Ch. 6
That afternoon, Anakin sat with Obi Wan and Luke in the Skywalker living room, Bail playing with Zeke in another room, as they all waited for the girls to get ready. For the guys, of course, throwing a few changes of clothes into a bag sufficed for packing, but for Leia and Taryn the process seemed to require hours, for reasons inexplicable to Anakin and the other males in the house. Normally, Jedi could leave on long voyages in an instant, and so Obi Wan had never experienced this with his Padawan before, but the problem here was that if they were to pretend to be civilians on this trip, Taryn would have to dress like a civilian, which meant shedding her Jedi robes and finding normal clothes. And so, as soon as she had realized this fact, Taryn had begged Leia to lend her some clothes and the girls had excitedly locked themselves into Leia's room to pack. Though the guys had experienced the same dilemma at first, it had taken them only about five minutes to take off their robes and pull on some spare clothes, and none of them understood why Taryn couldn't just do the same thing. Anakin remembered the day Leia had decided to leave the Order to pursue politics, and the ridiculously long (and expensive) shopping spree on which she and Padme had embarked to buy Leia pretty clothes. He only hoped his daughters dressed appropriately, he couldn't abide by half the things they wore when they dressed up- anything more revealing than Jedi robes seemed completely unnecessary to Anakin when it came to his daughters.
"I really am sorry this mission came with such short notice, Anakin," Obi Wan was saying, truly apologetic and just as annoyed himself that he had to leave his wife so suddenly. "But it can't be helped."
"Oh, it's all right," Anakin smiled, turning to his friend. "I'll miss Padme and the little ones, but I'm actually looking forward to the others being forced to spend a lot of time with me." It was true- Anakin was glad that he would have a lot of time with his older children, especially Luke and Leia who seemed to be drifting away from him. He was happy that they had their own lives, but even Luke, who he had to work with often in the Jedi order, spent a lot of time with girls or at parties and not a lot of time with his dad or Obi Wan, his former Master.
"I'm actually looking forward to spending some time with my Skywalker Padawans as well," Obi Wan said cheerfully, smiling warmly and turning towards Luke. "I've hardly seen Luke since he passed the trials…I did notice though, your new Jedi wardrobe is black, are you trying to intimidate someone?"
"I think it looks good," Anakin said proudly, putting his arm firmly on Luke's shoulder.
"Yes, well, you are the only other Jedi who wears black leather," Obi Wan teased, laughing fondly. "I remember the day you chose to wear that outfit, the Council had a good laugh about that one."
"You guys are so mean," Anakin grumbled, pouting at Obi Wan.
"May I remind you, Master Skywalker, that you're on the Council now, and have been for almost twenty years," Obi Wan chuckled.
"I think Luke looks good in black," Anakin defended his son. "And I do too, you're just jealous you can't pull it off."
"Yes, that's it," Obi Wan nodded, rolling his eyes. "The same way we're all jealous of Mace's purple light saber." At that, Luke and Anakin both burst out laughing, then caught themselves and dignifiedly ceased.
"You know, the Council's gotten so much more sarcastic, and way less strict," Anakin noted. "I'm not sure that's such a good thing."
"Well it's all related to your new code Anakin," Obi Wan reminded him. "Maybe you should have considered that."
"I still can't believe you didn't know for three years, Master," Luke laughed. "About dad and mom."
"You weren't there," Obi Wan said defensively. "You don't understand."
"Fine," Luke said casually. "I guess it is hard to tell when your Padawan is sneaking off every night to a Senator's house that by the way had glass walls... But whatever."
"You know, it wasn't that obvious, and the glass walls wouldn't make a difference if I wasn't looking," Obi Wan argued defiantly. "I think I liked it better when you didn't know."
"Be more respectful to Obi Wan," Anakin scolded Luke half-heartedly.
"Well Anakin, it's not as if they have the best example to follow of showing respect to Jedi Masters," Obi Wan teased, playfully nudging Anakin.
