So I know I said I'd have the epilogue and the last chapter up at the same time... at least I think I did, but at the last minute I decided to add more to this chapter, so I didn't have time to edit the epilogue.
It should be up tomorrow. Or the next day. Soon. It'll be up very soon.
I was so, so, so, so VERY excited to write this chapter! I hope everyone likes it.
Thank y'all for all those sweet reviews! They make me so happy! I can't even describe how nice it makes me feel.
Anyways, as always read, enjoy, and review!
"I'm sorry, Senator, but there's not much more that we can do."
The words kept echoing in Padmé's head as she sat beside the bacta tank that he husband was residing in at the Jedi Temple Halls of Healing. After countless hours, she had finally stopped crying. She assumed this was due to the fact she may literally have no tears left to cry. Her throat was dry, her cheeks a blotchy scarlet hue, and her eyes a swollen, puffy mess.
She'd been residing in the chair closest to the chamber ever since she'd received word of her husband's heroic deeds. She faced away from the chamber, absolutely terrified of how she'd react if she saw how damaged his body was once again. She knew their child must have sensed the tension, for instead of kicking like crazy as per the norm, for the fetus had been exceptionally still. No one knew if Anakin was going to pull through.
"Senator Amidala."
Padmé didn't bother to look at the little green man walking into the room, not only because she was too miserable to care but also because she could easily recognize that voice.
Yoda hobbled over to Anakin, having been already informed that things looked bleak. He placed a hand on the bacta tank, reaching out to the unconscious Anakin through the Force. The Chosen One's Force signature was far stronger than his state would make one assume, but Yoda wasn't surprised by this. Anakin was possibly the strongest Jedi he'd ever met. He'd fulfilled his prophecy of bringing balance to the Force, not just by eliminating the Sith threat, but by also causing the Council to begin discussions of changing the archaic Jedi Code.
"Even now, strong with the Force young Skywalker is. Give up yet, I would not."
"You don't have to lie to me to comfort me." Tears filled Padmé's eyes once again as she thought of what her life would likely be like in the future; a single mother. She didn't know what prospect would bother her more: that she'd have to raise their child alone or that their child would never actually get to meet their father. "I know what's going to happen."
"Do you now?" Yoda pondered, thoughtfully grabbing his chin. "Much death I have sensed in my long life. A fighting chance, Skywalker still has." Yoda gave Padmé a sad smile. "Lie to provide comfort, I would not."
"I can vouch for that." Obi-Wan Kenobi stood in the doorframe, stopping to examine the patient in the bacta chamber. He knew that Yoda could sense how upset he was, but he hid it for the sake of Padmé. Even though he was still concerned, Anakin did look much better than when he'd last been seen in the secret passage of the Senate building.
Padmé looked up at Obi-Wan, noticing that the Jedi Master's left hand was now a mechanical one like her husband. "It's good to see you, Master Jedi." Despite the sadness she was feeling, she still took comfort in the fact that Obi-Wan escaped with only minor injuries – or at least minor compared to the ones that her husband had sustained.
Obi-Wan smiled at the heavily pregnant senator. "Padmé, there's no need for formalities." His smile faded as his gaze shifted from her and back to his former Padawan and best friend. "I know things look bleak, but Anakin is strong. If anyone could escape from such an injury, it would be him."
Padmé felt a surge of fury rise through her. She couldn't understand why they were lying to her just to make her feel better. "Just because of my delicate condition does not mean that you need to lie to me like I'm some child. The healers all say the situation looks forlorn, so there's no use in pretending that things look otherwise." Her expression was hard like her words, but her eyes betrayed her. Her eyes showed how afraid she was.
Padmé couldn't stand the thought of her husband dying. She couldn't stand the idea of their child never knowing their father. She couldn't fathom what would happen if Anakin's dreams were indeed prophecies and their child grew up without either of them. Her hands roamed her stomach, feeling a bump which she assumed was either the head or the buttocks of her fetus. She looked up at Obi-Wan, not caring if Yoda heard what she was about to say.
