"Ani," Padme whispered, but even though Anakin had been deep in sleep, it was enough to wake him.
He yawned, reaching up to rub his eyes with one hand while the other pulled her closer to his side instinctively as he shifted his weight in their bed. It had been a week and a half since the ballet. After Obi-Wan and Peter had checked to make sure that both their home and Padme's parent's home were free of enemies or other monitoring equipment, they had returned home. Worried that there would still be another attack; however, Anakin had taken the week off from work to make sure that things were okay. He had to admit, he had gone into (over) protective mode and tried to keep Padme and Galen from leaving the house as much as possible. Padme didn't complain due to the stress of the situation, but when they missed their first ultrasound with Dr Organa, they both agreed that they needed to tone the worrying down a notch. So far, no one had attacked them in their own home. It was only a matter of time, of course, until someone did, but until then, living in fear would do nothing but put a strain on their relationship. So, they had rescheduled the ultrasound for that day.
"What's wrong, Angel?" Anakin asked, his voice heavy with grogginess, as he yawned again. He reached out with his senses, feeling for anything that might have been out of the ordinary. All he could sense was Jedi, asleep on his dog bed, and a half-asleep Galen in his room.
Padme pulled away from him, leaning up on her elbows as she turned to stare down at him in the darkness. He could just make out the serious look on her face with the moonlight that drifted through the white blinds and curtains of their room. "Ani. I have a very important mission for you."
Anakin blinked, trying to process those words in his sleep-fogged mind. He glanced over at the alarm clock on the night stand. "At two in the morning?!" He asked incredulously, looking back at her in concern, "Did Obi-Wan call or something?" He hadn't heard a phone ring, nor had he heard the comm beep.
Surely not…
"No, nothing like that. It's not Jedi related." She promised with a shake of her head. Normally, this would have relaxed him, but it was so cryptic, it just worried him further. "Ani. I really, really need you to go get me a Big Mac from McDonalds."
He simply stared at her, not sure he was hearing her correctly. "Wait a sec...The mission…at two in the morning…is to go get you a Big Mac?!"
She nodded her head vigorously, as if this were a completely normal thing to wake someone up for. "Yes." She paused, seeming to think it over. "Oh, and tapioca pudding, and a bag of Funyuns, too."
Now, he was starting to wonder if he was having a really vivid and strange dream. "Sweetheart, you don't even like tapioca."
"Well, I do tonight." She seemed very confident, as if she requested food she didn't normally like all the time.
"So, a Big Mac and tapioca pudding," he repeated incredulously, "Somehow, I don't think this is a healthy or sensible combination, Angel."
"Don't forget the Funyuns, and I didn't say it was healthy." She sighed and fully pulled away from him, getting up.
"What are you doing?"
"Well, if you're not going to go, then I will."
"Wait, what?" He sat up now, and when she turned the bedside lamp on, he blinked against the sudden brightness, rubbing his eyes. "Padme, Sweetheart, it's two in the morning. Can't the Big Mac wait? We have the ultrasound today. Don't you want to be rested up for that?"
"It isn't until three in the afternoon, Ani." She began to change into a Stanford t-shirt and black sweats, grabbing her New Balance sneakers from the closet. Anakin sat in bed watching her dress, dumbfounded at her insistence on going out for a specific burger at this hour of the morning.
This was ridiculous.
"Plus, we also need to go to Babies-R-Us to get a baby registry set up, too," Padme continued, deliberately ignoring the astonished look on her husband's face.
Anakin shook his head as if to clear it, still not a hundred percent sure that this was really happening. If it was, and it wasn't a dream, then he was a bit concerned for his wife's sanity. Perhaps she needed a vacation. "Can't the registry wait?"
"No." Padme replied firmly, "It's better to get this stuff taken care of now instead of stressing about it when the due date is closer, and I'm ginormous." She began to pull on her sneakers without any socks. He frowned as she sat back down on the bed and tied the laces of her shoes.
