Chapter 37
Anakin stared back at her in shock. "Wh-What?"
Padme's smile then became even bigger. "You heard me. We're going to have another baby. You're going to be a father again."
Anakin laughed and then got a huge smile on his face as the realization of what his wife just told him sunk in. "Oh Padme." He said excitedly as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a tight embrace. "Th-This is wonderful!" He exclaimed as he then looked into her eyes again.
"I was hoping you'd be happy about it." Padme told him as she laughed and pulled him closer to her in another tight embrace. "It came as such a shock to me…after all these years."
"Yes, me too." Anakin responded as he put his left hand on the back of her hair and kissed her neck. But then he stopped, staring out into space as a thought occurred to him. "But, Padme."
"Yes." Padme replied, still nestling her head into his warm chest.
"Do you realize this means we'll have four children?" Anakin asked her in amazement.
Padme paused in shock by her husband's question, looking up at him with awe. "I-I hadn't really thought about it. I was just so happy with the news." But then a smile returned to her face. "But I don't care, Ani. I would love to have another baby."
Anakin then released her, still holding her shoulders, and looking into her eyes with seriousness and awe. "But four children, Padme." He paused as another smile came across his face as he gazed down as his wife's now pouting one. "What's the matter?" He asked her as he, too, became serious, wondering what was troubling his wife.
"I thought you'd be happy." She told him, looking away.
Anakin laughed. "I AM happy, extremely happy, Padme. It's just come as quite a shock to me. I never dreamed we'd have so many children together."
Padme turned back to look at him again, meeting her husband's smiling face and sparkling blue eyes, then smiled up at him. "Neither did I." She told him with a giggle.
Anakin then pulled her close to him, her head resting on his chest and his head on top of hers. He put his left hand on the back of her head and then kissed her hair. "We've been blessed, Padme. You know that?" He asked her as they looked into each others eyes again and then started kissing tenderly on the lips.
"I know." Padme said with a smile as their kiss deepened and became more intense. "I love you, Ani." She finally said as they broke from their kiss, staring into one another's eyes again.
"And I love you, Padme." Anakin responded, still staring lovingly into her eyes. He then backed away, looking down at her still flat abdomen and resting his left hand over it. She put both of her hands over his. "And I love this baby, just as much as I love you and our other children. Please don't ever doubt that."
Padme looked back up at him, biting her lower lip and then smiled. "I don't doubt that you do." Padme finally said as she continued smiling and took both his hands in hers, leading him over to the marble bench nearby to sit down under the shade of the tree.
Anakin reached over with his left hand, putting it lovingly on the back of her head as he pulled her into another soft kiss. She put her right hand behind his head also pulling him closer to her.
After a few moments, they broke apart, still staring into one another's eyes as Padme then took both of his hands in hers and put them on her lap, looking down at them. "We'll have to tell the children." She paused, looking back into his eyes again. "How do you think they'll take the news?"
Anakin paused in thought as he became serious. "I don't really know. The twins are older now and will take the news different than when we told them about Sarah." He paused, thinking about their youngest daughter. "And Sarah, she's been so used to being the youngest…"
Padme didn't let him finish, putting her right index finger on his lips. "It will be ok." She told him with a smile. "I think once they get used to the idea of having another sister or brother, they'll be fine."
Anakin laughed. "That is unless we have twins again and then they get one of each." He teased.
Padme's mouth gapped open in shock. "Anakin Skywalker, don't you even suggest that." She told him as she smacked him in the arm and he continued to laugh.
"I thought you didn't care how many children we have together?" He asked her now looking at her with a grin on his face.
"Yes, but don't jinx us." Padme responded as she, too, began to laugh. "Yes, wouldn't that be something? Two sets of twins." She said as she continued to laugh.
"And five children." Anakin added. "Not four." He added looking at her seriously.
Padme's smile then faded as she, too, looked at him seriously. "Wouldn't that be shocking?" She replied as they then both burst out laughing together, with Anakin and Padme holding onto each others arms as they laughed.
