POV: Ahsoka Skywalker

It's been two weeks since Kylar was born. His eyes opened here and there and I could feel quite a bit of disappointment in the small child. I could pinpoint exactly why he felt the way he did and I knew it was linked to his father. Kylar wanted his daddy. He was two weeks old and extremely intelligent. He was able to will himself to show me things by touching some part of my skin… It was absolutely fascinating and I wished I could share it with Anakin. I didn't quite understand my son sometimes because of this ability, but I could sense his deep attachment to Anakin and I had a feeling that that attachment had something to do with it.

Satine entered the dorm as I was getting a bottle ready for him. I glanced at her solemnly and she knew I wasn't feeling quite like myself. I hadn't been myself since Kylar was born. "How are you holding up, Ahsoka?"

I sighed and glanced at my sleeping baby boy. "I miss Anakin. Kylar misses Anakin. It just hasn't been the same without him here…"

She came closer at a slow pace and gently hugged me. "He's in good hands, dear. Trust me when I say that." I nodded slowly and she smiled weakly. "Obi won't leave. He thinks Anakin will wake up today, but he said that yesterday… and the day before that…"

"What do you think?" I urged, wishing to know what she was keeping. She had been on the quiet side since Anakin's… mishap.

"I believe we should go get him. The poor man hasn't slept in days…"

I sighed. That was typical Obi-Wan. "I'm worried about him." I finished Kylar's bottle and slipped it into a baby pack. I went to go pick him up from his crib as Satine's eyes followed me. I held my son close to my chest after lifting him from the crib.

"We all are, my dear."

Satine grabbed the pack and we headed down to the medical station. We'd come back to Coruscant after Kylar's birth and neither one of us felt like leaving anytime soon. The realm of space held a kind of sorrow that would never leave me.

We entered the medical ward and Obi-Wan spun around, his eyes glazed over. "Good morning, ladies," he whispered, putting his act of decency on once again.

Satine stood behind me as I moved closer to the older man. "Go rest for a while," I pleaded. "You're exhausted." I could see it as well as feel it.

Satine stepped around me and he hesitantly nodded. She outstretched her hand and he moved to take it. "Ahsoka –"

"I'll let you know if anything comes up," I promised. "Go rest. Please."

The two of them left, leaving Kylar and me alone with my still husband who was lying on the medical bed before me. I stepped closer to him and ran the fingers of my left hand through his hair slowly. He was extremely… pale, but at least his heart was steady and beating now. I felt horrified as I looked at his angelic face and imagined the last time he looked at me. "I… love…" echoed over and over in my head until Kylar broke me out of my reverie with a whimper.

I smiled down at him weakly and held him close to his father. "This is your daddy, baby." He made an adorable sound that almost sounded like he was saying 'hello' to his father. "Daddy loves you, baby, very much…"

Anakin inhaled sharply and I stared at him as he flexed his fingers slowly. Moments of silence ensued and my heart stopped. I couldn't function until I got some kind of sign that denied him to me or allowed me to speak with him. "S-Soka…" he whispered, his voice raspy and his eyes still unopened.

"I'm right here," I said hurriedly, rubbing his arm gently. "I'm here, darling."

I could see him trying to open his eyes and I waited patiently until they did. He dragged his hand across the bed and moved his fingers towards me. I intertwined our fingers gently and he began to blink nonstop. "Ky… Ky-lar…?"

"He's here, too. Can you see him?" He shook his head slowly and I started talking to him in the most awed voice I could muster, which wasn't difficult considering how grateful to him I was for bringing this beautiful child into our lives. "He's beautiful, Ani. He has your hair and my facial markings. He's got a beautiful face with pale orange skin… He looks a lot like you."

His eyes darted all over the place. He wasn't blind. I was just that he'd been in the bacta tank for a few days and he had been asleep for more than a week. His eyes had to readjust themselves to his surroundings. I saw tears streaming down his face as he stared ahead of himself. "I… I… want…" He paused, catching his breath. He appeared to be getting more and more frustrated with himself by the minute and I knew what he wanted.

I squeezed his hand before letting go and moving my now free hand up to his forehead. I touched him and carefully projected what I was seeing into his head. I showed him Kylar and I could feel a spark of life burst inside of my husband. It overjoyed me to know he felt just as I did about our son. "This is our baby," I whispered. "Our little Kylar Anakin…"

I took my hand away from his forehead and proceeded to wipe his tears away. A huge smile was plastered onto his face. "Beau… tiful," he whispered, straining himself to say that single word.

I leaned forward and gave him a gentle, loving kiss. "Thank you, my Ani. Thank you for doing for me what I couldn't do for you. Thank you for bringing our Kylar into the galaxy… Thank you for surviving to see him."