"Where are the girls?" Anakin asked quickly, changing the subject. "Taryn will be old enough to take the trials by the time she gets out of there."
"By
the way," Obi Wan said suddenly, Anakin's comment reminding him
of a topic he'd been wanting to discuss. "You and I both know
that Zeke is more than ready to be taken as a Padawan…"
Anakin
nodded pensively, knowing exactly where Obi Wan was going with this.
"Yes, it's going to be a problem."
"There's just no way Taryn can pass the trials in time, she's only just turned 16," Obi Wan noted, as Anakin nodded.
"And Obviously, Bail being even younger than Taryn, there's no way I can take Zeke," Anakin mused, as he and Obi Wan eyed each other frustratedly.
"I'll be honest, Anakin, I don't know what to do," Obi Wan admitted, looking intently at Anakin. "Someone else is just going to have to train him, I know you wanted it to be me but it simply can't happen."
"Yes, you're right," Anakin agreed sadly. After Luke and Leia became Obi Wan and his Padawans, respectively, Anakin liked the idea of continuing the tradition, plus he knew Obi Wan was attached to Skywalker Padawans despite what he might say. Everything had seemed to fit perfectly, and Anakin had kind of ignored the fact that Bail and Zeke were simply too close in age for the system to work. Its not that he didn't trust other Jedi, but the same kind of frustration and impulsiveness that had led him to the brink of the dark side certainly existed in all of his children, and Obi Wan and he knew how to best control it and use it to form strong Jedi instead of those flirting with the dark side. Of course, this characteristic was muted in the children, mainly because their lives presented them not only with happier and more stable surroundings than Anakin's had, but also because the new code allowed them to have lasting relationships outside of their Master-Padawan one- to explore romance and friendship and to openly share their frustrations with others. Nonetheless, the trait still existed in all of the children, and Anakin worried that another Jedi might not know how to best deal with a Skywalker- they were famous for their strength and also their mischievousness, but only Obi Wan, Anakin, and the older members of the Council understood where the strength truly sprang from, or how to control it.
"We'll just have to find someone who can handle your bloodline," Obi Wan was saying, smiling at Anakin. "One of the older Masters, who understands, perhaps…"
"They've all got Padawans, and none of them ever wanted even to deal with me," Anakin said, a note of hurt and sadness in his voice, as Luke stared at his father and former Master, starting to understand even more about the gravity of his father's situation, though still completely unclear about why people feared and worried about Anakin quite so much. (A.N. Remember, Luke and Leia and the kids don't know about Anakin's upbringing on Tatooine or that he (and they were too, indirectly) was created by the medichlorians- they know that Anakin's 'the Chosen One', but don't really understand why)
"That's not true, they-"
"It is true Obi Wan, you know that," Anakin continued fervently. "You swore to Qui Gon you'd train me, that's the only reason even you-"
"Anakin," Obi Wan said loudly, in a warning tone, eyeing Anakin intently. Anakin realized he was about to say too much, and was silent.
'The truth will come out soon, Master, especially to the twins, especially on this mission,' Anakin said to Obi Wan through the Force.
'I know,' Obi Wan agreed. 'But let's make sure it's the right time.'
"I could train him," Luke said suddenly, having thought about it throughout the entire conversation. Obi Wan and Anakin turned to Luke, staring at him as if just noticing he was there.
"But you…you just," Anakin stuttered, unable to express himself clearly, and actually unable to argue with it. He hadn't even considered Luke, seeing as his son has just passed the trials a year or so ago, and upon first consideration Luke seemed far too young and inexperienced. Anakin didn't want to let him do this, but, as he knew Obi Wan was about to say, it made sense.
"It makes sense," Obi Wan said, eyeing Luke pensively, as if he was sizing him up. "It could work Anakin, it's still a Skywalker."
"He's so young though," Anakin argued, not wanting his son to have such a responsibility so soon. "Luke, you do understand the obligations involved…"
"I know," Luke answered honestly. "I know my social life will change, but really, I want to do it."
