It's strange being back here, at Anakin's house, interacting with him and Leia like nothing ever happened. It doesn't feel right, as if everything has merely been brushed hastily beneath the carpet rather than being resolved. It makes Padme twitch uncomfortably. While she's glad their… Fight is over and they're working toward moving on, together, it just… She can't just forget what happened, she can't. Especially when, while making plans for tonight, Anakin offered to bring Leia over to her apartment for dinner and a movie, she flinched. Flinched.
She supposes she just isn't ready to have Anakin in her apartment again quite yet. Is that ridiculous? She does forgive him. But she will not forget, never.
That's why she's here tonight, to work toward a full resolution, moving on, past what happened. Dinner and a movie or two is perfect, it's easy and Leia is here to buffer any awkwardness there may be. Not, that she believes there will be. Everything has been wonderful so far; Anakin has been so sweet, practically bending over backwards to make her feel comfortable. And she appreciates his efforts, she truly does. He even – as a gesture of just how sorry he truly is – let her help cook. Usually, Padme is allowed nowhere near his kitchen; he says she's a total disaster… And he's not exactly wrong… But when she offered to help tonight, he agreed and her eyes almost popped out of her head.
He's really trying.
But, trying to make things right doesn't mean placing their lives in danger through food poisoning, so her only job was chopping the ingredients Anakin needed, but it's progress. Now it's proven that she can do this without slicing off a finger, maybe one day she'll actually be allowed to help out for real. That, however, is a pretty big maybe.
Now that dinner is over and Leia is perfectly content finishing off her ice-cream and watching 'Frozen' alone, Padme sits up on the counter, pretending to help load the dishwasher while Anakin actually does everything, but she doesn't care about that. Being here, with Leia feels wrong knowing what she knows. He still hasn't talked to her… It's a hard conversation to have, but he can't keep putting it off or Leia is going to find everything out on Sienna's terms, not his, and she knows that's not what Anakin wants. Watching him closely as he bends to carefully drop two plates down into their designated places, followed by a far smaller, purple plastic plate she chews absently on her lip. Leia is a very smart girl, far smarter than most kids her age, after what happened with Sienna in school, she's bound to be confused… Leaving her like that just isn't fair, no matter the reason. It's selfish.
"Have to talked to Leia yet?" She asks, straight to the point, and watches the muscles in his back stiffen for a moment before he stands back up to his full height. Maybe she shouldn't be the one pushing him, but who else can? It's not like she knows anyone else in his life that has the ability to influence him… Not yet at least. They may already be trying, but evidently, it isn't working. So, Padme has to step up and do this and not just for Leia – but for Anakin too. Carrying this around with him must be exhausting, and the sooner it's done, the sooner he, Leia and Sienna can work toward something good. What that good may be, Padme has no idea. But as long as it suits Leia's best interest, that's all that matters.
Her – expected – answer comes as a muted shake of his head as he pretends to busy himself closing the dishwasher door and fumbling with its buttons. Of course, this isn't going to be easy, she understands that, but what is he thinking? He can't put this off forever – for all they know Sienna could show up here again, this time, while Leia is awake! After everything, Padme wouldn't put it past her. "Anakin… You have to speak to her. Think about how she feels after what happened the other day!"
"I know," he sighs tiredly, "But… What the hell am I supposed to tell her?"
Sliding off the counter, onto her feet with a careful grace, she considers her words carefully before speaking. What is Anakin going to tell her? It's one of the most important conversations he'll ever have with his daughter and she has no advice to offer. Being a teacher has given her many experiences in situations close to this, but both parents were always involved there… With this… This is new, beyond her experiences as both a teacher and person. Padme doesn't have any kids, so attempting to relate is difficult at the best of times, much less when Anakin is looking at her so expectantly, utterly dependent on whatever she's going to say. "The truth." She begins and takes the three small steps to close the gap between their bodies. Both arms reach up, to wind themselves around his neck, naturally, habitually but then, she hesitates. Resuming the casual affection between them has been… Complicated. While she wants to get back to how things were before, to the easy closeness and tenderness they share, actually doing it is… Difficult.
More than once tonight, she looked at Anakin, and instead of seeing her boyfriend, the man she loves, she saw bloodied knuckles and a dented wall.
