Here we go with Chapter Three!
Special thanks go to:
StarWarsPAFfan,
Miss-Jedi,
Cowgirl4Christ,
Emgirl1904,
Infiltrator242,
Milly301,
Privateroberts11,
And, Princess Zelda Skywalker
Thank you all soooooo much for your reviews and your support!
Sorry for the change, but I had a good idea as soon as I updated this and it had to go here; believe me, you'll like it!
Mace rose out of his seat, his face even more stern than usual. "What?" his voice thundered. "What did you say?"
Padme shrunk back against Anakin. She had never seen Mace this mad. His anger filled the room to such a degree that Padme could feel the baby moving around inside her in discomfort because it could feel it. Anakin placed his arm around Padme to comfort her and the baby, because he could feel its fear.
Yoda also could feel it. "Calm yourself you must, Mace Windu. Frightening the child you are." He said. Mace's face took on a bewildered look and he sat back down, but his anger remained; just not to the degree it had.
"I apologize, Master Yoda."
"Accept your apology, I do. Remember, do you, 'There is no emotion, there is peace'? Such a law should not be broken in The Order."
Mace lowered his head, allowing Yoda to continue. "How long has this been going on?" Yoda asked.
Anakin stepped forward, leaving Padme's side. Obi-Wan took his place beside her, comforting her. (NO THIS IS NOT OBI/DALA! OBI-WAN JUST FEELS HER FEAR AND WANTS TO COMFORT HIS FRIEND!) "I have felt this way about Padme ever since I met her on Tatooine. I just hadn't acted on it since I was placed in charge of taking care of Padme after her assassination attempt.
"The more time I spent with her on Naboo, the more I fell in love with her. When we got there, we went to the lake country. There, we shared our first kiss. For days prior, I had been having nightmares that turned out to be visions of my mother. She was in pain," he paused, reliving the memory. "And she was dying.
"So I took myself and Padme away from Naboo and we went to Tatooine. When I got to Mos Espa, I saw Watto and he told me that he had sold her years ago to a moisture farmer named Cleig Lars. He than told me that they had fallen in love and gotten married; that she'd been freed. I went to see Cleig and found out that she'd been kidnapped by a band of Tuscan Raiders. I went to find her. When I got to where they were holding her, she was minutes away from death" he took in a shaky breath as tears welled in his eyes. "She died in my arms." He continued to tell about how enraged he was and how he gave into his anger and slaughtered the entier camp of Tuscans. Then how they got Obi-Wan's message and went to Geonosis. And about their kiss before going out to the Geonosian Execution Arena, and he ended with their marriage.
"We were wed in the place where we shared our first kiss. The only witnesses were C-3PO and R2-D2. It has been hard for both of us, keeping our marriage together. Staying apart from each other, perhaps for months on end without knowing when we would see each other again.
"And last night, I had a vision. It was of Padme, she died in childbirth. I think it's true and I want the healers to look at her. To see if my vision actually is real."
Adi Gallia nodded behind Anakin and then spoke. "If it is all right with Master Yoda and Master Windu, I will take the Senator to Barriss Offee."
Yoda nodded and Adi stood, walked over to Padme and took her hand. Obi-Wan let go of her and Padme walked out with Master Gallia.
Once they had left, Yoda spoke. "Please take your seat, Master Kenobi."
Obi-Wan turned to Anakin and placed a hand on his shoulder before turning back and sitting down.
Yoda sighed. "An easy task this is not, young Skywalker."
"What do you mean?"
Master Ki-Adi-Mundi spoke next, "what are we going to do with you? If you were any other Jedi, you'd be expelled on the spot. However, you are the Chosen One."
Anakin almost sighed in relief. This wasn't the first time he was glad to be the Chosen One. The Council shared glances as Yoda spoke. "Be with your wife you should. When a decision is made, inform you we shall."
Anakin nodded and then bowed to the Council. When the door shut behind him, he heard Mace shout, "I knew he couldn't be trusted!"
Anakin winced as a pang hit his heart. He had had his ups and downs with Mace, but he never knew he felt that way. Anakin had never wanted to give the impression that he couldn't be trusted.
Yoda spoke, calmly, but loudly enough that Anakin could hear. "Say that you should not have. Young, Skywalker is. Impulsive his actions were. But blamed he should not be. Know that you do, Mace. Remember do you, your old padawan Cyrah Taawni?"
Mace raised his voice. "Do not change the subject! We are talking about Anakin Skywalker. NOT CYRAH!"
Yoda reaches out with his hand and his cane comes flying through the air and smacks Mace in the back of the head. "Respect for your elders you must show!"
