Piett was a little uneasy about showing affection in public, but he didn't want to lose Beth. His arm was around her waist as they waited for the Skywalkers to disembark from the shuttle. "Are you sure about this?" he whispered in her ear.
"Yes, Firmus. I am sure about this. He is my brother and not the monster that threatened to break apart our family."
The first to appear at the top of the ramp was Leia. She was alone. Beth smiled and greeted her. She then asked, "Where's Luke and Anakin?"
"Dad had to look for a few things first and is making sure Luke's comfortable."
Beth nodded in understanding. They waited for a little while longer until grey boots appeared at the top of the ramp. Then grey trousers appeared followed by the rest of the body of a man in his early forties. He was dressed as a commander of the Imperial navy. In his arms, he held an unconscious Luke Skywalker.
Beth could recognise the sky-blue gaze and the slightly grey, sandy blond hair of the commander anywhere. A smile played on her lips.
Piett whispered his question to her. "Who is that?"
Beth slapped his shoulder lightly and left his side to join her brother. She didn't say anything until Anakin had laid Luke on a stretcher to be taken to the med-lab.
"I thought it would be better if I brought him here than to take him to the Rebel medical frigate. I know how good the meds are on this ship," Anakin told her.
Beth nodded at his comment. "It's good to see you again."
"I'm so glad to see you safe, sis," Anakin returned, hugging her. Releasing her, he looked around at the men in the docking bay. There were several mechanics and one very startled Piett. Anakin looked down at Beth and said, "I hope he's good to you."
"He is."
Walking over to Piett, Beth gently closed his mouth. "Admiral Piett," she said formally. "I would like to introduce you to Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker."
Piett looked uncomfortable with shaking Anakin's hand. Turning to his wife, he started to say, "Bethie, wasn't he—"
Beth cut him off. "Firmus, that information is classified. Is that understood?"
Piett nodded an affirmative. "Yes, ma'am."
"Looks like you've got him well trained, sis."
"Funny thing is, he's the admiral. I'm the general. And I don't have him that well trained. I'm still training him. He still doesn't know how to change a nappy." She smiled. "Firmus just knows not to mess with a Jedi."
"He's going to be learning really quickly," Anakin commented. Beth knew what he was getting at and she rolled her eyes. "Congratulations."
Leia congratulated them as well as she, too, worked it out. Beth smiled, her face going slightly pink with embarrassment. She was relieved when another transport landed and little footsteps came to her ears.
Myrrha had come. The four-year-old made a beeline for both Beth and Piett, but Beth was the one of the two parents who reached the child first. Anakin looked on at the reunion between Beth and Myrrha and smiled.
Piett was still beside him. "This is the first time in just over a month since we were together last," he told the Jedi Knight. "Beth and I haven't been able to sit down and have a proper conversation since she came back without being interrupted."
Beth was coming back to them with Myrrha in her arms. "Anakin, this is our daughter, Myrrha," Beth introduced. Myrrha was holding onto Beth very tightly. "I'm sorry. She's not usually this shy."
Piett took Myrrha off Beth and quietly spoke to her. "Hey, Mia, why are you being so difficult?" She didn't reply to his question but kept on looking at Anakin. Piett smiled at her. "You're going to be alright, sweetheart," he whispered reassuringly and felt her arms tighten around his neck.
Beth now scanned the area. There were a few of the crew scattered around, and Mara Jade just entered the docking bay as Ikrit approached from the recently landed transport with a small cylindrical object in his mouth. Anakin saw the diminutive Jedi Master too, and recognised him for who he was. He was puzzled to see another Jedi who had survived.
"Master Ikrit," Anakin greeted with a bow.
"Knight Skywalker," Ikrit greeted in return after releasing the lightsaber. Anakin knew who's lightsaber it was and bent down to retrieve it. Mara joined the conversation and comprehension dawned on Anakin as he placed her name to a name from his past. He had known both her parents. Obi-Wan Kenobi and Sabé Jade.
They conversed for several minutes. Beth didn't join this conversation, but excused herself to find solitude in the quarters where she had told Piett of her news a while before. She ran her hand over her eyes as she reached the quarters. Running her other hand over her stomach, she sank to the couch in the common room. Reaching out with the Force to check on the child, she was met with something that was both startling and joyous. She felt the single form within her split into two separate beings.
Her eyes flashed open and she leaned back into the comfort of the couch. She was pregnant with twins. And she couldn't believe it.
Finding movement in her muscles ten minutes later, Beth got up and showered. She wanted to remove all the grime and dirt from the day and she wanted to get out of the jumpsuit she was wearing. After showering, she moved around the admiral's quarters trying to find some clothes that fit her before sitting back down upon the couch again. Reaching out to the life forms within her womb, she wanted to make sure that she had not made a mistake. She hadn't. Biting her lower lip, she wondered how she was going to tell her husband.
