Author's Note: Who doesn't like watching those YouTube videos where those serving in the Armed Forces come home from war or overseas and surprise their loved ones? It's heartwarming and hits you right in the heart, right? Well, this is a Modern Anidala AU story that is totally inspired from watching those videos.

Surprise Homecoming: Chapter 1

"Welcome home, Ani."

Mom wraps her arms tightly around me like she can't believe I'm really here and finally home. I can't believe it either. I've literally been counting down the months, weeks, days, hours, minutes, and seconds for when I would return home from my deployment with the Air Force from my second tour of duty in Afghanistan, and I'm finally back.

Thank God. I seriously don't think I could've gone another day without seeing and being home with my beautiful wife, and family.

"Thanks, Mom," I say, holding her in my arms just as tightly as she's holding me. I've missed her. I truly did, but I wish Padmé was here with her to welcome me back home. However, I'm planning on surprising her this afternoon. She isn't expecting me home for a few more weeks. I set up a surprise homecoming with my mom and Padmé's family.

If everything goes according to plan, Padmé won't even be expecting me at the family barbecue tonight at her parents' lake house. It's the Fourth of July, and her parents always throw a family barbecue at the lake house. The house is in San Rafael, not too far from where I'm based at Travis AFB, out in Fairfield. It's about an hour's drive between where we're at now, which is the San Francisco International Airport, and the lake house.

Mom and Cliegg, my stepdad, and my adopted younger sister, Ahsoka, along with my stepbrother, Owen, and his wife, Beru, were invited like they have been for the past five years, since Padmé and I started seriously dating, too. And, for the past three years, we've been happily married. So, my family showing up tonight at the barbecue won't arouse any suspicion.

A part of me doesn't even want to wait any longer to see my wife, though. I just want to go find Padmé and lie around in our bed making love with her all night long. We have a lot of lovemaking to make up for, after all. Six months' worth in fact.

Another part of me, however, is a bit..wary of our reunion.

Padmé's been acting weird...like really weird the last couple of months, well few months truthfully. She's been busy more and more often, making it nearly impossible for me to reach her, especially given the time difference from Afghanistan to San Francisco, and she's always making excuses now for not being able to Skype with me. We've barely had a lengthy conversation in quite some time, which has me worried, I hate to admit. I know something's going on, and I'm quite afraid to find out what it is.

Me being a pilot in the Air Force is something I know keeps Padmé up at night. Especially when I'm deployed overseas. When we met though, I was a Cadet in the US Air Force Academy on leave for summer break from school when we literally bumped into each other at a local Starbucks in San Fran, so it isn't like she didn't know what she was getting herself into when we fell in love and got married two years later. I'm not going to say we haven't hit bumps in the road over the years, we have, just like all married couples do, but it wasn't anything we couldn't work through. I mean we did work through them, of course, but with me being deployed the last six months to a war zone, and her acting the way she has been...

As much as I hate to admit it, it makes me wonder if she's done with us as a couple. As a married couple. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to continue on if she had an affair or...wants a divorce.

Then another part of me wants to slap myself silly for even entertaining such wild and crazy thoughts. Padmé is a lawyer, after all, and she's always been as blunt as they come. She never beats around the bush, which is part of what attracted me to her in the first place. If she has a problem, she'll come right out and say it and won't hold anything back. Blunt and to the point.

I love her for that, and I'm just hoping that that still holds true. Man, I'm a head case today, aren't I?

There's definitely a logical reason for why Padmé has been acting distant. Maybe its stress from work? Maybe worry from me being deployed to a war zone? Maybe both?

Dammit, I don't know, but I'm determined to find out, and I will...tonight.

"Everything okay, Ani?" Mom's voice pulls me from my thoughts. I shake my head and give her a quick shrug of my shoulders.

I'm not known for being a liar, and lying to her is pointless. She could always tell. And, I know she's seen Padmé quite a bit over the last six months, if anything was wrong...maybe she'd know. "I don't know, Mom," I admit on a sigh. "I'm just...kinda nervous about tonight."

"Nervous? Why?" Mom's smiling like it's ridiculous for me to be nervous, and she's right- it is. I know that.

But, I just can't help it. Something's up with my wife...and I admit I'm a little scared of just what that 'something' could be.

