Here's the next part. I'll try to put the other one on Saturday before I leave. Then I won't be back until March.
Enjoy!
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Courasant
"Hey! Move your speeder!", Anakin yelled out the window. "Sith. the greatest planet-city in the galaxy and this freaks still don't know how to drive.", he muttered. Looking around, he found a parking space near the spaceport. He parked his speeder and rushed to the arrivals gate. "I'm late, I'm late, I'm late."
//I wonder where he could be.//; Leia mused. She remembered her first meeting with Luke and how he was also late. She smiled. //Like father, like son//
"Are you Sabé?", a voice from behind her asked. Gasping, she slowly turned around to greet the voice. She was forced to pull her head back in order to look at the very tall man towering over her.
//Father!//
"What?", Anakin asked frowning. Leia wanted to kick herself. She chose that moment to forget her father was a Jedi.
"Hi there", she said. Anakin smiled and extended his hand. Leia dropped her bags and quickly shook her father's hand. Anakin felt a disturbance around him, he couldn't tell if it was a good one or a bad one. Not wanting to take chances, and especially not now that he was in care of someone else's child, he smiled at the little girl in front of him and picked up her bags.
"I'm Luke's father. You can call me Anakin", he offered. Leia smiled and nodded. "Okay. Now let's go, I double parked and I DON'T need another ticket.". Leia giggled and followed her father.
Effectively, his speeder was pretty much in the way. They got inside as fast as they could and drove to Anakin's apartment.
"So, Sabé. It must be hard for you to be here in Courasant after living all your life in Naboo", he said conversationally. Leia looked at him and nodded.
"Uh-hu", she managed to say. Anakin looked at her and frowned in amusement.
"You certainly are a shy one", he remarked. Leia laughed and nodded. This time Anakin's frown was of confusion. Her laughter seemed so familiar.
"Ani! Stop that!", Padmé squealed. But Anakin was restless on his torture. He pulled her to his lap and continued tickling her ribs with his fingers and her neck with his lips. Padmé's laughter echoed through the walls of the room, piercing his ears with obvious delight. He loved tickling her and he did it every time he had the chance.
"Um, well. As you know, Luke was born in Naboo, just like you", he said, trying to push away the memories.
"Yes, he informed me that we shared the same planet of origin", she confirmed. Anakin chuckled. "What?"
"You talk like Obi Wan.", he explained. After noticing the little girl's confusion, he smiled. "Obi Wan is my master and best friend. He trained me and after I became a Jedi Knight we remained as good friends. It's hard to break bonds with people you've known for so long", he said nostalgically.
"Anakin, this is senator Amidala. You've been assigned to protect her", Obi Wan informed. Anakin just nodded. He was too engrossed in the woman before him. "Ooookay.", Obi Wan drawled. "I'll leave you two alone.". when neither of them acknowledged him, he just left the room. Anakin took a step toward the senator and held her hand to his lips.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, milady", he greeted before he kissed her hand. Padmé smiled coquettishly at the Jedi Knight holding her hand.
"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Master Skywalker", she said. Anakin smiled charmingly at her and she felt her toes curling in her shoes.
"Please, call me Anakin".
"As long as you call me Padmé". Sparks flew between them from the very first day, and he knew she was THE one. Despite the fact he was 17-almost 18- he was certain that their relationship would be more than just 'professional'. And he was right.
Anakin cleared his throat and shot Leia a smart glance. "You will meet him soon enough. I'm sure that you will like him, he's like a father to me. He introduced me to Luke's mother, and.", he trailed off at his last words. "We are almost home".
Leia smiled. Apparently her father still thought of Padmé.
*
After dodging several clothing items, boxes and Gods knew what, Leia managed to find her room in Anakin's apartment.
"Sorry for the mess", he said smiling sheepishly. Padmé shook her head and giggled. "I guess that it's hard for men to keep things in their place", he added.
"Don't worry, Anakin. It's okay". This was certainly different from her home in Naboo, but she knew Anakin was going to make her feel comfortable. He was very nice and was a lot like Luke. She wondered if she had taken anything after her father. Maybe now that she was staying with him she would find out.
"The fresher is in the hall. Um, are you hungry?", Anakin asked. Leia shook her head. "Oh. Well, if you need anything let me know, okay?"
"Thank you, Anakin", Leia said, that familiar smile decorating her face again. Anakin looked away, trying to ignore the memory that would forge in his mind. "You've been most kind to me, Anakin. Thank you"
Anakin smiled and kneeled in front of her. He stroke her cheek tenderly.
"It's good to have you here, Sabé. And you don't have to thank me for anything".
*
Two days later.
After having dinner, Leia walked into her room to get ready for bed. A couple of minutes later she heard a knock on her door.
"Come on in", she said. Anakin opened the door and gasped when he saw the room.
"Holy Force! What did you do to this room?", he asked in shock. Leia looked around and shrugged.
"Oh, I changed a few things. cleaned others. I hope you don't mind". Anakin shook his head and smiled.
"No, don't worry". Looking to his left, he gasped once again. "Holy Sith! I didn't even know we had that window!"
Leia giggled and slipped into the bed, which surprisingly had clean sheets. Anakin sat next to her and covered her, making sure she didn't catch a cold. Leia was at a loss of words. It was the first time her father tucked her in. Anakin felt the little girl's eyes on him and met her gaze. There was something about her brown eyes.
"Your eyes are so beautiful, Padmé", he whispered into her hair. He felt her smile against his skin.
