CHAPTER SIX
Padmé and Anakin were still working on the living quarters of their new children.
They had decided to give Luke and Leia separate rooms; in that case, if either one of them were to cry in the middle of the night, he or she wouldn't wake the other twin up.
Padmé was standing in the doorway to Luke's room. She had her hand up to her chin, studying the room intently.
Anakin came up from behind carrying a box filled with bed sheets.
"I still can't decide where to keep the crib…" Padmé told her husband.
From the doorway of Luke's room, one could see the bustling city of Coruscant from the balcony fixated on the opposite wall. There was a bed on the right and a refresher on the left.
Anakin sighed and laid the box on the floor, "I told you, we can keep the bed where it is. We'll just put the crib next to the 'fresher."
Padmé bit her lip, "But it would be cramped."
Anakin groaned, "That's how we did it in Leia's room!"
Padmé tilted her head, studying the room, "Leia's room was…slightly more…spacious."
Anakin threw his hands up in defeat, "Do what you want, Padmé."
"Where are the twins?" Padmé asked after a moment.
"Leia is sleeping and Luke is downstairs with Threepio."
Padmé sighed, "Anakin, my parents are going to be here any minute now."
Anakin nodded, "I have to leave soon anyway. I'm going to the Temple for a Council meeting."
"Are you going to tell them about us?" Padmé asked.
Anakin nodded, "It'll be fine."
Padmé engulfed Anakin in a hug, "I hope so."
After Anakin left, Padmé went downstairs to feed her son. She was sitting on the couch, her son in her lap. She was simply contemplating life. What was going to happen to her? What was going to happen to her family?
Before she could think anymore, the doorbell rang.
Padmé went to answer the door, carrying her infant son.
As the door slid open, it revealed Ruwee, Jobal, and Sola Naberrie.
"Padmé?" Padmé's mother asked, her voice filled with shock and eyes widened.
Padmé's father seemed to be equally shocked. Sola, however, had a huge grin plastered on her face.
She stepped in the apartment, "Oh my goodness!" She took Padmé's son right from her arms.
Padmé sighed.
The family walked into the living room, with the baby boy in Sola's arms. She was snuggling him.
Jobal and Ruwee walked in, staring at Padmé strangely.
"What's going on, Padmé?" Her mother asked, "All of a sudden, the news is filled with all sorts of things. Palpatine is dead, you gave birth?"
"Padmé, we didn't even know you were pregnant!" Padmé's father said, hurt.
Padmé sighed, "I'm sorry mother…father… I-I couldn't."
"You couldn't tell us? Why not?" Jobal demanded.
"Who's the father?" Ruwee asked suspiciously.
Padmé closed her eyes, exhausted.
"He's so adorable! I've always wanted a boy!" Sola said happily, not paying attention to her family's conversation. "What's his name?"
Padmé smiled tiredly, "Luke."
"Ah, Luke!" Sola exclaimed, nuzzling her nephew. "I vow to love him forever! What's his last name?"
Padmé frowned, "Amidala."
"Where's his birth certificate?" Ruwee demanded.
"I don't have one… yet." Padmé bit her lip.
"Padmé, how long was this a secret? Nine months?" Jobal said, "Do you know what people will begin saying? You're unfit to hold the position of senator! They'll think you're irresponsible, having an illegitimate child!"
"He is not an illegitimate child!" Padmé insisted.
"Again, who is the father?" Ruwee asked.
"My husband!" Padmé said strongly.
"You're married too?" Jobal asked, flabbergasted.
"Mother, I can't…" Padmé moaned.
"You can't tell us? What is going on?" Jobal asked.
"Who is this man?" Ruwee demanded.
"Father, please!" Padmé cried.
"Is there a crib for him?" Sola asked happily, oblivious to the family's fighting.
Padmé sighed, "Upstairs in his room."
"Aw…" Sola smiled. She went upstairs with Padmé closely following behind. Ruwee and Jobal glanced at each other and then sighed and followed their daughters upstairs.
Sola found and went into Luke's new room which had simply been an empty room before. She located the crib and laid the infant in it. She smiled down at the baby, "He was falling asleep in my arms… He's the most gorgeous baby I've ever seen. I want a boy now!"
Padmé smiled at her older sister and then glanced down at her son, "He almost never falls asleep unless someone is holding him."
Sola chuckled, "Oh, a spoiled child. Don't let this up or then he will never leave you alone."