He rubbed a hand over his face again. "You're really serious about this…adventure, aren't you?"
"One thousand percent." She assured him, jumping up from the bed and grabbing her purse and her cellphone.
Clearly, this was not something he was going to talk her out of. He sighed and got out of bed, stretching and shaking his head. "Okay, fine. But you're not going by yourself. So, give me a minute and let's go get this over with." She beamed at him and headed out of their bedroom.
Muttering to himself about women and crazy hormonal cravings, he got dressed and followed his wife out of their room, grabbing the car keys from off of the dresser. When he walked out into the hallway, Galen cracked his door open. Evidently, he had sensed Anakin awake.
"What are you two doing? Do you know what time it is?" He asked, his voice filled with apprehension. "Is there trouble?"
"No." Anakin grumbled, rubbing his right hand through his hair, stifling another yawn. "Padme, care to explain it?"
"We don't have time for that." She insisted impatiently, heading toward the garage door, "We need to go get that Big Mac and tapioca pudding right now or…or I'll just die of hunger!"
"Don't forget the Funyuns." Anakin added dryly.
"Yep. The Funyuns, too."
"See?" Anakin said, arching his eyebrows and motioning toward his retreating wife, and Galen frowned, looking at Anakin like they'd both gone off the deep end. Through their Force bond, Galen had to ask...
Is this a girl thing or what?
I guess you could say that.
Weird.
Whatever you do, don't tell her that.
Guess there's no figuring out women, huh, Master.
Oh, you have no idea.
Galen smirked and shook his head while Anakin pursed his lips and nodded before following his wife down the hall.
"Well, I'm awake now," Galen said, "So, can I come along, too?"
"As long as you hurry." Padme replied before Anakin could. "I need that food now."
And so, that was how Anakin found himself driving his apparently craving-driven wife and his half-asleep apprentice to the 24- hour Wal-Mart, which thankfully had a McDonalds inside that was also 24-hours. While Padme went to get the pudding and the Funyuns, he and Galen ordered the sandwich and a large Sprite for Padme and a medium Coke for Galen from a very grumpy fast-food employee. As the employee tried to rush Anakin through his order, Anakin clenched his teeth and held back the urge to snap at the man. If he lashed out, being as tired as he was, it probably would not end well for the man, and it would set a very bad example for his apprentice.
Besides, it would only give Padme's father the reason he needs to turn me into the government, Anakin thought with a scowl.
Finally, they received their bagged food and drinks, and Anakin waited for his wife up at the very front. It didn't take long for her to show up, a pack of tapioca pudding cups and a large bag of Funyuns in her hands without the Walmart bag.
"Fantastic," she grinned when she saw the McDonald's bag and the drinks in Anakin's hands. "Let's get out of here."
Anakin was more than happy to comply. All he wanted was to get back home ASAP.
As they got back into the SUV, Anakin was already picturing them getting back into bed, wrapping his arms around Padme's waist, pulling her close to his chest as he buried his face in her curls, and falling asleep with her sent wrapped around him. He turned the SUV on as Padme got into the front passenger seat, Galen getting in the back. "Can I have the sandwich, please?" Padme asked.
Normally, Anakin didn't like it when people ate in the SUV—even though they'd had it for over a year, it still had the new-car smell it had come with. He had worked hard to keep it that way, too. However, as it was now 2:45 in the morning, he just wanted to get home and go back to bed. So, if it got them back in bed faster… "Sure, Sweetie." He handed her the bag.
"Thanks, Honey," She said meaningfully, and he glanced over to find her smiling wide, her eyes full of love. He relaxed a little. If this whole crazy trip made her happy, he thought, then perhaps…
She opened the bag, and immediately the mixed aroma of beef and melted cheese and the special sauce on the Big Mac wafted through the car, and Anakin watched, his eyebrows arching and his mouth falling open in concerned surprise, as her smile faded, her skin paled, before she shoved the bag back at him, thrust open the car door again, and hurled the little contents of her stomach onto the parking lot pavement.
