A/N: Again if any of you are confused about the dates and time, I have the link to the wookieepedia page that explains the star wars standard calender in my profile. Just copy and paste it.
Translation from Huttese to Basic.
Stupa sleemo kung uka wira poodoo nogat pihota duble maskie posku thongu - Stupid slimeball scum drink fat crap brain fool two faced acid heart
stoopa shag - stupid slave
Kayu - language
poodoo nogats - crap brains
E Chu Ta, Shag - F--k you slave
Kelona Twenty-Three, 7 BBY
Naboo: Theed: Skywalker Home.
Archi and Arica were sitting in the kitchen when Anakin and Padmè came home. Both Skywalker's stood up to greet the returning parents. "Well what was it about?" Arica asked.
Anakin set down two datapads on the table. "Two very special reports," he answered sarcastically.
Archi picked one up and began to read the report on it and raised an eyebrow. "Creative," he commented.
Padmè gaped at him. "Creative?" she demanded.
"Hon, I know much more... how can I say...racier examples. This is armature," Archi told her patiently.
"I would hope so," Anakin stated.
Arica picked up the second datapad and began to read and raised both eyebrows. "Well, I don't think that they got this from other children," she said.
"I know where they got it from," Archi told them.
"Where?" Anakin asked.
"This report sounds like the holo film, Assassin's Assignment," Archi told them.
"I've never heard of it," Padmè told him.
"Of course not, it's a pornographic holo film. A very old one mind you, about fifty years old. Assassin's Assignment is from a time when the Administration for Communications Oversight tried to censor pornography," Archi explained.
"And you know so much about the subject," Arica stated.
"Well..." Archi trailed off.
"Unless you brought it in then how do you suppose that my children got a hold of this holo film?" Padmè demanded.
"Simple, The holonet has twenty-five different pornographic channels on it," Archi answered.
Padmè then turned to her husband. "And you never thought to find a way to block certain channels that may be inappropriate?" she demanded.
Anakin's eyes widened at what she was saying between the lines. "How was I supposed to know that something like this was going to happen? Up until now I knew nothing of pornography!" he told her.
"Any sane parent would think of such scenarios!" Padmè told him.
"I am perfectly sane!" Anakin told her.
"You are far from sane," Padmè told him. "Because obviously you didn't think before you let Luke and Leia have their own holonet hookups!"
"Well excuse me for trying to trust our children," Anakin told her.
"You can't leave things up to chance with children, Anakin!" Padmè told him.
"I don't leave things up to chance!" Anakin told her getting upset now. He wanted to say something along the lines of that she hadn't seen how well he had handled the twins but all that came out was, "Stupa sleemo kung uka wira poodoo nogat pihota duble maskie posku thongu!" as he turned around and left the kitchen with both Archi and Arica gaping at him and Padmè fuming only understanding very little but the words that she did understand automatically made her not like what he had said.
--
Anakin descended the stairs carrying a toolbox in each hand. "You don't have to worry about any more inappropriate material here for a while," he stated spotting Padmè sitting in the common room with Archi and Arica.
"Are you done with your little fit?" Arica asked raising an eyebrow.
"I did not throw a fit," Anakin told her setting the toolboxes down on the coffee table. "I disconnected the holonet in the twins' rooms," he told them taking a seat across from his wife and next to Archi.
"Have you thought of the speech that you'll be giving those two rug rats?" Archi asked.
"Actually, I was thinking that the professional speechmaker in this family might like a chance this time," Anakin answered and looked at his wife.
Arica widened her eyes at her brother. "You're not going to fend her off on those two alone are you?" she asked aghast.
Anakin leaned back into the couch and stretched his right arm along the back. "You know, I'm getting tired of always being the bad guy," he said.
"This is cruel, Anakin," Archi said disdainfully.
"Please tell me that you'll be backing your wife up in this," Arica demanded.
"There is a lesson to be learned here, I will do nothing to sabotage it," Anakin told them.
