A/N: Hey guys, so sorry for the delayed update on this! School and football season have really kicked into high gear, and I've gotten really busy, so time to write is really scarce.
But now, a few months later...
Anakin groaned as he slowly floated to consciousness. One of the twins was squalling loudly in the nursery across the hall from his and Padmé's room, and he already knew neither of them wanted to get up.
"Unh…I got it," he said softly.
"Was that a real 'I got it,' or are you waiting on me to tell you to go back to sleep?" Padmé grumbled next to him.
"I'm still thinking about it," he replied, his tone almost nonchalant.
Padmé signed in exasperation. "Go back to sleep," she said, pushing off the sheets and starting across the hall. Anakin lay on his back, listening to her footsteps as she crossed the hall, opened the door, and went to the crib. "Shh…" he could hear her whispering to the baby and patting its back. He got out of bed, following her steps, and stood in the doorway to watch her rock Luke back to sleep.
"He's never so calm for me," Anakin remarked with a chuckle as the six-month-old immediately settled in against Padmé's chest. "He only likes you." She smiled in response, still gently patting the baby's back to soothe him to sleep. Anakin had started to notice small changes in his wife alongside the dramatic ones that had occurred in the last six months – as anyone would expect, the dark circles formed under her eyes, she seemed more haggard, and never got enough sleep, despite Anakin's pleas for her to take care of herself. Yet she was also calmer somehow, and still just as serious and determined as she had been when they met. The efforts she had gone to protecting her planet had been refocused into building and protecting her family.
Finally, Luke went back to sleep. Padmé gently placed him in his crib, kissing his forehead as she set him down. They made it to the doorway before Leia started to wail, as if on cue. An expression of exhausted resignation came over Padmé's face as she started back towards the other crib, but Anakin placed a hand on her shoulder. "Go back to bed. I'll handle it this time," he smiled. The corners of his wife's lips turned up slightly as she shuffled back to bed.
He turned back into the nursery, picking up his infant daughter from her crib and cradling her in his arms. "Shh, Leia, it's alright," he murmured as he rocked her. The sound of his voice seemed to soothe her, and he kept talking until her crying slowly got softer, and finally stopped. Even so, Anakin sat with her for a while longer, letting her breathe against his chest. He already loved being a father, and he loved his children more than anything.
Eventually, he put Leia back in her crib, shutting the door quietly and climbing back into his own bed. Padmé rolled over in her sleep, and Anakin instinctively curled his arms around her shoulders. "I love you," he whispered into her hair.
Even though she was asleep, he could have sworn he heard her answer, "I love you, too."