This is a longer chapter to make up for the long wait since my last posting. There for a while, the creative juices just were not flowing. Then suddenly, they started flowing like water! Whoo hoo! I just wanted to let you know how I set up the changes in scenes within the chapters of my stories. I use the letter 'o' (for Obi-Wan, wink wink) to signify a change in scene or time frame. When small 'o's are used, they are used to form a break in the story that is pretty normal. When large 'O's are used, that signifies a large jump in time. One of those shows up in this chapter, so be prepared! Thank you so much for your continued interest in the story! :)

ooooo

Time passed, and Obi-Wan did start to feel more and more like his old self. His prescience told him that there would be another encounter with Sidious, though he couldn't tell when it would take place. There was still plenty of time left before another supply trip would be needed, but Obi-Wan knew he would not be ready for another mental struggle with the persistent Sith Master. Someone else had to go. He had discussed it with Raja and Ruwee, and they had agreed wholeheartedly to take over the supply trips.

There were a couple of flight simulators that had been installed in the facility, since knowing how to pilot a ship was an important part of any young Jedi's training. They would prove very helpful. Raja had to start his learning from scratch, and Ruwee needed to brush up on his rudimentary piloting skills. R2 would accompany them on the supply trips and help in any way that was needed.

Padmė, of course, was thrilled that her husband would not be risking himself again. She had made it quite clear that he would only go on another supply trip "over her dead body." Obi-Wan smiled at the memory of his feisty wife making that determined statement. He would have to teach Raja and Ruwee how to spot Imperial ships and personnel (with R2's help, of course), and what to do should any be encountered. It didn't appear that the Empire would spread their influence and control to the Outer Rim anytime soon, but it was best to be prepared for any eventuality.

Knowing that he wouldn't have to deal again with Sidious for a while was a great relief to Obi-Wan. The weight of the repressed memories stilled pressed on him, but not to the degree of a few months ago when he had first returned. He heard the emperor's oily voice less frequently in his dreams now, so he was settling back into a state of normalcy. Obi-Wan was very grateful to the Force that he had this new life – a life he could have never imagined even five years before. He didn't know how he would have made it through the loss of almost everything and everyone he had ever cared about without the support and love of Padmė and the children.

Obi-Wan pressed a gentle kiss to the top of his wife's head, where it was lying on its usual spot on his chest. His heart swelled with love for this wonderful woman who shared his life. Yes, he felt truly blessed. As Padmė stirred to wakefulness, Obi-Wan lifted his head a bit to greet her with a smile. "Good morning."

Bleary, dark eyes blinked up at him, then brightened as she returned the smile. "Good morning." She pressed gentle kisses upon his chest, working her way up his neck before reaching the target of his mouth.

That feeling of contented coziness quickly turned heated as the kiss deepened. Obi-Wan finally broke the kiss, taking in gulps of air. "Feel free...to wake up this way...every morning."

Finally calming her own breathing, Padmė gazed up at him with a wicked smile. "Consider it done." She dove in for another kiss, her hand moving down to the waistband of Obi-Wan's sleep pants. Her hand slipped in to stroke his already half-erect penis.

Obi-Wan arched up into her strokes, quickly reaching full arousal. Not only did he love Padmė as he had loved no other, but she could light a fire in him faster and more frequently than any woman he had been with before. He gasped as Padmė broke off the kiss, threw aside their blankets, and yanked his sleep pants off in one swift motion.

The chilled air that hit Obi-Wan's skin did nothing to lessen the heat between them. Padmė moved to straddle his thighs as she removed her nightgown. She braced one hand on his chest as she moved up to his hips, using the other to hold his length. She sank down on his member with the quickness and familiarity of coming home.

Obi-Wan moaned in ecstasy as his penis was engulfed by that moist, hot sheath. His wife then grabbed his hands and pinned them to the bed as she moved down to attack his mouth. He loved it when Padmė took control like this in bed. He thrilled in knowing that her hunger for him was just as strong as his hunger for her. Obi-Wan interlaced his fingers with his wife's as he let her take them both over the edge.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"I've watched you a long time, my Obi-Wan..."

"I had you in my grasp once, I can have you there again."

"I would deny you nothing, my Obi-Wan."

