Chapter 24
The trip to Tatooine was a long one, and once the twins had grown tired of exploring their new environment, they both fell asleep.
"Too much excitement," Padmé commented as she and Anakin tucked Luke and Leia into their bunks.
Anakin nodded. "I can relate," he said.
Padmé smiled. "Are you nervous?" she asked as they returned to the ship's cockpit.
"Yes," Anakin said. "I haven't been to Tatooine since my mother died," he said. "It'll be hard going back."
"I'm sure it will," she said. "Will you go see your step father?"
Anakin shook his head. "I'm sure I'm the last person he'd want to see," he said. "No doubt he knows all about how I've spent the past two years."
Padmé nodded. "But you're not Darth Vader anymore," she reminded him. "Don't forget that."
Anakin looked at her. "I know," he said. "But I was," he said. "And he is still inside me, lurking. I'm doing my best to keep him at bay, but I know he's not completely gone. I wonder if he ever will be."
His words chilled Padmé, but she didn't reply. In truth, she didn't know what to say to such a declaration.
Anakin had purchased a large homestead just outside of Mos Espa. It hadn't been lived in several years, and he knew that it would need some work. But he was prepared to do what was necessary, and had brought plenty of provisions to make the renovations needed.
As they entered into orbit over Tatooine, a thousand memories flashed through Anakin's mind. He stared wordlessly at the huge brown orb for a few moments. Padmé could see how emotional Anakin was, and put her hand on his shoulder.
"This is where we met," she reminded him. "Remember that day?"
Anakin turned to her and smiled. "How could I not?" he asked. "It was the day I met my angel."
Padmé smiled. "And I called you a strange little boy, do you remember?"
Anakin nodded. "Yes, I remember," he said with a laugh. "I just wanted to make some sort of impression on you. I guess I did."
"You did," she said. She kissed his cheek. "Come on," she said. "Time to make new memories."
Anakin landed the cruiser on the property near the homestead. They stepped outside, assaulted immediately by the oppressive heat of the twins suns.
"I'd forgotten how hot it is here," Padmé said.
Anakin smiled. "You get used to it," he said, picking up Leia. "Let's go see how bad this place is."
The house large by Tatooine standards, but quite small compared to Padmé's cottage on Naboo. Made of adobe, it showed signs of sand damage to the small windows and surface. The house had 2 small bedrooms and one bathroom, an eat in kitchen and a family room. There was a cellar underground that housed shelves and a power generator. There was a small garage, not unlike that of the Lars homestead. Two beat up looking swoop bikes were in the garage, as well as a disorganized jumble of tools and equipment.
"Well, it could be worse," Anakin said looking at his wife with a smile.
Padmé nodded. "It's going to be fine," she said, linking her arm through his. "It will take some cleaning up, but it will be lovely when we're finished."
Anakin appreciated his wife's optimism and put his arm around her. "Yes, it will," he said.
Anakin and Padmé spent the better part of the day cleaning and doing small repairs as Threepio and Artoo Detoo watched Luke and Leia on board the cruiser. And when the twin suns set, Anakin and Padmé were exhausted as they boarded onto the cruiser. Threepio had replicated a simple meal and the family sat down together to eat. Luke and Leia yawned over their dinner, and it didn't take long to get them to go to bed. Anakin and Padmé followed soon after.
"I think we got a lot accomplished today," Padmé said as she lay facing Anakin in their bed.
Anakin nodded with a yawn. "We did," he said. "Lots more to do tomorrow."
Padmé smiled. "I'm so proud of you, do you know that?" she asked.
"Thanks angel," he said sleepily.
Padmé could see that he was fighting to stay awake and kissed him softly. "Goodnight Ani," she said.
Anakin didn't reply, for he was already fast asleep.
The next day passed much as the first had, with repairs and cleaning while the droids entertained the twins. Eventually the house was ready, and they began the huge task of moving in all the furniture and belongings they had brought with them. Luke and Leia were thrilled to be in a different location, and ran from to room in excitement. Anakin and Padmé watched them with amusement, doing their best to keep them from hurting themselves.
By nightfall each room had furniture. There was still a lot of unpacking to do, but Anakin and Padmé were far too tired to worry about it for the time being.
"Did you find their pajamas?" Padmé called as she helped Luke and Leia brush their teeth.
"Not yet," Anakin called back. "Wait...found them." He pulled the garments from the suitcase and brought them into the bathroom. "Pajamas," he said, handing one pair to Padmé. He undressed Luke and got him into his pajamas as Padmé did the same for Leia. Then they each picked up a child and carried them into the small room that the twins shared.
"Time for sleep," Padmé said as she tucked in Leia and kissed her. "Nighty night."
"Night big guy," Anakin said as he tucked in Luke. "Sweet dreams."
Anakin and Padmé sat on the edge of the small beds, watching as their children drifted to sleep. It was the first time they'd slept in a bed, having graduated from their cribs. Both of their parents were worried about how they'd accept the transition.
"They seem fine with the new beds," Anakin said as they left the room.
"So far so good," Padmé said, quietly closing the door behind them. "They're nearly three," she pointed out. "They're ready for real beds."
Anakin nodded. "I'm ready for a real bed too," he said with a smile.
Padmé laughed. "So am I," she said.
Later that night
Anakin woke up in the middle of the night, sounds of activity outside waking him up. He looked at Padmé, who continued to sleep peacefully. He got out of bed and headed outside, picking up his lightsaber as he did so. A rush of cool air hit him as he stepped outside. He ignited his lightsaber and headed towards the sounds. When he arrived at the place where the cruiser was parked, he saw several jawas doing their best to salvage pieces of Anakin's brand new ship.
"Get out of here!" Anakin shouted, running towards them with his lightsaber. "Get away you parasites!"
