A/N: This is the last chapter before the epilogue. I hope that you have enjoyed the ride as I have.
Charlie.
Shmi couldn't take her attention away from the battle going on over the temple as she assisted Minga keeping things in order. Where was Anakin? She hadn't seen him since he had disappeared hours ago. What was going on? Where was her son? She prayed that he wasn't one of the pilots fighting over the temple. From the holonet in the room, the reporters talked about all the different ships blowing up. Apparently there was a siege going on outside the temple as jedi and the republican army that were stationed on Coruscant took on the clone army. Everything that Anakin said would come to pass was happening. Shmi closed her eyes as she remembered what Anakin told her, how he could see the future. She didn't believe it then, but now she wasn't so sure. Finally the explosions seemed to stop, it stopped suddenly before the reporter on the holonet started reporting on it.
"The clones stopped attacking the the jedi temple! They're dropping like the plague had suddenly come over them!"
And Shmi remembered hearing about something Anakin was planning. But they didn't say anything about Anakin.
"Medics have just arrived at the temple! Someone's been injured! It looks like a jedi! Most of the jedi council are surrounding the medical capsule!"
Shmi suddenly felt sick. Where was Anakin? Was he okay? Why hasn't he made contact?
"We've just received word that Chancellor Palpatine is dead!"
Minutes later the doors into the medical bay burst open with members of the jedi council surrounding a medical capsule. Shmi turned to face them just as suddenly as Minga did and she began to scream.
"ANAKIN!!!!!!" Shmi screamed upon seeing her son on the capsule looking pale as a ghost and completely still with a hole in the middle of his chest. Members of the jedi council had to restrain her as she screamed frantically and tried to rush over to her son not knowing what to do. "LET ME GO! ANAKIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" she screamed struggling against her captors but they were a lot stronger than she was and as Anakin continued not to move and began growing even paler she started getting even more hysterical.
"Get her out of here!" Minga called rushing over to where Anakin was.
Shmi fought harder as they took her out of the room. That's when she caught sight of Obi-Wan running towards them. "LET ME GO! ANAKIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" she screamed finally breaking free and was about to go back into the room when Obi-Wan caught her.
"He'll make it, He's survived so many times before, he's going to make it," Obi-Wan told her but she knew that he was saying it more for himself than for her.
It killed her more than it relieved her when Anakin began screaming blood curtailing screams. What were they doing to him?! "ANAKIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" She screamed. She needed to go to her son. She fought against Obi-Wan as he dragged her away.
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Anakin's eyes slowly opened up to intense light. He quickly shut them and groaned in pain. As the rest of his body woke up he felt as though his chest was on fire and hissed through the pain.
"Anakin! Thank the force you're alive!"
Anakin barely recognized the voice, it sounded so far away. He opened up his eyes again but everything was so blurry, he barely made out his surroundings. The fire in his chest continued to burn. He could no longer take the pain and screamed. He felt something cool placed over him but that only made it worse and he screamed even more. It wouldn't go away.
"You're going to be alright Anakin. You have to trust me."
The coolness left his chest only to be replaced with the feeling of being torn apart within his chest as though someone was invading it and the fire got worse. He screamed and fought against it using the force to push whatever it was away from him. He barely heard the sound of a body being throne against clanging objects before a groaning sound could be heard.
"I'm Sorry Anakin. I can't give you anything for the pain, it'll just make it worse."
The fire wasn't going away. He couldn't remember what had started the fire. All he knew was that it wouldn't go away. He screamed as the invading feeling returned. What had happened to him? Where was he? He grabbed whatever he was laying on and continued to scream in pain. He tried to look and see what was happening to him, but he barely saw anything but fuzzy shapes. He screamed as he felt his flesh being pulled.
"I don't want to have to do this to you Anakin. But if you're going to live I must. It's not easy saving someone's life when they had a lightsaber thrust into their chest."
What were they talking about? The fire burned faster as he felt his chest being torn into. He screamed again. What did he do to deserve this?
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Obi-Wan couldn't take hearing Anakin scream anymore. His comlink buzzed again. Padme was worried sick about Anakin, but how could he tell a pregnant woman that her husband was near death? No. If she knew or heard his screaming, she could go into early labor and loose the twins. He had given his word to Anakin that he would protect his family at all costs. He promptly shut his comlink off praying that the simple act wouldn't cause her any pain. He looked into the operating room where he saw Minga working on Anakin. He winced when Anakin used the force to shove everything away from him including Minga who hit the wall and machines pretty hard. Anakin was still screaming. He couldn't loose Anakin the way he lost Qui-Gon. A lightsaber through the chest wasn't easy to survive. He couldn't imagine the pain.