Jobal watched her grandson and then looked at Padmé, "Let us stay with you for a few weeks, to help you take care of Luke and everything."
Padmé looked up at her mother hopefully, "Would you really?"
Sola clapped her hands together, "Of course! Dad will probably have to go back to work, though."
Ruwee nodded, "I'll have to get back after a couple days. But, Padmé, this isn't good. We need to straighten things out."
"Believe me, Dad, I am." Padmé answered, "I am waiting for something—a comm call perhaps—that will change my life forever. I just need to—"
Padmé was interrupted by the burst of crying coming from the other room. "Leia…" Padmé muttered.
Sola widened her eyes, "There's two?"
The Naberries followed Padmé into the next room and watched her pick up an infant girl.
"You had twins?" Jobal cried.
"Oh my…" Sola muttered.
Padmé held the baby girl in her hands, ignoring her flustered parents.
"Padmé, why couldn't you tell us? You knew we'd find out eventually!" Jobal cried.
Padmé sighed and gave her daughter to Sola, whom was holding her arms out eagerly.
"Padmé…" Jobal began.
"What?" Padmé snapped.
Jobal didn't say anything.
"Look, mother," Padmé began, "I know it was wrong to keep this from you, but I had no other choice. I promise, once everything is figured out, I will tell you everything."
"Once what is figured out?" Ruwee asked.
"Padmé, please, just tell us what is going on." Sola said.
"Are you afraid someone might be after your children?" Ruwee asked.
Padmé frowned, "No, why would you say that?
Ruwee shrugged, "It is not uncommon for a senator's children to be kidnapped for a ransom."
Padmé rolled her eyes, "That is the least of my worries right now."
Before Ruwee could respond, the ringing tone of Padmé's comlink sounded.
Padmé was about to set Leia down until Ruwee shook his hand, "I'll get it."
Ruwee went down the flight of stairs to the main room and found Padmé's comlink on the sofa. He picked it up and glanced at the caller ID. It read "Anakin Skywalker."
Ruwee frowned. He knew that Padmé and Anakin were friends, but what was so important that Anakin had to call Padmé at such a late hour?
Ruwee answered the comm, "Hello?"
There was a pause at the other line, "Is Senator Amidala there?"
"She is occupied at the moment." Ruwee replied, "Can I take a message?"
"Oh, uh, yes." Anakin stuttered on the other side of the line, "Do you mind telling me who I'm speaking with?"
"I'm Padmé's father." Ruwee said.
The line on the other end was silent for a moment, "Hello, Mr. Naberrie. Could you please just tell the Senator that Anakin Skywalker needs to talk to her?"
"It would be my pleasure." Ruwee said, not able to shake off the feeling that something suspicious may be going on.
"Thank you. It was a pleasure speaking with you."
"You too, Master Skywalker." Ruwee said just before ending the call.
Ruwee went back upstairs, thinking hard.
He entered Leia's room, which happened to be directly adjacent to Luke's.
Jobal was standing near the window with Leia in her arms and rocking her to sleep. Sola and Padmé were just standing next to the empty crib, conversing. They looked up once their father entered the room.
"Who was it?" Padmé asked.
Ruwee scratched the top of his head, "Uh, Anakin Skywalker."
Padmé's eyes almost popped out of her skull, but then she quickly regained composure. "I see."
Ruwee frowned at his daughter, "He asked me to tell you to call him. What do you think he wants?"
Padmé bit her lip, "Probably wants to see how I'm doing. I mean, we are friends."
"Just friends?" Sola asked skeptically, remembering the time three years ago when Anakin and Padmé showed up at the Naberrie house. At the time, Padmé needed protecting by Anakin from a mysterious assassin. But now…
"Yes, just friends." Padmé said in a completely mono-tone voice, "We were both greatly affected by Palpatine's deception, so we thought we could try to get through it together."
Ruwee nodded. That makes sense, he thought. "So tell us more about what happened, since you seem to know so much."
Padmé rolled her eyes. She went over to sit on the full-sized bed that was in Leia's room. Sola followed suit. Ruwee sat in a rocking-chair near the crib. Jobal continued rocking the baby, but moved her attention over to her youngest daughter.
"Well," Padmé said, unsure of how to begin. "The truth is, it all started with Anakin…"
Padmé told a very censored story, starting from the very beginning. She started with the kidnapping of Chancellor Palpatine. She told them all about how he was a Sith in disguise, and how Anakin had discovered this and reported it to the Jedi Council.