Sighing, I run my right hand through my short dark blond hair. "I don't know where we stand anymore, Mom." Its hard just voicing my thoughts, but if they're crazy, I'd rather my mom set me straight now, rather than admitting it to Padmé and risk pissing her off later. "When I was last deployed or had a temporary duty yonder, we always Skyped or talked on the phone via Facetime, whenever we had the chance. But this time...We've barely spoken over the last few months. She's been...I don't know...distant with me, I guess."

Damn, I hate talking about my marital problems with anyone. Even if this is my mom we're talking about here. My marital problems- or potential marital problems - are just between Padmé and myself. They don't involve anyone else, and its nobody else's business, really.

But, I can't keep these thoughts and feelings to myself anymore. They've been weighing too heavily on me as it is already. Mom's always been in my corner, like any parent should be, and I know she'll set me straight, because Padmé would never cheat on me. She's not that type of person. I just can't think of any other reason why she'd distance herself from me.

As if the distance between California and Afghanistan wasn't far enough away as it was. So, if it's not cheating, then what is it? I can't even fathom a reason, to be honest. My mind can't help but be snagged on the worst possible scenario, as far fetched and crazy as it is.

"Why do you think she's being distant, Sweetie?" Mom asks me, a confused look on her face, as if I have a damn clue. Hell, she'd probably know better than I would. I mean, last I saw Padmé everything was good between us...great even. Better than great. Fantastic, amazing...almost magical in fact.

I can't help smirking privately at our last night together before I was deployed. And, what a night it was. It consisted of us making hot torrid love all throughout the night, from dusk until almost dawn. Our naked sweaty body parts were all tangled together under the sheets...it was hard to tell where she ended and I began. It was like we were fused together.

It was a pretty great night. Awesome even, if I do say so myself.

We'd decided over a year ago to stop using birth control and to start trying to have a baby. We felt we were more than ready for it. After all, she'd gotten her law degree, passed the state Bar exam, and started working at the Fairfield branch of her father's law firm, and when I'm not deployed or on a TDY, with my rank of Captain, I have a pretty normal schedule for a commissioned officer. Which means, when I'm not flying night maneuvers, I'm at home every night with my wife.

If she was pregnant though, why would she hide it? She wouldn't, she'd tell me. Wouldn't she? It'd certainly give me another incentive to get my ass home safe and sound. Though, having her as my wife is more than enough incentive as is.

"I don't know," I say again, glancing at the floor and shrugging. Is she pregnant? Is she trying to surprise me? She knew I'd be home in six months, that was how long this deployment was for. I just happened to tell her they extended it for a few more weeks, so I could surprise her tonight.

That'd be one hell of a surprise though, I gotta admit. Wouldn't it? Coming home to surprise my wife, only for her to surprise me with being pregnant?

I honestly don't think I could come home to a better surprise than that. I'd be fucking ecstatic! I've been waiting for the day for the pregnancy test to come back positive, but we haven't been trying for all that long. I'm sure it'll happen soon. I grin wolfishly...maybe tonight even, if it hasn't already...

"Then maybe you should stop worrying about it," Mom suggests with a smile, reaching up to pat my cheeks with both hands. She doesn't sound worried, nor look it. I'm sure she'd warn me if Padmé was thinking of divorcing me or was having an affair on me...least I hope she would.

"Right," I nod. "Let's get out of here."

We walk out of the airport together, and she leads me to where she parked her blue Subaru Outback. She unlocks the doors with the key fob, and I throw my giant overstuffed backpack in the back seat, then take my seat in the front passenger seat. I'm still dressed in my flight suit with my black military combat boots. I just left a war zone, after all, and I didn't have any time to change into civilian clothing on my connection in Sydney, Australia, before my overnight flight to San Fran.

It's weird being back here in the States and really weird being back here in a normal car. I'm used to the HMMWV's we usually drive in Afghanistan, along with the troop carriers, but personally, I've mostly just flown my F-22 and have gotten used to being in the cockpit for the last six months.

Did I mention that I love the hell out of my job?