George Lucas rushes onscreen. "CUT, CUT, CUT! YODA! How many times have I told you NOT to abuse your powers during filming? HUH? Did you NOT READ THE SCRIPT!" he yells as he shakes the script at Yoda. George places his head in his hand and shakes it. He sighs as he walks off screen. "Okay, Take Two, peoples! Reset props; everyone to their places. Come on, move it!"
The cue marker shows in front of the camera as Mace rubs his neck. "You know, that hurt!"
"Take Two," George calls, "Ready…ACTION!"
Mace raised his voice. "Do not change the subject! We are talking about Anakin Skywalker. NOT CYRAH!"
"Too emotionally attached to the subject you are, Master Windu. Dismissed you are from this hearing." Yoda almost shouted. His tone was adamant as everyone watched Master Windu for his reaction.
Silence followed as Mace stood facing Yoda in shock. Everyone in the Temple with any Force abilities at all, no matter how small, could feel the ripples of anger and shock radiating from Mace's Force signature. Finally, he bowed. "Excuse me, Master Yoda, for my outburst. I shall leave now."
Anakin walked quickly away so Mace would not see him snooping. Yoda looked out the door in the direction Anakin had left. He looked down in sadness for a moment as he felt Anakin still feeling sad as he remembered what Mace had said about him. 'Talk to him I will; after we decide what we are to do with him.'
He looked up as the door shut and the Council Chambers immediately erupted into a mass of different people's opinions of what to do with Anakin surfaced.
Padme walked into the healer's wing of the Temple. Adi Gallia walked in front of her. "Barriss Offee? Are you there?"
Barriss Offee, a Miralan standing at 1.68 meter's tall walked into the room. She smiled when she saw Adi Gallia. "Master Gallia, it's so good to see you." She hugged Master Gallia. Her and Barriss' master were friends and had been on many missions together. "How can I help you?"
Adi stepped aside and Padme stepped forward. "Oh," Barriss said, shocked. She bowed in respect. "Senator Amidala. To what do I owe the honor?"
Padme lowered her head and caressed her slightly swollen belly. "I, uh, I have a little patient who needs your help."
Barriss' mouth dropped and she quickly walked over to Padme. "Senator Amidala, y-you're pregnant?" When Padme nodded, she continued, "Well, of course. What's wrong?" She led Padme to a bed and sat her down. Adi Gallia explained about Anakin's vision and his wish to have his wife examined. Barriss nodded through the entire explanation. Even when Adi said that she was Anakin's husband, her face remained neutral. When Master Gallia finished, Barriss nodded and proceeded to get the necessary equipment for Padme's examination. She lifted up Padme's shirt and with surprising delicacy, performed the examination. When she was almost finished, Anakin walked in. Adi looked up, surprised.
"I'll go back to the Council Room now. I have a feeling they'll need me." Adi said, walking out.
Anakin waited until she left before saying, "How is she doing?"
"Uh, hold on a second." Barriss was sitting at a sonogram machine and was looking at Padme's baby. She kept looking for a moment, then sat back. "Well, there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with her. She and the baby are fine."
Padme and Anakin sighed in relief. Barriss continued. "But I will need to see her every month for the first seven months, and then every week as the due date draws nearer. Do you want to know the sex of the baby?"
"Yes," Padme said at the same time that Anakin said "No." Padme looked around at Anakin with a look that no man would dare argue with. Anakin sighed then said, "Sure, why not."
Barriss Offee smiled at their little exchange, and then looked at Padme. "It's a little boy."
"Luke." Padme said, announcing the name. Anakin nodded approvingly. "Can I see?" she asked.
Barriss turned the monitor and showed the parents the picture of Luke. "You see," she said pointing, "There is his foot. And there is his head. And there is…" she paused for a moment and turned the monitor back at herself. She explored the area she had noticed before. "How could I have missed that?"
By this time, Anakin was panicking. "What is it? What's wrong?" he quickly asked.
Barriss turned to him. The panicked look on her face quickly melted into a wide grin. "Take a look." She said, turning the monitor back to them. "There is Luke," she said pointing to a spot on the monitor, then pointed to another spot. "And there is his sister."
"Twins?" Padme asked, excitedly. Barriss nodded.
"Twins." She assured Padme. "A boy and a girl."
"Leia. Luke and Leia."
"Congratulations!" Barriss said.
Master Yoda and Master Mundi walked in. "Congratulations on what?" Master Mundi asked.
"Masters!" Barriss cried, rising quickly to her feet and bowing deeply. Anakin knew as soon as he saw the look on their faces that they had reached a decision. The decision that would change his life.
Well, how did I do? Do I get a cyber-cookie? Huh, do I? Huh? Okay, well, please R&R! Thank you!
