I can't tell you how many times I've tried to rewrite this story! Honestly still not 100% satisfied with how it came out, but I'm all out of ideas on this one. Either way, I hope you all enjoy it!
Padme hesitated by the lift, her fingers tapping along the spine of the small clutch she held in her hands. Her husband stood in front of her with an amused grin on his face. She still found it strange to see him not wearing Jedi robes even after he left the order four years ago. Instead of wearing the heavy tunics and tabards common in the order, he now dressed simply in a black tunic and pants tucked into tall boots. It was such a casual style of dress that it sometimes clashed with the lavish gowns she often wore to the Senate and other high society functions.
"Would you relax?" Anakin said with a shake of his head, "You have nothing to worry about. I got this."
Padme hissed and scrunched her face slightly, "Really? Because I don't have to-"
"Oh, no," He said, refusing to let her miss another ladies night with Satine, Mon Mothma and some of her other friends in the Senate, "You're going. When was the last time you had a night to yourself? Don't worry about the twins, Love. I have everything under control."
Her face relaxed slightly, feeling the confidence roll off of him. "Are you sure?" She asked again, "Because you know how Luke whines about bedtime, and how Leia sometimes has those tantrums-"
"Padme," His voice dropped low and serious but still sounding amused, "I fought in a war. I commanded legions of soldiers against battle droids. I think I can handle my own four-year-old twins."
She wasn't sure he knew exactly what he was getting into. This would be the first time he was watching them on his own since they were toddlers and as much as she trusts him to make sure they are safe, she can't exactly say she feels the same about him keeping them out of trouble. Luke and Leia were, after all, his children and as the saying goes, the shurra fruit doesn't fall far from the tree.
The bell for the lift sounded and as the doors opened, she took one final glance at her husband whose confidence has not waned. Padme sighed, "Alright, if you say so," She said, giving him a quick peck on the lips before entering the lift. "But remember," She started, holding up her finger in warning, "If you have trouble, call me. I'll be home as quickly as I can."
Anakin scoffed, "There won't be any trouble. You know me," He said with the same cocky grin on his face.
"All too well," She muttered as the doors closed.
Anakin heaved a sigh as the doors to the lift closed. He couldn't understand why she worried so much. Sure, their kids had a bit of a trouble-streak, but she always seemed to blame it on the "Skywalker genes" forgetting that she had the brilliant idea to use herself as bait for an assassin. Yes, the "Naberrie genes" were just as troublesome as his. He could take care of his kids. True, his new job helping the post-war effort for the clones took up much of his time and that left much of the parenting to Padme and her staff, but he did enough. He played with them and easily filled the role of the "fun dad" but he could just as easily switch to the "stern dad" when they misbehaved. He knew not to cave when Leia looked up at him with those big brown eyes that melted his heart when she was born and he knew not to smother Luke when he whined. Anakin liked to think he was a good dad and so this one night alone with his kids was the chance to prove it to his wife too.
"3PO," Anakin called into the apartment and moments later the golden protocol droid hobbled in from the atrium, "What's for dinner?"
Threepio gave a slight bow, "Master Ani, Mistress Padme said that she prepared food prior to leaving and that it should suffice for the three of you."
Anakin cringed at the thought. For all the talents his wife possesses, culinary skills are unfortunately not one of them. "Uh, maybe we should just order out," He suggested.
"I don't think that's a good idea," Threepio said, "Mistress Padme knows you and Master Kenobi take the twins to Dex's. She Doesn't like it very much."
Anakin groaned and shook his head, "Then I guess I'll just make something," He grumbled as he entered the kitchen and started rummaging around for ingredients. Cooking was not his best skill either but he could at least make something Luke would eat. He couldn't figure why Padme decided to cook tonight. Normally they left it to Dorme who, in his opinion, was one step away from being a master chef. Nevertheless, the problem wasn't entirely that Padme was far from a good cook. The problem was their daughter was as picky as a Laboi. If something didn't look right or had an odd smell to it, she wouldn't even touch it.
Anakin rummaged through their food storage and groaned as he came up short. It wasn't that they didn't have food- more that he didn't really know how to cook any of it. He liked Nubian food compared to what he grew up with on Tatooine as well as in the Jedi Temple, the Naboo enjoyed sweet food that melted in the mouth and had bursts of flavor that he had quickly taken a liking to and the twins were no different.
As he sifted through the rest of the storage, he remembered the bantha steaks Luke had asked for. They didn't eat Tatooinian food often but when they did it was normally because either he or Luke wanted it. Neither Leia or Padme liked it too much but they still ate it- Leia more begrudgingly- and it was something Anakin definitely knew how to cook. Pulling out the steaks, he made a note to order more later before he started to prep the food. Anakin had Threepio go check in on the twins with Artoo and to let them know dinner would be soon.
