A/N: Again if any of you are confused about the dates and time, I have the link to the wookieepedia page that explains the star wars standard calender in my profile. Just copy and paste it.
In the star wars univers, slasher music is equal to earth's heavy metal music. Just so you know.
Now onto the story. I hope that you enjoy this chapter.
Melona Fifteen 13 BBY
Naboo: Theed:
The shopping market in Theed was located in the west part of the city and it took up five city blocks. It was usually crowded on weekends which was why Anakin preferred to do his shopping during the week. He didn't favor the crowds, especially if Luke and Leia were with him.
"What about this one?" Leia asked holding up a piece of fruit.
"Go ahead and pick six of those out," Anakin told her knowing that the shuura fruit was Leia's favorite. Just as it was her mother's. As he watched Leia pick out the best shuura fruits, he suddenly got the same feeling he always got when one or both of the twins were going to do something naughty and quickly turned around to see Luke sneaking something into the basket. "What do you have there, Son?" he asked raising an eyebrow.
"Nothing," Luke said innocently.
Anakin made a slight hand movement and whatever Luke had put in the basket rose in the air. "Nothing huh?" he said. "There is too much sweet powder in these bars, it's not healthy," he told him.
"But Sabrina's and Sebastian's parents let them eat em!" Luke protested. Sabrina and Sebastian Starling were Luke's and Leia's best friends from school.
"I'm not Sabrina's and Sebastian's parents," Anakin told him and used the force to put the sweet bars back.
"But they taste really good!" Luke protested.
"I don't care," Anakin told him. "They're loaded with sweet powder. They are entirely unhealthy," he finished.
Luke opened up his mouth to protests further but knew that he wouldn't get anywhere with the look that his father was giving him. "Can I at least have one?" he asked meekly.
"What do you think?" Anakin asked raising an eyebrow.
Luke looked down and mumbled something as Leia put a bag of the fruit that she had picked out in the basket. They moved on in the store picking out different foods that wouldn't spoil quickly before moving onto another store to get new clothes for Luke and Leia. It was the only reason Anakin had brought Luke and Leia shopping. If he wasn't buying things for them that they would need, then he avoided taking them shopping at all costs. Anakin had quickly found out that children saw something that they wanted and took a fit with the word "no". Anakin had no desire to spoil Luke and Leia. He didn't see the need for more than what was absolutely necessary. Of course The Naberries didn't agree.
"This color would look good on you, Daddy," Leia said pointing to a light blue tunic.
"That's not my style," Anakin told her finding the idea of wearing that color repulsive. It reminded him of the first time he had met Palpatine. Of course Luke and Leia didn't realize this. They didn't know.
"But black is boring!" Leia protested.
"What's so boring about it?" Anakin asked her.
"You wear it all the time," Leia pointed out as though it was obvious. Which it was.
"That's because I like it," Anakin replied.
"Black is wizard," Luke stated looking at his twin.
"It's boring," Leia stated looking at her twin.
Anakin rolled his eyes at the argument and picked up a pink dress in Leia's size, smiling at himself at how he would be ending the argument. "Here you go, Leia," he said handing Leia the dress.
Leia scowled at her father. "I hate pink," she told him crossly.
Anakin hung the dress back up. "Hate is a strong word," he told her.
"Hate leads to the dark side, Leia," Luke pointed out to his twin.
"No, fear and anger leads to the dark side. Hate is a part of the dark side, when you start to hate, then you start down a path that is difficult to get away from until it consumes you," Anakin corrected him.
"How do you know so much about the dark side, Daddy?" Leia asked.
Anakin didn't want to answer this question. He didn't want his children to know about his brush with the dark side. About his seduction. So instead, he chose a different answer. "I know people who have gone down that road," he told them.
"All of them are jedi, right?" Luke asked.
No! "Yes," Anakin answered leaving Palpatine out of this. "Next subject," he told them not wanting to talk about the dark side. Both Luke and Leia instantly jumped into their narratives about what was happening in school as they finished their shopping.