That isn't how it's supposed to be. Not between them. Not between anyone.
But, they're trying to move on. She has forgiven him. So, with a little extra effort, her arms come around his neck sweetly, just in time for Anakin's own arms to encompass her waist tightly, without a single moment of doubt, or indecision. That's the difference between Anakin and her, she supposes, he's quick to forget what she needs to remember.
"Tell her… Tell her that her mom is called Sienna, and she wants to meet her." While far smarter than most children her age, Leia is still just five years old… The simple truths of what's going on would more than suffice for now, until she is a little older or he and Sienna thought it was the right time to tell her everything. Until then, she didn't have to know anything he didn't want her too. Anakin moves quickly, bending toward her with a long, tired sigh and brushes his nose against hers and this time, Padme is more than happy to return the tender touch.
"You're right." He admits quietly, "I'll talk to her tonight – now actually. She needs to know." Tonight? That's very fast! Necessary and long overdue but now? Well, good. This is a good thing. Now he can get this off of his chest and Leia will have the answers she needs… She's proud of him, for taking this step, this very frightening step because, despite his own wants, it's what's best for his daughter. That's being a good father, putting your child's needs before your own.
"Do you want me to leave? I can just –"
"No." His arms tighten themselves around her body almost desperately, "please stay. I need you to be here for this." That's very sweet, and honestly, the admission manages to bring a reluctant smile to Padme's lips, because to be told she's needed, truly means something to her. But, the conversation he is about to have with Leia is extremely important to them both, it should be a private moment shared between only them. The idea of listening into such a deeply personal moment between father and daughter feels… Wrong. However, the pleading in Anakin's eyes draws a resigned sigh. He asked her to stay because he needs her support. She can't let him down.
Anakin's head swoops down to steal a short kiss when she nods and steps around her toward the hallway door. This is really it. He's really going to talk to her. Padme can't help but wonder how Leia will take the revelation. After all, she's just a little girl… A little girl who has never really known her mother and now her she was back and wanted to be part of her life. It was a lot to swallow for anyone much less someone Leia's age. What's he going to say? As they walk into the living room, she suddenly wishes they'd taken a moment to rehearse.
Well, it's too late now.
Anakin bends down and reaches for the remote just as one of the musical numbers begins to play and with the press of a button, switches it off much to Leia's annoyance. Now really isn't the time for one of her tantrums – she's half-convinced that Anakin will bolt at the first opportunity and what better time to call this off than during a tantrum? Leia's little face scrunches up as he eases himself down beside her, "Daddy! I was watching that!"
"I know, Princess. But there's something I need to talk to you about." This seems to catch the girl's interest, and Padme almost smiles from the doorway where she lingers. The sniffling stops and is quickly replaced by a curious frown as Anakin takes her little hand into his own. He can do this… She knows he can get through this… It's not going to be easy, but he's strong. Over his shoulder, he throws her an unsure glance and Padme returns it with a single nod. He has to do this; it's the right thing, though it may not feel like it very much right now. But it is. When Leia nods, she hears the nervous breath flee his mouth and leans her head against the framing of the doorway against the wall… She wishes she could help, but this isn't her conversation to have. It has to come from him, in his own words. "It's – it's about your mom."
Leia frowns again, "but I don't have a mom." She looks so innocently confused, so truly convinced that what she says is true, that Padme swears her heart cracks in two. That poor little girl…
"She, uh…" He starts and runs his free hand through his hair. "She may not have been around, but you do have a mom, Leia. And… And she wants to meet you." There, it's done. Just like that, the truth is out and her teeth sink into her lip. He did it… If it was appropriate she'd fling her arms around him right now, but she holds herself back. Just because Anakin said what he had to doesn't mean this is over. Leia's frown sticks and her eyes glaze over slightly as the new information processes in her mind. It's certainly a lot… If Padme were in her position, it would take days to wrap her head around it all.
After a moment, Leia's little face falls and the confusion gives way to something else, something almost… Sad. She doesn't meet Anakin's eye anymore and looks down at her fingers tracing invisible patterns against the leather of the couch instead. "Is it the mean lady from school?"
