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Padme looked up as Obi-Wan entered, pushing a crib full of baby supplies in front of him. He had been gone quite a while. Looking at his face and his bloodshot eyes, she could tell that he had been crying. She felt some relief at that knowledge. Obi-Wan had kept his feelings bottled up for too long. He had been strong for everyone else long enough. "Thank you, Obi-Wan."
"You're welcome," he replied softly as he situated the crib against the wall.
Padme got up from the bed with Luke and placed him in Obi-Wan's arms. She went back and scooped up Leia. "Will you show me around?"
"Of course." Obi-Wan walked out into the hallway. He paused as Yoda came hobbling in their direction.
"Getting settled, are you?"
Padme gave Yoda a small smile. "Slowly, but surely. Obi-Wan was about to give me the official tour."
"Join you, I will."
They first went to the large kitchen, where C3PO and R2D2 were putting away supplies provided by Bail Organa. From there, they encountered the large training room, which was fully equipped with training droids and probes, lightsabers, as well as other equipment. There was a separate exercise room with all different kinds of exercise machines and paraphernalia. There was even a small, unfilled pool.
They came across a room set aside for a meditation garden. Hundreds of different seed types were in storage, ready to be planted. This was something that greatly excited Yoda, who loved to garden. They found the medical facility, which was already stocked. They had brought along a medical droid to staff it, thanks again to the insistence of Bail Organa. The last place they toured was the large communal living area. There were two large, curved sofas and several recliners in the open, two-story tall room. The main focus of the room was the grand fireplace in the center of the far wall.
Padme was quite impressed with the facility. It lacked the beauty and the grandeur of the Jedi Temple, but it could easily be comfortable enough to call home. She had enjoyed the tour, except for when they passed by the infant nursery and the toddler room. That moment had been hard on all of them. Padme had noticed Yoda's ears droop and Obi-Wan's jaw tighten – subtle signs of the loss felt by these two Jedi.
When they returned to Padme's room, Yoda stopped and looked up at her. "What think you, Padme?"
"I think the place is amazing. The children and I will be very comfortable here."
"Glad you like it, I am. Obi-Wan?"
"I'm very impressed, Master. It's a fine facility." Obi-Wan couldn't exactly muster much in the way of enthusiasm. All the tour had done was remind him of the original purpose of this place, and how truly empty it was. A heavy melancholy had settled in his heart.
Yoda glanced at Padme and gave Obi-Wan a knowing look. This was what he had sensed about their future. This was the time for them help each other heal. "Tell C3PO to start dinner, I will. Have him notify you when it is ready, I will."
"Thank you, Master."
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Padme lay down on her bed next to her sleeping infants. She was waiting for Obi-Wan to get back from the nursery with a couple of rocking chairs. She didn't like the idea of him going back to a place that caused him so much pain, but he had insisted that rocking chairs were a must with infants. He was probably right. Obi-Wan had more experience with babies than she did.
Obi-Wan walked in a few minutes later with two floating, wooden rocking chairs in front of him.
Padme smiled at the sight. "The Force really does come in handy, doesn't it?"
"Yes, it does." Obi-Wan gave her a small, quick smile. He still was feeling melancholy. Now that they were finally here in their permanent home, the weight of everything was pushing him down. He walked over to the other side of the bed and carefully sat down next to the still-slumbering infants. Obi-Wan gently stroked Leia's tiny fist. Maybe he could take solace in these two new lives and their possibilities for the future – a future the babies at the Jedi Temple had been denied.
Padme watched Obi-Wan with a heavy heart. His grief was palpable. She wanted to help him so badly! But would he let her? Padme decided that she HAD to try. She went over and sat down beside him.
Obi-Wan looked up when Padme took hold of his hand. Her chocolate eyes were pools of concern and mutual pain. With her other hand she stroked the side of his bearded face. Obi-Wan searched her eyes for…what? For help? For hope? For love? He couldn't say. But as she pulled him into her embrace, he knew this was what he needed. He needed the comfort and warmth she always radiated. As the oppressing and numbing blanket of sorrow started to lift, the tears began to fall. There were no sobs this time, just silent tears of heartache and loss.
Padme held on to Obi-Wan as tight as she could. No words were necessary. Just being held by each other right now was enough. Her own tears were wetting his tunic, as his were wetting hers. They were together. They had each other. They could get through this! After a while, Obi-Wan started to pull away. Padme took in his wet face and his red eyes. She lovingly wiped the tear tracks from his face and gave him a soft kiss.
Obi-Wan smiled softly at Padme. "Thank you."
"You don't have to thank me, Obi-Wan. Anytime you need to talk or just have some company, I'm here."
"I know that. And the same goes for you. I'll take the room right next to yours so…"
"No!" Padme bit her lip, surprised by the intensity of her reaction. She continued in a softer tone. "Please stay here with us, Obi-Wan. I…I really need your company right now." Padme implored him with her eyes.