"Will you raise the baby if we both die?"
Obi-Wan was visibly startled, not expecting those to be the next words out of Padmé's mouth. He felt sick to his stomach. It was bad enough that he could possibly lose his best friend, but to lose Padmé as well would be too much. Still, he couldn't deny her request. At least he wouldn't have to leave the Order in those circumstances, as the child was most definitely Force sensitive and could be taken as his Padawan.
"Of course, my lady."
Padmé spent the next few days at the Jedi temple, completely shirking her responsibilities as a Senator except on one occasion where they voted in the official new Chancellor -which, to no one's surprise, was Mon Mothma. The Council allowed the Senator to stay, even allowing her to spend her nights in Anakin's room so she'd never be too far from him. Even though the Council didn't know how to feel about the relationship, and even with the talks of changing the rules most still didn't approve, they knew there was no reason to mention the matter now. Even Yoda and Mace Windu felt Anakin and Padmé deserved to be cut a little slack. After all, Anakin had indeed fulfilled his prophecy as the Chosen One.
During Padmé's many days in the Jedi Temple, she'd encountered many people she'd never met before, as well as a few old faces, all of whom had come to pay their respects to her husband. From these people, she heard of many of Anakin's heroic tales during the Clone Wars. She took pride in how many lives her beloved had saved, not to mention how many people he helped in other ways. About a week into her stay, a very familiar face she hadn't expected to ever see again showed up.
"I never thought I'd be here again…" someone said to themselves as they entered Anakin's private room, waking Padmé from her uncomfortable nap in her chair.
Padmé's eyes opened slowly, shocked by who was standing in the room with her. "Ahsoka?" she remarked as if it were a question. The togruta was still rather young, but had definitely physically, and likely mentally, matured in the few years since they'd last seen each other; she towered over the former queen of Naboo now and looked as if she might even surpass Anakin's height when she finished growing.
"Senator Amidala!" Ahsoka greeted happily, running over to give her a hug and realizing the increase in the size of Padmé's stomach as she did so. She glanced down at it a moment as they pulled out of the hug, noticeably contemplating whether or not it should be addressed. "That's Skyguy's kid, isn't it?" A nod was her response. "I always wondered if you two were together. He wasn't exactly subtle about his feelings for you."
"I'm starting to realize we weren't as good at hiding our relationship as we thought…" Padmé mused, a sad smile crossing her lips. "How have you been, Ahsoka?"
Ahsoka returned the smile and shook her head. "Don't worry about me. What's important right now is how are you and my old master?"
"He's stirred a few times," Padmé said wistfully, her eyes averting Ahsoka's as she once again examined her husband. He had been moved from the bacta tank and into a medical bed, the healers deciding to put him in healing trances on the bed between bacta tank sessions. "He hasn't fully awakened at any point, but at least he's stirred… and that's at least a small sign of improvement."
Ahsoka reassuringly laid a hand on Padmé's shoulder, knowing there was likely no words she could say that would really comfort the Senator. She didn't know for sure, but she speculated the two had been a pair for quite some time. She felt the best course of action was to simply let Padmé know she was there for support. "I'm here if you need to talk, Senator."
Padmé sadly smiled up at Ahsoka, tears filling her eyes but not falling.
Padmé woke for what she felt was the millionth time that night, a massive pain searing through her lower abdomen. She was sure she knew what the pain meant, but she wasn't ready for it to happen yet, not with her husband hooked up to life support. She glanced at a clock, realizing that it had only been about ten minutes since her last bout of pain hit and she was filled with alarm. She didn't want to go into labor without Anakin there, but it seemed as if the baby had other plans.
