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.
I hope that you enjoy this chapter. I pulled a feat to get it ready for you today.
Selona Twelth 7 BBY
Naboo: Theed: Skywalker Home. Second Hour.
Padmè sighed and rolled over for the hundredth time that night. She checked the crono again and sighed in frustration. It was well into the early hours and she still couldn't sleep. Turning in bed, she glared at the reason why she was having a hard time sleeping. Anakin was laying on his side using his right arm as a pillow. Something that she knew he would regret once he woke up. He had the covers kicked off of himself while his left arm rested on his hip. He was also snoring like a kath hound. Now she remembered why she was torn between missing sleeping next to him and wanting sleep during the war. Sighing again in frustration, she sat up and placed both hands on his left shoulder before shoving him onto his back. Anakin grunted as his back hit the mattress and his arm moved off of the pillow; he didn't wake up and he had quit snoring. Satisfied, Padmè went back to a comfortable position before finally being able to fall asleep.
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To her annoyance, the sun woke her up as it rose. Turning over, Padmè once again glared at her sleeping husband who just smiled in his sleep. "Well, I'm glad that you're happy," she grumbled getting out of bed. "You managed to keep me awake for half the night."
She pulled on her robe and proceeded out of the bedroom, down the hall, down the stairs, and into the kitchen where she made herself a cup of caf. She was still in a bad mood as she drank her fifth cup of caf and a bunch of noise plundered down the stairs.
"We should head out before we're assigned chores..." Luke hurriedly said.
"Or worse, assigned to meditate," Leia replied.
"We'll be forced to sit through a lecture and then meditate after what we're about to do," Luke told her as the twins walked into the kitchen.
Padmè raised an eyebrow at them. "And what are you about to do?" she asked them.
"Oh, just a prank," Leia quickly covered up.
"On Dad," Luke added for the reason for their punishment.
Padmè waved a hand. "I will not stop you," she told them. "You should probably start while he's still sleeping," she suggested.
The twins looked at each other. Neither had permission for a prank before so they had no idea on how to run with this. Turning back to their mother, they proceeded. "Pranking Dad is very difficult," Luke said.
"He sees through everything and is always one step ahead of us," Leia told her.
Padmè smiled and set her cup of caf down. "I think that I can distract him for you," she told them.
Luke and Leia took seats opposite her at the table and clasped their hands on the table. "What do you suggest?" they asked.
Padmè smiled as an idea formed in her mind. She remembered Anakin boasting about something he had done to Obi-Wan in his youth. "Do we have any laxatives?" she asked.
The twins grinned, reading their mother's mind. For this alone, they believed that they had the most wizard mother ever.
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Anakin awoke to a very delicious aroma. Smiling to himself, he stretched before glancing over at the crono. It was midmorning and he couldn't remember the last time that he had slept this good. After getting out of bed, he pulled on his old cloak before heading downstairs, following the aroma. He could feel his stomach grumbling as he made his way down stairs.
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Luke pulled the plate of steaming food out of reach as he made his way back into the kitchen and quickly sat down at the table next to his sister. "It actually worked," he commented.
"He's coming?" Leia asked.
"He followed the smell of food like a kath hound," Luke commented.
"I told you that he could smell food in his sleep...your father has one of those excessive appetites. I caught him sneaking into the kitchen three times in one night for a snack and he got upset when I stopped him from going for a fourth," Padmè told them, adding a thick brown liquid to the rest of the oatmeal before pouring it into a bowl next to a steaming plate of breakfast with more food than any of theirs.
"Smells delicious," Anakin commented coming into the kitchen.
Padmè smiled, hiding her duplicity with charm. "I made your favorites," she told him, handing him the plate and the bowl.
"Where did you get the bantha meat?" Anakin asked looking at the plate.
"I know where to shop for exotic foods," Padmè told him sitting down at the table and started eating what was on her plate.
Anakin sat down and began eating He had the strangest feeling that the twins were up to something but what it was he couldn't put a finger on. As he ate, he kept looking at the twins who were both engrossed in their food. "So, what is on the schedule today?" he asked.
"I was thinking of taking Luke and Leia out for the day," Padmè answered swirling shuura jam into her oatmeal and eating a spoonful. She then cut up her piece of shuura fruit and took a bite, making sure that her husband was watching before savoring the juicy fruit.
Anakin cleared his throat, still looking at her. "Any suggestions for activities?" he asked.
Padmè swallowed her food before replying. "I was thinking about being spontaneous for once," she answered.
"Ah," Anakin said. "So we're switching roles?" he asked. He then noted the twins leaning in closer to each other and whispering. "Alright, what are you two up to?" he asked.
The twins turned to him. "We were just trying to make up our mind to what we want to do?" they answered unanimously.