"You're all acting like we have two Sith Lords on our hands," Padmè told them.
Arica, Archi and Anakin exchanged a look. "Pretty much," both Archi and Arica told her.
This conversation was halted by the front door opening and the twins grumbling to each other furiously. The two things that were most distinguished were "Professor Clarris" and "stoopa shag".
This last comment hand Anakin on his feet immediately and snapping "Kayu!" angrily.
Both twins paused in mid step to look at their father, never hearing an angry tone in their father's voice before.
"Come here," Anakin commanded. Both twins complied, setting their school sacks down by the stairs as they did so. "Sit," Anakin commanded as Padmè stood up and Arica moved to sit next to Archi.
Luke and Leia complied seeing their mother cross her arms while their father stood behind her. They glanced at each other momentarily, reading in between the lines.
"Care to explain why your professor would be calling us in for a conference?" Padmè asked.
"Because we had unique reports?" Luke offered.
"Because Professor Clarris hates us," Leia offered.
"That is not the reason and you know it," Padmè told them. When the twins merely shrugged and muttered, "It is to us", she continued. "Do you have any idea how inappropriate your reports were?" she demanded.
Both twins shrugged. "Everything is inappropriate to Professor Clarris," Luke pointed out.
"Because she's a rotten old hag," Leia told her.
"Calling people, especially authority figures, names is inappropriate behavior," Padmè told them.
"What with this inappropriate stuff all of a sudden?" Luke asked crossing his arms and leaning back in his seat.
Leia mimicked her twin's pose. "It's making every one sound like cranky old poodoo nogats," she said.
"Care to repeat that?" Anakin demanded.
"No," Leia replied sullenly.
"Where did you receive the material for your reports?" Padmè demanded, wanting to hear it from Luke and Leia.
Luke and Leia looked at one another. Each knew better than to lie in front of their father. Both knew just how upset her got with the smallest lie and neither twin wanted a repeat of what happened when they lied about how the speeder got wreaked five years ago. "From the holonet," they admitted.
"Do you understand what you saw?" Padmè demanded. Both twins shook their heads thinking that they were going to get an explanation. "What you saw is called pornography. It is a sick and perverted twist to something special shared between two people who love each other," Padmè told them. "That is why it is inappropriate," she finished.
"So it's inappropriate because you don't like it?" Luke questioned raising an eyebrow.
"Sounds a little self-righteous?" Leia quipped.
Padmè narrowed her eyes at them. "You are both grounded for two weeks and until your father has blocked all inappropriate channels you're both banned from the holonet," she commanded.
Luke and Leia looked at each other with raised eyebrows when their father said nothing so far, each thinking that they were getting off easy.
"I want you both to meditate for a couple of hours on what is and isn't appropriate," Anakin commanded.
"But isn't this a matter of opinion?!" both twins protested.
"And for this stunt I think that we'll hold off on the two of you building your lightsabers," Anakin added.
At this both twins were upset and protested and stood up. "But that's important!" Luke yelled.
"It can wait," Anakin told them unconcerned.
"You can't do this!" Leia yelled.
"I am your father; I can do what ever I want!" Anakin told them.
Luke being the less volatile twin simply resigned to this and sulked but Leia who had inherited her father's temper clearly got irate and shouted the one phrase that she should have never shouted. "E Chu Ta, Shag!" and as soon as it was out of her mouth she regretted it when she felt anger coming off of her father and saw his eye widen before narrowing and growing flat just before he smacked her across the mouth. Leia recoiled fast, her hand flying to her face as she looked at her father with wide eyes and heard her mother gasp.
No sooner had he done it, Anakin quickly regretted it. "Leia, I'm sor..." but before he could finish, his daughter turned around and fled upstairs. Luke looked at him with wide eyes and backed away slowly before following his twin. Before another word was spoken, Anakin turned around and left needing to be alone.
--
Arica walked into the garage and set down the two toolboxes that her brother had left in the common room. Wordlessly she walked over to where Anakin was working on a part for some sort of vehicle. Which vehicle it belonged to, she wasn't sure. There were several in this garage. "Are you okay?" she asked approaching her brother.
