I know this is late and I'm really sorry but I needed to research the
handmaidens before writing them.
Sorry!
---
Siri's words almost echoed around them and there was a stunned silence between them.
Siri stood her ground but didn't make eye contact. The revelation couldn't really have come at a worse time, they needed to talk but there was so much to do.
"What?" Obi-Wan said hoarsely.
"I think you heard me," Siri said, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Damn right I heard you!" Obi-Wan said, "But.I.how? When? Where?"
"Enough questions already," she looked at him for a second, and then moved to walk off again. "Just forget it."
He reached out on her arm, his voice a little lower but no calmer. "Is it mine?"
She turned round to face him, "Not everything is about you!"
"It's a simple question Siri, one I have the right to ask." His eyes were almost hollow with too much emotion flowing at once.
"What do you think I do, sleep with every guy I see?" she sounded irritated, then pulled her arm back and rubbed her eyes.
"Siri-" he started.
"Of course it is." She whispered softly.
He nodded, and took a step back. There was silence again, and he seemed to shift back into responsibility. "Obviously, you can't take this mission then."
"Force, Obi-Wan, I just told you in a little over six months you're going to be a Father and that's all you have to say?"
"What do you want me to say?" Obi-Wan threw his arms up. "You dropped a bomb on me and now you want me to deal with this in a few minutes?"
"Of course not!" She said, sounding a little fed up. "I'm still dealing with this!"
"And apparently I can't ask questions about this.."
"Ask as many as you like, just not now!"
He nodded, "Well then the original problem is still there. We still need someone to do this mission."
She nodded, and then smiled a little.
"I may have an idea."
---
"My lady!"
Padme opened blurry eyes, to find three slightly freaked out Handmaidens in front of her. Apparently she must have fallen asleep in her senate office, as she felt like she'd been sleeping on something that was rock hard.
Now she knew why they were designed so uncomfortably: to keep senators from falling asleep.
"You are due in senate in less than two hours, my lady!" Eirtae seemed genuinely distressed about this. Her blonde hair was up in a spilled over bob, and her regal purple gown made her look like she should be the one going into senate. Her blue eyes where crinkled with worry, as she handed her a cup of coffee.
Of course, Rabe was already fiddling with her hair. "Two hours." she said, sounding even more distressed. "What will I do with your hair? It is a disaster!"
"You can do it, Rabe." Padme said firmly. "Isn't that what you always tell me?"
"Yes, milady." Rabe commented, her Nubian accent strong. Her dark hair was pulled back firmly, and her simple red dress seemed to indicate she had been in a hurry to get here. She immediately began attempting to do something with Padme's hair, which to Padme's admission, was bed hair.
Sabe was the one that was staring at her, her similar features less noticeable with her long dark hair curling around her shoulders, and her auburn dress set off the look in her eyes.
"What?" Padme says.
"Working late?" there was a touch of patronisation in her tone, something she had come to expect from her best friend.
"Sabe, hold this!" Rabe said, running off to get another comb.
"I need to do something, Sabe!" Padme said.
"I know," Sabe said. "But what can you do?"
"Nothing," Padme said softly. "That's the trouble."
---
The footsteps had stopped, and they had lost him.
Keeping to the shadows was a difficult task for a grown man, never mind toddlers but somehow they managed. In and out the twisting corridors, which seem like forever to him, so force knows what it felt to them.
That was until he felt a little tug at his trousers.
He looked down to see Luke, tugging him. He noticed the toddler looked tired, as well as afraid and upset. His blue eyes seemed to become twice their normal size as he looked up at his father.
"Daddy, I'm really tired." He whispered.
"I know," he whispered back, stroking the little boys hair. "I am too."
"Couldn't we sit for a minute?" Leia asked, looking tired and irritable too.
"Leia," he said softly. "There is no where."
"Yes, there is." She pointed out a door on the far side. "Doors right there."
"No noises." Luke said, hopefully.
Anakin decided he might as well check it out. He was tired too, and could use a break. They went up to the side of the door, and sensing no one inside, the three crept in.
It was pitch black inside, and the children clung to him till he found the light switch. Finally finding it, he switched it on, and gasped in surprise.
They were in a weapons hold.
---
"Senator Organa to see you, my lady."
Padme pushed on the intercom, "Send him in, Eirtae."
She looked up to see her friend thanking Eirtae for letting him in, and he shut the door as she returned to her post.
"Bail," she smiled as genuinely as she could.
"Padme," he said, and then hugged her for a moment. "You shouldn't be here, not under these circumstances."
He pulled away and she breathed deeply. "Need to keep busy, you know?"
"I do," he said, "But this can't do anything for your health, or the twins."
"I know that," she commented. "I just can't sit and figure this out right now." "Well, I am relieving you of duty."
"Bail," she started.
"I mean it." He said firmly, "I'll have all urgent things done and you," he took her shoulder and pushed her towards the door. "Are going to join your mother for an evening in."
"My mother isn't on planet, Bail," she pointed out, as he handed her a coat.
"She is now."
---
"Force, look at these things!"
Apparently seeing a bunch of blaster guns had revived the two children who where now giggling and talking.
Luke went to pick one up, and Anakin took it off him and set it on a shelf. "No. You're too young."
Luke folded his arms in a sulk. "Then so's she!"
He looked to see Leia was also holding one, which he promptly removed.
How did Padme cope with these two?
He decided to check out what else was here when he heard the twins playing with door. "Luke, Leia, will you come back here?"
He received no answer, and turned to hear heavy footsteps coming back and neither child in sight. Almost frantic, he reached down for the blaster that he set down, to find it missing.
At that moment, all he heard was a little girl scream and a blaster go off...
