Chapter #2

"That's it!" warned Ben, as he exited the younger children's room. "No more drinks of water. Now stay in bed, you little water sprites."

"Night daddy," giggled six year old Emia along with the rest of the clan.

Ben entered the master bedroom, shaking his head. "Surely they must get their liquid consumption rate from you, wife of mine. I don't recall ever drinking so much before I went to bed," he mumbled.

Ben could feel Rachel's speculative gaze as she undid her waist length braid and prepared for her nightly hair routine.

"You want to talk some more about the dedication, or just mope around here like a Gamorrean Mountain bear with a thorn in its paw?" she began.

Ben grimaced as he crawled into bed. "Have I been that bad?"

One look from his wife and he knew the answer. Rachel began to brush out her light brown hair, as he fluffed his pillow and tried to gather his thoughts.

"It's been sixteen years since I've been out of the public eye and I have no desire to re-open that part of my life," Ben stated. "It was awful, the constant hounding by the holo reporters and the pressure from government officials. No one could understand why I chose not to follow in my parent's footsteps."

Rachel crossed the room and pulled back the covers of their bed as she got in, seemingly relieved that he was finally willing to talk about this subject. "What about your parents? How did they take it?"

"They were devastated when I told them about my decision not to become a Jedi, especially my father. I thought he had stopped breathing for a moment the pain in his eyes was so great." Ben

looked away from his wife's face. "He just seemed to collapse emotionally. And Mom just stood there staring at me, saying nothing. I would've preferred her shouting at me instead of the silence."

"She probably had no idea what to say, Ben. It sounds like they were both in shock," Rachel submitted, gently.

"I know the galaxy thinks that he is the stronger of the two, but Mom always handled my decision better than Dad did. The final blow came when I told them I had to leave Ossus, to make it on my own. Some place where I wouldn't be the little lost Jedi," Ben said disgustedly. "They never understood that either."

"But so much time has passed since then. I think they will understand your decisions better now. They probably just want to be part of your life and miss you terribly," said Rachel.

"Maybe but, well…what about all the people we know here?" he asked. "The people here don't even know who my parents are. They just think of me as Ben, the guy who can fix things."

"There's more to you than that," she laughed, snuggling closer.

"Well, I'm also Ben the guy with the adorable wife and Ben the guy with five kids…"

"…six kids," added Rachel, patting her expanding tummy.

"Soon to be six kids," smiled Ben, as he placed his hand on top of hers. "I'm the owner of an obscure fix-it shop here in this tiny hamlet on Naboo. I lead a small life that I love and want to continue doing so without the notoriety that will come if they discover who I am."

"You don't lead a small life, Ben," she admonished him. "You have a simple life that's full, but never small. There is a difference." Ben started to argue, but Rachel broke in. "You go look into the faces of those five precious children sleeping in their rooms and tell me you have a small life!" demanded Rachel firmly.

Ben paused a moment. "You're right, how could I think for a second that my life is small? My life is simple and full. I have everything I've ever wanted."

Do you? a voice whispered. Then why do you still feel this pang of regret whenever you think of your father and mother? What are you really afraid of?

"These things happened a long time ago, dear husband. Do you think that by going to this dedication ceremony, you would be turning our lives up side down?" Rachel asked.

"You don't know what these people can be like. The badgering and stalking of the holo news, never being left alone. It was bad enough dealing with the guilt of my decision, but I had to do so in front of the entire universe. I had no peace at all, no life. I had to leave for my own sanity!" cried Ben, exasperated.

Ben felt Rachel's head on his chest, as if listening to his pulse racing. "You're right, I don't know what that's like. It breaks my heart to think of what you went through. But, then I try to imagine what if in three or four years Nirice left us and never told us where she was? What if we never saw her again? I couldn't bear not being a part of our children's lives."

Ben's mind began to race as his throat tightened. The thought of never seeing his children after they'd grown was paralyzing.

"I've never thought of it like that," he admitted cautiously. "I just wanted to be away from the hurt, from the despair I saw in my parent's faces. Now, I just want to protect my family and keep them safe."

"I know you do, but, I also know us and the children, we aren't Alderaanian porcelain dolls. We're a lot stronger than you give us credit for," Rachel reminded him with her steady gaze.

Ben marveled as he looked at his wife, with her warm sea-green eyes and easy compassionate manner.

"I love you," whispered Ben. "What would I ever do without you?"

"That, my dear father of five, you will never have to find out."

"…six," smiled Ben.

"Soon to be six," she teased.