Wow, I actually did this on deadline! Amazing!
---
To the average outsider, the Jedi Temple was a foreboding rock of solidity. White, sturdy, strong and powerful, if purity had a colour, it would be white. Its huge towers shadowed its place on Coruscant and are an unavoidable statement of the mark of the Jedi in the Republic.
It didn't matter how many times Padme seen it, the Jedi Temple always took her breath away. Although still under heavy repair, its fourth spire only held up by a frame, it still amazed her in beauty. It was alive, with Jedi coming in and out consistently. Especially with their diminished numbers, it was wonderful to see many in the heart of the Republic.
As Padme's air taxi came to the front guest entrance, she could see some of the initiates playing. It made her smile, seeing seven and eight year olds so oblivious to what had happened. The taxi stopped, and lifting the twins out, she noticed something peculiar. Some of the children had braids.
"They just keep getting younger," a voice came from her left.
Padme looked to see a Knight in her mid thirties. She had blonde hair, flashing blue eyes and a wry grin. She had her hands on her hips, and her hair tied into a messy ponytail. And perhaps, most peculiar of all, she seemed to know Padme. Not Queen Amidala, Senator Amidala or Candidate for Supreme Chancellor Amidala, just Padme Skywalker.
Padme paid the driver, and pulled the wondering Luke back towards her. "They do seem a little young, umm, ."
The woman laughed, "I'm sorry, I thought Obi-Wan had told you I'd be meeting you because of the whole 'Food Poisoning' fiasco, which by the way, he was the one cooking. And he wonders why I never let him!"
"Oh! Yes! You're Siri?" Padme asked. Obi-Wan was supposed to meet them but had called this morning, saying he's picked up a 24 hour bug, and a friend would meet her and the twins instead.
"One and only," she smiled. "This the terrible twins?"
Padme smiled, not just at the comment but also at the incredulous look on Leia's face, and the huffy one on Luke's, and nodded.
"This way, then," she commented and started walking.
Padme took her children's hands and followed Siri through the to the medical ward again.
A few moments, and a few times of pulling Luke out of doorways and corridors, they were outside the door when Padme motioned for them to stop. She took the two children in front of her, and knelt down.
"When we go in, I'm going to need you to be quiet, okay? No running around, no sneaking off and no yelling." The twins nodded, looking very serious. Well, as serious as toddlers could. Then again, it wouldn't be long before they were no longer toddlers.
"I want you to see your Daddy, as much as I'm sure you want to see him, but he's not well right now, and you don't want to make him worse."
"No," they both answered softly and simultaneously.
"I know you wouldn't," she said, taking each of their hands and nodding to Siri.
Siri opened the door, and called over to the young man sitting on the chair, "Look who has visitors," she smiled, opening the door full.
Anakin was sitting on the chair by the window again, looking out at the outside world. He looked up as Padme entered, his eyes lighting in the mid- afternoon sunlight. Then he caught a glimpse of the children, then looked up at Padme, screwing his face up in the way that crinkled his brow, something the represented confusion.
"What do I say?"
---
When he first saw the two children, his thoughts were that they looked like a miniature version of their parents. The girls deep brown eyes, her slightly curled hair and the way she carried herself screamed the confidence of her mother. The boy, on the other hand, hand blonde hair, and - Force, are those my eyes? - blue eyes and he had an aura of calm shyness about him. His mind went blank, and he was unsure of what he could say, so he simply asked his wife.
Padme smiled, her natural radiance flowing through. "Well, what-"
Two things about the next moment startled him. One was the young girl cocking her head to one side, and commenting, "Hello's a good start." And the second was Padme's eyes flaring and sternly replying "Leia!" He'd never seen Padme react like that before. Then again, he's never seen a three year old - or was it two? - come out with a comment like that.
"Smart little thing, aren't you?" It'd come so naturally to respond in kind. It may have been to a child, but it felt right, it felt like being him, he wanted so badly to be himself.
The comment obviously annoyed the little girl, who cuddled close to her mother. Padme picked the little girl over, and sat on the bed about a meter away from her husband. "In case you missed it, this is Leia," she motioned to the child on her lap, "and this is Luke." She smoothed down the little boy on the floors hair, and he just regarded his father with curious eyes.
