AN: Miracle Naberrie is entirely Jade-Max's wonderful creation (with a little bit of help from some Kaminoans, a few strands of Aala's hair and some of Obi-Wan's dna), and Mundali and Kali, which are mentioned, are laloga's. All are borrowed with consent. This is very AU, and I've imagined a Galaxy where things aren't quite as bad. The Empire is there, but perhaps Anakin turned back before he perished, Obi-Wan is still watching over Luke but not in 'exile' and Palpatine doesn't have quite as much power or support as the story we know.

Miracle is introduced in Jade-Max's story Little Miracles - of which I highly recommend :) And the full name was her idea, as well, but didn't fit in her original story. Many thanks to both Jade-Max and laloga for offering feedback ahead of time!

*Ending was *fixed* as per Jade-Max's suggestion

Days Like This

This is the part of me
That you're never gonna ever take away from me, no
Throw your sticks and stones
Throw your bombs and your blows
But you're not gonna break my soul

"Miracle Padme Kenobi Naberrie! Come here, this instant!"

Oh this was bad... Really bad.

What had she done now?

Hmmm...Earlier that afternoon before her mom came home, she'd practiced using the Force by rearranging the furniture but she'd put everything back exactly where it was supposed to go. There was no way mom could know that...

Oh yeah...And she'd played with some of her makeup last night... But she couldn't have found about that either, she hardly ever used it herself!

She'd even remembered to leave a note every time she'd gone to Aunt Sola's for the afternoon. Although... one of those times she'd really gone to the park with friends - but she didn't want her mom to worry.

And she hadn't even done any neat Force tricks outside in ages!

So what was it? Miracle felt frustration rise up inside her for a moment and the argument slipped past the seven year old's lips before she could stop herself, an automatic response. "Mom!" She shouted from her room. "That's not even really my name!"

Darn. And now she'd be in trouble for talking back, as well as whatever else her mother was upset about.

Whatever it was, she figured she better go and go fast, so she skipped down the hall and bounded around the corner to find her mother standing in their sitting room, hands on hips, and that look on her face like she was really really upset.

And it was then she noticed that her mother was holding her journal, and it was open. Had she read it?

But Mira realized she must've left it out this morning and her face fell. Aala had told her she could put whatever she wanted in it, but Mira knew she was supposed to keep it in her room at all times and locked up when she wasn't using it.

"Oh Mir," Aala sighed. "Sweetheart, come here." Aala sat on the couch and held out her arms toward her only daughter.

Miracle, her feet dragging a little, came to sit next to her mother and Aala cuddled her close to her side. "We've talked about your name before..." she said quietly. "It's not your legal name, but it's who you are."

Mira nodded and Aala gave her a little squeeze. "But if you don't want me to call you that -"

"No, it's okay," Mira kicked her feet against the couch. "I just don't want to be in trouble."

"You're not in trouble, sweetheart, I just lost my temper because I'm worried." At this, Aala lifted the journal, already flipped open to a page with a picture drawn across it.

"Is this you and your father?" Aala asked gently. The picture was clear - a tall figure with a beard, and a smaller figure, light brown hair streaming behind her, both with lightsabers.

"Yes," Mira answered, her voice soft and her face tilted down. "Did you read it?" she asked plaintively.

"No, I didn't. If I have any concerns - about your well-being - I might have to look at it, you know. I've told you that. But otherwise it's just for you."

Mira thought about it for a moment. It seemed fair, so she nodded.

"You have to keep it in your room, though. I know it's hard for you to understand, but it's not safe for anyone else to see this, Mir. My boss is on his way over, and if I hadn't noticed this was sitting out - If he saw it -"

"Professor Sarden?" Mira interrupted. "I don't like him. He's mean looking and he has a funny mustache."

Aala smiled. "In any case, you have to be more careful. I'm sorry I lost my temper, though."

"It's okay. Why is he coming here, anyway?"

"We have a meeting in awhile. And I suppose he likes to check up on me... Don't worry about it, okay? Why don't you just play in your room for awhile? Or better yet, I'll call Aunt Sola and you can play over there for a bit."

"Okay," Mira smiled. "And Daddy is coming tomorrow?"

"Late tomorrow," Aala corrected.

"Mommy?"

"Yes, darling?"

"Do you have time to tell me about my name again?"

