"So, what exactly did Mindy do to Kat?" Anakin asked as Obi-Wan turned the SUV down yet another empty, icy country road. Anakin noticed that even though Idaho was not Tatooine, as there was definitely no snow on Tatooine, it still had the largely empty feeling of his home planet. Obi-Wan had said that there were large mountains on the other side of the state, but this side was relatively flat, with very few inhabitants. They had passed through one "large" city since arriving in the state (if one could call it that), but now they were driving in what looked to be the middle of nowhere. According to Obi-Wan, they were only about twenty or so minutes away from Anakin's home.
Twenty minutes away from discussing his mother's decision with his mother.
Inside, he was a nervous wreck, and he was more than glad to have Padme distract him with a silly Mindy story, despite the rather unorthodox manner in which this particular story had been brought back to light.
Anakin smirked thinking of their two-day stopover in Lake Tahoe. It had started out rather...wild...first with the snowstorm that had forced them to seek shelter at the Inn, and then the unexpected run-in with Kat in the restaurant that evening, which had lead to the revelation of this past event in Mindy, Satine, and Padme's combined past (not to mention he and Obi-Wan finding out about Padme and Satine's old job at Hooters). Fortunately, their stop in Tahoe had ended much better than it began, with Obi-Wan and Satine's relationship taking a turn for the better (Obi-Wan had quietly informed Anakin at breakfast the next morning that he and Satine had finally kissed and expressed their love for each other the night before, much to Anakin's delighted surprise) and with all four of them enjoying a robust day of snowmobiling on the trails, Obi-Wan and Satine on one vehicle and Anakin and Padme on another. As Obi-Wan predicted, Anakin had loved the sport, taking to snowmobiling like a duck takes to water, and he had greatly amused Padme with his declaration of, "I've GOT to get me one of these!," when they had returned the rented snowmobiles at the end of the day. Of course, Anakin couldn't forget the growth in his and Padme's own relationship in regard to their private discussion about her old job at Hooters and how maturely they had both handled it. Casting a sly glance sideways at his wife, he grinned as he also remembered their rather heated romantic interlude following that discussion, too. Oh yes, he was very glad they had stopped off in Tahoe!
Jolting himself out of his reverie and back to reality, Anakin now sat in the back of the SUV with Padme, their hands intertwined across the drink holder between their bucket seats. He rubbed his thumb absently over her cast. Just a few more weeks, he thought, and this thing will be off. Then, they could really start forgetting what Maul had done to her, or rather, try to forget. There were some things, though, some unseen things, that would always haunt the both of them. The sudden thought of their shared loss made him unconsciously squeeze her hand.
Satine, who sat in the front passenger seat, her left hand in Obi-Wan's right, laughed. "Oh, Padme mentioned that, did she? Man, we probably should have stopped her…" she chortled, shaking her head at the memory.
"Probably," Padme agreed, rolling her eyes and shaking her own head at the memory. "Ok, so this one night, right...Mindy was super drunk when she came up with this less than brilliant idea. She decided to sneak onto a golf course in the middle of the night...and she spent three hours trying to capture a duck,
which was just beyond hilarious to watch...but she accidentally trapped a goose instead, and then, she tied the goose to the door knob of Kat's front door of her apartment." Anakin had seen a goose once while he'd been jogging through the park with Padme, and she'd told him that, although they looked pretty from afar, they were quite vicious birds up close.
Yes, imagining a very drunk Mindy wrestling with a goose was hilarious, and Anakin couldn't help but bust out laughing at the thought. I think I can use this to my advantage one day, he smirked with a feral grin, as he mentally filed this tidbit away for another time.
Satine and Padme started laughing, too. "I guess we really shouldn't be laughing, especially since Kat had to call animal control to be able to get out of her apartment, but she was just so, so mad, and she thought it was Padme and I who did it, because she thought we were mad that she got a promotion at work instead of me."
"And, she hasn't liked us ever since," Padme finished the story, smirking at the memory.
"Remind me not to get on Mindy's bad side." Obi-Wan mused with a grin.
"Yeah...Or, she just might tie fifty chickens to your door handle, Obi-Wan," Anakin added with a grin, causing both Padme and Satine to start laughing hysterically again. Anakin watched as Obi-Wan used the rearview mirror to shoot a glare at him, and Anakin merely widened his grin in response.
"Just wait, Anakin, someday you'll do something so embarrassing that you won't bring up the chicken suit ever again for fear that I'll bring up your incident," Obi-Wan warned, rolling his eyes and turning his full attention back to the road with a shake of his head.
"And, when that day comes," Padme replied, raising her eyebrows, her eyes twinkling with mirth, "I'll be sure to mention it for him." Obi-Wan scowled as Satine laughed all the harder. "Sorry, Obi-Wan," Padme shrugged, not looking the least bit sorry. "You're my friend, but…"
"Yeah, yeah, I get it." Obi-Wan grumbled under his breath, and he cast a sideways look at Satine. "Shouldn't you be defending me, since we're dating and all?"
"Oh yes, yes, I'm sorry, Ben, it's just…now that I know you're a Jedi warrior, the thought of you waddling around in that chicken suit…" Satine erupted into another fit of giggles, which only made Padme join in until both women had tears in their eyes from laughing so much.
"Oh, my aching ribs!," Padme huffed through her tears, as she massaged her left side.
Obi-Wan, who shot another glare at Anakin in the mirror, noticed his friend was again grinning madly in triumph at his embarrassment. "This is your fault. Stop bringing it up."
"Never." Anakin said with relish, his eyes filled with a devilish gleam, as Obi-Wan turned down yet another road.
"Anakin, I swear…," Obi-Wan started to say.
"Cluck, cluck," was Anakin's quick retort.
After a moment's pause, the vehicle filled with uproarious laughter once more from Anakin, Padme, and Satine, much to Obi-Wan's flustered embarrassment.
"Disrespectful Padawan," was overheard quietly coming from the driver's seat.