He held the bag in shock, staring at it. This had been what she wanted, right? He glanced back at Galen who looked just as shocked and confused as Anakin was. "This isn't a dream, is it?" Anakin asked.
Galen slowly shook his head. "If it is, we're both having the same weird dream."
He let out a shaky breath, turning back to his wife. Thankfully, she was no longer throwing up. "Angel?" He cautiously asked, "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Ani," She assured him, but she did not shut the door or turn to face him. "Just…get that thing out of the car, would you? I never want to smell a Big Mac ever again!"
Anakin groaned. "Seriously?"
"Do I sound like I'm kidding?" She asked, consternation clearly evident in her tone.
He sighed and lowered his head, pinching the bridge of his nose, trying to maintain calm. "Did you get cravings like this the first time you were pregnant?" He finally asked.
She hesitated and cast a sideways glance at her husband, feeling a bit sheepish. "Yeah...Maybe once or twice...at the very beginning…Threepio usually was able to go out and obtain the food I wanted. Like chocolate covered shurra fruit and shaak steaks with blue milk. I usually sent him to Dex's, and Dex always got me what I wanted, so..."
Guilt began to replace the annoyance. He had known that the first five months of her pregnancy while he had been fighting in the Outer Rim hadn't exactly been a walk in the park for her. He had always felt bad that he hadn't been there to help her with that. Apparently, this was part of it.
"Wouldn't you remember this?" Galen asked him, still sounding very confused.
"Back in our…previous life," Anakin explained, "When she was pregnant, I was fighting as a general in the Outer Rim in the Clone Wars for the first five months. I didn't even know she was pregnant until I got home."
"Oh." Galen paused. "Well, if she doesn't want it, I can eat that real quick outside." When Anakin glanced back at him, he shrugged. "What? It shouldn't go to waste…"
Galen had a point.
"Sure. Have at it." Anakin handed him the bag, and once he had slid back out of the car, Anakin told Padme, "OK, you can get back in now."
She quickly did so, leaning back in her seat, clearly exhausted. "I'm sorry." She said, but even as she was saying it, she was opening the pudding and the bag of Funyuns. Apparently, the craving for the pudding she normally hated was very real indeed.
"It's fine, Angel," Anakin replied, and he found that he really did mean it. "I should have been there the first time for this."
Padme munched a handful of Funyuns and then snorted. "And what would you have told the Jedi if they noticed that you kept going out to get me food in the middle of the night?" She asked with a smirk, continuing to chew her Funyuns.
"Easy." He smirked right back. "I would have said you needed someone to go get you food because you couldn't send Threepio, and being the oh-so-helpful Jedi that I am, I volunteered to do it."
This made Padme smile again, and he relaxed and grinned at her.
"I had hand maidens at the time."
He shrugged. "They would have mysteriously been on vacation." He reached out and caressed her cheek. "Besides. You were my wife and carrying my children. The least I could have done was make sure you got the food you wanted...When you wanted it." His hand moved down to rub her abdomen, resting there. Even though she wasn't showing yet, it still warmed him inside knowing that their child was growing inside of her there. "So, to make up for not doing it then, I'll do it now."
"Even at two in the morning?" She asked, her eyes tearing up. Oh, hormones.
"Even at two in the morning." He confirmed lovingly. He leaned over, and planted a tender kiss on her forehead.
At that moment, Galen slid back into the SUV, the bag having been thrown away and the burger eaten. He grinned triumphantly. "Well, I enjoyed it."
Padme laughed. "I'm glad someone was able to."
Anakin started the SUV. "Is there anything else that you want before we go back home?" She shook her head, drinking the pudding from the cup as if it were a thick smoothie, and grabbing another handful of Funyuns, before sipping on her Sprite. Anakin relaxed and smiled as he drove out of the Walmart parking lot. "Alright. Let's go home and go back to bed then."
