June 17th, Three years post Galactic Empire
The space port in the capital city of Verron was crowded, everyone rushing to some destination whether it be to a flight or somewhere on the planet. Anakin very clearly remembered then last time they'd been here, almost four years ago. Leia was tiny and Luke was gone and he was a mess. He looked down as Leia tugged on his hand, looking up at him with her big brown eyes.
"How long are you going to be gone?" She questioned, pouting.
He kneeled down so he was on her level, "Just a few days," He promised, "You'll hardly miss me, Mia says you're going to the park and Demi's going to come over and you'll make cookies. You won't know I'm gone."
His three—almost four—year old daughter didn't look satisfied, "But I want to come with you," She whined.
"You have to stay home Princess," He told her gently, "Tatooine is very dangerous and I want you and Mia to be safe."
She crossed her arms and pouted, a signature move when she wasn't getting her way. Anakin couldn't blame her, this was the first time they'd be separated for longer than a day. The idea of not seeing each other for four days was daunting for the both of them. He turned to Mia who was smiling reassuringly at him.
It had been seven years, it was time to see her again. In the seven years since she'd died he hadn't once visited his mother's grave. It was time, he needed the closure. Mia had been all for the idea, promising that she'd take care of Leia while he was gone. She'd even helped him find a pilot who'd fly him there.
Anakin looked at Mia, wanting very badly to kiss her. Turning, he looked for any sort of visual distraction to occupy Leia for a second so he could steal a kiss.
"Hey Princess, does that look like a balloon stand to you?" He asked her, pointing vaguely into the direction of the crowd.
"Where?" Leia asked excitedly, looking around.
Leaning forward, Anakin kissed Mia goodbye. Leia turned towards him just as they pulled away, looking disappointed at the lack of balloon stand.
"Mr. Moslov," The pilot, Savo, spoke up, "I'm ready to go when you are."
Turning to look over his shoulder, Anakin nodded before hugging Leia one more time. Then he insisted Leia look for the balloon stand just so he could steal one more kiss from Mia. Pulling away, Mia smiled coyly before turning Anakin around and nudging him in the direction of his pilot. He followed Savo down a long hallway before walking outside onto a runway. It was an old, small two man ship and Anakin had to hold back a snide remark about it ever being able to fly because he knew how pilots were about their ships. He got in as directed and strapped himself in. It was surreal for him because in the last twelve years or so he'd always been the pilot and never the passenger. Obi-wan had let him pilot the ship on missions since he was fourteen. He did it exclusively because Obi-wan didn't care for flying and Mia was never all that keen on learning to fly. If it hadn't been for the war he doubted she'd ever learn. As the ship took off and left the atmosphere he wondered how Mia and Leia would be while he was gone, getting started on the worrying a little early.
It was four hours later when they came out of hyperspace, Tatooine and its duel suns were visible and the sight of it made Anakin both anxious and uncomfortable. He'd always hated Tatooine, he couldn't remember a time when he hadn't hated it. As long as he could remember he'd wanted nothing more than to leave the planet and its non-existent anti-slave policy behind.
Then the unexpected happened. The ship was assaulted with cannon fire, sending it flying back. Both Anakin and Savo swore as they saw the Star Destroyer flying through space, aiming for a small fleet of renegade ships nearby. Savo was busy raising the shields but Anakin couldn't help but notice the cold and dark presence on board the ship.
Must be Darth Brutus, our precious Emperor's right hand man, Anakin decided, sarcasm leaking into his thoughts. Not really missing that position.
The ship shook as another blast of cannon fire hit them, followed by another. Screens were flashing red and the cockpit was filled with beeping alarms. Anakin watched as Savo piloted them through the atmosphere of Tatooine, the descent rocky to say the least. If Anakin wasn't so worried for his life he'd probably remember the crash landing of Antriselle—or That Shithole of a Planet as he liked to refer to it as.
Savo slowed the ship down considerably but not enough to make a safe landing. If they were lucky they'd survive this one.
Impact is a bitch, Anakin decided.
June 17th, Three years post Galactic Empire
Obi-wan smiled as he watched Luke run to Beru, carting his new drawing pad and a relatively new box of crayons. He was off to work because, due to the general state of alcoholism on the planet, some bars never closed, particularly the one he worked at. But the money was at least honest so he didn't complain too much. Turning, he walked back to the speeder and started it up and started the drive to Mos Eisley.