"Please tell me that you didn't come in here with sympathy," Anakin replied.
"Anakin..."
"Don't even start," Anakin told her interrupting her. "Whatever you are going to say, don't," he told her sternly.
Arica frowned. "Don't beat yourself up, Ani. Leia was out of line..." she began.
"That is no excuse and you know it," Anakin told her.
"You're overreacting," Arica told him.
Anakin set his tools down to look at her. "Why don't you hold off you're opinions about parenting when you don't have any children?" he demanded.
Arica's eyes widened before narrowing and growing flat. A clear sign that she was angry. Normally such a sign would have any normal and sane being apologizing before they were on the receiving end of Skywalker anger. But Anakin Skywalker was neither normal nor, at most times, sane. "Just because you feeling like a piece of bantha fodder does not give you the right to take up the role of a gundark's son and take your own anger at yourself out on others!" She snapped incensed.
Anakin slumped down and covered his face with his hands. "I don't know what had gotten into me. I never loose my temper, especially with them. I have never once laid a hand on either one of them!" he told her.
Arica took a seat next to him. "You just had a knee jerk reaction to what Leia said to you. Any being in your position would react the same way," she told him reasonably.
"I don't know how much longer I can keep my former life from everyone," Anakin told her. "I don't know if I can keep doing this."
Arica knew what he was referring to. It was true, Anakin had a great deal of self control and he did hide things well but this was proof that the entire champagne was taking a toll on him. "Do you want me to cancel that interview?" she asked.
"No. I'll deal with it," Anakin told her.
"But if they're getting to you, then you need to take a break for a while," Arica told him.
"I knew what I was getting myself into when I signed up and started getting involved. I'm not about to quit now when we're just getting closer," Anakin told her determinedly.
"I want you to promise me something then," Arica told him.
"What?" Anakin asked.
"I want you to speak with a councilor. If you're feeling stressed out and the campaign is getting to you, then please speak to someone. I can set up an appointment with my old councilor if you'd like. I promise that he'll be discrete," Arica told him.
"I am not speaking to some stranger," Anakin told her stubbornly.
"It's either speak to someone or let your stress levels rise making you lash out again at the mere word," Arica told him.
Anakin didn't say anything to that at least not right away. All he could think about was the rage that he felt at those measly little words that his daughter shouted at him.
--
Luke growled in frustration again. He was bored and had nothing to do. No holonet. And no tools so that he could work on his models and projects. Not to mention that he couldn't leave the house without his father knowing and then get an even more severe punishment. He looked over at his twin who laid down face forward in a state of shock. Luke knew that Leia's temper was going to get the better of her some way or another. But neither twin would ever think of feeling pure rage radiating off of their father, and over a string of words no doubt! Sure they had misbehaved and done things that they shouldn't have but their father never lost his temper over any of it.
"This is insane!" he complained.
"Shut up," Leia mumbled from her pillow.
Luke frowned. "They are going over board with this!" he complained.
Leia turned to him. "Why can't you just shut up!" she snapped.
"Because!" Luke snapped.
Leia growled before flopping down onto her stomach and pressing her face into the pillow. She felt like screaming.
"Go ahead and scream into the pillow if it'll make you feel any better," Luke told her.
As if she needed his permission, Leia did just that, letting out an ear piercing scream into her pillow.
"Feel better?" Luke asked raising an eyebrow.
"No!" Leia snapped from the pillow.
"You should have minded your temper," Luke reminded her.
Leia twisted to look at him. "It's all your fault anyway!" she snapped.
Luke looked at her innocently. "How do you figure that?" he asked.
"You wanted to watch the holonet!" Leia reminded him.
"Yes, but who's idea was it to shake up Professor Clarris?" Luke reminded her.
Leia gritted her teeth at the reminder. "Get out!" she snapped.
Luke smiled. "There's nothing to do in my room," he reminded her.