"Finish eating and don't worry about them. We've been talking about different things all morning," Padmè commanded.
Anakin wasn't convinced and vowed to keep a close eye on them the entire day. He knew without a doubt that they were up to something. Not speaking a word about it and keeping his thoughts to himself, he smiled at his wife and finished eating. When he reached the bowl of oatmeal, he instantly took the jar of jhen honey and poured some into the oatmeal before stirring it in and took the first spoonful. He forced himself not to frown and to swallow. Something was off. He caught Padmè watching him while drinking a cup of caf. He glanced over at the twins to see them shoveling their food into their mouths. Neither paying attention to him in the least.
"Is something wrong?" Padmè asked.
"Nothing is the matter," Anakin answered and continued to eat the oatmeal. He had to force himself to eat it. He couldn't put a finger on what made the oatmeal taste this way unless it had been burned. But that was preposterous. Padmè was an excellent cook. Anakin was relieved when the last bit of it was gone. He then spotted Padmè getting ready to clean up the dishes and promptly stood up to stop her. "Go relax, you cooked," he told her.
"Ani, I have this," Padmè told him.
"No you don't," Anakin told her. "Go relax," he insisted.
"Well if you insist," Padmè said, walking away giving the twins a smile as she left the kitchen.
Anakin watched her leave before picking up the pot that the oatmeal was cooked in to inspect it.
"What are you doing Daddy?" Leia asked.
"Looking to see if that oatmeal was burned," Anakin answered and frowned when he could find no evidence to suggest that the oatmeal was burned.
"I didn't think that the oatmeal was burned," Luke said and shared a pleased look with Leia behind their father's back.
"Curious," Anakin commented suspiciously as he set to work cleaning the dishes.
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One hour later.
Padmè knocked on the door to the refresher once again. "Anakin, aren't you done in there?" she asked.
"I wish I were," came Anakin's reply through the closed door.
"Well, we're waiting for you to get done," Padmè told him.
"Go on without me," Anakin told her.
"Why?" Padmè asked, a little concern in her voice. She looked over to where Luke and Leia were eagerly listening.
There was silence for a moment before Anakin's voice could be heard again. "You should have your day with the twins. You don't really spend nearly enough time alone with them," he excused himself.
Padmè smiled. "Well if you're sure," she said.
"I am," Anakin said, though his voice sounded strained.
"We'll be back soon," Padmè called through the door and ushered Luke and Leia away and down the hallway.
"So what do we do to him next?" Luke asked eagerly.
"Shhh," Padmè commanded. "We'll figure that out while we're out," she told them as they descended down the stairs and left the house.
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Selona Twelth 7 BBY
Naboo: Theed: Veera's Market.
Padmè picked up another dress from the racks and examined it. Across the aisle in the young lady's part of the clothing store, Leia fingered a blouse, looking torn. Setting the dress down in the basket, Padmè walked over to her. "What is that look for?" she asked.
"I like this blouse," Leia said.
"And?" Padmè asked.
"Daddy isn't going to like it," Leia finished.
Padmè looked at the blouse, seeing absolutely nothing wrong with it. Sure it was a little snugger than what Leia usually wore and the neckline was lower, but it was nothing terrible. Smiling, she picked the blouse up from the rack. "Find some more like this," she said.
Leia looked up at her in astonishment. "But..."
"There is absolutely nothing wrong with this blouse and I think that you will look great in it," Padmè told her.
That was all the initiative that Leia needed and went about finding more like it. Padmè was astonished at the amount of clothes that Leia piled into the basket, everything so different than what she normally wore, making Padmè think that Anakin kept too tight of leash on the twins, especially if Leia thought that she couldn't wear what she really liked.
On the other side of the store, Luke was busy trying on shoes since he had worn out his last pair and found a pair that he liked and fit properly before joining them. "I'm done," Luke told them.
"You don't need anything else?" Padmè asked him.
"Nope," Luke answered.
"Well, we're not finished yet, so is there anything that you might like to do while you wait for us?" Padmè asked.
"There's the arcade," Luke said.
Padmè reached into her pocket and pulled out several credits. "Here's fifteen credits, go have fun," she told him, handing him the credits.
Luke grinned. "Thanks!" he said, and quickly made his exit.
Padmè watched him go until she couldn't see him anymore before spotting Leia piling some short skirts and sleeveless blouses in the basket. "I think that is enough now. We're not trying to buy out the whole store," she said.
"Okay," Leia agreed, realizing that she had gotten carried away and proceeded in helping her mother pick out some new clothes.
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Selona Twelth 7 BBY
Naboo: Theed: Naala's Café.
Padmè sat with Luke and Leia while Sola joined them for lunch. Luke and Leia were happily eating one of the café's special frozen treats while Sola and Padmè talked.
