Last Chapter! But it will be long, I promise, possibly the longest of all. And then, sequels! I have a lot of fun writing this story… anyway, enjoy!
A.N. (10/09/05) SEQUEL NOW UP! It is called 'Attachment,' please check it out! Hope you enjoy it, let me know!
Ch. 26Anakin lifted his mechanical hand to knock on the Naberrie's door, but Padme held him back. She took a deep breath, but when she looked at him, she laughed, despite herself.
"Are you ready for this?" She asked him.
"I thought I was, but you're so apprehensive that I'm starting to think there's something terrible I don't know about your family," he replied, smiling at her.
"No, they're wonderful, you know everything, I just am feeling so guilty for keeping this from them- I know they won't be happy."
"Not at first, but when they see how happy you are, they will be overjoyed. I will make a wonderful son-in-law, you'll see," he laughed, and kissed her. She smiled at him, her eyes twinkling, and he just smiled back dumbly, lost in her eyes. He was so in love with her, even after all this time, and her smile just made his heart flutter every time he saw it.
"All right," she sighed, and knocked.
The door opened, and Padme saw Sabe standing at the other side. She breathed a huge sigh of relief, and hugged her friend.
"M'lady, thank goodness, we were all so worried about you. I felt terrible being on Naboo while you were in danger on Coruscant, are you all right?"
"Sabe, I'm the one who told you to stay home and relax," Padme smiled. "I'm fine, it's wonderful to see you again." She paused, "They're mad aren't they?"
"Well, they have hardly slept in a week…" Sabe said timidly.
"Oh, they're going to be so mad when they find out about… Sabe, you must stay in here when I talk to my mother and father. I have something important to tell all of you."
"Oh, no m'lady, I would feel intrusive. You should tell your family whatever it is first."
"You wouldn't be intrusive at all, Sabe! You are my friend, and I want you to know this information, please, stay for me."
"Padme, it sounds like this is important, imagine your parents feelings if they find out at the same time as one of your handmaidens- as your parents, they should know first," Sabe finished.
"I suppose that's true- I certainly do need you, Sabe, to make wise decisions for me," Padme smiled. "But come talk to me later, I've needed a friend to share this with for so long."
"Of course. Your parents are in the main room. I won't tell them you're here, you can deal with that on your own." Sabe laughed, then caught herself and bowed respectfully, and walked out.
"Does it ever bother you that she is so proper and submissive?" Anakin asked.
"Yes- she is a good friend of mine and I wish it could be just that- but it is her job, and her duty to act that way. I can't ask her to stop it, in fact I am supposed to demand that respect, though clearly it makes no difference to me… When we are just talking alone, she is more herself, more of just a friend…"
They stood in silence for a few minutes, when a voice rang out interrupting their thoughts. "Sabe, who is at the door?" It was a female voice, full of worry and sadness. In fact, it sounded as if she had been crying.
"Oh, they're upset even right now," Padme said, sadly. Taking a deep breath, she walked over to the entrance arch of the main room, leaned on the frame, and smiled shyly at her parents. At first, they said nothing, hardly able to comprehend the image of their daughter standing in front of them after they had worried about her for so long.
"Hi," Padme said timidly, somehow unable to find anything else to say.
Jobal rushed to her daughter and embraced Padme in tears. Ruwee walked over more slowly, then also threw his arms around his youngest daughter. However, both then looked at her sternly.
"Padme Amidala Naberrie, where have you been? After what happened on Coruscant, how could you not contact us? We feared for your life, the Senators were targets! And the fact that you didn't show up for your speech, is so unlike you- Padme I've been so worried about you," her mother said, unable to contain her emotion.
"I know, I'm so sorry," Padme said, holding the hands of her mother and looking at her father. "All communication was cut off from Coruscant directly following the attacks, and when it was brought back, I was, well…" She paused, and looked at them. Suddenly, she realized Anakin wasn't there. "Wait, I have to get someone," she ducked out into the hall, and Ruwee and Jobal looked at each other in disbelief.
"She comes home for one minute, begins to explain herself, then cuts herself off immediately and goes out to 'get someone?'" Ruwee asked. The parents looked at each other and sighed. "At least she's safe…" He shook his head, amused, and smiled at his wife, putting his arm around her reassuringly.
Padme walked back into the room, leading Anakin by the hand. However, as soon as they passed under the arch she dropped his hand right away, obviously afraid of what her parents would think. It took a lot of Jedi patience for Anakin to suppress laughter at the idea that his 27 year-old Senator wife was afraid to be seen holding a man's hand in front of her parents, especially a man to whom she was married.
