Okay, this is my first time posting anything on , I am on other platforms, but I wanted to try my hand at this one. I want a Star Wars what if series SOO badly. This is a world where Anakin and Padme continued as normal after she became pregnant with Luke and Leia. (Anakin never left the Jedi, Palpatine decided not to strike because he sensed that he would have more promise later). Please give me feedback in the comments. Thanks!

"Something wonderful has happened…"

Padme was saying the words, but her tone didn't match in the slightest. I shifted my weight to the side, ready for anything…

"Ani, I'm pregnant."

…Well, anything but that.

Chapter 1

Anakin

I sat on our bed, staring at Padme as she slept. Her thick brown waves tumbled across the pillow and over her shoulders, almost giving her an… ethereal quality. Of course, she always looks ethereal, but tonight she looks as if she's glowing. I trace her jawline and her plump, perfect lips. I lay a light kiss on them, feeling her soft breath against my cheek.

Perfect. Beautiful. Angelic. Padme.

I would be lost, utterly lost without her. No purpose, No happiness, just aching and longing. I know the Jedi aren't supposed to form attachments, but this attachment is what keeps me going. This attachment… soon to create another little attachment.

She isn't showing yet, but I can sense that there is a little life growing inside of her. A little life that I helped create.

I put my hand on her tummy, careful not to wake her. I wonder what the baby will look like… what they will be like… Will we have a boy or a girl? Heck, both!

A smile begins to play across my face as I imagine possibilities. Curly hair? Brown eyes? Blue eyes? Will they be tall? Or will they be smaller, like their mom? Will they be stubborn or sweet? Reckless or wise? (For Padme's sake I hope wise). Honestly, another Padme running around would make the galaxy a million times better. Another me might burn it to the ground.

If the Separatists didn't do that first…

I sighed. If I could make this world perfect for you, I would.

I gently kiss her stomach and get up, careful not to wake her. I watch the speeders go by, wondering what I will do to help her. We talked about having them live on Naboo… I would like that. They would be safe. They would be happy. Should I leave the order…? No, Padme would feel bad, she already made that clear. I suppose that I should stay, but then what? Do I just deny that I have children? How will they fare without a father? Is it really fair for Padme to just be a single mom most of the time?

No, I should leave the order. But then there's the war… Ashoka, the 501st, Obi Wan…. they all need me to stay until at least the end of the clone wars. And even then, is leaving truly an option? They need me… they all do. Why does everyone need me? It would be so nice to just fade into the background for once…

Padme makes a cooing noise and turns over in bed, realizing I'm not there. I lay down next to her, pulling her close to my chest.

"Mm… Ani?" She sleepily mumbled, "where did you go…?"

"I just went to look at the view." I assured her, kissing her forehead. She's so soft and warm…

"Mm… I missed this… I missed the snuggles." She whispered into my ear. "I love you Ani…"

As she drifted back to sleep, I gently caressed her cheek. "I love you too, Padme."

A baby… I could hear a baby crying… And Padme… I could see her face.. She was crying, screaming in pain as she was dying.

"Anakin, Help me! "

The baby continued to cry… Her face was in and out of focus… They were losing her….

I shot up in bed, covered in sweat. I flipped around to look at Padme, ensuring she was still next to me. She's asleep… She's okay…

I got up slowly, still shaking from the terror and intensity of the dream. I slipped on a robe and walked outside, my head swimming. Sitting on one of the benches, I stared out onto Coruscant. It was much quieter now, with most of the people contributing to the traffic at work or asleep. It was a good thing, because I needed to think… Needed to calm down, before…

Padme gently set her hand on my shoulder. She moved closer, positioning herself so that I could see her. "What's bothering you?" She asked softly, her hand moving down to my prosthetic.

I took a deep breath and sighed. "Oh… nothing." Pulling myself up, I turned to her, allowing a smile to rest on my face. I noticed the pendant she was wearing… I wondered why it looked so familiar when I realized…

"I remember when I gave this to you…" my mind was flooded with images of her and me… together, when things were simpler…

She sighed. "How long is it going to take to be honest with each other?"