She gently got out of bed, one hand on her spasming stomach, as she made her way to Obi-Wan's room down the hall. She knocked on the door, making sure it was hard enough that he would hear it but still soft enough that it wouldn't disturb anyone else. However, that was a moot gesture as a moment later she screamed, doubling over in agony and bracing one hand against the wall so she wouldn't collapse.
Almost immediately, Obi-Wan's door was open and his lightsaber was out, instantly recognizing Padmé's shriek and assumed in his half-awaken state that she was in some sort of physical danger. As soon as he saw her, he knew what was going on and turned off his lightsaber.
"Does… does anyone here… know how to…." Padmé tried to gasp out after her contraction ended, but was having issues due to being out of breath.
"They can help you," Obi-Wan answered as he grabbed Padmé and began to guide her to the Halls of Healing as quickly as he could.
Anakin's eyes slowly opened for the first time in a little over a week, the bright lights above him blinding him momentarily. He felt a dull ache in his head, as well as all over his back. The main source of his pain was concentrated in a fist-sized circle below his ribcage. He was guessing that's where he had sustained the main source of his damage.
He quickly figured out where he was, but was having a difficult time remembering how he'd gotten there. The last thing he remembered was stabbing Palpatine in the stomach, and Mace Windu's astonishment at witnessing him fulfill the prophecy. It was minutes before he remembered the bomb going off.
"The coward…" Anakin thought bitterly, thanking the Force that he'd once again narrowly escaped with his life. He began to scan the room, surprised to actually see flowers and other forms of sentiment on a table to his left. It appeared as if many people had come to see him during his stay at the Halls of Healing. He scanned to the right, surprised to see a young, sleeping togruta curled up in a chair.
"Snips!" he exclaimed, instantly regretting the loud volume and he winced at the anguish he'd caused himself as the dull ache in his head turned into a sharp throbbing.
Ahsoka jumped, almost falling out of the chair she was in. "Master?!" She gasped, hands going over her mouth. A sheen of tears filled her eyes as she fully took in the fact that Anakin was indeed staring back at her, lucid, awake, and alive. "Skyguy! You're alive… you survived!" Her voice caught in her throat, which she cleared quickly. "I… I've got to go get Padmé and Master Kenobi!" she exclaimed before dashing off to do just that.
Mere seconds after Ahsoka had left, several Jedi Healers appeared to examine Anakin, asking him questions to test his coherence and sensing to make sure he was indeed alright. Despite the sharp incline of his health, they insisted that he would likely need to stay in his medical bed for at least another week. They parted almost as quickly as they came, promising that someone would be bringing him food and water soon.
Minutes later, Ahsoka returned in a frenzy. Apprehension crossed her face, as she knew as soon as she told her Master what she'd found out he would be impossible to keep in his bed.
"Where is Padmé?" Anakin asked as soon as he saw Ahsoka. He felt a knot of tension in his core. "Is she safe, is she all right?"
"I believe so…" The togruta knew there was no point in hiding this from Anakin, because no matter what he'd be out of bed trying to find his wife. "Master… Anakin, she's going to have the baby."
"It looks like you're going to have a roommate, Padmé," Obi-Wan said in an uncharacteristically chipper voice, causing Padmé to give him a look that showed just how much she was questioning his sanity. He had been through quite a lot in the past few years, so it didn't seem illogical to her that him helping his best friend's wife deliver a baby while said friend was in something of a coma could be just the thing to finally send him over the edge. However, she would need him to postpone his insanity; her contractions were only five minutes apart, and his use of the Force was the only painkiller she was receiving.
Padmé looked out the door curiously, seeing the back of Ahsoka moving towards her. It seemed as if she were helping the Jedi Healers Force move another bed into her room. Padmé was hit with confusion until she realized that someone was on that bed, someone she'd desperately wanted to be at her delivery. She shot out of her bed, not even bothering to try to contain her excitement as her roommate's bed was placed only a few feet from hers.
