Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

When Ahsoka landed on Coruscant, the planet was in chaos. It took hours for her to be allowed into the prison with Maul. When she tried to head to the Temple, things got even crazier. Security had a tight perimeter around the Temple, 500 Republica, and the Senate, and she was questioned vigorously about all her dealings with Chancellor Palpatine, Anakin Skywalker, Mace Windu, and various Separatist leaders. It took days for the clone security force to decide she was safe to let go, and even then they told her to be ready to report to the Courts when called. And still she hadn’t figured out what was going on.

The Council wasn’t convened. Several Council members were still off-planet, she knew, but she couldn’t find any members anywhere. Two were apparently dead, though no one could tell her quite how they died. “Ask Master Windu or Knight Skywalker,” was all they said when she asked. Kit Fisto was barely hanging on but was expected to make it. Obi-Wan had apparently just come back from killing Grievous but had last been seen running off to the Senate after asking about Anakin. All the others were either off-planet or somewhere at the Temple, the Senate, or the Courts unable to be tracked down. Nobody had seen Master Windu or Anakin since some sort of incident involving the chancellor days ago.

Ahsoka was loath to leave the Temple and brave security again, so she decided to crash in Anakin’s apartment for a couple of days trying to process everything and hope her master—well, former master—would eventually show up.

The place was a disaster. Mechanical parts littered every spare spot that didn’t have a dirty piece of clothing or an unwashed dish. She spent three hours vegged out on the couch before she couldn’t stand it anymore and deep-cleaned the entire apartment. She dumped all the mechanical parts into the boxes in his room, cleaned the dishes while trying not to gag, and washed all the clothes amidst grumblings about her master’s terrible hygiene habits. Next, she took apart and put together her lightsabers seven times, commed Rex five times and Jesse and Appo three times each to see if they had any news (they hadn’t; they’d been stuck in their barracks ever since they touched down and were, like most of the GAR, “awaiting further instructions”), and did handstands while trying to meditate six different times.

Next, she watched the holonews trying to make sense of things, but that just left her more confused. Rumors abounded where truth was absent, claiming everything from the chancellor being a secret Sith lord attempting to take over the galaxy to Anakin being a Tusken Raider in disguise that kidnapped Master Windu and Chancellor Palpatine to demand they sing an operatic aria at his wedding to Sy Snootles to Master Windu, Chancellor Palpatine, and Anakin all being secret clones of Dooku in disguise to Kit Fisto, Agen Kollar, Eeth Koth, and Mace Windu being attacked by Chancellor Palpatine for inviting him to join their boy band, with Anakin attacking Mace later because he was jealous he didn’t get an invitation. Never mind the tabloids reporting that Senator Amidala was pregnant with Anakin’s twins, or Obi-Wan’s twins, or Senator Organa’s twins, or Representative Binks’s twins, or Count Dooku’s twins, or Master Yoda’s twins, or Chancellor Palpatine’s triplets.

She hid in her room, which hadn’t been touched since she’d left, and reorganized her stuff, but got bored when it was clear Anakin wasn’t going to be showing up any time soon. She finally decided to brave the outside world and its security and hunt her master down but found nothing but frustration. As soon as she made it to the Senate, she heard Anakin had just left for the Courts (and no outside visitors were allowed to listen in on sessions until the business with the chancellor was resolved, thank you), once she made it to the Courts, she wasn’t allowed anywhere past the entrance, but Knight Skywalker had just left and he was heading in the direction of 500 Republica. She headed to 500 Republica, but once she dodged the gads of security teams swarming Palpatine’s residences and offices and interrogating anyone who lived in the building floor by floor, all she found was Threepio at Senator Amidala’s door stating that no one was at home, and he believed he saw Master Anakin leave for the Temple, so perhaps she should check there?

Even more confused and frustrated than before, she made her way back to the Temple and heard that the Council—finally!—was in session. She went to see if she could at least make her report about Maul, but was stopped by a sentinel and told that the session was closed door and very secret, likely to last hours if not days, and they weren’t talking with other Jedi at the moment, so she’d just have to wait. She checked Anakin’s apartments again to see if he was there, but they were empty and looked untouched (except for the sweaty, filthy clothes that he’d left strewn across the couches since she’d last been there; was it really that hard to send his clothes to the laundry?), so she stomped to the Room of a Thousand Fountains to scream her frustrations into the grass ahem, meditate on everything that was going on and whether or not she even wanted to leave again or whether she’d beg the Council to let her come back. Okay, not beg, but ask really, really nicely, with no aversion to guilting them into letting her back into the Order. After all, someone needed to keep Anakin’s quarters livable, and he certainly wasn’t going to do it.

She didn’t realize she’d fallen asleep until she woke up hours later feeling very refreshed. She stretched lazily and sat on the grass contentedly listening to the fountains and the distant chatter of younglings until her body woke up more. All her frustrations threatened to crowd back into her, but she pushed them away. The day was nice, the Room of a Thousand Fountains was beautiful, and she currently had no obligations and no war to fight and no one to answer to. She should enjoy it while she could.

Ahsoka got to her feet and ambled through the peaceful room. She spotted Depa Billaba and her padawan Caleb meditating by the side of a pool not far away, and Ki-Adi-Mundi slept under a tree.

She smiled. The Council’s session must be over, or at least on break. She could at last track down someone she knew to talk to.

“Good morning, padawan,” Master Yoda said.

Ahsoka looked down. He was leaning on his cane a few feet from her with a faint smile.

