AN: My sister who began an avid fan of this series practically begged me to update and since I love to torture my little sister, I almost said I was going to wait to put this up just for kick and the sadistic pleasure I get from it. However, it's not just my sister reading and she has you guys on her side so I decided to go ahead and update…
But I've only got two finals in school and then I'm done! Yay me! So while I get ready to plan my "No-School-For-A-Month Party", you all read, enjoy, and review!
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Part Two
When Luke showed Anakin and Ahsoka to their rooms which was across the hall from each other, Anakin waited for Luke to leave before crossing over to Ahsoka's room. She was sitting quietly in the room absently putting her things away. Anakin was sure she hadn't noticed him come in. She was really distracted. So when he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, she jumped and then relaxed when she noticed his presence.
"Oh. It's you," Ahsoka said smiling. "I'm just a little distracted is all."
"A little?" Anakin asked. "You've never been this distracted before, from the time you were my padawan to now."
Ahsoka sighed. "Just a lot on my mind."
Anakin sat on the bed and pulled Ahsoka into his lap as she wrapped her arms around him.
"What is it?" he asked. "You've been quiet all day. That's not like you."
Ahsoka was silent for a moment and then said, "I shouldn't have come here with you. I shouldn't be here."
"What are you talking about," Anakin asked.
"This is like being in the Jedi temple and I feel like a real hypocrite right now," she muttered. "I killed all the Jedi in the first place. I shouldn't have come to the place where Luke is trying to rebuild them. I need to leave."
"You're not going anywhere," Anakin said kissing her. "You're not a Sith anymore. Why does that still bother you? You feel sorry for it, and it's in the past now."
"But what does the rest of the galaxy think? What did they think when Leia named me a hero of the galaxy in her coronation?" Ahsoka asked.
"You were there?" Anakin asked. Then he remembered that Luke had long ago admitted that Ahsoka had been on Coruscant for a while right after she disappeared, checking to make sure they would be alright.
Ahsoka sighed and started to pull away but Anakin didn't let her go.
"You listen to me," Anakin said determined. "No one's judging you here. No one has that right. Now I love you and it doesn't matter what anyone says if I can forgive you because you hurt me most of all, and I don't care. Therefore, you're welcome here,"
Ahsoka smiled. "Thank you Sky Guy," she said affectionately.
"No problem Snips," he said kissing her and then pulling away to look at her. He started to kiss her again. The door opened in the middle of their kiss and they pulled back, but not in time for the person at the door not to see what had happened.
Ami looked at them in surprise starting to close the door and Ahsoka stood up to begin to explain, but Leia came in behind Ami and pushed the door open.
"Time for dinner," Leia said and then trailed off some as she sensed tension and nervous embarrassment in the room. She looked at Ami and then between Anakin and Ahsoka. "What's going on?"
Anakin and Ahsoka were silent staring at Ami. Leia looked at Ami.
"What is it honey?" she asked.
Ami looked at Anakin and then Ahsoka before shaking her head and saying, "Nothing mother. I just tripped coming in is all."
With that Ami left the room and Leia stared after her before crossing her arms and looking at the two.
"What's going on?" she demanded.
Anakin smiled. "Nothing Leia. Just talking," he said walking past her.
Ahsoka followed behind him and sent to him, Talking?
It wasn't a blatant lie. We were just doing a different kind of talking.
Anakin…
I promise, we'll tell them after dinner, but not around the children, Anakin replied.
Leia stared after her former master and her father as they left. They weren't telling something and she was going to find out what it was.
Everyone was already sitting at one long table when Leia got back there. She sat next to Han and Ami ran to where Anakin and Ahsoka were sitting. A look passed between Ami and Ahsoka before Ahsoka scooted over so the young girl could sit in between them. As soon as she sat down, Ami happily grabbed a piece of bread and began chatting away with Anakin and Ahsoka. Leia looked at them in jealousy. Ami had never done that with her and Han. In fact, she sat as far away from them as she could.
"So," Leia said to Anakin and Ahsoka. "What been going on in the last five years?"
They both shrugged and Ahsoka said, "Nothing much. Exploring the unknown regions…"
That's something else we have to mention to them, Ahsoka said.
Not now. This is a happy moment. We'll deal with that later, Anakin replied.
"So what did you guys find there?" Han asked. "Heard it's a pretty dangerous place to navigate."
"Only because no one has mapped it out yet, but it's easy enough for a force user," Anakin replied.
"No kidding," Han replied.
"We're working on trying to map it out and see exactly how far the galaxy spans," Ahsoka explained.
"That's pretty dangerous even for a force user," Mara pointed out.
"It sounds exciting," Ami said eager to hear more.
"You cause enough excitement around here little one," Leia pointed out and Ami rolled her eyes.
"It's not my fault no one around here understands me," she muttered.
Ahsoka looked at Anakin and then at Ami. Anakin shrugged. He too was concerned about the resentment and discontent he felt in the eight year old and intended to ask Leia about it later. Leia caught the silent exchange again and crossed her arms. If their quick secret glances kept up, she'd be fed up by the end of dinner and when the end of dinner came, she was.