It was as they were leaving the shopping market that they passed a pet store. Leia stopped in her tracks when she saw a blue and white Nexa staring at her through a window and wagging it's tale. The nexa was a smaller, house version and much friendlier version of a nexu. A nexa was an ideal pet for those who wished to remain devoid of rodents in their homes.
Anakin stopped noticing that his daughter had stopped. He turned around to see Leia pressing herself against the window gazing longingly at the nexa. He groaned knowing that she was going to beg for it and wouldn't be happy unless she had it. "I'm not taking care of it," he told her.
Leia tore her eyes away from the nexa to look at her father pleadingly. "Please!" she begged. "I'll take good care of her! I promise!"
Anakin sighed. When he was a child he too wanted a pet, but being a slave, he was never allowed and later as a jedi, he still couldn't have one. Who was he to deny his child of such a simple pleasure. "I'm not taking care of it," he told her again.
"But I will!" Leia told him.
Anakin turned to Luke. "I suppose you want a pet too?" he asked.
Luke shook his head. "Na ah," he said. "I want a starship so I can see every star in the galaxy!" he told him proudly.
Anakin smiled. "I can relate," he told him. He turned back to Leia. "Alright, but this is the only pet," he told her strictly.
Leia beamed. "She's all I want!" she told him.
"What makes you think, it's a she?" Anakin asked.
"I can feel it," Leia stated proudly. Not long afterwards, they made their way home with Leia holding her newly named Nexa, Rogue.
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Melona Twenty 13 BBY
Naboo: Theed:
It was the first time that Arica Skywalker visited the planet of Naboo. She found the planet to be equally as breathtaking and beautiful as Alderaan. But this was not a pleasure trip. This was business. Senator Organa has asked her to accompany him as he spoke with Queen Camilla of Naboo about the anti-slavery champagne. Arica was pleased to hear that Anakin Skywalker, her brother, had signed his name to the bill but when it came about contacting him his frequency was untraceable and often closed off. He was the one who made contact with Senator Organa and it was brief and clipped. She never heard from him. He never came to Alderaan or given an direct contact. In fact Arica hadn't seen nor heard from him since he left Alderaan over a year ago. Arica was disappointed but she vowed to find him, wherever he was hiding. Their mother would want them to be together and she needed to make him see it. Arica had brought as many memorabilia as she could for the off chance that she ran into him.
Arica sat, listened and participated in the discussion with the queen about the bill. She was relieved to hear that Naboo would be backing the bill and stood up with Senator Organa before bowing respectfully to the fourteen year old queen. As she walked with Organa, she couldn't stop herself from smiling.
"This bill is being widely accepted. We'll have slavery abolished for good soon, I can see it," Arica told her boss.
Organa smiled. "It seems so. I know how much this means to you," he said looking at her.
"It means a lot to every slave," Arica told him.
"I know," Organa told her. He paused for a moment. "I would like to make a detour if that is fine with you," he said.
Arica looked at him. "What kind of detour?" she asked.
"I want to be able to attempt to see Senator Amidala. I am hoping that I will have that chance," Organa told her.
"I hear that she is very beautiful," Arica commented.
"She is," Organa agreed. "But I only have eyes for Breha," he added.
Arica smiled. "I know," she told him. "Do you miss your conversations with her?" she asked.
"Who, Breha?" Organa asked.
"No. Senator Amidala," Arica told him.
"Sometimes. She was a firm believer in democracy and a champion of peace and justice. She was very passionate about her beliefs and her career," Organa told her. "She was a pleasure to work with."
"She sounds like a rare gem," Arica remarked.
"Whoever her husband is, must be lucky to have had her love," Organa remarked.
Nothing more was said of Senator Amidala on the way to the medical facility that she was in. When they arrived, Organa was surprised to learn that his name was on the visitor list to see the beloved senator of Naboo. Upon arriving in the room, they were greeted with an abundance of flowers and get well cards. Some were hand crafted by children. One in particular caught Arica's eyes as her boss spoke with the comatose woman. It had a picture hand drawn of a family. Two obvious adults and two children. The card simply said, "Come back to us, Mommy,".