Satine turned around to face Anakin, trying her best to put on a straight face. "Now, Anakin," she chided (or tried to), "That's not very nice. Stop bringing it up."
Anakin raised an eyebrow. "You know, and he knows, that that's not happening. He's going to hear about it until the day he dies."
The corners of Satine's lips twitched, and Anakin could see the struggle to hold back more laughter in her clear blue eyes. "It's still not nice." She turned back to Obi-Wan, batting her eyelashes at him teasingly. "See? I support you."
Obi-Wan sighed as he slowed the car down, and Anakin noticed for the first time that they were driving next to a white gate that widened into an entrance just up ahead. "At least you tried. I suppose it's the thought that counts."
"I'm sorry, Ben. I'll make it up to you later, I promise." Satine said, as she, too, noticed the gate. "Is this it?"
"This is it." Obi-Wan confirmed with a nod, and he turned the SUV through the entrance. The road was not as plowed, so Obi-Wan had to maintain an achingly slow pace as they sloshed through slush-filled divots in the road. "Welcome home, Anakin."
Immediately, Anakin sobered, straightening a bit in his seat as he tried to frantically take everything in. It was all so…different. As he passed by snowy open fields, he tried to picture himself living there, growing up there. When he saw a group of cows huddled together in one field, he tried to imagine himself waking up every morning to help care for them. When he saw a few horses attempting to graze on shoots of grass in another field, he tried to picture himself riding one during the summer.
He couldn't picture it.
"Obi-Wan, how big is the ranch again?," he asked as he stared about him at the seemingly endless rolling fields.
"Fourteen hundred acres. It's a pretty big spread, though smaller than a lot of other ranches in the area."
It was another ten minutes of driving down this dirt and gravel path before they spotted a massive house in the distance nestled against a forest. At least, it looked much bigger than what Anakin had imagined his mother living in. In reality, it wasn't too much bigger than his and Padme's house. But, whenever Anakin pictured his mother sitting in her home in this world, somehow he still managed to think of her in her home with Cliegg on the moisture farm back on Tatooine, the same small farm home that Luke had grown up in with Owen and Beru. And even then, he hadn't put two and two together that this…this was where he had grown up, too. Not until he was actually looking at it.
"This is where I grew up?" Anakin asked, his voice tight as he tried to process all of this. It was overwhelming. He glanced at Padme, wondering if she thought the same thing about her childhood home when they had spent time at her parents' house after she remembered her past. He made a mental note to ask her about it later.
"For most of your life, yes. I doubt you would have remembered your first home. Your mom and Cliegg got married when you were just four." Obi-Wan slowed the SUV down even further until they were basically at a crawl. "Are you okay, Anakin? Do you need…?"
"No, I'm fine," Anakin hurriedly assured him. He had already fretted enough about getting here. Now that he was, he just wanted to get it all over with. "There's just…so much about this world…or rather my old life in this world…that I'm just so clueless about." He did not like the feeling of being clueless. He hated not understanding things in this world most people here thought to be simple and took for granted, and now that he looked around and realized he hadn't even fully considered his own life here, he suddenly felt very small and lost.
Padme, sensing his inner turmoil, intertwined her fingers with his. "It's okay, Ani," she whispered supportively, "You'll get a handle on it. You always do, and I'm right here beside you." She gave his hand a comforting squeeze.
Her words, simple on the surface, struck him deeply, filling him with the strength and courage he desperately needed right then. When Padme looked at him, he saw so much love and trust and confidence that he felt like he could face the whole world…the whole galaxy….both galaxies.
So, when Obi-Wan finally pulled up to the front of the house and stopped, Anakin felt no more fear as he got out and then helped Padme out of the car.
"OH FORCE, this place is c-c-cold!" Padme cried as soon as she left the comforting warmth of the SUV. "The inside of my nose j-just f-froze…FROZE." She rubbed her nose, and sure enough, Anakin noticed her cheeks were already bright red from the sting of the wind. "I d-don't think I brought enough warm c-clothes for this t-trip…" she moaned as she rubbed her arms with her hands for warmth in the icy blast of wind that buffeted them.
Anakin started to laugh, but then he too realized that it really was very cold…Hoth cold. He no longer had a temperature controlled suit that protected him from the elements. "Um...I think we should get our stuff and go inside all in one trip, Obi-Wan." He said, but Obi-Wan was already one step ahead, pulling on a dark blue, fluffy-looking down jacket and gloves. He was the only one who didn't seem surprised by the weather, and he had already dug out a similar down jacket and a scarf for Satine, who also rubbed her arms vigorously to try to keep warm.
"Sure, but shouldn't your body still be acclimated to this weather? You're technically using this world's Anakin's body, you know," Obi-Wan smirked, and Anakin resisted the sudden urge to throw a snowball in his face. A very large snowball. You are SO in for it, Anakin told Obi-Wan through the Force, quirking an eyebrow at him. Obi-Wan just grinned in response, and Anakin decided he would have to surprise Obi-Wan with a snowball fight later and get him back for all of the fruit he had thrown at him over the past few months during their training…it would be a glorious battle indeed. And, I WILL win, Anakin smugly thought.
Both Obi-Wan and Anakin began unloading all the suitcases from the back of the SUV, and when Anakin grabbed Padme's bag, he quickly opened it and dug through its contents and found his wife another, heavier jacket plus a scarf to wear, which she gratefully took and wrapped herself up with. "S-speaking of which," Padme said through chattering teeth, "I've been meaning to ask…Anakin, you still have the scar over your right eye, but yet you have both of your hands…which you didn't have at this age back in our galaxy. W-Why is that?" Padme started bouncing from foot to foot to try to keep warm.
Anakin frowned, remembering that he had briefly thought about that same question himself when he had first gotten here to this world, but then he'd realized that he had way bigger questions that needed to be answered first. But, life was starting to settle down now, and while they were taking a break from hunting Palpatine down, it was suddenly the perfect time to ask those questions. "I don't know, Angel. Actually, I would like to know why, too." He gave Obi-Wan a questioning look as he zipped up Padme's suitcase again.
