Chapter 17

The fragrant aroma of waffles and nerf sausages wafted through the house as Luna poured boiling water into the tea pot. On the table was a bowl of cut jogan fruit and a small carafe of freshly squeezed muja juice. All night, a feeling of restlessness urgency kept waking her up. There were a million things she kept thinking of to do before the baby arrived. Finally, not wanting to wake up her poor husband, she got out of bed and scrubbed the stovetop until it gleamed. Then the floor needed sweeping and the furniture needed dusting. By the time the suns came up the house sparkled with cleanliness and, since there seemed to be nothing else to do, she began cooking breakfast.

Before long, a sleepy shirtless Obi-Wan stumbled out of the bedroom and looked at the bountifully laden table with suprise. "It smells wonderful out here. Are those homemade waffles?" he asked eyeing the overflowing platter. "I didn't even know we had a waffle iron."

"I got one a few weeks ago. Could you get out the poptree syrup please?"

He opened the cupboard and looked around for a few moments before asking in a confused voice, "I don't see any. Did you reorganize the cabinets?"

"Oh! Yes. Sorry, I forgot. I put it on the top shelf."

"How long have you been up?" he looked rather concerned as he handed down the syrup.

"Hours. I couldn't sleep. Tea?" she poured some into his favorite cup and held it out.

"Yes, thank you. Well, I'm sorry you couldn't sleep, but this looks fantastic." he said as he sat down at the table and happily began forking sausages onto his plate.

"What are your plans today?" Luna asked as she finally sat down. The dull ache in her back was really beginning to intensify after the mornings exertions and it felt good to be off her feet.

"I thought I would try contacting Qui-Gon again. With all the work that had to be done on the addition, we have gotten rather behind on our lessons." He speared a chunk of waffle and chewed it thoughtfully. "Do you suppose it will happen today?"

"The baby? I don't know. I'm beginning to doubt it's ever coming." Luna sighed as she rubbed her belly absently and was rewarded by a sharp kick. She had tried everything she could think of from long walks to sex to spicy foods in order to speed things up but to no avail. Suddenly an idea occurred to her. "Hey! Couldn't you give a little Force suggestion to get things moving?"

He shook his head. "I wish I could my dear, but I doubt it would work. The doctor did say that first babies are sometimes a bit late. It's probably best to just let nature take it's course."

She grumbled unhappily and pushed a bite of fruit back and forth with her plate. "I suppose you're right. Well, have fun with Qui-Gon. I'm going to clean this up and then do some reading."

"You will tell me if anything happens, won't you Luna." he asked anxiously. "I can stay here if you think it would be best."

She laughed. He could be so sweet sometimes. "Go! You haven't seen Qui-Gon in a long time and you should have your lesson. If anything happens you'll be the first to know. I promise."

He didn't look totally convinced, but he agreed anyway. "Alright. I'll be right outside though. Call me if you need anything."

She assured him that she would and he went off to shower and get on with the day. Meanwhile, she cleaned up the breakfast dishes and wiped down the table stopping now and then to stretch. Her lower back was still aching painfully. When everything was in it's proper place, she found her data pad and pulled up the novel she had been reading.

All morning, she tried to read but by early afternoon found she was still on the same page and had made no progress. Sighing, she got up from the sofa and wandered around the house eventually finding herself in the nursery. She stood by the window and looked out at the desert.

"Are you ever coming out to meet us?" Luna asked, looking down as she gently rubbed circles on her belly. A twinge of lower back pain was her only answer. She walked over to the crib and fingered the stars on the mobil wondering about the changes this child would bring to their lives.

Back on the sofa, she tried again to make herself focus on her book when a wave of pain radiated from her back around to the front of her abdomen. It was stronger than before and did not dissipate when she moved.

"Maybe you're finally ready to make your appearance, little one." Luna glanced at the chrono and approximately 20 minutes later another spasm of pain began. Perhaps this was it. She walked over to the open window and looked out at Obi-Wan who was sitting crosslegged on a rock not far from the house. He was deep in meditation. Qui-Gon stood next to him, and placed a glowing blue hand on his shoulder.

From what the doctor had told her, there was no way of knowing how long the first stages of labor could last. So far it was nothing she couldn't handle on her own and, knowing that it could be a very long time before any real action started, she decided to let Obi-Wan finish his lesson before disturbing him.

Within a few hours, the contractions were getting much closer together and significantly more painful. After a powerful one left her sweating and panting for breath, she decided it was time to call the midwife who had been assigned to her. Once the call was placed, she slowly waddled to the door of the hut and called out.

"Ben!" He looked over at her and suddenly another contraction hit causing her to grasp the door jam for support. Force, it hurt! "Ben, I think this is it!" He leapt from the rock where he'd been sitting with a panic stricken look on his face and began sprinting across the sand. Behind him Qui-Gon smiled at his retreating form. As she looked up he caught her eye and waved and suddenly a voice she had never heard before reverberated through her head.

May the Force be with you, Luna.

…

"Why didn't you come get me sooner!?" Obi-Wan cried when he reached the house.

Luna paced back and forth and then turned to face him. "I didn't want to interrupt your lesson. You didn't really miss much. Just a lot of swearing and, oh…Ben!" She squeezed her eyes shut and visibly tensed, her face contorted with pain. He immediately took her in his arms and held her until it was over.

"Shhh…" he stroked her sweaty hair back from her forehead and rubbed circles on her back. "Did you call the midwife yet?"

"Yes. She should be here anytime."

As if on cue there was a knock at the door. He answered it with a sigh of relief as he let the midwife in. She was a short, chubby woman with gray hair and a friendly smile who bustled into the room with purpose and immediately set about assessing the situation.

