"Are you kidding?" exclaimed Padmé. "Our children were just nearly killed, and you want to play card games?"

"No, I want to play 'Uno,'" Obi-Wan corrected her. "And besides, they didn't die, did they?"

Anakin was just as upset as Padmé. "If you say one more word, Obi-Wan, I swear I'll throw you out that window."

Obi-Wan shrugged nonchalantly. "Been there, done that."

"Leave!" shouted Anakin, realizing that Obi-Wan was not getting the message.

"Well, why didn't you just say that in the first place?" wondered Obi-Wan as he headed towards the door.

Anakin and Padmé made no reply except to glare, and Obi-Wan hurriedly exited the apartment.

"That was close," said Anakin, gently rocking baby Luke back to sleep.

"Too close," added Padmé as she cradled Leia in her arms. "At this rate, they'll never make it past infancy."

"Maybe it's for the best," Anakin suggested. "They'll probably grow up to be huge disappointments, anyway."

"Don't say things like that!" scolded Padmé. "They are our children, after all."

"True," admitted Anakin. "What are you proposing?"

Padmé paused for a moment to think. "I have an idea..."

Anakin shuddered involuntarily as he saw the scheming look in Padmé's eyes and couldn't refrain from expressing his concern aloud.

"Uh-oh..."

"Give me one good reason not to," challenged Anakin as he and Obi-Wan walked to the Jedi Council meeting the next morning.

"Um...because I'll love you forever and ever?" Obi-Wan tried.

Anakin looked at him questioningly.

"In the most platonic sense of the word, of course," Obi-Wan hastily clarified.

"Platonic?" repeated Anakin, now utterly confused. "Isn't that like, volcanoes and planets' crusts and all that jazz?"

"No, you're thinking of tectonics," explained Obi-Wan.

"Oh," said Anakin. "Same thing."

Obi-Wan sighed. "Why do I even bother?"

"Remind me again why I shouldn't tell the entire Council how you almost got my children killed yesterday?" Anakin said pointedly.

"Do you want them all to know that you're a horrible parent?" asked Obi-Wan.

Anakin was lost. "What?"

"Well, you're the one who let it happen," Obi-Wan accused.

"Yeah, because of you and your insane girlfriend," replied Anakin as they reached the Jedi Council chamber.

"We'll discuss this later," said Obi-Wan, not wanting to raise suspicions among the other Jedi Masters.

"Unless I decide to just tell them right now," Anakin threatened mischievously.

"Yeah, but then what happens the next time you want to blackmail me?" wondered Obi-Wan.

Anakin thought for a moment. "Good point."

"Isn't this stupid war over yet?" exclaimed Anakin, fed up with the endless discussions of tactics and strategy that had comprised the past two hours of the Council meeting.

The other Jedi Masters, who had been in the middle of a heated debate over how exactly the name of the Wookies' home planet should be pronounced, fell silent at the outburst and turned to stare at Anakin.

"Unfortunately, no," answered Mace. "There are still rogue droid units scattered throughout the galaxy wreaking havoc- had you been paying any attention at all, you would have known that, but we've all learned not to expect much from you."

Anakin ignored the insult to focus on the larger issue. "They're just droids," he pointed out. "I killed all the separatists; who is giving them orders? Can't we just shut them all down?"

It was Obi-Wan who explained this time. "We haven't been able to locate all the droid control centers. Until they're incapacitated, the droids will keep following the orders they were given, which means they will continue attacking Republic systems."

"That's annoying," said Anakin.

"It may interest you to know that one of these skirmishes has just broken out on Senator Amidala's home planet of Naboo," revealed Mace.

"Ooh, ooh! I'll go!" Anakin volunteered, practically jumping out of his chair.

Mace hesitated, but Yoda stepped in.

"Ready, you are," the small green Jedi said approvingly. "Go to Naboo, you may."

"Thanks, Master Yoda!" Anakin said excitedly. "You rock!"

Yoda smiled sagely. "I know."

"You got the mission?" said Padmé when Anakin arrived home that evening and told her about the meeting.

"Yep," he affirmed.

Padmé was elated. "Woo-hoo! I can't wait for my family to see the twins."

"I was skeptical when you suggested a trip to Naboo," Anakin admitted, "but this assignment is the perfect cover. Maybe we could leave the babies with your relatives and go up to the lake country for a few days..."

"Maybe," Padmé agreed. "When do we leave?"

"Tomorrow," said Anakin.

"Sweet," replied Padmé. "So what do you want to do tonight?"

"The same thing we do every night," answered Anakin.

Padmé's brow furrowed in confusion. "And what is that?" she wondered.

"Try to take over the world!" Anakin exclaimed, laughing evilly.

Padmé had been married to Anakin long enough to know how to handle situations like this. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him, and all imperialistic thoughts immediately left Anakin's head.

"Or not."

Augh! Finally! Merci beaucoup for all of your reviews; you know how much you rock. The next chapter should be up in a couple of days (Marching band season equals zero free time), so in the meantime, please review! Thanks! -Luna