So she did figure it out… The mean lady from school… What a first impression… Poor Leia. Though she was somewhat concerned that she would put the pieces together herself, knowing that she actually did is… She's always been exceptionally clever, but this was something else. Most children would never make such a leap of logic – and if they did, they most likely wouldn't come up with the right answer. Without hesitating, Padme walks further into the room and gently places a hand on Anakin's shoulder… He wanted her support and here it is. This was probably going to be the hardest part. He has to explain Sienna's behaviour, justify it even… and that's not something that's going to come easily to him. Sometimes she thinks he hates the woman. And if he did, he had good reason to… But Leia can't know any of that; Sienna is her mother for God's sake.
"Mean?" He sighs.
Leia still doesn't look up though her hands move to fiddle with the hem of her skirt. "She yelled at Padme, I saw her."
"Yeah, I… Sometimes grown-ups get upset, Leia. That's all down with now, I promise." He's doing so well… Truthfully, her expectations were not that high, but she's shocked in the best way possible. This is by far the most mature she's ever seen him act throughout their entire relationship – he's acting like an adult. After what happened with their argument, this is really reassuring. She squeezes his shoulder quickly, to demonstrate this without words, not wanting to interrupt. He is defending a woman he can't stand, someone who hurt him, who abandoned him and Leia because she needs to hear something good about Sienna. She really is so proud of him.
"… Okay." Leia mutters and nods a little. Well, it wasn't much, but it was something. She just needs a little time, to let all for this sink in, after that, Padme is sure she'll have plenty to say on the matter. Leia is, after all, very full of opinions.
"Is that what you want?" He reaches out to tuck a strand of Leia's hair back behind her ear, "to me – to meet her?" His voice cracks slightly and she winces… She can't imagine how much he must be dreading her answer. To hear Leia say she wants to meet Sienna is the definitive invitation for the woman to enter their lives again, and she knows how much he'd rather that she vanished again. Those two meeting means he'd have to share her, to risk losing some of her time, her attention and affection to the woman who'd left them. But, this is the way it has to be… It all depends on Leia's decision.
"I dunno." She shrugs and Anakin sighs tiredly.
"It's alright if you aren't sure right now…" He strokes her hair gently and Padme sees the backs of his cheeks pull upwards in a forced smile, "you can think about it for a while." Yes. That was exactly the right thing to say, no pressure, no expectations. The best way to handle this is to make Leia feel like it really is her choice. She'll look to Anakin to know what to do, and if he shows even a hint of dislike toward Sienna, Leia will always keep her at arm's length – she'd seen something similar happen with one of her students a few years ago, after his parents got divorced. The parents couldn't decide on a custody agreement and let the boy chose, while both placed awful pressure on his little shoulders… It was horrible. The mom 'won' after placing the blame of the split on the dad – she can still remember how horrified she was when the kid told her what his mom said. Anakin can't make that same mistake because it's unbelievably unfair to Sienna and Leia. They deserve a chance to get to know each other.
Leia's head jolts up suddenly and her little eyes widen as something obviously occurs to her, "am I gonna have to live with my mommy? Winter lives with her mommy, not her daddy." Every inch of Anakin's body tenses up, and Padme's eyes fall shut for a moment. Oh no… It wasn't just confusion swirling in her head, it was panic too. The prospect of moving in with a woman she has never really known must be terrifying! And to hear those words leave her lips must be just as horrible for Anakin as it is for her… This entire mess is awful.
"No!" Anakin's self-control slips and Padme squeezes his shoulder tightly. He can't mess this up now, not when it's going so well this far. This is too important for his emotions to get the better of him now. Come on, Ani… Think first. His very breath trembles in the air and words fail him for a moment, but perhaps that's for the best. Leia just asked a big question, and he needs a good answer. A moment passes, and beneath her hand, she feels him relax and it's such a relief. "No…" He repeats, softer this time, calmer. "That's not going to happen – ever, I promise you. It's you and me, remember?" This makes Leia smile again, a true, teeth showing grin and even Padme feels her own lips twitch at the corners. That's so sweet… She loves seeing him interact with Leia like this.
"Yeah." The girl agrees and releases her father's hand. "Daddy, can I go to my room now?"
"Sure." Anakin nods and she slides off the couch and shoots past Padme toward the door, disappearing for a moment, before returning to quickly grab one of the dolls sitting on the couch. Well, it was done… It was really done. She almost couldn't believe he'd actually done it. This is the first step, she knows it is. And he did the best job of breaking everything to Leia gently, the best job anyone could have done. After a few seconds, when he's sure Leia's gone, he shakes his head, "Padme, what am I going to do?"
