Chapter Thirty-Two
Several months later
The sun shone high in the Naboo sky, its radiance glistening on the placid waters of Lake Varykino. Anakin lounged on the sandy shores, enjoying the sunshine.
"Anakin, come out and swim!"
Anakin shaded his eyes with one hand and looked out into the lake where his wife was waiting for him.
"No, the water is too cold," he replied with a smile.
"Don't be such a baby," she called back, splashing some water in his direction.
Anakin merely laughed. "You'll have to do better than that, Senator," he called back.
Padmé put her hands on her hips, and then a thought struck her and she smiled. She walked further into the water until she was submerged up to her neck. Anakin watched her, wondering what she was up to next. And then he saw her arms coming out of the water, with something in each hand.
"Guess what this is?" she called.
Anakin stood up, trying to determine what she held in her hands.
"Seaweed?" he called back.
"No, guess again," she asked, walking forward a little, enough to allow him to see that she was not wearing the top of her bathing suit.
"Are you naked?" he called back, starting to get interested.
She nodded, and then fired the pieces of her bikini in his direction.
Anakin waded into the water, which didn't seem quite so cold all of a sudden. He grabbed the pieces of the bikini and tossed them back on the shore. "You're not getting those back you know," he called, advancing upon her with a smile.
"No?" she called.
Anakin shook his head as he walked up to her. "No," he said, grabbing her. "The more naked the better I say," he added pulling her body to his and kissing her.
"Ani," she sighed. "Ani!"
"Ani! Wake up!!"
Anakin was shaken from his delicious vision by the insistent shaking of his shoulders by his wife. He opened his eyes and looked over at her. "What...what's wrong? What is it?"
"The babies are coming," she told him. "I've been having contractions now for a few hours."
Anakin sat up at once, fully awake. "A few hours!?" he cried, jumping out of bed. "Why didn't you wake me earlier?"
"Because I wasn't sure if this was the real thing or not," Padmé replied as he helped her sit up. "I've had so many false starts, I didn't want to wake you up for…" she stopped as another contraction hit her, and she closed her eyes, her fists clutching the sheet beneath her.
Anakin rubbed her back, feeling the waves of pain emanating from her. "Breathe through it, Angel," he told her. "That's it."
Padmé opened her eyes as the contraction subsided. "That one was pretty intense," she told him. "I think we'd better get going."
Anakin nodded. "I think so too. Let's let Mom know and we'll be off."
"Okay," she replied as he helped her stand up. Padmé was already a week over due, and more than a little tired of being pregnant. "I'll get dressed."
Anakin left her for a moment to go and let Shmi know that they were on their way to the hospital, and then returned to the bedroom to get dressed himself.
"She's going to meet us downstairs," he said as he pulled on his trousers. "Threepio is bringing the speeder around."
Padmé nodded as she pulled a large tunic over her. It barely fit her at this point, so large was her abdomen now. "I'm ready," she told him.
"Let's go," he replied, taking her hand.
The emergency ward in the Theed hospital was busy as Anakin, Shmi and Padmé entered. Orderlies and medi-droids hustled here and there, attending to patients. Anakin found a hover chair for his wife and then headed for the admissions desk.
"My wife is in labor," he said. "She is having twins."
The nurse looked up at him. "Fifth floor," she said.
Anakin nodded, not terribly impressed with the woman's bedside manner. He returned to Padmé and Shmi, distressed to see that Padmé was in the midst of another contraction.
"Let's get you up to maternity," he said, directing the chair towards the nearest lift.
Padmé was examined upon their arrival at the maternity wing, and was admitted at once, her progress remarkably fast.
"We're going to get her into delivery right away," the attending physician told Anakin and Shmi. "She's almost fully dilated."
"I'm coming with her," Anakin told the physician.
The physician nodded. "Of course," he replied. "Right this way."
Anakin waited until Padmé was brought out of the examination room, and then followed along beside her, taking her hand.
"Looks like we're going to meet Luke and Leia very soon," he said as she squeezed his hand.
"Good," she panted, another contraction hitting her. "This isn't fun anymore," she muttered.
Anakin hated to see her in such pain, but knew that it would soon be over. "We're almost there, Angel," he told her as they entered the delivery room. "Almost there."