It was official.
Babies-R-Us was certifiably the creepiest place Anakin had ever been…and that was saying a lot.
It was like an over-priced nightmare for soon-to-be parents. The "cute" baby items, Anakin decided, was the trap to lure unsuspecting parents-to-be to their financial doom. He was so glad that he had Obi-Wan take Galen for the day, because Anakin was certain that Galen would be bored out of his mind.
Because Anakin certainly was bored out of his.
Although, he had to admit, while they were waiting for the associate to come to the randomly placed 'baby registry' desk in the middle of the store to help them, it had been fun to watch Padme get all excited about the cute tiny baby clothes and fawn over how adorable they were. Again, something he'd missed out on last time and wouldn't dream of missing now. Her beautiful face lit up as she talked about the different possibilities for each gender. She's truly glowing, Anakin thought with loving pride.
"And, if we have both, we can do both of those." He reminded her before he could stop himself. She paused, the smile turning tense and worried. They hadn't spoken of what the results would be for the ultrasound since Padme had told him she was pregnant. They were too worried to keep hoping and speculating.
"We'll find out today." Was all Padme said.
Anakin let it drop.
When the store associate finally arrived, it was not an adult manager, as Anakin had expected, but one of the teenagers from the front of the store, the same ones that looked bored and irritated with their presence. To the girl's credit, she attempted to seem interested and excited for them about their registry, but Anakin could tell that she was faking it. Padme didn't seem to mind, however.
Once they were set up in the computer system, the girl handed them an object that to him looked suspiciously like a ray gun, even though he knew it wasn't. "Just point this at what you want on the registry, pull the trigger, and when it beeps, you know that it's saved the info. When you're done, bring it back here, and we can go over it and save it to the system so anyone can access your requested items with a passcode."
Well. If he could shoot things, maybe this trip would be worth it. So, he made sure that he was the one to grab the pretend ray gun. Unfortunately, the next two hours (yes, two hours) were the longest hours of his entire life.
He was sure of it.
It started off easy enough. They began with the essentials, and their decisions were basically unanimous. Their conversation essentially consisted of this:
"We need that."
"Okay." He pointed at the tag and pulled the trigger. Beep!
"We should probably have extra of those."
"Good idea." Point. Pull. Beep!
When they finished the essentials, things became a bit more…difficult. His wife went into her planning mode. When she entered this mode, she got sucked in, and would remain so until it was all planned out. He remembered trying to convince her to do other things with him back in their old galaxy, and if she had entered planning mode, just forget it. There would be no way he would sway her.
It was the same now.
The conversation changed to:
"Well, this crib is nice, but I actually like the wood of this one better."
"As long as the baby has somewhere safe to sleep, why does it matter?"
"It just does. Trust me."
"Okay, I trust you…."
And…
"Do you think the baby will like these kinds of toys?"
"I have no idea. Will they even know the difference?"
"Of course, they will, Ani. They're babies."
"Right. I should have known."
When she started comparing the different shades of the same colors, Anakin was pretty sure he was on the verge of a meltdown from the boredom. If someone had told Darth Vader that he would someday be stuck in a warehouse specifically made for babies for seemingly endless hours, comparing baby items, Vader probably would have choked that person. Even telling the old Anakin that, he doubted he would have believed them.
She held up two baby blankets that looked exactly the same to him. "Should we pick this shade of pink," she lifted one up, "Or this one?" She held up another one.
"They look the same."
"But, they're not." She insisted.
Anakin groaned and pointed to a random one. "Fine. That one. Can I shoot the price tag now?" His look was hopeful.
Padme's eyes narrowed. "You're just saying that so that we can be done, aren't you?"
"What? No, never." She raised an eyebrow, not believing him. "But, Sweetheart, you don't even really like pink that much. We don't even know the gender yet! So, why get pink?"
