Chapter 36: Skywalker "Reunion"
Leia sighed as Padmé led her into the kitchen again. "Up on the counter," Padmé ordered, boosting Leia onto the counter.
"Now what?" Leia whined.
"I just want to check your burn," Padmé murmured, carefully removing the bandage.
Leia glared at her mother. "Don't you give me that look," Padmé warned.
Leia sulked and held out her arm. "Are the Jedi here yet?" Leia asked Jar-Jar, poking her head around her mother's shoulder.
"Leia, we've discussed this," Padmé murmured. "Hold still."
Leia scowled and leaned back. "Are you done yet?" Leia asked impatiently.
Padmé replaced the bandage and said, "Done."
"Yeah!" Leia cheered and jumped down from the counter and hurried into the living room. Padmé calmly disposed of the used bandage and then followed her daughter to the living room after washing her hands.
"Obi! Ani! Mesa so happy to be seein' yousa," Jar-Jar said. "Whosa yousa new friend?"
"I'm Luke Calrissian," Luke replied.
"Come in," Jar-Jar led them into the apartment. "Senator Padmé is expecting yousa."
"Padmé, lookie, lookie, the Jedi issa here," Jar-Jar called excitedly.
"Master Kenobi," Padmé grinned. "Ani?" She gasped when she saw Anakin.
"You've grown even more beautiful, for a Senator," Anakin said.
Then Anakin said, "This is…"
"Luke," Leia pulled away from Padmé and threw her arms around her brother's neck.
"You know each other?" Anakin asked.
"This is my twin sister, Leia," Luke explained.
Anakin nodded. Padmé then added, "So this is Luke? Somehow I'd thought he was taller."
"You've heard of me?" Luke asked.
"Leia would never stop talking about you," Padmé explained, smiling, while silently telling Luke to go with whatever excuse she made up for knowing him. She couldn't let anyone know he and Leia were really her children, although Captain Typho knew that already.
Luke let out a sigh of relief when he saw she was alright. Then he saw her arm. "You're injured, what happened?" He asked, watching her face anxiously.
Leia silently replied, did you hear about the assassination attempt on Mother's life earlier? That's when it happened. I was sent flying and some of the shrapnel burned me and I was left dangling off the edge of the landing platform.
Luke nodded and carefully healed his sister's injured arm. The group moved to the couch. Typho calmly sat next to Padmé. On the way to Coruscant, Padmé had ordered him to act like nothing had happened earlier so Anakin didn't become suspicious.
"We will find out who's after you, Padmé," Anakin vowed.
"I agree with Anakin, and I say we find out who is behind the assassination and why, and technically, I do trump your orders, Knight Kenobi," Luke added.
"How would that be?" Obi-Wan asked.
"At home, he's the Jedi Grandmaster, Master Yoda named Luke his successor," Leia explained.
Then Padmé murmured, "The why is that security measure bill."
"But what if it is because of something unrelated, an old grudge?" Leia asked. "Do you have any enemies, besides the militarist committee?"
"You don't think Gunray would come after me now, do you?" Padmé asked in a soft voice.
Luke blinked. Who's Gunray? He asked silently. He didn't dare voice his question aloud because he didn't want to reveal just how uneducated he really was. Only Leia knew what he had learned and that was just how to keep a moisture farm running and the basics of reading, writing, and mathematics.
Nute Gunray was the leader of the Trade Federation for the thirteen years prior to our birth when Darth Vader killed him and then the Trade Federation was dissolved by Emperor Palpatine, Leia quickly explained to her twin. That was one thing that Luke needed to work on—his education. In fact, the twins taught each other—Leia taught Luke just about everything when it came to the galaxy and Luke taught Leia how to use the Force.
Luke nodded and said, "We need to keep all possibilities open and that includes that Gunray may or may not be involved in this, Senator Amidala."
Padmé nodded reluctantly. "If that is all, I will retire for the evening," Padmé murmured. "Coming, Leia?"
Leia nodded and quickly followed her mother to the bedroom, where Padmé lent Leia a nightgown for the evening. "This is actually kinda scary," Padmé muttered.
"What?" Leia asked.
"I'm letting the daughter I haven't even given birth to, yet alone gotten pregnant with, borrow my clothes," Padmé explained.
Leia grinned and said, "Well, it's better than us showing up when you are pregnant with us."
Padmé smiled and said, "Remember our earlier arrangement? It still stands."
Leia nodded.
Meanwhile, Anakin muttered, "She didn't even recognize me, Jar-Jar."
"Well, you did grow up, the last time you two saw each other was ten years ago," Luke pointed out.
"I didn't change that much," Anakin protested.
"Well, Luke does bring up a good point," Obi-Wan said. "The last time she saw you, you were here," Obi-Wan motioned to below his knee. "Now you're up there."
"You were a tiny kid," Luke snickered.
"Mesa never see Padmé so happy," Jar-Jar said. "Shesa always is so sad."
Luke nodded. "Mesa don't know why," Jar-Jar said in reply to one of Anakin's questions.
"My guess is she probably missed you, Anakin," Luke said. "She seems to consider you a close friend." However, Luke knew what the real reason was—Padmé had missed the twins.