Her father and the former Sith lady were acting odd around each other and if she didn't know any better, she'd say they were acting rather… romantic, well her father anyway. Leia wasn't sure if this was out of character for Ahsoka of if she just hadn't lost her flirtatious, teasing nature from being Pesinoé. Not only that, but she sensed something different between the two, something like the relationship her father used to have with their mother. If that wasn't enough, Ami seemed to be looking between the two with a knowing nervous expression.
The children began to get up and leave the table, leaving the adults, and just as Ami came back, about to ask Anakin something, Leia having grown impatient blurted out, "Is there something you and Ahsoka want to tell us?"
Everyone turned to stare at her, even Ami who suddenly looked like she had when Leia came behind her into Ahsoka's room. Leia didn't care though. She was glaring at her father and Ahsoka.
"Why do you ask princess?" Ahsoka asked in a tone that reminded Leia of her Sith self.
Leia rolled her eyes. "Come on. You're trying to be so subtle, you're making it obvious there's something. I'm not the only one who notices."
Ahsoka felt the curiosity of everyone else at the table and knew Leia was right.
"Can it just wait until we're back in your suite?" Anakin asked Leia knowing the answer.
"No," Leia declared stubbornly. "I want to know what's going on. I hate when you hide things from us."
"Leia," Ahsoka said.
Ami started to slowly walk away but Leia called her back.
"Ami come back here," she said and Ami slowly turned around, an annoyed look on her face.
"What?" she snapped.
"Tell me why you were staring at them when I came in the room earlier," Leia asked softly hoping that it would win her daughter over. It didn't.
Ami rolled her eyes. "I told you. I tripped."
Anakin looked at Ami. She was a very intuitive little girl and seemed to sense that whatever it was that had happened between Anakin and Ahsoka would only be controversial to the family. She seemed like she was purposely trying to be difficult with her mother, but according to what Anakin was feeling, she was trying to keep the peace and was very aware and upset about lying to her mother. Still, there was a bit of a hostile edge to it, like Ami didn't want to talk to her mother to begin with even though she was trying not to upset her.
"It's alright Ami," Anakin said soothing her through the force. "Go ahead and tell her."
Ami gave them both an uncertain look then looked at everyone at the table shuffling uncomfortably before muttering. "Grandpa was kissing Ahsoka."
"What do you mean sweetheart?" Han asked carefully.
Ami sighed. "You know. Like a husband wife type thing…" Ami looked at her grandfather and Ahsoka again before saying, "But they aren't married or anything so more like lovers I guess."
Leia had no idea that Ami knew what a lover was, but at the time she didn't care. She crossed her arms and suddenly felt like she was twenty-one years old again and finding out her parents were alive. But she didn't know how to feel about this.
"Maybe we should talk about this in your suite," Mara suggested noticing the other students that were still lingering about. This was bound to get ugly. Leia had her father's temperament and this was the equivalent to Anakin finding her and Luke locked in a room making out when they barely knew each other for Leia.
"No, we can talk about this now." Leia snapped.
"Civilly," Luke said quietly though he too was trying to keep his temper under wraps.
Ami quietly stood behind her grandfather as the tension at the table heightened.
"So what was it you were going to tell us?" Han asked breaking the tense silence.
Ahsoka sighed and looked at Anakin who sighed but Leia butted in first.
"What's there to tell? It's pretty obvious now," she said. "How long has it been dad? How long have you been in a relationship with her?"
Ahsoka straightened up a little when Leia referred to her with sudden obvious disdain.
"A while now," Anakin admitted.
"Father," Luke said from across the table.
Mara and Han exchanged a look. Luke and Leia had only gotten closer throughout the years even though most of the time they weren't even on the same planet. Therefore, though it was obvious they were close, no one ever saw the real power of the Skywalker twins. Even as adults with their own children they were quick to defend each other. So though Luke wasn't as upset as Leia was, Leia's mood just rolled over onto him making him act similarly to her in a much calmer way. It scared the hell out of the senate when Leia grew tired of their bickering and her brother happened to be there…
"Since you sent me to find him five years ago," Ahsoka replied quietly, very unlike herself.
"What?" Leia said surprised and then angry again.
Luke looked sharply at his father. "Dad is this true?"
"Yes son," Anakin replied. "We were planning to tell you earlier but we were in the unknown regions for so long…"
"Tell us this then," Luke said glaring at his father. "When you called to tell us you would be going with Ahsoka for a while about a week after we sent Ahsoka after you, had it started by then?"
Anakin cursed in huttese in his head at the fact that he had such intuitive demanding children, unknowingly projecting it to Ahsoka who curled her lips in a smirk despite the situation. No doubt they had gotten it from their mother.
Anakin's guilty silence was all they needed to know and Luke sighed rubbing his head with his prosthetic hand. Leia on the other hand said coldly, "And you deliberately hide something from us again. I at least thought we'd have the right to know you were with someone else, especially when it's her."
