Arrival on Naboo brought with it incredible surprise for the small party of fifty Jedi. They had been expecting a battle. They had been expecting slaughter. If Jedi Masters Plo Koon and Kit Fisto were honest with themselves, they had been expecting to be too late to do much of anything but slice a few droids.

They found plenty of carnage. There were many dead and wounded and the majority of the once great city of Theed was in a complete shambles. But the intense fighting was nowhere to be found.

It had been hours since what was left of the Trade Federation was defeated. The Jedi were as surprised as anyone to find the ones responsible for this were simple Naboo security, Gungans, and clones. They knew as well as anyone not to underestimate the will and resolve of a native people against attack.

The clones were the surprise. Scattered across the galaxy after the end of the Clone Wars, they had united once again to defend a planet. Such dedication was commendable. Beyond just fighting, however, the clones had effectively secured Naboo. Already several cleanup and search-and-rescue operations had taken place, with more planned until the city was ready to get back on its feet. Mobile medical units had been set up to care for the wounded, and a roster of missing and deceased residents was being efficiently updated by the minute. On the outskirts were regular patrols to be certain there were no further attacks. The civilians who still had their homes intact were brought back into the city. Those with no homes to return to stayed in the evacuation centers in the countryside.

This was not to say that the Naboo were no longer in need of help. Foodstuffs were difficult to secure, and most of the clones only had basic medical training. The few clone medics who could handle serious injuries were undersupplied and understaffed.

All the Jedi could do was render help where it was needed. Thankfully half of their contingent was made up of Healers and members of the Jedi Medi-Corps. As there was no fighting to be done, most Jedi ended up working triage.

《-v-》 《-v-》 《-v-》

"I'm fine now. Really. Please, see to some of the more critically wounded," insisted the brown-haired Representative to the medics.

"Just a moment, Representative," said EmDee Nine, one of the few medical droids which had not been destroyed. He was finishing up with her badly burned thigh. "Treatment is nearly complete."

"Padme, listen to him," said Anakin wearily. "Just a few minutes more."

"All right," Padme sighed, lying back down on her cot.

Stubborn to the end. Anakin shook his head at her. Most of the time he had nothing but admiration for his wife's selflessness and compassion. It was part of what had made him fall in love with her in the first place. But when she was wounded to the point of being immobile, her insistence at everyone else going first went from annoying to worrisome. Finally Anakin had had enough, physically took her into his arms, and carried her right to an empty cot in front of the medical droid despite her protests.

Anakin had emerged from the throne room some hours before only to run straight into Rex and his battle group. While delighted at the reunion with his old friend, Anakin's first concern had been Padme. Rex explained they had already found the wounded woman and had stabilized her condition further, leaving a clone and a Gungan behind to watch over her. Anakin broke into a jog- and ended up being reunited with none other than Jar Jar Binks. By some miracle none of Jar Jar's usual mishaps had befallen the group, and at that point he was as long-faced as could be with his friend sitting wounded. He had been trying unsuccessfully to get Padme to eat something and leaped to his feet with a cry upon seeing Anakin. The young man was subsequently crushed in a joyous hug.

It had taken some doing to pry the well-meaning Jar Jar away from them, but after being thoroughly thanked for his bravery and sent to help with something else, they managed.

At the moment Padme lay on a cot in the makeshift medical center, waiting for the droid to finish her treatment. Her leg wound had been flushed with bacta for two hours and now was being covered with a medicated synthflesh patch. It would keep the wound clean while encouraging the re-growth of skin and muscle. The painkillers had kicked in some time ago and left her drowsy but impatient.

Anakin had stayed by his wife's side through it all, alternately holding her hand or resting his palm on her shoulder. He smiled when she glanced at him.

Padme gave him a halfhearted smile in return before lifting her head to regard the medical droid. It had moved to a frozen position by the side of the bed. "Are you done yet?"

EmDee nodded. "Yes. Treatment is complete, Representative Amidala. You may rise to a sitting position if you wish."

The young woman seemed relieved as she sat up. "Thank you. Can I leave so the others can be treated now?"

The droid tilted his head to one side in confusion. "You must rest your leg completely for a full twenty-four hours, and should not attempt to support your weight on it for a further three days. Healing cannot take place if you are mobile. Wait, and I will find someone to move you elsewhere for recovery-"

"I'll do it," said Anakin quickly. He ignored the glare that Padme gave him as he swung her into his arms and began carrying her across the triage unit to find an empty cot for her.

"Anakin, put me down," scolded Padme even as she gripped his neck. Her tone was more worry than annoyance. "I can limp."

"You're supposed to be resting. Doctor's orders."

"But you're so tired...and you still haven't let a medic look at your arm or shoulder."