"Anakin confided all of this information with me before he went to the Council." Padmé said. She couldn't tell her parents about what Anakin had actually come to her about. When Anakin learned about Palpatine's treachery, the first thing that came to his mind was to tell Mace Windu. But then, he was afraid that if he told Windu, Windu might kill him. Anakin came to Padmé first.
Padmé paused for a moment, remembering the entire ordeal…
Anakin's speeder just landed on the platform. Padmé rushed out as quickly as she could. He ran over and embraced her. If only they could remain like this forever, they both thought.
"What's going on, Anakin?" Padmé asked, unable to shake the feeling that something terrible was about to happen.
Anakin looked down on the ground. His arms fell from around Padmé to his sides.
"It's the Chancellor…"
She looked at up him. The expression on his face was distressed.
"He's a Sith. Not just any Sith… He's the one behind this whole entire war…"
Her jaw fell. Palpatine? No…
"Anakin," Padmé said, my voice shaking, "What are you going to do?"
Anakin shook his head, "I don't know… I need to tell Master Windu."
She nodded, "What will you say?"
Anakin took a deep breath, "The same thing I told you, I suppose."
Padmé nodded again, "Be careful, Anakin."
Anakin frowned, "What do you mean?"
Padmé pursed her lips. Anakin frowned, did she know something? The only reason Anakin was holding back from telling Windu about Palpatine was because of Padmé.
"Just…" Padmé said, unsure of what she wanted to say. "Just be careful."
"You already said that." Anakin said with a hint of a smile on his face.
Padmé rolled her eyes, "Ani, I'm being serious. Palpatine is bad, I can feel it. None of the other senators are happy with him. And if what you are saying is true, then you must stop him. He's been in office too long."
"But he has the power to save you, Padmé." Anakin said quietly.
Padmé stared at Anakin for the longest time, "I don't want to be saved by a Sith. I'd rather die."
Anakin just stared at his wife, not revealing any inner emotions. He took a deep breath.
They didn't say much to one another after that. Anakin had to go on his way.
Padmé saw him later that night when he came to tell her about what he had done, and how Mace Windu had told him he saved the republic. She had never been more proud of her Jedi husband.
And then much later that night, she gave birth.
"Padmé?" Sola said, noticing her sister was quiet for some time now.
Padmé shook her head. She looked around the room. Everyone was looking at her, expecting her to continue with her story.
"Well, Anakin told me about Palpatine, I told him he had to tell the Council. So he did."
"Then what?" Ruwee asked.
"Then Mace Windu and a couple of other Jedi went up to Palpatine's office to arrest him. Anakin was right though, Palpatine was a Sith. He killed all the other Jedi except Windu."
Jobal stopped rocking Leia in her arms.
Sola covered her mouth.
Ruwee frowned, "He killed them all?"
Padmé nodded sadly, "Kit Fitso, Agen Kolar, and Saesee Tiin. Anakin came just in time before Windu was slain."
Jobal let out a deep sigh and raised her eyebrows, "Wow…"
Sola nodded, "What a hero" she chuckled.
Padmé rolled her eyes, "Yes, well that's all that happened."
Ruwee raised an eyebrow, "That's all?"
Padmé nodded. She hated lying to her family.
Jobal went back to rocking Leia, "Well what about the twins?"
Padmé nodded, "Well, Bail came over later that night. He was in the Executive Building at the time when it happened. He was in his own office though. He rushed over here to tell me, but then… Well, I started going into labor. He took to me the hospital as quickly as he could."
Jobal smiled, "I've always like him. How is his wife? Is she still ill?"
Padmé nodded ruefully, "I love Breha so much, but I'm so scared for her."
Jobal nodded, pursing her lips.
Sola went over next to her mother. She beamed down at baby Leia. "She has such beautiful hair. Why is it so thick? Luke has barely any!"
Padmé smiled, "Luke is blonde."
Sola squealed, "I love blonde boys!"
Jobal frowned, "We don't have any blonde people in our family… Padmé, please, who is the father?"
Padmé just took a deep breath and ignored the question.
So this chapter focused more on Padme. Not much happened I guess, now that I think about it... It was mostly just character development or whatever you want to call it. The next chapter will probably be more Anakin-oriented and plot-forming. Sorry it took forver to update! I wanted to update this story the same time I updated my other fic, The Apprentice. I don't want it to sound like I'm advertising my other story or anything... but that's basically what I'm doing. You should check it out! Hopefully I'll be updating more frequently from now on :)