Being a pilot is what always called out to me. I've known that since I was just a young boy and saw the movie Top Gun for the first time...It's a classic film, and watching those fighter jets pulling those amazing maneuvers really made an impression on me. From that moment on, I just knew that I was destined to be a pilot, and when I got the chance to go for my dream, I snatched it up and never let go.

Now that I'm here and am an experienced fighter pilot, my love for flying has only intensified exponentially. It's a great career, but one that could only work as a military officer. The civilian world can't offer anything like it. At least, not for me.

I could never be happy being a regular commercial pilot, I don't think, flying the same domestic or international routes all the time.

I still have six more years for my contract to expire, though. Being a pilot and going to the US Air Force Academy forced me to be a pilot for the Air Force for ten years, and I have no regrets.

When that ten years is up, I'm just not sure what I'm going to do then. So far, I've gotten lucky where my base assignments are concerned. But, what if I renew my contract and I get based overseas? What would Padmé do then? Would she stay behind and continue working here, or would she leave with me, so we could stay together?

That's always been one of my concerns. She's a fiercely independent woman, and she always knew what she wanted, too. And, I am extremely proud of her for achieving her goals of becoming an attorney. I mean, I know she wants me, we are married after all, but would she give up the job she loves and worked so hard for to move with me to my next base assignment or stay behind? If she did stay behind, it wouldn't take a genius to realize that we wouldn't be a couple anymore.

But, I'm getting way too far ahead of myself.

I really am being quite the head case today. I'm not usually like this, but I can't stop my mind from thinking of the fucking worst.

She's just never been this distant with me, and dammit, it scares the hell out of me. I glance down at my platinum, wide-band wedding ring as the sunlight reflects off it, and I swallow, hard. Only about another hour or so, I remind myself, and then I'll have my answers. After the last few months, I can wait just a little bit longer.

Yeah, then I'll know. One way or another.

It's a gorgeous summer day, I think to myself with a smile, as Mom pulls into the paved circular driveway of the lake house. It's a really nice, one story, meandering bungalow built on top of a hill overlooking the lake. It has five bedrooms and two and a half baths on the main level, along with a large eat-in kitchen with a separate dining room, living room, and den/study, the basement has two queen size sleeper sofas in it and an extra bathroom. The basement also houses a small game room of sorts with a Wii U and an Xbox One hooked into a sixty inch flat screen TV mounted on the wall, with a ping-pong table and a pool table, plus a laundry room. There's a two car garage with a basketball net over it, where my father-in-law, Ruwee, brother-in-law, Darred, Owen, and I often team up to play when we all gather here. I glance around and notice Owen's car, and my mother-in-law, Jobal's black Mercedes, as well as a nice, new looking, dark gray Toyota Highlander in the extra parking space on the grass and dirt area beside the garage. Hmm, I wonder whose that is? And, I don't see Padmé's car anywhere, I frown, as Mom pulls up behind Owen's black Honda Pilot and stops, turning the car off.

"Mom, where's Padmé's car? I thought she'd be here already," I ask, as we climb out of the car, and I shut the front passenger door.

"Oh. Didn't she tell you? That's her car there," Mom says, pointing to the new Toyota I noticed.

My jaw drops in shock. "What?! When the hell did she get that?!" I ask, completely stunned...and upset...hurt even, to find out my wife has apparently purchased a new car without even consulting me or letting me know she'd done it.

It isn't like I expect her to run every single thing she does by me, no. I'm not controlling or a man that has to know every single thing his wife does, but I thought that she'd at least let me know that she traded in her car and bought a freaking new one! I mean, this isn't her going out shopping and spending a couple hundred bucks on new clothes here. No, a new car is a major purchase, one that affects both of us...it's a big decision and one that we should've made together. That's all I'm saying.

Why the hell would she keep something like that from me anyway? Why's that have to be a secret? The paranoid part of me now is wondering what else she's hiding from me.

"Oh. Well, she got that about two months ago, I guess. It's a really nice SUV, Ani. I'm kinda surprised she didn't tell you, but Ruwee went car shopping with her, and he agreed with her when she picked it out. She traded in her old Honda Civic, and she got a good deal on it with a military discount, Ruwee said," Mom explains with a somewhat strange look on her face. What that look means, I'm not sure, but it does nothing to quell the worry that I've got burning deep in my gut.