As he was nearing the city something caught his eye. Slowing the speeder to a stop, he watched as a ship streaked through the sky, leaving a trail of puffy black smoke. He watched as the ship pulled its nose up only to skid to a crash. The occupants most likely hadn't survived. Obi-wan started up the speeder to go to work but his Jedi instincts were nagging at him, telling him to check it out and see if there were survivors.
If there were survivors they'd have to walk miles and miles through the desert to find some sort of civilization and they'd have to manage that while injured.
Jedi instincts won out and Obi-wan turned the speeder around, driving it towards the crash site. As he neared he saw what looked like a person, a man maybe, treading slowly through the desert before stumbling forward and falling. They didn't get up.
Pulling the speeder to a stop nearby, Obi-wan approached the man slowly. Kneeling down he turned him over.
The sight of Anakin, face bloodied and unconscious shocked him—to say the least. He checked for a pulse, afraid he wouldn't find one. It was thready and weak but it was very there. Obi-wan cast a glance at the other person in the crashed ship but one glance was enough to know that the pilot was dead. Obi-wan noticed the way Anakin's left shoulder was positioned, obviously dislocated. Keeping that in mind, Obi-wan carefully picked up his friend and carried him to the speeder.
They second they got home Obi-wan carried—with a lot of difficulty—Anakin inside, setting him down on his bed. The next ten minutes were spent in panic and surprisingly very little of it was spent wondering how Anakin would react. Instead Obi-wan was wondering how in the hell he was supposed to treat Anakin's injuries.
Did he pop Anakin's shoulder back in place now or was he supposed to wait until he was actually conscious. Obi-wan also had very little in the way of first aid, enough bandaids and disinfectant to take care of Luke's scrapped knees and small cuts but that might not be enough. Obi-wan wasn't even sure if Anakin's cuts needed stitches or not.
What he really needed right now was Mia.
On a whim Obi-wan looked through Anakin's pockets and found a wallet and a comm. It only had a handful of known frequencies but he tried the most used one, praying to the Force it was Mia. He waited for the beep that signaled he'd been connected.
"Hey, how was the trip?" Mia asked, "I just put Leia to bed, I'm exhausted."
Obi-wan opened his mouth to say something but no words came out. What was he supposed to say? Go straight into the part where Anakin was injured and he'd stolen his comm. or wait until he'd properly apologized for something.
"Anakin?" Mia called, "You alright."
"Uh," Obi-wan stalled, "It's not exactly Anakin." He winced, realizing how stupid that sounded.
There was a pause, "Obi-wan?!" She questioned, sounding shocked, "How in the hell did you get Anakin's comm.?"
"His ship crashed," Obi-wan started, "I found him in the desert, injured and unconscious and now I've taken him to my home but I don't know how to treat his injuries."
"Shit," Mia muttered under her breath, "Alright, what are his injuries?"
"Dislocated shoulder, several cuts on his face and possibly other places that may or may not need stitches," Obi-wan answered, "And all I have are bandaids and a little disinfectant."
He figured she was shaking her head, she usually did that when the situation was dismal and she was thinking about what to do, "Alright, boil water if you have any, check for any other cuts or injuries on the rest of his body, pay attention to bruising because there might be internal bleeding."
Nodding, despite the fact she couldn't see it, Obi-wan moved to the kitchen and got some water going before returning to Anakin.
"You're going to have to cut his shirt off because trying to take it off will just make the injuries worse," Mia reminded him.
After Obi-wan cut the shirt off, he found two minor cuts on Anakin's left side as well as a little bruising. "There are bruises but they don't look all that bad," He told her.
"Keep an eye on them, the bleeding might be slow," Mia told him. "When the water boils you're going to wait until it's cool enough to not scald your skin because you're going to need that to clean his cuts. In the meantime find your cleanest cloth and use those as bandages."
He heard her sigh over the comm. "Setting his shoulder won't be fun," She told him.
