"I wanna go!"
"Now Leia…" Anakin remarked with a slight groan, looking at the four year old who was pouting. "You're too little right now to go on missions."
"I not little!" She denied loudly. Anakin want to pound his head into the wall, but seeing as it would probably be unsightly for the head of the rebellion to knock himself out by himself, he turned to Ahsoka who was happily enjoying the scene in front of her. Ahsoka rolled her eyes at Anakin's pleading look.
"LeiLei, don't you want to hang out with me and Rex? We can gorge on some cookies." She tempted, earning a glare from Anakin.
Clearly he did not agree to that tactic.
Leia bit her lip, contemplating the new deal, but then shook her head.
"I wanna go with Daddy." She remarked, clutching his leg. He sighed. Maybe it hadn't been the best of ideas to bring her along on so many missions prior to this; she needed to learn to not cling to him.
Still…
"I'll bring you on the next mission, I promise sweetie."
He didn't know if the Emperor would be in Naboo. He rarely left Coruscant now, but there was no telling where he would be.
And if he sensed Leia and made a connection…
No he couldn't risk that.
"Pwomise?" Leia sniffled, small tears in the corners of her eyes. He smiled pushing her hair back.
"Of course sweetie."
"Now come on LeiLei!" Ahsoka remarked happily picking up the little girl and walking away from the exit of the hangar on the old abandoned Separatist space ship. "Those cookies are ours!"
"Hey, not that many!" Anakin called out, but Ahsoka only responded with a laugh. He sighed and then went to his ship.
He was going to Naboo.
He was going home.
"You sure you want to go, Mommy?" The little boy asked as Padmé began to place the headdress on her, weaving her hair into it.
"Yes, I need to discuss votes with several other Senators."
"But you don't like going." Luke replied as he fiddled with a robot head.
"I know, but I have to."
"Okay…do want me to go?" Luke asked politely, looking at his mother with large innocent eyes. She smiled, pushing his hair back gently and ruffling it.
"Oh sweetheart, as much as I would love for you to come, it will be way past your bed time."
"Oh…but who'll be there for you?"
"Captain Typho will as well as Moteé." She responded, picking up the little boy and settling him on her lap. "I'll be well protected."
He frowned, apparently not as convinced, but he remained quiet.
"Lulu! Lulu!"
He jerked and groaned, much to Padmé's amusement as they both turned to see a little girl wearing a plum colored dress and matching ribbons in her hair toddle towards the boy who slid off of her lap so the little girl could hug him.
"Hiya Joi." He murmured, looking at his mother pleadingly. But it wasn't like she could do anything. Joi Organa, the adopted two-year-old daughter of Bail and Breha Organa was not one to be denied a hug. Especially from her 'Lulu'.
"Did you escape from your mother Joi?" She asked, standing up as she walked to the young children. Joi giggled, gnawing on her fingers. Padmé smiled as she exited her room, the two children following her.
"Luke!" She heard two voices say and looked down at the foyer to see a young Gungan called Mongo his best friend Tarja. Mongo was someone Luke had met while out exploring and Tarja was what Sabé was to her. He had been brought into the household as a way for Luke to have a friend and he had done just that. Now he and Tarja were like Joi's older brothers, 2 years older than her and her coveted protectors.
"Der yousa luke. Weesa ve been looking for yousa."
"Hi Mongo." Luke called out waving. Padmé watched as her son walked to his friends and smiled. Joi was going to be with them for the festivities until her parents picked her up later that night. It seemed like a better idea than having her downstairs with her parents, and a bit more fun for the rambunctious two year old.
"You're sure you'll be alright, Sabé?" Padmé asked. The handmaiden nodded.
"Go on, have fun."
"We'll see about that." The Senator remarked ruefully before gathering her purse and exiting the children's rooms.
The music swam around her as she observed the gala. Intricate masks hid the senators, royalty, and other noblemen and women. She herself was wearing a mask shaped like a moon with gems and beads dripping off the metal. It was extravagant and beautiful.
She sighed, swirling her drink as she stood in the corner, watching as everyone danced and laughed around her. She didn't particularly like going to these type of parties anymore, but she had to make appearances every now and then.
While she smiled to herself over the thought of her four-year-old son, right now staying up late past his bedtime to play a game of guess the shadows, she knew that eventually the other visitors would start swarming around her. It would only be a matter of time.
And swarm they did, once they realized that Typho and Moteé weren't around her anymore.
"Senator Amidala, a pleasure to see you. One would think that you were trapped in Varykino."
"Well…"
"May I ask, Senator Amidala, how is your son?"
"I…" She began, but was swiftly cut off.
"I've heard you've talked to the Emperor, tell us what he said. May I ask if he mentioned anything about Naboo?"