"I believe I can answer that question for you." A new, yet achingly familiar voice said, making Anakin's heart beat faster. He straightened up and looked around the back end of the SUV, finding his mother standing there in the snow by the front walkway to the house, seemingly at ease with the low temperatures in her white snow jacket and heavy duty snow boots. When their eyes met, Anakin's attention was instantly drawn to the dark circles under them. She seemed older than she had a few months ago, as if all of the cares in the world had been dumped upon her slender shoulders. She smiled softly, but there was still hesitation in her eyes, as if she were looking at a stranger and not the son she had given birth to in this world.
And, he supposed that technically, that was true.
"Hello, Anakin," she said softly.
Anakin opened his mouth to say "Hello, Mom," but right before he said it he realized that she may not want him to call her that anymore; so, instead, it came out as an awkward, "Hello... mmmmm….uh, hello." She raised her eyebrows, but otherwise, she made no comment.
"Good Morning, Shmi," Obi-Wan greeted with a small smile, his tone friendly, but cautious at the same time.
His mother's eyes flashed to him, and for a moment there was accusation in their dark brown depths, but it immediately melted away into acceptance. His mother was a smart woman. Anakin didn't need to tell her that Obi-Wan knew the truth, and that that was the real reason why he had decided to stay out in California to help Anakin. "Hello, Ben." She then looked toward the girls. "Hello, Padme. It's good to see you again."
Padme nodded and smiled. Her shivering had calmed some, but she still looked like she was trying to curl her body away from the cold somehow. "Hi, Mrs. Skywalker….er…Lars…" Anakin didn't actually know which last name his mother went by, and he hadn't thought about it until that moment. He mentally filed the question away for later.
"Shmi is fine, Padme." His mother assured her with a smile before turning to Satine. "And, you must be Satine." She shook Satine's hand with her own gloved one. Obviously, his mother was quite used to the winters in Idaho. "It's lovely to finally meet you."
"Yes, you, too. Thank you for inviting Ben and I for the Holidays." Satine politely said.
"Don't worry about it." Shmi sighed, "Well. Let's get you all inside and warmed up, shall we?" She turned and, without looking to see if they followed, started up the plowed walkway to the large heavy oak front door, which had a large Christmas wreath attached to it.
They entered the house, and, again, Anakin expected to see the bare, white, insufferably hot interior of their home in Tatooine, but instead, they walked into a large, cozy, warm home decorated for Christmas. The interior was mostly made of some sort of a dark wood with high ceilings with heavy wooden beams stretching the length of the room, lots of glass windows across the back wall of the living room overlooking a peaceful snowy landscape, and a beautifully impressive stone fireplace with a large sectional white sofa in a U-shape before it with a glass-top coffee table in the middle. On the walls round about, there were lots of pictures of Cliegg and Shmi over the years, Owen and Anakin at various ages of youth, and even a few of Obi-Wan were visible, along with some oil paintings of mountainous scenes placed on certain walls. In the far corner of the living room next to the back glass wall, there was a very tall Christmas tree decorated with lots of ornaments and twinkling multi-colored lights with presents piled underneath all wrapped in colorful paper. There were some old stockings hanging from the mantle of the fireplace with the names Cleigg, Shmi, Owen, Anakin, Ben, and Beru on them (plus two new red and white ones with Padme and Satine scribbled on them in silver glitter), and another large wreath hung above the fireplace. The scent of pine and cinnamon filled the house. It was certainly a festive environment for the holidays. As Shmi began to give them a brief tour of the house, Anakin noticed that some of the walls were a sturdy stone material, trapping the warmth of the fireplace.
"Cliegg is out in the barn fixing some equipment at the moment. He'll be in later."
"Sounds like a job for Anakin now that he's back," Obi-Wan mused.
"Yes, I would be happy to help." Anakin offered, almost a little too quickly, and he mentally scolded himself as soon as he did. He sounded like a child eager to please their angry parents to get back on their good side after having done something wrong.
But, his mother just laughed and shook her head. "Oh, I've told Cliegg that multiple times over the years, but after you got that scar that time, he's refused to let you help him out since, if he can help it."
Anakin blinked in surprise. He wasn't expecting that answer.
"So, what exactly happened?" Padme asked curiously.
They had reached the kitchen, where the sweet smell of cookies baking filled the air. Anakin looked around at the large kitchen which was off the back side of the living room. A large stone archway divided the kitchen area from the living room. He noted a set of glass French doors behind the dining table, which sat ten comfortably, and there was a large island in the center of the cooking area made of black wood and a dark gray, black, and white granite countertop. A huge double door refrigerator with a stainless steel finish stood next to the counter and sink area that had the same granite finish as the island, and along the far wall, there was a double oven in stainless steel with a microwave oven next to it. It felt warm and inviting. He then noticed a large tray filled with already completed sugar cookies to confirm his mother had been baking, but he was jolted back to the conversation when Shmi continued speaking.
"Oh, one time, when he was about ten, Anakin decided he wanted to fix something using Cliegg's power tools. Cliegg was always willing to let Anakin use his tools as long as he was around to help him, but this time, he had to go to a stock show that weekend and told Anakin to wait until he got back. Naturally," Shmi quirked an eyebrow and shot her son a knowing look, "Anakin didn't listen, and sure enough, he slipped and got cut across the eye." His mother shook her head at the memory, her eyes far away, as if she were remembering an event that happened just yesterday, not over twelve years before. "Just a little bit closer, and it would have actually hit his eye."
Well, that beats Ventress and a lightsaber to the face any day, Anakin thought to himself, and when he noticed the wry twist of lips on Obi-Wan's face, he couldn't help but smirk himself. Obviously, his mentor had overheard his thought through the Force. He never thought he would miss accidentally letting his thoughts slip through the Force, but after so long of not being able to communicate, he actually did. For now.
