A/N: You didn't have to wait until the 29th after all. Here's a SUPER EXTRA LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG CHAPTER!
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Chapter Seven
Naboo.
"I don't have anything to wear!", Padmé complained, almost sounding childish. Sabé sighed and asked the Gods to give her patience. "I mean… I need something to wear!", the senator insisted.
"Padmé, you have at least 50 dresses in that closet and 30 more in the one in the hall", Sabé reminded. Padmé emerged from her closet in her undergarments, an hysterical look in her eyes.
"But those dresses aren't any good! I need something new!", she protested. Sabé smiled suspiciously. "What?"
"Nothing. . . I think you are just nervous about seeing Anakin again. You know, after all this years. . ."
Padmé squared her shoulders and walked towards her handmaiden. "Listen to me", she started, pointing a finger at her friend, "seeing Anakin again has me careless. I just. . . I just want to wear something different, that's all", she lied. Sabé nodded.
"Okay. I'll leave you alone and when you finally decide what to wear I'll help you", she said as she walked outside. Padmé wanted to continue her fuming at Sabé but the entry of her son to her room distracted her.
"Luke, honey, I'm so glad you are here!", she greeted earnestly. Luke rushed to his mother's open arms and kissed her cheek.
"Good morning, mom", he said. "So. What are you doing?", he asked as he looked at all the clothes dispersed around the room.
"Oh, that", Padmé said dismissively. "I was just re-organizing my closet, that's all honey"
//Yeah, right!//, Luke thought.
"Oh. Do you need some help?", he offered. Padmé smiled and kissed his forehead.
"Okay, dear". She put him down and together they tried to clear the mess that was Padmé's room. While Luke placed the dresses on the bed, Padmé grabbed a couple and tried them on.
Two hours later, Padmé walked outside the fresher wearing a wonderful rainbow-colored dress. "Do you like this one, honey?", she asked nervously. Luke turned to look at his mother and almost dropped his jaw.
"Holy Sith!", he gasped. Padmé warned him with a look. "I'm sorry mom. Wow! You look so beautiful!", he commented in awe. Padmé turned sideways and wrinkled her nose.
"Really?", she asked. Luke tilted his head and noticed the dress had no back.
"Mom: you are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. And with that dress. . . Ha! You are going to knock him dead!", he smiled.
"Who, dear?", she questioned, though she knew perfectly well who Luke was referring to. Luke shrugged and walked next to his mother.
"Never mind".
**
Theed Spaceport.
Leia smiled expectantly when their shuttle landed on the spaceport. Her mother and father would meet again and her father would know who she really was!! She couldn't wait to get to the Lake Retreat.
Anakin looked around the spaceport as if a herd of shaaks would emerge from nowhere to step on him. Leia notices his nervousness and smiled guiltily.
//Poor daddy… If he only knew what's going to happen…//
"Wow! Even the spaceport of this planet is glamorous!", Krista exclaimed. Leia groaned. She had forgotten that little detail…
"Um, yeah…", she and Anakin said at the same time. //It must be the flight//, Anakin thought hopefully.
"Well. Let's go!", Leia urged.
*
The flight to the lake retreat was very tense. Anakin kept looking around, obviously recognizing the sight and the road. When Leia asked him if something was wrong he just said that he was amazed by how beautiful everything was. Of course, Leia knew that he was lying. As for Krista. . . she just took notes of everything and suggested details for the wedding.
They finally arrived to their destination. Leia knew what was coming when the trio stepped on the floor.
"Um, what are we doing here?", Anakin asked, paranoid as hell.
"Why, Anakin?", Leia asked innocently.
"Um… I used to know someone who lived here. This is the Naberrie lake retreat!", he said, hating the way his voice shook. Leia resisted the urge to laugh at the panic imprinted on her father's face.
"Yes, it used to be. Now it's a hotel", she lied. Anakin nodded and laughed nervously. Krista started to jump up and down.
"Oh Gods! This is perfect! It's just what I had pictured for our wedding, Naki!".
Both Anakin and Leia ignored her comment.
"Let's check in, shall we?", Leia suggested.
"All right", Anakin agreed. Krista hooked her arm in his and followed Leia inside. They entered the house and stood in the luxurious hall. Before they could go any further, Leia stopped them.
"Wait here. I know this place and I'll go and find the manager, okay? You just… sit here and wait. I'll be right back", she said nervously.
"Okay, Sabé!", Krista replied cheerfully. She and Anakin sat down and waited for Leia. "So, Naki dearest. Do you like this place?"