Anakin shifted his grip. While every one of his blaster burns still sizzled with pain- and his knee replacement was still bothering him -he could ignore his own discomfort a little longer just to be sure Padme stayed off her feet. "They're not that bad. It's not far." As if to prove his point he found an empty cot in the recovery area within a minute and carefully set her down. Only then did he let his own arms fall. He staggered a little as the fatigue caught up with him.

Padme gripped his forearm. "Anakin, enough. Sit down."

There were no further protests made as Anakin sank next to his wife and rubbed his eyes. To say it had been a long day would be an understatement. Despite this he turned to Padme to speak with her. "How are you feeling?"

Padme gave a humorless smile. "Tired. I can't tell if it's the painkillers, or everything else." She ran a tender finger along the bandage on his face. "You?"

Anakin's answer came in the form of an enormous yawn that nearly split his face in two. He blinked hard to clear his vision. "I could sleep for a week," he admitted. "I'm just glad it's finally over."

Padme's gaze grew distant. "Not quite. While the battle has ended, there's still much work to be done. It's going to take months to recover from this, and the cost in lives can't even be measured." Her eyes misted as she turned to regard her ruined city.

The young man found his own eyes stinging as he followed his wife's sad gaze. "I know." He lifted a comforting arm to drape around her shoulders. Even one life is too many...Ruwee, it shouldn't have been you. He wanted to apologize, to tell his wife how sorry he was that he had failed. But she had so much as ordered him to stop blaming himself for Ruwee's death. While Anakin couldn't quite shake the guilt that he hadn't been able to save his father in law, he had accepted the man's passing as something that couldn't be changed. Anakin took in a shuddering breath before speaking again. "What's going to happen now?"

"We rebuild," said Padme firmly. "It's not going to be easy, or happen quickly...but it will happen. We will continue with our lives."

A hint of a smile returned to Anakin's mouth. How he loved his wife's determination and strength! He kissed her cheek. "I know we will. All of us." If only all of us were here! His smile faded as he thought of the family members who weren't present.

Anakin was glad that his children were safe from the devastation. But he missed them so much! The moment that long-range communications had been restored, Anakin had sent a message to the Jedi Temple inquiring about his children. The reply had been prompt and comforting; the children were fine, and Obi-Wan hadn't let them out of his sight. They would be returning to Naboo the following afternoon.

The thought of Obi-Wan trying to run herd on Luke and Leia was at once amusing and saddening. From all accounts the twins had been very upset upon their arrival at the Jedi Temple. To Anakin's annoyance he found that Obi-Wan had been required to report directly to the Council with the children before getting them settled in. No one would tell him why the Council had asked to see the children, nor what their thoughts had been on the matter. Anakin made a note to ask Obi-Wan what had happened.

Inquiries about Ahsoka's condition got better results. The young Togruta had needed surgery to repair the damage done to her torso and would have to remain with the healers for a long while...but her prognosis was good. She should be able to return to Naboo in plenty of time to help rebuild. Anakin still wanted to speak with his former apprentice himself.

Another yawn split Anakin's face, making the recent burn itch and sting. He grimaced and gingerly touched the bandage before turning back to Padme, who looked ready to fall asleep right then and there. "Padme?"

"I'm just tired. And so are you," she added, rubbing her cheek on his shoulder. "Why don't you just sleep?"

"Will you sleep with me?" murmured Anakin in her ear. Normally such a request was meant for other times...times when they were alone...and it usually didn't involve sleep. But his tone was tired concern rather than husky affection. Neither of them was in the mood for that

"Yes," sighed Padme. She leaned into him for a moment before lying down on her right side.

Though the cot was narrow, Anakin lay down behind her, his arm draped over her waist. He intended to spend some time in meditation before turning in.

But before long he heard the soft sound of weeping coming from Padme. She had plenty of reason to cry, but it happened so rarely that Anakin was concerned.

He rose on his elbow. "Padme? Am you in pain?" He started to pull away.

Quickly Padme wiped her eyes and shook her head. "No, Ani. I'm all right. It's just..." And she began to cry again. "I guess it's just hitting me now...everything..."

Anakin, not knowing what else to do, gently rubbed her shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"No. It's not your fault," she insisted, craning her neck to look at him.

"I know. I just hate to see you crying. Don't hold back for me," he added with a closing throat. "If you need to, then go ahead."

Padme responded by curling up and letting the tears come. She cried for her father, her people, her planet.

Anakin cried with her, silent tears rolling down his cheeks. "Is there anything I can do?" he asked after a time.

Padme burrowed into him. "Hold me?"

So Anakin did. He held her until Padme had finished crying. They fell asleep in each other's arms.

The only unspoken question left on Anakin's mind was how Luke and Leia would respond to seeing their parents injured and the city they knew in ruins. Perhaps it was time to tell his children about the Force. It might be useful in explaining things.