"Nobody said that she had children," Arica pointed out catching Organa's attention.
"She didn't," Organa told her frowning.
Arica merely showed him the card making him frown. "She never mentioned having children," he said.
"She didn't mention being married," Arica pointed out.
At that moment a medical droid floated in to take Amidala's vitals. Arica paid him no mind but Organa spoke to it. "Has her husband been by lately? I would like to speak with him," he asked.
"Mister Skywalker was in earlier today to bring his wife flowers," the droid answered.
Arica snapped her attention to the droid. "Did you say Skywalker?" she asked.
The droid looked at her. "Of course. Mister Skywalker visits daily. He sometimes spends hours at her bedside," it replied.
"Can you tell us how to contact him, I lost his contact information," Organa asked.
The droid looked at him for a moment. "That information is classified and strictly for family only," it stated.
Organa nodded to her and Arica spoke up. "I am mister Skywalker's sister," she told the droid showing it her identification.
The droid scanned her identification before replying. "Mister Skywalker's address is 144097 Devor street, located in South Theed," it said.
Organa nodded to her. "Go," he told her.
Arica didn't need to be told twice and hurried out of the medical center repeating Anakin's address in her head.
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Melona Twenty 13 BBY
Naboo: Theed: Skywalker Home.
Jobal Naberrie sat in the family room keeping an eye on Luke and Leia as they worked on their homework. Anakin was in his work room working on his latest project for Fullers Engineering. After receiving a comm from Anakin asking her to watch Luke and Leia while he fixed something in the schematics of his new project she had instantly accepted. She loved Luke and Leia and the more she watched them, the closer she felt to her daughter. While Leia resembled her mother, it was Luke who shared Padme's calm and gentle nature. Jobal smiled as she looked at her grandchildren, seeing so much of their mother in them. Her smile disappeared when Leia stopped working to rush to the door, opening it to a stranger.
"Leia!" Jobal called.
The stranger, a woman, bent to where she was eye level with Leia. "Hello," she said.
"Hello," Leia repeated. "Who are you?" she asked.
"I'm Arica," the woman answered. "And you?" she asked.
"I'm Leia Skywalker," Leia stated proudly.
Arica smiled. "That's a pretty name," she said.
Leia beamed. "My daddy gave it to me. He said that it meant Angel in huttese. Do you know what an angel is?" she said.
Arica nodded. She remembered hearing the deep space pirates talking about them on Tatooine. "I do," she said.
"That's what my daddy calls my mommy. He says that she is an angel who dropped out of the stars to save him. I don't know what he means by that," Leia told her.
Arica smiled. "How old are you, Leia?" she asked.
"I'm six," Leia answered.
Jobal quickly arrived at the door to step between her granddaughter and this stranger. "Who are you?" she demanded.
Arica straightened up. "Is Anakin here?" she asked.
"And you are?" Jobal demanded growing defensive.
"I'm his sister, Arica," Arica told her.
Jobal frowned suspiciously. "Anakin never mentioned having a sister," she told her.
Arica frowned. "I can't explain that," she said.
"I don't know how you found him, but I can assure you that you will not get anywhere near him. You holoreporters are vicious vultures and I will not stand for you to terrorize Anakin or anyone else in this family," Jobal told her ready to close the door in her face but Arica stopped her.
"I'm not a holoreporter, I work for Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan. I'm here on a diplomatic assignment. But when I found out that my brother was here, I had to speak with him! We've been separated since we were children and I will not stand for it anymore! I must speak with him!" Arica told her, showing the woman her identification.
Jobal inspected this carefully, seeing the proof to her claim. "How do I know that this isn't false?" she demanded.
"I would never lie!" Arica told her vehemently.
Jobal eyed her closely before seeing the resemblance she bore to Anakin. She sighed upon seeing the sincerity in her eyes. The same ocean blue as Anakin's and Luke's. She opened the door up. "He's in his work room. It's the door to the right just before you reach the dining room," she told her.
Arica breathed a sigh of relief before entering the house. That's when she noticed the blond, blue eyed boy who watched her quietly. Anakin's son. Arica looked over to Leia and the boy seeing that they were the same age.