"Always," Aala smiled, hugging her close. "'Miracle'," she started, "because you're my sweet little miracle. 'Padme' after your aunt, because you have her tenacity and her kindness. 'Kenobi' because you are your father's daughter through and through. You have his good humor and his good heart. And 'Naberrie' because you have our loyalty and strength of character."

Aala leaned forward, to kiss the top of her head. "And no matter what, Mira, no one can ever take those things away from you."

He came in late that evening.

Moonlight washed across the azure colored comforter in streaks of white light from the Nubian moons. In the warm months, Aala liked to keep her window open, for the back of the house was completely secured by a high wall, and she always kept her bedroom door open, unless Ben was there, in case Mir had a nightmare. The result was a pleasant cool breeze that drifted through her room at night, carrying the scent of Ryoo and Rominaria flower from the yard.

Pleasant as it was, it was always better if he was there and she was woken from a light sleep sometime in the middle of the night by the sound of the door closing and the rustle of his clothes as he began to undress.

"Ben?" she whispered, turning toward him.

"Yes, darling."

"Did you check on Mira?"

"Sound asleep, and all tucked in."

"Mmm," she murmured as he settled in bed behind her, wrapping his arm around her waist and pressing her back to his chest.

"She'll be so happy to see you," Aala sighed.

Ben pressed a soft kiss to Aala's shoulder. "And I her. Did you tell her I was coming?"

"I said you would be here late tomorrow, just in case you were delayed. She'll have enough disappointment in life... I can't bear for her to have any in you."

"You don't give her enough credit, love." Ben chided, but his tone was good-natured. "I've spoken to her at great length about why I can't always be here."

"I know, I just want to protect her."

"It's perfectly natural," he told her in a soft voice. "And you're an amazing mother."

Aala laughed quietly, and turned in his arms to brush her lips against his. "Thank you. And you're an amazing father."

He smiled, his eyes shining with mirth. "Now that we've gotten our congratulations out of the way..."

She laughed again, settling back into his embrace. "How's your sandy paradise?"

"Hot. And Sandy."

Aala chuckled. "And Luke?"

"He's doing very well." Ben paused. "I was there for a good stretch of time - but Owen is still reticent... he doesn't want me around at all."

"It will be okay, Ben." Aala tried to sound reassuring, though she wondered if it was perhaps easier for Luke to not have to deal with the pressure of it all, for now. "I know it's hard, but Luke is lucky they love him so much. When the time is right..."

"Indeed," he agreed. Taking in a deep breath, he nuzzled her neck and pulled her a little closer, as she gave a tired yawn.

"Are you working tomorrow?" he asked, his hand rubbing slow circles over her hip.

She was quiet a moment before she answered. "I quit today."

"Aala -" Ben pulled back to look at her. "I thought you loved teaching?"

"I do... but there's so much..." Her sentence was cut off by another yawn and Ben leaned forward to kiss her bare shoulder again.

"Sleep," he told her, "we'll talk about it tomorrow. I love you."

"I love you, too," she murmured.

And though there was so much uncertainty in the galaxy, they fell asleep easily, secure in their little home and content in each other's arms.

"I don't like him," Aala admitted the next morning. "I can't work for him anymore."

It was early, the bright morning sun starting its rise above the horizon, sending streams of clear yellow light into their home.

They'd been up very early that morning, when the dark indigo sky was only just beginning to lighten, taking advantage of the peace and solitude to have a proper reunion. Things always seemed better with him home, but there was still something Aala needed to resolve. They sat together now at the kitchen table, her with a mug of caf and him a cup of tea.

"What happened?" Ben asked, knowing her well enough to get straight to the heart of the matter.

Aala gave a deep sigh as she looked out the window. "About a month ago, he gave me a mandatory syllabus for my government classes. Including a detailed and false account of the Jedi 'uprising', 'betrayal' and 'rebellion.'"

She forced herself to meet his sympathetic gaze even though she was disgusted with herself for not taking more of a stand. For not shouting from the rooftops that it was all a lie.

"I taught it. I taught it all for a month. I couldn't quit when he gave me the syllabus because I was terrified he would find out. That he would find out about Mir."

"Oh, Aala." Ben covered her hand with his own, gripping it tightly. "It's alright."

She let out a long, slow breath. "I know Palpatine has been losing power since his last apprentice was killed. But it seems like the more the Rebellion gains momentum, the more he tightens his grip. I fear things will get much worse, before they get better."

"I know the feeling," Ben admitted and he took a long drink of his tea.