《-v-》 《-v-》 《-v-》

For the Naboo, it would have been easy to hope that the attack on their beloved city had been nothing more than a terrible nightmare that would fade with sunrise. But sunrise came and illuminated the stark reality that Theed was a pile of rubble. The recovery teams had worked through the night digging for survivors. While a few were found, most of the civilians that had been uncovered were already dead. The body count rose to a heartbreaking level.

Queen Apiliana wasted no time in doing what she could to help her people. Immediate aid was requested from the Senate, and Chancellor Organa promised to send what he could as soon as possible. Several medics, relief workers, and food supplies had already been sent to the suffering city. The Jedi pledged to have a constant presence as long as they were needed.

As for the clones, they had already promised whatever help they could for as long as it was needed.

Anakin and Padme awoke feeling stiffer and more sore than the previous evening. Anakin only wanted to rest and spend time with his family for the next few days, but Padme wanted to get right back into helping her people. Annoyance at being essentially bedridden until late afternoon was so great that the Queen had to issue an order; her Representative was to take as much time off as her medics recommended.

Both awaited the arrival of their children with great anticipation. Anakin knew that once Luke and Leia were home, he and Padme would never want to put them down.

《-v-》 《-v-》 《-v-》

The mood in the T6 Shuttle was one of uncontained excitement as it came down on final approach to the refugee camp outside Theed. Two of the three occupants bounced in their seats despite the calls of the pilot to stay calm.

Obi-Wan had debated over whether to tell the Skywalker children that they would be going home. He didn't want them to spend the next several hours running around the main hold like a pair of wild banthas.

But it would have been pointless to omit the truth. After the last trip had separated them from their parents, the Jedi Master feared not being able to convince the two to come aboard. He had only to tell them the destination, and the two ran all the way to the hangar.

Luke and Leia's impressions of the Jedi Temple were certainly mixed. Upon being taken to the Jedi Council chambers they were greeted with nine pairs of curious eyes. Leia was the most direct and declared she wanted 'Daddy'. The strong Force influence kept her from crying, but only just. Luke had been more curious about the place. His blue eyes looked around in wonder at the Jedi sitting in their seats even as he clung impulsively to Obi-Wan. Even he could see the Jedi were surprised about something.

Thankfully their time in the Council chambers was short, and Obi-Wan took them wherever he thought might calm them down. They liked the Court of a Thousand Fountains because of the water, and one of the empty physical training rooms because they could run off excess energy. Other than that they honestly didn't seem to think much of it. Obi-Wan couldn't blame them. They missed their parents.

By the time the transport shuttle came in for a landing, the children were as hyper as could be. Not even the Force could calm them down enough to sit still.

"Daddy! Thee Daddy, thee Daddy!" declared Leia as she wiggled. "Mommy, Mommy!"

"Hold still, little one. You'll see your parents soon," calmed Obi-Wan. He wasn't surprised when Leia ran right to the door and whined for it to open. He moved on to Luke.

"Thee Mommy? Daddy?" asked Luke hopefully.

"That's right, Luke," nodded Obi-Wan. He turned the boy loose and was surprised when Luke clung to his hand and pulled him along. "All right. All right. Hold on." They reached Leia, who was knocking impatiently on the door. "Away from the loading ramp, Leia." He took her hand and flipped the switch to lower the ramp. Both children began dancing with utter excitement.

Slowly the ramp lowered. Even before it did, Obi-Wan sensed the anxious presences waiting at the bottom. He took a deep breath to calm his own nerves and gathered both children close before marching down.

The children, being short, had the first view of their parents. Immediately they began struggling against Obi-Wan's grip. "Daddy, daddy, daddy!" cried Leia. In a second she had broken free from the Jedi and hurried down the ramp as fast as her short legs could carry her.

"Mommy, Daddy! Mommy, Daddy!" called Luke, breaking into a grin. He yanked Obi-Wan along with him for a few paces before breaking free and running to join his sister.

Anakin had already dropped into a kneel to gather his children into his arms. He'd wanted to run to them, but Padme couldn't stand without support. So he stayed close enough so she could lean on his shoulder. "Luke...Leia! Oh, we missed you." His eyes stung as first Leia, then Luke all but plowed into him. Tears mingled with laughter as Padme dropped next to him to hug their children.

The twins hugged first Anakin, then Padme tight enough to choke them. Leia chattered and said their names over and over while Luke just clung to both parents. When they kissed his cheeks and forehead, he kissed them back. It was a wonderful tangle of love.

All the while Obi-Wan hung back. He didn't quite know why his eyes were stinging, nor why his heart had warmed so much. He just stood in a parade rest with his hands folded behind his back and waited.

"Wuv you, Daddy," said Leia, kissing Anakin's cheek.

"I love you, too, princess." Anakin couldn't wipe his damp eyes because his arms were full of his children. "I love all of you so much."

Presently Luke pulled back, gazing at both parents in concern. "Mommy hut? Daddy hut?" He poked gently at the bandages.