The jawas scattered and ran off, chattering in their strange tongue. Anakin headed over to the ship to examine in for damage and frowned when he noticed that they had managed to cause some minor damage. Anakin cursed in Huttese. I forgot about those little bastards, he thought. The property was close enough to a large centre that sand people were not a worry, but jawas were different. They were everywhere, sometimes even in the cities. This is going to be a problem, he thought with a frown.
When Anakin returned to bed, Padmé was awake.
"What's going on?" she asked. "Is everything okay?"
"Jawas," Anakin said as he climbed into bed. "Trying to scavenge pieces of the ship."
"Oh no," she said. "How can we stop them from coming back and trying again?"
Anakin sighed. "Clearly we need to house the ship somehow," he said.
"You mean build a hangar?" she asked.
"Perhaps," he said. "Or something underground."
"Maybe the engineers on the star destroyer could build something," she suggested.
Anakin smiled. "That's a great idea," he said. "I'll contact Obi-Wan in the morning."
The next morning
"Good morning, Anakin," Obi-Wan said. "How are things on Tatooine?"
"Not bad," Anakin said. "Got the house cleaned up and our stuff moved in."
"You've been working hard," Obi-Wan said.
"Yes," Anakin said. "But we've encountered a problem," he said. "Damn jawas have been trying to salvage the ship," he said. "I'm going to need some help."
"What can we do for you?" Obi-Wan said.
"I need some engineers to build an underground port for the ship," Anakin said. "Something that those little bastards can't get into."
"I'll speak to the men right away," Obi-Wan said. "We'll be there by the end of the day."
"Thanks a lot," Anakin said. "See you soon."
At breakfast that morning, Anakin filled Padmé in on the plans he'd made with Obi-Wan.
"I think that's a great idea," Padmé said. "Maybe we could get them to put an addition on the house while they're here," she said.
Anakin looked up at her. "Is there some reason you think that's necessary?" he asked her.
Padmé smiled. "Why yes, as a matter of fact," she said. "If we're still here in seven months, we'll definitely need more room."
Anakin smiled and reach out and took her hand. "Angel, that's fantastic!" he said. He kissed her hand. "We're going to be busy, aren't we?"
"Definitely," she said.
Anakin was contemplative over the rest of the meal, remembering the last time his wife had announced that she was pregnant. The happiest moment of his life soon became the watershed moment of his life. The dreams, the terror that lead him to the dark side...that won't happen again, he reflected. The dark side will never take me again...
"I'd like to visit my mother's grave today," Anakin said as he and Padmé cleaned up the breakfast dishes. "I don't care if Owen likes it or not," he said.
Padmé nodded. "We'll all go," she said.
It was near midday when Anakin landed the cruiser near the Lars homestead. Waves of memories hit him as he and Padmé disembarked, each holding the hand of one of their twins. Padmé could see how difficult this was for him, and squeezed his hand. Anakin looked at her, grateful for her support.
"Come on," he said. "We'd better let them know we're here."
"It's going to be fine," Padmé told him. "These are good people, remember? They'll have no problem with you coming here, Anakin."
Anakin nodded, but wasn't as confident as his wife. They headed to the steps that lead down to the lower level of the house. Owen and Beru, alerted to the presence of someone on their property, met them at the bottom of the stairs.
"Anakin Skywalker," Owen said with a frown. "Never thought I'd see you again."
"Hello Owen, Beru," Anakin said, ignoring Owen's hostile attitude. "You remember my wife, Padmé," he said.
"Hello Owen," Padmé said, giving him a smile. "It's good to see you again Beru. These are our twins, Luke and Leia."
Beru couldn't help but smile. "It's nice to meet you both," she said to the children. "Please come in," she said.
Owen gave his wife a withering look, but said nothing as she lead the Skywalker family into the homestead.
"What brings you here?" Owen asked, getting down to business.
"I've come to visit my mother's grave," Anakin said.
Owen nodded. "You know where it is," he said. "My father's is next to it, now. He died about four years back."
"I'm sorry to hear it," Anakin said. "Cliegg was a good man."
"He was," Owen said. "He was never the same after Shmi died."
"He loved her a great deal," Beru added.
Anakin nodded. "I know," he said quietly. "I'll always be grateful to him for freeing her from that miserable Toydarian, Watto. I'm glad that her last years with him were happy ones." He looked at Padmé. "Let's go," he said.
"Why don't you leave the children here?" Beru suggested. "It's the hottest part of the day."
"You don't mind?" Padmé said.
Beru smiled. "Not at all," she said. "We're family, after all, remember?"
Padmé smiled. "You're very kind," she said. "Luke, Leia, this is your Aunt Beru," she said. "And your Uncle Owen," she added, hoping that Owen would soften a little. "Daddy and I will be right back, okay?"
"Okay, Mommy," Leia said.
Anakin and Padmé made their way back up the surface and headed to the place where Anakin had buried his mother almost six years earlier. There was a second marker beside Shmi's, bearing the name of Cliegg Lars. Padmé took Anakin's hand as they stood before Shmi's grave.
"I miss you, Mom," Anakin said. "I wish you were here now to see Luke and Leia," he added with a sad smile. "You'd love them so much. And soon they'll have a little brother or sister. I know they'd all love you as much as I do." He stopped as the tears filled his eyes. "I'm sorry, Mom," he said, his voice breaking. "So sorry for what I did, for what I became. I'm trying so hard to change, to be a better man."
Padmé squeezed his hand, her own emotions getting the better of her. "You are a better man, Anakin," she assured him. "And your mother would be proud of you for the man you've become."
Anakin turned to his wife and took her in his arms without a word. She held him, knowing that, for now, that was what he needed most.