The question brings her around him to sit down too. What is he going to do? The answer comes to her mind immediately, though she pauses before offering it… He isn't going to like hearing this from her, but there really is no other way. "I…" To soften the blow, she reaches out and strokes away some of the long hair from his face, "I think you have to let Sienna see her."
It only takes a second for him to tear himself away from her touch and leap to his feet, "No! I – I… She has no right." Fighting back a sigh, Padme laces her fingers together on her lap. He was doing so well before now… Maybe the reality of it all is finally beginning to sink in? Well, in that case, she has to help him through this.
"Yes, she does. She may not have made good decisions, Ani, but she was as young as you were when Leia came along, remember?" They were just nineteen… Nineteen! They were practically still children themselves then, and having a baby changes everything. Sienna – though her choice was deplorable – obviously just couldn't cope with the sudden responsibility. It was horrible, but somewhat understandable… From another point of view.
Anakin, however, doesn't agree. He glowers and mutters, "my age didn't stop me from raising Leia, she doesn't get to use that as an excuse."
She nods and holds her disagreement back, there's no use in upsetting him further. "Look, it's either you two work together to find a resolution that suits both of you, or you're going to end up fighting in court and that is only going to hurt Leia more than anything." That's what this about, finding an agreement that benefits Leia, not Anakin's wants or Sienna's demands… It has to be reasonable and equal. That's the only way this will ever work out.
"But what if she's still using?" He groans, "how can I ever trust her after what she did?" This time, there is no escaping her sigh. She's been putting off telling him this since they saw Sienna in Sheev's office because it might hurt him or make him angry to hear it, but there's no avoiding it anymore.
"I don't think she is. After what you said in the Principal's office… Anakin, she cried. I believe what she says." There… It was done… And it felt so good to get it off of her chest at last. If Sienna is still taking drugs then what he said wouldn't have affected her at all, she'd have gone straight into denial mode. But she didn't, there were real tears in her eyes and while she may not trust the woman, or like her all that much, Padme believes her.
"You do?"
"Yes… I… There's a part of me that doesn't want to, I think maybe out of spite," Sienna is the reason she lost her job after all, and Padme is far from ready for forgiveness on that front. But she's a grown woman, and her loss is no reason to hide her true feelings on the matter for some form of petty revenge. "But I do."
He tears his gaze away from her and falls back down onto the sofa again, "you weren't there, Padme… You didn't see what she was like."
"I understand your apprehension, and it's only natural… But if you really can't let it go, then there are things you can do to ease your mind – ask her to do a drugs test, then you'll know for sure." Anakin's eyes don't meet hers, just like Leia earlier, he keeps his eyes lowered.
"I don't want to know for sure," he confesses quietly, "I want her to leave again."
Scooting closer, Padme smiles sadly as she places a hand on his chest and feels his heart thud against her palm. "I know you do… But we both know that's not going to happen."
"What if – what if she likes Sienna more than me? What if she ends up wanting to go with her? Padme, I just… I can't even…" His stumbling is heartbreaking. She knows how reluctant he is to bring Sienna into this life he and Leia have, but she hadn't realised how scared he was. As best she can while sitting the way they are, she hugs him and buries her face in his neck for a moment before reaching up to press a light kiss to his cheek. He has nothing to worry about, Leia adores her daddy, they have a bond that nothing could ever strain, certainly not Sienna.
"Oh, Anakin…" Padme murmurs into his neck, "that's never going to happen! Leia is always going to need her daddy." She pulls back to look him in the eye, "though I won't lie and say they have no chance of hitting it off, or that Leia won't think she's new and exciting and want to spend a lot of time with her. But you are her dad, and nothing is going to change that. No matter how close she gets to Sienna or whatever relationship develops between those two, she's always going to come back to you." And without another moment's hesitation like earlier, she leans forward to kiss him and Anakin is all too happy to meet her halfway. Both hands come up to cup his cheeks as their lips meet again and again, gently, almost chastely until Padme breaks it with a small smile. "Besides," she whispers, "who else is gonna scare any potential boyfriends out of their wits?"