While Krista tortured Anakin with questions, Leia raced madly through the house's halls, looking for Luke and Sabé. She prayed she didn't run into her mother…
*
"Mom, I'll be in the balcony, okay?", Luke informed. Padmé nodded absently and continued fixing her hair in front of her vanity.
//What is the matter with my hair today?//, she asked herself as she brushed her hair madly.
"Sabé? Are you in here?", a familiar voice asked. Padmé frowned and turned to the door.
"Leia!", she gasped. Leia froze.
"Uh… Hi, mom", she greeted sheepishly. Padmé stood up and embraced her daughter.
"I'm so glad that you are home!", she said. Leia hugged her mother and smiled.
"Me too. How've you been?", she asked. Padmé kissed her cheek and set her on the floor.
"Wonderfully. Luke told me everything. Now, I won't say I wasn't surprised, but I was so happy", she confessed. Leia smiled at her mother.
"I'm glad to hear that. Why don't you go and get Luke and I'll wait for you two in the living room?", she suggested. Padmé's face brightened and she did just what her daughter said.
When her mother disappeared behind the curtains, Leia ran back to the hall, desperately looking for Sabé.
*
In the hall.
"I wonder what's taking her so long…", Anakin whispered. Krista tsked and rolled her eyes.
"Don't worry, Naki. She'll be back soon. Now. Going back to the main subject…"
"Oh, the wedding, yeah…", Anakin said dryly. He wasn't paying much attention to Krista and her babbling. He tried not to think of all the things that had happened in that house almost 9 years ago, but it was getting to be really tricky. //I gotta get out of here//. Standing up, he interrupted Krista and smiled. "Krista, darling, I'll be right back. You STAY here, okay?".
Krista couldn't resist his smile and just nodded. Anakin gave her a quick kiss and almost ran into the next hall.
"Sabé? Sabé, are you here?", Anakin called as he opened the doors to the rooms. "Sabé!", he almost yelled.
"Yes, can I help you?", a female voice asked. Anakin looked at the woman and frowned in confusion.
"Uh, excuse me. I'm looking for a little girl. Eight years old, brown hair, about this height", he said as he placed his hand next to his hip.
"Oh, you are looking for Leia. As a matter of fact, here she is", Sabé informed, a wide smile on her lips. Anakin stepped back and gasped in shock when he saw the little girl walking into the hall.
"Who are you?", he asked dumbfounded. Leia shook her head and smiled nervously.
"Leia, honey! I've been looking all over for you!", Padmé said as she walked into the hall. Anakin stared wide-eyed at his ex-wife, but his attention quickly turned to her hand and what she was holding. Was that Luke? His eyes fixed on Padmé's.
"All right. . . I'll leave you alone for now", Sabé excused herself as she entered a room and closed the door. Nobody seemed to acknowledge her.
"Padmé?!", Anakin asked in shock.
"Anakin!", Padmé breathed. Anakin looked at Padmé, then Luke, then Padmé and then at Luke again.
"Luke. . . W. . . what are you doing here? Do you know who this is?", Anakin managed to ask. Luke squeezed his mother's hand and sighed.
"Yes, this is my mom", he turned to look at his sister, "and that's Leia, my twin sister. And your. . . your daughter".
Anakin's eyes fixed on Leia's, disbelieving what was happening. "You really are Leia?", he asked, a small smile crawling to his features.
"Y. . . yes", she whispered. Anakin dropped to his knees and opened his arms. Leia smiled widely and jumped into her father's arms. Anakin held her tightly and kissed her cheek several times. In the background, Padmé smiled sadly at the display her daughter and husband, ex-husband, was giving.
"I can't believe this!", he gasped. "I've had you with me all the time! Let me take a look at you", he said as he pulled back and held her at arms length. "You are beautiful! You look just like. . .", he looked at Padmé and cleared his throat before he finished his sentence. Padmé blushed slightly and Luke smiled. "You are so grown up. The last time I held you, you were this big", he said, putting his hands together.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you before, dad", she apologized. Anakin shook his head and hugged her again. She had called him 'dad'.
"I hate to interrupt the moment, but why don't we continue this family reunion in mom's room?", Luke cut in. Anakin nodded and gathered Leia in his arms, kissing her cheek again before following his son into his ex-wife's bedroom. Once inside, they closed the door.
"I thought your father knew about this, Luke", Padmé said. Anakin frowned.
"Padmé, you knew about this?", he asked, putting Leia on the ground. Padmé felt her heartbeat quickening when she looked into his eyes.