"Well…as soon as you're able, I'd say you better go find out that we're NOT having twins." Anakin suggested as she continued to laugh. "Because I know when Obi-Wan finds out about this, he will be harassing me ceaselessly until you do find out."
Padme laughed. "Oh don't I know it." She responded as they continued to laugh.
-------------------------------------------
That night, while Anakin was getting his shower before coming to bed, Padme laid on her back in bed, wearing her blue nightgown, smiling up at the ceiling. She placed both of her hands on flat stomach, thinking about their conversation earlier that day on the veranda. It is amazing that we are having another child when we weren't sure if we'd ever be able to have any in fear of our marriage being discovered. And now we're having a fourth one. Padme thought her herself.
Padme then giggled, running her right hand in a circle over her stomach as she turned on her side, putting her left hand under her head on the pillow, and continuing to smile, remembering back to when she first found out she was pregnant with the twins…how happy, yet scared she had been at the news. She was going to have Ani's baby. And who would have thought it would have turned out to be two babies…twins.
Padme sighed to herself in remembrance. It wasn't long after she had learned of her first pregnancy that she started hearing rumors that Anakin had been killed in a battle on some distant planet in the outer rim. She had cried herself to sleep that night, thinking she would never see her husband again alive and happy…and that he would never know about his child or to see it grow. But then the next day, she received a comm call from him to let her know he was alright. He had also heard about the rumor, and fearing for her thinking him dead, he risked calling her to assure her he was alright.
She had cried tears of happiness then…but then the rumors kept coming over and over again as the months had progressed. And she almost started to believe some of them again, especially when Anakin wasn't able to get in touch with her to tell her different.
And then after 5 months, news came of the Chancellor's abduction by General Grievous. The Senate had been in an uproar and Padme heard that Anakin and Obi-Wan had been sent to rescue him. She had waited anxiously with the other senators for news of the outcome of the rescue and heard about the Invisible Hand's fiery decent into the atmosphere of Courscant. This had started rumors to spread that they had burned up in the atmosphere and all had perished, causing Padme to cry in despair, placing her hands over her face, at the thought of her Ani being so close to her and their unborn child, yet dying just before reaching them.
But just as she had thought all was lost, a wave of excitement had burst through the Senate building as news of their successful crash landing arrived and word spread that the rescue mission was a success. And both Obi-Wan and Anakin were both still alive and coming to the Senate building with the Chancellor. Padme had laughed in delight and relief at the news. She was going to be able to see Anakin again. He was alive and she would be able to tell him about their baby. At that moment, she didn't care if he might be upset by the news of her pregnancy. She would just tell him and hope for the best.
And she did tell him, after nervously waiting for him to arrive from behind one of the grant pillars of the Senate entry hall. Her heart skipped a few beats as she saw him get off the transport and turn to talk to Obi-Wan. He was alive and she was seeing him with her own eyes. She then watched as he approached the crowd of senators and then as he walked closer to her location with Bail Organa.
"I'll do everything I can with the Senate." She heard Bail say to Anakin as they approached and then she saw Anakin had noticed her hiding behind the pillar.
"Excuse me." Anakin told Bail.
"Certainly." Bail responded graciously as he bowed and then turned to follow the rest of the senators and the Chancellor into the building.
She then saw Anakin running towards her, her heart beating faster as he approached and then they embraced and kissed, with Anakin picking her up and swinging her around in happiness at seeing his wife once again.
"Oh, Anakin! Thank goodness, you're back." Padme heard herself tell him as they stared into each others eyes.
"I've missed you, Padme." Anakin told her, placing his hands behind her ears to pull her closer to him.
"There were whispers… that you'd been killed." Padme told him, looking at him with troubled and tear-filled eyes.
"I'm back, I'm all right." Anakin said as he continued to gaze into her eyes. "It feels like we've been apart for a lifetime. And it might have been…If the Chancellor hadn't been kidnapped. I don't think they would have ever brought us back from the Outer Rim sieges." He told her as he started to give her another kiss, but then she stepped back with Anakin looking at her with confusion.
Padme looked into his eyes with fear. "Wait, not here…" She pleaded.