Padme smoothed back Luke's thick blond hair. "Oh, sweetheart. Don't worry about Mommy and Daddy. We'll be all right." She kissed his forehead again.

"Mommy n' Daddy got owies?" Leia inquired sadly. She leaned over to kiss the bandage. "Ah bet-tow."

"That's right, Leia. Everything's all better now," smiled Anakin. He turned to Padme, kissed her, and gave both wife and children a firm but gentle hug. After, he lifted his eyes to regard Obi-Wan. "Thank you."

"Quite all right, Anakin," said Obi-Wan with a distant smile. "As soon as you've a chance, I'd like to speak with you."

"All right." Anakin's curiosity over what the Council had said about his children rose. But they were home now, and they were safe.

His family was back together. That was all that mattered.

《-v-》 《-v-》 《-v-》

Sometime later, Obi-Wan Kenobi and the Skywalkers had all returned to the Skywalker residence to talk and just be together. See-Threepio and Artoo-Detoo were even brought out of storage, where they had been put for safekeeping. Threepio fussed over Anakin and Padme's injuries until Anakin sent him off to unpack the children's things.

All the while neither Padme nor the children could be separated from Anakin. They all fell asleep either leaning on, sitting on, or clinging to him.

When it seemed Anakin himself had drifted off, Obi-Wan discreetly decided it was time to leave. Before he had moved four paces Anakin's voice stopped him.

"Obi-Wan?"

"Oh. I'm sorry, Anakin. I'd forgotten how tired all of you were. I'd better go."

"No. Wait," called Anakin softly. He motioned to the armchair opposite the sofa. "You haven't told me yet what the Council had to say about Luke and Leia."

Obi-Wan eased into the chair with a sigh and a shrug. "To be honest, not much was said. Only that the twins are indeed very strong in the Force...and that their bond with each other was equally strong."

Anakin's eyebrows shot up in surprise. The Council acknowledged emotions? Wonders never cease. "They did?"

Obi-Wan nodded, a slight smile touching the corners of his mouth. "Don't look so surprised, Anakin. It's obvious. All of them could sense it. And it's not only an attachment that they share. It's a bond through the Force itself...and a bond they share with their parents."

Anakin gathered his children a little closer. "We love each other."

The Jedi Master nodded again. "I know. This seems to go even beyond love. I'm not sure how to describe it, beyond the fact that every member on the Council was surprised and even startled at this bond. Master Yoda even said it would be going against the will of the Force to separate them. And don't worry about the children. I already told the Council that it would be a mistake to break your family apart."

Anakin swallowed with nerves. "And what did they say to that?"

Obi-Wan shrugged. "Nothing, beyond promising to take it under advisement. But I promise you, I will not let that happen."

The statement brought relief to Anakin's heart. He gave his friend a smile.

"Anakin...I've been meaning to ask you something," said Obi-Wan thoughtfully.

"What?" Anakin wanted to know.

"When you were alone in the throne room with Viceroy Gunray, you had every opportunity to kill him. I suspected you would."

The young man took a deep breath and let it out slowly, his eyes on the floor. Presently they misted. "I wanted to. He deserved it."

Obi-Wan knit his brows. "What stopped you?"

Anakin took another deep breath and waited some time before answering. "I remembered all the others I killed out of a want for revenge. The sandpeople...Count Dooku...it was all so pointless."

Obi-Wan watched his young friend with caution. "Was it? As far as Count Dooku was concerned, he was a Sith Lord."

Anakin nodded, a single tear rolling down his cheek. "But I did it for the wrong reasons. I only killed him because I wanted revenge. Killing the sandpeople didn't bring back my mother. Killing Dooku didn't bring back the arm I lost, or all the Jedi that he'd killed. All it did was leave a cold, empty feeling in my heart." He bowed his head. "Killing Gunray wouldn't have brought back Ruwee. So I let him live." Anakin took in and let out several deep breaths. When he opened his eyes again, a bit of peace had returned.

Obi-Wan gazed at the young man with admiration. He's come a long way. "I knew I'd sensed some sort of change in you, Anakin."

Anakin shuddered. "I released my anger," he admitted quietly. "I know I may still struggle with it...but I'm going to do all I can to keep it from controlling me."

A smile of pride spread across Obi-Wan's face. He took Anakin's shoulder. "I believe you will. Now, as much as I'd love to stay, I'm going to go and allow you and your family some much-needed rest. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

Anakin returned the smile and shook his head. "No. Again, thank you for looking after the children."

Obi-Wan gave a brief bow. "It was my pleasure. May the Force be with you, my friend."

"May the Force be with you as well, Obi-Wan." Anakin returned. The words were not as awkward or uncertain as they had been in the past. He knew the Force was present as surely as he knew the sun would rise.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: Home stretch...the next chapter will be the last.