Dammit, I need answers, and I need them now.

Opening the rear passenger door, I reach in and grab my backpack, just as the front door opens and Jobal, Ruwee, Cliegg, and Owen head out and over to greet me, huge smiles on their faces. "ANAKIN! Welcome home, Son!" Jobal squeals in excitement as she reaches me and throws her arms around my neck in a huge hug. I hug her back before shaking hands with an equally happy Ruwee, Cliegg, and Owen. Damn, it's good to be home! We stand around chatting for a couple of minutes, Ruwee asking about my flight, and Jobal fussing that I look like I could use a good 'home cooked meal!'

She's definitely right about that. Especially my wife's cooking for sure. I'm always hungry, so it's a really good thing she's a fantastic cook, even if we do use a crockpot a lot during the week with our busy schedules.

Ruwee motions toward the house with a smile, "Come on in, Anakin...I'm sure you'd like to change out of that uniform and into some more comfortable casual clothes."

"Yes, sir! I sure would," comes my instant reply as Cliegg slaps me on the back, and we all head toward the door. I glance at my in-laws as they walk in front of me, and I'm just about to ask where Padmé is when Jobal turns with a smile and speaks over her shoulder to me, like she read my mind or something.

"I know you're anxious to see Padmé, but she's not here at the moment. We figured you wouldn't want to spoil the surprise just yet, so we sent her grocery shopping with Sola and Beru to get the stuff we need for dinner tonight. We timed it to coincide with your arrival here at the house. They should be back in about an hour or so. That gives you plenty of time to take a shower, get changed and see Darred and the girls before she gets back. They're down at the beach, and they can't wait to see you."

I smile, nodding my head. She's right. A shower would be great, as well as changing into some shorts and a polo shirt and some boat shoes. It'll also be nice seeing Darred and the girls, too...'The girls' being our nieces, Ryoo and Pooja, and my younger sister, Ahsoka. We file into the house and Jobal and my mom motion for me to follow them down the hall, as Ruwee, Cliegg, and Owen head to the living room where I hear ESPN on the TV. Following my mother and mother-in-law, they lead me to the fifth bedroom, which is at the end of the hallway, directly beside the bathroom. Opening the door, I follow them inside and move to deposit my backpack on the bed.

Its a nice room, done in soothing beach tones of white, light blue, and a light yellowish-tan, the color of sand. The queen size bed has a white comforter with light blue and sand colored throw pillows, and the window overlooking the lake below has white shades and curtains. The Berber carpet is a very light sand color. The furniture is also white, and there are framed coastal scenes up on the walls. Padmé and I haven't stayed in this room before. Usually Sola and Darred get this room, but glancing around I notice several of Padmé's things lying around, like one of her sweaters draped over a chair by the window. I smile, amused, "Wow. How'd we luck out with this room? Usually, Sola and Darred grab this one."

Jobal and my mom exchange a small smile and a quick look between them, which makes me frown just a bit, but Jobal chuckles and answers me before I can say anything, "Well, we just decided to change things up this year. So, everyone is in different rooms this time. Now, why don't you get settled and grab a shower. I'll head down to the beach and get Darred and the girls, let them know you're here. Ok?"

I nod, smiling, and start unzipping my backpack, "Thanks, Jobal." My mother-in-law smiles sweetly and heads out the door and back down the hall, leaving me alone with my mom.

Mom watches me for a minute then walks over and gives me another hug, "It is so good to have you home, Ani. We've missed you so much, and stop worrying. Everything is going to be fine. Just relax." She lets me go and pats my cheek once more before she turns and heads out the door as well. I shake my head and continue unpacking. Sure, Mom. Relax. I snort, Easier said than done.

Gathering up my toiletry bag, plus a pair of khaki shorts with a brown leather belt, a navy polo shirt, a tan pair of Sperry boat shoes and some clean boxers, I head into the bathroom, shut the door, and then start up the shower before stripping out of my boots and uniform. I take care of my business first, then grab a towel and a washcloth and step in the shower. The hot water feels amazing, and I simply stand there for a few minutes, letting the water run down my bare back, relaxing my muscles. Reaching out, I grab the shampoo and wash my hair first, rinsing it and applying conditioner next before grabbing the cucumber scented bodywash and scrubbing myself down. I can't help wishing Padmé were here to share the shower with me, and I feel the instant hardening of my body just thinking about her. Glancing down at my raging boner, I sigh and reach behind me and turn the water to cold and turn around as the icy blast hits me. Tonight...Wait for tonight. Then you can bang her all night long, I think to myself with some disappointment at having to wait. I mean, I haven't been with my wife in six months after all, and I am rather impatient to get her in bed...and keep her there for quite a while, too...a long while.