I watched him get frustrated with trying to speak and it broke my heart when he gave up. I was hurt until his voice echoed in my head clearer than ever. "I love you, my Soka. I love you and our son more than anything. I'm so glad he's here. I'm glad to be alive so I can be here with him."

I smiled, choosing to speak aloud. "We've been missed you, Ani, more than you can imagine." I held his hand as he began to cry once again.

"I wish I could talk. I wish I could see you…"

"You will, sweetheart. Be patient, okay? It's been a while." I kissed his hand. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore. I have feeling everywhere now, but… I feel empty. Empty and hollow."

"I know, Ani. The pain will go away soon and you won't feel empty much longer."

"I want to eat. Am I allowed to?"

"Of course, baby. What would you like?" I knew he was empty without Kylar inside of him, but he chose to avoid that. I also knew he was hurting – emotionally. He was hurt because he wanted to be with us completely, but he couldn't. No one could force his eyes to work even though I could tell he was trying desperately.

"Anything. Get yourself something. We can share if you want."

"Okay, baby. Want me to leave Kylar with you?"

"Do you trust me not to hurt him?"

I stared at him, shocked. "Why wouldn't I?" He looked sad and it hurt me. He thought that I couldn't trust him because he was temporarily lacking in sight. "Can you at least move your arms?"

I sat on the medical bed beside him as he lifted his arms a little, small groans erupting as he did so. I watched him painfully push himself up. He held his arms out towards me and I carefully shifted Kylar into his arms. He looked like he was struggling, but he was so happy. He just wanted to feel his son in his arms. "He's so light."

I leaned towards Anakin and kissed his forehead. He closed his eyes and smiled weakly. "I'll be back soon, my sweetheart. I love you."

"I love you, too."

I got up slowly and made my way out of the room. I wanted to make sure he'd be okay before I left him alone. I wasn't worried about him being alone with Kylar in his current condition. I was just worried about him.

Kylar made some small yawning noises and I heard Anakin try to laugh very weakly. I smiled and finally left. I wandered down to the mess hall and ordered us something easy to eat that wasn't too hot or too cold for him to bear.

As I returned to the medbay, I could hear Kylar crying. I was about to break into a run until I heard Anakin straining himself to soothe our son. He quietly spoke to Kylar and it made me smile as I lurked outside of the room. "It's… It's… o-kay, kiddo… Daddy's… got –" He began coughing violently and my heart sank. I ran over to him and the coughing worsened. I set the food down and tried to help him relax. I knew he would never hurt Kylar and I didn't have the nerve to take him away just because Anakin was in a rough condition for the moment. I helped him calm down after a minute or so. "I'm… okay," he breathed.

"Don't be stubborn. Tell me what's wrong."

He sighed. "Lungs. Suff-ocating…"

I brushed his hair back and kissed his forehead again. "The droid has capsules for you to take once a day. They said you're sick, but it's not as severe as I originally thought. This will get better within a few weeks, my love." He sighed and nodded slowly as Kylar began to relax along with him.

Later.

Anakin was regaining his motor skills as well as his vision. He could see faces with a minimal amount of blur now. I laid Kylar down on the medical bed because my stubborn husband wanted to get up and move about…

He was able to do a lot on his own now and he was proud of himself… until he nearly fell to his knees. His voice was getting better and he was capable of talking to me without coughing his lungs up. I helped him into a chair and he surprised me by pulling me into his lap. He nuzzled his face against my jaw and I smiled, stroking his hair. "Do you know how much I've missed you?" he whispered, his warm breath caressing my skin.

"I only know that it's got to be quite a bit." He shifted me so that I was completely face him, my legs dangling over his and my eyes staring straight into his. I held his shoulders until I realized that all he wanted was to cuddle with me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and his arms wound around my body, his warm hands running up and down my back slowly. He tilted his head forward and gently nudged my chin until I lifted it so he could kiss my neck softly. As he moved his lips about at a slow, passionate pace, I felt his warm, wet tears sliding down my skin.

"I love you so damn much," he whispered into my neck. "I love you more than you'll ever know. I'd do anything and give anything for you… You're worth everything to me."

I kissed from his forehead down to his jaw as he straightened up and smiled at him once I straightened as well. "You know I'd do the same for you. If you told me you needed my lungs to help you, I'd give them to you. You carried our son and I almost lost you. You give me the word and anything – anything is yours, my darling husband."

He stroked my rear lek gently and I stared into his loving eyes. "I just want you. All I've ever wanted was you."

"I'm yours," I whispered. "Always and forever."