Shmi sat down at the head of the dining table, inviting them with a wave of her hand to join her around the table, but Anakin preferred to stand by the island. A simple white table cloth was spread over it, with red and white flowers as a centerpiece. "Most kids would have been in so much pain, they wouldn't have cared if they got in trouble and would have immediately told their parents. Not Ani. He was convinced that he would be in huge trouble, so he hid himself upstairs in the barn until Ben found him."
Padme rolled her eyes at her husband. "Oh, Ani," She said with a sigh, "It sounds like you were quite the handful for your poor mother."
"Oh, he was." Shmi said, trying to smile, but it was a sad smile, and it quickly faded.
Sensing the sudden awkwardness in the room, Obi-Wan cleared his throat. "Well. I'm sure we can tell lots more embarrassing stories about Anakin's youthful shenanigans later, but right now, I think it's time that I show the girls to their rooms, and we start unpacking. Wouldn't you agree, Padme?"
Padme hesitated, meeting Anakin's eyes, and she didn't need the Force to communicate the message she wanted to share with him: Are you going to be okay?
Again, Anakin felt his chest fill with love for the woman sitting before him. How could he have ever doubted her love for him? It was so clear in every look, every gesture, and every action that she made.
Just barely, so that only she could see, he nodded, and her shoulders slumped a little as she relaxed, and she shot him a small smile of encouragement. "Well, I agree. I'm pretty tired after the drive anyway. I think I might lie down for a bit."
"Good idea," Satine agreed, and both women got to their feet and followed after Obi-Wan, grabbing their rolling suitcases from by the sofa and trundling off down the hall to get settled.
Leaving Anakin alone with his mother.
Carefully, he sat down in one of the empty chairs, close enough so that he could have a private conversation with his mother, but not close enough that he would make her feel uncomfortable…if that was indeed how she felt around him now. He waited for her to begin, but she sat silent, staring out at the white world outside of the frosted French doors. After a few minutes of unbearable silence, he cleared his throat. "Mother?" He winced. He hoped she wouldn't forbid him from calling her that now. Even if he wasn't technically the son she raised in this world, she would always be his mother.
She sighed and leaned back in her chair, her hands falling to rest in her lap. "You said that I…I died in your galaxy. Correct?"
Well. He wasn't expecting her to start things out quite that way. He had expected accusations, maybe. But, not this. "Yes." He answered truthfully, trying to block the images from his mind.
"Were we close before that?" She asked, her face still turned toward the French doors. She still hadn't looked at him.
"When I was young, we were very close. You were all I had. Then I was taken away to be a Jedi when I was nine, and after that, I wasn't allowed to have contact with you according to the Jedi Code." He paused, his throat tightening, and now he, too, had to look out at the snowy world outside to focus on something that had nothing to do with the memory. "After I left, I didn't see you again until…" He couldn't finish. It was still too painful to think about.
"I'm sorry." She said, her voice almost a whisper. What did one say to someone in Anakin's shoes? Anakin had no idea, but he supposed sorry was just about as good as anyone would get.
"Me, too." There was another awkward silence. "And, I'm sorry that…"
She was shaking her head, cutting him off. "I don't want to hear apologies, Anakin. You didn't know any of this would happen." She leaned forward then, turning her dark eyes back on him, studying him as if for the first time. "It's just difficult, though. You look and sound just like my Ani…so much so that I just can't believe that you're so different from him."
He didn't know what to say to that. He had never met this world's Anakin before; so, he wasn't sure if his mother was right or if she was just seeing what she wanted to see in him.
She wasn't finished, though. "You said that Padme remembers her past life."
It wasn't a question. "Yes."
"And, yet, she still remembers her memories from her life in this world here?"
His heart sank. He knew where she was going with this.
"Mom, I can't promise…"
"I understand that." She interrupted, giving him a firm look. "I've thought a lot about this, Son, and I think you're wrong. I think my Ani is in there still, inside you...just like your Padme was in this world's Padme. I understand that Ben hasn't recovered his memories since coming here, but that doesn't mean they aren't there." Her brown eyes hardened with that steely resolve that he'd seen whenever she was determined to do something. The last time he'd seen that look, she was telling him to go with Qui-Gon and live a better life. "I'm not giving up on my Ani, and I'm not going to push you away just because you can't remember the life you had here in this world. It sounds like you are in desperate need of a mother, and that is what I will be to you. And, someday, whether that's a few weeks from now or even years from now, you'll remember. I know it."
Force, how he'd forgotten how strong his mother was. She said it with such conviction, that he almost believed her himself. He supposed that technically, they didn't know for sure that he wouldn't remember at some point, but he just couldn't find the confidence his mother seemed to have found since he'd last spoken with her. "How can you be so sure, Mom?" He asked, rubbing his hands together in mild concern. He hated the thought of this being a continuing disappointment for her.
Shmi was quiet for a moment before she answered. "Anakin, I never told you this before…ever. But, when I got pregnant with you...I had never….Well.." A pause, and she glanced down at her hands in her lap.
"Been with anyone?" Anakin asked quietly, looking at his own clasped hands resting on the tabletop. He remembered when she told him at a young age what had happened. It was as awkward then as it was now. "Yeah, I know, Mom. That's how you got pregnant with me in my old galaxy, too."
Shmi frowned. "Is that…normal...where you come from?"
Anakin shook his head. "No. The Jedi said I was born by the will of the Force. I was supposed to be the "Chosen One" of Jedi lore who would bring prophesied balance to the Force. It…was a title I often resented growing up in the Jedi Temple."
"Well," she admitted, "I suppose that's a better explanation than I've ever come up with, because that's…not normal here, either, but with modern medicine nowadays, it can be possible with certain procedures…but I hadn't undergone that either, so I was very lost..scared even. Still, I wasn't going to tell people about this; so, I let people believe I had undergone one of those medical procedures." She sighed, looking back out the window. "Even Cliegg doesn't know about this. I didn't think anyone would believe me."