We have a baby to make after all.

I smirk, cheered up by my eager anticipation for tonight, and I dry off, whistling to myself, as I put on my deodorant before I shave quickly, add a splash of aftershave, brush my teeth and hair, then get dressed quickly in my clean clothes before gathering up my uniform and boots and head back to our room. I deposit my dirty clothes in the hamper in the closet, set my boots on the floor next to the hamper, then I take out a few more pairs of boxers and a couple of plain white V-neck undershirts and one pair of navy sleep shorts from my backpack, grab my toiletry bag and put them all in the top drawer of the dresser. That done, I move my backpack to the closet and lean it against the wall beside my boots. With everything put up for now, I head out of our room and down the hall to the living room, where I find Darred and the girls sitting with Cliegg, Ruwee, and Owen, now watching The Weather Channel. I can hear our mothers moving around in the kitchen.

As soon as they notice me, Ryoo and Pooja jump up, squealing, and run to me shouting, "Uncle Ani! Uncle Ani! You're home!" before they launch themselves at me.

Laughing, I squat down and give each of them a big hug, delighted to see them. "Hey, you two! It's great to see you both! Look how much you've both grown while I've been away! You're not supposed to do that! You're supposed to stay little and cute as a button when I'm gone!" I tell them, as I laugh and poke them each in the belly, making them blush and giggle. Our nieces, Ryoo and Pooja, really are adorable little brown-haired, brown-eyed imps. Ages seven and four respectively, they have their mother's looks down to a tee but definitely a blend of both of their parents' personalities. They are Naberrie females, no doubts about it, but they have the same rebel streak that Darred and I seem to share, which explains why they are constantly getting into trouble.

Darred walks over, and we hug, slapping each other on the back, all smiles. About two inches shorter than me at six feet, Darred's from Sweden originally with the typical Scandinavian pale blond hair and blue eyes. He's an architect and a super nice guy. We share a love of cars, mechanics, sports, building and tinkering, plus getting into trouble, and he and I have gotten along well from the moment we first met, which is great considering how close our wives are. He really is like my brother, in every sense of the word.

Honestly, I couldn't have married into a better family than this one.

Next, I am enveloped in a warm hug from my adopted younger sister, Ahsoka, or Snips, as I lovingly call her. She's tall and slender with smooth black hair cut in a wedged bob and huge blue eyes. She likes a lot of the same things I do, oddly enough, like cars, planes, and sports. She's very much a tomboy, and her nickname for me is SkyGuy. She's also smart as a whip and has a heart of gold, and she adores Padmé and her family, just as much as I do. "SkyGuy! Welcome home, Brother!" she says, giving me a big squeeze.

I return the hug and drop a kiss on top of her head, "Good to see you, too, Snips. It's good to be home."

As I release her, my mom steps out of the kitchen, "Ani, are you hungry?"

I shake my head, "No, Mom. I'm good. I'm just thirsty at the moment."

"Tea, okay?"

I smile and nod, "Yeah. Tea's great, Mom. Thanks."

"Coming right up," she says with a smile and disappears back into the kitchen, where I promptly hear cabinets opening and closing, then the same with the fridge door and then ice clinking in a glass from the ice dispenser.

Mom brings me my tea...and a couple of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, which I immediately wolf down with a grin. Hey, I love homemade chocolate chip cookies and never turn them down. We all settle back down in the living room, with Darred and the girls all filling me in on things they've done in the last six moths and asking me about places I've been to and things I've done during my time overseas. I have to be careful. I can't reveal any classified information, of course, as well as anything that no little girls would want or need to hear about the horrors I've seen and experienced in my time over there, but general info about the landscape and the people I've met over there is a safe topic. Suddenly, Darred asks me with a sly smile if I'd like to go play the new Forza Motorsport 7 game he just bought for the Xbox downstairs. It came out in October of last year, and we'd talked about getting this game back at Thanksgiving, but neither of us had a chance to purchase it before my deployment. So, I'm really excited to try this, and I nod my head eagerly as he and I, plus the girls, all get up and head down to the basement.

