Chapter 46

Anakin and Padmé had managed to catch an hour or so of sleep before their newborn twins woke them up to be fed. Anakin stumbled off of the bed and walked over to the basinets where the twins were. He picked up Amidala and kissed her cheek before bringing her to her mother.

"Someone's hungry," he said as Padmé took the infant from his arms. She started to nurse her as Anakin went to pick up his namesake.

"How do you do this with two?" Anakin asked as he did his best to comfort his son.

"It's tricky," Padmé said, "no doubt about it."

Anakin looked down at his son, doing his best to calm him. "It's okay," he soothed. "You'll get your turn soon."

Padmé looked up at Anakin. "Give him to me," she said. "I perfected this technique with Luke and Leia."

Anakin was amazed when Padmé took their son and commenced nursing him as well. "Wow," he said. "You're a pro, Angel."

Padmé smiled as she watched her babies nurse. "You learn to be creative when you have twins," she said.

Anakin nodded. "You seem to have that covered," he said.

Padmé looked up at him. "You should go get Luke and Leia," she said. "I'm sure my parents could use a break."

"Okay," Anakin said. "Should I bring them here?"

Padmé nodded. "Yes, I'm sure they're eager to meet their new baby brother and sister," she said.

"I'm sure," Anakin said with a yawn. "Is she finished?"

"Yes," Padmé said. Anakin took Amidala from her arms and put her gently over his shoulder. He gently rubbed and patted her back until she made a tiny burp. Anakin smiled. "Good job," he said. He changed her diaper and then cradled her in his arms as he sat down in the chair. "Feel better now, sweetheart?" he asked.

Amidala yawned in response, and then drifted off to sleep in her father's arms. Anakin watched her sleep, the feelings of love and protectiveness almost overwhelming. I missed this with Luke and Leia, he reflected. I missed their infancy because I chose the Dark side... He knew that he'd been given a second chance with Amidala and Anakin Junior, and vowed that he'd never let them down, nor any of his children, again. Eventually his eyes grew heavy, and he fell asleep, with his sleeping daughter in his arms.

A few hours later

Jobal and Ruwee smiled as they held their newest grandchildren. Luke and Leia were very excited to meet their baby brother and sister, and made plans to play with them just as soon as they got home.

"Were you able to find someone to come in and help with the kids?" Jobal asked Padmé.

"Yes," Padmé said. "Anakin spoke to her earlier to let her know that the babies had arrived early. I had hoped Dormé would come stay with us, but she's working elsewhere."

"Well I'm sure this woman is good," Jobal said. "If she comes from an agency, she must have experience and references."

Padmé nodded. Yes, no doubt the woman had experience babysitting, cooking, cleaning..the usual tasks performed by a nanny. But had she ever experienced Force sensitive children?

"I just hope she's up to the challenge," Padmé said. "Luke and Leia aren't exactly typical children."

Ruwee smiled. "No, they're not," he said, "they're better."

Anakin smiled at his father-in-law. "You've got that right," he said.

Padmé simply shook her head and smiled.

Anakin was reluctant to leave Padmé alone with the babies, but she assured him that she would be fine. She had been through this before, after all, something that Anakin did not like to reflect on. His guilt about the past was intense enough without remembering that his wife had gone through child birth and raising two newborns without him when Luke and Leia were born.

"Okay kids, time for supper," Anakin said as the three of them sat down at the table. Threepio had warmed up some leftovers from the wedding, which made Anakin's task considerably easier. Cooking was not his forte, after all.

"Daddy, when is Mommy coming home?" Leia asked.

"I'm not sure, sweetheart," Anakin replied. "Maybe tomorrow."

"Will the babies sleep in our room?" Luke asked.

Anakin smiled. "No, they'll have their own room for a while," he said. "But when they're older, maybe you can share a room."

"Can I share a room with baby Anakin?" Luke asked.

"And I want to share my room with baby Amidala," Leia said, deciding not to be outdone by her twin.

"Yes, that sounds like a great idea," Anakin said. "But it won't be for a while," he said. "They're only babies, after all."

Luke and Leia nodded, hoping that their new siblings wouldn't be babies for long.

The new nanny arrived the next morning. She was a woman in her forties, and her name was Nelly. Luke and Leia liked her immediately, because she brought them cookies.

"I'm going to visit my wife at the hospital," Anakin said to Nelly. "The kids have had breakfast, but you'll need to get lunch for them. The fridge is full, and.."

"Sir, please don't go on," Nelly interrupted. "I've got things totally under control."

Anakin hoped that she did, and had the feeling that the woman really had no experience with force sensitive children. I hope she learns fast, he reflected as he sought out Threepio. He found the droid making the children's beds.

"Threepio, contact me if there are any problems," Anakin said.