"There isn't anything to do in here either!" Leia told him.
"Yes there is," Luke told her smiling.
"GET OUT!" Leia shouted.
"Temper, Leia," Luke reminded her. When he sensed his sister's agitation rise as well a little danger heading his way, he decided to obey. Getting up, he couldn't help but finish. "Next time listen to warning," and with that he left leaving Leia alone.
Once her brother was gone, Leia was left alone to deal with what her temper brought her and rubbed her face before letting a tear drop.
--
As Luke left Leia's room he heard the door lock and sensed the turbulent emotions coming from the other side. That was when he spotted his mother coming up the stairs. He saw her eyes on Leia's door and felt that he needed to issue a warning.
"Leia's in one of her moods, I'd leave her be for now," he advised.
Padmè just looked at him. "Is she okay?" she asked concerned.
Luke shrugged. "She'll get over it, she always does," he told her.
This seemed to alarm his mother. "What do you mean?" she asked.
"She just gets a little sensitive every month. It's been this way since Dad had to rush her to the medical facility over a year ago," he told her.
Padmè just looked at him, formulating a response before he gave her a lopsided grin, reminiscent of his father's, and continued into his bedroom
As his door closed, Padmè turned back to Leia's door before knocking. She heard some muffled cries before Leia's voice replying with "Go away,"
"I just want to know if you are okay," Padmè told her.
"I'm fine so leave me alone!" Leia called through the door.
"I would be more assured if I could see that myself," Padmè told her.
"Just leave me alone," Leia told her.
Padmè didn't want to leave her alone. This was her child and her child was in distress, how could she leave her alone? It was at this moment that she understood her own mother's constant nagging and hovering and she knew that if Leia was anything like herself then she would hate her hovering. But so far she had seen much more of Anakin in her daughter and knew that it would take a lot to get Leia to open up. "I just want to talk," she told her hoping that that would get Leia to open up.
There was a pause for a moment before Leia answered. "I have to meditate," she told her.
There was the trick. Anakin had used that excuse to get out of talking before and had clearly passed it onto their children. Padmè knew the trick well and was not about to let her get out of talking. "We'll talk when you are done then," she told her booking no room for any argument and went on her way.
--
Anakin sighed as he walked upstairs ready to clear the air and to make sure that Leia was okay. He passed by Luke's room to hear the sound of music blaring. He decided that it would be easier to check up on his son first and gently turned the knob to open the door and saw Luke looking through one of the holobooks from his collection and before he could say a word, Luke spoke.
"Can I have my tools?" he asked.
Anakin raised an eyebrow. "How can I be assured that you wouldn't reconnect the holonet in here?" he asked.
"You can have my word," Luke told him.
"Sorry, Son, I wasn't born yesterday. You're going to have to live without your tools for a couple of weeks," Anakin told him.
Luke heaved a sigh. "But I want to work on my models," he told him.
Anakin smiled. "Your models can wait, for now just find something else to do," he told him leaving. He turned to Leia's door. He knew that his daughter was upset and decided that he needed a peace offering and with that in mind he quickly walked into his own room. He went straight into the closet before pulling down a small carved box before going back to Leia's room where he knocked on the door.
"Leave me alone!" Leia instantly called.
Anakin knocked again. "We need to talk, Leia," he told her.
"I don't want to talk!" Leia yelled back.
"Tough," Anakin told her turning the knob on the door and sighed when he found it to be locked. "Unlock this door," he commanded.
"No!" Leia told him stubbornly.
Mustering all the patience that he could, he continued. "Leia, we need to talk," he told her gently.
There was a bit of silence before Leia's voice could be heard, whining, "I just want to be left alone."
"I'll leave you alone after we talk," Anakin bargained. There was silence again before the lock clicked. Turning the knob again he was rewarded with the sight of Leia's room and of his daughter laying face down on her bed with her face stuffed in her pillow. Anakin resisted lecturing her once again about excessive use of the Force for every day things and walked into the room before setting the box down on her night stand. He pulled up a chair and sat next to the bed. "I'm so sorry, Princess," he told her.