Snips grabs the remote and turns on the TV while Darred sets up the game on the Xbox. He and I each grab a controller, set up the specs for a multiplayer game, and off we go...Game on, Bro! I think with a devilish grin on my face.

It's been too long since we've been able to hang out like this as a family. Last time we did was at Christmas. I didn't realize how much I missed it until I stepped into my mother's arms and wrapped her up in mine. There's nothing quite like being home, being surrounded by those who love you for you, and have your back no matter what.

That's what family is all about, and blending my family together with Padmé's was just like falling in love with my angel, it was always meant to be. We're two halves of each other's heart and soul. We complete one another, and that's something I never thought I'd really have with a woman.

Before Padmé came into my life, I never gave much thought to having a real relationship. Oh sure, I dated a lot and had girlfriends back in high school, but they weren't anything serious, and I can honestly say that, without a doubt, I never loved any of them, because I didn't know what real love even was until I met my brown-eyed angel.

I remember it like it was yesterday.

We were at Starbucks, each getting coffee. I was standing behind her, waiting for my own coffee order to be ready, mind elsewhere, when she literally knocked me off my feet when she whirled around and slammed right into me, spilling her iced coffee all over me. I went from being pissed as hell that I just had a brand new outfit ruined and was knocked flat on my ass to being totally breathless, my heart hammering wildly in my chest, my jaw slacked and eyes widened in shock at the beautiful, petite, brunette angel of a woman, who looked down in horror at me sprawled on the floor, my clothes soaked in her iced caramel macchiato, and her all wide-eyed and sputtering apologies that she spilled her coffee all over me.

Yep, even as shocked and apologetic as she was, she took my breath away, and I was a goner. Totally, completely, irrevocably gone. Forever.

"You ready?" Darred asks, nudging me in the arm with his elbow, jerking me from my thoughts.

I look over at his curious expression and nod. Turning to face the screen again, I take a deep breath and focus on kicking his ass in a game that neither of us have ever played before. Granted, I played the old versions of this game, so I'm sure the buttons are still relatively, if not exactly, the same, but I never lost before, and I'm not about to start now.

"Ready to get your ass kicked?" I ask him with a smirk, raising a blond eyebrow his way.

He grins wickedly and nudges me with his elbow again, a little harder this time. "There are little girls in this room, y'know," He says looking back at his two beautiful daughters, before turning to look back at me. "I wouldn't want you to look like a fool in front of them, after I kick your ass up and down this track."

That gets a good laugh out of me. I thought he was scolding me for saying ass in front of his little girls, like I know Sola, Padmé and our moms would do, but I should've known better. This is Darred here, a man who is much like myself, a man that may very well be able to kick my ass in this game, that's not something I'd ever admit out loud though.

Instead, I turn to give him a challenging glare, all humor leaving my face. "Care to put your money where your mouth is, Speed Racer?" I can see the wheels turning in his head, as he considers my challenge with narrowed eyes. We both know what he'll say though.

"You're on." Yep, there it is. Just like me, he never backs down from a challenge, especially not one from me. "How much, Flyboy?"

My feral grin is back. "We can keep our money in our wallets. Instead, why don't we do this...If I win, I get to borrow your Audi R8 for a week, and if you win, as unlikely as that is, you can borrow my Harley for a week? Deal?"

His blond eyebrows soar to his hairline. I surprised him. Good. His silver R8 is a badass car, a little too expensive for me to purchase right now, though, and I know he's been eyeing my beautiful Harley, a used bike I bought as a teenager with my hard earned money and rebuilt and customized myself.

It's a bike like no other on the road, of that I'm certain. "You've got yourself a deal, bro. Just be prepared to hand over the keys and your helmet to me when you're done crying. I know how much that sweet little ride of yours means to you, and I promise I'll do my best to not get a scratch on it."

