I know you guys have been waiting for this chapter! Thank you to everyone who has been leaving comments or following/favouriting this story. And omg, go do yourself a favour and find the Star Wars Episodes 2 & 3 bloopers on Youtube. You will not be disappointed by the Anakin/Padme moments. Anyway, on to the chapter, please enjoy and review if you liked it! This one was fun to write

Rest

Chapter 14

Padme, Sola, Darred, and the girls enjoyed brunch at the house. Padme was thrilled to be spending time again with her nieces, especially now that she was picturing the time she would soon be spending with her own little one. However, by just after noon, Padme's anxiety revved up again at the thought of revealing her private life to her parents.

Explaining her situation to Sola had been a challenge, but her older sister was surprisingly supportive and easy to talk to. Padme guessed that had something to do with her sister's underlying desire for Padme to start a family all these years, and it finally happening.

The girls were easy to tell, and were really overjoyed at the idea of welcoming a new baby cousin into their family. They spent almost their entire morning playing pretend about when their new baby cousin would arrive and how helpful they would be. Pooja, in particular, was excited of the idea of finally being older than someone in the family for once.

Sola must have spoken to Darred before Padme was up. He greeted Padme kindly and seemed to understand her situation without prying. He just told her he was glad she was safe and with family.

The home comlink went off in the kitchen. Sola claimed that it was probably their parents checking in, so Padme intently listened from afar as Sola answered the call.

"Hello?"

Their mother, Jobal, was calling, "Sola! How are you today, my dear?"

"Just fine mother, how are you and dad?" Sola casually began.

"We're doing well. Your father is just out in the yard gardening. We picked up some fruit trees in town this morning so we're just prepping to plant them. What are you up to today? Have you heard anything about Padme?"

Sola smiled, "Nothing too much, just enjoying the day with the girls. Actually, we have heard from Padme."

Jobal's eyes widened. "What?! Where is she? Is she safe? Oh Force."

Sola let out an uncomfortable laugh. "Yes, actually she's here, just in the other room. She's fine. She has some news but she's fine. Won't you and dad come over for dinner later? Padme wants us all to catch up."

Jobal scoffed. "Later? We'll be by as soon as your dad cleans up. How long has she been here? Ah, that doesn't matter. Tell Padme we're glad she's safe and we'll be over as soon as we can."

Sola took a deep breath. "Okay, will do. Mom just –" Sola hesitated. "Just keep an open mind when you get here. Okay?"

Jobal looked confused. "An open mind? What? Whatever Sola. Let me go get your dad so we can get going. We'll see you soon."

Sola ended, "Okay, see you soon, mom."

Padme sheepishly looked back into the room. Sola looked up at her, "You ready, little sis?"

Padme's throat went dry.

-break-

Padme paced back and forth in the living room. Her lower back was killing her, but not nearly as much as the anxiety she was feeling about seeing her parents now in a few minutes.

Ryoo and Pooja joyfully played outside, all unaware to the catastrophe-waiting-to-happen inside. Sola and Darred were sitting in the living room while Padme paced, both of them trying to talk her down.

"Padme really, they'll be fine. They'll just be in a little bit of shock at first but they'll be fine."

Padme didn't know whether to run or cry. Out she muttered, "I should have told them over holo call months ago. Then we wouldn't be here and they wouldn't be so taken aback."

Sola spoke again, "No Padme, you couldn't call months ago because as you said, needed to protect yourself. This is the right time now."

Padme shook her head. "They're going to be so upset. The timing is way off, we should have been more careful. Oh Force. I wish Anakin was here."

Trying to calm her down, Sola voiced, "Padme. It is going to be ok, everything will be fine."

Darred leveled with her, "Really, Jobal is going to be thrilled to have another grandchild. I wouldn't worry too much."

"That's true," agreed Sola, "They have talked about wanting you to settle down for a while now."

"Right Sola, but probably not like this with having to leave my job at the most inopportune time and my love somewhere across the galaxy…" Padme's anxious movements were stirring up the movements of her child, right above her bladder. "I have to pee again, oh Force." She ran to the refresher.

"Where is she?!"