"Ani!" she squealed as she leaned over and wrapped her arms around her husband, trying her best to hug him despite the medical bed railing and her large gut in the way. It was then she once again began to sob, though this time for a very different reason than she'd been crying for the whole week. "I can't believe you're alive. Why are you here?"
"When Skyguy woke up, I went to go find you and Obi-Wan," Ahsoka began, smiling at her stubborn friend. "When you weren't where I thought you'd be, I ran back and one of the healers told me what happened. Once I told Anakin, there was no way he was going to stay in his bed, unless that bed were brought here."
Obi-Wan had made his way to Anakin's bed, standing on the side opposite of Padmé. He laid a comforting hand on Anakin's shoulder. "Good to see you alive, my old friend."
Anakin smiled back at Obi-Wan before he noticed. "Obi-Wan… Your arm!"
Obi-Wan shrugged nonchalantly. "It's a small price to pay to assist the Chosen One in his destiny."
Anakin lifted his own mechanical arm. "Well, now we match." He grinned.
The moment was interrupted by Padmé screaming as a puddle hit the floor. "I was wondering when that was gonna happen…" Padmé said all too calmly for someone who's water had just broke. Having already been in labor for several hours, plus the fact that her husband miraculously would be there for the birth, she was ready for the whole ordeal to be done with.
"Padmé?" Anakin questioned, alarm evident on his face. He sensed that she and the baby were fine, but that didn't do much to ease the fear in his heart. He had hoped that Obi-Wan was right and that his nightmares were just that, and not premonitions of the worst thing he could have woken up to.
"I'm fine, Ani," Padmé said as if she'd read his mind. "This is just a normal part of labor. Everything's moving along fine."
Admittedly, Anakin, as well as most of the Jedi, really knew little about the birthing process. It wasn't something that Jedi typically, if ever, had to deal with, so it wasn't part of the Jedi curriculum.
Anakin looked at Obi-Wan, knowing his friend would inform him if Padmé were lying to comfort him. Obi-Wan smiled warmly in response, using the Force to inform Anakin that Padmé really was okay. Anakin heaved a sigh of relief, giving his wife a chaste kiss before returning to slumber. He still had quite a bit of healing to do.
Anakin slept through Padmé's random screams for the next few hours, secure in the knowledge that Obi-Wan would wake him should it begin to look like his horrific dreams were coming true. However, it really seemed as though Obi-Wan was right: those nightmares were planted by the now defeated Sith Lord.
Anakin woke when he felt a pair of hands on his shoulder, shaking Anakin very lightly.
"It's time, Anakin."
Anakin's eyes fluttered open and his heart began to pound, fear and excitement radiating from him. He thought about asking if he were allowed to get out of his bed for this, but only for a moment. He didn't care what the Healer's wanted him to do, not at this instance. He made a mental note that he would comply with their wishes after this, but there was no way he wasn't going to witness the birth of his child.
Obi-Wan made his way to the head of the bed, allowing Padmé to grab onto his now-mechanical hand, grateful that it was at least going to come in handy for this moment. Ahsoka was on the other side of the head of the bed, running a cool washcloth over the pregnant woman's forehead, trying to help the impending mother be as comfortable as possible.
"Padmé, Skyguy… Are you two ready to become parents?"
The second those words left Ahsoka's mouth, a large smile graced Anakin's lips. He was going to be a dad! "As ready as I'll ever be."
Though Padmé did scream through the delivery, it bore little resemblance to the screeching Anakin had heard in his nightmares. This allowed him to actually enjoy watching slow, painful process of Padmé giving birth to their first child. Tears of happiness filled Anakin's eyes as a little blonde head began to be revealed, the rest of the baby sliding out soon after.
After quickly checking to make sure that something hadn't somehow turned sour and that Padmé was indeed still alive and healthy, Anakin went over to dote on his newborn son. He helped the medical droid clean the baby and he cut the cord before finally holding the baby, marveling at the curious blue eyes that so much resembled his own.