"I know," Leia's voice was muffled from the pillow.
"Why don't you take your face from the pillow and look at me so that we can talk properly," Anakin suggested.
Leia knowing better than to argue or to ignore him complied and sat up to face him.
"First of all do you even understand what you said to me?" Anakin asked.
Leia nodded. "Yes," she told him.
"Then why did you say it?" Anakin asked.
"Because I was angry," Leia told him.
"And what have I told you to do with your anger?" Anakin asked.
Leia crossed her arms impatiently. "You said to release all my anger into the Force because anger can eventually lead to the Dark Side if I wasn't careful," she answered.
"That's right," Anakin told her. "Have you considered listening?" he asked.
"I try, Daddy, but it's just really hard," Leia told him.
"I know it is. The path of the light is the hardest. There is a reason why they say that the quick and easy path is the one that leads to darkness," Anakin told her.
"How can you be so sure about that? How can you be so sure that it is just believed because it's taught that way for...how long?" Leia asked.
"A question that I asked at least once," Anakin commented. "The answer to that has been proven to me by experience. The Dark Side is quick and easy. It is quick to join you in battle and quick to aid you in power but it has consequences that are unforeseen until it is too late," he told her.
"But how do you know? You didn't turn to the Dark Side," Leia asked.
"Just trust me, alright," Anakin told her. "Can you do that?" he asked.
Leia nodded. "I trust you," she told him and then spotted the carved box. "What's that?" she asked.
Anakin picked up the box and handed it to her. "A peace offering," he told her. "I was actually saving it for your birthday but I felt that now was an appropriate time," he finished.
Leia opened up the box to see settled in a plush fabric were a an intricately carved necklace and earring set made from japor. She picked up on of the earrings and examined the carvings.
"They're ancient Jedi symbols of peace, tranquility and power," Anakin told her.
Leia looked at him knowing that he had made the jewelry for her and judging from the intricate carvings, he had spent quite some time on it and thought of the meaning behind it. "It's beautiful," she said.
Anakin smiled. "I knew that you'd like it," he told her.
Leia scooted closer to him and threw her arms around him. "I love you, Daddy," she told him.
Anakin held onto her tightly. "I love you too, Princess," he told her. He then released her and looked her in the eye. "I want you to promise me that you won't utter those words again. I haven't spent the past six or so years fighting to defeat slavery for either one of my children to use the word slave as an insult," he told her strictly.
"I promise," Leia said.
"You promise what?" Anakin asked.
"I promise not to use the word slave as an insult," Leia told him.
"And?"
"I'm sorry," Leia offered.
"Apology accepted," Anakin told her.
Leia raised an eyebrow. "Is there anything that you can't forgive?" she asked.
"There is," Anakin told her. "But there is nothing that either you or your brother can do that I can't forgive," he told her.
"Even if I turned to the Dark Side?" Leia asked skeptically.
"If you turned to the Dark Side, I would fight the entire galaxy to bring you back," Anakin told her adamantly.
"But Master Yoda says that once your turn to the Dark Side, it would forever dominate you," Leia told him.
"While Master Yoda is right on a great many things, there are some things that he could be wrong on," Anakin told her.
"Like what?" Leia asked.
Anakin glanced over at the doorway at where Padmè stood, sensing her approach at the beginning of their conversation. "The attachment rule for one," he answered.
"Do you think that they will ever change that rule?" Leia asked.
Anakin looked back at his daughter. "I don't know," he told her.
"If they did would you go back to being a Jedi?" Leia asked.
"That's something that I would only be able to decide in that situation," he told her. "Now, you have some meditating to do and I know that you haven't done it yet," he told her standing up.
"I hate meditating," Leia grumbled.
Anakin smiled, knowing the feeling. "It is a necessity in many situations," he told her bending to kiss her forehead. "Trust me," he added before leaving the room.