He turned to see Shmi sitting still and white as a sheet as she listened to Anakin's screams. She had finally stop being hysterical only to be still and silent. Obi-Wan couldn't imagine what she must be going through.
"He's in a lot of pain. I wish I could help him through it."
Obi-Wan turned to face Qui-Gon's ghost. "I can't loose him Master. Not like this," he said.
"Obi-Wan. Think positive. Anakin should be dead right about now, but he's not. There's a bigger plan at work here. Now I understand that Anakin and his wife are expecting twins. I suggest you go and give Padme the answers that she needs to know before something happens. Tell her that her husband is alive. I will stay and watch over Anakin," Qui-Gon instructed.
Obi-Wan turned away from him and glanced down into the operating room as Anakin's screams continued to echo through the medical bay. No doubt every jedi in the temple could hear him. Qui-Gon was right. He needed to take care of Anakin's family as he had promised to do. "I promised Anakin to take care of his family, to protect them if he should die. I only hope that I don't have to keep that promise," he said.
"Go," Qui-Gon urged.
At that moment Mace walked into the overhead view and sat down. "He better make it through this," Mace said to Obi-Wan.
Obi-Wan weighed his options. Should he tell Mace where he was going? What suspicions would he arouse if he left? But he needed to get to Padme. He closed his eyes and listened to the force's guidance. But it was all a jumble of things. It was hard to decipher them.
Mace leaned over to Obi-Wan. "You, Master Yoda and I need to have a talk about the secret you decided to leave me out of," he told him.
"What secret?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Skywalker told me what was going on before he went ahead with his plan. I did not approve of his sacrificing himself fro the good of the galaxy and the order," Mace told him.
"I knew nothing of his sacrificing himself," Obi-Wan replied alarmed.
"I'm surprised," Mace said.
"Do I take it that you actually care about Anakin's well being?" Obi-Wan asked.
"It seems as though I have been wrong about your apprentice," Mace told him grudgingly.
It was with those words that clarity in the force came to Obi-Wan. "Will you stay with Shmi? There is someone else that needs to be here," he asked.
"Who?" Mace demanded.
"A close friend," Obi-Wan answered him. "Anakin would want her with him," he added.
Mace narrowed his eyes at him but nodded his consent. "Alright," he agreed.
"Thank you," Obi-Wan breathed and took Shmi's hand in his. "I will be back," he told her.
Shmi gave no indication that she had heard him. She just kept her focus on her son.
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If it weren't enough that his chest was on fire but it was being pulled apart as well. He screamed louder each time that the cool metal pulled at flesh, bone and tissue in his chest. The fire centered around the middle of his chest and continued outward burning his flesh and bone. This was torture! It was the only explanation he could think of. He had been captured by the enemy and instead of killing him, they had decided to torture him into insanity. Oh how the mighty has fallen! Anakin had withstood the cruel torture of Gardulla the Hutt from the time that he was walking up until the time that he was eight when Watto had won him and his mother in a bet. He could handle this. He had to. He screamed louder as something cold was stuffed inside his chest. Whatever it was, it wasn't supposed to be there! Surprised to find his arms free from binds, he began clawing at his chest ready to rip whatever that thing was out. Two slender but strong hands grabbed his wrists keeping him from his task. He struggled against the hold but whoever it was wouldn't back down.
"Anakin! You have to stop this! I'm not trying to hurt you! I don't want to hurt you! You'll die if you continue to fight me!"
Four metal claws grabbed his arms pulling them roughly to his side. He struggled against them trashing about. He screamed as he felt the fire turned to ice. No! He had heard about this! This is what he had done to Vader! He screamed. He couldn't die like this!
"Is it safe to sedate him now?!"
"His vitals are stronger than they were when he was brought in."
His blurred vision allowed him to see the blood filled syringe coming closer to him. There was no way in hell that he was going to let them stick that in him. Concentrating on the force he forced the syringe to shatter. Hopefully that was the last of it. He refused to go down without a fight.
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Obi-Wan had reached the Skywalker's apartment and allowed the retinal scan in the turbo lift to scan his eyes before he was cleared through the high tech security Anakin had put in months before. Within moments he was cleared to go with the security system identifying him. He punched in his code clearance before the turbo lift began to move. Unlike most turbo lifts, this one was speedy and he entered The Skywalker residence within moments.