"Luke," Anakin said warningly, not sure his son was ready for this task, and not wanting Luke to have to give up his young life so quickly. "It's almost like having a child, you do realize that-"
"Look, I understand," Luke continued. "But it's not like any of us spent every second together, especially with this new code. I mean Obi Wan just left Taryn for three days and went off gallivanting with Sabe, so…"
"He does have a point," Anakin teased, turning to Obi Wan.
"Luke, I know you could handle it, but do you really want this?" Obi Wan asked, ignoring Anakin.
"Look, I don't know how stupid you think Leia and I are, but we do know there's a lot about the past you're still not telling us, even after what we just found out," Luke commented, noticing the very badly hidden glance of nervousness between Anakin and Obi Wan. "I know that other Jedi are reluctant to train Skywalkers…"
"What makes you think that?" Obi Wan asked, as if he and Anakin hadn't just been discussing it.
"Look, I know there's something strange about our family-"
"Well, that's really a separate issue," Obi Wan teased, eyeing Anakin and Luke in feigned remorse.
"Look, I'm being serious here," Luke continued, entertaining Obi Wan's joke with a brief smile.
"You're right, there's more we need to tell you, but now's not the time," Anakin said seriously, looking intently at his son's eyes. "We haven't been completely honest with you."
"Completely honest?" Luke said sarcastically. "I'm surprised you even told Leia and me we're twins instead of separating us at birth so that we know nothing of one another until we discover each other by chance later in life…like some crazy holo-drama or something."
"Luke, don't be ridiculous," Anakin said, rolling his eyes but chuckling at his son.
"Look, I can sense just as well as you two can that this is the right thing to do, plus I can sense you both feel more comfortable with me training him than someone else," Luke commented, as Obi Wan and Anakin nodded. "So let me do it, just promise me you'll fill us in on all of this mysterious past sometime soon."
"All right," Anakin conceded, putting a hand on Luke's shoulder and smiling. "You can train him, only don't say anything to him until we get back."
At that moment, Leia and Taryn emerged from Leia's room, dressed in very pretty and flattering clothes, that would look elegant to most eyes but of course too revealing to the eyes of their father.
"Wow girls, you look great," Luke complimented his sisters. "Taryn you look older."
"Doesn't she?" Leia smiled at her little sister. "She looks almost older than me, it's kind of worrisome."
"Yes, exactly," Anakin said, jumping at the opportunity to comment. "Way too old. Way too revealing of an outfit, take it off, change."
"Dad, it's a nice outfit," Leia argued, looking at her sister again.
"People are going to think you're some kind of tramp in that," Anakin said stubbornly. "You're only sixteen, can't you just wear something simple?"
"Dad, it's really quite an elegant-" Leia tried again, only to be interrupted again.
"It's not appropriate," Anakin, continued to argue, crossing his arms.
"I think it's pretty," Luke offered, trying to help his sisters out.
"I agree that it's pretty, that's the problem," Anakin complained, gesturing towards Taryn. "It will give scoundrels and lowlifes the wrong idea."
"Well it's Leia's dad, so don't get so angry at me," Taryn argued defiantly.
"Leia?" Anakin said, turning to his eldest daughter.
"Actually," Leia said, smiling amusedly at everyone around her. "It's not mine."
"It's not?" Taryn asked, turning to her sister questioningly. "Who's is it?"
"Yes, who's is it?" Anakin asked, also intrigued. "Who else would have an outfit like that?"
"It's moms," Leia smiled, enjoying thoroughly the look of shock, embarrassment, and then recognition on her father's face. "She gave it to me. It's from when she was a Senator, I think."
"Oh," was all Anakin could say. "Oh, I thought I'd seen it before…"
"So
really dad, it's quite an elegant outfit," Leia continued,
reveling in the irony of the moment. "That, or your just a
scoundrel and a lowlife."
"Like I said, it will give men the
wrong idea," Anakin grumbled.