"Because." She looked back at the blankets, clearly taking the decision into her own hands.
"Are you serious right now?" Anakin had a feeling he was going to be asking this question a lot for the duration of the pregnancy. She ignored the question, her eyes going back and forth between the blankets.
Anakin tried to be patient, he really, really did, but after five minutes of her debating, he finally let out a loud groan, rubbing his hand down his face.
"Padmeeeeee…Come on, just pick one already!"
"Don't rush me."
"Angel, at this rate, our child is going to be in college before you make a decision!"
Padme sighed, finally looking up at him. "Ani."
Her voice was tight and filled with annoyance. This was usually how it ended whenever he tried to convince her to do something else whenever she was in her planning mode.
"Yeah?"
"I love you, but please shut up for five minutes, okay?"
After that, he dropped the subject. He knew when he wasn't going to win a battle. There was no sense in continuing it.
Finally, they finished, and though it took another forty five minutes to enter everything into the computer and set up their registry website, they eventually were done. Anakin breathed a sigh of relief. A headache had begun to form from the musty smell of the store, and the dim lighting was beginning to get on his nerves. "Okay, Ani," Padme said as she gathered up her purse, "We can go now."
Finally.
"Oh, that's good." He casually said as he took her hand in his and began to head for the front door. He tried not to seem like he was rushing. Anakin could practically hear Padme roll her eyes. She made no further comment, and soon they were passing the stuffed animal section that stood next to the front door.
EXIT in sight. YES! Almost there…
"We still have an hour and a half before our appointment. Maybe we could stop and get lunch…Anakin?"
He had stopped. He hadn't even realized he'd done it until she'd called his name. His attention had been grabbed by a small brown and white stuffed pony. Slowly, he reached out and picked it up. It was super soft to the touch, and when he squeezed it, he couldn't help but imagine little Leia holding it…
"Anakin?" Padme called again, snapping him out of his thoughts.
"What? Oh. Sorry. I just…" he looked back down at the horse. They didn't have animals like this in their old galaxy (that he knew of), but they did have animals similar to them. He wondered if Leia, raised as a princess on Alderaan, had ever learned to ride one of them. If so, had she liked to ride? Did she dream of owning her own mount like most little girls in this world did? To be honest, he had no idea. He had no clue what she liked, except politics, but he clearly wasn't going to give her a book on politics as a baby.
With Luke, it was easy to know what he would like. He had heard enough stories from Obi-Wan to know that Luke's likes and dislikes were very similar to his own. Leia, however…
He had no idea.
Still, looking down at the little pony, he thought, just maybe, it would be something she would have liked. A part of him knew that it was possible that they had lost her and her brother again, and that this baby was different, but…
What if?
"What are you thinking, Ani?" Padme asked again, looking at him clutching the stuffed horse.
He looked back up at her. "I think I'm going to buy this." He told her softly. He saw realization dawn on her. She knew his reasoning behind buying the toy. She knew, just as well as he did, that it was likely that they had already lost the twins.
Again.
She didn't argue though. Instead, she smiled softly and wrapped her arms around his right arm, hugging him.
"Okay. Let's go get it."
"How are you feeling today, Padme?" Bail asked with a smile as he walked into the examination room that she and Anakin had been led to. It still sometimes weirded her out a little to see Bail as a doctor instead of a politician, but in this world, she had long grown used to him being her family doctor. In this world, the profession suited him perfectly.
She managed a tense smile. She was already sitting on the examination bed with Anakin standing next to her. She laced her hand with Anakin's, and with Bail in the room, she knew that the answer to their fears would be confirmed in a matter of moments. To say that she was nervous would have been an understatement.
"Fine," She partially lied. Anakin gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. It was moments like this when she wished that she could communicate through the Force to him. If she could, her frenzied mind would be constantly relaying its thoughts to him throughout the procedure.