Anakin smiled very gently at his children. He'd always wanted them, and now here they were. And he was determined to make the most of his time with them before.no, he wouldn't think of it now; he had to see his babies.
"Hello," the boy seemingly whispered.
Anakin couldn't help but smile about the boy's play on his sisters' words. "Hi,"
Luke's eyes seemed to get huge for a moment, these beautiful orbs of blue, as if he was trying to decide something. A moment later, he waddled over to his father and sat himself at the bottom of the chair, arms stretched.
"Luke, come on," Padme put out a hand for her son, "Not now, sweetheart, come back over to mommy." She implored.
But he just picked up the small boy and sat him on his knee, where he just cuddled up to him for a moment. Then he picked his tiny head up, not removing his miniscule arms from his fathers' waist, he looked his sister in the eye, with a clear message.
Are you coming?
---
Padme watched in fascination as her son decided to use his father as a cushion. She could see Ani smile, as the boy made himself comfortable. Seemingly comfortable now, he looked across to Leia, who was watching with a graceful stillness from her mothers lap. Then Leia looked up to her mother for a moment, and climbed off her knee, again trying to walk over to father, but she didn't sit at the bottom of the chair when she reached it, she just attempted to climb up her fathers' leg.
"Hey, hey, hey," Padme said, coming the few steps to where her daughter was attempting to climb. She picked Leia up, who then seemed to start threatening to cry.
"Give her here," Anakin said gently, attempting to signal with his free arm. It must have been a little difficult, as Luke seemed fascinated by the padawan braid on Anakins' wrist.
"Sure?"
Anakin nodded, and Padme placed the little girl opposite her brother, who then attempted to get comfortable also, and in the process put her head on the bacta patch, and Anakin writhed a little.
"Watch Daddy's sore arm, honey." Padme said, lifting her head to Anakin's chest, where she finally seemed half comfortable, joining her brother in the attempt at figuring out what strange hairy creature was round their fathers wrist.
Padme just smiled at that, and to her happy surprise, Anakin smiled with her, as she decided to sit on he arm of the chair, and play with her daughters' hair.
And in that moment, a family was born.
---
I'm being nice this time, no cliffie.
---
To the average outsider, the Jedi Temple was a foreboding rock of solidity. White, sturdy, strong and powerful, if purity had a colour, it would be white. Its huge towers shadowed its place on Coruscant and are an unavoidable statement of the mark of the Jedi in the Republic.
It didn't matter how many times Padme seen it, the Jedi Temple always took her breath away. Although still under heavy repair, its fourth spire only held up by a frame, it still amazed her in beauty. It was alive, with Jedi coming in and out consistently. Especially with their diminished numbers, it was wonderful to see many in the heart of the Republic.
As Padme's air taxi came to the front guest entrance, she could see some of the initiates playing. It made her smile, seeing seven and eight year olds so oblivious to what had happened. The taxi stopped, and lifting the twins out, she noticed something peculiar. Some of the children had braids.
"They just keep getting younger," a voice came from her left.
Padme looked to see a Knight in her mid thirties. She had blonde hair, flashing blue eyes and a wry grin. She had her hands on her hips, and her hair tied into a messy ponytail. And perhaps, most peculiar of all, she seemed to know Padme. Not Queen Amidala, Senator Amidala or Candidate for Supreme Chancellor Amidala, just Padme Skywalker.
Padme paid the driver, and pulled the wondering Luke back towards her. "They do seem a little young, umm, ."
The woman laughed, "I'm sorry, I thought Obi-Wan had told you I'd be meeting you because of the whole 'Food Poisoning' fiasco, which by the way, he was the one cooking. And he wonders why I never let him!"
"Oh! Yes! You're Siri?" Padme asked. Obi-Wan was supposed to meet them but had called this morning, saying he's picked up a 24 hour bug, and a friend would meet her and the twins instead.
"One and only," she smiled. "This the terrible twins?"
Padme smiled, not just at the comment but also at the incredulous look on Leia's face, and the huffy one on Luke's, and nodded.
"This way, then," she commented and started walking.
Padme took her children's hands and followed Siri through the to the medical ward again.
A few moments, and a few times of pulling Luke out of doorways and corridors, they were outside the door when Padme motioned for them to stop. She took the two children in front of her, and knelt down.