Padme returned from the 'fresher just as Jobal and Ruwee were rushing into the living room in search of their daughter. Her parents ran to embrace her even before she fully entered the room.

"Padme, Padme, we were so worried! Why were you replaced? We hadn't heard anything for weeks; we thought the worst had happened!" Jobal held her daughter tight.

Ruwee stiffened, stepped back from the group hug, and cleared his voice. Jobal turned her face to him, "What?"

Her father spoke in a firm voice, "Padme, do you have something to share with us?"

In her excitement at seeing Padme for the first time in ages, Jobal had missed the very clear changes to her daughter's figure. When Ruwee spoke, Jobal finally took a step back.

Padme's face went scarlet as her parents eyed her, and she almost couldn't speak. "I – I am – I'm pregnant."

Jobal gasped while staring at Padme's quite enlarged middle, and Ruwee held on to his wife to keep her from falling. "Let's sit down for a bit dear, shall we?"

Jobal nodded and was led by Ruwee to the sofa. Padme sat across the room on the pull-out couch from the night before, and Sola and Darred exchanged worried glances before joining in seats, too.

The first moments of silence in the room seemed to last a lifetime.

Jobal eyed Padme, Ruwee eyed Jobal, Sola looked at them both, and Darred alternated looking between Sola and the scene in front of him. Padme kept her eyes cast down to her middle. It felt like the baby was practicing lightsaber moves from within. Padme couldn't recall ever feeling more uncomfortable.

Jobal was the first to speak. "How, how far along are you, Padme? You look like you're ready to burst."

Padme's voice was still caught in her throat. "I'm…" she tried again, "I'm due in the next few weeks."

Jobal was quiet again. Ruwee spoke next, "Well, this explains the disappearance from the senate –" Jobal cut him off "—How long have you been here?"

Padme looked up to her mother, voice dry as sand.

"How long, Padme?"

"Almost two weeks," came the muffled response. Sola went to the kitchen to fetch Padme a glass of water.

"You were here two weeks and you didn't contact us? Padme! We were so worried," Jobal sounded more than frustrated.

"I'm sorry," Padme managed to say, before taking a sip of water.

"What are we supposed to think now Padme, you hiding from us on Naboo for half a month, and now knowing you've been hiding this from us? Why keep these secrets from your family, Padme. We were terrified something had happened!" Jobal was getting worked up.

With the drink of water appeared a little bravery, and Padme spoke, "I… I was protecting myself, mom, and my child. I didn't feel safe contacting anyone until just yesterday when I talked to Sola." Thinking one step ahead of her parents, she said, "I am not in imminent danger, I just didn't want to draw attention to myself or my situation. I should have told you about my pregnancy months ago but I didn't feel the comlink would be secure enough..."

Ruwee nodded his head. Jobal had more questions to ask and spoke them as quickly as they came to her mind, "Where have you been staying? What are you going to do once the baby is here? Is the father involved? How is he going to help support you?"

Padme took a deep breath. Maybe answering these questions from Sola first was a good idea after all. "I've been at Varykino, with my droid '3P0. I've been fine there, and I am planning to stay on Naboo with my little one… I haven't thought too far ahead of the first couple months yet…"

Jobal butted in, "Padme how could you make this decision to get pregnant without thinking ahead of these things?! I thought we raised you better than that."

Padme felt tears sting at her eyes. She had already felt enough shame and frustration in the months before, and didn't need her mother to remind her of those times.

Coruscant, approx. 3 months previously…

It had been an exhausting few weeks; Padme had spent excessive hours working alongside the Delegation of 2000 to have a bill supporting democracy justly represented and fairly worded in its proposition to the senate. Today, the bill was both proposed and quickly dismissed and dropped by the Chancellor and his supporters. Padme felt as though all those extra hours spent supporting the passing of this bill had just went down the drain in the course of 10 minutes. She felt completely defeated.

She wasn't finding it easy to let go of thinking about that loss, so Padme decided it was time to separate work from home. She put down her work data-pad, and headed for a shower.

