Thanks to everyone who reviewed and is lurking about, but are too
shy to review. Feel free to email me your comments if you'd
prefer that instead. :) Sorry about the delay in updating, but
Darth RL has been especially trying lately. As usual,
suggestions, thoughts and advice are always welcomed.
Froggie2: If only. :( Well at least this gives us plenty to write and speculate about :). Thanks for reading and happy that you liked the last chapter!
Mixza: It's amazing how parents get crazy with taking photos/videos of their little ones. Glad you liked.
Kazzy: Thanks for your kind comments. This is the first time I've written humorous stories since my bunny tends to prefer writing fluff and action.
Pokey1984: Thank you so much for your review. I promise that Anakin won't get whiny although that doesn't mean he's immune to some great torment :). Glad you enjoyed this!
A/N: My special thanks goes out to Pokey1984 who beta this chapter. Any remaining mistakes are mine so blame the chief. Hope you all enjoy!
Part I
"Good evening, Milord. How was your day at the Temple?" asked Captain Typho, chief of my wife's security.
I winced inwardly at the title. While I know it was the proper way to address me, Senator Amidala's faithful consort; I have to say that it made me sound more like a bloody Sith Master than anything else. Yeah, I could really see it. Big, bad Darth Skywalker, wielding his lightsaber in one hand while pushing a hoverstroller with the other; that would really inspire terror and fear in the hearts of all who knelt before me. Then again, dealing with the contents of my children's diapers could be quite terrifying, now that I think about it.
"Fine, Typho. And your day at the Senate?" I asked returning from my musings.
The husky man scoffed as he rolled his eye. "Same as usual; lots of eager senators and reporters wanting to know who her ladyship will endorse for the new Chancellor."
Not wanting to get into a political discussion, I simply nodded as I reached for the access panel. Typho immediately stopped his rambling as he reached into his jacket. While he pulled out a bundle of datachips, he said, "By the way sir, these arrived a few minutes ago."
I smiled in thanks as I shifted through them. With Padmé's recent appointment as the majority leader of her party in the Senate, the amount of mail we have received in the past several weeks has literally quadrupled.
I was about to key in my access code to enter our apartment when I noticed a set of datachips from the cheesy woman's magazine Cosmos stamped on them. I wondered what possessed her to subscribe. Chuckling to myself, I turned back to punch in my code to enter our home.
Since we moved back to Coruscant, Padmé procured a larger apartment so we could all fit comfortably. Especially since one of my 'punishments' for getting married was that I was no longer allowed to live in the Temple. Not that I would want to anyway.
It is amazing how much stuff two infants can acquire within a year. Then again, it doesn't help that my in-laws, and their Uncle Obi-Wan are always spoiling these two with various gifts. They were already a handful. At this rate, they would be completely intolerable in a few years.
As I entered our apartment, I noticed that it was unusually quiet. Before I could remove my hood or take my boots off, Padmé came running towards me still dressed in her elegant garb.
"Ani, Ani, you have to come see this quick."
While she grabbed my hand to pull me towards the rear of the residence, I asked, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, just follow me."
Not knowing what to make of her urgency, I let my angel drag me into the twin's nursery. It was adjoined with our bedroom, but also had a separate doorway. As we entered, I saw my daughter sitting on the floor with Dormé. They both barely acknowledged my arrival since they were enthralled with some game. Meanwhile, Luke was near his crib and was using it to stand on his feet.
I gave Padmé a bemused look as she quickly walked towards our son. As she knelt down a few feet in front of him, she opened her arms. "Now show Daddy what you did earlier." Our son gave her a puzzled look as his little hand found its way into his mouth. She smile sheepishly at me, then returned her attention to Luke.
"Come to Mommy, baby. You can do it."
The blond haired child let out a laugh of amusement as his face brightened with glee. Seconds later he started to totter over to Padmé whose face was filled with a joy that was almost tangible. Luke's knees had not fully grasped the concept of bending so when got closer to his mother, he launched himself into her awaiting arms.