"Welcome back Master Kenobi," The security system said announcing his arrival.
Obi-Wan paid the security system no attention as he continued into the apartment into the living room. "Padme, are you home?" he called. He reached out with his senses and realized that she was upstairs. He left the living room and walked into the foyer to climb the stairs. He found Padme standing out on the balcony in hers and Anakin's bedroom. She stood there staring fixedly into the horizon at the jedi temple where the smoke from the attack had cleared leaving the outside of the temple scorched. Many pilots died in that dogfight, many of them jedi. She stood there stiffly with one arm resting on her stomach while the other was raised so that her hand could cover her mouth. She had clearly witnessed the dogfight.
"Anakin wasn't fighting that battle, Padme," he assured her.
She knew of Anakin's piloting skills and how easily he could have been called to fight that battle. Unfortunately no one that he knew of who fought that battle over the temple had survived. Fortunately Anakin hadn't fought in it. Obi-Wan sucked in a breath as she turned to face him. Her eyes were vacant and puffy as though she were crying. How could he tell her that Anakin could die at any moment?
"Where is Anakin? Why hasn't he answered his comlink? Please Obi-Wan tell me that my husband is alive," she begged him.
"Anakin is alive," he said slowly. He saw the relief flow through her and he hated himself for having to continue. "I think it would be best if you sat down," he said at last.
"Something's wrong. I can see it in your eyes. Where's Anakin?" Padme asked.
"Padme, Anakin was seriously injured. He killed Chancellor Palpatine but not before the chancellor could plunge his lightsaber through Anakin's chest," he told her regretfully.
Padme shook her head as her fears became a reality. "No!" She cried. "Anakin! Oh gods please!"
Obi-Wan caught her before she hit the floor and she began banging her fist against him. "Where were you?! How could you let this happen to him?! He's your brother! How could have let him do this himself?! You knew that this would happen! Why wouldn't you stop him?!" she screamed.
Obi-Wan held her as she continued to fight him and scream at him, blaming him. He knew that she was right to blame him. He could have stopped this from happening. He was supposed to be there. He had planned on being there. But Anakin had outsmarted him. Anakin was too stubborn to let him help him. Why couldn't he see what Anakin was planning? He had failed his brother.
"You were supposed to stop him!" Padme screamed and then clutched her stomach and cried out in pain. Suddenly her screams of anguish turned to those of fear and pain.
Obi-Wan looked down just in time for a pool of blood and liquid to form around Padme's feet.
Padme screamed in pain and looked at him in fear. "No! I can't loose them too!" she cried.
Obi-Wan acted quickly. "You won't loose the twins Padme, not on my watch," he told her picking her up in his arms and hurried out of the apartment as fast as he could heading straight for the garage where Anakin's speeder waited. Even if Anakin did die, his children would live, he will make sure of that.
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Minga was sure now that Anakin would live, the only problem that presented itself of getting in the way of his healing was the fact that the trauma of his injury had put him in panic which was increased due the surgery she had to perform on him without being able to sedate him. The fact the he felt the whole thing only added to the trauma.
"Hold him still, especially his head!" she ordered the droids who complied at once.
As long as he couldn't see to know what to fight, she could try sedate him again. She's was going by a different rout this time. Anakin continued to fight against his captors thrashing about on the operating table. She had to be extra careful. Until he was completely healed, she had to keep him unconscious.
"Forgive me Anakin, but this is for your own good," she said. She pulled out a syringe filled with a black liquid. For his own good, she had to put him into a healing coma. "You've given me no choice. Once you're fully healed, I'll bring you out of it. I promise," she told him injecting him in the arm with the syringe. He fought against it but soon the drug began to take effect and he went limp. Her heart broke at seeing him so still. He was never this still. "Vitals?" she asked the droids.
"Growing stronger," the droid monitoring the screen told her.
Minga nodded. "Make sure that he's comfortable," she ordered.
Before the droids could move Anakin out of the room the doors burst open. Minga turned sharply at the intrusion to see Obi-Wan burst into the room with Padme screaming in his arms.
"The twins," Obi-Wan told her quickly.
Fear gripped Minga for the second time in three hours. "Set her down here," she said indicating the other operating table.
"Anakin!" Padme screamed when she caught sight of her husband laying still with a large hole through his chest.