"Hello there Luna." she said as she put the medical bag she was carrying on the table and then turned to face Obi-Wan. "You must be Ben! It's so nice to finally meet you." She held out her hand and he shook it immediately noticing a warm sense of peace and calm wash over his jangled nerves. "I'm Belma" she smiled and he wondered if she had any idea she was Force sensitive. Probably not, he mused but he suddenly felt much more confident in her abilities as a healer.

Belma turned to Luna, "Alright, my dear. I need to have a look at you. How long has it been since the first pains started?" They headed into the bedroom. He was a bit unsure what to do. Should he go in? Should he leave her alone to complete the exam in private? What was the correct procedure for such matters, he wondered? A few seconds later Belma stuck her head out of the bedroom.

"You can come in if you like. No need to be shy at this stage in the game." she winked at him and giggled when he blushed from head to toe and rushed in to the room. Luna was propped up against the pillows with a sheet covering the lower half of her body. He pulled up a chair next to the bed and took her hand as Belma pushed up the sheet and did a quick exam.

When it was over she sat up and replaced the sheet. "You're not quite fully dilated yet, so it will be a little longer but everything looks normal and is progressing well. Try to relax and rest between contractions. I'm going to check that my things are in order and will be back in a little while to see how you're doing."

A few hours later and nothing much had changed except the pain had intensified and Luna was growing increasingly tired. Another contraction hit and she cried out in agony. Obi-Wan was trying his level best to be supportive and helpful but he didn't know what to do and when she wailed as another contraction tore through her body, he felt tears well up in his own eyes. He'd do anything including face the horrors of Mustifar again if only he could do something to ease her pain.

The only other time he'd ever witnessed a human birth was on Polis Massa. Images of Padme screaming and crying while her life slowly slipped away returned to his mind. What should have been the happiest day of her life had ended in tragedy. Her anguish and subsequent death had been one of the saddest chapters in the whole story of Anakin's fall. It was a memory he had purposely locked away in an unused corner of his mind hoping never to think of again. Now it all came rushing back.

What if the same thing happened to Luna? What if she died here tonight? Just the thought made it seem as if all the air had been sucked out of the room. Fear seized him and cold fingers of darkness gripped his heart. In a moment of rare clarity, he felt as if he finally understood Anakin's choice to embrace the dark side. Would he have been able to withstand the temptation of life-saving knowledge Palpatine had dangled before his old friend in the same situation? He hoped so, but honestly couldn't say. Obviously the things Darth Vader had done since then were inexcusable and had twisted him into something monstrously evil, but the original motivation for his actions, a desire to save the woman he loved, had been noble. In an instant, all the anger and resentment he had harbored towards Anakin evaporated and he forgave him.

Soon after his revelation, Belma came in and decided the moment had finally come. It was time to welcome their baby into the world. Obi-Wan slipped behind Luna and held her up as she leaned against him.

"Alright my dear. Push!" Belma encouraged. Luna gritted her teeth and bore down as hard as she could.

"Again with the next contraction." She gasped and tried again. This went on for several more minutes until Luna collapsed against him in exhaustion.

"I can't! I can't do anymore!" she sobbed as her face crumpled and tears began streaming down her cheeks.

You're almost done Luna! Don't give up now." cheered Belma.

"You can do this my strong, brave girl! I know you can!" he kissed the top of her head and reached out through the Force offering her his own strength. He felt her weakly latch on and suddenly she found the willpower to try once more. With her last ounce of energy she pushed with all her might and from the foot of the bed there came a strong, lusty cry.

Luna's face instantly brightened and she smiled at him through the tears. "Oh, Ben!"

"You did it, my darling! You really did it!" He kissed her joyously, his tears mingled with hers.

Belma cradled the infant as she wiped it's face and wrapped it in a soft blanket. She smiled as she laid the still squalling baby in Luna's arms.

"It's a girl!"

…

Obi-Wan sat in the window seat cradling his sleeping daughter in his arms. Outside the soft light of dawn began to turn the sky a rosy pink. He glanced over at Luna who was fast asleep after the exhausting ordeal she had endured and felt an overwhelming sense of love and gratitude for her. Just then the tiny bundle in his arms squirmed.

"Hello there, little one. You've had a busy day and it's only just beginning!" He smiled down at her as she quietly stared at him with a serious look. She had a full head of dark brown hair, long thick eyelashes, and a cupid's bow mouth like Luna, but her expressive blue eyes belonged to him. Her Force signature was achingly pure and innocent and so very, very bright.

"I love you." he whispered and sent waves of comfort and acceptance through the bond that was already forming between them. Even though he knew it was probably just an involuntary reaction, she smiled up at him sweetly and his heart melted.

"Good morning." He started, not realizing Luna had woken up and was gazing at the two of them with interest.

"How are you feeling, my darling?" He asked, hoping she was on the mend now that it was all over. He had sat up after she fell asleep and tried some Force healing.

"Better. Not great, but a lot better." she answered, wincing as she pulled herself into a sitting position. He came over and joined her on the bed.

"What do you want to name her?" he asked as handed her the baby.

"I thought of a lot of names before she was born, but now that she's here, none of them seem to fit." her eyebrows drew together in a frown.

"I have an idea." He said shyly. He'd been thinking about it for weeks now, but didn't want to suggest it in case she already had her heart set on something else.

"What?" she asked curiously.

"Qui-Gon had a great impact on my life and was like a father to me. I never would have become a Jedi if he hadn't come along when he did. How about Jinn?"

"Jinn." she said thoughtfully and smiled, gently stroking the baby's downy soft head. "Jinn Kenobi." The baby made a gurgling sound as if to respond to her new name.

"I love it." Luna nodded happily. "It's perfect."