She was almost asleep by the time Piett came into the quarters with Myrrha. Placing Myrrha on the ground, Piett moved over to Beth and gently woke her up. "Go jump into bed," he told her. "I'll make a bed out here for Mia." Beth nodded sleepily and got up. She made her way to the bedchamber as Piett busied himself with making a bed for Myrrha on the couch. Kissing his daughter's forehead, he followed his wife into the bedchamber after dimming the lights.
Shutting the door behind him into the chamber, he pulled his top off, kicked his shoes off and climbed into bed beside Beth. He wrapped his arms around her and cherished her hair. She curled up beside him and placed her head on his bare chest and promptly fell asleep.
Piett lay there for a while, thinking about how lucky he was to have a beautiful daughter and an extremely intelligent wife. Soon, he fell asleep listening to Beth's even breathing.
c d
Han Solo came aboard the Life Quest late that night. He did not want to participate in the celebrations down on the moon's surface for longer than he needed and he was worried about his best friend. Of course, his transport to the Star Destroyer was his ship.
Leia met him at the docking bay. He looked her over and couldn't see any physical damage. He just wanted to make sure that she was all right before wrapping his arms around her. She initiated the kiss between them for the first time and she told him how much she loved him. He pulled away and asked, "How's Luke?"
"He's in the med-lab. Dad's with him now."
Han froze as Leia told him of what transpired aboard the Death Star. But when he heard Leia referring to Darth Vader as 'Dad', he felt sickened. Her eyes showed him the wound he created when he told her so.
Leia pulled away from him. "I've told you, Han, Vader died aboard the Death Star." Her voice softened. "I'm worried about him."
"About who? Darth Vader or Luke?"
Leia hit him in the shoulder for that. She scowled at him. "Don't call him that! He is Anakin Skywalker, and not Vader."
"I'm sorry," Han apologised. He wasn't comfortable about talking about the subject and asked, "Can we go and see Luke now?"
"Sure."
c d
Anakin could sense Leia coming with Han and knew, somehow, that it wouldn't do to cause a scene with the ex-smuggler. He also knew that his daughter saw something in the man that he could not fathom. He sighed and looked down at his son's pale face. Leia entered the med-lab with Han at her side.
"Is he awake yet, Dad?" Leia asked softly, knowing that her brother was probably asleep.
"Leia! You can sense him, can't you? You don't need to ask."
"Sorry," she said as she sat down opposite her father. Han stood behind her, not knowing what to make of the man sitting next to Luke and holding one of Luke's hands. Luke opened his eyes and blinked several times. Leia smiled as he turned to look at her. "Hello, little brother." He returned her smile and looked in the opposite direction. He knew that someone held his hand.
It took him a while to realise that the man beside him was his father. "Dad?" he asked shakily.
"Just rest easy, son."
"What happened?"
"The Death Star's gone. So is Palpatine, I hear," Han replied.
Luke smiled again and then frowned. "Where am I?"
"In the med-lab, on the Life Quest," came Anakin's reply.
"Life Quest?"
"Formally known as the Executor," Anakin supplied. "You were injured while aboard the Death Star. Leia helped me to bring you here."
"Beth?"
"She's fine, just resting at the moment. As you should be, Luke." Anakin smiled at his son and looked over to his daughter and the man who had taken his daughter's heart.
"What happened?" Luke asked.
"Beth almost lost her life in the battle, Luke. And so did you. Now get some sleep!"
c d
Beth was dozing on the couch when Slinté came into the dimly lit common room. She fully woke and sat up. "Admiral Slinté!" she said as she stood up.
He smiled at her. "Relax, General. Where's Piett?"
Beth looked towards the bedchamber and said, "He's asleep. Mia's asleep beside him."
"And I would have thought that you would have been the one beside him."
"Yeah, well. Mia had a nightmare and I'm such a light sleeper. I tucked her into bed next to Firmus and came out here." Beth sighed. "Admiral, why did you want to see Firmus?"
"I didn't. I came to see you, General."
Beth turned to look at the admiral. "I guess Anakin's worried about me," she told him simply.
"I think so. He's still in the med-lab by Commander Skywalker's side."
Running a hand over her eyes, Beth nodded. She swayed a bit before Slinté reached out to steady her. "Thanks," she said quietly.
"You're welcome."
c d
Anakin made his way onto the bridge. He was playing a game of tag with Myrrha and she was squealing with laughter as they entered the bridge. Beth was on the bridge with Piett and Anakin could tell by her posture that she had something to tell Piett.
He kept his distance with Myrrha but he couldn't help but overhear what Beth was saying, even though she was telling him quietly.