June 17th, Three years post Galactic Empire
His head hurt like someone had clubbed him and it throbbed in pace with his heart. Every part of him hurt, from his shoulder to his ribs to his muscles. Anakin honestly couldn't remember the last time he hurt this bad, probably not since the war—at least. As he came back to awareness he opened his eyes, not liking the way his vision blurred for a bit before coming into focus. Groaning, he tried to look around.
"Anakin, how do you feel?" A vaguely familiar voice asked, making Anakin realize he wasn't alone.
Turning, he looked at his old master, who was barely recognizable without his beard. "Obi-wan?" He mumbled uncertainly as he struggled to sit up, ignoring the pain.
He was pulled into a hug unexpectedly, making Anakin wonder if he was dreaming. His most recent memories of Obi-wan consisted of fighting on a lava planet and having his son taken away—and that wasn't counting the reoccurring nightmare of having his arm and legs caught off and burning. The memory of all that had him struggling to get away.
Anakin opened his mouth to say something, ask a question but all that came out was: "How?" His voice breaking at the word.
Obi-wan looked at him like he didn't know how to answer that. "I'm sorry," He murmured, looking down.
"You took Luke away from me," Anakin reminded him hollowly, trying to sound as furious as he felt about that but too tired and in too much pain to speak much louder than a whisper.
"I was wrong," Obi-wan told him, shaking his head, "I was wrong about everything that day. I shouldn't have pushed you away that night, I should have talked to you and helped you, not fight you."
Anakin looked down at his hands, shocked to hear those words.
"Pushing you away and taking Luke is my biggest regret," Obi-wan whispered, praying to the Force and whatever deity that may listen that Anakin believed him and could eventually forgive him.
Anakin looked up at him, his stormy blue eyes looking haunted, "How could you?" He asked.
Obi-wan closed his eyes, "Honestly, I can't even remember," He answered, "All I know what is, if I could go back, I would change everything that happened."
Anakin looked like he didn't know what to say, and he didn't.
"You don't know how many night's I've been up thinking about you, wondering what I could have done to help you, why you didn't feel like you could come to me," Obi-wan admitted before looking at Anakin sadly, "Didn't you know you could come to me with anything that was bothering you and I wouldn't have turned you away. I may not have been thrilled with your marriage but I would have come around and I'd have tried to help you in any way I can."
"I failed you as a friend and a brother," Obi-wan whispered, "And I hope that one day I can make that up to you."
Anakin looked up, tears in his eyes that threatened to fall. After a moment he blinked them away and took a deep breath, trying to calm down.
"You didn't fail me Obi-wan," He mumbled finally, "I don't think anything we did could have changed what happened. Padmé would have died no matter what we did. The doctor said she had a pre-existing heart condition and that the stress of war had worsened it, her heart couldn't take the stress of labor, it was always going to happen."
"You and Mia did your best to keep me going but," Anakin's breath hitched, "I don't think it could have been helped."
They sat in silence for a while before Obi-wan checked the clock. His shift had been over for an hour and Beru would be expecting him to come and get Luke. Casting a glance at Anakin, he knew his friend would love nothing more than to see his son again.
"Come on, we need to go," Obi-wan spoke up, standing.
Anakin looked up at him in surprise, "Why? Where?"
"Places," Obi-wan answered vaguely, wanting it to be a surprise.
"Can I at least get a shirt," Anakin requested before pointing to the pile of rags on the side of the bed, "Seeing as you cut mine up."
Nodding, Obi-wan picked up the duffle bag he'd found next to Anakin at the crash site and set it down next to his former Padawan. Unzipping it with his good arm, Anakin pulled out one of his preferred black shirts, with long sleeves. He was going to burn wearing it and he supposed he should have packed more practically but he was never known for being all that practical when it came to packing. Putting it on was a struggle, to say the least, but he managed that as well as putting the sling back on.
He followed Obi-wan to the speeder and sat in the passenger's seat. The drive was quiet, neither of them knowing what to say. Then the slightly familiar farm came into view and Anakin knew he was about to see his stepbrother and stepfather, neither of which thrilled him but he kept quiet about it.
Finally the speeder pulled to a stop and Anakin got out, noticing the way Obi-wan didn't go in straight away. Suddenly a little boy came running out but then dropped dead in his tracks at the sight of him. Anakin didn't even have to think about it, it was Luke. After a moment the boy came running, wrapping his arms around Anakin's legs.