I knew that I couldn't keep this from her, so I relented. "It was a dream."

"Bad?"

"...like the ones I had about my mother before she died."

"And..?"

I turned to look at her, trying desperately to keep my composure. "And it was about you."

She carefully approached me. "What happened?"

"You… you died. In childbirth."

"And the baby?"

I stared off into the distance. "I don't know." I took a deep breath, still trying to calm myself down.

Padme sat for a moment, thinking before she slightly shook her head and looked at me. "Well it was only a dream-"

"I won't let this one become real." I put my hands on her waist and pulled her close.

"This baby will change our lives… I doubt the queen will let me continue to serve in the Senate… and if the council discovers you're the father you'll be expelled-"

"I know, I know…" I tensed up slightly. I didn't want to lose my rank in the order, I love what I do and don't want it to stop… but if it came between that and my children…

"Do you think Obi Wan could help us?"

I tried to let some of the tension out of my stance. "We don't need his help." I looked down at her almost bump, you could tell it was there if you were looking for it. "This baby… is a blessing." I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her into a hug.

"We allow you to be on this council, but we do not grant you the rank of Master."

What? I'll be the only Jedi in the HISTORY of the order that is on the council and yet not a master! Wait wait wait, play it cool, but be assertive, just like Padme told you.

"That's outrageous… It's unfair!"

Shit. Great job Ani. Ya nailed that.

I won't lie, I was disappointed and a little bit hurt by the council's decision to not grant me the rank of master. I know I need to meditate, but where would I go? People are EVERYWHERE here. I settled on going to the top of the Jedi temple, careful to avoid anyone that might bump into me.

Every time I watch the speeders on Coruscant, I remember that fateful mission. The one that lost me my arm, any love for sand, and my lightsaber, but gave me everything in return.

I was stupid back then. Still am.

Maybe I'm overthinking this. The truth is always the best thing, isn't it? I suppose I ought to tell someone… Ashoka! If I go to her, she won't tell, will she? I can't be so sure about obi wan, but Snips'll be a good confidante!

"She's pregnant?"

"Yes, Snips. I'm going to be a father."

She squealed, barely able to contain her excitement. "Boy or girl?"

"We don't know quite yet… We're excited but we're also… I'm also… worried."

Ashoka paused. "The council… what would they do if they knew?

"I would be expelled… it would mean that I get to live with my kids, but I know that they need me… but my kids and Padme will need me too…"

"What if I helped with the kids?"

"You'd do that?"

"Oh, of course! I'm more than willing to help any relation to Anakin Skywalker, especially his cute little babies! I love babies. They're so chubby."

"Thank you so much, Snips."

"No problem, Skyguy. Papa Skywalker."

"They want me to spy on him, Obi Wan… I don't know if I can…"

"Nonsense Anakin, if anyone should be trusted with an operation this delicate it should be you…"

I slumped at the table we were at and sighed. It had been 3 weeks since Padme had told me that she was pregnant and I had lost hours of sleep over it.

Obi Wan immediately picked up on it. "Is something wrong, Anakin?"

I snapped upright in my chair. "Nope, just tired. That's all."

"Have you been getting enough sleep?"

"As much as you can get when stressing about an entire legion…"

Obi Wan nodded in understanding. "Yes, that is stressful… Ani, is that truly all, though?"

I turned to look at him. "Uh, yes… why?"

"I sense that you're being bothered by something much deeper than tiredness… If you need to talk to someone, I'm always here, okay?"

"Talk about… anything?"

"Anything."

I'm going to regret this… "Padme… She's pregnant."

"Oh, congratulations Ani."

"Thank you… wait…"

He knew.

He knew the whole time.

I guess it was all the kissing and flirting, huh?

Well, now we were sitting around a table discussing the kids with Padme and Ahsoka. We decided that Ahsoka would stay on Naboo to keep an eye on the kid and be their auntie, while Obi Wan and I would be their protectors. We would work to make it so that I could visit the kid from time to time, and Obi Wan would have a similar role in their life.