"I still can't believe that you did something so underhanded to Anakin," Sola commented which made the twins chuckle.
"Well, he had it coming," Padmè told her.
"Really?" Sola replied, "Did you argue about something?"
"No, I just thought that he should know what it was like. Do you know all the despicable things he had done to poor Obi-Wan," Padmè replied.
"And yet, Obi-Wan remains close to Anakin through out that," Sola commented.
"They treat each other like brothers," Padmè said.
"So the rest of us had noticed," Sola commented. "Anakin treats Obi-Wan Kenobi more like family than the rest of his family," she said. "Did you know, we had to integrate him into the family. He was all for Luke and Leia being a part of the family but he held himself away," Sola told her.
"Can we be excused?" Luke asked.
"May I," Padmè corrected.
Luke frowned.
"May we be excused?" Leia asked.
"To do what?" Padmè asked.
"Just to check out the water fall, there's a fountain over there with some fish in it," Leia answered.
"Go ahead," Padmè told them, and each twin jumped up from the table and headed off.
Padmè turned back to her sister. "Ani has no real strong connection to many people. He's used to being the odd one out and sometimes I think he prefers it, but other times, he clings to those he is close to. After his mother died, he closed himself off some. I hadn't really expected him to instantly try to become a part of someone else's family," she told her.
"We all welcomed him openly, Padmè. Dad had a harder time than the rest of us though," Sola told her.
"So did his step-family but as far as I know, he hasn't even spoken to them since his mother died," Padmè told her.
"Step-family?" Sola questioned.
"Anakin has a step-father and a step-brother on Tatooine," Padmè told her.
"He hasn't mentioned them," Sola told her.
"And I don't expect him to. Doing so would make him talk about his mother and he only ever speaks about her with me and that is only because I had met her. I was also there to comfort him when she died," Padmè told her.
"You're lucky, Padmè, I hope that you know that," Sola told her seriously.
Padmè merely smiled in response and turned her head towards where Luke and Leia were watching the waterfall and throwing stuff over it. She knew exactly how lucky she was.
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Selona Twelth 7 BBY
Naboo: Theed: Skywalker Home
When Anakin was finally able to pry himself out of the refresher, he was highly suspicious and headed straight for the kitchen. The kitchen itself was squeaky clean. Moving straight for the trash, he noted with frustration that it had been emptied and changed, something he had done the night before prior to going to bed. This only added to his suspicion. There was absolutely no reason for the trash to be empty, unless...
He went outside then, right for the pile that was ready for pickup from the waste disposal company. There were at least five different bags ready for pickup, four large ones and one unusually small one. Grabbing the smallest bag, Anakin quickly went through it, finding the evidence that he knew that he would find: a small packet of laxatives.
"Very good, Padmè, but you're not that good," he muttered, plotting his revenge. He went back into the house to make preparations for his revenge.
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Selona Twelth 7 BBY
Naboo: Theed: Broadberry Meadow.
Families relaxed all over the park while youths played a variation of sports and games within the capital's park. Luke and Leia ran around together playing a game of catch with a ball that they had purchased earlier for this very reason. Padmè smiled , enjoying the fact that her children were enjoying themselves and were able to just be kids. But they wouldn't be kids for much longer and that fact saddened her. She had missed so much. The kind of things that she would never get back were the kind of things she never experienced. But, Anakin had. He had them all to himself for nearly twelve years and it was hard not to be jealous or bitter about it. She knew that he would rewind time for her so that she could be there while they grew up if he could and she loved him for that.
"What do you think that Daddy is doing right now?" Leia asked as she and Luke settled down by their mother.
"I'm not sure. I'm sure that the laxatives had worn off by now," Padmè answered. "Which means we'll have to do something unexpected," she said and spotted something off in the distance.
Luke and Leia turned to look at what she was. A couple were holding signs indicating that the four salkies that they had tethered to a post needed good homes. "Dad would definitely be upset if we brought home one of those," Luke commented.
"Daddy did say no more pets when we got Rouge," Leia added.
Padmè smiled as she made a decision, remembering how annoyed he got when one of her neighbors pet salky would start barking. "I'm going to override that," Padmè told them.
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Selona Twelth 7 BBY
Naboo: Theed: Skywalker Home.
"What in the seven Tatooine Hells is that?"
"Our new salky," Padmè said, looking at her incredulous husband.
"Take it back," Anakin told her, indicating the brown and white salky which instantly started barking when it saw Rogue.
"No," Padmè simply replied. "He needed a good home which we could provide. Besides, I like salkies. I even had one as a child when we lived in the mountain village, they make ideal pets," she reasoned as both Luke and Leia began playing with the salky.