Anakin's heart went out to her as he realized how hard…how frightening...it must have been for her to suddenly find out she was pregnant under such circumstances and have no one to talk to about the full truth behind it. He longed to reach out and hug her and give her what comfort he could, but he was still unsure of how she would respond to that, so he kept his hands to himself.
"When I was thinking over what you told me, I realized that perhaps…perhaps, it wasn't just some medical accident that I got pregnant out of nowhere. Perhaps there was a bigger reason, a reason that I didn't fully understand until the night you told me the truth." She took a deep breath and looked back at him. "I realized that no matter what...I am your mother, Anakin, and you will always be my son. Always. You have always been special, and I just can't bring myself to give up my faith in you. So, I won't."
He couldn't believe his ears. Despite Padme's insistence that being invited to the ranch was a good sign, he still hadn't been able to fully believe that until this moment. "You're not going to disown me?" He asked, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.
His mother frowned, looking a little offended. "Ani, I said I needed time, not that I was thinking about never seeing you again." The timer on the oven pinged, and she stood and went to get the next batch of cookies out of the oven. "A good parent never gives up on their child. No matter what. So it looks like you're stuck with me."
Anakin watched as she took the cookies out and set them next to the other cookies to cool. "I think I can live with that," He teased, and this time, when she smiled, it was genuine. "I love you, Mom," He said, seriously this time.
She took her oven mitts off and smiled at him warmly. "And, I love you, Ani. Don't you ever forget that."
He wouldn't, not ever.
"So," his mother suddenly said, and he could tell by the tone of her voice that she was done talking about the subject of his…personal situation. For now, at least, "Padme. How is she doing now?"
He didn't need to ask to know what his mother was referring to. He had been straightforward with his mother and told her about the baby. He sighed, looking down at his hands clasped together on the tabletop, as he decided how to put into words what he didn't want to think about if he could help it. "On the outside, she seems okay. However, when she lets her guard down, I can sense that she's having a hard time with it. Anytime I try to bring it up, she changes the subject. I'm afraid if she doesn't talk about it, though, she may end up breaking down over it."
"You can sense this?" His mother echoed questionably, her look a bit skeptical.
"Oh." He'd forgotten that he hadn't exactly given his mother the details of everything the Force could do. "Sometimes, I can sense peoples feelings or even their thoughts. It helps a lot in life or death situations, or in negotiating, but occasionally, it can help with those I'm close to as well."
"So…can you sense what I'm feeling right now?" She asked, coming back over to the table to sit with him again.
Anakin shrugged his shoulders. "If I tried, probably. It works more easily on those who tend to be weak minded. I try not to, though, because I feel it's an invasion of privacy, but sometimes, I accidentally do it or people are projecting their feelings like a beacon, and then it's impossible to miss."
Shmi was quiet for a moment as she processed this. "You know, now that you mention it, you always seemed to know when to approach people about things at just the right time. I just figured you were good at reading people. But maybe…"
"Maybe I was Force-sensitive?" He nodded. "It wouldn't surprise me."
"I'm beginning to realize that I'd better stop being surprised as well." She sighed. "Well. Owen and his wife won't be over with their new baby until tomorrow, right before dinner." She paused. "You don't think the baby might upset Padme, do you?," she looked at him with concern.
Anakin hesitated. He vaguely remembered his mother telling him about Owen and Beru's adoption, but he hadn't thought about it too deeply since then. It was possible that it might trigger a negative response with Padme, and if he was honest with himself, he thought that he might not react well to it either. He was still worried that it may have been Luke and Leia they had lost….
"I don't know, Mom," was his reply.
"Well…I'll caution Owen and Beru just the same." She leaned forward. "So, I want to know all about this Jedi thing. I want to know what my son is getting into now," she smiled and raised her eyebrows at him.
Grateful that she had dropped the subject of his and Padme's lost child, Anakin launched enthusiastically into telling her everything he could about what a Jedi was and what Obi-Wan and he planned to do with the Jedi in this world.
Early afternoon the next day, Christmas Eve, Padme was helping Shmi and Satine in the kitchen to prepare their Christmas Eve dinner while the boys were helping Cliegg with the cows out in the snow. "I cannot believe Ben got Anakin to wear that ridiculous cowboy hat," Satine mused with a shake of her head and a grin on her face as she finished stirring the glaze for the sweet rolls.
"Oh, I don't know. I think it looked sort of adorable on him," Padme said although, she too smiled at the image of Anakin in the black cowboy hat Obi-Wan had convinced him to wear before heading out the door. With a gleam in his eye, Obi-Wan had told Anakin that 'only the best cowboys' wear cowboy hats, almost daring Anakin to put it on. Anakin had changed but not that much, and he still took it as a challenge when Obi-Wan had said that. Anakin liked being the best at everything he did, and she doubted that would ever really change.
So, with his black cowboy hat and bright neon red jacket, Anakin had gone out to the field to play cowboy with Cleigg and Obi-Wan, and that was the last they had seen of them.
"It's not the warmest hat he could have worn," Shmi fretted as she checked on the turkey, "I just hope he doesn't get frostbite on his ears."
That made Padme almost drop the potato she was peeling. "Isn't frostbite something you get when you're, I don't know, lost in Alaska or something? Or Antarctica?"
Shmi laughed as if Padme had made some funny joke, but Padme had asked what seemed to her like a reasonable question. "If you aren't wearing the proper protection here, Padme, you can get frostbite just walking out to your car."
"Wow," Padme replied, her eyes wide and her eyebrows arched in surprise. "You know, Shmi," Padme said as she continued peeling potatoes again, "As pretty as the drive was up here, I think I prefer living in warmer states."
"I think I agree," Satine added, which only made Shmi laugh more.