"It seems so dangerous now... when Inquisitor Malorum came..." Aala swallowed thickly as she thought about the painful memory. "She was still so little, and I thought I was going to lose my mind. Thank the Force for Ferus and Gregar. If something had happened to her..." Aala stared down into her caf, running her finger along the rim of the mug. "And now, in the schools, the Senate, everything, everyone is being watched."

Taking a deep breath, she met his gaze again. He was watching her carefully, waiting she knew, for her to get to her point. He knew her so well.

"I've been thinking..." she glanced up at him, to gauge his reaction. "About taking her to Mundali."

"Mundali?" he asked, surprise coloring his tone.

"It's safer than here," she said, "and it's easier for you to get there than it is to Naboo."

He cast her a warm smile at the thought, and she couldn't help imagining how nice it would be to see it even more often than she did now.

"And Mir deserves a chance to be trained, really trained. She wants it so badly and she hardly even knows what it means." This was what mattered most to Aala - giving her daughter every opportunity, in the best way possible, but it was hard for her to put into words.

Though in his understanding way, Ben stayed quiet, letting her explain, letting her voice her fears.

"In the back of my mind, I used to think it was a little cruel to take children to the Temple so young, before they could decide for themselves. A necessary evil perhaps, but still..."

Aala shook her head, and Ben squeezed her hand again, encouraging her.

"I didn't understand, I didn't know. But now that I've seen it through her eyes - it's so much more than that. It's something inside that calls her and I see - even if they had been able to decide, the outcome would've been the same. Every child would've chosen the chance to become a Jedi, no matter what."

He smiled, his expression soft, and he rubbed his thumb across her knuckles. "If it's what you want, Aala, I see no reason why not. Safety is never guaranteed you know..."

"I know, but I've put a lot of thought into it. And it won't hurt to be a little closer to you. You're not getting any younger, Daddy." She grinned at him. "And neither am I."

He chuckled, and she took a long sip of her caf. "I'd like to see Kali again, you don't think she'll mind, do you?"

"Of course not," Ben answered. "We're family, Aala. We have to help each other, and I'm sure she'll appreciate another pair of capable hands."

Aala sighed and gave him a small smile. "It will be nice to have someone to talk to - I have no idea what to do with a Force-sensitive child, you know. It was hard enough when she was little. Sola's been so great, but she can't help there. You know I came home early yesterday, and she had the couch floating in the air? I almost screamed, I was so startled. I didn't even know what to say, so I just pretended I never saw it. I don't even want to think about having a Force-sensitive teenager."

Ben chuckled. "It's not easy, and I had the entire temple to help with Anakin. Honestly, I don't want to think of Mira as a teenager at all, but we'll figure it out. As I said last night, you've done an amazing job, as I knew you would."

Aala sighed and they shared a smile. "Sometimes she reminds me so much of Padme... and other times..." she trailed off with a wry expression. "She definitely has my wild independent streak. Still - she has such a difficult road ahead of her. I think this is the right thing to do."

Ben nodded. "Mundali it is -"

Cut off, the end of his sentence was lost to the pattering of little feet in the hallway and Aala had to bite her lip against the swell of emotion she felt at the look of utter joy in his eyes. As one, they turned toward the direction of the hall just in time to see a blur of green pajamas and a stream of chestnut hair come through the archway.

"Daddy!" Mira squealed as she jumped into his arms. He stood to take the full force of the little 7 year old torpedo, and scooped her into a tight embrace.

After a long, long hug, Mira pulled back pressing her little hands to his bearded cheeks, her blue eyes sparkling. "You're early!" she exclaimed happily.

"I couldn't wait to see you, my darling," he said as he gave her a loving smile and a lingering kiss on her temple.

Aala smiled and bit her lip again to fight the sting of tears. Likely, Mira had woken and recognized the deep timbre of her father's voice from her bedroom.

Aala adamantly believed in parenting with full honesty, but in this matter alone, she couldn't help herself. Mira, she was certain, would have more than enough opportunity to practice dealing with disappointment, but her daddy... her daddy was her hero, and Aala would do anything to keep it that way.

AN: Please leave feedback, it's always welcome, and I will have another post on Sunday (late Saturday night for this west coast girl), so keep a look out for that! Thanks for reading ~Ashley

Disclaimer: Star Wars is the property of George Lucas. This story is for entertainment purposes only. No infringement of rights is intended and no money is made. Lyrics are from Katy Perry's 'Part of Me'