But he grabbed her again, pulling her close to him to kiss her. "Yes, here! I'm tired of all this deception. I don't care if they know we're married."
Padme gasped and looked back at him in shock. "Anakin, don't say things like that. You're important to the Republic…to ending this war. I love you more than anything, but I won't let you give up your life as a Jedi for me…"
Anakin embraced her, but then noticed her uneasiness. "Are you all right? You're trembling. What's going on?" He asked her, looking at her with concern and worry.
Padme took a deep breath and weakly smiled up at him. "Something wonderful has happened." She told him as they continued to look at each other with Anakin waiting in anticipation. "I'm…Ani, I'm pregnant."
Padme was broken from her memories as she felt the bed move, causing her to come back to the present. She watched as her husband laid down next to her and smiled at her as he did. "What is it, Padme?" He asked her noticing her pensive mood.
Padme smiled over at her husband as he also turned to his side to face her. "Oh, I was just thinking back to when I first told you I was pregnant with the twins."
"Oh?" Anakin responded with surprise.
"I-I had been so worried for you then…and wondered if you'd be upset about the news." Padme then smiled at him. "But you were happy…just as you are now."
Anakin moved closer to his wife and pulled her to him, kissing the top of her head. "Yes, it's amazing how far we've come since then, too."
"I know." Padme replied. "Who would have thought we could have a somewhat normal life together to raise our family."
Anakin looked down at her with shock. "Normal? You call hiding out and calling each other by different names normal?"
Padme laughed. "Well, you do have a point. But I guess for us, it is as close to normal as we're going to get."
Anakin chuckled. "You're probably right." He responded as he kissed her forehead and hugged her tighter. But then he became serious and looked down as his wife. "Did I tell you that when I was putting the children to bed, the children asked me why their grandma called you Padme?"
Padme gasped and pulled back to look at her husband with a start. "No. What did you tell them?"
"Well, I basically told them the truth." Anakin told her as her eyes became bigger with fear.
"What do you mean you told them the truth?" Padme asked him with a look of horror on her face.
Anakin smiled. "I simply told them that it was a secret name your mother once called you. But your name is Renee and that they shouldn't repeat the name of Padme to anyone else or they would ruin the secret."
"And they accepted that?" She asked him with puzzlement.
"Yes, they seemed to." Anakin answered her. "They're young children after all. They are more willing to accept things at face value. They also thought you having a secret name is a fun and mysterious game, so they promised to never repeat it to anyone."
"I hope so, especially with Leia being away at school. What if she slips and tells the wrong person?" Padme asked him with concern.
"Well…let's just hope and pray that she keeps her promise and doesn't." Anakin responded while kissing hair. But then a realization hit him as his face went white as a sheet. "Padme?"
"Yes." Padme responded and then looked at him with concern as she noticed him tense up. "What's wrong?"
He looked over at her with fear in his eyes. "What if they mention visiting your family on Naboo? And repeat the last name of Naberrie?"
Padme tensed up as well and went pale, staring back at her husband with shock. "Oh no. Why didn't we think of that?" She asked him as she brought her right hand up to her mouth.
Anakin stared, glossy eyed, across the room while pulling his wife closer to him. "I don't know. We should have." He told her as he looked back down at Padme with concern. "And who knows what they heard while they were in the village with your mother."
"Oh Ani. I hope it wasn't a mistake for us to come here." Padme said with tears forming in her eyes. "Everyone has been so happy." She told him as she started to shake as she continued to cry in his arms.
"Shh, it will be alright, Padme." Anakin tried to assure her, rubbing her arm with his left hand. "We'll find a way around this."
Padme sniffed and looked up at her husband with tears falling down her cheeks. "I don't know if we can." She told him as she laid her head back down on his chest and he kissed her forehead again as he moved his left hand up to her face to stroke her cheek in a comforting manner.
"We'll talk to your family tomorrow before we leave for Alderaan and come up with a solution." He told her.
"I just hope it will be as simple as that." Padme said as the couple continued to comfort one another. It will have to be. Padme thought to herself as another tear escaped down her cheek.