"I guess you were right, Padmé," Anakin said as he brought the baby up to his wife. "We have a little boy."
Padmé smiled up at Anakin and their baby tiredly, refusing to take the baby when Anakin went to hand him to her. "I just have a feeling this isn't quite over yet."
"Of course it's not," the Jedi Healer said matter-of-factly, looking at the others in the room perplexedly. "There's still one more baby to go."
The room went silent, save for the soft cries of the little blonde newborn, as they heard that. As Padmé hadn't been receiving proper prenatal care, they knew nothing of the second baby growing inside of her.
"That would explain the abnormally strong Force signature, even for the baby of the Chosen One…" Obi-Wan pondered aloud.
Soon it was time for Padmé to push again and Anakin handed off the baby to Obi-Wan. Anakin returned to where he'd been standing before, not wanting to miss the birth of his second child. The second little brown haired baby came out much more quickly than the little blonde one had, and soon Anakin was handing Padmé their second child.
"I told you we were going to have a girl." Anakin sat on the edge of his wife's hospital bed, gently taking the little blonde boy back in his arms. He reached out to Padmé through the Force, checking one last time to make sure she was really going to be okay and to his delight he was! He couldn't believe it; he had his wife, two beautiful children, and his two best friends there to help celebrate the occasion. It was hard to believe that it wasn't really all that long ago that he'd had felt himself slipping into darkness.
"I can't believe we made these…" Padmé marveled as she tentatively reached out to touch her baby's tiny brown curl. She looked up at her husband, smiling at the sight of his holding their other child. She then turned to look at Obi-Wan and Ahsoka, reiterating what she'd just said in a voice that showed just how exhausted she was, "We made these."
"They're beautiful, Padmé," Obi-Wan smiled softly.
"They're perfect," Ahsoka agreed, a soft smile gracing her face as well. "Do they have names?"
The new parents looked at each other, the looks they were giving each other making it obvious that, no, the babies did not have names. Not officially, anyways. They had tossed around ideas before, but had decided they'd make that decision when it was closer to the due date. With all the events that had transpired recently, though, they hadn't the time to do so.
"I always really liked the name Leia," Ahsoka chimed in, trying to be helpful. She walked over to Padmé, wanting to get a closer look at the child she was holding. She gently stroked the baby's cheek, chuckling as the child attempted to suckle on her finger.
"Leia…" Anakin repeated, testing the name out at he looked down at his daughter. "She does look like a Leia."
"Leia," Padmé echoed, testing the name out herself and deciding that she agreed; their daughter really did look like a Leia. "Then her name shall be Leia." She looked at the child a moment, visibly contemplating. "Leia Shmi Skywalker."
Anakin stiffened, not expecting that suggestion from his wife. He was not about to let himself cry, not when he was that tired and weak. Chances were, if he started he might not have been able to stop until he surrendered to sleep. "I think that's a wonderful name," he choked out quickly, quickly becoming enamored with his son once again as a distraction. "What about this little guy?" His gaze shifted to former master, an expectant glint in his eyes.
Obi-Wan was taken aback as Padmé and Ahsoka turned to him with the same look as well. "You want me to come up with a name for him?"
"It's only fair, Obi-Wan," Ahsoka teased, her sass as strong as ever. "I helped them name Leia, so you need to help them name the other baby."
"I don't think that's quite how this works…" Obi-Wan was actually flattered by this proposal that he helped name the baby. He stood silently a moment, thinking long and hard about an appropriate name for that child. He walked over to Anakin, requesting that he held the baby as he was deep in thought. "Luke? Does he look like a Luke to you?"
Anakin smiled, nodding. "Luke." He yawned, fully realizing just how tired he was. He was still injured fairly bad, so after Obi-Wan and Ahsoka maneuvered his bed to be closer to Padmé's, Anakin crawled back into it and decided to rest. He and Padmé fell asleep, each of them with a baby in their arms.