Obi-Wan could not say no to her. "Alright, Padme, I'll stay."
Padme released the breath she'd been holding. "Thank you. I'm sure Luke and Leia will love having you close at hand. They're already rather attached to you."
Looking down at the babies, Obi-Wan chuckled softly. "How can you tell when all they do is sleep?"
"A mother can tell."
Obi-Wan turned back to Padme. So much had changed…including her. She was a mother now. He had known she would make a great mother when he had seen how good she was with James, Devin and Kira. Obi-Wan smiled as he took her hand in his. "You're a wonderful mother, Padme."
Padme was deeply touched by the sincerity written on Obi-Wan's face. Her mouth quirked upward playfully. "How can you tell when I've only been a mother for a few days?"
"A man can tell." Obi-Wan reciprocated her playful smile. He looked down at the infants a moment later. "I think Leia is about to wake up. She's hungry."
"Now I'm really glad you're staying here. You can be my 'unhappy baby alert.'" Padme grinned as she picked Leia up and moved to one of the rocking chairs.
"I'll do my best." Obi-Wan quickly averted his gaze as Padme unbuttoned her top to nurse Leia. He busied himself with Luke, who was also starting to wake up. He picked up the infant and rested him on his shoulder. Obi-Wan rubbed Luke's small back in gentle circles as he used the Force to soothe him. He smiled as the infant let out soft cooing sounds.
"I told you that they would love having you around." Padme gladly took in the sight of Obi-Wan and Luke. She marveled at the contented sounds coming from her son. Obi-Wan was a natural with children of all ages.
"I'm cheating. I'm using the Force."
"That isn't cheating, that's using the available resources."
Obi-Wan smiled over at Padme. "Ever the politician."
Padme snorted. "Coming from you, I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult." She shook her head in exasperation when Obi-Wan gave her an amused look that said, 'I'm not going to tell you, either.'
When Leia was done eating, Padme handed her over to Obi-Wan in exchange for Luke. As Luke settled in to eat, Padme looked over at Obi-Wan. He was now seated in the other rocking chair with an already-slumbering Leia. She found herself wondering again what the future would hold for all of them. Would Obi-Wan desire to be a father to Luke and Leia? Would he desire to act like a husband to her? Padme's heart thrilled at the thought. Obi-Wan suddenly looked over at her, as though hearing her unspoken questions.
Obi-Wan looked over at Padme, questions suddenly filling his mind. What would life here mean for them? Should he be acting like a father to Luke and Leia? What would happen between him and Padme now that there was no Anakin and no Jedi Order? Obi-Wan felt a bit of excitement at the possibilities, along with trepidation and confusion. Whatever did happen, they needed to give themselves time – time to mourn and time to heal.
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Obi-Wan stood in the fresher that night brushing his teeth. Bail Organa had been so generous in giving them the supplies they would need to survive here. The man had thought of everything – even the need for tooth brushes, toothpaste and sleeping attire. It amazed him how he had managed to get all the right supplies together in such a short time. Obi-Wan counted himself blessed in having an ally like Bail Organa in these dark times.
Obi-Wan walked out of the fresher as Padme was laying Luke in the crib beside his sister. He walked over to gaze down at the tiny siblings. As many infants as he had seen through the years, it never ceased to amaze him just how tiny they were! He reached down and lightly brushed his thumb over delicate little fingers.
Padme found herself falling in love with Obi-Wan all over again. The look of child-like awe on his face was one of the most endearing pictures she had ever witnessed. Even with that confounded beard, he could still look like an innocent boy, or even an angel. "Are you an angel?" A very young Anakin had asked her that once. She almost wanted to utter the question to her current companion. Instead, Padme just stood back and enjoyed the beauty of the scene – the beauty of the man she loved.
Obi-Wan finally looked up from his perusal of the precious, little forms in the crib. "I suppose we'd better get some sleep." He walked over to the side of the bed closest to the crib. If he could sense Luke or Leia about to wake up, maybe he could get out of bed without disturbing Padme. They had some baby formula, so he would just use that if they should wake up hungry.
Padme got in on the other side of the bed, fully aware of why Obi-Wan had chosen the side he did. She wondered if he even knew what it meant to think of himself first. He needed to get a good night's sleep. He hadn't slept much at all since this whole mess started. In fact, he probably hadn't slept much since leaving to confront General Grievous.
As Padme settled in beside Obi-Wan, she wondered briefly if he would mind if she cuddled up to him. The strong need to be in his arms quickly overrode any hesitation. She scooted close to him and rested her head on his chest. A triumphant smile appeared on her face as Obi-Wan put his arm around her and held her close. Padme fell asleep to the comforting sound of his beating heart.