"When we go in, I'm going to need you to be quiet, okay? No running around, no sneaking off and no yelling." The twins nodded, looking very serious. Well, as serious as toddlers could. Then again, it wouldn't be long before they were no longer toddlers.
"I want you to see your Daddy, as much as I'm sure you want to see him, but he's not well right now, and you don't want to make him worse."
"No," they both answered softly and simultaneously.
"I know you wouldn't," she said, taking each of their hands and nodding to Siri.
Siri opened the door, and called over to the young man sitting on the chair, "Look who has visitors," she smiled, opening the door full.
Anakin was sitting on the chair by the window again, looking out at the outside world. He looked up as Padme entered, his eyes lighting in the mid- afternoon sunlight. Then he caught a glimpse of the children, then looked up at Padme, screwing his face up in the way that crinkled his brow, something the represented confusion.
"What do I say?"
---
When he first saw the two children, his thoughts were that they looked like a miniature version of their parents. The girls deep brown eyes, her slightly curled hair and the way she carried herself screamed the confidence of her mother. The boy, on the other hand, hand blonde hair, and - Force, are those my eyes? - blue eyes and he had an aura of calm shyness about him. His mind went blank, and he was unsure of what he could say, so he simply asked his wife.
Padme smiled, her natural radiance flowing through. "Well, what-"
Two things about the next moment startled him. One was the young girl cocking her head to one side, and commenting, "Hello's a good start." And the second was Padme's eyes flaring and sternly replying "Leia!" He'd never seen Padme react like that before. Then again, he's never seen a three year old - or was it two? - come out with a comment like that.
"Smart little thing, aren't you?" It'd come so naturally to respond in kind. It may have been to a child, but it felt right, it felt like being him, he wanted so badly to be himself.
The comment obviously annoyed the little girl, who cuddled close to her mother. Padme picked the little girl over, and sat on the bed about a meter away from her husband. "In case you missed it, this is Leia," she motioned to the child on her lap, "and this is Luke." She smoothed down the little boy on the floors hair, and he just regarded his father with curious eyes.
Anakin smiled very gently at his children. He'd always wanted them, and now here they were. And he was determined to make the most of his time with them before.no, he wouldn't think of it now; he had to see his babies.
"Hello," the boy seemingly whispered.
Anakin couldn't help but smile about the boy's play on his sisters' words. "Hi,"
Luke's eyes seemed to get huge for a moment, these beautiful orbs of blue, as if he was trying to decide something. A moment later, he waddled over to his father and sat himself at the bottom of the chair, arms stretched.
"Luke, come on," Padme put out a hand for her son, "Not now, sweetheart, come back over to mommy." She implored.
But he just picked up the small boy and sat him on his knee, where he just cuddled up to him for a moment. Then he picked his tiny head up, not removing his miniscule arms from his fathers' waist, he looked his sister in the eye, with a clear message.
Are you coming?
---
Padme watched in fascination as her son decided to use his father as a cushion. She could see Ani smile, as the boy made himself comfortable. Seemingly comfortable now, he looked across to Leia, who was watching with a graceful stillness from her mothers lap. Then Leia looked up to her mother for a moment, and climbed off her knee, again trying to walk over to father, but she didn't sit at the bottom of the chair when she reached it, she just attempted to climb up her fathers' leg.
"Hey, hey, hey," Padme said, coming the few steps to where her daughter was attempting to climb. She picked Leia up, who then seemed to start threatening to cry.
"Give her here," Anakin said gently, attempting to signal with his free arm. It must have been a little difficult, as Luke seemed fascinated by the padawan braid on Anakins' wrist.
"Sure?"
Anakin nodded, and Padme placed the little girl opposite her brother, who then attempted to get comfortable also, and in the process put her head on the bacta patch, and Anakin writhed a little.
"Watch Daddy's sore arm, honey." Padme said, lifting her head to Anakin's chest, where she finally seemed half comfortable, joining her brother in the attempt at figuring out what strange hairy creature was round their fathers wrist.
Padme just smiled at that, and to her happy surprise, Anakin smiled with her, as she decided to sit on he arm of the chair, and play with her daughters' hair.
And in that moment, a family was born.
---
I'm being nice this time, no cliffie.