"I knew you'd come," Luke whispered.
Reaching down, Anakin picked Luke up, taking a moment to really look at him. His blond hair was a mess and there was a smudge of what looked like dirt on his cheek but his eyes were the deepest shade of blue. He had to fight to not cry, he was in shock. Then a smile broke out on his face, wide and brilliant. Luke wrapped his arms around Anakin's neck, holding on like his life depended on it.
"I can't believe I found you," Anakin choked out.
June 17th, Three years post Galactic Empire
After Luke had fallen asleep Anakin and Obi-wan had sat at the tiny dinner table that sat in front of the equally tiny kitchen, sipping coffee slowly. The silence hung over them like a dark cloud as they wondered what they should say to the other. Anakin cast a long glance at the open door to Luke's room where the boy was sleeping soundly.
"Does he sleep easily?" Anakin found himself asking before he could think about it.
Obi-wan shook his head, "No, he may fall asleep rather quickly but he wakes up several times a night most of the time," He answered.
Anakin nodded, "Leia doesn't sleep well, it's hard to get her to sleep but when she's out she stays out," He murmured.
The silence persisted like an unwelcomed guest before Obi-wan finally asked a question that had been weighing on him. "Do you ever have nightmares of Mustafar, but it ended differently?"
Anakin's attention snapped to him in an instant and that was answer enough for Obi-wan. "And it feels like you can't control what happens and the worst ends up happening?" He added.
His eyes widened before Anakin nodded slowly, not able to believe it. Were they having the same dream? Possibly at the same time? Looking down at his coffee cup, Anakin found he couldn't make eye contact with Obi-wan anymore.
"For the first year I almost never slept," Obi-wan mentioned slowly.
"For the first year I was a mess," Anakin muttered bitterly, "I'm still a mess."
Obi-wan looked at Anakin, desperately wanting to know what happened, but he supposed he hadn't exactly earned the privilege of Anakin's trust, not by a long shot. They were quiet again, the heavy topics weighing down in their chests but they couldn't seem to bring them up.
"I want to take Luke home," Anakin whispered before looking up and meeting Obi-wan eyes, "And if you're willing, I want you to come home with me too."
To say he was shocked to hear that was an understatement and it was all Obi-wan could do to nod, "I'd like that," He whispered finally, barely able to string the words together.
"I was supposed to go home two days from now but, truthfully, I want to get the hell off this planet," Anakin told him.
Obi-wan chuckled, "Yeah, I want to get the hell off this planet," He agreed.
"Why Tatooine?" Anakin inquired suddenly.
"Well, at the start I was on Kail but then someone sent a bounty hunter after me—Claus Greyback says 'hi' by the way, he's been looking for Mia," Obi-wan added, "Then I was on Pallaxides for a while."
Anakin's eyebrow furrowed, "Then that terrorist attack," He assumed, spitting out the word 'terrorist' like it had a bad taste in his mouth.
"There's a rebellion now and Claus was leading a mission but it went bad and when I found out about it I tried to get Luke off-world as quickly as possible. As soon as I'd gotten Luke safe on my ship I heard the sounds of a lightsaber battle. It was Claus and Darth Brutus, they were fighting and Claus had just lost, the Sith had him pinned. We ended up fighting and finally Darth Brutus was knocked unconscious. Claus told me to get off-world with Luke as quickly as possible—he was the one that sent the bounty hunter, that's how he knew about him. He said he'd take care of the Sith but, I guess it didn't really go as planned."
"Next thing I know I'm number two on the Empire's most wanted list," Obi-wan concluded.
Anakin nodded, "So, since you're a criminal, you decided the best place to blend in was with other criminals," He finished.
Obi-wan nodded, "That sums it up pretty nicely," He agreed, "We've been here for about a year and a half. I've been working at a bar."
He chuckled at that, "You working at a bar?" Anakin questioned, not quite believing his ears.
"Before that I was hustling to pay for rent and Luke's needs," Obi-wan answered with a shrug, "This is at least honest."