He laughs quietly and the sound only inflates her smile further, because she loves his laugh… Loves the small crinkles by his eyes when he does… She just loves him. "I don't know what I'd do without you." He confesses and Padme feels his hands climb her back softly and blinks… This is where she's supposed to reassure him, to tell him that he'll never find out… But she just can't. The words don't form in her mouth and all she can do is gape at him silently. It's too soon for that kind of promise after what happened, she's not ready yet.
So she kisses him again, long and deep and hopes that for now, it's enough.
Nervous fingers drum against her steering wheel as the car slows to a stop before a stop sign, if she could, Padme would bounce her leg too but she still has some shred of self-control left. For now at least. Releasing an anxious breath, her eyes dart up to the mirror and the sight manages to make her smile… Leia is passed out in her car seat clutching at a fuzzy brown beat she plucked from her bedroom before leaving. At least someone is getting some sleep; she couldn't get a wink last night… How could she? It's happening, it's something she has wanted to happen for a while, but now that it is, she feels sick. It's the second major stepping stone in their relationship and it's equally important.
Anakin is meeting her parents.
It's long past time this happened, and her mom was ecstatic to hear Anakin and Leia were coming for dinner tonight. And she's excited too, to have her parents' approval on Anakin would be amazing, they loved Palo at when she brought him home, and now she hopes they'll love Anakin even more. Her dad will be overjoyed to have someone to talk about cars with, which is a great opportunity for them to bond – and they will, she's sure of it… Palo didn't have that kind of opening and still managed to charm everyone. If he can do it, then Anakin can too. Everything is going to be fine… She's worrying herself sick over nothing…
"Nervous?" Anakin chuckles and Padme pulls her eyes off the road to look at him. Of course, she's nervous! Who wouldn't be in her position?
"Aren't you?"
"Terrified!"
What? He looks far from terrified – he hasn't fidgeted or anything!
"You don't seem very nervous…"
He chuckles quietly as Padme starts the car moving again, "if we weren't in this car, I'd be pacing the length of the sidewalk… I want to make a good impression." One hand reaches across the gearstick to gently squeeze Padme's thigh and though the gesture is supposed to be sweet, a mutual comfort even, it only makes her tense further. Having Anakin meet her parents feels… Odd. She feels almost guilty for telling her mom or Sola what happened, but how could she? Usually, she tells them everything, but if they knew about what happened, it would have tainted their view on Anakin before he even had a chance… But it still feels deceptive…
When they pull up into her parents' driveway, all the nervousness vanishes for a moment and is replaced by a sudden desire to dash into the house and into their arms… It's been too long since she's had the time to come back here for a visit. She's missed them so much. She quickly unbuckles and climbs out as Anakin does the same and pulls open the back door to wake Leia. This should be… Interesting. She kept quiet about their argument, so what could go wrong? It's going to be a nice dinner with her family and boyfriend… That's all. She waits, despite the eagerness to get inside, for Anakin to unbuckle Leia and carefully lift the still sleepy girl out of the car though she whines in protest. It occurs to her suddenly; that she hasn't thought once about this might be for Leia… She's meeting a house full of strangers… That's a little overwhelming.
As the girl yawns and wraps her little arms around Anakin's neck, Padme's thumb presses down against the black button on her keys to lock the car and smiles, "you know Leia, my nieces are here today too, they're around your age. And I already told you about the playroom. You're going to have great fun here." It seems to brighten her up a little as she yawns again, shaking off the last of the tiredness. Sola says Ryoo and Pooja have been really looking forward to meeting her, the three of them are going to get along great.
She opens the door without knocking and steps inside onto the indoor matt and calls out, "hello?" It only takes a second for her mom to appear at the top of the stairs with a cry of excitement and Padme smiles as she makes her way down quickly with her apron still tied tightly around her waist.
"Padme!" Her mom opens her arms on the final step and she steps into them gladly, "oh darling, how are you?" She feels her mom's kiss against her cheek and childishly clings to her tighter… It really has been far, far too long. She's missed her so much. Being here, at home makes her happy. There's always light and laughter and love. It's home. Sometimes there is nowhere she'd rather be but here. Finally, she pulls back and laughs at the slight shine of tears in her mother's eyes.
"Mom…" There's no need for that, surely? She may not visit as often as she should, but she calls every day – her coming back isn't anything to cry over.