Ahsoka readily sat down cross-legged in front of him. “Good morning, Master Yoda.”

“And, this fine morning, how are you today?” he asked.

“Confused,” she readily admitted. “I don’t know what’s going on, and I can’t find anyone I know to talk to to clear it up. The holonews doesn’t know anything of substance, and I spent over a day trying to chase down Anakin and wound up too late to catch him every time.” She paused. “Do you…” She trailed off and shook her head.

“Mmm, more to say, have you, padawan? Your question, ask it, feel free to,” Yoda said.

She took a deep breath. She still wasn’t entirely sure she wanted this, but most of her did. She missed being a Jedi. Their purpose was her purpose. She wanted her life back. “Do you think I would be allowed to rejoin the Order?”

“Mmm, yes, many padawans, many padawans have left the Order for a time and been welcomed back. Master Kenobi did, mmm, yes.”

“Master Kenobi left the Order?” Ahsoka burst out.

“Mmm, yes.” Yoda nodded his head. “My story to tell, it is not. Allow our Jedi to question their place in life, we do. Welcomed back, you will be, if what you wish, that is. However, one thing you must do, before welcomed back, you will be.”

A pit curdled in Ahsoka’s stomach. Was he going to prescribe some sort of test or quest to prove her loyalty to the Jedi? “What is it?”

“Convince Skywalker, you must, to give your Padawan braid back to you. Not let go of it, he has, since rejoin the Order, you chose not to. Still in his belt, it is. Very attached to it, he has become.” Yoda smiled.

Ahsoka’s heart warmed. She restrained herself from pulling the Grandmaster in for a hug. “Thank you.”

“Your report on Maul, wait it can. Kenobi, at the Senate he is. Pester him about the time he left the Order, you may not. Skywalker is nearby at the Heqroui Fountain. Pester him, feel free to. Good day, padawan.” Yoda slowly walked away, chuckling.

Finally. Ahsoka set off at a near run for Heqroui Fountain. Given her luck lately, Anakin would be gone by the time she reached it.

A dark-clad figure was hunched over pulling out grass near Heqroui Fountain. The tension melted out of Ahsoka’s body. Finally. She’d found Anakin.

She plopped down next to him on the grass. He stared glassy-eyed at the water in front of him for a few seconds, then swiftly turned and grabbed her shoulders, his fingers digging in hard.

“Ahsoka, yes or no?”

“What?” she burst out. No how are you, no okay let’s catch up, no how did the mission with Maul go? Yes or no?

“Yes or no?” His eyes were wild, a fire lit inside them.

“Yes or no what?” She tried to pry his fingers off of her shoulders, but his painful grip was too strong for her.

“Yes or no, should I break Palpatine out of prison?” Anakin asked.

“What? Why is he even in prison? What’s going on?” Ahsoka asked.

“Because if I don’t break him out of prison, Padmé might die,” Anakin continued, apparently not listening to her. “But if I do break him out of prison, he could take over the galaxy and kill everyone I love.”

“Uh-huh,” Ahsoka said, totally not following anything. “And why exactly is that?”

Anakin stared at her like she’d said she wanted to become a dancer at Jabba’s palace. “He’s a Sith lord.”

“What?” This time, Anakin’s grip was loosened, and Ahsoka managed to rip out of his grasp. “What do you mean he’s a Sith Lord? That news report was telling the truth?”

Anakin’s communicator beeped. He pressed a button and Master Obi-Wan appeared.

“Anakin, Padmé’s in labor. You need to get to Coruscant General Hospital immediately. It’s right by the Senate. Hurry!”

“Guess that’s a no,” Anakin muttered. He bolted to his feet and grabbed Ahsoka’s wrist. “Come on!”

More confused than ever, Ahsoka stumbled behind Anakin’s full-fledged run towards the hangar, having to pull on the Force to keep up with the speed demon. He jumped into a speeder that she was fairly sure wasn’t even his, barely leaving her enough time to jump into the seat next to him. Then they zoomed off in speeds she was fairly sure weren’t legal, especially since he was dodging all the security checks.

“So, I guess the child’s yours, then,” Ahsoka said.

“What?” Anakin whipped around to watch her. “No! How did you find that out? Who told you that?” His eyes narrowed. “It was Rex, wasn’t it?” He drifted off, confused. “But he doesn’t know that she’s pregnant…”

The speeder was headed straight for a large transport. Ahsoka gripped the seat. “Watch out!”

Anakin barely swerved out of the way of the speeder. “Was it Padmé? She promised me she wouldn’t tell anybody.”

Ahsoka sighed. “It was just a guess, Master.”

“Oh.” Anakin returned his eyes to the skies. “Good guess.” He flew frantically for a few minutes before saying, “I mean, bad guess! I’m not married! I don’t even know Senator Amidala!”

Ahsoka sighed again. She’d hoped meeting up with Anakin would clear up a lot of her confusion, but apparently he was even more of a mess than she was. She’d just have to wait until the baby was born for him to hopefully calm down so she could interrogate him about Palpatine being a Sith lord.

They pulled into the hospital, sirens wailing behind him. Anakin pulled Ahsoka out of the speeder and into the hospital.

Senator Organa was standing in the emergency room. He pointed off to a hall. “She’s this way.”

They ran together to a room where Padmé was in a gown lying on a bed, covered in sweat and breathing hard. Obi-Wan was standing next to the bed. A med droid and a female Mon Calamari doctor stood nearby in the room.