Anakin nodded, trying to fight a big grin at hearing that, finding it the funniest thing he'd heard all day. Mia was going to get a crack up at that. They knew Qui-gon had taught Obi-wan the great art of hustling but Obi-wan had always insisted he'd never use it and he flat out refused to ever teach it to him or Mia.
"Civilian life is a funny thing," Anakin mused, "I'm a mechanic now, Mia watches Leia during the day when I'm working."
"How is Mia?" Obi-wan queried curiously.
Anakin nodded, looking down at his hands, "Good, I think she's the only one who came out of this war unscathed," He murmured, "She's had a hard year though."
Obi-wan's eyebrows furrowed as he opened his mouth to ask but Anakin cut him off, "She'd kill me for telling you, it's just something you'll have to wait to hear, from her."
He nodded, not liking the sound of that, it worried him to no end. He wondered if Mia would tell him about it right away, she was usually very open about things but she was also very good at keeping secrets and he knew that all too well.
Not long after that they crashed, Obi-wan gave Anakin his bed and took the ratty old couch for himself.
June 19th, Three years post Galactic Empire
Luke clung to Anakin like his life depended on it, Anakin held Luke like he was afraid the three—almost four—year old would disappear if he looked away. The flight to Verron was nerve racking and he wondered how he'd explain to the twins that they had a twin. He hadn't told Leia because, by the time she could understand, he didn't think he'd ever find Luke. Obi-wan didn't tell Luke because it meant admitting that he'd taken the boy from a loving family. When the ship landed their hearts were racing. Taking Luke in his arms, he walked down the long hallway into the crowded transportation center. It was loud and voices echoed from all corners of the large room. Anakin looked for Mia, wondering if she was even here yet.
Then he felt the shock and complete surprise from the other side of the bond he shared with Mia. Turning he followed the direction of those feelings and saw her standing with a confused Leia. Her hand moved to her mouth like she couldn't believe it and then a great big grin broke out onto her face. Walking towards her, Anakin could help but beam back at her.
Kneeling down, he set Luke in front of Leia. "Luke, this is your sister, Leia," He introduced them, "Leia, this is your brother Luke."
They stared at each other for a long moment, not knowing what to make of that before Leia smiled at him. Luke returned the smile shyly, still uncertain.
"And this is Obi-wan," He told Leia, "He's a friend."
Obi-wan couldn't contain the joy of being called a friend by Anakin because he didn't really feel like he deserved it, but nothing meant more to him than Anakin's friendship.
Luke looked up at Mia curiously. She knelt down so she was on Luke's level and smiled gently at the shy boy, "Hello Luke, I'm Mia," She introduced herself, "I'm a friend of your dad's."
Nodding, he smiled back at her.
After a moment Anakin spoke up, "I just want to go home, I'm exhausted."
Mia smirked at him, "Crash landing really doesn't agree with you," She joked, "At least this time you can say it wasn't by your hand."
Anakin rolled his eyes, "You're so funny Mia," He teased her as he picked up Luke. He smiled down at Leia as she grabbed his other hand, feeling left out.
Mia led the way out the transportation center and to the speeder. The ride was slow as Mia and Obi-wan caught up with each other.
When Anakin pulled the speeder into the driveway Leia was out in an instant, taking Luke's hand and dragging him towards the door. When she found the door was looked she huffed, looking at her dad expectantly as he moved to unlock it. Taking Luke's hand she dragged him inside, giving him a tour of the house before taking him up the stairs. Anakin turned to see Mia leaning against the wall.
"I think they're going to get along well," She murmured before laughing.
"That's a relief," Obi-wan spoke up behind them.
Moving back, they let their former master in. "Tour of the house?" Mia suggested.
Turning, Obi-wan nodded. Pointing to the kitchen, Mia announced, "That's the kitchen, no, you're not allowed to use it without supervision by me, nobody is."
Anakin huffed and rolled his eyes at that. Ignoring him, Mia let Obi-wan to the living room and dining room before pointing at the empty fourth bedroom they never used, "Spare bedroom so I guess your bedroom now," She moved upstairs.
They found Luke and Leia in what was going to be their shared room. Leia was showing Luke her toys. The twins were completely oblivious to being watched.
"I'm really relieved they're getting along," Anakin murmured, "I had thought it would take more time, but," He trailed off, smiling.