"Well-"
"May I ask, do you think that the Empire should keep creating clones or start an Academy?"
"May I ask-"
"May I have this dance?"
The voice was a new one yet seemed to have a familiar ring to her and she looked up abruptly, relief in her expression.
"Yes!" She exclaimed, probably a bit too quickly, but she didn't care at first when the masculine hand gripped hers and led her away from the crowd of how rude that was.
Until she realized she recognized this grip.
"Ani?" She whispered under her breath once they were far enough away from the crowd, and the man whose hair was darker than his, slicked back looked at her. An opaque black mask covered his face, and he wore an Imperial styled uniform. He gave her his faux smile and those blue eyes glimmered from beyond the mask. She managed to keep appearances, as it would be too much of a give away if her jaw dropped.
"Ani, what are you doing here?" She whispered as they spun among the crowd, the music deafening now. He smirked.
"Well right now I'm dancing."
"Ani."
"An associate of mine had some Intel I needed. I was going to meet him on his homeworld, but he and his business partner had come here for this party. And since I'm one of the few here that knows Naboo customs…"
"They could have come to me." Padmé muttered as Anakin spun her around.
"I didn't want them knowing about you. It's a danger what you're doing right now." He remarked softly. Her tightening her grip on his hand was the only clue of her slight annoyance. "I won't be able to stay long...I had originally just planned on staying long enough to see you, but I saw how uncomfortable you were and-"
The song slowed to a stop as it ended and the crowd began to clap. Padmé and Anakin clapped for a few moments, and soon the crowd began to head to where the food was located. Padmé, however turned and holding his wrist went the other way. He followed her weaving with grace and agility that made her worry that it was a dead giveaway of who he was but she managed to find a place that was vacant. Within seconds of disappearing into the shadows, he held her close.
"Anakin, you shouldn't have come…if anyone catches you-"
"They won't." Anakin promised. She would have strangled him if she weren't clutching his hand so tightly.
"I've missed you, Angel."
"Ani…"
He was kissing her before she said another thing, tracing over her mouth with his tongue, asking for permission. She reciprocated, digging her hands into his tried to match in dominance, but soon, Padmé leaned into him. She nearly groaned as he dragged his teeth over her bottom lip. When he moved away, she moved forward, not willing to let go.
4 years felt like an eternity.
"I've…missed you…" He murmured softly as she looked up at him with half-lidded eyes, her heart racing. He smiled slightly and it reminded her of Luke when he was sheepish and had been caught doing something he wasn't supposed to do.
At the thought of Luke, her mind, which had gone fuzzy, raced into clarity.
"Leia…how's Leia?" She whispered softly, her voice shuddering slightly as he leaned in, their noses bumping. Then she felt him slide something into her hand and she shifted away, looking at the object curiously.
"What's this?" Padmé asked looking at the holodisc now in her hands. Anakin smiled.
"Turn it on and find out."
She gave him a slight smile and did so. And gasped.
There was Leia. She was so small and tiny and was laughing at the holodisc, a look of joy on her face. She seemed to be around some crates of some kind, likely in one of the bases Anakin had, but she seemed to be healthy. She was, at that moment, wearing Anakin's boots that ended on her upper thigh, the rest of the boot folded over which made her look that much smaller. She waved at the holodisc, in doing so losing her balance and falling backwards, little arms flailing. She then sat up and began laughing again, waving.
Tears swarmed her vision.
"For you. Just so you know that your little girl is alive and well." He remarked gently tracing her shaking hand delicately. He began to move away, but she clutched him tightly. "I have to go…like you said, I could be caught…and I doubt my men are all too happy that I made such a risk coming here."
She swallowed and then fumbled with her purse. He glanced at her, a brow raised before she fished out a holodisc of her own, intricate in design, shaped like a locket. She opened it and there was Luke, when he was just shy of his third birthday, working on a little build-a-bot that Typho had gotten him. She watched as his little face lit up as he connected the head to the bot and it began to move into life, smiling gently. She then looked at Anakin and her heart twisted and almost snapped in half, as he eyed his son as though he was standing right there.
He missed them like she missed her husband and daughter. It was though her arm and leg were gone. She
"Keep it." She whispered softly, squeezing his fingers lightly. "So you won't forget us."
"Oh, I'd never forget you. I'd have to be mad to do so." He whispered. They heard sound, and laughter.
"I love you." He said.
"I love you too."
"I have to go." He whispered and she swallowed and nodded.
A swift peck to her lips and he moved away and within moments he had disappeared off the nearby balcony. She walked out to stare at the horizon, maybe to see Anakin one last time, but he had vanished into the shadows.
"Wonderful night isn't it?" She overheard a woman say to her escort as they walked past the balcony.