Mother and son spun around happily as I became choked up at the beauty of the moment. Dormé was smiling the entire time; meanwhile, Leia seemed rather unimpressed with her brother's meager accomplishment. Grinning, I knelt down near my daughter.
"Princess…"
Leia looked up and offered me one of her plastic toys. I smirked as I asked, "Come to Daddy like Luke. Come here, sweetheart."
My daughter cocked her head to one side, almost as if she was contemplating my request. I was about to get encouraged until she tossed her toy into the air while slapping at Dormé's leg. No such luck. So, not wanting to be outdone, I walked to the opposite side of the room from Padmé and Luke and again knelt down. I then opened my arms.
"Come to me, Luke."
He turned his head up towards my angel as he buried his face in her curly hair. I sighed deeply, "Come here, Luke." Our blue eyed little boy wiggled in his mother's arms as she put him down on the floor to face me. He seemed now amused as he started to totter over to where I was kneeling.
"Come on Lukey, come on. You can do it."
He laughed the entire way as he walked towards me. When he at last entered my outstretched arms, I scooped him up and twirled him in the air. While I was celebrating our son's achievement, Padmé waved to get my attention.
"Look," she whispered pointing towards Leia.
Apparently dissatisfied at her twin getting all the attention, my little girl pulled herself up using one of her larger toys as support and was wobbling her way towards me. She looked like she was going to topple over, but the determined little look on her face warned me not to help her.
Quickly, I knelt back down and opened up my free arm so she could receive her congratulatory hug. Upon reaching me, she let out an adorable laugh as I picked her up and excitedly danced in place with my babies in my arms. Not wanting to leave her out, I opened my arms so Padmé could join us in our celebration.
"I think this calls for some chocolate cake." I proudly suggested.
My angel smirked at my statement. "Fine, but you are giving the twins their bath since you know that they will wear the cake, not eat it."
Knowing how happy our babies would be, I didn't care. For in that moment, there was nothing that could take away my bliss.
After giving the twins their bath, I went to our bedroom where I could change tunics. My children seem to find immense joy in splashing me as if to say that I needed a bath as well. My angel would always laugh and point out how neither Luke nor Leia would do that to her when she bathed them. I wonder what makes me so special.
However, this night was different. After changing into some dry sleepwear, I noticed that Padmé was sitting pensively at the edge of our bed, lost in thought.
"A thousand credits for your thoughts?" I asked as I crossed the room to sit down next to her.
She sighed deeply as she reached for my hand. "I've never had to leave them before."
Realizing what this was about, I rubbed her hand. Padmé along with several other high ranking senatorial officials was participating in a summit on Alderaan to urge Prince Organa to run for the Supreme Chancellor's position now that the Republic was returning back to normal.
"I promise, angel that they will be alright. I will take good care of them."
She slightly frowned as she looked up at me. "I know you will, Ani. But, what if they don't remember me when I get back?
I smiled at my wife warmly as I released my hand from hers so I could wrap my around her. "I swear that they won't forget you."
"How do you know for certain? Maybe I'm just a terrible mother and would deserve that for leaving my babies."
I sighed deeply as I considered my response. One of the many things that I have learned during my first year of fatherhood hasn't necessarily applied to the children, but rather their mother. Aside from being a good parent to the twins, it was and remains equally important for me to be a good husband to my wife. It is amazing how these seemingly different relationships are intertwined and are very much dependent on one another.
For as long as I've known Padmé, she's always been a deeply passionate woman. Whether she was arguing her point on the floor of the senate or she was professing her undying love as my life mate, I know she treats motherhood in much the same manner. Not that this was a bad thing, but it would often require me to utilize the very few diplomatic skills that I possessed.
"The Force is very strong with our family. It binds the four of us together in a special way that is beyond what most parents ever experience with their children." I squeezed her affectionately as I offered her a smile. "And even though I am a Jedi, the Force bond between you and the twins will always be stronger because you are their mother. Nothing in this universe can ever change that."
My wife of four years and I shared a loving glance as time seemed to stand still at that moment. A beautiful smile eclipsed her face as tears threatened to fall.