"Oh, you get used to it eventually. But, I can see your point. Besides, you have it good out there in California. You have your own house with a lovely view of the beach from your living room, just a fifteen minute drive to the beach, and you live close to some of the most popular cities in the country. As much as I would love for you and Ani to move closer to us, I can understand why you wouldn't."
Padme relaxed a little at that—she was glad Shmi wasn't going to try to convince them to move back to Idaho. "Well, I do know that Ani misses you. A lot."
"And, I miss him," Shmi agreed, "But, Ani has never been the type of person to sit still in one place and farm for a living. Owen was a little upset that Ani moved out there to go to school, but Cliegg and I were not surprised one bit that he made the move."
The more Padme talked to Shmi and wandered around the house that this world's Anakin grew up in, the more curious she became about this Anakin who had lived his whole life being free of the responsibilities of being the Chosen One. She wondered if he was drastically different from her husband, or if he was very similar.
She finished peeling the potatoes and put them in the pot to soften. "Well, the potatoes are well on their way to being mashed," She announced proudly.
"And, the glaze for the rolls is finished," Satine said with a flourish.
"Great," Shmi said with a smile, "I'm basically done with the turkey, so dinner should be ready in an hour. Why don't you two go get the boys and bring them back in?"
"Sounds like a plan," Satine grinned, "I can't wait to see how Anakin fared at playing cowboy."
Already Padme was laughing to herself because, knowing Anakin, it probably wasn't going very well. Anakin was a Jedi who belonged in a garage or hanger bay tinkering with machines, not out in a snowy field rounding up cows. Her husband was talented, but that talent stretched only so far.
After bundling up in as many warm clothes as they could find, the girls headed out to the pasture near the barn to find Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Cliegg.
It wasn't hard. They heard Anakin cursing...loudly...before they even caught sight of them.
When they arrived at the paddock, both Obi-Wan and Cliegg were leaning against the fence, bundled up in warm clothes and definitely not wearing cowboy hats as they watched Anakin face down a group of about ten cows. "Aren't you two supposed to be helping him?" Padme asked as they approached the fence. When they stopped, both girls bounced from foot to foot to stay warm in the late afternoon chill. Over and over Padme kept imagining herself getting frostbite, and she was already dreaming of getting back inside so that she could warm herself by the fireplace before dinner.
"Yes," Cliegg said, shooting her a sly grin, "But, it's so much more fun watching him struggle."
Sure enough, Anakin was doing anything but controlling the cattle. Padme supposed that he was trying to get them out of the paddock and back into the open pasture, but the cows simply were not cooperating. Currently, he was running around, madly trying to move them toward the gate, but anytime he approached them, they scattered around in panic, the whites of their eyes showing as they ran from the strange man in a cowboy hat, their hind legs kicking up snow and dirt as they went, spraying Anakin with the icy muck.
Obi-Wan was having the time of his life…and capturing this Kodak moment on his cellphone with devilish glee. Obviously, Anakin was about to learn what 'payback' really meant.
He laughed uproariously (but kept his cellphone steady) as Anakin attempted to jump onto the back of one of the cows, which only made the animal panic even further and buck him off, sending him tumbling into the mud. "USE THE FORCE, ANAKIN!" Obi-Wan cried in between laughs, which only got him a very...colorful...response in return from Anakin, making Obi-Wan laugh all the harder.
"The Force?" Cliegg questioned, a quizzical look on his face.
"It's an inside joke," Satine quickly replied before Padme could think of an explanation. Padme shot her friend a grateful look. Obi-Wan would need to be more careful with his references.
Still, Anakin picked himself up off of the frozen ground, the cowboy hat falling to the earth unnoticed, and he turned to the cows, extending his right hand toward the small herd. "You will go out into the pasture!" He ordered in exasperation, but the cows just looked at him stupidly, standing still chewing their cud.
He tried it again.
And, again.
But, the cows did not budge. They just stood there blinking at Anakin.
"Moooooooooo." One of them moaned at Anakin, the only response to Anakin's attempts.
Obi-Wan was practically howling with laughter now at the scowl clearly evident on Anakin's face, and Padme couldn't help but chuckle (although, she hid it behind her hand). Satine was now hiding her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking with the force of her laughter.
"They don't understand English, Ani!" Cliegg called, but he still made no move to relieve his step-son from the predicament.
"Well," Satine managed to get out between giggles, "You two really should try and help. Dinner will be ready in about an hour."
"Oh, alright. Come on, Ben, let's go help the poor boy out." Cliegg clapped Obi-Wan on the shoulder, and once Obi-Wan was able to get control of himself and put his cellphone up, they moved to help Anakin. Within minutes, the cows were safely out of the paddock and back into the pasture.
Cleigg and Obi-Wan made it look so easy, much to Anakin's disgust.
"So far, I think that was my favorite present this year!" Obi-Wan announced a little too cheerfully as the three men walked back to the fence where the girls were waiting. Anakin was covered in snow and mud, and he did not look happy at all.
"Oh, go lay an egg, Chicken man." Anakin growled, another scowl on his face.
This time, Obi-Wan didn't get upset. "Anakin?" he called out with a sly look.
Anakin looked over at his mentor, eyebrows raised.
"Moooooooooooooo," Obi-Wan declared with relish, his eyes wide and dancing with mirth, his grin turning feral.
Anakin's eyes narrowed in annoyance. Clearly, Obi-Wan's wish for Anakin's own embarrassing moment had come true. "By the way, you forgot your hat, best cowboy!" Anakin's scowl deepened at this additional dig, and Obi-Wan laughed even harder.
"Alright boys, let's hurry up and get inside before Shmi gets upset." Cliegg called out as he walked toward the back door of the house, and Obi-Wan and Satine followed after him, both still chuckling with laughter while Anakin stopped to grab the hat from off the frozen ground.
Padme waited for Anakin to get the hat and join her before she followed. "I'm sorry, Sweetie," She said, meaning it, even if it had been funny to watch Anakin attempting to wrangle cattle.