He's talking as if he has a chance in hell of ever beating me in any race. Even if it is a video game. He's forgetting something...I own the road, the sky, and even the water. Nobody's ever beaten me in a race. Nobody. Ever.

And, that's not about to change now.

I extend my hand out to him to shake, smirks on both our faces. He locks his hand around mine, and we shake. I give him a shit eating grin, "You're on, Janren. But, I'll be taking your keys, Bro, not the other way around."

We laugh and release each other's hands and turn our attention back to the game. We select our cars, with me choosing one based on the best handling and speed and him choosing a car that looks like he customized it himself.

"You cheater," I mock him. He doesn't even bother looking apologetic. He just shrugs at me. 'Tough, dude. Deal with it' is basically what he meant with that shrug, and now he has me sweating a little, not that I'll ever admit that either. Here I thought he bought this game just for us to play today, just like old times for when I came back from deployments only to find out that he's been practicing, cheating as he went and obviously built himself a car that he thinks he can beat me with. He wants to challenge me? Fine. Like I said: Game. Fucking. On. "No sweat, I'll still kick your ass." Turning around, I wink at my nieces. "You two may want to close your eyes for this. This isn't gonna be pretty like you two are."

They giggle, while Ahsoka just snorts and kicks back on the couch, amused and grinning at our little race. I turn my attention back to the game, and just like I do in the cockpit, I let everything else go except for my focus on my target. And, my target here is beating Darred's ass up and down this track like he said he would do to me.

Little does he know how great I am at anything racing, especially in Forza, or maybe he does know since this isn't our first time ever playing this game before, well...maybe not this one, but we've played each other in the older versions before. I have every single Forza game ever made, except for this one, and this one won't be any different. Hey, I am a Forza master here. Don't believe me? Just ask my wife. She can tell you. The number of times she's sat in our living room after dinner watching me play Forza while she worked on her law school assignments...I shake my head. Oh yeah, my bro is going down.

For the next half hour, the adrenaline is pumping, the groans of loss and shouts of triumph ring out, and, ever aware of the little feminine ears in the room with us, the cursing is kept to a bare minimum. Last thing we want is to piss our wives off. We enjoy sleeping with them, after all...and I know I don't want to end up on the couch tonight. No damn way. I've been waiting six solid months to be with my wife again, and I quite intend for us to...uh, sleep together...repeatedly...tonight.

Not that my nieces or my sister needs to know that. Darred, of course, surely knows, but he'd totally get where I'm coming from on that score. What man wouldn't?

Finally, it's Game Over...And, the winner is...Uh-huh. You guessed it.

Me!

Just like I told you. Was there any doubt I'd win? I mean, come on. My job is all about speed. My F-22 reaches a top speed of 1,498 miles per hour (that's nearly Mach 2 speeds), after all. That's going pretty damn fast, believe me, it makes the fastest roller coaster on Earth seem like a kiddie ride.

As I let out a whoop of exhilaration, jumping up and dropping my controller on the coffee table and clapping my hands, Darred flops back on the couch, eyes closed and groaning. All three of the girls are laughing and pointing at Darred's pained expression.

"I can't believe you beat me!" he whines, eyes on the ceiling.

"Tough luck, Bro! Hand over them keys!" I chortle, a grin a fucking mile wide on my face. I am so going to enjoy this coming week for sure! I mean, I'm back home, soon to be reunited with my gorgeous wife, and now, I get to drive my brother-in-law's badass Audi for a week! Hell yeah, this is great!

As Darred groans again and the rest of us laugh, Snips' phone dings in her pocket. She pulls it out, opens it, and then grins like a mad woman. Glancing up, she has an almost feral look of glee on her face as she looks right at me...Wait, does this mean...?

"They're back from the store and in the kitchen right now, Brother dear," Snips tells me, her eyes twinkling with mischief, her grin wolfish.

My nieces and Darred all start chuckling, race completely forgotten about, but I pay them no mind, turning and dashing for the door leading upstairs, and taking the stairs two at a time. Only one thought is racing through my mind at this moment...Padmé!

