Chapter 7 - Peas in a Pod, Part 1
(Summary: "We started off transmitting illegal broadcasts. Then General Skywalker sent Kanan to us, to protect Ezra. Now we're living on a rebel base, letting both our boys train with the Force, and helping out with missions against the Empire." Ephraim kissed his wife. "Mira, dear, how did our lives completely turn around in just four years?" "Haven't the foggiest, love.")
(Takes place a few years after Quintet Part 1)
When Mira Bridger opened the door, she was taken completely by surprise. She'd been expecting the rebel agent with whom she and her husband had been contacted by a few weeks before - the same young woman now on her doorstep, with fair skin, dark hair and eyes.
The surprise lay with a belly growing into what had to be the fifth or sixth month of pregnancy.
As well as the tall, hooded man hovering protectively behind her.
Not to mention the small boy and girl standing between them.
"Mira! So good to see you again - I hope you haven't forgotten about our playdate." The rebel smiled, but there was a pleading look in her eyes.
"Oh- oh yes of course! I must have gotten the dates mixed up in my head." Mira laughed, and allowed the door to slid all the way open. "Won't you please come inside?"
Once away from any prying eyes, both the unknown adults lost some of their tension. "I apologize for surprising you," the woman apologized. "But a family arriving through the spaceport generally attracts less scrutiny than loners."
"It's perfectly fine, I promise. But these, they are your own children?"
"Yes. This is Luke, and Leia, my husband Ani, and I'm Padme."
"A pleasure to meet you in person, then." Mira crouched down to be eye level with the children. "Hello Luke, Leia. I'm Mira Bridger. May I ask how old you are?" The boy turned his face into his mother's leg, hiding, but Leia shyly held up three fingers. "Three years old, my goodness! You two are the same age as my Ezra."
"That's why we made the choice to come in person," the man, Ani, told her. "We knew you had a boy of your own, and decided to deepen our cover even further."
"Of course I understand, but- putting your little ones at risk like that?"
"We never let them out of our sight." Padme said quietly, one hand resting on Luke's head and the other on her belly.
"Well. Ephraim and Ezra are still out at the market right now, but they'll be back soon and we can begin. For now, is there anything I can get you? Food, drink? Please, sit down, sit."
"I wouldn't mind some cold juice, if you have any." Padme admitted, sinking gracefully down onto the sofa. "Ani?"
"I'm fine, thank you."
"And how about you, little ones? A snack, perhaps?" The children both nodded after a moment, and Mira busied herself in the kitchen for a bit.
When the male Bridgers returned, Ephraim had the same shock as his wife upon meeting their contact and her family. Ezra, on the other hand, was simply happy to have a couple of new playmates. He took Luke and Leia up to his bedroom, which left the adults free to get down to business.
Three hours later, ten new recordings had been made in their hidden basement: messages of standing up against the Empire, of remembering the good of the Republic and the freedom they all used to have as their right. 'Ani' revealed himself to be Jedi General Anakin Skywalker, a hero of the War and well-known even on Lothal, and spoke at length about the atrocities Palpatine had committed, including the attempted massacre at the old Temple on Coruscant. He urged the citizens to consider the implications of Palpatine exterminating the Jedi when they were not traitors, of how his schemes benefited himself and few others.
By the time they were done and well prepared for the next few months of broadcasts, it was nearly time for dinner. The two married couples climbed back up to the house's main level, satisfied with a job well-done.
Only for them all to freeze in shock when the trio of three year olds dashed into the room, playing a game of catch - without using their hands.
"Your son is strong with the Force," Anakin said softly, after the younglings had been hushed and set to helping Mira in the kitchen. "Did you know?"
"No." Ephraim gulped. The implications this had for his family... "Master Jedi, I am aware of what the Order's protocol was when they found such a child, but-"
"The Order had a lot of rules I didn't agree with," Anakin interrupted him, placing a hand on his wife's shoulder. "I'm not about to do anything against your wishes, Ephraim. How do you want to handle Ezra's abilities?"
"Well... What do you suggest?"
"Leaving him without training could be dangerous, especially if any of the Emperor's agents find out and try to turn him to the Dark Side. But, I don't want to remove him from your care, or displace your family from your home."
"We'll figure something out," Padme assured them both. "We always do."
Half a year later, the rebels contacted the Bridger household again, with a plea and offer contained in one. Not long after, a youth who introduced himself as Kanan Jarrus arrived at their doorstep with a single knapsack of belongings, a disguised lightsaber, and a holocron of Jedi knowledge.
They set him up with a bed and chest of drawers in the attic, and though Ezra was wary at first, he soon came to adore his new babysitter and teacher. Dangerous as it was to harbor a Jedi in their home, the Bridgers thought the additional safety net for their son was worth it. The year went by with Kanan working at a small shop near the residential district, contributing his income to the household, providing assistance to the occasional rebel missions that took place on Lothal, and laying the groundwork for Ezra learning to shield his mind and emotions.
Feeling safer than they would have otherwise, Mira and Ephraim decided to expand their family again, and ten months later welcomed Phirim Bridger into the world.