"Master Skywalker!" exclaimed Ruwee, and Jobal rushed to hug the Jedi. "Thank the Force you are safe as well, we feared the worst for both of you on Coruscant. It is a pleasure to see you again. And congratulations on your successes," Ruwee shook his hand.
"It is wonderful to see you again as well, Mr. Naberrie. And please, call me Anakin."
"Have you been protecting Padme all this time?" Jobal asked. "I can't even express our thanks, she is so stubborn and refuses to have a team of bodyguards, it is reassuring to know the Jedi are looking out for her."
"Yes, I have kept her safe, but really it is her own intelligence and quick thinking that keeps the both of us safe much of the time," Anakin smiled at her, and Padme blushed. Jobal looked at them, and Padme couldn't help but detect an amused and interested smile on her mother's face. However, Ruwee seemed oblivious.
"And are you all right? From the news, it seems as if you have been through quite a bit, and we worry about you too- you're almost like family, as Padme's protector," Jobal said, her voice full of compassion for the boy whom she knew had no parents of his own.
"That's…wonderful to hear," Anakin smiled at Padme. 'Maybe this will be easier than we thought,' he thought to himself, and he knew Padme was thinking the same thing.
"We have so much to tell you about the attacks, and the past few weeks," Padme began, "Mom, dad, they want to make me Chancellor of the New Republic!"
"Padme, that's fantastic!" Ruwee exclaimed, "I can't believe that my little girl is going to be Chancellor, I couldn't be prouder."
"Well, that's only if I choose to accept it…"
"Why wouldn't you?" Jobal asked, a note of hope obvious in her voice, "Are you considering coming home? Giving up politics?" She paused. "I'm sorry, I want you to be successful, dear. I just miss you so much while your gone," she gave Padme another hug, and Padme smiled. "Congratulations about being Chancellor."
"Do find some time to come home though," Ruwee said, "I can't stand not seeing you for years at a time!"
"Well," Padme said, "That's kind of what I want to talk to you about. I'm highly considering accepting the nomination for Chancellor, but…"
"What is it?" Jobal asked. "Is something wrong?"
"You aren't sick are you? The best doctors are here on Naboo, you know; so don't consider going back to Coruscant if you're sick. You're all right aren't you?"
Padme smiled at her parents, then looked at Anakin as if to say 'I told you so.'
"I'm fine, mom and dad. I'm not sick," she answered.
"Thank the Force, I couldn't have dealt with anything more to worry about after all of this, especially concerning you," Jobal said. "Having you out in space, who knows where, running the galaxy is very hard on us, you know."
"I know it is, but hopefully I'll be spending more time with you, even if I am Chancellor. I have to tell you something," Padme tried again.
"Are you in danger? There's not another assassination threat is there?" Ruwee asked worriedly.
Anakin couldn't help it anymore. He laughed, and Padme shot him a deadly look.
"I'm sorry, I just find it amusing," he turned to Padme's parents. "What she has to tell you is good news! You didn't even consider that," he said, and they looked at him- clearly this idea had not even occurred to them.
"You're right…we do worry a lot, it's just that there's been so much bad news lately…it's not easy having your daughter become a famous politician, hearing about her life from the HoloNet instead of firsthand," Jobal smiled and turned to Padme, and put her hand on her daughter's shoulder. "What is it? What is the good news?" Suddenly Jobal gasped, thinking she had found the right answer, and asked, "Do you have a boyfriend? Who is it, Padme, I'm so glad you're finally finding a life outside of politics."
"A boyfriend?" Ruwee asked, "he'd better be respectful of you Padme, he does treat you well doesn't he? It was so difficult for me when Sola got married, and you the youngest… it's hard to let you go, he is good to you isn't he?"
"Mom, Dad, I haven't even told you anything yet!" Padme laughed.
"Oh, you're right, we're sorry. What is it?" Now Ruwee and Jobal both stared at Padme, and she knew it was time to let the truth out.
"You could say I have a boyfriend…" Padme sighed. "Why don't you two sit down," she suggested.
"Nothing bad happened did it? You're all right aren't you?" Jobal asked, as she went to the couch.
"You didn't let someone take advantage of you, did you Padme, if you did I will find him for you. I can't let anyone hurt my daughters," Ruwee said.
"Dad!" Padme exclaimed, a little shocked. "No… Anakin already told you it's good news!"
