Ben's hands roamed all over Padme's body. She clung on tightly to him, resting her head on his shoulder.
"May I make love to you, Padme?" Ben whispered in her ear. He was getting painfully hard.
"Yes!" she whispered back. Ben laid her down on the bed. It did not take long before he had them both naked.
"I missed you," he groaned, as he entered her.
"I missed you, too," Padme managed to say, before she started moaning. They surrendered to their mutual passion for each other. Afterwards, the couple laid warm and content in each other's arms.
"How did you find out?" Padme asked, stroking Ben's hair.
"Caleb told me," Ben replied. "Speaking of Caleb, we need to be his guardians."
"I know. Ezra asked the both of us to look after him..."
"There's a bigger reason why than Ezra's wishes we need to take care of Caleb."
"There is?"
"Yes. I ran two midichlorian tests on him. I got the same results both times."
"So what is his count?"
"27,000."
"Ben, are you joking?" Padme cried in disbelief.
"No. See for yourself." He pulled out the midichlorian tests, being careful to not pull out the pregnancy test. He would talk with Padme about that when Caleb was not nearby. She looked at the papers while Ben got dressed. Her eyes widened when she saw the number.
"I don't know anyone who has this high of a number!" Padme gasped.
"You knew one person that did," Ben admitted.
"Who?"
"Your grandfather."
Padme was shocked. She knew Anikin was conceived by the Force. Which meant Caleb was most likely conceived the same way.
"Does anyone else know?" she asked, as she dressed herself.
"Not to my knowledge. Maybe Luke or Ezra knew, but we can't ask them now," Ben stated. "Padme, I shudder at the thought of what Hux would have done to him..."
"He is safe, thanks to you." She took Ben's hand and they sat down on the bed.
"Padme, if you want to leave and take Caleb, I won't stop you."
"Ssh, Ben. I am not going anywhere, and neither is Caleb. Besides, he refused to leave you if I did, right?" Ben nodded his head in agreement.
"There is something else we need to discuss later. But for now, we need to talk to Caleb about this. Although I have a feeling he already knows."
Ben and Padme made their way to the room Caleb was sleeping in. The boy stirred from his nap. At first, he thought he was still dreaming. He saw Padme and Ben holding hands. He rubbed his sleepy eyes, and saw them smiling at him.
"Padme!" Caleb shouted joyfully. He stood up on the bed, and extended his arms out to her. She embraced him tightly.
"I am so glad you are safe!" she told the boy, as she patted his head.
"I am, but Ezra and Sabine..." Caleb said sadly, before sitting down on the bed. Padme sat next to him.
"I know. I'm sorry, Caleb. They loved you very much."
"Padme, I am sorry about... Luke Skywalker." The boy looked nervously at Ben.
"Don't be afraid," she reassured him. "Ben knows the truth, about everything."
Caleb's eyes widened as he glanced at Ben. He smiled and said,
"I'm not angry at her. I promise" He motioned for Caleb to move, so that Ben could sit on the other side of him.
"I'm glad to hear that!" Caleb confessed, as he twiddled his thumbs. "I was afraid, because Ezra said both of you need to look after me."
"We know. Ezra knew that even though we are young, Ben and I would be the right guardians for you," Padme explained.
"We can relate to you, Caleb. Padme and I have lost family members, just like you. We were young when we discovered we were Force sensitive, just like you," Ben added.
Caleb shook his head in protest. Only one person in history could relate to him, and the boy did not want to end up like that man. He was scared. Was he putting them in danger, just by him being with them?
"Don't think that," Padme softly consoled him, knowing his thought. She took his hand into hers.
"I can't help it! I'm scared!" he responded, his voice quivering.
"Why are you scared? Are you afraid of the test results?" Ben asked.
"No," Caleb whispered. "I know my count. 27,000."
Ben and Padme gave each other an incredulous look before focusing back on Caleb.
"Can you see through the folder?" Padme wondered.
"No. I knew before Ben stuck the needle in me. I have known as far back as I can remember," the boy confessed.
"Why didn't you tell anyone?"
"Because I was afraid no would want me around, because they would be scared of me!" Caleb moaned.
Padme felt compassion for the boy. He was scared, but there was a deeper reason for his fear.
"Your mom, Chewy, Ezra and Sabine loved you. They were not afraid of you. Ben and I, we are not afraid of you..." Padme tried to reason with him. But Caleb was not reassured by her words.
"Maybe you should be scared of me. Maybe everyone should be scared of me!" Caleb hid his face in his knees his body trembling.
Ben placed his hand on Caleb's shoulders, and whispered to him,
"You are afraid you will end up just like Darth Vader."
Caleb lifted his head and gazed at Ben. The tears ran down his face. He didn't want to say it, especially in front of Padme.
"Look at me," Padme instructed him. Caleb turned to face her. "You know now that I knew Darth Vader personally. You are nothing like him. You will not end up like him. Do you understand?"
The boy nodded his head. Padme held him in her arms.
"You have a great destiny ahead of you, Caleb," she told him, as she cradled him. "But you need guidance, since you are still young. Ben and I will raise you, to follow the path the Force has for you. Do not be afraid. Trust in the Force."
"I will. But will I forget about my mom, Chewy, Ezra and Sabine?"
"Of course not. You will always have them with you, if you keep them alive in your memories, and in your heart," Padme promised, repeating what Luke had told her.
That was when Caleb started weeping. He cried not only for his family, but for all the people that lost their lives in the past couple of years. It felt like the entire galaxy was in mourning, and the little six year old boy felt its pain.
"We've got you," Ben vowed to Caleb, as he and Padme embraced the boy. No words were exchanged as all three of them grieved for their lost loved ones.