"Okay, Mrs. Skywalker," the medidroid announced once it had performed one last examination. "You're all ready. Next contraction, I want you to push as long as you can."
Padmé nodded, holding onto Anakin's hand tightly as he and the assisting droid moved her into a sitting position.
"Ani! It hurts!" she cried as another contraction hit her.
"I know Angel," he said soothingly. "Time to push, you can do it Angel, I know you can."
Padmé squeezed his hand tighter and bore down as hard as she could, her face contorted with the effort.
Anakin encouraged and comforted her through the arduous task of giving birth. And soon, although not nearly soon enough for Padmé's liking, the first of the twins emerged.
"It's a boy," the droid announced, handing Anakin his newborn son as the tiny boy cried his first cries. Anakin held his son in his arms, the emotions the small boy elicited within him more potent than any he had ever felt in his life.
"Hello, Luke," he said softly, kissing the boy on his tiny nose. "Happy birthday." He held the baby down so Padmé could look at him. "He's beautiful, Padmé," he said as Padmé ran a finger down one cheek of her son.
"He's perfect," she said as tears ran down her face. Her visit with Luke was short lived, however, for his twin was making her presence felt. Anakin handed Luke to an assistant droid and then returned to his wife's side as she prepared to give birth to their daughter. Soon the sound of two babies crying was heard in the delivery room, as Leia made her way into the world.
"Your children are beautiful," the droid told Anakin and Padmé as the babies were nestled in the arms of their doting parents.
"Thank you," Anakin said, not tearing his eyes from his daughter's face. "Thank you for everything."
Shmi was waiting anxiously outside the delivery room, pacing nervously when she saw the door open and her son emerged.
"Anakin!" she exclaimed, rushing to him, stopping when she saw her newest grandchildren in his arms.
"Oh, Ani," she said softly, her eyes filling with tears. "They are beautiful, just beautiful!"
Anakin smiled. "They are, aren't they?" he said, the pride fairly oozing from him. "I'm complete now, Mom," he told her, tears shining in his eyes. "Now I feel complete."
Shmi nodded, her own tears falling down her face unabashedly now. "May I see Padmé?" she asked.
"Of course," he replied. "I'm sure she's missing these two by now anyway."
Shmi smiled "I'm sure she is," she said, taking Leia from his arms. "Let's get these angels back to their mommy."
"You know, I think Leia looks more like you every day," Anakin remarked the next morning as he held his baby daughter in his arms.
Padmé looked up from Luke, who was nursing hungrily. "You think so?"
Anakin nodded. "Absolutely," he said. "She's going to be a raving beauty like her mother," he told her with a smile. The smile soon faded, however, when he realized what that would mean to him as a father. "I don't think that she'll be permitted to date," he stated emphatically. "Jedi rules, you know," he said.
Padmé laughed. "How convenient," she said.
"Good morning! May we come in?"
Anakin and Padmé looked over to see Jobal, Sola and Ruwee entering the room. Padmé smiled. "Hi everyone," she said. "Yes, of course, please come in," she said as she started patting Luke's back. "Breakfast is just ending."
Jobal made a bee line for the bed and picked Luke up at once, placing him over her shoulder to burp him. "Good morning….Luke?" she said asking her daughter.
Padmé smiled. "Yes, that's Luke."
"He's very fair," Sola commented, kissing the top of the boy's head. "I guess he's like his daddy, is he?"
"Yes, Ani was very fair as a child," Padmé replied, "weren't you, Ani?"
"Yes I was," he replied, standing up to greet his in-laws. He noticed his father-in-law looking at Leia with a smile on his face. "Would you like to hold her?"
Ruwee looked up at Anakin with surprise. "Yes, I would, thank you," he said, holding his arms out. Anakin placed the baby in her grandfather's arms.
"She looks like Padmé, doesn't she?" Anakin asked.
Ruwee nodded. "She does indeed," he replied with a smile. "It's remarkable." He was silent for a moment as he gazed upon his granddaughter's face. "Fatherhood looks good on you, Anakin," he said, looking up at him. "I can hardly believe you're the same man who we came to my house a few months back."
"I'm not the same man," Anakin told him. "Not even close."