Nodding, Mia turned and pointed out her bedroom and Anakin's, along with the bathroom. Fortunately for Obi-wan, he had his own bathroom downstairs. Turning around, Mia went back down stairs, mentioning something about dinner. Following her down the stairs, Obi-wan went to explore this fourth bedroom that was now suddenly his. Opening the door, he found it was rather plain, a nice sized bed—larger than he'd ever had really, he'd slept on single beds his whole life, as odd as that sounded—the blankets were blue and there was a dresser. Nodding, Obi-wan stepped in and closed the door behind him. Setting down the large, heavy bag, Obi-wan started unpacking. It was mostly clothes, but Obi-wan pulled out the notebook he'd kept for Luke, full of pictures and little notes marking at what age Luke had started walking or had said his first work. Tucked into random pages were a handful of old pictures of Anakin and Mia. He was lucky to even have the ones he had now, most of his pictures had been lost when the Jedi Temple went up in flames, these were just the ones he carried with him on missions when he was missing them.
June 20th, Three years post Galactic Empire
Anakin walked down the stairs with the twins. It turned out that Luke was a morning person, unlike his father and sister. That little aspect reminded him very distinctly of Padmé, who was always ready to start the day. When Anakin was younger you couldn't drag him out of bed, he was lucky if he made it to his coffee cup without falling asleep again. This trait had been changed dramatically by war, he always had to be ready to go. In hindsight, war changed everything. Now he had, grudgingly, become a morning person, always up earliest so he could meditate in peace—though he might have woken Obi-wan while he was trying to get outside into the backyard.
He found Mia standing at the counter, chopping up fruit. "Morning," He signed.
"Morning," She returned before raising an eyebrow at him, "Is there any particular reason why the fridge looks like a bear rifled through it?"
Anakin put on an innocent face, "I don't know, maybe you should ask Obi-wan," He suggested.
She rolled her eyes, "Are we seriously back to the 'blame Obi-wan' game," She signed, not able to help the smirk that crossed her features.
Anakin grinned mischievously, "Seems like it," He replied before looking down at Luke as he tugged on Anakin's shirt, "What's going on?" The boy questioned quietly, looking shy.
Anakin could have face-palmed himself for being so stupid, why had he assumed Luke would just know sign language. Obi-wan may know it himself but he never had reason to use it or teach it to Luke. Reaching down, Anakin lifted Luke so he was seated on the counter chair next to him.
"We're talking," He explained, watching as Luke looked ever more confused, "Instead of using our voices to make words we're just using hand signs for words."
"Like the people on Tatooine," Luke guessed, "But Ben said those signs were bad."
Mia bit back a smile at his innocence.
"No, those signs are very bad but there are good signs too," Anakin explained before raising his hands to sign slowly along as he spoke, "It's easier to understand if we talk while signing. If you watch long enough you'll start to figure it out. Leia did."
"We can teach you basics," Mia added.
Luke looked between the two of them, not quiet getting it, "Why can't you just talk normally?" He questioned like it was obvious.
Mia snorted with amusement, "I believe you asked the same question when Obi-wan and I first explained it to you," She reminded Anakin as she passed him to stand in front of Luke, "I can't hear, I was born deaf which means my ears don't work. So we sign because it's easier."
The poor boy looked even more lost, "But you talk," He reminded her.
She smiled wryly, finding she really enjoyed Luke's curiosity. Questions like this from adults usually annoyed Mia but she didn't mind when children asked because it was just curiosity and trying to learn. With adults it was ignorance, nosiness and novelty.
"Yeah," She agreed, "But you know how on Tatooine a lot of people speak Huttese?" When Luke nodded, she continued, "There's more than one way to communicate, lots of ways actually. Signing is just one of them."
Obi-wan strolled into the room, completely unaware of the situation. He stopped when he noticed everyone staring at him.
"What?" He questioned slowly, worried.
Mia smirked at him and raised an eyebrow, "So rumor has it you never taught Luke sign language," She replied.
"Ben knows sign language?" Luke asked, not really believing it.
Anakin turned to his son, "He's actually the person who taught Mia to sign, and me for that matter," He answered before turning back to his former master, trying not to grin at the way Obi-wan looked like a deer caught in the headlights.