I couldn't help but smile… I didn't deserve such good friends. Padme's stomach was just starting to swell, and she was beginning to glow. Even more angelic than usual….

"So, what names are you guys considering?" Ahsoka asked. "Like, for a boy or a girl?"

"Um…" Padme looked up. "I've had a few in mind…"

… better than me, I hadn't thought about any.

"Like what?" Ashoka put her chin in her hands, smiling.

"Well… for a boy, I've considered the name Toren… Rex, Maretalo, Marcus, Han, Harlek, Bartholemew…. But the one I'm leaning towards is… Luke."

I nodded. "I like all of them but Han… that sounds like the name of some dirty space pirate…."

"Where did the name Luke come from?" Obi Wan asked.

"I started teaching Anakin to write on Tatooine. The first thing I taught him was his name… well, he wrote some of the letters weird and it ended up saying… Luke."

"Awwwww! Cuuute!" Ahsoka gushed. "Okay, what about Girls?"

"Well, for a girl, the only name I've truly considered is Leia. They're small blossoms that grow everywhere on Naboo. They're white and blue until you get on top of some of the mountains, then they're red and orange… If you try to uproot it, it will sting you with a nasty venom that'll keep you bedridden for a couple days. They're incredibly soft and beautiful, and are the symbol of Naboo's democracy."

I nodded. "Sounds pretty badass. I love it."

Chancellor Palpatine

I sat in my chair, thinking. I had it set up perfectly, Kenobi would go, I would get into Skywalker's head, and we would have the Galaxy in the palm of our hand… But Kenobi stayed… Tano as well, and I can never get ANYTHING done with him when Amidala's around… But what if I waited until after the child was born?

Oh, but I couldn't attack immediately. Skywalker is intensely protective of everyone and everything that ever did anything kind for him. If I asked him to turn, he would immediately turn me over to the council. I would have to take more time to think, to set things up…

In the meantime, I could find a new apprentice.

Anakin

The next three months were a blur. Obi Wan killed Grievous just days before Padme's due date, and it looked like the war was finally ending.

Until it wasn't.

The day started out normally. I was ready to bolt down to Padme's room at any moment to help her give birth to our children, but right then I was stuck in a council meeting.

"Not quite finished, the war is…" Yoda grumbled. "Another force rising, I sense…. Taken on a new apprentice, Sidious has."

You could hear a pin drop.

"Know what is happening, I do not. Discuss this, we must…"

The door slammed open. Bail Organa (the Alderaan senator?) burst in.

"Amidala… Senator Amidala is gone!"

Padme

Mustafar.

I knew as soon as they forced me off the ship. The hellish landscape swirled and rumbled with lava beneath our feet, and a distinct scent of sulfur filled the air. I looked down at my pregnant belly, feeling our baby move inside me. Please…. Don't come now, you aren't safe….

I was taken to a cell and left alone. From my window you could see a massive drop into a lava pool. The message was clear: There is no escape.

I put my hands under my belly to take some pressure off my back. The baby was kicking and squirming, as if sensing that we were in trouble. I bent down to whisper "Daddy's coming. I promise."

Anakin

Nobody

And I mean NOBODY

Messes with my Padme and lives.

Obi wan and I boarded our ship, prepared for battle (R2 was on top). Also stashed with us was a medical droid, 3PO, and Ahsoka.

Those Separatists were in for it.

We landed on a cliff overlooking the planet that was fairly well hidden. With Snips and Obi Wan by my side, we infiltrated the Separatist base.

We snuck along a black metal hallway, syncing our footsteps up with the nearby battle droids marching in formation.

We slowly followed the hallway down into the prisoner's keep. The cells were all empty with the exception of a few skeletons… As we walked down in, we heard whimpering… it sounded like…

"Padme!" I rushed to her cell, pulling out my saber to cut open the bars. Ashoka and Ben paled when they saw her. If I wasn't in such a rush to get her out, I would have been too.