"Yes of course, Master Ani," Threepio replied, and returned to making the beds.

Anakin left the house, hoping that the droid would not have to contact him, for any reason. We'll see soon enough..

Padmé was walking in the corridor outside her room when Anakin arrived. He was surprised to see her up and about and was immediately concerned.

"Padmé, what are you doing out of bed?" Anakin asked with a frown. "You just gave birth less than 24 hours ago!"

Padmé smiled. "Anakin, it's perfectly normal to be up and about this soon," she assured him. "I'm fine, really."

Anakin wasn't so sure. "Where are the babies?" he asked.

"They're sleeping," she said. "Let's go see them," she suggested, taking Anakin by the hand. "They're probably going to wake up soon."

Anakin followed his wife into her room and over to the bassinets where the babies were sleeping. He bent down and gave them each a kiss. "Good morning my sweethearts," he said softly. He looked up at Padmé. "They look bigger already," she said.

Padmé laughed. "I don't think they're any bigger," she said. "Maybe less red, less wrinkly...but not bigger."

"Whatever you say," Anakin said, putting an arm around his wife. "They're really cute, though," he said. "Did...did Luke and Leia look like this?" he asked.

Padmé looked up at him, knowing that he felt a keen sense of loss for missing their birth and infancy. "Pretty much," she said. "Except Luke was blond, and Leia had dark hair."

Anakin nodded. "I'm so lucky that I get a chance to do it right this time," he said. He kissed her on the temple. "Thank you again for this beautiful gift. These beautiful gifts."

Padmé smiled.

Padmé and the twins came home the next day. Luke and Leia were very excited to have their new siblings home, but when they discovered that newborns do little more than sleep, eat and fill their pants, they soon lost interest. Anakin and Padmé had their hands full with around the clock feedings and diaper changes, but sharing the task was a wonderful experience for both of them.

"Please tell me they will sleep through the night at some point," Anakin asked one night as he and Padmé crawled back into bed around 3 AM.

"They will," Padmé told him with a yawn.

"Thank God," Anakin sighed and promptly fell asleep. Padmé followed suit immediately.

Coruscant

Obi-Wan and Helen had spent a beautiful honeymoon on the capital, and after three weeks, Obi-Wan decided it was time to go to the Temple to check in. He had spoke to Bail Organa about resigning his position as commander of the fleet, after finding a suitable and trustworthy replacement. Obi-Wan felt torn, but knew that his true destiny was to help the Order be rebuilt. Helen supported him, and had already landed a new position with one of the hospitals in the Capital. She had started to feel the effects of early pregnancy, and decided to stay home in the apartment they had rented while Obi-Wan went to the Temple. Obi-Wan loved his new wife, but was secretly happy that she had stayed home. He knew that facing Yoda again would be awkward, and having Helen with him would have made it even more so.

It had been years since Obi-Wan had entered the Temple, and as he did so a thousand memories rushed to his mind. Most of them were happy, but some, particularly the most recent ones, were immensely painful. He'd had nightmares about watching the security holos of Anakin slaying the younglings. No, that wasn't Anakin, that was Vader... and Vader is gone now. Gone forever.

"Welcome, Master Kenobi. It's good to see you again."

Obi-Wan smiled. "Ahsoka," he said. "It's wonderful to see you again. The robes suit you," he said.

Ahsoka smiled. "I hear congratulations are in order," she said as they walked together. "I'm very happy for you."

"Thank you very much," he said.

Ahsoka walked in silence for a moment, as she formulated her question in her mind. She'd heard much about Anakin Skywalker's redemption, and was almost afraid to ask Obi-Wan if it was true. She missed her Sky Guy. Her heart had been broken when he had fallen to the Dark Side. The thought that he'd been redeemed was an answer to her prayers. But was it true?

"Tell me, Master Kenobi," she said at last. "Is it true about Anakin? Is he Anakin again? Has he vanquished the darkness?"

Obi-Wan smiled. "Oh yes, it's true," he said. "He is redeemed, he is whole again, and just became a father again with a lovely pair of twins."

Ahsoka smiled. "That is wonderful, truly, truly wonderful," she said. "Does that mean he'll be joining us here at the Temple? We could really use him to rebuild the Order."

Obi-Wan's smile faded. "I really don't know if he will be returning to the Order, Ahsoka," he said. "He doesn't feel worthy. He feels he has no place here."

Ahsoka frowned. "I can see why he'd feel that way, after what he did," she remarked. "But he owes us this, Obi-Wan. He owes it to the Jedi to help repair the damage that he inflicted."

Obi-Wan nodded. He felt the very same way, but had never had the nerve to say so to Anakin. Perhaps it was time that he did. "Come on," he said. "I'm sure Master Yoda is waiting."