"Oh, I'm sorry, sweetheart." She smiles, "I don't know what's come over me."
"Mom, I…" She twists slightly and smiles over her shoulder at Anakin, "this is Anakin Skywalker and his daughter, Leia." Jobal steps around her with a big smile to get a better look at the new guests and Padme is happy to stand back and just watch. She's imagined this happening hundreds of times before, pictured every possible scenario and introduction they may have… And now it's really happening… It still doesn't feel quite real, if she's honest.
"Welcome, Anakin! We've been looking forward to meeting you." Her mom's gaze falls to Leia as she leans her head on Anakin's shoulder shyly and Padme raises an eyebrow. She has never seen that girl be shy before… Not even on her first day of school – she marched straight into the classroom without looking back. It's odd… And very cute. "And you too, little one."
Leia lifts her head to glance at Anakin for a moment before her big brown eyes narrow slightly, "are you Padme's mommy?"
"Yes, dear. How could you tell?" Jobal laughs and Padme claps her hands behind her back… With Leia, that is a potentially dangerous question. It's difficult to know what's going to leave the child's mouth sometimes… Hopefully, it'll be something nice, that she noticed a resemblance or the pictures on the wall or –
"You're old." Leia declares and Padme's jaw gapes. She didn't…
"Leia!" Anakin barks, smiling apologetically toward Jobal, but her mom only laughs.
"Oh, don't worry, it's quite alright. They only say what they see, after all. You should ask Sola about the time young Ryoo pointed out the unfortunate overweight man in the elevator! That was uncomfortable." As she speaks, Anakin visibly relaxes and Padme leans back against the wooden post of the stair railings… That was… Something. "Padme," her mom turns to face her again, "why don't you take Anakin through to get comfortable before dinner? I'll take little Leia here up to meet the girls if she wants?"
Her mouth opens to reply, but Leia has other ideas. "In the playroom?" One look at her excited wide eyes has both her mom and Anakin laughing together and Padme's hands fist the sky blue material of her dress… She's still so nervous. It's going well, but… There are a thousand ways it could still go wrong. She feels like she's sweating through her sleeves. Leia squirms in her father's arms to be placed down and he obliges as Jobal holds out her hand for her.
"Yes, come on, we'll go up right now." Leia is more than happy to slip her small hand into Jobal's as they make their way up the stairs together and Padme watches them with a smile… Maybe this really is going to go well. She should just relax and enjoy herself. All this worrying is going to spoil things… "That is a beautiful dress, Leia." She hears her mom say.
"It's a Princess dress." The girl says matter of factly and Anakin shakes his head.
"Those three will get on like a house on fire." She slips her hand into Anakin's and tugs him toward the living room, her dad and sister should be around here somewhere… If her dad isn't restocking the bar in the kitchen, he's probably with Sola. When they step inside, her dad is nowhere to be seen, but Sola and Darred sit closely together on the sofa facing the TV with his hand resting carefully on her stomach. The sight is so beautiful and, intimate that Padme wishes they'd stayed in the hallway just a little longer… But Sola has no such qualms and quickly whacks away her husband's hand to stand up and Padme meets her halfway. This is what she's nervous about… It was Sola she went to about dating Anakin in the first place… It's Sola she's gossiped with – and Dorme, of course – so their meeting has been a long time coming… And she takes the older sister duty quite seriously. In that, she adores humiliating Padme at every available opportunity.
Her sister's embrace is fierce and Padme returns it wholeheartedly. When she pulls back, her eyes naturally flick downward to her stomach… There's no evidence of the baby yet, but of course, it's still early days. "How do you feel?" Sola always has what her mom calls, 'big pregnancies', she balloons about halfway through and the sickness is usually horrible. She doesn't envy her at all…
Sola grimaces, "well, my mornings are spent with my head in the toilet bowl if that's what you mean. We learned yesterday that the baby doesn't like ham… And boy, did it punish me for that sandwich." Padme laughs and pulls her sister back into her arms and kisses her cheek. Poor Sola… These babies of hers always make her suffer. After they pull apart, Sola's attention abandons Padme in favour of Anakin. "I've been looking forward to meeting you… It's nice to finally put a face to a name!" And as Sola usually does, she doesn't dither before wrapping her arms around Anakin's neck. She's always been a hugger. "Did you bring your little one along too?" She asks as they pull apart and Darred steps forward to offer a hand.