Obi-Wan clapped Anakin on the shoulder. “Thank goodness you’re here. Your wife’s in labor.” He left the room and put a hand on Ahsoka’s shoulder. “Why don’t we go to the waiting room?”

Ahsoka smiled. “Afraid of seeing a woman give birth?”

“I don’t really feel the need to see my best friend’s wife give birth. We can support him with the Force. Let’s go find a waiting room.”

Ahsoka nodded and let Obi-Wan lead her away.

Every scream Padmé let out twisted Anakin’s stomach even more. He was almost sick on the hospital floor right then. She had his robotic hand in a death grip and was squeezing so hard when each contraction hit that it was almost painful, even for the limited synthetic nerves in his hand.

She let out another pained scream.

Shaking, sweaty, and barely able to see straight, Anakin turned desperately to the doctor and the med droid. “Isn’t there anything you can do for her?”

“She is too far along to administer an epidural,” the med droid said calmly.

“Everything is proceeding normally,” the doctor said. “She’s doing just fine, Master Skywalker.”

“Anakin?” Padmé said, her voice half-strangled.

“What?” He turned towards his angel, sweaty and exhausted on the hospital bed.

“Shut up.”

He took a deep, panic-stricken breath, but at her fiery glare, he wilted and said, “Yes, dear.”

He had waited too long. If she was going to die, he couldn’t do anything about it now but wait.

“How much longer?” he asked.

The doctor leaned down. “Push!”

Padmé let out another cry. Her hand tightened around Anakin’s.

“The baby’s crowning!” the doctor said.

One more cry and tight squeeze of Anakin’s hand and Padmé collapsed against the bed, heaving for breath.

The doctor lifted a red, wriggling baby into view. Anakin’s breath caught. He had a baby. A living, healthy baby.

A cry split the air. Tears came to Anakin’s eyes. He turned to Padmé. She had a wide smile on her face. He smiled back.

“We have a baby,” she whispered.

“It’s a boy,” the doctor said.

“Luke,” Padmé said.

Anakin nodded. They had agreed—well, she had chosen and he had gone along with her—that Luke would be the name of the baby if it was a boy.

A boy. Anakin had a son. He couldn’t take his eyes off of him. He was tiny and red and screaming.

The doctor wrapped him in a towel and dried him off as the med droid clamped and cut the cord.

“It’s probably best if the father performs skin-to-skin so the mother can prepare for delivery of the second child.” The doctor held the baby out to Anakin.

“Second child!” they said together.

Anakin ripped his tunic off and reached for his son. He cradled him in his arms. He was so tiny and perfect.

“Were you not aware you were carrying twins?” the doctor asked.

“No.” Padmé met Anakin’s eyes. “I wasn’t.” She grabbed the rails of the bed and let out a cry.

The med droid came forward. “I will assist with the delivery.”

The doctor stepped towards Anakin and helped him position Luke on his chest, then stepped back to Padmé. “Push!” she said.

Anakin pressed his human hand over Luke’s back, relieved to have at least one family member safe and healthy in his arms, but his heart beat wildly, and he couldn’t take his eyes off Padmé. For a moment, he had thought they were safe and his fears were unfounded. He had thought Padmé had made it through childbirth. But she wasn’t done. There was still another baby to deliver, more danger to work through.

He tried to catch his breath. He looked down to Luke to calm himself. His eyes were open and gazing up at him, his little mouth opening and closing. His eyes were blue, just like Anakin’s. He was his son. His son.

Padmé gave a loud cry. The doctor lifted up another baby, red, wriggling, and squalling.

“It’s a girl,” the doctor said.

A girl. Anakin broke into a grin. He knew it. He knew he was going to have a baby girl. “Leia,” he said. “Her name is Leia.”

His baby girl was dried off and handed to Padmé. The doctor took each child for a bit to do necessary health checks and procedures, but soon, their babies were back in their arms.

Anakin had an amazing, beautiful son and a precious, beautiful daughter, and a healthy, living, happy, beautiful wife.

He had been wrong before when Padmé had told him she was pregnant. This, this, was the happiest moment of his life.

Chapter Text

It was several hours before Anakin came into the waiting room. Obi-Wan was so glad he hadn’t had to support Padmé during her labor. She was one of his best friends, but not the kind of friend he ever wanted to see that closely. Besides, he was not ready to be in any woman’s delivery room. He had monitored Anakin’s Force presence, trying to send soothing feelings to overcome the almost overwhelming sick feelings of stress he had, but had relaxed when the bond exploded with overwhelming joy. The wait gave both him and Ahsoka a case of nerves, but Obi-Wan was reassured by the steady presence of joy radiating from Anakin. Anakin was an overemotional mess, especially right now, and if anything at all had gone wrong, he would have been sick with worry, but he wasn’t, so mother and baby had to be doing just fine.

When Anakin came into the waiting room, he was grinning from ear to ear. “It’s twins. Obi-Wan, it’s twins. I have twins!”

Obi-Wan stood and let a smile break out on his face. He slapped Anakin’s shoulder. “Congratulations, my old friend.”

Anakin turned away from him. “Ahsoka! What are you doing here?”

Ahsoka’s mouth dropped open. “You dragged me here! I was right beside you when you flew here! You grabbed me and asked me if you should break Palpatine out of prison!”

Obi-Wan shot a sharp look at Anakin. Break Palpatine out of prison? He knew they used to be friends, but surely Anakin wouldn’t let that friendship sway him to break a Sith lord out of prison.