"Yes, as a matter of fact Luke told me everything", she answered coldly.
"How can you get married without telling me, dad?!", Luke demanded. Anakin looked at his son and then at Padmé. There was something in her eyes. . . Sadness? Disappointment? Maybe both.
//He's getting married?//. Padmé felt her knees weakening at this new information. //HE'S GETTING MARRIED?????????//, she thought angrily. She wanted to hit him. Maybe also kick him. And a couple of slaps. Oh, and a good punch on the eye. She sighed dreamily at the mental image of Anakin bruised in front of her. She felt a little better.
"Luke, I was going to tell you once you came back from the exchange program", Anakin explained. Luke just lost it.
"WHAT?! Why didn't you tell me before! I had the right to know! I'm your son! And for how long do you know this woman?!", he asked hysterically.
"Calm down, honey", Padmé soothed.
"Stay out of this, Padmé. This is between me and my son", Anakin said harshly.
"Excuse me, he's my son, too!", she protested. Anakin crossed his arms over his chest and shifted his weight from one foot to another.
"Really? Then where have you been the past eight years?". Leia turned to look at her father.
"I could ask the same to you!", she shot. Anakin looked down at his daughter and knelt in front of her.
"You are right, I'm sorry", he said softly.
"Don't apologize to me…", she said, looking at her mother. Anakin followed her eyes and stood up.
"I'm sorry, Padmé", he apologized.
"Fine", she uttered.
"Don't change the subject! For how long have you known this woman and WHY on Sith's hell are you marrying her!", Luke pressed.
"I've known her for three months. I'm marrying her because I love her, and Luke, you need a mother figure", Anakin explained. Luke wrapped his arms around his mother protectively.
"I already have a mother", he stated. Anakin didn't know how to answer that. Padmé noticed the tension inside the room and tried to make things easier.
"Luke, Leia, why don't you wait outside? Me and your father have a lot to talk about", she said gently. While Leia hugged her father Luke was hesitant about leaving the room. "Really, honey. It will be okay", Padmé whispered reassuringly to him.
"Okay". He gave his mother one last kiss and grumpily walked to the door. He stopped by his father's side and sighed. "Hi, dad", he greeted when he realized he hadn't said hello to his father yet. Anakin reached for his son and pulled him up next to Leia.
"I never thought I would be able to hold both of you again", he confessed. Padmé smiled sadly at his words. Anakin set the kids down and watched as they left the room and closed the door. He turned to look at Padmé and smiled.
"Can you believe this?", he asked. Padmé smiled back and sat on her bed.
"I know. . . They are great kids, and so sweet", she added. Anakin nodded and sat next to her.
"Yeah. . .", he agreed. "I can't believe I never felt Leia was my daughter!"
"OUR daughter", Padmé corrected. "Perhaps you were drunk again".
"That happened only once. And if I recall correctly, you were always a willing drinking partner, milady", he teased. He smiled when he saw Padmé blush and turn around.
"Luke is really smart. I'm impressed", she commented, trying to change the subject.
"Why? You thought I wouldn't be able to raise him?", Anakin asked offended. Padmé rolled her eyes and sighed.
"Don't get defensive now! We have a situation to handle here", Padmé reminded. Anakin nodded. He turned to look at Padmé and couldn't help to smile. Padmé felt his eyes on her and got uncomfortable. She finally met his eyes. "What?"
"You haven't changed a bit", he whispered. Padmé cleared her throat and looked away. "I take that back", Anakin cut in. Padmé's head turned sharply to look at him. Anakin smiled and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "I think you are even more beautiful"
"Don't say things like that", Padmé said, almost pleadingly. She realized she had sounded weak and tried to fix it. "This is no time to get sappy", she added harshly. Anakin blushed and clenched his jaw, hurt by her words. He watched as she stood up and walked across the room to sit on her vanity. "What are we going to do about the kids?"
"I don't know. . . Now that they met we can't separate them", Anakin reasoned, standing up as well and stopping in front of the window. He gazed at the lake and smiled as he recalled the good times he had had there.
"I know. . . Maybe you could keep them for six months and then I could keep them for the rest of the year", Padmé suggested. Anakin turned to look at her an arched a brow.
"I thought that was the reason why we separated them in the first place: we didn't want them to lose track with school and friends", he reminded. Padmé sighed and nodded, fixing her gaze on the floor.
"You are right. What are we going to do?", she asked more to herself than to Anakin.