Anakin felt greatly outnumbered in this issue and formulated a plan to get rid of the salky. "I'm not going to argue with you over this right now. There's a parent/faculty meeting at the twin's school in an hour. If you plan on going with me, then you better get ready," he said instead.
"It won't take me long to get ready," Padmè told him, standing up from where she was petting the salky.
"I'll believe that when I see it," Anakin commented which his wife ignored. When she was gone, he turned to his children. "Don't get too attached to that thing," he instructed before leaving the room.
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Selona Twelth 7 BBY
Naboo: Theed: Theed Intermediate University.
The school auditorium was full of parents and faculty as the meeting was about to commence. Anakin lead his wife to seats towards the front before taking their seats. The Administration Board members usually presided over the meetings. Anakin didn't usually speak up at these meeting unless he felt strongly on something. Glancing over at his wife, Anakin took note about the way she carried herself. Her official persona was showing itself now that she was out in public.
"Hello, Anakin," a female voice said.
Padmè turned to see a woman with light hair and stormy eyes sit down beside them with her husband. She briefly wondered who they were.
"Sianna, Dale," Anakin greeted and then turned to his wife. "This is Sabrina and Sebastien's parents," he told her.
Padmè smiled. "Nice to meet you," she said looking at Sianna and Dale.
"The same for us, Lady Amidala," Sianna replied.
"Did Luke and Leia also ask for permission for that trip to the Gallo Mountains?" Dale asked.
"Yes. We haven't given them a definite answer," Padmè answered.
"The school board is giving Professor Hienikin a hard time about it. They're saying that he doesn't have enough experience to lead a trip there and neither does many other professors," Sianna informed them.
"Will this be brought up during this meeting?" Anakin asked.
"Most likely," Dale answered.
Before Anakin or Padmè could make a reply to that, the head of the Administration Board for the university, Angilo Rimeriz, demanded everyone's attention, beginning the meeting. "Parents and faculty, welcome to the years fifth meeting," Angilo announced. "First on the agenda is the school fund raiser which will occur within the next two months. The children attending Theed Intermediate University will be expected to raise a cumulative sum of at least six thousand credits for their chosen charity. This years charity will be going towards the Refugee Relief Program," he announced. He paused an listened to parent's questions and answered them before moving on to different topics, ranging in importance until he came to the subject that concerned Anakin, Padmè, Sianna and Dale.
"Last on the agenda, the trip to the Gallo Mountains that Professor Hienikin promised his class. The Administration Board has reviewed his credentials on the subject and reviewed those of the rest of the professors. Unfortunately without any chaperons with any suitable credentials, the Administration Board will have no choice but to cancel this trip," Angilo announced.
"Luke and Leia will be so disappointed," Padmè said disdainfully.
"So will Sabrina and Sebastien," Sianna said sadly.
Anakin frowned before standing up. "I don't think that this trip should be canceled," he said speaking up.
"Sir, there aren't any suitable chaperons," Angilo reasoned.
"Then I volunteer myself as a chaperon," Anakin told him. "Surly my experience as a Jedi is suitable credentials," he added.
Padmè stood up as well. "I volunteer myself as well. I have a family vineyard in the mountains and grew up visiting it," she announced.
"With a Jedi accompanying the children on this trip, I feel confident enough to send my child on the trip," Another parent spoke up. And there were several other parents who agreed to this forcing the Administrative Board to reluctantly agree.
"Very well. The students will have their trip," Angilo agreed. "Providing that those who volunteered keeps their word," he said looking at both Anakin and Padmè.
"I hope that you know what you had just gotten yourself into," Dale commented.
Anakin was quite sure that he could handle a class quite well and he just nodded.
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Selona Twelth 7 BBY
Naboo: Theed: Skywalker Home.
Anakin lounged in bed as his wife showered in the refresher. He smiled to himself as any moment she would notice what he had done. He turned to a new page in the datapad as he studied this mathematical problem that the twins had to work through. He was determined to figure out this method so that he could help his children better understand it. As he had a very interesting thought process, he heard an angry yell. Followed by an angry Padmè coming out of the refresher, throwing her bottle of moisturizer at him, moisturizer that he had replaced with honey.
"Care to explain this," Padmè demanded.
"Just a hint of what is to come, My Love," Anakin told her.
Padmè planted her fists on her hips. "Is that so?" she demanded.
"Yes. You really should have thought better than to get laxatives involved. You don't play with the master without some sort of retaliation," Anakin told her calmly.
"So help me Anakin," Padmè breathed.
"Would you like me to remove the honey for you?" Anakin asked, looking at her and to the spot on her body that had honey on it.
"No, I'm not in the mood," Padmè answered, going back into the refresher.
Anakin just chuckled to himself, pleased with himself.