Anakin’s eyes widened. “Oh. Oh, yeah. That was you? I, um… don’t remember… well, it’s been a long… um…” He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, then smiled. “I have babies, Ahsoka! Twins! They’re beautiful, a boy and a girl, you two wanna see them?”

“Sure!”

Obi-Wan spread his hand to the corridor Anakin had just emerged from. “Lead the way, my old friend.”

Padmé was resting, looking exhausted but healthy, on the bed. She smiled at the three as they walked in. Obi-Wan smiled back. He nodded at her. “Congratulations.”

“Thanks.” Padmé smiled wider, then yawned. “I hope you don’t mind, but I’m exhausted, and I don’t think I can keep my eyes open much longer. Can we catch up later?”

“Of course,” Obi-Wan said.

“That’s no problem,” Ahsoka said. “Sleep well.”

“Exhausted? Are you all right?” Anakin asked.

Padmé sighed. “I’m fine, Anakin. Just tired.” She pulled the blanket up and closed her eyes.

Obi-Wan put a hand on the shoulder of his nervous apprentice. “Calm down, Anakin. If she says she’s fine, then she’s probably fine.”

Anakin heaved a sigh and nodded. “You’re right.”

Obi-Wan scoured the room for the twins.

There. A floating bed was next to the hospital bed, and inside, two tiny children were curled around each other.

He stepped forward. The younglings were so tiny. One was asleep, but one was staring up at him. To his eye, they seemed identical. “They are different genders, right?”

“Yeah.” Anakin pointed at the sleeping one. “That’s Leia. I picked out her name. I knew it was going to be a girl.”

“And a boy.” Ahsoka leaned over the newborn bed. “What’s his name, Master?”

“Luke,” Anakin said. “Luke Skywalker.”

Luke Skywalker. “May I hold him?” Obi-Wan asked. “After all, the little one needs to meet his uncle Obi-Wan.”

Anakin stared at Obi-Wan as if he was seeing him for the first time. “Uncle?” he repeated.

Obi-Wan nodded. Why was this concept so strange to Anakin? He’d thought they were close. Was Anakin not as close to Obi-Wan as Obi-Wan was to him? “After all, you’re my little brother, which makes Luke my nephew, which means I’m his uncle. Right?”

“Right,” Anakin repeated. He shook his head quickly. “Right,” he said, more confident. Some of the tension always wound into his Force presence let loose, and he gave a smile freer than it had been in a while. He gently picked up Luke and placed him in Obi-Wan’s waiting arms.

Obi-Wan smiled at the little one. He had big blue eyes that were aimlessly tracking around the room. “Hello there,” he said softly.

“So does that make me Aunt Ahsoka?” Ahsoka asked.

Anakin put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. “Of course it does, Snips. You’re like the annoying little sister I never had.”

“Annoying?” Ahsoka exclaimed.

Anakin smiled wider. “Only in the best way possible.”

“I have…something to talk to you about. Can we find some time to talk?” Ahsoka asked.

“How about now?”

“Not…now. I’d like to meet the twins now. How about later? Like, over lunch sometime soon or something? I think we have a lot to catch up on.”

“It’s a date, Snips. Come on, you want to hold Leia? I think I can lift her into your arms with the Force without waking her up.”

Undoubtedly Padmé wouldn’t be okay with that if she were still awake, but Obi-Wan just ignored those two and smiled down at his tiny nephew.

Anakin had to force Obi-Wan not to flee when Padmé woke up and fed the twins. Ahsoka was eager to ask questions. It wasn’t going to be long before Anakin and Obi-Wan both were embroiled in court proceedings and a mind-numbing array of Council meetings and debates, which Anakin probably wouldn’t survive, and an endless amount of politics, which he would be getting mostly by proxy. He wanted to have them both get some rest while they still could.

Obi-Wan turned to Anakin suddenly. “When was the last time you ate anything?”

Anakin’s mouth dropped open. He had to think and wound up thinking back several days. He’d been much too stressed and overwhelmed to eat. “It’s been a while. Why?”

“Why don’t we go get something to eat? There must be a cafeteria somewhere in this hospital,” Obi-Wan said.

“Yes, go. Bring me back something,” Padmé said.

Well, if he had the blessing of his wife, then he’d gladly go. He nodded. “What do you want?”

Padmé shrugged. “I don’t care. Go eat something. You probably haven’t in days.”

“All right.” Anakin left the room, Obi-Wan right behind him.

They asked a nurse for directions, then walked in silence for a bit, Anakin’s heart pounding.

“You’re taking this rather well,” he said.

“Taking what rather well?” Obi-Wan asked.

“This.” Anakin gestured vaguely to the hospital. “The twins. Padmé giving birth.”

“Giving birth is a happy occasion,” Obi-Wan said. “I’m glad for you and Senator Amidala.”

Anakin took a shaky breath. All his beliefs were being shaken lately. “I just…thought you’d be mad. When you found out I broke the Code and got married.”

Obi-Wan’s eyes widened. “Found out?” He stopped walking and turned to face Anakin. “Anakin, did you really think I didn’t know about you and Padmé? You told me in Padmé’s apartment three years ago you had feelings for her. I shouted at you in the First Battle of Geonosis that you’d be expelled from the Jedi Order. What did you think I was referring to, you going after her in the battle instead of Dooku? You would have been reprimanded at worst. After all, your mandate was to protect her, no one would fault you for following it. I knew you would be choosing her over your duty, because you loved her.”