"He's alive," Minga quickly told her. "He's going to be fine Padme, trust me," she reassured the woman who she had grown close to. She set to seeing what was wrong with her when Obi-Wan had set her down on the table. "I'll have to induce labor if the twins are going to survive," she quickly said frowning. She turned to a droid and gave it her orders. "Quickly sedate her!"
The droids made quick work in giving Padme some sedative drugs to ease the pain. Padme barely felt the drugs taking affect as she reached out her hand for Anakin. But a rather strong contraction hit her hard and she screamed in pain before the sedatives took full affect.
"Obi-Wan, help her sit up, this isn't going to be easy," Minga ordered. Obi-Wan quickly complied helping Padme sit up by sitting behind her. Ming quickly positioned herself between Padme's legs ready to deliver the babies. "On the count of three, Padme, push as hard as you can," she said. Padme nodded breathing hard.
Minga began counting slowly and when she got to three Padme gritted her teeth and pushed as hard as she could before crying out Anakin's name.
"You're doing good Padme, now keep pushing," Minga told her. She met Obi-Wan's gaze and nodded to him, silently telling him to be prepared for the first shock waves in the force to come.
When the first babie's cry filled the room, Padme leaned back into Obi-Wan and took deep breaths. Minga handed the newborn baby boy to a medical droid. "It's a boy," she said.
The medical droid brought the newborn child over to his mother who gently reached out her hand to gently stroke the baby's round cheek. "Luke," she breathed before another contraction hit her.
"You only have one more to go, Padme," Minga said bracing herself for the next baby. The last twin came sooner than the first, obviously not going to be out done by it's brother. Minga held the precious child and smiled to the mother. "You have both a boy and a girl," he told her and brought the child over to her mother.
Padme reached out to her daughter and smiled. "Leia. Anakin wanted her name to be Leia," she said just before she closed her eyes and dropped against Obi-Wan.
Minga quickly handed Leia over to the second medical droid and rushed over to Padme's side. "She's hemorrhaging!" she called.
"What does that mean?" Obi-Wan asked alarmed.
"It means that she's loosing blood, fast. If I don't stop her from bleeding, then she could die," Minga told him.
"Then hurry up!" Obi-Wan told her gently laying Padme down so that Minga could keep Anakin from loosing his wife.
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Mace sat in the council chambers with the rest of the high council members for the first time since the start of the clone wars. Everyone was here now due to the important decisions and topics that needed to be discussed now that the war was over and that the sith were destroyed. The fact that the one responsible for the end of the sith was now recovering from that battle didn't escape any of the members. In fact that was the first thing or rather person that was to be discussed.
Anakin Skywalker's secret was now out. The fact that Skywalker had been deceiving them for the past four years was unthinkable. That he had broken the code and married Senator Amidala. And they were parents.
"I move for an immediate removal from the order!" Saesee Tiin called.
"On what grounds? Anakin preformed his duty all these years, he did not let his personal attachments get in the way of that nor did he allow it to bring him into darkness," Obi-Wan defended his friend.
"I think that your attachment to your former padawan is getting in the way of your judgment, Master Kenobi," Coleman Kcaj said addressing Obi-Wan.
"He has a point," Stass Allie said interrupting. "Anakin preformed his duty to his fullest, we must give him that much credit."
"Even so, he broke the jedis most sacred code, we cannot ignore that," Ki-Adi-Mundi said.
"Certainly we can come to a middle ground on this," Shaak Ti said.
"The jedi code clearly states that emotional attachments are forbidden. How would it be fair if we bent that rule for Skywalker but not any other jedi?" Plo Koon asked speaking up.
"You have a valid point," Obi-Wan said neither agreeing or disagreeing. "But Anakin is no ordinary jedi," he pointed out.
Mace brought his clasped hands to his forehead briefly and then looked around the room."He is the chosen one, we cannot expel him from the order," he said. All eyes turned to Mace on this.
"Chosen one or not, we cannot let him get away with breaking the code!" Saesee Tiin said.
"And Vader? Forget not about Darth Vader will we. Dangerous it could be to expel Anakin Skywalker," Master Yoda said speaking up. The was a grumbling around the room after this statement. Each council member was aware of Anakin second personality. Each was aware of how close Vader came to coming out and becoming dominant.
"Then what shall we do?" Shaak Ti asked.
Mace, Obi-Wan and Master Yoda exchanged a look. finally they looked at the rest of the council members. "We have come up with a solution. We shall put Skywalker on probation. He will work in the temple training younglings in flight classes and lightsaber classes. As well as mechanics," Mace told them.
