Disclaimer: The characters in this story belong to George Lucas, and not to me, otherwise I'd be a rich as he is. Hmph.
"Push Padmé! Push! You're almost there!" His cry barely reached through to her pain-ridden brain.
Somewhere in the fog of this swamp, something large cried out, and Padmé answered its scream with one of her own. The babies...her children...Anakin...this pain...
"Auuughhhh!" She cried, pushing as hard as she could. As the wave of the contraction passed, she heard a cry, a small human's cry that was not her own. She collapsed against the backrest-a large stone-conscious of the roughness of Obi-Wan's cloak beneath her for the first time.
She lay panting until he leaned over her with a small bundle. "Padmé, here." He said, gently patting her cheek to rouse her. She raised her head up, and her eyes connected with the small brown ones of her daughter. "Leia..." She breathed.
Padmé gently took her from Obi-Wan's arms and quietly memorized the small face. Her little mouth, which even now was wide open in a yawn. Those brown eyes, so like her own...and the small scrunched nose...Padmé chuckled softly to herself, and then moaned at the pain it brought. "She looks just like Anakin when he didn't like something." She murmured to herself.
Suddenly, another contraction hit her, and she gasped, clutching Leia to her. Yoda quickly shuffled over from his quiet meditation to take the baby gently from her arms while she focused on bringing Luke out into the marshlands of Dagobah.
~*~
Finally, Padmé lay with a child in each arm. Everything in her small body ached, but every second of pain had been worth seeing these small, red faces. Luke gurgled quietly at her, and Padmé looked up at Obi-Wan and Yoda with tears in her eyes.
She was speechless. These tiny creatures that were so warm in her arms...they were the symbol of the love she and Anakin had shared. In spite of the joy she felt at finally holding her twins, Padmé Amidala Naberrie Skywalker began to feel her eyelids closing from sheer exhaustion.
Sensing this, Obi-Wan stepped forward and took the children from her arms. In spite of her sleepy state, Padmé started to protest, but was silenced by Yoda, who had accepted Leia into his arms.
"Keep them safe for you, we will. Sleep now you must." He said. Obi-Wan nodded his agreement, and she finally allowed her body to sink into the sleep it so desperately craved.
~*~
Once Amidala was asleep, Obi-Wan regarded her frail body lying on his cloak. She had deep purple circles under both eyes, and had been losing the precious weight her body needed ever since Anakin had left her.
He looked down at Luke, who was regarding him with solemn blue eyes. "Just like his father." Obi-Wan thought. He looked over at Yoda, who had an oddly paternal smile on his small face. Yoda caressed the left side of Leia's head with one curved finger, and looked up at Obi-Wan.
"Important these two are." He said. Obi-Wan nodded thoughtfully. "Special. Painful it will be, but know not of their heritage they must." Swallowing a reply, Obi-Wan looked down at Luke, whose eyelids were beginning to droop.
Rocking the small bundle gently, Obi-Wan looked over at the sleeping Padmé. These little ones would never know their mother. He could not even remember the face of his own mother, having been taken from her when he was only a small child to live at the Jedi Temple.
Obi-Wan looked over at Yoda, who was patting Leia's small body carefully. Yoda's face mirrored his own thoughts.
"What will we do now?" He thought desperately. But there was no answer from the Force.
"Push Padmé! Push! You're almost there!" His cry barely reached through to her pain-ridden brain.
Somewhere in the fog of this swamp, something large cried out, and Padmé answered its scream with one of her own. The babies...her children...Anakin...this pain...
"Auuughhhh!" She cried, pushing as hard as she could. As the wave of the contraction passed, she heard a cry, a small human's cry that was not her own. She collapsed against the backrest-a large stone-conscious of the roughness of Obi-Wan's cloak beneath her for the first time.
She lay panting until he leaned over her with a small bundle. "Padmé, here." He said, gently patting her cheek to rouse her. She raised her head up, and her eyes connected with the small brown ones of her daughter. "Leia..." She breathed.
Padmé gently took her from Obi-Wan's arms and quietly memorized the small face. Her little mouth, which even now was wide open in a yawn. Those brown eyes, so like her own...and the small scrunched nose...Padmé chuckled softly to herself, and then moaned at the pain it brought. "She looks just like Anakin when he didn't like something." She murmured to herself.
Suddenly, another contraction hit her, and she gasped, clutching Leia to her. Yoda quickly shuffled over from his quiet meditation to take the baby gently from her arms while she focused on bringing Luke out into the marshlands of Dagobah.
~*~
Finally, Padmé lay with a child in each arm. Everything in her small body ached, but every second of pain had been worth seeing these small, red faces. Luke gurgled quietly at her, and Padmé looked up at Obi-Wan and Yoda with tears in her eyes.
She was speechless. These tiny creatures that were so warm in her arms...they were the symbol of the love she and Anakin had shared. In spite of the joy she felt at finally holding her twins, Padmé Amidala Naberrie Skywalker began to feel her eyelids closing from sheer exhaustion.
Sensing this, Obi-Wan stepped forward and took the children from her arms. In spite of her sleepy state, Padmé started to protest, but was silenced by Yoda, who had accepted Leia into his arms.
"Keep them safe for you, we will. Sleep now you must." He said. Obi-Wan nodded his agreement, and she finally allowed her body to sink into the sleep it so desperately craved.
~*~
Once Amidala was asleep, Obi-Wan regarded her frail body lying on his cloak. She had deep purple circles under both eyes, and had been losing the precious weight her body needed ever since Anakin had left her.
He looked down at Luke, who was regarding him with solemn blue eyes. "Just like his father." Obi-Wan thought. He looked over at Yoda, who had an oddly paternal smile on his small face. Yoda caressed the left side of Leia's head with one curved finger, and looked up at Obi-Wan.
"Important these two are." He said. Obi-Wan nodded thoughtfully. "Special. Painful it will be, but know not of their heritage they must." Swallowing a reply, Obi-Wan looked down at Luke, whose eyelids were beginning to droop.
Rocking the small bundle gently, Obi-Wan looked over at the sleeping Padmé. These little ones would never know their mother. He could not even remember the face of his own mother, having been taken from her when he was only a small child to live at the Jedi Temple.
Obi-Wan looked over at Yoda, who was patting Leia's small body carefully. Yoda's face mirrored his own thoughts.
"What will we do now?" He thought desperately. But there was no answer from the Force.