Bail seemed to sense a little of her apprehension. "You should be fine, Padme. Relax. From what my nurse says, everything appears to be going well."
"Okay." She kept her response simple. She knew her baby was healthy. That wasn't the issue. She wasn't going to explain that to Bail though.
As Bail began to get out the tools he would need, Anakin gave her hand another squeeze and leaned over. "Please relax, Angel. Stressing out isn't going to do anything good for you or the baby." He whispered.
"I know," she replied, swallowing the thick lump that had arisen in her throat. "I can't help it though."
Anakin sighed and kissed her forehead, and although she wasn't completely calm, his presence did help her breathe a little easier.
Bail finished making the preparations and came back to her side. It was at this time that Anakin moved so that Bail could work, and although she missed him being directly next to her, he never let go of her hand to remind her that she wasn't alone in this.
Bail pulled up a chair and his little moving table with his ultrasound instruments and made sure that the screen next to them was ready to receive the images. "I think we're ready." He smiled kindly at Padme and Anakin. "Are you both ready for this?"
No. Yes. Maybe.
She glanced at Anakin and opened her mouth to respond, but her throat was too tight. So, she eventually closed her mouth and merely nodded. Bail smiled in understanding. "Well. Let's get started, shall we? Could you lift your shirt up a bit please?"
She did so, bringing it just below her bosom, fighting to keep her breathing under control. She gripped Anakin's hand tightly as Bail squirted the cool, light blue jelly onto her skin, smearing it around with the imaging wand. "Sorry if this is a little cold." He said.
Images began to appear on the screen, and Padme almost stopped breathing. Keep breathing, she reminded herself over and over again, you'll love this baby no matter what…
Bail continued to move the wand around, and the images became clearer. Still, Padme was not exactly proficient in looking at ultrasound images. When her sister had her girls and would show her pictures of their ultrasounds, Padme could never tell what was what until the very end of the pregnancy (not that she ever told her sister that). Looking at her own ultrasound, it was no different. There were a lot of black and white images, and she thought she saw things there, but she wasn't sure…
Bail suddenly frowned, moving in a little closer to examine the screen. He continued to move the wand around, pressing firmly, and just when she thought that she couldn't take it any longer, he leaned back, a look of mild shock on his face. "Well. That is a surprise."
"A good surprise or a bad one?" Anakin asked anxiously. By now Padme couldn't speak even if she wanted to. She was a nervous wreck. She was grateful that at least her husband still had his wits about him.
"A good one." Bail smiled at them. "You're expecting twins."
Twins.
Luke and Leia.
Padme let out a breath of relief, happiness flooding over her. She smiled so wide, her cheeks hurt, and she squeezed Anakin's hand again...hard. "Thank goodness," She breathed, leaning her head back against the pillow.
Bail blinked in surprise. "Wow. I didn't realize you were hoping so much for twins, Padme. It's a rare occurrence."
She couldn't even begin to explain herself.
She was carrying Luke and Leia, again!
This time, she would live past their birth. She was sure of it. She would mother them, watch them grow up. She would actually get to nurse, cuddle and hold them…
Tears had begun to fall down her cheeks. "I know," she finally managed, "I've, uh, always wanted twins." It was a flimsy lie, but it would do.
"Well, you certainly got your wish." Bail smiled, moving the wand around again.
As he began to explain that they were indeed healthy babies (not that Padme needed that assurance; she could feel that already), Padme turned her attention to her strangely silent husband. Sure enough, he was staring intently at the screen as if he were memorizing it, his blue eyes shining with unshed tears.
Still, he said nothing, and there was no other indication from him that this news was out of the ordinary. She frowned; she knew he had been worried about the results as well.
Why hadn't he said anything?
She turned her attention back to what Bail was saying, and as he pointed out things, she began to really see them for the first time. They were tiny, and their bodies were still very much in the process of growing, but she could see their little heads and their little bodies curled close. More tears fell down her face. She hadn't seen them since her death, so many years ago, and it had only been the briefest of moments.