Not even ten minutes after he started did a loud crash echo through the apartment. Forgetting dinner entirely, his first priority was to make sure the twins weren't hurt. He found them standing in the hallway near the veranda, their eyes wide as they stared at the broken vase in front of them. Leia had a practice saber in her hands and Luke's fists were bunched in his shirt.
"What. Happened?" Anakin demanded, his eyes narrowed as he stared at his kids. Padme was going to be mad for sure, but one broken vase was fine so long as no one got hurt. Luke and Leia exchanged glances for a moment before finding anything else but him to focus on. "Luke." The boy jumped slightly, as he avoided his father's gaze. "Luke," He said more gently, "Tell me what happened."
"We were playing," The boy said. "It was an accident."
Anakin directed his attention to his daughter, "That's not what happened, was it?" He asked.
Leia bit her lip, "Yes it was…"
"Leia," He started, "Don't lie to me."
She was silent for several moments, "I wanted to be the Jedi," She said, "But Luke said I had to be the princess. I don't want to just be a princess. I want to be a warrior princess."
"That's not how the game works!" Luke argued.
"And since when did the game have rules?" Leia scoffed, "You're just jealous Uncle Obi thinks I'm a better Jedi than you!"
"That's not true! Dad!" The boy turned to look at Anakin, silently telling him to back him up.
Leia rolled her eyes, "That's right, hide behind daddy. Spineless coward."
"You're worse than a Hutt!" Luke growled, making to lunge at his sister.
Leia was unfazed by it and simply rolled out of the way. Her lips curled up as she winded her arm with the practice saber back, intent to hit her brother in the back.
"Okay you two, that's enough," Anakin said, scooping one twin up under each arm before it came to blows. The two of them squirmed, wiggling to get free but he refused to let either down. His mind ran through the last time he had to resolve a fight between them and much to his surprise he couldn't remember. The twins had fought in front of him before, but every time that happened, Padme had been the one to defuse them. She had always been the one to get them to stop fighting and listen, she had always been the one to get them to apologize, while he had been the one to do what he was doing now… he was at a loss for what to say. In truth the argument was ridiculous. What even was it originally about? Some game? And yet it had some how gotten so out of hand. What would Padme say? For a moment he thought to call her and ask, but thought better of it, knowing she would drop everything and come rushing home to handle it herself. And he couldn't let her do that.
The twins stopped squirming in his arms just as they were starting to slip from his hold and with and sigh, he crouched down to let them back on their feet, having them stand with some distance between them. "Okay," He started with another sigh, running a hand through his hair. "You two can't let these arguments get out of hand like this," He said, "You need to find a way to agree on these things that does not involve physical violence."
Luke's eyes widened and his finger immediately pointed at his sister, "But she started it!"
Leia scoffed, "I started it? You're the one who ran into the vase! You're the one who came at me!"
"Yeah but-"
"Enough!" Anakin shouted, his voice just as booming and commanding as when he was ordering clones during the war. "I don't care who started it, I'm ending it." He shook his head at the two of them who shied under his authoritative gaze, Leia doing her best to try and soften him with those wide brown eyes that would in almost any other instance have him falling to his knees and pulling her into a tight embrace. His mouth opened to try and come up with a way to get them to make up but before he could speak, Threepio entered the room, his arms high as he spoke quickly in a panic.
"It's a disaster! I tried to fix it, Master Ani, I did, but Artoo-"
"What are you talking about?" Anakin asked, turning his attention partially to the golden protocol droid.
"Dinner, I'm afraid, might be a bit past "well done,""
His eyes went wide for a moment, remembering he had left dinner cooking before coming down. Cursing under his breath, he didn't spare the twins another glance as he rushed back up towards the kitchen. Even from the hallway, he could hear Artoo beeping frantically and as he rounded the corner into the room, he let out a strangled groan as Artoo's dome whirled and he activated his fire extinguisher on the stovetop where dinner had been cooking.
He didn't have to look at what was left of the steaks to know they were charred well beyond edible. Artoo whistled beside him.
"Yeah I know buddy. But if I call her I'll never hear the end of it," He thought about maybe calling Obi-Wan, but that would have similar results to calling Padme.
From the hallway, he could hear two sets of feet running towards the kitchen and he could sense their shock the moment they came to the archway. "Wow, neither of you know how to cook!" Leia said, her eyes wide as she eyed the charred steaks.
"I'm hungry, but I don't think I'm that hungry," Luke said, his face scrunched up much like how Padme did when he came home smelling like he fell in a tank of oil.
"New plan then," He started, "We get Dex's." The twin's eyes lit up and he could feel their excitement at getting their favorite treat for dinner. Anakin smiled, Padme would no doubt have some words for him when she got back, but at least they would get something they all liked to eat.
Reaching for his comm, he placed their order before having the twins go and get cleaned up before dinner. The two of them were so excited for dinner, their entire argument from earlier was almost entirely forgotten. He smiled, glad that they got that from him since Padme was known to hold grudges, some of which had landed him some rather uncomfortable stays on the couch a few times.
