Anakin and Padmé ABC's

Chapter Two-Breathe

By greyeyedgirl

Disclaimer: Anakin and Padmé aren't mine. They're Mr. Lucas's, and for some odd reason he won't give them to me. / XD

-o-

A/n: This is an AU fic. Anakin killed Palpatine when he found out he was the Sith Lord, which happened at a different time than in the movie. Padme didn't die. Anakin never went to the dark side. (Doesn't this fic sound like a good idea already:p) When reading this, toss everything that happened in RotS aside, because I'm ignoring it. I live in denial. It works for me. :D

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B-Breathe

The night was clear on the balcony of Padmé and Anakin's apartment. The many lights of the always-awake planet of Coruscant were visible, shining like bright yellow stars as far as the eye could see. Various speeders could be seen zooming along, their pilots dipping and jumping swiftly through the night sky. But the young beautiful Senator from Naboo didn't seem to see them, as she stood feeling her husband's powerful arms around her, looking up towards the stars.

"What are you thinking about?" Anakin murmured, his breath brushing her cheek as he rested his chin on her right shoulder.

Padmé shook her head, not answering. Ani understood, smiling a small smile, feeling the power of the Force wash over him as he stood completely at peace.

Since the birth of his children Anakin had been a different person. Before, he'd started to lose faith in the Republic, watching as the Clone War took its toll. He didn't feel as, he wasn't sure of the word, connected, to the other Jedi as he once was. He had been lost, and he didn't know what to do.

He thought of the small beings laying sleeping just inside the apartment. They were less than a week old. He had been in a meeting with the Council when he'd felt an odd shift in the Force, and as he listened to Master Windu go on about something, Anakin had felt a frown overcoming his face, trying to identify the odd sensation flowing through his body. He stood up without realizing it, seeing gazes turn from the other members of the Council, and watching Master Obi-Wan's eyebrows raise precariously.

"I'm sorry. I just remembered something urgent. I have to go." Anakin had started towards the door, when suddenly a vision flashed before his eyes, which was Padmé, clutched over inside the bedroom of the apartment. Feeling the fear rush through him, he had exited the room at a run, hurrying down the corridors of the Temple at a sprint. He had gotten to Padmé as quickly as he could (which was considerably faster than most would be under normal circumstances), finding her standing exactly as he'd seen her, her face screwed up and emitting a tiny moan. "Ani," she murmured, seeing him come in.

"Come. We'll get you to the med center, it's just nearby. We can give the medical droids an alias, if you wish." Anakin had helped her to the medical center, grabbing the bag they'd packed the week before.

-o-

"And…it's a boy!" The droid had said, holding up the screaming, beet-faced child. Anakin had felt Padmé release her grip on his left hand just a little, and he let out a sigh of relief. Something about Padmé giving birth had caused him fear, looming over him like a dark cloud of a stormy planet. Padmé had smiled up at him, still breathing hard, her hair stuck to her sweaty face. "Congratulations, Mrs. Lars," The droid said, using the alias Anakin had muttered in his haste. "The second one will be coming along shortly."

"Excuse me?" Anakin had asked in confusion, staring at him. Padmé's eyes had widened.

The droid looked at him as if she were used to new fathers being a little dazed. "The second child," it said, mechanical patience in its voice. "The boy's twin."

"Twin?" Padmé murmured, almost to herself. She looked up and caught the gaze of Anakin, then smiled. "Two babies," she said quietly.

The pains of labor had come over her right as she was whispering the last sentence, and not long after that there was a second crying baby in the room. "A girl," the droid supplied.

Awhile later Padmé laid in the hospital bed, Anakin sitting on the edge, the left side of his body brushing her right, as their heads leaned against the other's as they looked down at their children.

"Their names should start with the same letter. They're twins."

"Okay," Anakin said, still seeming breathless.

"Do you have a letter in mind?"

Padmé paused. "Maybe. Since you thought it was a girl, you should name her. And I'll name the boy." She laughed. "I guess we were both right."