She had always loved them, and she supposed that a part of her had always known something was missing from her life when she didn't remember, but seeing them again, she felt an immense amount of love. She wanted to hold them, to tell them she loved them so much, that she would never leave them again, but she still had quite a bit of time before she could do any of that. However, they were currently part of her, and that was a bond that could not be broken or replicated by anyone or anything.
Finally, Bail finished, wiped the jelly off her abdomen, and began making a copy of the ultrasound for them to take home, and reluctantly Padme pulled her shirt back down. "Again, congratulations to you both." Bail said with a smile.
Padme wiped her tears away, still smiling wide. "Thank you, Bail," she said, "This is just the best news ever."
"I'm glad," Bail laughed, "Now, make sure you schedule your follow up appointment in 2 weeks time before you leave. With twins, it's a higher risk pregnancy. So, we'll need to keep a close eye on everything. Oh, and have my nurse give you a copy of the book What to Expect When You're Expecting, onyourwayout. I highly recommend you both read it, so you'll both know more about pregnancy and the changes you're going through."
"Ok. Thanks again, Bail."
Anakin was still silent as they made their way out into the lobby. Her hand was still intertwined with Anakin's, and it remained that way even as she set up her follow up appointment in 2 weeks. When Anakin still hadn't said anything by the end of that, she was beginning to get concerned. She knew he was happy— So, why wasn't he saying anything?
She didn't press the issue until they had left the office and were heading out to their car. "Ani?" she asked, slowing down, "Are you alright? What are you thinking?"
Anakin stopped. Completely stopped. She frowned, turning to face him, about to press him again, but she didn't need to. A huge, massive, almost dopey grin had spread across his face.
"We're having Luke and Leia," He said, his voice barely above a whisper.
His smile was infectious. She smiled back. "We're having Luke and Leia," She repeated with a matching grin.
She didn't think she'd ever seen Anakin react this way, but she loved it, and she knew she'd never forget it. He suddenly let go of her hand, pumping his fists up into the air, and let out a wild, exuberant whoop.
"WE'RE HAVING LUKE AND LEIA!" He shouted up into the sky, and the next thing she knew, he was scopping her up in his arms, whirling around and around, laughing like a school boy.
She laughed too, happier than ever.
Somehow, she had been granted another chance at life with her beloved soul mate and husband. That in itself had been an unexpected miracle. But now, she was also given another chance to be there for her precious Luke and Leia.
Thank the Force!
As she and Anakin hugged and kissed and repeated over and over again that they were having Luke and Leia, Padme couldn't help but feel like life, as wild and crazy as it could be, was perfect. She could face anything, as long as they were together...As a family.
The Skywalker Family.
LUKE AND LEIA! :D WOOHOO! But, really, there wasn't much doubt. I have been so excited to write this part, I've already started on the next chapter!
For this chapter, I pictured Leia's theme playing for the stuffed horse scene, and Luke's theme playing for when they find out they're having twins. Although, I wrote this chapter to the Batman Begins soundtrack, and even though it didn't technically fit, it's great writing music. Most of Han Zimmer's stuff is, though. John Williams...I often have to stop and just bask, so it can be hard to write to his stuff cuz he's just so dang good...
I LOVED your feedback last chapter! People seemed to enjoy the battle scene, and, as I intended, people thought Padme's revelation to her parents that she was pregnant was funny. I was going for a run one day and I thought about it and I had to stop cuz I was laughing so hard. I knew I would do the Grievous battle, but that just iced the cake for me.
Anyhow, this chapter was super enjoyable to write. I just kept imagining what Darth Vader would have had to say about this whole thing had he been the one to do it. Redeemed Anakin is pretty hilarious as well, but throwing a Sith Lord in...oh boy.
Hopefully, expect an update soon. I am SUPER excited to write all of this...
Review!
Love,
Sarah