Leia giggled. "That's Luke, he's studying you," she said.
Arica looked back over to Luke feeling unnerved by the boy's intense stare. "Hello, Luke," she said smiling.
"Hello," Luke replied, going back to his homework.
Arica smiled and followed the older woman's directions. She knocked on the door but received no answer. Sighing, she opened the door and was hit with the sound of slasher music and some colorful curses in huttese as well as the sight of a messy work space and of Anakin working on some sort of plans. "Hello, Anakin," she greeted startling her brother who dropped his plans and turned around sharply to face her. "You never made contact," she pointed out.
"How did you find me?" Anakin demanded.
"I came her with Senator Organa to speak to Queen Camilla about the anti-slavery champagne. We stopped by to visit your wife, the medical droid was kind enough to tell me where to find you," Arica explained.
"I'll be dismantling that droid," Anakin ground out.
"You're not happy to see me?" Arica asked raising an eyebrow.
"Not particularly," Anakin answered.
Arica frowned. "Mother would be sorely disappointed to hear you say that," she told him.
"Don't speak to me about her!" Anakin snapped, the subject of his mother being a sore spot.
"She was my mother, too, Anakin," Arica told him.
Anakin looked away. He could not deny that. "What do you want?" he asked.
"I want us to be a family, like we were before Tatooine," Arica told him.
"It's a little too late for that," Anakin told her.
"No it's not," Arica told him. "Mother may be gone, but we have each other now," she told him. When he didn't say anything, she smiled. "Your children arenice. Leia especially, but Luke barely spoke," she told him.
Anakin frowned. "They know better than to speak to strangers," he said tightly.
"But we're not strangers," Arica pointed out.
"Yes, we are," Anakin told her firmly.
"Then we need to change that," Arica told him.
Anakin didn't say anything. He considered what his mother would have wanted. But she never mentioned Arica. Was it because it was too painful for her to speak of or even think of? "My mother never mentioned you," he told her.
Arica frowned. She bit back a retort about his reference. My mother not our mother. "Perhaps it was too painful for her," she suggested.
"Perhaps," Anakin replied.
"I was nine when we arrived on Tatooine. Young females are preferred for one thing mostly. They took me separately," Arica told him.
"I'm well aware of the guidelines of slavery," Anakin snapped tightly.
"Must you be so difficult?" Arica asked frowning.
Anakin raised an eyebrow. "You don't like it?"
Arica's frown deepened. "I don't appreciate it," she told him.
"You want to get to know me, then accept it," Anakin told her stiffly.
Arica raised an eyebrow. "Is that an invitation to get underneath that cold exterior?" she asked.
Anakin shrugged. "Take it as you wish," he told her. "And I'm not cold," he told her shutting off the music and putting his plans away via the force.
"You could have fooled me," Arica told him as he brushed past her out the door.
As soon as they exited the work room, Leia skipped up to them and attached herself to her father. Anakin bent and picked her up briefly thinking that she was getting too big for this, but he didn't care, as long as he could still hold her, he was happy. "Did you finish your homework?" he asked her.
Leia nodded vigorously. "Yes, Daddy. Did you?" she replied.
Anakin smiled. "My work takes weeks sometimes months at a time, you know that," he told her.
"I know," Leia told him and then started giggling excitedly when Anakin decided to tickle her mercilessly. She squirmed in her father's arms and giggled harder but she didn't beg for it to end. To her this was a battle of wills and she was the daughter of the two most strong willed humans that ever graced the planet of Naboo.
Arica smiled as watched the exchange, getting the rare sight of the side of Anakin Skywalker that the galaxy did not know. She was seeing Anakin Skywalker, the father.
"Do you give up?" Anakin asked pausing in his assault.
"Never!" Leia called and started giggling again when Anakin resumed the tickling. She squirmed in his arms even harder and in her squirming her foot collided with a rather delicate part of her father's body.
A rather painful expression crossed Anakin's face as he ground his teeth, doubling over. Leia being oblivious to what made him stop tickling her and to the fact that she had caused him immense pain took her chance to escape and ran down the hall giggling.