"Thank you," she mouthed as she reached over to kiss my lips. I could be married to her for an eternity and every kiss would still feel like the first.
As Padmé disentangled herself from me to change into her nightgown, I walked over to my side of the bed to stretch out. Once she was done, she climbed into bed and lay quiet while looking up blankly at the ceiling. I could sense her continued despair and thought she needed a distraction.
Without looking at her while lying on my side, I said, "I put your new Cosmos chips on your nightstand."
"Thank you," she said as I heard her stifling a soft laugh. A few moments later, I saw her reaching over to pick up her datapad along with one of the holochips.
"So, what do they write about in those kinds of magazines?" I asked.
Padmé turned to smile at me as she patted the empty space of bed next to her. "Come...Scoot up next to me so we can read together. They sometimes have interesting stuff."
I nodded as I eagerly curled up next to my wife. At first I was quite bored. Padmé was scrolling through the various pages of the new fashions, as well as assorted tips for women. I nearly fell asleep when my angel poked me playfully in the ribs.
"What?" I asked tiredly.
"Take this survey with me," she asked with a gleeful glint in her eye.
As I rubbed my eyes to focus, I noticed that the topic of the survey was entitled 'Is your husband/boyfriend a true romantic?' I sighed audibly as I gave my wife a feigned smile of excitement. Oh well. As long as it took Padmé's mind off of work and leaving the twins, I was happy.
She smiled as she said, "Question 1; did your boyfriend/husband use a line to entice you to kiss him?" Padmé pulled out her stylus and pressed the box that said yes.
I looked at her befuddled. "I did?"
"Oh Anakin, you don't remember?"
I furrowed my eyebrows as I quickly replayed that day at Varykino in my mind. "I just remember talking about water and sand, then I kissed you and right as I was about to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming, you pulled away."
Padmé glanced over at me with regret in her eyes. "I'm really sorry I did that, Ani. Believe me, stopping was the last thing I wanted to do."
I reached over to kiss her cheek. "I know."
"But still, it was a line you used," she said impishly.
Rolling my eyes, I retorted, "Well it worked, didn't it?"
Padmé let out a deep huff as she shook her head. "Okay, next question."
I smiled wryly as I knew that I had won that argument.
She then read, "Question 2; if you aren't married, has your boyfriend suggested you both elope during a romantic weekend?. If you're married, did you elope?"
We gave each other a look, like we had both eaten something bitter. My wife quickly checked the box yes as I said, "It wouldn't be so bad if Sola didn't bring it up at every family gathering."
Chortling, Padmé shrugged as she scrolled to the next question. "It's her revenge for me insisting that you and I were only friends until we not only announced our marriage, but that we were also pregnant."
"Although the look on all their faces was too funny; at least now it is."
"Alright, moving on," she said while furrowing her brow. "Question 3; was your boyfriend/husband the first to say 'I love you?' I reached over and was about to push the yes box when Padmé flicked my hand with her stylus.
"Ouch! What was that for?"
She smirked while giving me an amused look. "I do believe, Master Skywalker that I was in fact the one to say it first."
"Uh, I think not. I happen to remember pouring out my heart and soul to you by the fireplace."
A pained looked crossed my wife's face as I sensed she was about to apologize again. I quickly placed two of my fingers on her lips as I muttered, "Water under the bridge. Besides, we're supposed to be having fun with this."
She beamed as she planted a quick kiss on my lips. "Okay, I will say it's a tie then."
I laughed heartily at her comment. "Alright, I can live with that. But, I said it first."
Rolling her eyes, Padmé flipped to the next question. 'Did your boyfriend/husband engage in public acts of affection when you first started to date?' We both laughed as we recalled how we never really courted prior to our wedding.
"I don't know if that question really applies to us," I pointed out.
Biting the end of her stylus, Padmé giggled softly as she thought for a moment. "Well we were flirty at Varykino, then also at all the Senate dinners and balls celebrating the war effort after Geonosis."
