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Anakin shot awake early. Consequences of living in wartime. He glanced over at his peacefully sleeping wife. Peacefully sleeping wife and unborn baby, that was. How ridiculous of him to get irrationally upset that someone was coming between them (literally, as it turned out). He kissed her on the cheek and bounced out of bed to scour the apartment.
They didn’t have any baby equipment. None! What would they do if Padmé suddenly went into labor… Anakin tried to do the math but soon gave up. The constant system jumps wreaked havoc on his internal clock. Anyway, she could go into labor at any time, realistically, no matter how far along she was, so that meant they had to be prepared for the little addition to their family as soon as possible.
He slipped on a sleep shirt and a soft bathrobe, made himself a cup of caf, inhaled about five breakfast pastries and two bunches of grapes, then returned to the bedroom to kiss Padmé on the cheek again. “I’m going to go shopping, honey. I’ll be back as soon as possible.”
Padmé let out a light groan. “Okay,” she murmured. “Hurry back.”
Anakin grabbed her wallet—he didn’t have much of a tab and he’d left his wallet in an exploding ship several months ago anyway—shoved his comm into the robe pocket, tugged on the nearest pair of shoes he could cram his feet into, then left.
The nearest department store was already open, so Anakin followed the maps to the baby section. As he drew into view, his steps slowed.
The baby section was huge! There was just so much stuff! He pushed his hovercart in a daze through the racks of clothing.
He snatched a piece off the rack. It was a soft light pink pair of footie pajamas that read “Daddy’s little princess” on the front. The baby could very well be a girl, and if so, she would need this outfit, so he threw it in the hovercart. Soon, he had a pile of onesies with cute sayings in the cart: “I did nine months on the inside,” “Handsome just like Dad,” “I try to be good but I take after Daddy,” “Mommy’s little Jedi,” “Daddy’s girl,” and “Daddy’s little man.” Because how could the baby not love him?
There were more racks with different baby clothing that didn’t have sayings, and it was all so cute! Anakin piled his hovercart high with clothing until he had to stop as he had run out of room.
He probably had enough clothing, but what about the other stuff? He grabbed another hovercart and stopped a Quarren employee. “Excuse me, what does a baby need?”
“Oh, well, let me see,” the Quarren said. “Quite a bit. Let me show you.”
The Quarren led Anakin all the way through the baby section, pointing out everything a baby might need. Bottles, bottle warmers, walkers, strollers, rattles, teething rings, cribs, crib mobiles, diapers, changing table, wipes, and some extra shoes, boots, and hats just as accessories.
The Quarren was delighted as he directed Anakin to the register to be rung up. Anakin had just pulled out Padmé’s credit card when his comm vibrated.
He pulled out his comm and activated it. “Hello!”
“Anakin, where are you?” Obi-Wan demanded.
“Oh, out and about. Why?” Anakin hummed one of Mom’s favorite songs as he stuck the card in the pay slot.
“You missed the briefing. And why on earth are you humming?”
“Oh, I just have a feeling it’s going to be a really great day.” Anakin pocketed the card. “Can you have this delivered?”
“Can I have what delivered?” Obi-Wan asked.
“Nothing, hang on.” Anakin shoved the comm under his arm. “I need to have this delivered to Senator Amidala’s apartment at 500 Republica. Can you do that?”
The droid cashier quoted an insanely high price. Anakin winced. He grabbed a stuffed bear and a bag of onesies to lighten the load. “How’s that?”
The price was marginally better. Anakin pulled out the card again to pay for the delivery.
“Anakin, what’s going on?” Obi-Wan’s muffled voice said.
“Nothing at all, master,” Anakin said. He swiped the card. “Just…running an errand for Senator Amidala.”
“I see.” Obi-Wan’s voice was flat.
“We’ll have this delivered right away,” the droid said.
Anakin nodded. “Thanks.” He tucked the bear under his arm and pulled out his comm. “Sorry about that, Master. What do you need?”
Obi-Wan sighed. “Nothing at the moment. You need to get over here so the chancellor’s men can take you to see him. They’ve been waiting all morning.”
Odd. Had he even gone through the council this time? Anakin shrugged. He didn’t mind stopping by the chancellor’s office. “All right, I’ll be right over. Skywalker out.” He deactivated the comm and pocketed it.
Anakin flopped down onto a chair in the chancellor’s office, propping his feet up on his desk. He pulled the stuffed bear close and sank his fingers into the soft fuzz of the “Daddy’s little princess” onesie. “What did you want to see me for, Chancellor?”
Palpatine seemed to be almost glaring at him. But that couldn’t be right. Poor thing, he must have indigestion or something. “Are you wearing a bathrobe?”
“Yes,” Anakin said. “They’re very comfy. You should try them sometime.”
“And are those slippers?” Palpatine glared at Anakin’s feet as if they’d insulted his hair style. Which, given the current state of his hair, would be quite understandable.