Obi-Wan poked him. “Then I knowingly sent you to escort her to Naboo alone anyway. Anakin, the mission with Echo. I told you right before you went on it to tell Padmé I said hello. Did you just forget I said that? Did you think you were subtle? You kiss Padmé in public all the time. You call her by her first name. She calls you Ani. The way you flirt with each other and argue with each other and even look at each other! Even a blind man could see it! Remember when you were called in to convince Padmé to take the Rush Clovis mission, even though Yoda had already tried to convince her? Most of the Council already knows, even some who are really against attachments. We thought—I thought—you knew we knew, that it was an open secret, that you just didn’t say anything so we didn’t have to deal with it. We’ll have to have a conversation about attachments now, but it’s been a long time coming. We’ve got a lot of conversations that have been a long time coming. The Order’s dying, Anakin. Now that the war’s over, we have the time to change our ways before the galaxy moves on without us.”

Anakin didn’t know what to say, what to do. Everyone knew? Everyone knew and they just…didn’t say anything? “Palpatine told me everyone would hate me if they knew, they’d never understand. That you’d hate me and just want to keep to the Jedi Code, no matter how it hurts people.”

Obi-Wan put a gentle, warm hand on Anakin’s shoulder. “Palpatine lied. He lied about a lot of things. I just…” He stopped and ran a hand over his mouth. “I’ll never forgive myself that I let you have unrestricted access to him. I never trusted him, but I never said anything. I’m the reason you’re so torn with doubts and always struggled to balance yourself.”

“Obi-Wan.” Anakin put his hand over Obi-Wan’s. “It’s not your fault. You didn’t know.” He stared at the pristine white floor. “No one did.” That karking liar had fooled everyone. He’d fooled Anakin into thinking he cared about him when really he only cared about himself. All he wanted was an apprentice. For all Anakin knew, Palpatine planted the visions himself. Anakin had been fool enough to tell him all about the visions he’d had about his mother, the visions that didn’t seem like his other visions. Palpatine knew exactly how to manipulate Anakin to react just the way he wanted. Anakin glanced up. “Padmé’s making me go to therapy.”

“That’s not a bad idea.” Obi-Wan slapped his shoulder. “Come on, let’s get something to eat.”

Chapter Text

Ahsoka stretched out on the booth and resisted the urge to place her feet on Anakin’s lap, sitting across from her at a table in Dex’s Diner. She didn’t want to push the “annoying little sister” card too much. “So, how are you guys settling in?”

Anakin sighed. “All right. It’s been very hectic, especially with all that’s happening in the galaxy right now, but we commed Padmé’s family and told them everything, and, after yelling at both of us for not saying anything sooner, her parents decided to come and help us out for a while. We’ve just got to hang on until they get here.”

Ahsoka nodded. “So, everything in the news is still confusing. Except for the news about you and Padmé’s relationship.” She grinned. The media had had a field day when the Skywalker family had been spotted going home from the hospital and had become the most popular news item, and couple, overnight. Her master was even more of a celebrity than before, especially since one of the holocams had caught Anakin saying, “We don’t know what it’s like to be married without a war. We got married right after the Clone Wars started,” elevating the news from political scandal to star-crossed romantic love story. The media was also becoming more and more certain that Palpatine was indeed the villain in the story, elevating Padmé, his known political adversary, to hitherto unknown popular heights. Her being married to the Hero with No Fear and the new mother of the two most adorable children in the galaxy just made that popularity soar even higher.

Anakin gave a longsuffering sigh. “I can’t even go outside anymore without getting swarmed. Master Skywalker, how long have you been married? Master Skywalker, is the Jedi Order going to expel their most valuable Jedi for falling in love? Master Skywalker, what do you know about the charges leveled against Chancellor Palpatine? Master Skywalker, can you confirm anything about the ridiculous rumors everyone’s been throwing around? Master Skywalker, is the war really over? Master Skywalker, what happens to the clones now?” He took a deep sip from his drink. “It’s driving me insane.”

Ahsoka gave a fake sad sigh. “You poor thing. It must be so terrible to be the darling of the media.” In all honesty, it was somewhat fun seeing him so flustered.

Anakin glared at her. “It’s not funny, Snips.”

She shrugged. “It kind of is.”

Dex’s waitress droid FLO rolled up and deposited their plates on the table. Anakin picked up his fork and poked at his food. “So what did you want to talk to me about? Anything specific, or did you just want to catch up?”

Ahsoka took a deep breath and forced herself through a calming exercise. “You remember how when I left, I told you I had to sort this out on my own?”

Anakin looked up. His eyes widened. His hands curled into fists and he seemed to gasp for breath.

Ahsoka stared down at her plate. “Well, I have. I lost my faith in the Jedi for a while, but then I met some people that reminded me who I am, what the Jedi stand for. What we do. And how much of a Jedi I still am. And…” Her breath shook in her chest. He had been so accepting and friendly, but would he be too hurt to want her back? She’d left him, and he’d gone through…well, she wasn’t exactly sure what yet, but it seemed pretty bad. And she hadn’t been there for him like she should have. “And I want to come back. If you’ll have me.” She hurried on before he could say anything. “Master Yoda said I could, he said plenty of padawans have left the Order and come back before, that we’re allowed to question our place in things, and that even Master Obi-Wan had left the Order!”

“What?” Anakin exclaimed.

“He said all I have to do to come back is to ask you for my padawan braid back.” She curled into herself. “He said you’d carried it with you in your belt ever since I left.”