I laughed as I remembered our subtle innuendos at some of those events. When I would return to Coruscant from the front, I was always invited, by Padmé unbeknownst to Obi-Wan, to all of those galas. They were fortuitous because it would limit the time I had to spend in front of the Council and it would give me the opportunity to be with Padmé in public without rousing suspicion.
In many of those situations I would let my lips linger on her hand as I kissed it in greeting. Also, we would 'accidentally' bump into each other as we passed through a crowd. It was especially intoxicating when we were actually seated next to each other and our hands would touch briefly as we would reach for various utensils. When we were very lucky, my angel and I would sneak out the back. Other times, Padmé would feign illness, but would always request an escort since everyone still feared for her safety.
Laughing with her, I added, "I don't even remember most of the airtaxi rides home. I was too busy making up for lost time."
"Indeed," she said dreamily. "I think it was during one of those 'visits' home that got us into trouble."
I chuckled at her statement. "Then I take it that's a yes for the question?"
Padmé smiled as she nodded. "I would have to say so too. Okay, last question; does your boyfriend/husband shower you with gifts?" I frowned as I read the question again. Unfortunately, being a Jedi precluded me from lavishing my angel with presents.
"I suppose you should check that one no," I said sullenly.
My wife looked up from her datapad with a sad smile as she extended her hand to rub against my cheek. "Why would you say that, Ani?"
"Because, I don't have the credits to buy nice things for you."
"Oh no, my beloved," she said with sincerity in her voice. "You have given me three of the greatest presents I could ever imagine."
"What do you mean?" I asked, dumbly.
My angel then placed her datapad down so she could wrap me within her arms. Inches away from my face she whispered. "First of all, my two beautiful children would not have been possible without you."
I smirked as I joked, "I could see how that would be difficult."
Padmé chuckled softly as she again brought up her left hand to stroke my face lovingly. "But most importantly, you gave me the gift of yourself." Her beautiful smile grew as she continued, "That is the greatest gift one person could give to another and all the jewels, titles and honors in the universe could never be greater, my love."
"I love you so much, Padmé."
"I know. I love you too." She said as she brushed her soft lips against mine. As we slowly pulled away, I smiled at her warmly. "Well, we both have a long day ahead of us. Let's get some rest."
Padmé gave me a sly grin as she gazed at me seductively. "That's not exactly what I had in mind, Master Jedi."
An unconscious grin crossed my face as my beautiful angel and I enjoyed each other's proximity. I still don't know how I went months at a time without her. It was definitely something I never wanted to experience again.
After breakfast the next morning, I relaxed on our bed while Padmé and Dormé were quickly packing my wife's large gowns for her trip. Once I received my instructions for while she was away, my angel spent a few quiet minutes alone with the twins; probably requesting they not give their father too hard of a time while she was gone. At least, I hoped.
As they were about to depart, Padmé and I shared several firm embraces in an effort to delay the inevitable.
"Are you sure, Ani? Dormé would be more than happy to stay behind and help."
"We'll be fine, angel." I said in effort to calm her anxieties. "Go or else you'll miss your transport."
Padmé looked at me briefly before adding, "You have my emergency comm frequency, as well as Dormé's and Typho's. Also, I wrote down the main comm line for the Aldera castle incase you can't get through and.."
I stopped her rambling with a well timed kiss, which seemed to do the trick as my wife shrugged in defeat. "Well, we'd better be going. I'll be back in a few days so no gallivanting with your Jedi drinking buddies."
I rolled my eyes as snapped my fingers. "Darn, and here I thought I would have time to hit all the new underworld clubs."
My wife huffed as she opened her arms to hug me.
"Comm me once you get to Alderaan." I requested.
"I will and take good care of our babies."
"We'll be fine."
"I love you, Ani."
"I love you too, angel. Have a good trip."
She smiled as she and her attendants followed her out of the room. Poor Dormé and Typho; they were going to more than earn their pay on this trip. And unbeknownst to me at the time, my day had not even begun.
TBC-Part II Coming Soon-Be kind, please review :) REV