"Well what is it Padme, I can't stand the wait any more," Jobal said.
Padme sat down across from them, and Anakin sat next to her. She looked straight into her parents' eyes.
"Mom, dad… I got married," she sighed. There it was- how would they react to that.
"What!" Jobal exclaimed. "You got married and you didn't tell us? We weren't invited to the wedding! Padme, I am happy for you, but I'm also very saddened and insulted! We didn't even know you were seeing anyone, how could you keep this from us? Married?" She paused, taking it all in, nothing more to say.
"I didn't even get to give you away, Padme, my youngest daughter," Ruwee said sadly, and it broke Padme's heart. "How could you keep this a secret? This is something families should share, I thought you trusted us."
"Who is he," Jobal asked, but suddenly her motherly instinct took over, and she knew. She spoke to Padme with her eyes, looking at Anakin and seeing Padme nod and smile.
"Congratulations," She said simply, smiling brightly at her new son-in-law.
"Who?" Ruwee asked, wondering how Jobal could communicate with Padme without any visible motion by either of them. "Padme, who is your husband?"
"It's Anakin, dad." Padme said, and she took Anakin's hand.
"Anakin?" Ruwee said, looking at the Jedi in front of him. He looked him up and down, unsure really of why, and then looked back to Padme, sternly. "Padme, he's a Jedi knight, you know that's illegal don't you?" He turned back to Anakin. "You told her didn't you? You didn't let her marry illegally against her knowledge-that's very irresponsible; I would have thought more of a Jedi. How could you marry when your code specifically outlaws it? I thought more highly of you Anakin… and now you've taken my daughter from me, illegally, without my knowledge. You know, it is customary for the man to ask the father's permission first- old tradition I know, but customary, especially on Naboo." Ruwee finished, and frowned, his hands across his chest. Jobal looked at him, concerned, half agreeing with him and half compassionate for Anakin and Padme. She put her arm on Ruwee's shoulder and looked around, unsure of what to say.
"Daddy!" Padme yelled, and looked at him angrily. "I did, of course, know it was against Jedi Code, I'm a Senator, remember? Anakin forced me into nothing- you should understand, love is impossible to ignore," she looked pleadingly at her father. "We are incredibly happy together and in fact, because Anakin proved that he could do his duty impeccably even with emotional attachment, the code was changed. It is now legal for Jedi to be in relationships, even to marry and have children, because of Anakin. Because he sacrificed himself for the Republic- do you know he risked his life for his former Master, Obi Wan Kenobi? He is a wonderful person and you should be very happy for us. I love him, very much."
"And I love and respect your daughter more than anyone in the galaxy," Anakin told them. "I would do anything to keep her safe and happy. I would have asked your permission in any other circumstance Mr. Naberrie, but you have to understand why we couldn't tell anyone about our relationship- it would have been an extraordinary scandal, and during the war we were both needed to do our duties."
Jobal rushed over to give Anakin another hug. "Welcome to the family," she said. "I have always liked you Anakin, I'm sure you are wonderful to Padme. I just wish I could have seen the ceremony- when was it?"
"Well…" Padme paused, knowing that her father was still upset. "We had to keep this a secret for a long time, because of the war and because of our positions. We were able to reveal our secret now, in peace time… we've been married three years."
Her parents were silent. They couldn't comprehend how their daughter, in a family so tightly knit as theirs, could have kept a marriage secret from them for three years. They were happy that she had found love, but both felt betrayed to have been kept in the dark about the secret.
"When you two were here last…were you…?" Jobal couldn't finish the question, but everyone knew what she was asking.
"No…directly after that, we were in a serious battle, which I will certainly tell you about later if your interested. In fact, it was the battle that began the clone wars. We had already fallen in love, but had tried to ignore it because of the laws. We thought we were doing to die, and I admitted my love to him. When we survived, there was no way to ignore it. We were married directly after that, and have been in love and extremely happy ever since. I wish you could have known, I've wanted to share this with you for so long, but I simply couldn't. It had to be kept a complete secret, even Anakin's former Master, Obi Wan Kenobi, did not know until a week ago."
"I only wish we could have shared this with you, Padme…" Jobal said sadly.
"But your marriage is now legal?" Asked Ruwee.
"Yes, completely. The code has been changed permanently so that Jedi can have emotional attachments, get married and… have children." She tried to emphasize the last part, hoping her mother would catch on without her actually having to tell them about Luke and Leia. Unfortunately, the idea that Padme already had children was the last thing on either parents mind.