Once she got into her room, she slipped out of her work robes and hanged them up in her closet. She headed to the 'fresher and removed her undergarments, leaving them in a pile on the floor. Padme headed into the shower, but stopped after noticing the peripheral image of herself in the mirror. She turned to gaze at her body's reflection, something she had somehow avoided or ignored for the past few months. What she saw now a little more than shocked her.

Padme had realized her body had become fuller, her body weight redistributed differently in her clothes, and her middle expanded, but she had yet to take a look at herself nude in the mirror. She almost didn't recognize the body as being her own, what with the full chest and large belly. She was surprised to realize how big she had become, and immediately worried that others had probably noticed her changed appearance much easier than she thought they might have.

Shocked, but fascinated, she ran her hands from where they rested around her collarbones, past her breasts, over her stomach, and to the sides of her middle. She was in awe of her body's transformation, amazed at how far her belly protruded forward. For a moment, she felt at peace, recognizing that she and Anakin had created new life, and that she was growing with their child.

After a moment, she turned back to the shower, methodically turned it on, and stepped in. Having forgotten all about work, her mind went to thinking about her child and Anakin, who still did not know of their baby's existence. Her mind shuffled around ideas of what would happen and what to do: what if Anakin comes home and finds me pregnant? What if he comes home and finds me with our child? What if I move back to Naboo before then and he can't locate us after the war? Should I retire from the senate or be a working single parent until the war resides? What if he doesn't come home?

No. Her mind would not go there.

Padme suddenly found her anger flaring. She found herself frustrated with Anakin, the Jedi, the senate, the chancellor, and all those involved in the war. It wasn't fair of Anakin to leave her for months on end, it wasn't fair for the Jedi to have their "no attachments" rule preventing him from returning, and the senate and chancellor and war all spun around in her head in a pool of frenzy. Then she directed her anger at herself; why didn't she make sure they used protection that night. So stupid to leave something this important and life changing up to chance. She sat down in the shower and let the hot water rain over her body, soaking into her hair and skin. She wrapped her arms around herself as best as possible, and for the first time in months, allowed herself to fully feel all the emotions she had been holding back behind her cool façade.

Emotions swinging from angry to melancholy, she thought about the bittersweet moments when she learned of her pregnancy. "It shouldn't be like this," she thought, and for not the first time she wished for an alternative universe where the war was over, or where they had waited to plan for children. She already found herself exhausted from hiding her private life from the universe, and it only worsened now that her pregnancy needed to be hidden too… On that thought, she realized she could never hide her child without feeling ashamed of herself as a person. It was one thing to hide a pregnancy, but to deny her child's existence? Once he's born, she accepted for certain, he would have to be known to those important in their lives. How that would play out, however, she was not yet sure about.

The water in the shower began to cool around her, and although she was feeling emotionally exhausted, her last feelings after working through her thoughts were joyous. She realized that although all of her situation was at its worst timing, she knew she could handle it; she could move to Naboo if she wanted, and that she could picture Anakin's face full of joy at the idea of welcoming their first child.

She finished in the shower, dried off, and rested with a cleared head.

Padme remembered the strength she had built up within herself from the past few months. She spoke up for herself, "Although it was unplanned, I made the decision to have my baby before I was even certain it existed. I've been through much worse and I'm certain I can raise him on Naboo without problem. I know I can do this."

Everyone looked pensive, yet Sola quietly questioned, "Him?"

Padme shook her head, "It's just a feeling. Anakin thinks it'll be a girl," she mumbled.

Ruwee's mouth comically dropped open. "You mean to say Anakin, Anakin Skywalker thinks it's a girl? The 'Hero with No Fear?' The Jedi you brought here those years ago. He's the father?"

Padme sheepishly nodded in confirmation.

Jobal was beside herself, "He's a Jedi, Padme! What were you two thinking? Or apparently you weren't thinking. He can't help support you, he's not even legally allowed to be with you! Does he know you're here?" She shook her head back in disbelief, "I mean, is he even alive right now? They keep sending out all those gory messages of the war on the Holonet. How can he help you when…"

With the last question, Padme had begun to cry. She looked away from her family, then stood up and left the room.

Jobal nearly immediately recognized her error.

"Good one, mom," snapped Sola.