"I know you better than you think, my apprentice."

"I've been inside your mind."

Obi-Wan awakened with jerk, jostling Padmė from her sleep. He took a few deep, steadying breaths.

"Obi?" His wife's groggy voice was concerned.

"I'm fine, Love. It was just a dream." Obi-Wan hadn't dreamt of Sidious in a long time. It had been ten years now since his last encounter with the Sith Master.

Padmė sat up carefully, her large belly making it difficult. Her husband helped her up and then pulled her close. She ran her fingers through his hair and down the side of his face. "Sidious?"

Sighing heavily, Obi-Wan nodded his agreement. His wife knew him entirely too well. "It's been so long since I dreamt about him. I don't know what could have triggered it."

"Does something necessarily have to trigger it? The subconscious mind has a tendency to do its own thing in its own time for its own reasons."

Arching a brow, Obi-Wan gave his wife a wry smile. "Turned psychologist in your old age?"

Padmė snorted and punched his shoulder. "Don't forget that you're eleven years older than me, husband of mine. And yes," she said primly, "I am a woman of many facets and talents."

"And humility, too." Obi-Wan laughed as Padmė punched his arm again. He settled back and gently stroked her belly. "Perhaps you're right. I certainly can't think of anything lately that would have triggered memories of Sidious."

There was a soft knock at the door. The door opened to reveal Luke's silhouette against the muted light of the hallway. "Dad? Are you alright?"

Smiling at his son, Obi-Wan gestured for the boy to come into the room; which he did after hitting the button to keep the door open. He and Luke shared a strong link, so it didn't surprise him that Luke had felt the emotions evoked in his nightmare. "I'm fine, Luke. Just a bad dream. I'm sorry that I woke you up."

"I don't mind, Dad." Luke moved over and sat down on the edge of his parents' bed. "It felt like more than just a bad dream, though."

"Perceptive, as usual, my son." Obi-Wan took Luke's hand in his. "It WAS more than just a bad dream. It was a reliving of bad memories. But, as you can see, I'm fine now."

Luke graced his father with a skeptical look before turning to his mother. "How are you feeling, Mom?"

"I'm fine, Sweetie. I don't think your new sibling will be making an appearance for another couple of weeks at least."

"If you're sure you're both okay..."

Obi-Wan chuckled as he ruffled his son's hair. "We're fine. Now go back to bed!"

Luke smiled at his parents before giving each a kiss and leaving the room.

Obi-Wan helped Padmė settle back down on the bed. "That's our protective little worry-wart."

Laughing, Padmė snuggled against her husband. "He is, indeed."

Obi-Wan sighed as he settled in for more sleep. Luke was mature for his age of almost fourteen years. He had retained his more reserved personality, but had a healthy dose of brashness. Obi-Wan saw some of Anakin's more worrisome personality traits in Luke – such as his impatience and desire to protect everyone. But they were tempered by a great deal more self-control than his blood father had ever possessed. He was very proud of his oldest son, as he was of all his children.

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The next evening, Padmė watched the activity in the busy kitchen from her perch at the table. Being a communal kitchen and eating area, it had originally contained several small rectangular-shaped tables spaced apart as you would find in most refectories. As their family continued to grow in size, they had to slide more and more of those tables together in order to get one table big enough to accommodate everyone. But one thing she and her mother both insisted on was everyone eating together at one table as a family.

Shaking her head ruefully, Padmė had to marvel at the changes in her life in the almost fourteen years since the Empire took control of the galaxy. She and Obi-Wan now had eight children, with two more on the way. Obi-Wan was the first to sense the two distinct Force presences in her womb. Their medical droid had later confirmed that, yes, they were expecting twins. They both agreed that they would keep it a secret, and let everyone be surprised when the time came for the birth. They also agreed that these two children would be their last. As her husband had joked, they didn't have to single-handedly bring the Jedi Order up to its former numbers.

Due to carrying twins, Padmė was huge and uncomfortable even though she was only just about to enter into her eighth month. Her mother, Sola, Ryoo, Pooja, and Leia had all insisted she rest and not lift a finger. She watched and just admired her family. Leia was quite petite for her age, but looked very much like her mother. Padmė sometimes thought she was just watching a younger version of herself. Though, Leia was a bit...pricklier than she had been. She had a very assertive, even aggressive personality. Leia had finally learned that she had to share her father's time with her other siblings, though she still did it quite grudgingly.