Arica couldn't keep herself from laughing and covered it up with her hand over her mouth, stifling her laughter as much as possible.
Anakin remained doubled over holding the spot where his daughter had kicked him. "You think this is funny?" he ground out.
"Yes," Arica told him simply.
Anakin closed his eyes and willed the pain away through the force before straitening up. "Exactly how long will you be on Naboo?" he questioned.
Arica smiled. "There are still some things that need to be gone over with the queen. But I can request an extended stay from Senator Organa," she told him.
Anakin briefly thought that he might be regretting this but the jedi in him forced him to show kindness. "Where will you be staying for this period of time?" he asked.
Arica frowned. "I have a room at Waters Inn," she told him.
You can still back out!!!! Anakin ignored the part of his mind that was paranoid and pressed on. "You can stay here instead," he told her.
Arica smiled at him. "It would be my pleasure," she told him.
Anakin wondered what he had just got himself into when he heard Luke and Leia arguing.
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Melona Twenty-One 13 BBY
Naboo: Theed: Skywalker Home.
Arica opened her eyes to the rising sun of Naboo. She didn't think that it would be this easy to get Anakin to give her a chance yet he had opened up his home to her for her stay on his home planet. It was something that their mother would do and knew that he knew it. Shmi Skywalker was kind and compassionate. She opened her home up to those who were need. She gave and gave, helping those when she could. Arica remembered everything about her. She clung to her mother's memory ever since they were separated by the hutts.
Anger swirled in Arica as she remembered her time as Jabba's slave. She had always been smart and she learned how to survive in that cruel realm early on. As she grew older, her position in Jabba's palace changed to that of a dancing girl, often the object of licentious desires of the males that surrounded Jabba. She was used, raped and beaten with every intent to break her, but she remained strong. She grew cold, she survived. It wasn't until she was almost seventeen when her uncle had disguised himself as a bounty hunter and conned Jabba into turning her over to him. Arica refused to believe in Archi's kindness and fought him viciously, even turning a blaster on him. She remembered shooting him before she realized who he was.
If there was one thing, Archi Skywalker was good at, it was conning deadbeats. It was often how he had provided for her. But Arica wasn't like him. She took opportunities that were given to her and she succeeded on her own merit. But for all the pain and suffering Archi had put her through, Arica could not turn her back on him. Archi Skywalker came through for her when she needed him. He had saved her from hell and had given her options. She knew that he hadn't gambled anything since that fateful bet with the hutts that had torn their family apart. What's more, she saw his pain as he struggled to come to terms with his gravest mistake. She saw how he had searched for her mother and brother, spending months on Tatooine trying to find them. To bring them home, but he never found them.
Arica rolled onto her back and stretched. She closed her eyes briefly smiling to herself. Soon her family will be back together. Soon she'll get her brother to forgive their uncle. Her smile soon disappeared however when something pounced her. Arica opened her eyes to stare into the four red eyes and wide mouth full of fangs of a small nexu looking like it wanted to eat her and wagging it's tail like the predator it was. Arica couldn't stop her frightened scream.
Not fifteen seconds later, the door to her room burst open and Anakin skidded to a halt with his lightsaber in his hand looking like he had jumped right of bed. He relaxed when the animal briefly looked at him before turning back to Arica and began to purr.
Anakin burst out laughing at Arica's frozen terror. "Relax, it's just Rogue," he told her.
Arica forgot about her fear as she scowled at her brother, annoyed that he thought that it was funny. "Don't you know that it is illegal to own a nexu cub? About how dangerous they are?!" she yelled.
Anakin raised an eyebrow. "Have you ever seen a nexu cub?" he asked.
"What's this thing sitting on me?!" Arica retorted.
"A nexa. Leia's pet to be more exact," Anakin told her calmly. "Nexu cubs are much bigger than sixteen pounds. A nexu cub stands at an average human's waist and they wouldn't hesitate to tear a limb off," he corrected.