Dinner hadn't taken long to arrive and by the time it did, they were all pretty hungry. The twins chatted happily with him throughout the meal and in the back of his head, he figured the rest of the night would be pretty easy. Keep the twins entertained, tire them out, and then put them to bed. It would be easy.
But he couldn't have been more wrong.
"It's not fair! Why do I have to go to bed and you don't?" Leia argued, her arms were crossed over her chest as she stood on top of her bed instead of sitting in it.
Anakin heaved a sigh, he almost regretted sending Padme off to girls night now that he'd had to spend the entire night trying to wrangle the twins alone. It was hard. Luke and Leia had tried to pick up their game where they left off after dinner but that had only reawakened the argument from earlier and had resulted in Leia taking a very good wack at her brother's head, resulting in a nice bruise forming at the base of the boy's jaw. Luke retaliated by stealing Leia's favorite doll and shredding the dress it wore, which, if Anakin hadn't stepped in, would have probably resulted in yet another broken vase, another bruise, and leaving him with a massive headache.
He was out of his depth. When he and Padme parented together it was so much easier. One look from him, and a few words from her had the twins apologizing and making up in no time. Padme had this gentle yet firm way of speaking to them that had some sort of power over them that compelled them to see things her way. He, on the other hand, had a very blunt way of speaking that was more formidable in dealing with trained soldiers than children and while it worked to get them to back down on occasion, it never lasted long and this one night along with the twins had only reinvigorated his utter love and appreciation for everything his wife does.
His eyes glance to the chrono on Leia's nightstand. Knowing Padme she should be back in four hours or so. Four hours too long if he can't get the twins to bed. Anakin groaned as Leia hopped down from her bed and made to try and pass him blocking the doorway, her little body trying and failing to squeeze past him into the hallway. Rolling his eyes, he picked her up with one arm and heaved her over his shoulder and carried her back to the bed. Playfully, he dropped her back down onto the mattress before plopping his body along side hers, making the entire bed bounce and eliciting a series of giggles from the girl. He couldn't help but smile, as Leia curled herself in the crook of his arm, her damaged princess doll clutched tightly in her arms. Anakin looked up towards the doorway and spotted Luke standing there, holding his toy bantha by one of its horns.
Leia looked up too, her eyes narrowing at her brother. "What do you want?"
Luke looked at him and then his sister, his eyes falling to the floor. "I'm sorry about the doll," He muttered.
Leia looked down at the doll in her arms, and for a moment he thought she wasn't going to say anything, but after a moment she said, "I'm sorry I hit you in the face with the practice saber… And I'm sorry I called you a half-witted nerfhearder."
Luke's eyes scrunched in confusion at the last part of her apology. "You didn't," He said.
"I meant to," She replied with a shrug.
Anakin shook his head and Luke rolled his eyes before climbing into the bed with them. Anakin shifted to make room, laying on his back with an arm around each twin, the crisis seemed to be averted, and peace restored in the Skywalker home.
—
Padme leaned back against the lift as it ascended to take her back to the apartment. She'd had a great time and felt much more relaxed after having a break from her children. She loved them dearly but they could be a handful sometimes. She had worried part of the night, afraid that she would get that dreaded call from her husband telling her there was a problem or someone got hurt, forcing her to return home, but to her relief, it seemed he'd had everything under control just like he said. Now, all she had to do was quietly enter the apartment, take a quick peek to see her sleeping children for herself before she thanked her husband thoroughly for his efforts.
The door to the lift opened and as she expected the main room was silent, lit only enough to help her navigate back to the living area. As she walked down to the Veranda, she didn't miss the shards from a broken vase pushed into the corner and her eyes narrowed at the sight. She shouldn't be surprised something broke. Knowing her family as well as she does, it wouldn't be normal for everything to go perfectly and as she passed the kitchen, she also couldn't help but notice there were also takeout bags that were clearly from Dex's which meant either he thought she had actually tried to cook, or he got desperate. Padme shook her head, her husband should know by now anything cooked in this more than likely prepared by Dorme. Nevertheless, she supposed she couldn't really complain tonight so long as of course, the twins were in deed in bed like they were supposed to.
She checked Luke's room first only to find an empty bed, confusion quickly gave way to anger as she turned to check Leia's room next, which immediately quelled all other emotions as she stared at the small twin-sized bed. The light from the hallway gently kissed the faces of the three people that meant the galaxy to her. Luke and Leia were curled up against him, his strong arms wrapped protectively around him and a small blanket covering the three of them. Anakin was still dressed in the clothes he had worn all day and his feet were still encased in the thick black boots, hanging over the end of the bed. The three of them looked so peaceful and while there were obviously things that could be improved upon, it wouldn't be so bad for them if she went out again next week for Dorme's birthday, would it?
END