Ruwee nodded. "I know we got off to rough start, Anakin," he began.
Anakin put a hand up to stop him. "There is no need to explain your actions, Mr. Naberrie. Now that I'm a father myself, I can fully understand how you felt." He smiled as he remembered a conversation he'd had with Padmé several months back. "In fact, I told Padmé that if someone like me showed up at my house telling me that he was going to marry Leia I'd castrate him with a spoon."
Ruwee grinned. "Well, I have to admit having similar thoughts about you, Anakin," he admitted "Only it was a garden hoe, not a spoon."
Anakin was shocked for a moment, but then he smiled, and laughed, joined at once by his father-in-law.
Padmé looked over to the two of them, the sight of them laughing together making her smile.
"I told you he'd warm up to Anakin," Jobal told her with a smile.
Padmé looked back up at her mother. "Yes, it seems you were right again, Mom."
Ruwee and Anakin walked over to the ladies, Leia now sleeping in her grandfather's arms. Ruwee looked at Luke, who was now in his aunt's arms. "Beautiful, just beautiful," he said. "You realize, Anakin, you'll be chasing boys away with a stick when she's a little older," he commented, looking over at Anakin.
Anakin nodded. "Either a stick or a spoon," he commented with a grin.
Ruwee burst out laughing at this, leaving the ladies rather perplexed; realizing that they'd missed something.
"You should be very proud, both of you." Ruwee said at last as he looked up at Padmé. "I know I am."
Padmé smiled at her father, and then at Anakin, relieved to know that there would be no more animosity between the two of them. "We are proud, Dad," she said. "And happy," she added, looking at Anakin. "Happier than we ever dreamed possible."
"I can see that," Ruwee replied. "That's all I've ever wanted for you, Padmé," he said. "What any father wants for his child."
"Well rest assured, Daddy," Padmé replied, "I am happy, happier than I've ever been."
Ruwee smiled, realizing at last that Padmé had indeed made the right choice when she married Anakin Skywalker.
"Remarkable, truly remarkable," Mace Windu said as he stood in the hospital room. "No younglings have ever tested so high at two days of age."
"Powerful Jedi they will be," Yoda concurred, peering into the bassinets at the twins. "Very powerful."
Anakin nodded. "If they chose to be Jedi," he remarked. "It will be their choice."
"Of course," Obi-Wan commented. "But if they take after their father, I think the choice has already been made for them."
"What do you mean?" Padmé asked.
"I mean that Destiny chose Anakin to be who he is, what he is," Obi-Wan replied. "Who are we to say that the same will not be true of his children?"
Padmé looked at Anakin, realizing that Obi-Wan was probably right. Anakin Skywalker was one of a kind, an anomaly, totally unique; his children would be unique as well, in their own right. Denying that, denying their destiny would be as foolhardy as to deny the astonishingly high medi-chlorian count in their blood. They were their father's children, the children of the Chosen One, after all.
"That may very well be," Anakin said. "But for now, at least, I think we'd like to just enjoy them as babies. After all, how often does a man get to change diapers in his life?" he added with a smile, looking at his wife. Padmé laughed, as did Obi-Wan.
Mace Windu, ever serious, ever the voice of reason and discipline, couldn't help but laugh as well.
"Home at last," Anakin said as he, Padmé and the twins arrived home the next day. Luke and Leia were asleep in their parents' arms as the family entered the house.
"Welcome home," Shmi said as she greeted them in the foyer. She walked over to admire her new grandbabies, kissing each of them on the top of the head. "Such angels," she cooed.
"Just like their mother," Anakin said, looking at his wife with a smile.
Padmé looked up at Anakin, the happiness she felt filling her more than she could express. Words seemed so shallow for what she was feeling; and yet, somehow, she knew that they were not needed. Anakin always seemed to know what she was feeling, even when she herself could not identify it. No doubt he could see by the look in her eyes the depth of the love she felt, the level of utter bliss her life had attained now that they had their precious twins in their lives.
"Happy, Angel?" he asked the question merely rhetorical at this point.
Padmé nodded. "Happier than I ever dreamed possible," she told him.
Anakin smiled. "I know the feeling," he said, looking down into the faces of his two precious babies. "Welcome home, little ones," he said, softly.