"Thank you for the animal lesson, now get this thing off of me," Arica replied tartly.
"Rogue!" Anakin called catching the animal's attention, "Down!" he commanded pointing to the floor.
Rogue let out a growl before hopping to the floor and prancing out of the room.
Anakin chuckled to himself. "Well, now that you've woken the entire house, I better start the morning meal," he said exiting the room still chuckling.
Arica got out of bed, furiously muttering to herself, annoyed mostly with herself for showing an ounce of weakness. She began preparing herself for a day of negotiations before Senator Organa would be returning to Alderaan alone since he had granted her leave to reconnect with her brother. She would be spending three weeks here. She was determined to make the best of it and to chip away at Anakin's defenses so that he would open up to her.
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Melona Twenty-Three 13 BBY
Naboo: Theed: Naala's Cafe.
Arica sipped from her glass of fruit juice as she waited. She had received an invitation to lunch from Anakin through her comlink, suggesting that they meet here. It was funny, she didn't remember giving him her frequency. But she was pleasantly surprised. Arica couldn't have picked a better place to eat lunch. Naala's Cafe was quaint and simple. It was an outdoors cafe that sat in South East Theed by the Solleu River and gave an exquisite view of Virdugo Plunge which was the largest waterfall Arica had ever seen.
As Arica watched the water cascade down the plunge, she couldn't help but wondering what her mother would say upon seeing something so majestic. So lost in her thoughts, Arica was startled when she looked away from the waterfall to see two six year old twins sitting quietly and watching her intently. Both twins grinned when they saw her startled and she realized that such was their intent. "You don't sneak up on people like that," she scolded them.
"Like this?" a hushed voice said from behind her and close to her ear.
Arica whirled around to see Anakin there looking amused. "Not funny," she told him.
"You see, that's where you are wrong," Anakin told her taking a seat between Luke and Leia. "Nice work, you two," he praised his children. "Being able to sneak up on someone unnoticed is a handy skill for a jedi," he told them. Luke and Leia beamed.
"You're training them to become jedi?" Arica asked.
"Why not?" Anakin replied. "The order has offered them a place within their ranks should they choose to become jedi. They both have the potential to become powerful jedi," he told her.
"So you are indoctrinating them to follow your footsteps rather than let them choose," Arica stated.
Anakin frowned, taking this as a personal offense. "That is not what I'm doing," he told her flatly. "A force sensitive untrained can have harmful effects. It leaves them vulnerable," he informed her.
"It just sounds like you are giving them no choice in the matter," Arica told him.
"What do you know about the force?" Anakin demanded.
Arica frowned. "Nothing," she admitted.
"Then don't lecture to me about how I teach it to my children," Anakin told her stiffly.
Arica wanted kick herself when she realized that she had offended him and would only push him away if she attacked him. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "I didn't mean to make an uneducated assumption."
"Apology accepted," Anakin told her. "How were the negotiations?" he asked changing the subject.
"They went very well. Your queen is very sympathetic to our cause," Arica informed him.
Anakin smiled a secret smile but didn't say anything.
Arica became suspicious. "What are you hiding?" she asked.
"Queen Camilla is just a child. She grew up privileged, she had no idea that slavery even existed until a couple of weeks ago," Anakin informed her.
"And what made her aware of it?" Arica asked.
"I spoke to her prior to your arrival. The royal guard has asked for my input on several security measures over the years as well as asked me to give the military a lecture on defense and strategy a couple of years ago. I have a long standing invitation to court," Anakin explained.
"You spoke to her about the anti-slavery campaign?" Arica asked surprised.
"Did you expect me not to do anything to help out aside by signing my name to the bill?" Anakin asked.
"I wasn't sure what you were doing, you never came to the meetings," Arica told him.
"Who do you think got the jedi involved?" Anakin questioned. "Senator Organa may have spoken to the council but he had no sway over their affairs. The order is not exactly trusting of politicians and prefers to stay out of politics," he told her.
"I didn't know," Arica said lamely.
"Next time, check your resources," Anakin told her.
"Do you speak to the jedi often? I mean, would they really be receptive towards you after you turned your back on them?" Arica asked.