Her heart beat wildly. Anakin was just staring at her, mouth wide open. She grabbed his hand. “Please say you’ll take me back as your padawan. I want to be a Jedi again.”

“Ahsoka, I… Of course. Of course!” Anakin reached down to his belt and drew something out, then placed her padawan braid in her hand. “I’d be honored to have you back.” He smiled and tipped his head towards her. “Padawan.”

Ahsoka began to laugh. Tears sprang to her eyes, and suddenly, she was straight-out bawling in the diner. She buried her face in her hands and cried.

“Ahsoka, Ahsoka.” Anakin came around to her side of the booth and sat down beside her. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against his chest. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Ahsoka sobbed. She wrapped her arms around his neck and sobbed into his shoulder. “Absolutely nothing.” She held him tight and had a good cry, letting out all the emotions of the past few months she had been dealing with. He rubbed her back and held her as she cried.

She pulled back and wiped her eyes, sniffing. “Thank you.”

“Anytime, Snips.” Anakin patted her shoulder and returned to his side of the booth.

“So, what exactly’s happened since I’ve been gone?” Ahsoka asked.

Anakin took a deep breath and plunged into tale after tale of Outer Rim sieges. It took all lunch for him to make it to when they met up again. “And then the chancellor got kidnapped.” His voice turned bitter.

Ahsoka sat up straighter. “What is it?”

“That…that…there isn’t a curse strong enough in any language I know for him.” Anakin slammed his prosthetic hand down on the table.

“The chancellor?” But Anakin and Chancellor Palpatine had always been especially close. She had never understood it, but she had known the relationship was special to him. …Was she remembering right or had he said something about Palpatine being a Sith Lord?

Anakin nodded. “He staged his own kidnapping. He had me and Obi-Wan come rescue him. I even killed Dooku. Then Grievous got away and I landed the Invisible Hand on Coruscant.”

“The whole ship?” Ahsoka exclaimed. “I didn’t think that was possible.”

Anakin shrugged. “Well, technically it was half the ship.”

“Half the ship,” Ahsoka repeated, incredulous. What had happened to the other half of the ship?

Anakin nodded. “And then I met up with Padmé and she told me she was pregnant.”

“But what about the chancellor?” Ahsoka asked. He couldn’t just make a statement like that and just move on.

“I’ll get to that.” Anakin stared down at his empty plate instead of meeting her eyes. “Then that night, I had a vision of Padmé dying in childbirth. I didn’t want to lose her! Not the way I’d lost my mother. But that’s a story for another time. I asked Yoda what to do—well, I was pretty vague, and all he gave me was pretty vague advice. I don’t really know what else I was expecting.”

“That’s funny; when I had a vision of Padmé dying, he helped me out a lot,” Ahsoka said.

Anakin shrugged. “I guess I was pretty vague. I didn’t tell him any specifics. Anyway, after that, I didn’t know what to do, and then the chancellor asked to speak with me and he appointed me to the Jedi Council, because of some bill that just passed that gave him the power to do that, I guess. The Council didn’t like that, so they didn’t make me a master, even though I could have accessed the Master-only archives to search for ways to save Padmé—”

“So, wait—you’re actually on the Council?” Ahsoka asked. That was why she hadn’t been able to find him when the Council was in their super-secret session.

Anakin nodded. “Yeah, I’m on the Council. For now at least. I may get kicked out of the Order because of Padmé, but I’m going to make them kick me out. I’m not leaving on my own. And who knows, Obi-Wan said they already knew and we need to have a lot of conversations if the Order is going to survive, so maybe they’ll change the rule and I’ll get to stay. Padmé said I have to stay positive.”

“Wow,” Ahsoka said. “Congratulations.” Not only was her master the Chosen One, now he was apparently a Council member. No pressure there.

Anakin shrugged. “I didn’t ask for the job, but…thanks. Yoda was sent to Kashyyyk after that, and I was told to spy on the chancellor. I think that’s the whole reason I was let on the Council in the first place. Palpatine,” he spit out the name, “asked me to the opera and told me some karking fool story about this Sith who could use the Force to save his loved ones from dying. I’m such a fool! I can’t believe I believed him!” He slammed his fists down on the table hard.

Ahsoka reached forward and put her hand on his arm. “Anakin, calm down. What happened next?”

“Palpatine said where Grievous was and Obi-Wan was sent, alone, which is stupid since we’ve always gone on missions like that together before, to kill Grievous. I was sent to tell Palpatine when Obi-Wan engaged Grievous to see how he reacted, and when I went, that’s when he told me he had been trained in the Dark Side and that the Jedi were trying to take over the galaxy and if I only turned to the Dark Side I’d be able to save Padmé.” Anakin stared down at the table, spilling everything out at once, not giving Ahsoka much time to react.

“You didn’t believe him, did you?” she asked.

Anakin shrugged again. “I didn’t know what to believe. I told Master Windu, and he told me to stay behind in the Council chambers, but I didn’t, and I found him pointing a lightsaber at Palpatine’s throat. Suddenly, they were in a lightsaber-versus-Force-lightning battle, and both of them were shouting at me to be on their side, and I didn’t know what to do, and Mace wanted to kill Palpatine, and Palpatine wanted me to turn, and Mace swung his lightsaber at Palpatine and was going to kill him, but I needed him to save Padmé, so I almost cut off Mace’s hand to keep him from killing him, but then I remembered how Obi-Wan always tells me to do the second thing that comes to mind instead of the first thing to stop being so impulsive, so instead I cut off Palpatine’s hands just like I did Dooku’s and blocked Mace’s lightsaber and convinced him that without hands he was safe enough to be taken to trial. So Palpatine was put under arrest and everything’s been chaos ever since.” He shrugged one last time and sat back. “So how have you been?”