"Darred Naberrie."
Anakin takes his hand in a confident but friendly handshake, "Anakin Skywalker. And yeah, your mom just took her upstairs to meet your two."
"Oh, wonderful!" Sola laughs, "we should be hearing them thundering around up there any minute then."
Darred, ever the sweetheart helps Sola sit back down though there's really no need for it and Padme follows suit, perching herself on the couch by the window with Anakin not far behind. Almost unconsciously, her fingers slip between his, because he's doing great! He's already made a great impression on her mom, and Sola won't take much more… They've only been here for around ten minutes and her nerves are beginning to fade. Now there is only her dad to worry about… But he's a giant teddy bear at heart… With Anakin's knowledge of cars and… Whatever else that entails, they'll be fast friends.
"Tell me, Anakin," Sola breaks the short silence, "has Leia started with the back talking yet? Ryoo is becoming unbearable sometimes!" He laughs as they settle back into a more comfortable position, and Padme watches him for a minute. His eyes shine with a gleam of relatability, the look all parents get when sharing stories and it's not a side to him she gets to see all that often up close. Usually, when he's with other parents, she's the teacher and keeping a professional distance… But for now, at least, those days are gone… And it's interesting to watch him like this.
"She's been sassing me since she learned how to talk… I'm pretty used to it by now."
The three of them laugh again, but Padme merely watches… It's strange watching Anakin do the parent talk with her sister and Darred, especially as it continues on beyond backtalk. Parenting isn't really a subject Padme can contribute to because, while she knows a lot about kids and their behaviours… She's never had one of her own, and dealing with a child as their teacher and their parent are two vastly different things. They don't compare at all. So she keeps quiet until Darred mentions her father.
"Where is dad?" It's almost odd not seeing him in his armchair by the corner with a paper in hand… That's what she expected when they arrived, her dad in his chair and one of the many sports channels they pay for muted on the TV. She's a little disappointed that he wasn't here to greet her, but wherever he is, he'll probably back soon. Her mom said he's been as excited as she is about meeting Anakin.
"Oh, he's out in the garden. Mom asked him to pick some of the lemons." Sola explains casually with a wave of her hand. Ah… She should have known… This was a big family meal after all; of course, there'd be some form of lemons involved.
"Lemons?" Anakin whispers beside her, and Padme turns to him with a smile.
"Mom practically has an orchard out there. She loves them. Don't be surprised if we're forced to leave with a basket full of them tonight."
Across the room, Sola sniggers and reaches for her glass of water on the table. "She still brings them to us and we're practically next door! If we really wanted them, I'd have Ryoo hop over the fence!" There's no escaping her mom's lemon craze, she's always in the kitchen making them into something, pies, lemonade, lemon curd… You name it and her mom has added lemons to it.
The brass handle of the living room door turns down suddenly, and the door swings open as her dad walks inside with a newspaper tucked carefully under his arm. Shamefully, she hasn't seen her father in just over a month, and now that he's right here, there is no stopping Padme from throwing herself into his arms. Despite his opinions on what she should be doing with her life, she adores him. He was always the smartest man she ever knew while growing up, she always thought it was very impressive that he taught in a university of all places. She'd brag about it to all her friends while young enough to get away with such things.
"I see you've been freed from the lemon maze then?" She beams at him and finds a matching smile on his own face.
"I've done my time for the day… Or at least, I told your mother that the old back was playing up again." He chuckles under his breath and Padme's smile only grows in response. She always wanted a love like that, a teasing, comfortable love… One that, when the passion wore away after years spent by each other's side, there was still adoration and companionship to hold it all together. Her parents love is real, it's not shiny or perfect, but they're happy and always have been… That's the kind of relationship Padme wants.
It's that, which drives her to turn around again, flashing Anakin her smile, "dad, this is Anakin." Immediately, he is on his feet and clears his throat. She knows how much he wants to make a good impression… Family means a lot to Anakin, as it does to her. This is important to him too.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir." Anakin smiles as the pair exchange a handshake, and Padme frowns slightly… Sir? Since when did Anakin call anyone sir? It's so respectful and polite and not that he isn't any of those things, but it's strange to hear.