---
Special thanks to Holly for agreeing to stay on as beta.
Sorry!
---
Siri's words almost echoed around them and there was a stunned silence between them.
Siri stood her ground but didn't make eye contact. The revelation couldn't really have come at a worse time, they needed to talk but there was so much to do.
"What?" Obi-Wan said hoarsely.
"I think you heard me," Siri said, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Damn right I heard you!" Obi-Wan said, "But.I.how? When? Where?"
"Enough questions already," she looked at him for a second, and then moved to walk off again. "Just forget it."
He reached out on her arm, his voice a little lower but no calmer. "Is it mine?"
She turned round to face him, "Not everything is about you!"
"It's a simple question Siri, one I have the right to ask." His eyes were almost hollow with too much emotion flowing at once.
"What do you think I do, sleep with every guy I see?" she sounded irritated, then pulled her arm back and rubbed her eyes.
"Siri-" he started.
"Of course it is." She whispered softly.
He nodded, and took a step back. There was silence again, and he seemed to shift back into responsibility. "Obviously, you can't take this mission then."
"Force, Obi-Wan, I just told you in a little over six months you're going to be a Father and that's all you have to say?"
"What do you want me to say?" Obi-Wan threw his arms up. "You dropped a bomb on me and now you want me to deal with this in a few minutes?"
"Of course not!" She said, sounding a little fed up. "I'm still dealing with this!"
"And apparently I can't ask questions about this.."
"Ask as many as you like, just not now!"
He nodded, "Well then the original problem is still there. We still need someone to do this mission."
She nodded, and then smiled a little.
"I may have an idea."
---
"My lady!"
Padme opened blurry eyes, to find three slightly freaked out Handmaidens in front of her. Apparently she must have fallen asleep in her senate office, as she felt like she'd been sleeping on something that was rock hard.
Now she knew why they were designed so uncomfortably: to keep senators from falling asleep.
"You are due in senate in less than two hours, my lady!" Eirtae seemed genuinely distressed about this. Her blonde hair was up in a spilled over bob, and her regal purple gown made her look like she should be the one going into senate. Her blue eyes where crinkled with worry, as she handed her a cup of coffee.
Of course, Rabe was already fiddling with her hair. "Two hours." she said, sounding even more distressed. "What will I do with your hair? It is a disaster!"
"You can do it, Rabe." Padme said firmly. "Isn't that what you always tell me?"
"Yes, milady." Rabe commented, her Nubian accent strong. Her dark hair was pulled back firmly, and her simple red dress seemed to indicate she had been in a hurry to get here. She immediately began attempting to do something with Padme's hair, which to Padme's admission, was bed hair.
Sabe was the one that was staring at her, her similar features less noticeable with her long dark hair curling around her shoulders, and her auburn dress set off the look in her eyes.
"What?" Padme says.
"Working late?" there was a touch of patronisation in her tone, something she had come to expect from her best friend.
"Sabe, hold this!" Rabe said, running off to get another comb.
"I need to do something, Sabe!" Padme said.
"I know," Sabe said. "But what can you do?"
"Nothing," Padme said softly. "That's the trouble."
---
The footsteps had stopped, and they had lost him.
Keeping to the shadows was a difficult task for a grown man, never mind toddlers but somehow they managed. In and out the twisting corridors, which seem like forever to him, so force knows what it felt to them.
That was until he felt a little tug at his trousers.
He looked down to see Luke, tugging him. He noticed the toddler looked tired, as well as afraid and upset. His blue eyes seemed to become twice their normal size as he looked up at his father.
"Daddy, I'm really tired." He whispered.
"I know," he whispered back, stroking the little boys hair. "I am too."
"Couldn't we sit for a minute?" Leia asked, looking tired and irritable too.
"Leia," he said softly. "There is no where."
"Yes, there is." She pointed out a door on the far side. "Doors right there."
"No noises." Luke said, hopefully.
Anakin decided he might as well check it out. He was tired too, and could use a break. They went up to the side of the door, and sensing no one inside, the three crept in.
It was pitch black inside, and the children clung to him till he found the light switch. Finally finding it, he switched it on, and gasped in surprise.
They were in a weapons hold.
---
"Senator Organa to see you, my lady."
Padme pushed on the intercom, "Send him in, Eirtae."
She looked up to see her friend thanking Eirtae for letting him in, and he shut the door as she returned to her post.
"Bail," she smiled as genuinely as she could.
"Padme," he said, and then hugged her for a moment. "You shouldn't be here, not under these circumstances."
He pulled away and she breathed deeply. "Need to keep busy, you know?"
"I do," he said, "But this can't do anything for your health, or the twins."
"I know that," she commented. "I just can't sit and figure this out right now." "Well, I am relieving you of duty."
"Bail," she started.
"I mean it." He said firmly, "I'll have all urgent things done and you," he took her shoulder and pushed her towards the door. "Are going to join your mother for an evening in."
"My mother isn't on planet, Bail," she pointed out, as he handed her a coat.
"She is now."
---
"Force, look at these things!"
Apparently seeing a bunch of blaster guns had revived the two children who where now giggling and talking.
Luke went to pick one up, and Anakin took it off him and set it on a shelf. "No. You're too young."
Luke folded his arms in a sulk. "Then so's she!"
He looked to see Leia was also holding one, which he promptly removed.
How did Padme cope with these two?
He decided to check out what else was here when he heard the twins playing with door. "Luke, Leia, will you come back here?"
He received no answer, and turned to hear heavy footsteps coming back and neither child in sight. Almost frantic, he reached down for the blaster that he set down, to find it missing.
At that moment, all he heard was a little girl scream and a blaster go off...
---
Special thanks to Holly for agreeing to stay on as beta.