others. "You know, both myself and Lux are almost 50, you two are almost 55. Damn, we've gotten old ! Maybe in a year or so, we'll become grand-parents !"
"It's something to look forward to, that's for sure ! I'd like a grand-daughter, since we didn't attempt for a second child back then like you two did." Burt wasted no time expressing his wishes for the future generation.
Lux nodded. "Yes, a grand-daughter would be nice. But, as the old saying goes, don't count your chicks before hatching. Perhaps Mina and Travis will want to wait a year or more before starting a family of their own."
"Well, we've cleaned up the best we could. Gee… it's almost 3 in the morning. I know I'll be happy to get a few hours of rest. Lux, did you notice how Daniel got himself wasted over the evening ? He'll have a massive hangover, for sure !"
Lux snorted a laugh. "I told him to take it slow. But by the time I spoke with him, I think he was already past his "limit". Hey, it ain't anything we haven't done before, right sweetheart ?"
"Sure, rub it in, Lux. But half the time I got wasted bad, it was because I made the mistake of drinking Tequila knowing it wasn't going to do me any good."
"All right, you two loons, we're calling it a night. We'll be at your place in the morning for brunch. The newlyweds were told about this, right ?" Burt was so tired he would soon crash on the floor.
"Yes, of course. It wouldn't be a family brunch without them. Good night to both of you, we'll see you all in the morning." Lux waved the Blanks goodbye.
Sunday, July 12th
Mina and Travis entered the Bonteri residence around 9:30 am. Burt and Linda arrived around 10. Ahsoka and Lux were busy making breakfast for the past couple of hours. Scrambled eggs, ham, bacon, sausages, coffee, fruits and dessert leftovers were served over brunch. As they began their brunch around 10:30, Daniel slowly made his way down the stairs.
"Ohhhh… My head is a mess. Hey, sis ! Remind me not to chug so much rum again. That hangover is nasty !"
Mina rolled her eyes. "We tried to get you to slow down, Dan. But you weren't listening. So you brought that hangover upon yourself !"
Daniel took a seat with the rest. The meats and coffee would certainly help him recover to an extent. Around noon, Travis, Mina and Daniel sat outside on the deck while Ahsoka and Linda worked together to clean up the dishes.
Saturday, September 29th
A couple of months went by since Travis and Mina got married. They were invited to dinner at the Blanks residence. Ahsoka, Lux and Daniel were also invited for the occasion.
Daniel was so caught up in his phone, checking his account on Facebook, counting the friends and likes he was getting. There was a succulent roast turkey to feast on. As Linda poured the wine to all, Mina respectfully declined.
"Thank you, Linda. But in my current state, drinking is not good for me."
Ahsoka raised an eye marking. "Mina… what do you mean "in my current state" ?"
Mina took a sip of water. "Mom, I thought you could take the hint. But… you all have reason to be joyful. Mom, Dad, Burt and Linda…" She took a deep breath. "… you're going to be grand-parents around late Spring next year."
Ahsoka dropped her fork. "You… you mean…. You're PREGNANT ?! Oh, Mina ! That is wonderful news ! Congratulations to you two !" She walked to her daughter, hugging her.
Daniel scoffed. "You two certainly didn't waste any time ! Oh wait… I'll be an uncle ! Woah ! That's… freaky… but cool !"
"So you two are expecting him or her around… ?" Lux trailed off, almost choking on his wine.
Travis cleared his throat. "Probably in May. We're going to take this pregnancy, one day at a time."
Sunday, May 16th, 2010
Ahsoka was cleaning up the dishes after lunch. She had the radio on, tuned to NYC-98.9, her favorite station.
"This just came in. Oh. My. God. I… I don't know how to… how to… Loyal listeners, it is with a heavy heart that we bear this heartbreaking news : After a year-long struggle with stomach cancer, Ronald James Padavona, better known under his stage name, Ronnie James Dio, lost the battle and passed away quietly around 7:45 in the morning. He's been involved in so many projects over the years : Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio, Heaven & Hell to name a few. His voice was unlike any other. He will be missed. This host feels th-"
Ahsoka shut off the radio, quietly left her drying cloth and sat on a chair, taking a deep breath. "I can't believe this… a musical hero I enjoyed, looked up to… even was lucky enough to have seen perform live on two separate occasions… died to cancer… When will modern medicine be capable to completely eradicate this monstrous disease ?!" She got distracted when she felt her phone trembling.
She had received a text message from Burt. "Hey future grandma, you better head on out to the hospital. Everybody's here but you. Mina's in labour ! See you soon !"
Half an hour later and the fastest drive in a while, Ahsoka arrived at Manhattan General Hospital and raced towards the maternity ward. As she arrived in the waiting room, Burt, Linda, Lux, Daniel, Travis and even Kayla were pacing around nervously.
About an hour later, Dr. Robertson and Dr. Roscoe were signaling the family to come inside. "It seems that you are blessed within your family. Mina has given birth… to twins ! A boy and a girl. Congratulations !"
Mina laid in bed, cradling her newborns. Travis raced to her side, tears flowing like a river. "Goodness Gracious ! I knew that we were getting at least one, but I never thought we'd get a double deal right off the bat ! So, Mina.. what will we name them ?"
Both children had mostly human features. Unlike their mother and uncle, neither inherited lekku and montrals. Instead, they had light markings on their faces.
Mina motioned for Ahsoka to come closer. "Mom… now… I'm asking you… Please… Don't cry."
"You can't stop me from crying out of happiness, Mina." Ahsoka tried to dry her tears.
Mina laughed a bit. "That's not exactly what I meant, Mom… I've decided on the names for them."
Ahsoka raised an eye marking. "Oh ? And what would they be ?"
"The boy will be called Anakin, the girl will be called Padmé. To honor the two that saved your life when it was about to end… far, far too soon…"
Memories of the trial came back to her. "I think Master Skywalker and Senator Amidala would approve. I definitely approve… and I'm sure your father approves as well."
Lux held Ahsoka in a hug. "Of course, I approve. If it weren't for them, Mina… yourself and your brother would have never known the precious gift… which is… Life."
In time, Daniel was chosen to be the Godfather of the twins while Kayla would be their Godmother. Nothing happens by accident, said a very wise Jedi at one point. Ahsoka knew this phrase to be especially true now that she welcomed her firsts… of likely many grand-children. They would be spoiled over time.
I have been thinking about this one-shot for well over a week. It was great that Wishes Come True ended with Travis and Mina getting engaged. Instead of leaving their future to the imagination, why not cover the birth their first children, thus making Ahsoka and Lux become grand-parents ? I hope you folks have enjoyed this unique series of stories. I'll be focusing on my story Unchanging Fates… Once that story is completed, I have a very special crossover in mind. It's something which has yet to be attempted in the Clones Wars section. It's going to be… a magical adventure of sorts, featuring Ahsoka and Obi-Wan, a rare partnership. My profile has the hint you need. Feel free to review.