"I didn't turn my back on the jedi. I resigned from the order, there is a difference," Anakin told her stiffly. "And yes, I speak the the council once a month. I speak to my old mentor, Obi-Wan, daily. I have not cut the jedi from my life and they have not renounced me," he told her.
"Again, my ignorance precedes me," Arica said in way of apology.
Anakin waved it aside. "You are not to blame for your ignorance. The order does not live in the spotlight and our ways are not public knowledge," he told her.
Arica smiled. "How understanding," she commented as they each activated their menus. They next spoke about Luke and Leia's interests and school while they waited for their meal to arrive before the topic changed from the twin's wants out of life. Luke talked about being a jedi like his father and flying across the galaxy on various missions for the common good while Leia agreed with her brother. The topic switched over back to Arica as Leia asked her a question.
"Did you always want to be in politics?"
Arica regarded the child. "No, not always. But I had wanted to help make the galaxy a better place and the best place to work on that would be in politics," she answered.
Anakin snorted. "I'd hate to burst your bubble, but politicians do more harm than good," he told her.
"I am well aware of your disdain for politics," Arica replied.
Anakin leaned forward and looked her directly in the eye. "Do you know what the word politics means in ancient basic?" he asked raising an eyebrow.
"Not particularly, I'm not familiar with ancient basic but I'm sure that you are going to tell me," Arica replied.
"The word poli means many and the word tics means bloodsucking creatures so in ancient basic politics means many bloodsucking creatures," Anakin told her.
Arica frowned as Luke started chortling and Leia grinned. "You really hate politicians," she accused.
"I have good reason to," Anakin told her stiffly leaning back in his seat.
"Yet you married a politician," Arica pointed out.
"I didn't know she was a politician when I fell in love with her, by then it was too late, I was gone," Anakin replied. "Besides, Padme isn't like all the other blood sucking creatures. She wasn't corrupt or interested in what would help herself. She dedicated her life to helping others," he told her.
Arica raised an eyebrow. "How could you not have known that Senator Amidala was a politician. From what I've read, she had been involved in politics since she was twelve," she pointed out.
"When I met my wife, she was disguised as a handmaiden. A servant to the queen of Naboo. It wasn't until I was hooked that I learned that she was the queen," Anakin told her.
"How old were you then?" Arica asked.
Anakin smiled. "I was pretty young. Padme and I were friends first. Then we got married about three days after the battle of geonosis," he told her.
"Such a grand love story," Arica commented.
Anakin smiled. "It was for us," he told her.
Arica smiled. "Mom would be pleased that you have found someone," she told him.
Anakin looked away. "Yeah, she would," he agreed.
"You're lucky, Ani. You have so many people who care about you. Do you realize how rare that is?" Arica commented.
"I suppose so," Anakin replied. "What about you?" he asked.
"I'm married to my career. There is just so much to be done. I don't have time for romance," Arica answered regretfully.
"Sounds like someone else I know," Anakin commented quietly. "I wouldn't say never on romance. You never know when it'll hit you unexpectantly," he said knowingly.
Arica laughed. "I never figured you to be a romantic," she told him.
Anakin frowned. "I'm far from being a romantic. You'll see," he told her.
"I look forward to seeing the real Anakin Skywalker," Arica told him.
"Careful, you may not like what you see," Anakin cautioned her.
For a moment Arica thought that he was serious before he smiled. "You're teasing me," she accused.
"Oh no, I'd be too afraid to tease a politician," he told her.
"You should be," Arica told him seriously. "I'm capable of many things," she told him.
"I'm not afraid," Anakin told her.
Arica smiled. For the first time, she realized, she had her brother back. The moment was however ruined by an argument that broke out between the twins.
A/N 2: It is a fact. In latin the word poli means many and tics means bloodsucking creatures. So in latin politics does mean many bloodsucking creatures. I find the latin definition for politics to be very fitting. All politicians are corrupt, at least in the US. And for anyone who is confused, I am talking about the old latin language not spanish. there is a difference between latin and spanish.