"He's never going to let me live this down," Anakin grumbled, but he seemed to calm down some in her presence, taking her hand in a loving clasp. "Did you have fun with my mother?"
"Yes, she's as lovely as ever." She laced her gloved fingers in his, slowing her pace down. "Was your whole day….um...Like that?" She quirked her eyebrows at him.
Anakin rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Unfortunately. I think I like those things better as my burger...With bacon on it."
Padme laughed, and leaned her head against his shoulder. "I think I would have to agree."
Anakin sighed. "Well, at least something good did come out of it."
"Oh?"
Anakin nodded. "Cliegg is letting me borrow his truck tonight." Suddenly his cheeks seemed to redden, and she wasn't sure if it was because of the cold or if it was because of something else. "I thought it would be nice to throw a bunch of blankets and pillows in the truck bed and go stargazing tonight. Just the two of us." He cast her a sideways glance and squeezed her hand.
Padme paused, her mind immediately imagining how cold it would be at night when it was already so cold now. "Isn't it a little cold for that, Ani?"
"Well, yeah," Anakin admitted sheepishly, and she realized the red on his cheeks was because he was worried about her reaction, not necessarily because of the cold. "I just thought it could be...romantic...having some time alone like that, just you and me. And, with all of the blankets and pillows, plus our body heat, we should be warm enough." He shrugged. "We don't have to go out for very long. I just thought…you know with all the city lights, we don't see much of the stars and…"
"Ani," She interrupted. He was babbling now, and although it was really cute, she could also tell that he was very worried about her reaction to it. "I'm happy to spend time with you, and it does sound nice to go stargazing. We're far enough from the city lights here, so I bet that we'll see…well maybe not more stars than we've ever seen before, but quite a bunch nonetheless. Plus," She leaned into him playfully. "I'm sure you can keep me warm if I get cold."
That certainly replaced his worried expression with a sly grin. "Oh, I'm sure I can think of something," he said, making her giggle, as he leaned down to give her a quick kiss.
"It's a date then."
Anakin wasn't kidding when he said that he was bringing tons of blankets. The back of the truck was so full, it looked like Anakin had dragged all of the blankets and pillows he could find from every room in the house. They had driven a little ways across one of the paddocks behind the house, and Padme had no sooner climbed into the truck bed when Anakin climbed up and threw another five blankets over both of them before he pulled her to his side, holding her close in his arms. That, combined with being stuffed from the big dinner they had had (which had been delicious), Padme almost felt like she could close her eyes and sleep comfortably out there. Almost.
Dinner had been lovely, if not a little bit...awkward. It had been awkward not because Owen, who normally helped Cliegg out on the ranch, had tried to convince Anakin to move back out of the "cursed" city to work on the ranch. No, it had been awkward, at least for Padme, because Owen and Beru had brought along their newly adopted baby, an adorable little girl named Kylee. She wasn't older than a few weeks, and she was still very tiny in her pink footed sleeper and fleece blanket. Shmi's eyes had often drifted to the baby girl, and Padme could tell that she was holding herself back from completely fawning over her.
Padme knew why. She knew that Anakin had told his mother about…the incident. She knew that his mother was trying to be sensitive about it for her sake, and from the worried glances Beru kept giving her throughout dinner, Padme suspected that Beru was trying to be sensitive about it as well.
Under normal circumstances, Padme would have insisted there was no need for their concern. In fact, Padme opened her mouth to tell them that. But, she just…couldn't. Having a baby was something to celebrate, but every time Padme looked at little Kylee, every time she saw the new parents doting over her, Padme couldn't help but think that had she not lost their….perhaps she could have been doing the very same thing with Anakin a few months from now.
So, Padme was glad when Anakin also hurried to eat his dinner and excused them from the table.
Now, however, she didn't want to think about that. Now, she just wanted to relax and enjoy being alone with her Ani.
She rested her head on his chest, listening to the steady drum of his heartbeat, and looking up into the beautiful sky above. "Look, there's the Milky Way." She said, pointing it out with her right hand. "I've only ever seen pictures of it…."
"It's beautiful," Anakin agreed, "I wish we could see it back home in California."
As much as Padme hated the extreme cold, she couldn't help but agree with that statement. "Well. Maybe someday we can move out to the countryside, and we can go stargazing whenever we want in our own backyard." She paused. "Although, let's pick a warmer state, shall we?"
Anakin laughed, the laughter rumbling through his chest, and tenderly kissed her forehead.
"Anything for you, Angel."
She smiled at his nickname for her and briefly buried her face against him, breathing in his scent, before she looked back up at the sky. "Okay. I did some research while we were waiting for Owen and Beru to arrive. Are you ready to be astounded at my infinite knowledge of this galaxy?"
Anakin laughed again, burying his fingers in her hair and leaning his head against hers.
"I'm ready, Angel."
She squinted up into the sky, looking for what it was she had in mind. When she found it, she pointed it out. "Okay. So, back in Roman times, they had this story to explain the constellations Ursa Minor and Ursa Major, which are right….there." She pointed the stars out to him, and once he confirmed that he saw them, she continued. "Well, according to Roman mythology, there was this pretty woman named Callisto, who the lead god, Jupiter, fell in love with. However, Jupiter was already married to Juno, who pretty much hated it whenever Jupiter slept with other women."
"I can't see why," Anakin said, amused.
"Yeah, who would be upset by a little thing like that?" Padme teased back, nudging him playfully. "Anyhow, so one day Callisto gets pregnant and has a son, and Juno just automatically assumes it was Jupiter who fathered the son. So, in revenge, Juno turned Callisto into a bear so that she would no longer be pretty to Jupiter."
"I think the phrase 'Hell hath no fury like a woman spurned' works into this story," Anakin pointed out.
"Ahhh...Nice. Did Obi-Wan tell you that one?"
"No. Mindy did."
"Do I want to know why she told you that?"
"Not really. Continue."