Cordė had turned into a rather exotic beauty. Her long hair was a dark auburn, her skin had Ruwee's olive tone, and her eyes were hazel. The ten-year-old had a sweet disposition, with a core of inner strength very reminiscent of her father. She also worshipped her older sister. Leia seemed to enjoy Cordė's adoration, though she made it clear she didn't want her younger sister always tagging along with her everywhere she went. Cordė's Force abilities were at mid-levels and leaned towards the Living Force, according to Obi-Wan. And she had already shown a great gift for healing.

The name of their third daughter had been chosen by Obi-Wan. Anaria was the Calamarian word for friend, a word Obi-Wan had always found very beautiful and lyrical. He had chosen the name to honor his late friend, Bant. Anaria was starkly different from her older sisters in appearance. She had flaming red hair; pale, porcelain skin with a smattering of freckles; and light blue eyes. Whereas the two older sisters had mainly taken after Padmė's side of the family in physical traits, Anaria very obviously took after Obi-Wan's. The eight-year-old girl had a bubbly, energetic personality, but with a fiery temper to match her hair. Anaria was very strong in the Force – both Living and Unifying – and showed the potential to be a powerful Jedi someday.

Padmė had chosen to name their fourth daughter after her dearest, closest friend, Sabė. Sabė was nearing four years old, with brown hair so dark it was almost black; and beautiful, black eyes framed by really long lashes (the length of which, Padmė admitted to herself with disgust, was inherited from her father and not her mother). Though not old enough to have fully developed her personality, Sabė was very independent and showed the potential to be a quiet, studious girl. Padmė wouldn't be surprised is she grew up to be rather reserved and introspective. Sabė's Force abilities were on the low side – so low, in fact, that she would not have qualified for the old Jedi Order. But as Obi-Wan said, despite the low midichlorian count, she may have abilities not yet discovered.

As for their boys, Luke, being the oldest, had the tendency to be the self-appointed protector of the entire brood. With his dirty blonde hair and pale skin, he couldn't be more physically different than his younger brother, Garen. Garen had an olive complexion, dark brown hair, dark blue eyes, and his father's cleft chin. Padmė could tell already that he was going to grow up into a ruggedly handsome man. And much to Luke's dismay, Garen – who was younger than Luke by almost two years – was the same height as his older brother. Padmė couldn't help but feel a bit guilty. Despite the height of their blood father, both Luke and Leia had taken after her in the negligible height department. Though Garen was not nearly as strong in the Force as Luke, he was adept at reading emotion in way Luke could not. Out of all the children, Garen was the only one who showed abilities as an empath.

Mace was their third son. (Padmė had nixed the idea of naming one of their sons after Qui-Gon.) Mace was going on six years old, with brown hair just a shade lighter than Garen's. He had his mother's brown eyes and his father's pale complexion. Like several of his siblings, he ironically shared many characteristics of his namesake. Mace was an intense little boy, keenly intelligent, very loyal, strong in the Unifying Force, and seemed to be able to discern patterns (or shatterpoints, as Mace Windu had called them) in the very fabric of the Force.

Rafe was temporarily their youngest child at eighteen months. He was named in honor of Obi-Wan's friend, Reeft. Padme, though wanting to honor her husband's late friend, hadn't cared for the name all that much. So, they had agreed to modify it to a more palatable version. Rafe had reddish-blonde hair a shade lighter than his father, dark green eyes, and a pale complexion. Though too young to yet have developed really distinct character traits, he was a well-behaved, happy toddler who had just recently learned to walk.

Coming out of her introspection, Padmė's eyes turn to her husband as he enters the room. Now fifty-two years old, his hair was starting to gray a bit at the temples, and lines were showing around his eyes and his mouth. But he was still a startlingly beautiful man – fit and energetic. In Padmė's admittedly biased opinion, Obi-Wan just got better and better looking with every year that passed.

Upon seeing her, Obi-Wan breaks into that megawatt smile of his and makes a beeline for her. Yes, she is truly blessed.