Ahsoka’s mouth dropped open. “You almost turned to the Dark Side?”

“Yeah.” Anakin stared down at his lap. “I know it was wrong, but I thought it was the only way and I was desperate. Padmé’s making me go to therapy now and I think it’ll actually help.”

“I just…” Ahsoka could barely believe what Anakin had confessed to her. She never would have believed it if anyone else had told her. “I can’t believe… Maul was having nightmares about the galaxy being destroyed by you at the side of Sidious, and he wanted to kill you to stop them from coming true. I can’t believe he was almost right.”

Anakin blinked. “Maul wanted to kill me to stop me from turning to the Dark Side?”

Ahsoka shrugged. “I almost teamed up with him too, to help him stop Sidious, but then he accused you and I captured him instead.”

He stared at her for a minute. “Wow. I never would have thought that of him. I never thought…” He shook his head, then shrank away from her. “Do you…hate me now?”

“Hate you? Why?” Ahsoka asked.

“Because I almost turned to the Dark Side,” Anakin said. “I almost joined him, Snips. I almost joined Sidious. I don’t know what I might have done if I had.”

“But you didn’t,” Ahsoka said. “When the time came down to it, you did the right thing, like I knew you would. Besides, I’m sure the therapy will help so you don’t get that close again.”

“Maybe.” Anakin stood up. “I’ve got to go, so I’ll fly you back to the Temple and we can talk more on the way?”

Ahsoka stood up. “Sure.” She looped her arm in his and squeezed. “Don’t look so glum, Skyguy. Everything’ll be all right.”

Anakin sighed. “Yeah. Yeah, I suppose you’re right. Let’s go. Little sister.” He smiled at her.

Ahsoka grinned right back. They walked out of the diner arm in arm.

Chapter Text

Anakin had spent a tiring afternoon with the prosecutor for Palpatine’s case and was almost completely talked out. All he wanted was to go home and spend his second night home with Padmé and the babies, but he needed to talk with Obi-Wan. Spilling the beans to Ahsoka had been helpful, but he needed to come clean to his master.

Obi-Wan was waiting in Anakin’s quarters when he arrived. “What did you want to speak to me about?”

Anakin sat down on the couch next to Obi-Wan. He couldn’t bring himself to face him. He didn’t want to see the condemnation in his eyes when he found out. “I almost turned to the Dark Side.”

Obi-Wan didn’t say anything. He just sat silently. Anakin stared at his clasped hands, his stomach clenching.

“What did Palpatine tell you?” Obi-Wan’s voice was tight.

Anakin hung his head. “He told me I could save Padmé.” He drew in a shaky breath. “You remember my mother? The visions I had?”

“Of course,” Obi-Wan said quietly.

“Well, they were different. From my normal visions. That’s why I came too late. I thought they were nightmares at first. But I…I told Palpatine all about them. And the night after Padmé told me she was pregnant, the night after I got back, I had a nightmare, like the ones I had about my mother. Except they were about Padmé.” He slumped down and put his face in his hands. Tears sprang to his eyes. “I tried and I tried and I couldn’t figure out anything to do. I didn’t become a master, so I couldn’t look in the Masters-only sections for stuff, and I came too late to save my mother, and Yoda just gave me vague platitudes, which I know is my fault now since I refused to give him any details and he helped Ahsoka with her visions about Padmé’s death, but I didn’t realize that then, and Palpatine told me of a legend he knew of a Sith that could save people from death, and even when he revealed himself to me, I thought he was my friend and he’d help me, so I couldn’t just let Mace kill him, and I almost cut his hand off as he was trying to kill Palpatine, and I would have if I didn’t remember what you told me to not be as impulsive, and so I cut off his hands instead, but I almost turned to the Dark Side, and I…” Anakin broke down into sobs.

Obi-Wan pulled Anakin in against his chest and wrapped him in a hug. The physical affection completely broke him down. He clung desperately to Obi-Wan and sobbed into his chest. “I’m so sorry,” he said. “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry…

“Shh,” Obi-Wan said. He rubbed his back. “It’s all right.”

“No, it’s not,” Anakin said. “I almost turned to the Dark Side, I almost… I almost…” He began to hyperventilate. He clutched Obi-Wan’s tunic tightly.

“But you didn’t,” Obi-Wan said. “Don’t fixate on what might be, focus on what is.” His voice became very soft. “Keep your mind on the here and now, padawan.”

Anakin tried to catch his breath and was only somewhat successful. “I… I… Do… do… do you think…that…Palpatine planted…that vision in my…my head?”

Obi-Wan’s hands stopped rubbing his back. “It’s possible.”

“Can you check?” Anakin asked. “Can you check my mind? I don’t want Palpatine in my head.”

“Of course,” Obi-Wan said.

“I’ll stay open for you. Look deep.” Anakin closed his eyes and stripped away the layers he normally kept on the bond between him and Obi-Wan, even the thick layer that had grown after the Rako Hardeen matter.

The warm presence of Obi-Wan entered his mind. Anakin struggled not to tense up as he gently dug through his mind. He curled his fists in Obi-Wan’s tunic and fought the impulse to toss him out. He needed to know if Palpatine had messed with him. He trusted Obi-Wan with his life. He could trust him with his mind as well. He had no other options.