Anakin smiled, looking down at the soft face of his daughter, and the slightly more rugged one of his son. "Alright. You go first, you can pick the letter."

Padmé paused. "Luke. It's…sturdy. I've always liked the name Luke."

Anakin grinned, looking down at the boy in Padmé's arms. "Hey, Luke," he said quietly.

Ideas for girls' names that started with 'L' had raced through his mind. Lilly, Lynn, Lena…One had jumped out at him, as from nowhere. He liked it immediately. "Leia."

Padmé had looked up at him. "Leia?"

Anakin glanced at her. "Do you not like it?"

Padmé had shaken her head. "No," she said softly. "I love it."

Anakin had leaned closer into her, her hair brushing his cheek as he cradled the top of his daughter's hair with his artificial hand.

-o-

Coruscant wasn't really known for its heat, like the desert planet Tatooine, or the frozen wasteland of Hoth's cold, likewise. But as Padmé and Anakin stood on the balcony, both of them felt the slow breeze brush past them, leaving a tiny chill in the air. Anakin frowned slightly, bringing Padmé in closer to him and wrapping part of his cloak around her nearly-bare shoulders.

"It's getting late. We should go in for the night. Get some sleep before Leia starts fussing. Big day tomorrow," Anakin said quietly in Padmé's ear.

Padmé nodded, turning. There was a short moment when their gazes caught one another's, and both looked captivated. Then Anakin flashed her the familiar grin, and she'd laughed lightly, allowing him to pull her into the apartment.

Padmé had headed immediately to Leia's crib, tucking her further into her small light pink blankets, careful not to disturb her. Anakin had removed the cloak he had donned for the long work he had done at the Temple that day, and had slipped off his shirt before heading over to where Padmé was looking over the babies. Standing so close next to her he could feel her body heat, he looked down at his son, whose dirty-blond hair was hanging over his forehead. In the crib right next to him, lay a tiny brown-haired baby, her delicately structured face already showing some of her mother's beauty.

Anakin felt the gentle swooping flow through him again, and knew the Force was strong in his children. He focused on his son, who was breathing softly, his tiny chest rising up and then falling. Anakin felt an overpowering connection to these tiny beings, like only the feeling he had gotten when he first met Padmé. That little boy on Tatooine would have shared anything with his beautiful fallen 'angel.'

"Let's sleep with them," Anakin heard himself say.

Padmé glanced at Luke in his tiny bassinet. "Ani, I don't think you'll fit."

Anakin heard a short laugh escape his lips, then picked up his son, cradling him gently like Padmé had showed him. Padmé smiled, watching him, then picked up Leia carefully. For once the feisty baby did not stir, just rested her head against her mother's shoulder, a little baby drool falling on the thin strap of her nightgown. "Come on, sweetie," Padmé murmured.

The Senator and the Jedi laid down on the bed, each carefully cradling one of the babies. Laying still closely together, Anakin laid on his back and Padmé rolled towards him, wrapping her arm loosely over his chest and feeling her two children's presence in the small space between them. Anakin felt totally at peace, hearing his breaths synchronize with his children's and his wife's, as he slowly drifted to sleep.

Padmé laid with her eyes closed for quite a while, feeling the peace that had continued to flow through Anakin ever since he'd arrived at the apartment late that evening. Though she couldn't see it, Anakin was laying looking serene, and the babies were both breathing softly, Leia's hand brushing against her head and Luke's mouth open slightly. Padmé felt sleep wash over her, feeling Anakin's chest rise and fall under her hand, the simple serenity of their perfect love running through her. She felt her breath catch as Leia rolled slightly in her sleep, then smiled softly, feeling Leia move gently as her own chest expanded slightly, as the oxygen pumped through her lungs. In this moment when time seemed frozen, she couldn't think about how the Republic was slowly repairing itself, or how sad she'd be when Anakin left in a few days for a two-week mission. Laying there with her husband and two small children, Padmé could only Breathe.

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