Ok, this is going to be a three to four part series spaning RotS from the Naberries point of view. I have assumed that while Padmé's family met Anakin again, and largely guessed his feelings for Padmé, I think that they would have been leftin the dark for the most part.

Disclaimer: I'm just playing in the sandbox, I promise I won't take them out of the sandbox... Of course, though, I can't stop them fom running away... :winks:

Enjoy!

Shattered Glass - Part One: Fragile

War. After nearly three years of it, there are still those who can't quite believe that it has come down to this. Never since the birth of the Galactic Republic had there been a full-scale war.

It was no wonder people didn't want to admit to the horrors that lurked within these Clone Wars. The beginning of the Republic over a millennia ago, had brought a blanket of relative peace to the galaxy. Sure, there had always been brushfires between species, planets and systems, but unfortunately, that was a part of nature.

No-one had really expected the Separatists to openly declare war. But the battle of Geonosis had been the tripwire for this galaxy-wide civil war. And no-one knew where or when it was going to show signs of ending.

There are so many beings whose lives have been devastated either directly or indirectly by this war. The millions of deaths, the families torn apart and left with nothing, the list went on. And those who were yet to feel the effects have been left wondering how long it would before they too, had to face up to the harsh realities surrounding them. Whether it be by death, upheaval, or even the death of a loved one.

The man who was thinking these grim thoughts shook his head in an attempt to clear all of it, especially the last part, from his mind. Ruwee Naberrie was determined that his family would survive the war. All of them.

Unfortunately for his at this point in time, his wife caught his headshake and the frown on his face. As did their eldest daughter and her husband.

Jobal raised a dark eyebrow at him. "Are you going to say that I'm cooking too much food again?" She queried, using an old, on-going family joke to try and lighten her husband's mood.

Ruwee played along with her by letting a subtle smirk cross his face. "Well," he said craftily. "I would say that, but you never listen to any of us when we say it."

Laughter bubbled out of Sola and Darred on the other side of the table as Jobal opened her mouth to protest the accusations. Attracted to the cheery sounds, and the smell of freshly cooked food, Ryoo and Pooja, Sola and Darred's young daughters, came running in from their outside games.

Continuing to laugh and joke around with each other, the Naberrie family sat down to their lunch that Jobal had prepared. Not one mention of the war was made while Ryoo and Pooja were present, for fear of the two girls realising just how fragile their "safe haven" really was.

Once they had finished their large, albeit delicious lunch, the girls, who were now bouncing around with extra energy from lunch, raced back outside to play their boisterous games. Soon after that, Jobal and Sola drifted back into the kitchen to clean a few things up, and to chat to each other without their significant other eavesdropping on them. This left Darred and Ruwee to occupy the small balcony of the Naberrie's summer retreat.

Once the two men sat down, a comfortable silence stretched out between them. Eventually, Darred broke the silence, leaning back in his chair while looking at his father-in-law, who was once more becoming engrossed in his somewhat morbid thoughts.

"Cred for your thoughts?" Ruwee was jerked back into reality by a soft voice.

"Nah," he said heavily. "Dosen't deserve it."

Darred took in the grim look in the older man's eyes. "Thinking about the war?" he asked quietly.

Ruwee twisted round in his seat, making sure that neither Jobal, Sola, or his granddaughters were around before answering. He sighed. "Yes, this can't go on for much longer before it explodes, Darred. You and I both know that. Three years," he shook his head. "If this doesn't stop soon, I get the feeling that something will make it stop. And don't hold any hopes for that something being pleasant for anyone.

Darred sighed, silently agreeing to Ruwee's sentiments with a nod of his head. "And while worry about all of us here, you're still worried that something will happen on Coruscant, or in the Senate-"

"-And Padmé'll be involved in some way." Ruwee finished grimly.

Darred nodded. "Your not the only one to worry about her and the antics she pulls," he reminded him gently. "I know Sola and I do, Jobal does, and while we've tried to keep as much of the war news from the girls, the know what's going on."

"I know, I know. And I also know that she reckons she can take care of herself, and to a certain extent, I know that's true... but then why did she need a Jedi protector three years ago?

His son-in-law offered no answer.

There was another long sigh let out from Ruwee's direction. "No matter what happens, no matter what they do, there will always be a part of me that will forever see Sola and Padmé as my little girls."

A grin suddenly appeared on the previously serious looking face of the younger man. "Good thing Sola didn't hear you say that," he said.

Ruwee responded with a half-hearted glare. "Well, just you wait 'til iyour/i girls get older, then you'll see exactly what I mean," he informed Darred sternly.

The two men settled back into a companionable silence, watching the two youngest Naberrie girls play in the lush garden.

This time, Ruwee was the one who broke the silence.

"Is Sola still bantering around that theory about Padmé and her former Jedi protector?"

A snort of amusement came from Darred. "Yes. And now that Anakin is known galaxy-wide as one of the heroes of the Clone Wars, she's been able to with both of their movements," he broke off to shake his head in disbelief at his wife's antics. "She's obsessed with it! She swears that there's something brewing between them."

Ruwee chuckled softly. "Jobal's the same," he admitted. "Well, maybe not quite as bad though."

"Not as bad as who about what?" A voice from behind them asked. Both men jumped slightly as they twisted around in their chairs to face Sola and Jobal, the latter clearly waiting for an answer from her husband.

"Nothing, dear," Ruwee lied.

The two women raised their eyebrows in disbelief.

"Honestly," Darred insisted, giving his wife and mother-in-law an innocent look. Sola just rolled her eyes at him.

Jobal sighed in mock frustration. "Fine then, don't tell us!" she said flippantly and sat down as the other suppressed small smiles.

Gradually, the Naberrie family settled back into their pattern of good-humoured banter and chatter, unaware that their fragile retreat from the galaxy was nearing it's end.

Thoughts?