"It sounds like a logical solution," Stass Allie said slowly.
There was a mumbling around the chamber. Each were aware of Skywalker's radical viewpoint concerning the force and the code. Neither wanted that to be taught to the younglings.
"I admit, Anakin has some different opinions on the order and the code, he even sees it differently than we do. But he is a dedicated jedi. He is dedicated to the order and all that we stand for," Obi-Wan said.
"And how long will this probation last?" Agen Kolar asked.
"Until further notice it shall be. When the council decides to lift it we will," Master Yoda said. There was a mumbled of agreement around the council. Each knew that it was already decided. Anakin Skywalker would be closely watched form now on.
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Baxter didn't think he was alive when he opened eyes. There was a bright light but as he adjusted to the light all he could see was blurry shapes. "What happened? Where am I?" he called out.
A blurry shape moved into his line of vision and he braced himself for what was to come. "Baxter, thank the force!" Minga cried.
"Minga? Sithspit! What kind of drugs do you have me on cause it's affecting my vision?" Baxter asked.
He felt her take his hands. "Do you remember the crash?" she asked.
Baxter frowned. "Somewhat. Why? And why won't you tell me what you put me on?" he asked.
"Baxter, you had several shards of glass in your eyes. I'm sorry but your eyesight was damaged. There's nothing that I can do," Minga told him brokenly.
Baxter snatched his hands from her. "No!" he snapped. "That's frak! You're the best healer there is! You fix this Minga!" he yelled
"I can't! There isn't any technology that can repair your eyes. If I do anything to them the damage could get worse," Minga told him.
Baxter couldn't see her tears but he knew that she was crying. He didn't want her pity. "No! You're lying!" he snapped. But he knew that she would never lie to him. She wouldn't. There was nothing that could be done. "I didn't do anything to deserve this! I DON'T DESERVE THIS!" he screamed pounding the bed he was laying in with his fists.
He couldn't see properly. What kind of jedi was he now? He could never fly again. How could he fly again if he could barely see? He would never again be asked to fight in battle. What kind of life would he have now?
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Anakin opened his eyes and groaned after seeing intense light before he felt a slight pain in his chest. He wasn't prepared to be smothered to death. He hissed from some slight pain when he felt pressure on his chest. The pressure lifted off of him.
"Anakin Skywalker don't you ever scare me like that again!"
"Sorry Mom," Anakin said shifting into another more comfortable position.
Shmi regarded him for a moment and Anakin saw her hands fly to her mouth. "You almost died!" she said and quickly composed herself. "Would it be asking too much if I asked you to leave the jedi order?" she asked clasping his hands.
Anakin looked her in the eyes. "You would be asking me to deny who I am," he told her. He averted his gaze to look out the window. The city of Coruscant buzzed about. The galaxy was safe. But at what cost? Somehow he felt a new enemy would emerge. He knew. It wasn't over. "I think that I may be asked to leave anyway," he whispered. "But I will never stop being a jedi," he vowed fiercely.
Shmi sat down on the edge on the bed and held his hands. "You were out for weeks, I feared that you would never wake up," she said.
Anakin looked back at her. "I'm kinda cursed with staying alive," he told her with a smile.
"Don't joke about this Anakin," Shmi snapped sharply.
"Too soon, I guess," Anakin said and stopped smiling.
"When I saw them bring you in, I thought for sure that you were dead. You weren't moving and you were pale as a sheet with this hole in your chest. I couldn't take it," Shmi told him.
Anakin didn't know what to say to that. How could he reassure his mother that it wouldn't happen again when he knew that these kind of things happened to jedi? Luckily he was saved from answering when Minga walked in. She looked like she had been crying, but she quickly composed herself upon seeing Anakin.
"Oh good, You're awake!" Minga exclaimed rushing over to him. "I've now lost count on how much you owe me, Anakin," she told him.
"Twenty. I owe you twenty times," Anakin told her.
Minga shook her head. "How do you keep everything inside that head of yours? I thought your ego was the only thing that could fit inside you," she replied with a smile.
"Are you saying that I have an over inflated ego? Because that was really bad," Anakin replied.
"Don't blame us for not having a way with words like you seem to," Minga told him.
Anakin smiled. "It has come in handy," he said. "How long have I been out?" he asked.
"About four weeks," Minga told him. "I had to put you in a healing coma so that you would live."
"And Padme? How is she?" Anakin asked.
"She's recovering," Minga told him.