"You could tell that just by looking at my hair?", she asked playfully. Anakin chuckled and shook his head.
"No, I've always known your eyes are beautiful". Padmé raised her head from his chest and smiled at him.
"Why? They are brown, they are so ordinary.", she objected. Anakin shook his head and cupped her cheek.
"There's nothing ordinary about your eyes. They are so deep. I could get lost in them", he said in awe. Padmé arched a confused brow and burst into giggles. "What?"
"You are SO corny, Ani", she replied. Offended and somewhat embarrassed Anakin rolled to his side, giving his back to a very amused Padmé. She continued laughing at him and flung her arm around his waist, pressing her lips to his neck. "Come on, stupid. You know I love you", she whispered in between kisses.
Anakin sighed dramatically and turned around so that he was facing her. They looked at each other for a while, the grin on Padmé's lips slowly disappearing. They remained silent until Anakin smirked evilly at her and dug his fingers in her ribs, tickling her until she screamed, begging for mercy. Padmé squirmed and shifted but nothing would stop him. Anakin decided to take pity on his wife and stopped his torture. When Padmé managed to regulate her breathing she pulled him closer and smiled at him.
"I'll have my revenge, buddy. Count on it", she warned. Anakin smiled and raised his brows.
"I can't wait!"
Anakin shook his head. "So. Do you want a bedtime story. . . Or you are too old for those kinds of things?", he asked smiling. Leia smiled back and shook her head. "Okay, let's see. . . I could tell you about the Jedi. . . but I guess girls your age aren't interested in that". Leia wrinkled her nose and shook her head. "Let's see. . . um. . ."
"Why don't you tell me about Luke?", she suggested. Anakin smiled.
"Sure, what do you want to know?"
"Um, he mentioned he was born in Naboo, just like me. Tell me about that", she said, hoping Anakin didn't realize what she was doing. In the past couple of days they had become friends and they trusted each other, so she felt now was a good time to start asking questions.
"About Luke's birth?", Anakin asked confused. Leia nodded. "Oh, um. okay. It was a very sunny day, and Luke's mother was in labor for three hours before he was finally born", he said, smiling sadly at the memory.
"He must have been a HUGE infant.", Leia commented. Anakin chuckled at her words and shook his head.
"As a matter of fact, he was", he confirmed. They stared at each other for a while. Something didn't feel right. Looking at his chrono, Anakin gasped and looked back at Leia. "Oh, Force! Look at the time. I think you better go to sleep now, Sabé", he said.
"Yes, it's passed my bedtime. Good night, Anakin".
"Good night, Sabé". Not really thinking about it, Anakin leaned forward and kissed Leia's forehead. "Sleep tight".
Leia only managed a nod. As she watched Anakin closing the door she allowed herself to be marveled. She had felt so warm when he kissed her forehead, it was something new to her. Padmé was always very warm and caring with her as well, but only with her. And here was this man who had only met her two days ago and already felt like a father to her.
Anakin closed the door to his bedroom and turned on the lights. He sighed heavily and lied on his stomach on his bed. He stared at the wall, smiling when he remembered the day his son was born. His smile died when he remembered all the things that happened that day. Not realizing what was happening, he started to remember happier times.
Anakin opened the door to his house and walked inside. "Honey, I'm home!", he greeted playfully. Two seconds later Padmé emerged from the living room and ran towards her husband, jumping in his arms and kissing him. "Well, that's what I call a welcome.", he joked. Padmé giggled and kissed him again.
"Ani, put me down, I have something to tell you!", she said excitedly. Anakin placed her on the floor and smiled down at her.
"Tell me", he said as he tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. Padmé took a deep breath and looked at him.
"I'm pregnant", she announced. Anakin gasped and stepped back to lean on the door. His eyes opened widely and he tried to speak several times without success. Padmé frowned and tilted her head. "Ani, are you okay?", she asked concerned. Anakin blinked a couple of times and looked at her.
"We're having a baby?", he whispered, a smile creeping to his lips. Padmé smiled widely and nodded. "Holy Force, Padmé!! That' amazing!", he exclaimed as he stepped towards her and picked her up, spinning her and holding her close. Padmé laughed and held him closer.
"I know!", she agreed. Anakin finally put her down, holding her by the waist and leaning his forehead on hers. Padmé sighed and closed her eyes to enjoy the moment.
"You are going to be a wonderful mother", he whispered huskily. Padmé opened her eyes and smiled at him. Anakin smiled back and leaned down to kiss her.
"You are so pathetic, Skywalker.", Anakin told himself as he pulled a pillow over his head. "It wouldn't have work anyway. Apparently she didn't love you enough". Sighing, he turned off the lights with the Force and tried to meditate to relax himself.
"Besides, you are getting married in a week"
*
The next morning.
Leia woke up and stretched in her bed, wanting to prolong the moment for as long as possible. With one heaving sigh, she sat up and looked around. Some strange noises reached her ears and she walked to the door to see if she could listen better. She recognized Anakin's amused chuckle and his deep voice mumbling something. In answer she heard a highly pitched giggle.
"Oh, no!", Leia gasped. Pulling her robe around her she opened the door and followed the noises into the living room. There, sitting next to each other were Anakin and a young woman. She looked about 19 years old and had long, red hair.
"Oh, you are up!", Anakin greeted cheerfully. Leia gave a little jump and turned to look at her father. She forced a smile and nodded. "I'm glad to see you. There's someone I'd like you to meet". He stood up and held the woman's hand in his, pulling her to her feet. "Sabé, this is Krista, my fiancé".