Her water had broken in the hours she was gone. She was lying on the floor, covered in sweat, desperately trying not to cry out. I started cutting a hole in the wall when alarm bells went off.

"I'll hold them off!" Ahsoka jumped up, lightsaber at the ready. As I desperately tried to make the hole big enough for myself to crawl through and get her, she stalked towards the door, her lightsaber humming with anticipation.

A legion of droids clanked down into the hall, their muffled shouts of "Roger Roger" and blaster bolts slowly becoming louder. I stepped into the cell and gently scooped Padme up, cradling her to my chest.

"It hurts…. It hurts…." She gripped the back of my cloak, tensing up as another contraction came.

"We're gonna get you out of here Padme. I promise."

There was a moment of eerie silence before all hell broke loose.

The door fell open and a barrage of blaster fire illuminated the room as lightsabers whirled and stabbed at anything that moved. The blasters filled the room with a small amount of smoke, which wouldn't have bothered me if not for how much it seemed to bother Padme.

She gripped my torso as I fought through the wall of droids into the hallway beyond. Ahsoka and Obi Wan were striking down droids left and right, clearing a path for their escape.

I tore down the hallway, burst out the nearest door I could find, and followed my senses to the cliff.

I scaled the roof of the castle, ignoring the burning in my hands as the hot metal began to blister the tips of my fingers. Padme was hanging on for dear life, crying as another contraction racked her body.

Finally, we made it to the top and I rushed her into the ship. Obi Wan and Ahsoka weren't far behind.

"R2, set a course for the nearest Republic base! We need to act fast!"

We landed on an asteroid in the Dagobah system. By the time we got there, Padme was screaming in pain. I was desperately trying to put my nightmare out of my mind, but the screams sounded the same….

She was rushed into the medical bay by a couple of droids and I quickly followed, ready to "assist with anything needed" (watch the birth of my children and make sure Padme lived)

They laid her down on a bed and changed her into a white hospital gown. She gripped my hand (my real one) and set her head on the pillow.

"She's really close. A few more contractions and she can start pushing." A droid at the end of the bed warbled.

A few more contractions. Just a little more before I get to meet my children…

As the next contraction came, Padme bore down, prepared to start pushing.

"On the next one, push as hard as you can." The droid prepared itself to catch the baby.

She took a deep breath and began to push, gripping my hand tighter with each exertion.

"Just a few more ought to do it." The droid beeped at her. She yelled in pain and….

A cry…

A long, loud, beautiful cry filled the air. The world stopped in its tracks… then it all moved forward in a blur.

The droid placed a flailing, crying child in Padme's arms. "It's a boy." The droid stated.

"Luke… Luke!" Padme pulled the baby close and started to cry. I couldn't believe what I was seeing, hearing, feeling…

It was beyond anything I had ever seen or heard before.

The baby, Luke, started to calm down as he heard his mother's voice. I slowly realized that I was crying right alongside Padme.

"He's… He's perfect…." I whispered, crouching down to look at him.

"There's another one."

"What?"

The droid beeped. "Another baby is coming."

I gently took Luke from Padme's arms and held her hand. She took a deep breath before pushing again. And again and again and again until…

Another little cry….

Padme accepted the little girl and pulled her little flailing body close. "Leia. Sweet little Leia."

No matter how long I live, I will never get enough of these two.

Padme was put in a private room with the babies, both of which had been given a bath and some clothes. The little boy was staring at me as I held him, his big blue eyes shining in the light.

The little girl was snuggled up to Padme, and she was watching her twin brother. She had brown eyes, but I could see a faint ring of blue in them.

They were perfect. Absolutely perfect.

I could feel their little force signatures as well. They were stronger than any I have ever seen (which makes sense because I'm their father) and they were the sweetest, warmest ones I have ever felt.

Did I mention how beautiful they are?

Eventually, they allowed Padme to leave and go to Naboo, where we planned to raise the kids. Ahsoka was living nearby, ready to offer any help needed.

I didn't know what would happen to these two. But I knew that I would be ready for anything.