"Recovering from what?" Anakin asked concerned.
"She had the twins, Ani. It was a very difficult ordeal for her," Shmi told him.
"Difficult how?" Anakin asked.
"She started hemorrhaging shortly after Leia was born. I managed to stop it, but she is still a little weak," Minga told him.
"You want to see them, don't you, Ani?" Shmi asked.
"Yes," Anakin said throwing the covers back but Minga stopped him.
"Not so fast," Minga told him. "You had a lightsaber thrust through your chest, Anakin, you are still recovering yourself."
"You will not keep me from seeing them," Anakin told her defiantly.
"And I wont," Minga told him. "Just stay put for now."
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Hoverchairs were in need of improvement if they wanted to be fun, Anakin decided as he maneuvered into his wife's room who sat up in bed reading over a datapad. He cleared his throat gaining Padme's attention.
Padme beamed at him. "Ani, you're awake!" she called.
"And apparently too weak to walk, but I guess I have a new project," Anakin told her.
"Don't do something stupid to that chair," Padme told him.
"I wont do anything stupid," Anakin told her as he moved the chair up next to her.
"You wont be doing anything on my watch," Minga said coming in after him with the four week old twins.
"And what will you expect me to do while I'm stuck in bed, again?" Anakin asked.
"Play with your children," Ming told him pulling up the twins bassinet next to their parents. She placed Luke in his arms.
Anakin looked down at his son who opened up his eyes, and fixed them on his father. Anakin knew that the Luke and Leia that he knew would probably not exist in this universe but it didn't mean that he loved them any less. Gingerly he caressed Luke's cheek. "You'll be one hell f a jedi one day," he said to his son.
"Don't tell me that you are already planning their future," Obi-Wan said coming into the room.
Anakin grinned at his master. "Why not?" he asked.
"Perhaps you should let them decide," Obi-Wan said.
"Luke wants to be a jedi, I foresee him being a jedi," Anakin replied.
"And what about Leia?" Padme asked.
Anakin accepted his daughter in his hands after Obi-Wan took Luke. "Leia could be anything she wants. Whether or not she wants to be a jedi or a politician," he said and Leia opened her eyes to look at him. Looking into her eyes, he could already see the determined look in her eyes, the same that he remembered Princess Leia having. "Isn't that right, Princess, you want to be both then, don't you?" he whispered.
"Princess?" Padme asked raising an eyebrow.
"She is the daughter of a queen, is she not?" Anakin asked looking at his wife.
"Former queen, Ani," Padme corrected.
"Once a queen, always a queen," Anakin told her.
"It seems as though you have what you wanted, Anakin," Obi-Wan said. "A family and the life of a jedi," he told him.
"What do you mean?" Anakin asked.
"The council has decided that you would remain a jedi, but you will be under probation until further notice," Obi-Wan told him.
"Probation?" Anakin asked not liking the idea.
Obi-Wan nodded. "Yes, Anakin. Your new duties are training younglings in lightsaber class, flight classes and mechanics," he told him.
"So I'm a temple jedi, now. How convenient," Anakin said flatly.
"Look at it this way, Anakin. You now have more time to devote to your family," Minga told him.
"It's a good thing, Ani. I received word form the queen a week ago, she wants me to continue serving Naboo as her senator and with the mess that Palpatine left, I will need you to be home with the twins," Padme told him.
"I said that it was convenient, didn't I," Anakin told them.
Don't worry, Anakin. You will be relieved of probation once the council gets over your disregard for the code," Obi-Wan assured him.
"I'm fine with it for now though. Just as long as the peace remains," Anakin told them.
Obi-Wan placed a hand on Anakin's shoulders. "It's marveling how mature you have gotten, Anakin. I am proud of you," he said.
"Thank you, Master," Anakin said.
"I think this excitement is enough for you right now, Anakin. It is time for you to get back into bed," Minga told him.
"I'm not leaving yet," Anakin told her.
"You don't have to, I've brought bed in here for you," Minga told him indicating the second bed.
Anakin smirked. "You're lucky," he said to his friend.
"Just get into bed," Minga told him, taking Leia from his arms and placing her in the bassinet next to Luke.
"I think that we should leave them alone for now," Obi-Wan said to Minga who nodded. After getting Anakin back into bed, they left the room, leaving the Skywalker family alone.
"This is the beginning to a new life," Padme said.
"And it is only going to get better from now on, I promise you," Anakin told her.
"It is already better," Padme told him.