"Well then, I suppose we should congratulate you," Ruwee said slowly. He stood up and shook Anakin's hand. "I just hope that you know to treat her well. Be good to her, or you will have to deal with me. I know you're the most powerful warrior in the galaxy, but a father's love is more powerful than anything."
"I know," Anakin said forcefully, and Padme glared at him. But Anakin wanted them to know, it was silly to continue to keep the secret and he was sick of it. And this time, Jobal suspected something. Padme hid her head behind Anakin's shoulder, but he just smiled.
"What do you mean, you… you know…?" Jobal couldn't ask him directly, it was too much.
Anakin grabbed Padme's hand tightly, encouraging her to tell them. Finally, she turned around, ready to give away the last part of their secret.
"Last week…." Padme began, then paused. However, she finally managed to summon all of her courage. They would be happy, they had to be happy about having more grandchildren, they worshipped Pooja and Ryoo. "Last week, I couldn't contact you even after the communication was restored on Coruscant because I was in the hospital. I…I was giving birth to our twin babies, Luke and Leia. I'm so sorry I couldn't tell you I was pregnant, but you must understand that even more so than our marriage, my pregnancy would have caused extraordinary uproar in the Senate and I know that many Jedi would suspect Anakin as the father. During the war, it simply wasn't feasible for anyone to know about it." She was now squeezing Anakin's hand very tightly, and it was beginning to hurt him. He removed his hand from hers, walked to her other side, and slipped his mechanical hand into her other hand. She understood his message, and began to laugh, finally letting her nervousness go.
"I understand… in fact, I'm overjoyed. More grandchildren, they must be beautiful, seeing you two… I just can't believe that my last baby has had babies of her own. When can we see them? Where are they?" Jobal hugged Padme again, and then hugged Anakin.
Ruwee walked over, and slowly shook Anakin's hand and put his own hand on Padme's shoulder. "Congratulations, sweetie," he said, and she smiled up at him.
"They're beautiful, I can't wait for you to meet them. They're with Sola right now, Tal told her I was landing and she met me angrily on the platform," she smiled, and her parents laughed. "Trust me, her reaction was just as bad, if not worse, than yours. But she agreed to take them for me while I Told you. I really am so sorry you had to find out like this, but it was sadly the only way. The important thing is, we're all here now together. They should be coming soon."
Right on cue, Ryoo and Pooja burst into the room and embraced Padme, a laughing Sola and her husband right behind them with Luke and Leia.
"Baby Luke spit up but it's ok because mommy says babies do that a lot, that even I did it. Then we played with them but they don't really do very much because they're too little, and I tried to get them to play with my toys but mommy says they don't know how to do that yet because I'm a big girl and Leia's just a little one," Ryoo announced, breathlessly.
"Aunt Padme's married to Master Skywalker! Aunt Padme's married to Master Skywalker!" Pooja exclaimed, running in after her sister.
"There he is!" Ryoo pointed, and they turned to Anakin and stood in front of him, staring up at him. They looked at each other, wide-eyed, and then just looked back up at him silently, frozen.
"Girls, remember your manners!" Sola scolded them. "Why don't you introduce yourselves to Anakin."
"Hello Master Skywalker I'm Ryoo!" Ryoo rushed to get it all out before becoming silent again.
"Hello Master Skywalker I'm Pooja!"
"It's very nice to meet you," Anakin said, laughing. "You two are lovely, just like your mother and aunt."
They stared at him, wide-eyed and blushing from his complement. They looked back at each other in disbelief, and resumed staring at Anakin in awe. He smiled awkwardly, amused by the little girls.
Jobal rushed over to Sola and her husband A.N. does he have a name?.
"Are these my grandchildren?" She asked, taking Luke into her arms.
"Yes, that is Luke and this is Leia," Sola answered.
Padme and Ruwee both walked over to join them. Ruwee took Leia in his arms.
"They're beautiful Padme, I'm so glad to meet them. Congratulations to both of you," Ruwee said, enamored of his new granddaughter.
Anakin walked over to Padme, and put his arm around her shoulder. Ryoo and Pooja followed him, standing faithfully at the legs of their hero and looking up at him. As he stood there, surrounded by this wonderful and loving family, his family, he felt complete, and knew that his future, finally, was bright and clear.
THE END
I hope you enjoyed it! Please let me know… and don't fret, I want to do a sequel when Luke and Leia are around 4, if you all think that would be a good idea, I just have fun with this. Thanks for reading and making me feel happy with the awesome reviews!
-sewardsfolly