See first chapter for disclaimer & other details

A/N: Another short transition chapter. This is more of family dynamics. Trust me, the best stuff is yet to come. Once again, thank you all for your reviews! (Hands out cookies for all except for KD Skywalker who gets skittles) Oh and thankies to Toni for being a great beta! Go read her viggie series. (hugs to all!)

Chapter Two: And guest makes five

Leia Skywalker was bringing home a guest to the family retreat. To her Nubian home. To the place where she had grown up and where her family spent one weekend a month. His baby girl was bringing someone here.

There was a feeling Anakin couldn't quite shake off. He had begun to pace in his and Padmé's bedroom as she sat in front of her vanity to fix her face. "Anakin, stop it will you! You're driving me insane!"

"I have a bad feeling about this, Padmé. Leia is bringing someone home! Have you ever known our daughter to do such a thing! Who is this person she's bringing here!" His voice was rushed and slightly panicked. Padmé began to giggle.

"Ani, please relax! Leia isn't a girl anymore. She's a young woman now. She doesn't even live on the same planet as you do, for Force sake! Now isn't the time to be playing the paranoid father role," she reasoned.

Anakin simply muttered and stormed out of the room. Unfortunately for Luke, he was headed straight for his room. Without even knocking, Anakin opened the door using the Force. Right awayLuke could tell his father was angry. Anakin had a way of being quite obvious when he was annoyed.

"Dad? What's up?" Luke asked earnestly.

"Have you seen Leia lately?"

Luke inwardly groaned. He loved his sister, really. But sometimes she was just a pain in the backside. He hated to have to lie to his parents. He knew exactly what Leia had been doing the past month. It was the same thing he'd been doing. But he wasn't going to be facing the wrath of the Skywalkers alone.

"Not really, Dad. Not since we paid Owen and Beru a visit." Okay, that had been the truth. He just left out the part that he had crashed his ship into Tatooine. That was just a minor detail of course.

"So you don't know who this mysterious visitor is then?"

Luke shook his head. "Can't say that I do, Dad. But come on, it's Leia. She's not stupid, you know. And it's hardly fair to take it out on me," he whined. "Can't you wait until she gets here? Ask her!"

Raising his hands in defeat, Anakin stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Luke grimaced. Leia was definitely going to get it when she got back.

Later that evening, the three Skywalkers sat down to eat. Leia had told them not to wait, but Threepio had set the table for the two remaining dinner guests for the evening. Padmé and Luke were talking about Luke's latest mission with Obi-Wan. They had stopped by Tatooine and had visited the Lars family. Leia had tagged along as well and had planned to leave for Alderaan the next week.

Padmé loved to hear about the various exploits of her children. Despite all her duties with the Senate and trying to control an entire Republic, she had always put her duties as a mother first and foremost. Every night for the past eighteen years she had spoken to her children in one form or another. Even when Luke and Leia went on missions together, she made sure she had left messages on their commlinks. Alright, they didn't always reply but that wasn't the point. She loved her kids and wanted them to know it.

Luke had always been glad that his parents had put so much effort into their upbringing. More often then not, his parents were at separate ends of the galaxy, doing their sworn duty to the Republic. He had gotten used to space travel quite early, travelling from Tatooine to Coruscant to Naboo to Alderaan.

But even though the Skywalkers were often at all corners, Luke knew in his heart that his parents were always thinking of him. He couldn't imagine his life any other way and didn't even dare contemplate what life would have been like without them. Thinking this way, he sort of understood his father's unease at Leia's stunt.

"What time is it?" Anakin asked, interrupting any trains of thought.

"It's 18:40, Anakin. Stop asking," Padmé commanded her husband.

Anakin simply continued eating. They were only up to their second course. Suddenly, a very familiar voice rang out through the long corridor leading to the dining area. "I'm home!"

Anakin's eyes lit up. Padmé shot him a glare that silently told him not to even think about opening his mouth.

"In here, sister dearest!" called out Luke to his sister. He smirked. This was going to be good.

Coming round the corner, Leia stopped and looked at her waiting family. She gulped.

"Mother, Father…"

Uh-oh, Luke thought. She was using the formal names.

"I'd like you to meet someone. Han Solo, meet my parents. Chancellor Padmé Skywalker and Jedi Master Anakin Skywalker,"