"Yes…" She murmured to herself, though no one else heard her. She clutched the holodisc to her chest as though she could will all the love that she yearned to give to her daughter and husband through the disk.
"Wonderful night."
She wondered if the mask was hiding her tears.
Luke had meant to stay awake till his mother returned.
But he had fallen asleep and like always he was dreaming.
Luke looked around and saw that he was in Varykino or at least the fields. It was where his mother and him would have so many picnics and where he and Tarja would run around and explore.
He didn't understand why there was a girl there though. She looked to be about his age, with messy brown hair and inquisitive brown eyes. He had never met her before.
And yet…
And yet it felt like he had known her all his life.
He scampered over to her.
"Hey!"
She looked up in fright and then stood, before getting up and running away.
"Hey wait!"
She ignored him and kept running, scrambling up and over rocks and ran through the grasses. She turned down a corner and when he got there, he saw she had vanished. Looking around he saw a figure crawl further into a crevice.
"I can still see you."
"Go away!"
"Come on."
"No, Daddy said I was 'posed to talk to strangers!"
"Technically you're talking to me." Luke responded and the girl curled up further into the crevice. He was silent and then sat down at the entrance.
"Luke." He said and he heard a shift and glanced in to see her staring at him. "That's my name."
She looked at him now with curious eyes.
"You know me now…so can you come out?"
There was silence for a brief time before she did as she was asked and came out, patting her pants clean of any dirt. He looked at her.
"Do I know you?"
"Nuh-uh."
"Oh…"
"…will I meet you?" The girl asked timidly. He didn't have the heart to tell her that this was a dream, and they would likely never meet other than out of his dream.
"Maybe…I dunno." He responded and she looked around.
"Pretty." She complimented and he beamed.
"Yeah, this is where me and-"
Then he vaguely heard a door open and close. It must have been his mother. She must have heard it too as she backed away.
"I gots to go." She suddenly said as well, backing away. She seemed scared all of a sudden.
"Wait! What's your name!"
"…Leia…my name is Leia." She replied.
"Well…I hope to see you again." He called out as Varykino began to vanish and she scampered away, disappearing as he awoke.
He shifted tiredly from the mass of blankets that he, Joi, Tarja, and Mongo had laid down in the room to sleep on. He blinked awake and saw the trail of his mother's dress. He sat up and tiptoed around the other sleeping children and followed his mother. He finally got to her room and saw she was sitting in front of her vanity, looking at a holodisc.
"Mommy?"
She looked up and smiled.
"Oh I'm sorry baby…did I wake you up?" She apologized.
"No…Mama, are you okay?"
"Of course I am, why wouldn't I be?"
"You're crying…" He replied and she delicately touched her face and realized she was indeed crying again. She swallowed and then bent down and hugged him. He blinked when he saw her shoulders shaking.
"I'm sorry…I'm sorry…"
Now crying wasn't anything to apologize for, was it? He gripped her sleeve tightly.
"It's okay Mommy…honest…" He murmured, but she tightened her grip on him. He frowned and then rested his head on her shoulder.
He made a resolution.
No one was going to make his mother cry like this again.
No one.
Leia sat in the living room of the quarters Anakin had chosen for the both of them nervously, trying to play a game but unable to concentrate.
She hadn't meant to and she knew it was perfectly normal. Ahsoka had said she had extended her own dreams before she was trained in the ways of the Force.
Which was fine and all.
Except for the fact she had never had a conversation with a person in her dreams…extended or not. She knew she should have left the moment she hadn't recognized the setting, but it had been so beautiful. The grass was so green, and the waterfalls were so blue.
And this Luke had seemed nice, even if he was just a figment of her dream. But those footsteps…what if it had been a trap set up to find Force sensitive children? What if she had endangered herself and everyone she cared about by doing that.
She swallowed but looked up when she heard the door open up.
"Daddy!"
"Hi sweetie." He replied tiredly, ruffling her hair as he walked past and slumped onto the sofa. She walked over to him hesitantly.
"Didja win?"
"Yes sweetie…I won…" He said. She cocked her head to the side. He seemed so sad. She crawled up onto the couch as well, resting her head on his lap. He gently ruffled her hair.
"I love you Daddy."
"I love you too." He repeated softly. She looked at him.
"Daddy…"
"Hm?"
"You not leaving, are you?"
He blinked and then picked her up, pulling her close.
"No sweetheart…Daddy's not leaving. He's not leaving you."
"Promise?"
"Promise." He replied softly. Yes…it had been like losing his arm all over again. But it wouldn't be forever. He'd make sure of that.
Alright, another chapter down! So I thought had Leia been properly trained, she would have been stronger with mental connections to the Force. I mean in the movies she remembers her mother that died when she was a newborn, so it would make sense that she'd be really strong with that. And twins are known to mentally know about one another. So I thought…why not?