Padme considered pursuing it anyway, but she decided to shrug it off. "Anyhow. So, her son grows up to become a hunter, and one day he's out hunting in the woods, the same woods that Callisto the bear lives in. Well, Callisto sees him, recognizes that he's her son, and totally forgets that she's a bear now and runs to hug him. Naturally, this freaks the poor kid out, and he tries to shoot her with an arrow. Jupiter, however sees all this—not sure why, maybe he was still stalking Callisto—but to save them, he freezes both of them and turns them into the constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor." Padme nodded proudly. "And, that is all you need ever know about the stars in this galaxy."
"Is that because it's the only story you remember?" Anakin asked, kissing her forehead teasingly.
"Maybe."
He laughed, pulling her closer as he shifted. "Oh, Padme, I love you."
"And, I love you, my Jedi." She leaned up and kissed him, enjoying his warm mouth pressed against her own, their breath mingling in puffs of mist in the cold air.
Suddenly, Anakin pulled back, but only barely. "Padme?" He asked, his voice a whisper.
"Yes?" She wanted to lean in again and kiss him some more, and perhaps do more than that, but she waited.
"I want to spend the rest of my life with you."
She paused. What was he getting at? They were already together, and even though they had far from a perfect relationship, she thought they had already established this. "So do I, Ani, She said slowly, "But, I thought we had already….?"
"I know, Angel," Anakin said, "You know that, and I know that. Honestly, I don't care if other people know that or not, but in this life…" He sighed, looking back up at the stars. "I want our second chance at this life to be everything we should have made it the first time around. Which means that I don't just want to be open with you." He looked back into her eyes, his expression one of both adoration and seriousness.
"I want to be open with everyone else, too."
It suddenly dawned on her what he was trying to say, and Padme was frozen—and this time, it had nothing to do with the cold. "What are you saying, Ani?" She whispered, her eyes wide, unable to break his gaze. Even in the dark, the stars seemed to twinkle in his cerulean blue eyes.
"I'm saying that I want to do the right thing by you." Then, he was lifting his hand, a hand she had thought was empty but now found a white ring box in it. "I've already asked for your father's permission and everything." He continued as he opened the box.
Her heart was beating madly in her chest. She hadn't even thought…she just looked at him and saw her husband. It was so automatic after she remembered her past life, that she hadn't even considered that they would legally marry in this world.
However, as she looked up at him, focusing, for the moment, solely on him instead of the ring, she realized with a happiness that filled her whole being and took her breath away, that she wanted this. More than anything, she wanted to fully be with Anakin again in every sense in this world, to truly belong to him.
"Padme," Anakin breathed, his voice barely a whisper, "Angel…" Tears filled her eyes, as she listened to him (tears that the cold pretty much froze before they could fall). Anakin hadn't been able to do something like this last time. They had just jointly decided to marry after the events on Geonosis, and she had been lucky to find something that would resemble a wedding dress in her wardrobe.
But now…now they could do it right.
"Will you marry me again, and be by my side forever as my wife?"
Her answer was absolute, unreserved, without question. She didn't even have to think about it. Now, tears did fall (or attempted to), but she was smiling widely as she whispered, "Yes, Ani…even if we are born again and again into a billion galaxies, my answer will always be yes."
She hardly finished speaking when his mouth crushed against hers, and she eagerly kissed him back, twining her fingers into the curls of his hair, breathing him in, tasting him, enjoying every moment of just being with him.
Her Jedi.
Her Ani.
Her husband.
When they pulled away, they were breathing hard, and Anakin moved to trail kisses along her jawline, soft kisses that sent shivers down to her toes. "Did you even look at the ring?" He teased into her ear, "Or, am I all you need?"
"Oh, you're all I need alright," Padme agreed happily, leaning into his kisses. "But, I do appreciate the ring."
Anakin softly laughed and pulled away again, holding up the ring box. "Give me your left hand."
Padme awkwardly shifted and gave him her hand. "Thankfully the cast doesn't cover my fingers," she said as Anakin took the ring out of the box and slipped it tenderly onto her ring finger.
She took a good look at it for the first time as he watched her with those intense blue eyes.
It was gorgeous, and just perfect for her, for them. It was white gold, the band encompassed by smaller diamonds, and at the top a much larger diamond was shaped into a round halo style with more smaller diamonds circling around it. Padme was not an expert on diamonds, but it did not look cheap. "Oh Ani, it's beautiful!" She gasped in awe, looking back up at him, her eyes wide in shock. "It looks so expensive though…"
"Ah, ah," Anakin chided, smiling as he put a finger gently to her lips. "You deserve it, and so, so much more, Angel." Then, his lips were on hers again, and she happily kissed him back, lying there under the stars long into the night.
YES! They are OFFICIALLY engaged now! YAY!
The goose story was actually a true story. I knew a guy who actually did do that to one of his friends, but unlike Mindy, he wasn't drunk. Also, I know the constellation story sounds random, but it isn't. It's foreshadowing... I mean I'm not turning anyone into random bears or stars, but...just trust me.
Sorry for the late update. I wanted to update faster because I seriously want to get to the later plots...but last weekend when I usually do the majority of my writing, I had some rather upsetting things happen and to someone with anxiety...it didn't go well. So I took last weekend off and pretty much played video games all day to cope (if you want to know, I beat Assassins Creed Syndicate and Uncharted 2). I didn't even talk to people for most of the weekend. It was bad.
But this week is much better, so I'll get a bunch done this three day weekend! :D
Oh, I loved the song that was recommended to me, "I'll be Good" by Jaymes Young. It totally is a good Anakin song. :) I love music recommendations, so don't hesitate to shoot any my way!
My playlist totally changes though when Luke comes into the picture...the story is much more action packed at that point, so I go from relatively chill music for the first past of SC to like...Skillet and a bunch of other hard core sounding stuff.
Speaking of which...
The song for their engagement scene is Midnight in the Garden by Atli Orvarsson (weird name...)
Anyhow, enough of my rambling. Review! You guys are the best! 3
Love,
Sarah