Ahsoka looked up sharply to respond in a way that was like her former Sith self, but two things happened. Anakin, sensing her anger through the force, grabbed her hand and Leia stood up from the table in a huff. Luke, Han, and Mara sighed chasing after the empress.
"I knew it," Anakin muttered.
"It didn't go nearly as bad as it could have if you ask me. Although I have a feeling Leia was trying to insult me," Ahsoka said tapping her nails.
"Calm down Pesinoé," Anakin said and any other time Ahsoka would have laughed except the situation was no laughing matter.
"Grandpa."
Anakin and Ahsoka turned around to see Ami still standing behind them quietly. Anakin pulled her over to him and put an arm around her.
"You shouldn't have had to see that," he said to her.
To his surprise Ami shrugged and said, "Can you do some force exercises with me?"
"Not now princess," Anakin said standing up. "I have to go talk to your mother and uncle," he finished but then decided to continue when he felt her disappointment, "I'll do some things with you tomorrow, but until then, maybe Ahsoka can help you."
Ahsoka looked at Anakin in surprise. "Maybe she'd just better wait for you."
"Nonsense," Anakin replied with a grin. "You trained Leia."
"And we all remember how that turned out," Ahsoka said with a grimace.
"At first," Anakin said smiling as he pecked Ahsoka on the lips. "You two have a good time."
As Anakin walked off Ahsoka turned to look at Ami, who was looking at her curiously.
"Well?" Ami finally asked.
Ahsoka stood up and help out her hand to the girl who grabbed it.
"Come on Amidala. Let's see how much you know."
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Luke sighed as he closed the door to Han and Leia's suite. There was no getting through to his sister when she got angry. No wonder Pesinoé almost turned her to the dark side so easily.
"Leia's not in the mood to talk, is she?" Anakin asked from the other end of the hall.
"You think?" Luke asked with a sarcastic undertone.
"You don't sound mad," Anakin pointed out.
Luke paused before saying, "I was initially, but I kind of expected it. I think Leia might have too."
"Then why…?"
"Well first you didn't tell us," Luke reminded and Anakin winced at his sharp tone. "And then… Leia's having a hard time doing the forget part of forgive and forget. I think she blames Ahsoka for mother's death in a way."
"Leia's being illogical. Ahsoka's a completely different person than Pesinoé was," Anakin started, but Luke cut him off.
"Are you sure dad?" Luke asked.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I've been thinking about it," said Luke as he started to walk down the hall with Anakin. "And well… Yeah the dark side was all Pesinoé, but personality wise Ahsoka's not too different from Pesinoé. I mean sure she denounced the dark side and she doesn't actively use it, but she's still got a little darkness in her that influences her personality even though she's not evil per say."
"Yeah, you're right. She's been working on it though. She not nearly as inclined to envy and jealousy anymore and she's lost some of her aggressiveness although I think that's always going to be a problem…"
"Well, the fact of the matter is she's never going to be the Ahsoka you knew before all this dad and I think the sooner you accept that, maybe Leia will get over all this."
"I already know that. She may not be a Sith but the influence of the dark side did change her for better and for worse…"
Luke looked at his father. There was something more to that…
"What's wrong?"
Anakin rolled his eyes. "It's nothing that concerns you Luke. Not yet anyway."
"What do you mean not yet?" Luke asked and then started guessing. "Are you and Ahsoka trying to have a baby or something?"
Anakin looked at him incredulously. "My two children are in their mid thirties and between them I have five grandshildren. What would I look like having a child, or wanting another child for that matter?"
"Just had to ask. People have done it despite all that," said Luke.
"Besides, I don't even know if torguta and humans can even reproduce together or at least I've never heard of it, not to mention Ahsoka isn't really the motherly type," Anakin pointed out.
"Mara wasn't either until she had Mé," Luke pointed out. "But if it's not that, then what is it?"
Anakin didn't say anything as he began walking ahead of Luke, and Luke began brainstorming to figure it out. "Wait Dad. Come on. Tell me. I won't tell anyone."
"Get it in the right order Luke," was Anakin's reply as he turned the corner.
"What order?" Luke asked confused. "Dad!"
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AN: That thing about the breeding compatibility is actually a fact in the star wars universe. I looked it up on Wookieepedia and there's a list of species that are compatible with humans and the ones who aren't. All on the compatibility list are of near-human species which is different from humanoid species, which is where races like Togruta, Twi'lek, and Fallen etc… would fall into. They don't give whether it's possible or not, just that a case of it hasn't been heard (or written in canon Star Wars anyway) and therefore one can assume what they want. Since I want this to stick to canon facts somewhat, I had to bring that up in that ending scene. But of course, fanfiction has a lot of leeway and you can do whatever you want, but if I'm going to defy a fact or physical law (which I'm not in this case. Sorry!) I want to make sure people are aware that I know the fact to begin with.
Anyway, how's that for controversy huh? And it just got deeper and deeper as the story went and I was like "It wasn't supposed to be this big!" Whatever though. That's how the story wanted to be written, and since I'm just the writer, I had to comply with the direction the story wanted to go in. Oh well.
Hope you enjoyed. Review Please!