Chapter Text
"He has be freed," the man states, "as have you." Shmi didn't believe to had heard him right. She zones out as her son pesters the Jedi, with questions. She didn't hear him correctly, she couldn't have.
"Only of she wants to Ani." she stared at the greying Jedi. She didn't hear him right. Thar wasn't possible.
"Anakin, if your mother wishes to stay here, we can't force her to come along" the man replied to her son's questioning. The next moment her lap was full of wiggling children pleading with her to come along.
Nodding numbly as she slowly processed what she just heard feels her son race off with his new friend Padmé to pack his room. A hand clasping her shoulder pulled her attention away from her thoughts. The elder name smiled at her kindly and asked if she would like help packing the rest of the house while her son and his friend packed, or more likely played.
She packs almost in a daze. Putting the few items she and her child do own in boxes and bags. The man kind and cheerful as he helps. She was not wrong about her son getting distracted and playing instead of packing. Together her and and the man place the few toys, books, and clothes in four boxes separated by category. After, the children and herself stay in her old, rickety, dusty apartment as the man takes their belongings and the items need to repair their flight away from the desert planet of Tatooine.
She's nervous the whole walk from their tiny apartment to the edge of the city. Just as they just the threshold and boundary she freezes, Anakin does too. Terrified she hesitates. The elder Jedi smiled kindly before taking her hand and gently pulling her acrossed. In a panicked moment she waits expecting an explosion. When nothing happens the kindly man places a hand on her shoulder and guides her and the two children holding her hands towards the ship taking them away from this awful planet.
As the twin suns beat down upon them she wondered what was in store for her and Anakin. Surely Anakin would train at with the Jedi but for her, she doesn't know. All she does know is she won't allow her only child to be taken from her.
The walk is long and hot. She'd slowed down drastically from her pace when the first started. Qui-Gon is far ahead if her. Between his advantage of longer legs and not being burdened with carrying a child and leading another by their hand, he was much faster and lighter. They're almost to the ship when the man in front of her turns around so fast she's scared he got whiplash. He screams at her to drop and just as she feels air blow at her back, she hits the deck and pulls the kids under her. She sees flashes of red and green. But she doesn't stick around to watch, picking both kids up and placing them on her hips, runs full speed to the ship.
So soon as they arrive, Anakin and Padmé run to the cockpit and inform them of the struggle happening outside. As the fly towards the fight, she worries that they might hit the two men. But as they fly by, Qui-Gon jumps on to the ramp of the ship and walks in, out of breath but otherwise unharmed. As the rush to him, he smiles at her and assures the group that he is okay.