"Padmé", he started. He made his way over to her and dropped on one knee in front of her. Reaching for her hand he urged her to look at him. "We will find a solution, I promise", he assured in a whisper. Padmé looked at Anakin and then down at their joined hands.
"Pick a hand", he ordered, his smile somewhat mischievous. Padmé looked at his fists and turned them around. Anakin pulled his hands back and shook his head. "No peeking…", he warned playfully. Padmé sighed in frustration and tapped her chin with her index finger.
"Hmm…", she mused. "Left or right… Maybe…no. perhaps… no. Um… lef-NO!!". Anakin rolled his eyes.
"Come on, hurry up! This is really hurting my knees!", he pleaded. Padmé laughed and kissed him briefly. "Now, will you PLEASE pick a hand?", he insisted.
"Fine, fine! Stop whining!", she said. Anakin smiled and raised his brows. "Okay. Left", she finally decided. Anakin shook his head. "Right then", she corrected. Anakin smiled and opened his hand. In his palm lay a beautifully carved wooden snippet hanging from a leather string. Padmé picked took it from his hand and gasped. "Oh, Gods! It's beautiful, Ani!"
"Will you marry me?", he asked suddenly. Padmé's head shot up to look into his eyes.
"What?!", she asked in disbelief. Anakin held the snippet and placed it around Padmé's neck. He held her hands and looked into her eyes.
"Will you marry me?", he repeated. Padmé smiled and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, raining kisses all over his face.
"Yes!", she cried out between kisses. "Yes, Ani, yes!". Anakin smiled and leaned closer to kiss her. "I love you… so much", she whispered against his lips.
"I love you more"
Padmé shook her head to scatter the memories.
"Anakin, I. . .", before she could continue the door burst open.
"Naki, darling! I finally found. . .", Krista paused and frowned at the scene, "you". Padmé and Anakin looked guiltily at the intruder. Anakin rose to his feet and looked at Krista.
"Honey! You. . . you found me!", he said nervously. Krista approached her fiancé and hooked her arm in his possessively.
"Yes, that's what I said. May I ask who this is?", she asked harshly.
"Oh, of course! Krista, this is Padmé: the mother of my children and my. . . My ex wife", Anakin introduced. Padmé stood up and gave a quick nod.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Krista", she greeted politely.
"What do you mean 'children'? I though Luke was an only child", Krista cut in, ignoring Padmé.
"Well, Luke has a twin sister, Leia. The one you knew as Sabé", Anakin explained. Krista frowned.
"I don't understand a thing, Naki", she said, clearly confused. Just then the twins entered the room. Luke stared at the woman holding his father's arm.
"Who are you?"
"Who are YOU?", Krista asked back, a distasteful frown on her face.
"I'm Luke", he replied simply.
"Oh, so you are Luke! I'm so pleased to meet you, little one!", she said cheerfully.
"Don't call me 'little one'. I still don't know who you are", he demanded.
"Oh, how stupid of me!"
"No kidding", Leia whispered to her brother, who had to suppress a chuckle at her comment.
"I'm Krista, your father's fiancé. Starting from next week I will be your mother!"
"Excuse me, I think that role belongs to me", Padmé cut in sharply, standing her ground.
"Padmé, please don't start", Anakin pleaded. Padmé shot him a hard look. "Not in front of the kids". Padmé just nodded.
"Fine"
"You can't be my mother! Force, you can't marry my dad either!", Luke protested.
"Hey, I can do whatever I want. And watch your manners, young man", Anakin warned. Luke sighed and nodded. Leia placed her hand on his shoulder and looked at her father.
"I think you and mom have a lot to talk about, daddy. I think Krista should come with us to give you some privacy", she suggested.
"Naki, I'm not leaving you alone with her", Krista cut in, looking at Padmé.
"Krista, I have to talk to her about the children. Why don't you go with the twins? It will give you a chance to get to know them"
"Yes, remember that you'll have to live with them for a loooooooong time", Padmé said, smiling evilly at the young woman.
"Ugh, right", Krista uttered, not enjoying the reminder.
*
"Come, Krista. I want you to meet someone", Leia said innocently. Krista sighed and followed the child around the house. After five hallways, they reached a big wooden door.
"Where are we?", Krista asked confused. Suddenly the door burst open and a tall creature appeared.
"Yousa musta be Krista!!! Meesa happy to meet yousa!!! Meesa Jar Jar!!! Meesa going to be your newsa besta friend!!!!!!", it greeted cheerfully.
"This is Jar-Jar. He will be your roommate!", Leia announced.
The fun was just beginning. At least for the twins.