"We've heard a lot about you, Anakin…" Her dad guffaws and in the split second before the laughter, Padme sees the flash of terror in Anakin's eyes… He's afraid she told them about it… About what happened… It passed quickly with her dad's amusement, but she saw it just the same. Oh, Anakin… If she had, bringing him here would have been a very big mistake. There would be nothing enjoyable or peaceful about him getting to know her family. They'd never grow to see him the way Padme did, they'd look at him and see a violent person, not the deeply flawed but incredibly kind, hardworking and brilliant man. That's who she loves, and that's who she wants her family to know. The sheer relief that crosses his face when her dad laughs would be funny if it weren't so agonising to look at. To quell whatever worry he may still have, Padme retakes her place by his side and slips her hand into his with a long squeeze. It's alright… He doesn't need to worry about any of that.
"Padme tells me you're a mechanic?" Her dad continues obliviously as her thumb traces across Anakin's knuckles gently and she feels him relax against her further.
"Yeah," he breathes, "I've been doing it officially since I was around sixteen years old, sir. And before that, my idea of fun as a kid was sneaking into the mechanic's place 'round the block from where I lived. The owner – Qui-Gon eventually stopped being surprised whenever I turned up and just started teaching me."
Ruwee nods slowly, and Padme bites back a grin… He's impressed. She knew he would be! Her dad values hard work above almost all else, and Anakin is one of the hardest working people she's ever met. "That's very impressive. I always enjoyed teaching students with that kind of enthusiasm the most."
Anakin glances between her and her father for a moment, slightly perplexed, "you were a teacher too?" Oh… Didn't she ever tell him that? She could have sworn that she had…
"I was a guest lecturer at a couple of universities for a few years." Her dad smiles and Padme joins him. She remembers the time he brought her along for one of his lessons after she begged and pleaded to hear it and though he was convinced she'd be bored after five minutes, he gave in. She loved every moment of it and still finds economics fascinating to this day. She went to a lot of his lectures when there was time after that, even sometimes sneaking in without his consent…
"Dinner will be ready in around half an hour!" Her mom's voice drifts through the house from the kitchen and Padme leans into Anakin as his arm snakes its way around her waist. Good, she's starving! And she hasn't had one of her mom's homemade meals in so long… Other than her family themselves, the food is probably one of the things she misses most about living at home. If only the cooking talent had rubbed off on her too.
"You know, Anakin," her dad begins, "I have this old car out back in the garage. I've been trying to fix her up for years but can never get the engine up and running since she died on me. I don't suppose you'd be willing to take a look?" Padme can't resist glancing at Anakin with a knowing smile… She told him this would happen, and he just laughed her off.
"Of course." She hears the badly hidden amusement in his voice, "there's nothing like fixing something up that everyone has written off." He gently untangled himself from her body and brushed a quick kiss to her temple. "I actually once got an old 'Alfa Romeo 2600 Spider' up and running after my boss shrugged it off as scrap." While Padme has no idea what kind or car or engine that is, but the shine of near overwhelming delight that lights up her father's face is more than enough to tell her Anakin has just said something right. Boy and their cars…
Her dad pauses for a moment and then reaches up to clasp Anakin's shoulder, using his free hand to point at him, "we have a lot to talk about, son." As he's dragged out of the room, Padme sinks back down onto the sofa and lets a content sigh fly freely out of her lips. That couldn't have gone any better… Why was she so nervous again? Everything has been perfect. And she hopes it'll only get better as they sit down for dinner together. She glances to the other couch to see Sola and Darred have snuck off together and smiles slightly wider.
A loud knocking on the door draws her out of her thoughts… Who could that be? "I'll get it!" She calls out, since everyone but her seems to be busy doing… Something. It's probably just Mrs Johnson from next door coming over to return her mom's basket. It's a weekly routine, her mom drops over a basket of lemons on Monday, and on Saturday, Mrs Johnson returns the empty basket. It's been like this for as long as she can remember. She reaches out with one hand to pull the door open with a small smile, it's been a long time since she saw the sweet old woman, but the sight awaiting her kills any smile she has.
"Clovis!"
Next time: with the Naberrie's as witnesses, how will Anakin react to Clovis' appearance? And Anakin's friends gather together for Satine's party.