Reaching the top of the stairs, I pause, taking a few deep breaths. Ok. This is it. The moment I've been waiting the last six months for...and it's time. Time to get my answers. Fuck, I'm nervous now. I can feel the butterflies in my stomach. Hearing Darred and the girls climbing up the stairs behind me, I reach out, grab the handle, and quietly push the door open. Peeking out, I stick my head out the door, and I see Ruwee, Owen, and Cliegg all standing in the living room, huge grins on their faces as they glance over at me. "Go on, Skyguy!" Ahsoka whispers loudly behind me.

This part of the house has an open air floor plan, so the living room flows into the dining room and then directly into the large white kitchen beyond. Padmé's back is to me. She's standing on the other side of the bar, and all the grocery bags are lined up on the bar behind her. Her hair is up in a high ponytail. It looks like she cut it a little bit shorter than it was when I left in January. She has on a pink sleeveless, wide-strapped tank top, but I can only see her from the shoulders up, thanks to all the bags piled up behind her. Our mothers, Sola and Beru are all standing around in the kitchen with her, and I see Sola look over toward me and wink, and she looks like she's trying not to laugh. Beru and our mothers are all grinning like crazy as well.

Taking another deep breath, I ease out the basement door and tip-toe over to the bar, and I know the rest of the family is following me. Leaning forward, I brace my hands on the edge of the bar, listening to Padmé's melodic voice as she talks to the other ladies, completely unaware of my presence behind her, "So, when I saw it, I had to grab it. I mean, it was perfect, y'know, and-"

I interrupt her, "Hey, Beautiful. Fancy seeing you here."

She shrieks, loudly, at the sound of my voice, which she knows so well, and she whirls around, shock sweeping across her lovely features, eyes wide, mouth falling open, and her hands flying up to cover her mouth. "Oh my God, Ani!" she squeals in utter delight, and then she's waddling...wait, waddling?...around the bar toward me, at the same time I am rushing to meet her...and as soon as she clears the bar...

Holy Shit!

My own damn jaw drops, nearly matching her own expression, and I get the shock of a lifetime. If I just performed a barrel roll at Mach 5 and crashed into the ocean to my fiery death, I still don't think I'd be as shocked as I am in this moment.

Fuck!

My wife is pregnant! She's fucking pregnant! I know I'm standing here looking like a fucking idiot, but I can't help it. I mean, I had hoped for this, y'know, but to come home and find out like this...Damn, my stomach just dropped to my toes! I raise my hands to my face, and I'm stunned to feel tears falling! I notice she is crying, too, and as we reach each other, I engulf her in my arms as tight as I dare and bury my face in her hair which I love the scent and feel of, openly crying now, as I feel her own arms wrap tightly around my neck, her nose now buried in the crook of my neck and shoulder. Only vaguely do I hear the voices of our family as they all shout, "Surprise!" I hear them all clapping and laughing, and I ease back a little and reach up with my left hand to gently grab the back of her neck and angle her face up to mine, and then I seal our lips together, kissing her like I've longed to for six long months now.

I've been looking forward to this moment from the second I left her and boarded my flight with the rest of my squadron back in January, and to be here, with her in my arms now, it's a dream come true. And more than that, I'm going to be a father! She's going to be a mother! And a damn good one, of that I have no doubt.

We're going to be parents! And, I can't fucking wait to welcome our little angel or little dude into the world.

Now I know why she hasn't Skyped with me! She didn't want to ruin her surprise, and what a surprise it is. Relief sweeps through me, as all of my anxiety and concern regarding her reasons for being so distant leave me like a receding tidal wave. Only to immediately have a whole new tidal wave hit me, and that is the tidal wave of our impending parenthood.

And that is one tidal wave I am seriously looking forward to.

A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this first chapter! This story is definitely a story full of fluff, as well as obviously a romance and family story.

When my Beta and I were working on this, we wanted to include the family members that really aren't seen in Star Wars. Padmé's family is rarely mentioned and we only see them when she and Anakin go in hiding in AOTC (a couple of deleted scenes) and at the end of ROTS at Padmé's funeral. We also never even see Darred or get a real description of him, we just know he's an architect. I think he and Anakin would get along great, and in this story, they obviously do. We also chose to have him based at Travis AFB, they may not have any fighter wings there but this is a fanfic and we decided that that base was perfect for this story.

I hope you stick around to read more! Please follow, favorite and review! Thanks for reading!