Piett's eyes seemed to be tracking Beth's every jittery movement, even though she could be as graceful as a Twi'lek dancer when she wanted to be. "Beth, what's wrong?"
Her eyes locked with his and she drew in a deep breath. "You know I'm pregnant."
He turned to look at her face on. She was shifting around uneasily and wasn't looking him in the eye. "Bethia, is there something wrong with the baby?" Worry and concern filled Piett's eyes and he reached out to pull her into an embrace. "Please no."
Anakin reached out to Beth with the Force and realised that there were two other Force signatures clinging to her, instead of the extra one he knew of. His jaw dropped and he turned from the couple in his surprise.
"Anakin!" her pitiful voice growled. "Can you kindly lay off?" Guiltily, he left the couple alone and got Myrrha to follow him off the bridge. Beth watched him go before leaning her head on Piett's chest. Tears began to roll down her face, even though she did not sob.
"Bethie, what?" Piett asked her softly. "Please, I don't want anything to happen to you or the baby. Tell me what's happened."
"I found out yesterday that I'm pregnant with twins."
He let go of her in his surprise. Unbelievingly, he looked at her, not really wanting to believe the truth. Finally, he stammered, "Twins?"
"It only happened yesterday. I felt the split. We're going to be parents of identical twin boys." Beth looked into her husband's eyes and he looked right back.
After his initial shock, he found that the news was more to his liking than what he had first feared. "Bethie," he breathed, wrapping his arms around her. He didn't really care that he was showing affection in public. He had thought that his wife had miscarried or something worse had happened. Tears of joy began to show in his eyes and make their way down his cheeks. His mouth landed on hers and he said all that he wanted to say in that single moment.
Beth leaned into him and her hands were on his cheeks. Her tongue traced around his lips and his mouth. He did the same when she withdrew.
Piett didn't want to stop, but it was he that broke off the kiss. His eyes looked haggard as he leaned his forehead against hers. "Thank you, Bethia Piett. I love you so much."
"Thank you, Firmus. You know that I love you."
He laid a hand on her stomach and closed his eyes, breathing in the scent of his wife and simply revelling in her close proximity. They suddenly became aware of the applause around them and they broke apart. Both went red, he more than she. They looked at each other and smiled as if they were caught doing something that they shouldn't have been doing.
Looking around those on the bridge, Piett's grey eyes locked with the blue-grey eyes of Anakin Skywalker. He shifted uncomfortably. Beth was looking around as well and could feel her husband's discomfort. Placing a hand on his shoulder, she looked at her brother.
"Congratulations, little sister."
Beth smiled at him and said, "Thank you, Knight Skywalker."
"You're welcome, Knight Lars."
"Rub it in, why don't you?" Her face brightened. "And that is not who I am." She laughed at her husband's and her brother's puzzled faces.
"What do you mean?" Anakin asked. "You are a Lars and you're a Knight, aren't you?"
"I'm a Piett," she shot back. "Or haven't you realised that yet?"
Anakin laughed and made a grab at Beth. Beth jumped back from him, anticipating it before allowing her brother to hug her.
"You know something that you've done for me, Bethia?" he asked her.
"What's that?"
"You've shown me what it takes to be a true Jedi Knight. Not only with your actions, but with your heart, too. You know how to combine the two and have shown me that it is not the potential that you have that makes you a true Jedi, but the strength one has to resist the Darkside and the to it, like I have. For that, Bethie, I thank you."
Beth blushed slightly and looked to the ground. Piett came and took hold of her left hand. He squeezed it gently. "You have shown your true colours, Bethie. You know about things that I couldn't even imagine and have endured so much more than I could ask of you."
Beth looked Piett in the eye and then turned to her brother before looking back at Piett. "That is why I have been recognised as a Jedi Master by past Jedi." Her face grew sad.
"By whom?" Anakin asked. "And when?"
"Just before I came back to the Rebellion. Master Yoda was the one who took my braid out. He died just before I went to find Master Ikrit. It was then that he said that I was a Jedi Master."
"Usually Knights are not given the title 'Master' until they have completely trained a Jedi Padawan."
"And who do you think trained the terrors?" Beth said. "Namely, your children."
"Oh."
Beth bit her lower lip and looked back at Anakin. "Uh… I've been thinking, Ani… why, uh…?"
"Do I no longer need the suit?" he supplied. She nodded. "I have no idea. It was something that happened on Palpatine's death or when he no longer controlled me. I don't know what happened. All I know is that it came about and I have to thank you for your faith in me and the hope you had of me returning to the light."
"It was the will of the Force." She smiled again. "Like so many other things that has happened to us."
"Something like that," Anakin returned her smile and Piett smiled as well. They were together and were looking forward to the bright future ahead.