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After the third jar of mashed Jogan fruit went sailing across the kitchen, Ahsoka wanted to cry. She had commanded troops in crucial battles, fought for her life, been killed and subsequently resurrected, and she had survived the better part of her adolescence under the direct supervision of both Anakin Skywalker, and Obi Wan Kenobi. Anakin’s twin children with Senator Amidala should not be as large a problem as they currently presented.
"Hey, Lukey. Luke! Open up buddy. Heeeeere comes the speeder!" Ahsoka said, barely able to keep a whimper out of her voice.
She’d given up on getting Leia to eat, her father’s pet name of “Princess” being more than apt. The toddler refused to eat unless Ahsoka tried everything first, and she was impossible to fool. Leia’s tiny fists were balled and she was banging them on her tray, laughing at her godmother’s attempts to feed her twin.
"Come on, kid. Just one mouthful? Please?" She asked, exhaustion seeping into her bones and weighing her down.
Luke, powerfully unamused by these feeble attempts to keep him fed, knocked the jar onto the floor, his blue eyes narrowing in displeasure.
”Yeah, I thought not.” Ahsoka grumbled, scooping him up, and picking Leia up on the way, leaving the remains of the jar for a hovering 3PO. Leia, making sure proper attention was paid to her existence, yanked hard on Ahsoka’s right montral, causing the young woman to hiss. Luke, not to be outdone, saw this as an excellent to vomit all down his bib.
"Uh oh. I don’t even know how you managed it, but you did. Let’s get you two changed." Ahsoka said wearily, the disgust barely registering as she set the twins down on the changing table.
Stripping the twins of their soiled clothes, she dug around in their disturbingly organized dresser for pajamas. Settling finally on two sets of tunics and pants, in ivory, and lilac respectively, Ahsoka resurfaced. She stood up to discover Leia terrorizing her brother by hitting him with a small stuffed bantha, his mouth clamped down on her foot.
"Okay, Skycrawlers. If you don’t squirm too much, this’ll be over quick, okay?" Ahsoka pleaded, offering up the outfits for the babies to look at. Exchanging glances, both twins immediately burst into tears. They seemed to have inherited Padmé’s elegant, graceful sense of style. Ahsoka hoped Anakin was pleased, having referred to himself more than once as "a bloody, sand blasted scrap vac.".
"Yeah, didn’t think so. Working with your dad didn’t kill me, working with your mom didn’t kill me. Why do I get the feeling that you two might?" Ahsoka asked, her ears splitting with the agonized cries of what sounded like dying tauntauns.
"Third time’s the charm, Snips. You’re relieved of duty." a voice from the rocking chair drawled. She hadn’t even heard them come back over the twins siren wailing.
"Sorry we’re late. A few other members of the Senate Reform Committee found us during dessert and wanted to discuss Council position changes." Anakin said, standing up to easily get Leia into her pajamas swooping her up into his arms.
"Hiya, Princess. Were you giving Aunt Ahsoka trouble while we were out?" He asked, a glowing smile threatening to split his face as his tiny daughter did her best to hug as much of him as possible. She babbled away happily, her little hands bundling themselves into his tunic and her eyes wide with delight. She could get away with anything for the next fifteen years, as long as she appealed to Anakin first, Ahsoka thought.
A peal of laughter like sunshine greeted Padmé as she came in, Luke excitedly wiggling his way over to her as she took his pajamas from Ahsoka. Little tufts of blonde hair peeked out from the fuzzy brown robe Padmé swaddled him in, giggles emanating from it all the while.
"And what about you, Jawa? Were you as much trouble as your sister?" Anakin asked, leaning over his wife to look at the bundle strongly resembling a Jawa that was currently his son, mock seriousness creasing his brow. Luke burbled and spluttered between fits of laughter, he responded strongly to positivity and he was a very sweet tempered boy most of the time.
"Of course he was. It’s both or neither with them." Padmé sighed, smiling gratefully at Ahsoka and giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze.
"Thank you. We needed some time, not that we got it. Between the Senate Reform Committee and the overhaul of the Jedi Order tenets and system of operation, we barely got through our meal." She sounded somewhere far beyond exhausted, but not unhappy, and Ahsoka was happy to be able to help out.
The lives lost in the war were beyond counting, that understanding did however provide an opportunity to shake loose the dust of centuries in two very hidebound institutions, one of which being the Jedi Order. A new era demanded new rules, communication, compassion, and unity had to be at the forefront. This meant that the Order was forced to make changes, starting with the dissolution of it’s more strict policies toward familial, and romantic connection.
The acceptance of love born of something pure, able to foster new life, and guide it toward light was one such thing that became of pressing importance. Too much blood had been spilled, hate poisoning whole planets to their cores. Balance restored with cooler heads, and a rising population of Jedi peacekeepers who understood the value of love, and unselfish attachment would ensure balance maintained.
"Can’t say I envy you. Not that your little angels are the easiest to handle either. Between Luke’s arm, and Leia’s voice, it’s a wonder you haven’t started them in music lessons. Shame on you, Padmé" Ahsoka quipped, ruffling Leia’s wispy brown hair with a fond smile.
"Music, literature, mathematics, language, art, history, combat, and finally, senatorial internships." Anakin rattled off, sounding displeased. If he had his way, both children would have training sabers in hand by age three. Padmé had gently put her foot down there reminding her husband that they were her children as well, and were expected to serve, and act with all the decorum their station in life required.
"Patrons of the arts, diplomats, historians, and jedi knights. Quite the future these two have ahead of them." Ahsoka murmured, wondering not for the first time just how extraordinary these children would grow to be.
"For now though, it’s bedtime. Maybe for you too, if you want to stay. I made sure one of the rooms was made up if you didn’t want to head back to the Temple tonight." Padmé said, settling both children down in their cribs and guiding Ahsoka out.
"If it’s alright with you, that’d be wonderful. I don’t know how you two manage." Ahsoka yawned, smiling dazedly at her former master and his wife.
"Well most things i’d think to poison him with probably wouldn’t work, and he’s not anywhere near subtle enough to kill me himself, so we start there." the senator teased, wrapping an arm around her husband and shaking her head at his affronted expression.
"And that’s marriage? Glad i’m not there yet."
"That’s marriage. Tomorrow, you get to witness first hand how we juggle babies, cleaning droids, a small platoon of party planners, and three different conferences. The De-Militarization Act got passed, and Obi Wan will be staying planet side for awhile, so we figured we should celebrate." Anakin said, weaving a little on his feet, Padmé holding him up like he was no weight at all.
"Again, glad i’m not you. I think i’d lose my mind."
"Well, it’s a challenge certainly, though I can think of a few people who might be interested in taking you up. Respected general, war hero, diplomat, and fine young woman that you are." Padmé informed her, adopting the tone of a horribly snobbish old society matron, her eyes glittering with a hint of malicious glee. Ahsoka didn’t have a sister, but Padmé came as close as possible.
"Padme…" Ahsoka warned, ignoring Anakin’s poorly disguised attempt at hiding his laughter.
"Kidding! Mostly, sort of. Not really."
"Goodnight! Goodnight both of you!" Ahsoka said, embarrassment coloring her voice and making her cheeks burn. She barricaded herself in the room unofficially dubbed as hers, with Anakin and Padmé in hysterics outside.
Just because they went and finally had kids didn’t mean she was going to, it wasn’t her speed. Too much to do, too much to see to settle down quite yet, though the bed did look very inviting. When the laughter died away, a fogged over haze of images involving military buzz cuts, luminous green skin, and a barely intelligible but refined voice all crowd into her head. Not yet, but some day. For now, sleep.