Good news! I caught the bunny! Now that summer's here, I hope that I can keep this story going! Enjoy the first chapter!

Expiation: Chapter One

From the darkness, eyes opened.

A bright light filled the spectrum of his vision and he squinted against it. He wondered, for a spilt second, if this was the proverbial light that he had overheard so many space pirates discuss so long ago. He quickly realized, however, that this was not that light. It faded quickly, to the soft white of the world around him. Blinking, he saw that he was in a room, with immaculate pastel sheets upon him and the scent of purified air flowing through his lungs. There was no oceans of fire, no atmosphere laced with toxins and noxious gases. He was... safe.

Safe.

The memories came back through his mind, the betrayal, the fight, Obi-Wan, Padmé, the dragon. He recalled slaying the dragon, emerging through the shadow that had clouded his mind, his soul. He remembered the children.

His heart stopped an instant, the ramifications hitting him so hard that he struggled to breathe. The younglings. The fright in their faces, the relief in their eyes when he had entered the room, and most of all, the look of betrayal that had crossed their features when he had brandished his lightsaber so silently, and destroyed them.

Tears started to run down the side of his face, in his room painted the colour of innocence, as every transgression and crime he had committed rushed back to him. Broken bodies of slain Jedi; Mace Windu as he fell from the apex of Coruscant; the sadness in Obi-Wan's grey eyes as Darth Vader raised his weapon against him. Padmé.

His love, his heart, his everything. When he began to squeeze the life out of her, how she had tried to reach him, speaking of her love. His beautiful, angelic Padmé.

Anakin Skywalker, the Hero With No Fear, the epitome of the Jedi, the champion of the Clone Wars, began to weep. Salty tears of hate and love; jealousy and forgiveness; sadness and happiness. He cried for his sins, for his faults, for every wrong he had committed in the name of evil. He wept for the Jedi, for the people, for the galaxy. He cried for Obi-Wan and Padmé.

Long moments passed, and eventually the tears dried, leaving their traces stained upon his cheeks. He sat up in his bed slowly, as he noted with an almost amused interest that his right leg had been replaced with another mechanical limb. His lips turned up in a ghost of a smile, thinking that he now had a set.

The door to his room opened, and he looked up. His visage erupted in an expression of euphoria as his beloved wife, his soul mate, entered the room. She rushed up to him, burying her face in his shoulder as they collapsed onto the bed as one, shuddering with pent up emotion. Her tears soaked through his thin hospital garment, and his through her long blue dress as they wept as one.

"Oh, Ani." she whispered, looking up and tracing the line of his jaw with her hand. Her eyes glistened with happiness and wonder as her eyes met his. "I..."

He cupped her chin within his palm. "I know. Padmé-"

She smiled. "I know." Padmé leaned her neck towards his, as he bent down and their lips met in a soft, loving kiss. Moments passed before they broke apart, footsteps reverberating towards them.

"Master Anakin!" exclaimed a golden-plated protocol droid as he entered the room, arms elevated in an expression of surprise and happiness. "It is so good to see you well!"

Anakin grinned at the sight of C-3PO. "Thanks, Threepio. It's good to see you too."

Annoyed beeps and chirps followed the robot through, as R2-D2 rolled through the door. Threepio looked back in exasperation. "Oh, I wasn't going to wait for you! Idiot!"

"Artoo!" The happiness in Anakin was tenfold as he was surrounded by those he loved and cared for. He burrowed his face into Padmé's shoulder, breathing in her familiar scent as she shook softly with pleasant laughter. He felt at home.

"Anakin," Padmé started, moving away from him, "there's something that I need to show you."

He looked at her curiously for a moment, before he saw the twinkle of amusement in her eyes, and the realization hit him. The baby. Their baby.

The shock was still upon his face as the medical droid rolled into the room, a bundle held within its' metal projections. He couldn't breathe as Padmé gently took the bundle from its' arms and brought it to Anakin. She glowed with maternal pride as she placed it into his slightly awkward grasp, his flesh arm knowing the action, his mechanical one struggling to follow. He looked down into the folds of the blanket, and saw the brilliant blue gaze of his daughter meet his awestruck stare.

"I-she...beautiful." he exhaled, captivated.

Padmé laughed, her voice filled with euphoria and amusement. "Anakin, that's not all..."

Confused, he broke away his attention from his daughter, and felt his jaw literally drop at the sight of a second bundle, held tight in his wife's loving arms.

"Two?" he whispered.

She took the infant from his arms, and placed the second one within his tender hold. She watched, her daughter in her loving arms, as he encountered his second child for the first time, as father and son locked stares. The droids left the room quietly, as the Skywalker family was united for the first time. Father and son, mother and daughter, they stood together.

"What are their names?" he said softly, still gazing down at his sandy-haired son, his skin still pink with newness.

Padmé blushed. "I... I named them Luke and Leia. They mean bringers of light, in the ancient language of Naboo."

Anakin smiled at his wife with pure ecstasy and euphoria. "They're beautiful- you're beautiful."

She sat down beside him and leaned against his shoulder, as they watched their children fall asleep, their small faces so pure and innocent. The medical droid came back some time later, carrying the children off to their own room, to rest for the night.

"How long was I asleep for?" Anakin asked, once the children were gone and it was just him and his wife, him and his Padmé.

"Almost two weeks." she answered, the pain still raw in her eyes. "You were operated on; you had a lot of injuries, my love. I... I almost thought I would lose you, so soon after you returned to me."

He smiled gently, holding her hands in his. "I won't ever leave you, Padmé. You or the children. We're a family now, forever." Happiness shone in his features, before a strange look overcame him and worry crossed his face. He gripped her hands tightly.

"Padmé, where's Obi-Wan?"

Several systems away, another set of eyes opened, glowing blue and filled with a world of pain.

"Oh no," he muttered, after regaining consciousness, "not good."

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