“Try to relax.” Obi-Wan’s voice sounded dazed and far away.

Anakin nodded. He grew tired and dazed.

Obi-Wan drew in a sharp breath. “Anakin?”

“What?”

“There are several Sith compulsions in your mind. And you have a bond with Palpatine.”

Bile rose up in Anakin’s mouth. Compulsions. His mind had always been the one thing he had been free in, but Palpatine had violated that and tried to enslave his very mind. “Get it out.” He began to shake. “Get it out!”

“I’ll try. It may hurt,” Obi-Wan warned.

“I don’t care. Show me where they are and I’ll help get rid of them.” Anakin was supposedly the Chosen One. He could get rid of the stupid Sith compulsions in his mind.

“Here.” Obi-Wan’s warm Force presence directed his to a dark, tense spot in his mind. Together, they unraveled the foreign darkness from the essence of Anakin and pushed it away.

An ever-present knot of worry Anakin hadn’t even been aware was present lifted from his mind. He drew in a breath that came easier than it had in years.

“There’s another one,” Obi-Wan murmured. “Here.” He pointed him to another knot and unraveled a strand.

Anakin tensed. He stiffened, getting ready to push himself away from Obi-Wan’s hug. “Get away,” he growled.

“It’s all right, Anakin,” Obi-Wan soothed. He pulled a few strands of the knot from Anakin’s mind.

“No. Stop it.” Anakin pulled back and stood up. Something inside him kept him from throwing Obi-Wan from his mind, but no matter. He lifted a hand and constricted it, constricted the Force.

Obi-Wan began to choke. He pulled a large chunk of the knot from Anakin’s mind.

“Stop it!” Anakin shouted.

“A…na…kin…” Obi-Wan ripped the last threads from Anakin’s mind.

The anger melted from Anakin. His legs turned to jelly and he collapsed on the couch. The knot of tension released from his chest.

“Anakin…” Obi-Wan’s voice rasped. He pushed himself up and put a hand on his shoulder. His voice came back to normal as he spoke more. “We still have the bond to deal with.”

Anakin nodded. He’d never actually broken a bond before, but it was done all the time in the Jedi Temple. “Let’s do it.”

Obi-Wan prodded deep into his mind. He plucked at a part of Anakin’s mind that was buried deep in him.

Anakin noticed a seething rage in the place Obi-Wan was prodding. A rage that wasn’t his own. He swallowed down his disgust. He didn’t have room for that. He just needed to get Palpatine out.

“Follow my lead,” Obi-Wan murmured. He gently led Anakin through the process of destroying the bond. Anakin heard a shriek just as the last of it was severed.

Anakin collapsed back onto the couch. Exhaustion crowded in around him. His mind spun. It hurt. He barely noticed Obi-Wan withdrawing and rebuilding the walls. His eyes grew heavy. “I need to get home,” he murmured, hoping it would give him the strength to get up. It didn’t.

Obi-Wan took his arm and hauled him to his feet. He draped his arm around his shoulders and wrapped an arm around his back. “I’ll take you home.”

Anakin was barely conscious of anything except the soft murmur of Padmé and Obi-Wan’s voices and being tucked into his warm bed.

Not even the cries of the twins could fully break Anakin out of the haze of exhaustion that had descended upon him. When he finally woke, the sun was shining and Padmé was gone, most likely with the twins at the Senate.

He slowly pushed himself up and rubbed his eyes. He ran a hand through his hair and paused.

He was feeling great. He was more rested than he had been since before the war, before his mother’s death. He stretched and glanced lazily over at the chrono on the wall.

He cursed. He was late. He was supposed to be testifying in front of the Senate an hour ago. He flew out of bed and hastily dressed.

C-3PO entered the bedroom. “Mistress Padmé said that, according to Master Obi-Wan, your body has been through a lot of stress and you should probably stay in bed today.”

Anakin yawned. “Politics doesn’t wait for exhaustion.” He clapped Threepio on the shoulder. “Besides, I feel great. I have the feeling it’ll be a great day. And after the Senate hearing, I’ve got a Council meeting I can’t miss.”

“But Mistress Padmé—”

“No, Threepio.” Anakin shrugged his cloak on.

“Master Obi-Wan said you should go to medbay—”

“Medbay?” Anakin ran into the kitchen and dug through the conservator until he found a meiloorun. He ran to the door.

“But the Naberries are arriving today and—”

“See ya, Threepio, bye!” Anakin waved and dashed out the door.

Anakin hunched down in his Council seat, not willing to look anyone in the eye, even if the meeting was about to start. This was the first Council meeting after the news of his marriage broke the Holonet, and he didn’t want to see the condemning stares.

“Come to order, this meeting shall,” Yoda said.

Laughter broke through the chamber. Anakin glanced up. Mace Windu was laughing.

“I told all of you this was going to happen,” he said. “I told you. You all owe me fifty credits. Especially you, Depa.”

Depa sighed. “Why did you have to have twins, Skywalker?”

Anakin’s cheeks grew hot. He clasped his hands together. “So you all knew.”

“Of course we knew,” Mace said.

“Blind, we are not, young Skywalker.” Yoda smiled at him. “In order, congratulations are.”

“Thank you,” Anakin murmured.

“Yes, and let’s get down to business, shall we?” Obi-Wan said. “What’s next on our agenda?”

“Reviewing the attachment rule, I believe,” Plo Koon said.

“Well, then let’s get to it,” Ki-Adi-Mundi said.

Anakin smiled.