"To be fair, Luke hasn't really needed to learn sign language until now," Obi-wan reminded them, "And I've also gotten rusty since the war started."
Mia rolled her eyes and Anakin just shook his head in dismay. It was just one of the many things Luke would have to get used to living with them.
As they ate Anakin, Mia and Leia signed while talking to help teach Luke and get Obi-wan back into the swing of things. It probably wouldn't be too hard for Luke to learn, it was easier for children to learn languages in the first five years of life than at any other time in their lives. Obi-wan was more than a little rusty, his signs sloppy and sometimes confused with others. Luke watched with interest as they signed, captivated.
June 26th, Three years post Galactic Empire
It was a sunny day but it wasn't too hot, there was a nice breeze. After first coming here, Luke marveled at how cool it was on this planet despite it actually being a fairly warm day for the planet. Anakin made sure Luke got an extra blanket because he remembered how cold he was the first few months on Coruscant. Actually, now that Anakin thought about it, he always slept with an extra blanket or two. Obi-wan always found it a bit odd how blankets tended to disappear and then end up on his bed but after a few years he got used to it. Mia had actually adopted the practice not long after becoming Obi-wan's Padawan.
Anakin watched as the twins chased each other around at the park. It still didn't fail to amaze him how quickly they'd become each other's best friends. Turning to Mia, Anakin observed that her eyes were glued on the twins, a faint smile tugging at the corners of her lips. Noticing his gaze, Mia turned to him, a smile breaking out. Leaning in, he kissed her softly, taking advantage of the moment.
They'd been taking things slowly. Anakin remembered a time in his life where slowly would have been agonizing but things were different. They were older and they'd been through a lot lately and slow was exactly what they needed. They hadn't even told the twins or Obi-wan.
Later in the day clouds had settled in. Anakin and Mia had taken the twins to get a treat and while they were in store, getting ice cream, it started raining. Mia sighed and Anakin wished he'd brought an umbrella in and Leia just smiled—she loved the rain. Luke was completely baffled by it, not clearly remembering rain or what it was like. Opening the door, he walked out and found he was quite surprised by how cold and wet it was. He turned to them, mouth open in shock and hands held up to catch the raindrops, not quite believing it.
"Was that what I was like when I first saw rain?" He asked Mia.
She just nodded slowly, "Oh yeah," Mia answered, "And if I recall correctly you ran out and danced in it and then I joined you in said rain dance and Obi-wan just shook his head at us."
"Right," He murmured slowly as the memories returned, "I was sick for four days after."
Shaking her head, she walked outside with Luke and took his hand as she directed him towards the speeder, expecting Anakin and Leia to follow.
Mia looked down as he tugged on her hand, "Is this normal?" Luke asked her.
"Oh yeah, it happens all the time," She answered, smiling.
"Good," He decided as he turned to look ahead, "I like rain."
She couldn't contain the smile that pulled at her lips, "Me too," She agreed, "Just wait till you see snow."
Luke looked up at her, confused, "What's snow?"
Looking down at him in surprise, she just grinned, "Oh it's wonderful, you'll love it," She assured to him, "One day I'll take you up north where there's snow, let you and Leia play in it."
June 27th, Three years post Galactic Empire
It was mid-afternoon, Anakin was working and the twins were upstairs playing in their room. Mia sat on the couch watching some crappy show that had complicated plotlines that never quite made sense and left questions that never really got answered. It wasn't really her thing but she was out of things to do. Leia didn't seem to demand her time as much anymore now that she had Luke. Obi-wan was also helping with the cleaning while he looked for a job. Mia hated to admit it but she was starting to think that maybe four years of just taking care of Leia, cooking and cleaning had made her boring. What did she do for herself anymore? She read but that was about it. Before this there was the war and that wasn't exactly something she'd call a hobby. Before the war was Jedi training and sparring with Anakin and playing pranks on others.