"I… I didn't realize," all of Jobal's anger fleeted the second the guilt flooded in.

"Padme told me earlier that Anakin is planning to be here as soon as he's able. They're committed to each other." Sola realized she could do to leave out the part about her sister and the Jedi being married.

"Oh… oh… I shouldn't be so harsh," Jobal murmured.

Ruwee stood up. "Excuse me," he said, removing himself from Jobal's embrace. He headed to follow wherever Padme had gone.

Jobal stood up to follow him, "Let me come…"

Ruwee shook his head, "Later, dear."

Jobal withdrew. She returned to her seat and watched Ruwee leave to console their daughter.

-break-

Ruwee found his younger daughter wrapped in a large black blanket, or rather, a large black robe, sitting on a porch swing on the back veranda of the house. Her face was still red from the tears, but she appeared to be done crying. She didn't look at him as he approached, but he still sat down next to her and held her hand.

They took a few minutes in silence, save for the sniffles as Padme wiped her face clean from tears.

Eventually, Ruwee spoke. "I'm sorry Padme. Your mother didn't mean that. We've just been worried about you."

Padme, eyes watering again, nodded her head.

Ruwee let out a deep breath. "This is quite a shock. But a joyous one. It's going to be alright," he patted her hand.

Padme turned to look her father in the eyes. It was too much, and she began to cry again.

"It's ok Padme, it's ok." He put his arms in comfort around her, and they stayed on the swing together like that until Padme was all cried out.

-break-

Anakin and Obi-Wan were on route from Utapau to Mustafar, the lava planet. This gave Anakin a slight amount of time to focus on his thoughts from all that just happened while he directed the control panel…

"How many days had it been since we left Coruscant now?" In reflection, realized the whole process of flying to Utapau, locating Grievous, and managing the fight and all had taken a few weeks. "So that means Padme is almost near her due date…"

Thinking of her situation sparked fear in his mind. Was she safe now on Naboo? With her family? And the baby? He felt his heart pounding, and decided he had to believe that all was well. All this new information about the Separatists made it feel as though their fighting would soon come to an end. And besides, he would have sensed it if something went awry with Padme on Naboo, of that he was certain.

Obi-Wan approached the cockpit from the barracks of the ship where he was resting. They were nearing Mustafar now, the image of it flowing like a giant, molten ball of iron in the distance.

"Well Anakin, we take care of Dooku, and there might be an end to this war yet."

Anakin, pulled from his thoughts, smiled up at him, "So you are ready for the action to end, Master?"

"Hah-hah, Anakin. I just think it's about time."

"Me too," Anakin agreed.

A comfortable silence lingered between the friends.

Anakin wondered how long it would take them to find and defeat Dooku. He was ready for it to be over and return to Padme. "At least Mustafar is not too far from Naboo…"

-break-

After the many tears on the outside veranda, Padme returned into the house and fell asleep on the back couch in the now vacated living room. Darred had went to join the girls outside, Sola and Jobal had moved to the kitchen to prepare a meal, and Ruwee made sure Padme's sleeping form was comfortable before joining the kitchen.

Jobal was washing Naboo lettuce in the sink when Ruwee returned to the kitchen. "Where is she?" she asked.

"Resting on the couch."

Sheepishly, Jobal asked, "And how is she?"

"She's ok. She was very upset," her husband replied.

"That was awful of me. I know. It was just," Jobal, too, now had tear in her eyes, "I thought the worst could have happened to her, maybe she went missing," she paused at the thought to gather herself, "We've always supported her work because it's important and she's always been ambitious, but then she went missing from the senate without contacting us, and she's been here for weeks and shocking us with this news, and I know there's not any good excuse, but the questions all ran through me without filter and… and… I hope she forgives me."

"She will. She probably just has a lot she's thinking about. And I'm sure we do too," consoled Ruwee.

Jobal nodded. Sola, who was reading a datapad while sitting at the island table and listening in on the conversation, looked up. "So… you guys will be grandparents again. Very exciting," she said with a smirk.

Ruwee nodded and smiled. Jobal's face brightened at the words. Even though it's all of a sudden, she thought, she knew she was happy for her younger daughter.