"What's going on?" Padme asked, entering the room. When she saw Taryn, she smiled, studying her daughter in her old gown. "That looks really nice on you, Taryn."
"You wore this?" Taryn asked, still not believing it was her mothers.
"Once," Padme smiled, adjusting part of it on Taryn and then going to sit down next to Anakin. "It's one of the outfits that caused your father to fall madly in love with me, isn't it Anakin?"
"Yes," Anakin grumbled, not enjoying this at all.
"Let me guess, he freaked out about you wearing it, thinking it was too revealing," Padme mused, laughing as she saw the nods of her children and Obi Wan. "I think it looks very elegant, Taryn."
"Thanks," Taryn smiled, still surprised by the fact that it was one of her mother's gowns. "When did you wear it?"
"She wore it back in the days when she was one of the most sought after women in the galaxy," Obi Wan commented, eliciting more unintelligible grumbles from Anakin. "Until, somehow, Anakin managed to win her over. I'm still unclear how that happened."
"Oh Obi Wan, you know that Anakin was far more adored than I was," Padme commented, kissing Anakin's cheek. "And by the way, so were you."
"Well, the Hero with no Fear certainly won for reveling in the attention," Obi Wan commented, as Padme and he laughed and the children just looked around at one another, confused but amused by the whole situation.
"I don't know, I think I could still pull that off, what do you think Anakin? It's a very attractive little outfit, isn't it Anakin?" Padme asked him quietly, kissing him again on the cheek.
"Yes," Anakin mumbled quietly, looking down at the floor.
"What?" Padme asked innocently, teasing him, pretending not to hear, enjoying teasing him very much.
"Yes," he said much more loudly. "Which is why she needs to change."
"Don't change," Padme instructed. "You look great, and very respectable. I wore that in the Senate for goodness sakes Anakin."
"You also wore it on Naboo," He mumbled again.
"When was that, Anakin?" Padme asked, provoking him again.
"By the lake," Anakin mumbled, finally bringing his eyes up to look at her.
"Oh yes, I remember," Padme smiled, kissing him. "The first time we-"
"Mom!" All the kids yelled loudly, not wanting to hear it.
"I was going to say kissed, but it's good to know we've raised all of you with your minds in the gutter," Padme said, truly surprised by her children, looking at them with an amused smile.
"Trust me, I would remember immediately what you were wearing the first time," Anakin whispered to her seductively and kissing her ear, causing Padme to giggle.
"All right then," Obi Wan said loudly, standing up. "I think it's time to go."
"Now?" Anakin asked distractedly, staring deeply into Padme's eyes.
"Now," Obi Wan said firmly, as Luke went to get Bail and the other kids stood up to go.
"All right," Anakin sighed, standing up and pulling Padme up with him. "Goodbye my love," He said, kissing her deeply.
"Bye," she said afterwards, smiling. "Be careful!" She yelled as they filed out the door. "I love you all! You too Obi Wan," she laughed, shutting the door behind her. She felt very alone as she smiled sadly after Anakin, just like she had so many times in the past, never knowing if her beloved yet secret husband would ever return to her.
"Mommy!" Said a small voice from somewhere near the couch, and Padme smiled, her daughter's voice reminding her that this time, she wasn't completely alone, and that it was two products of her and Anakin's no longer forbidden love that would keep her company this time.
"Yes my darling," Padme answered Elsé, kneeling down to meet her daughter's eyes.
"Daddy forgot his light saber!" Elsé yelled excitedly, unsure of what to do.
Padme sighed, smiling to herself. "No he didn't," she explained to Elsé, smiling mischievously. "I took it off of his belt right before he left, so he would have to come back one more time."
"So you could say goodbye better?" Elsé asked sweetly, smiling at her mother and enjoying being let in on her secret.
"So I could say goodbye better," Padme nodded, smiling as she heard Anakin's hurried footsteps coming back to the door, just as she had so many times in the past. "I learned to do that years ago, Ellie, so that I always knew I would see him one more time."