Her thoughts on the matter were abruptly cut short when Obi-wan sat down next to her, close enough that his arm brushed against hers. Her heart skipped a beat and her instincts said to move away. Shifting several inches away, Mia put enough space between them so that she didn't feel uncomfortable again. Then she saw Obi-wan turn to look at her, confusion and hurt in his eyes. It made the guilt claw at her heart but she couldn't help it. She'd thought she was fine. She didn't mind being touched by Anakin anymore, in fact she enjoyed it now. This was Obi-wan and he was in no way a threat but she couldn't help it. The only thing that had gone through her mind was to move away. That thought scared her. Would she ever be able to be touched by a guy? Did the whole thing with Revan or Grev or whoever he was leave her damaged? She didn't feel damaged but, just now…
When Anakin got home he found Obi-wan sitting on the couch and Luke and Leia drawing on the dining room table. Smiling he walked over to Luke and Leia and hugged them both, careful not to get them dirty with his uniform. Heading up the stairs, he went and got changed. He found Mia in her room, sitting on the window seat and staring out at the cloudy day. Crossing the room, Anakin pushed some of the hair away from her face and kissed her temple.
"Hey," She murmured, her voice monotone.
"Hey," Anakin greeted softly as he shifted her so he could sit down, Mia sitting on his lap, "What's wrong?"
She curled up into him, closing her eyes as he ran his fingers through her hair, finding the sensation very soothing. "It feels like it should be nothing," She mumbled vaguely, "But it wasn't and it's starting to scare me. I was sitting on the couch, watching TV, and Obi-wan sat down next to me."
"You panicked and moved away," Anakin guessed, wrapping his other arm around her.
"I don't even know why I did," She told him, her voice breaking so slightly anyone other than Anakin would have missed it, "I just freaked. Did the whole thing just leave me," She trailed off, taking in a deep breath, "Break me or something?"
Anakin sighed because he'd seen this coming. He didn't know why he had but he had.
"It didn't break you," He assured her softly, "It did screw with your ability to trust people."
She cut him off, "But I know I can trust Obi-wan," Mia cried.
"Mia, I'm going to let you in on a little secret," He told her softly, "Your brain and heart are going to disagree, and they're going to do that a lot."
Sighing, he pulled her in closer, "After I tried coming back from the dark-side, after Obi-wan, I didn't feel like I could trust anyone. I knew I could trust you but I was still afraid to. It takes time but eventually you learn to trust again."
Nodding, Mia sighed, not having anything else left to say.
"You could try talking to Obi-wan about what happened," He suggested. When she tensed at his words he added, "You don't have to, you don't have to do anything. It's just a suggestion. But talking to him about what happened might help."
Sighing, she nodded, relaxing a bit.
July 1st, Three years post Galactic Empire
He looked around the field, wondering where he was. It was vaguely familiar, he felt like he'd been there before. Wondering around aimlessly, he found himself on the top of a hill. Down below were two small children, a boy and a girl, playing. They couldn't be much older than two, both tiny and innocent. After a moment he remembered where he was. It had been a long time since he'd had this dream. Sitting down, he just watched as they chased each other around. Suddenly the little girl tripped, falling on her face.
"Mia!" The little boy shouted.
Getting up, he walked down the hill to see if she was hurt. Giggling, though her laugh was a little garbled, she sat up, completely unharmed.
He sighed, enjoying this little memory of his. He couldn't remember why he'd stopped having these dreams. Maybe because he'd been told at an early age that his sister was dead. For a while he hadn't believed it but, after a while, he just gave up.
His memories of her were a bit blurry, he was only two when he was taken. He remembered that she was happy and carefree and that she didn't talk. He couldn't remember why she didn't talk, just that she didn't.
Turning, the little girl—Mia, he reminded himself—started chasing the younger version of himself, completely oblivious to his presence.
Why couldn't she talk? He couldn't remember but he felt it was really important. Then it came to him with a strange amount of clarity. She was deaf, that's why she didn't talk.
Darth Brutus sat up suddenly, finding himself in his bed in his quarters of the ship. Gasping for breath, he scrambled out of the bed, kicking sheets as he got up. Moving towards the desk where he kept the datapad holding all the Jedi files, searching for the right one. Sitting down on the chair, he searched for the right file. Opening Mia Rosslyn's file he found himself starring at the picture for a long moment. The black hair and the grey eyes, just like him. How did he not realize it when he first saw her file? How could he not notice the glaring about of evidence? Why did he ever believe she was dead? Here she was, completely alive and a Jedi.