The shoes Anakin had shoved onto his feet were indeed a pair of mint green slippers. They fit his feet, and he vaguely remembered being gifted them by Padmé. Or had it been less of a gift and more of a household necessity? Nevertheless, they had been easy to access and apparently the first shoes he laid his hands on. “Yes, I am wearing slippers. Don’t you like them?”
“They’re stunning,” Palpatine said drily.
“Thank you!” Anakin said, waggling his feet back and forth.
Palpatine sighed. “Anakin, I asked you here because I have a very great favor to ask of you.”
“Okay,” Anakin said readily. Whatever the chancellor needed, Anakin would do it. He would probably do Mace a favor if he asked today. “I’ll do it.”
“I…what?” Palpatine said.
“I’ll do it. I’ll do your favor,” Anakin said.
“But you don’t even—” Palpatine broke off and shook his head. “I don’t trust the Jedi Council.”
“And they don’t trust you either,” Anakin said. “So that makes you even.”
Palpatine sighed and continued. “But I do trust you.”
“I’m honored, Chancellor, truly. I know you’d never lie to me like the Council has,” Anakin said. It was nice to have someone really trust him. Refreshing. So many people kept secrets from him. He loved them anyway, of course. He had so much love for everyone he was practically bursting with it. But it was nice to be trusted.
“Well, I…thank you, Anakin. I’m appointing you to be my eyes and ears on the Jedi Council,” Palpatine said.
“Oh, you’re not allowed to do that,” Anakin said promptly.
“Well, actually…” Palpatine started.
“And I wouldn’t ask that of them,” Anakin said. “Thanks, anyway, though! It means a lot that you think I’m ready. I’ll probably be too busy for the Council soon anyway.”
Palpatine stared at him, blinking. “I…see.”
“Did you know Ahsoka’s tracking down Darth Maul on Mandalore?” Anakin asked. He probably did, but Anakin wanted to talk about it regardless.
“Oh?” Palpatine said.
“Yeah, and I’m pretty sure she’s gonna ask to come back after her mission’s over,” Anakin said. He couldn’t wait. The Council would surely say yes, and he’d have his Snips back. Just in time for her to be an aunt to his daughter or son.
“Isn’t that nice,” Palpatine said.
“Yup! I can’t wait!” Anakin hopped up. “I’ve got to get to the Temple, Chancellor, so I’ll see you later. Bye!”
“No, wait…” Palpatine started.
But it was too late. Anakin was already heading out, and as much as he loved spending time with Palpatine, he had better places to be.
“You are on this Council…” Mace said.
“Really?” Anakin exclaimed. He’d just told them about Palpatine’s offer so they could laugh about it with him. He wasn’t expecting them to take him seriously. “Thanks.”
“But we do not grant you the rank of master,” Mace finished.
That wasn’t very nice of them, but luckily for them, Anakin was in a good mood. “That’s all right, I’ll wait for Ahsoka to be knighted.”
“Do you care to explain your…state of dress?” Mace asked.
“And the stuffed bear?” Ki-Adi-Mundi asked.
“And the onesie that says ‘Daddy’s little princess’?” Coleman Kcaj asked.
“No, thank you.” Anakin took a seat in the empty chair. Obi-Wan’s eyes trailed him back to his seat. “What?” he whispered.
Obi-Wan just shook his head.
Anakin half-zoned out as the rest of the Council discussed sending Master Yoda to Kashyyyk, instead bouncing the stuffed bear around, a silly grin on his face. He was going to be a father. A father! Pretty soon, he would be holding a tiny little baby in his arms. And the baby would be half-him and half-Padmé. But all itself. Its cute little self. His baby would surely be the smartest, the cutest, the bravest, the most amazing baby in the whole galaxy, beating out every lame baby that parents pretended were interesting but weren’t compared to his baby.
Anakin didn’t notice when the Council meeting ended, so Obi-Wan had to drag him out by the arm.
“What’s gotten into you, Anakin?” Obi-Wan asked. “Is something wrong? You’re not acting like yourself.”
“Wrong? Nothing’s wrong. Everything’s right for the first time in years.” Anakin gripped Obi-Wan’s shoulders. “Have I ever told you how much I care about you?”
“What?”
“I mean it,” Anakin said. “You’ve raised me since I was nine years old. You’ve been a great brother and the only father I’ve ever known. You sacrificed for me and did your best to make me a good Jedi and a good man, and I’m thankful for that. You’ll always be a part of my family, no matter what the Jedi do to me.”
Obi-Wan pressed the back of his hand to Anakin’s forehead. “Well, you’re not feverish.” He sniffed his breath. “And you’re not drunk. What do you mean, what the Jedi do to you?”
“I want to be able to stay a Jedi and have a family, but I doubt they’ll make an exception for me,” Anakin said. “So you understand of course. If they make me choose, I’ll choose my family.”
“You’ll choose your family,” Obi-Wan repeated. “And why would you need to choose between the two? Why do you have a bag of onesies? Anakin, please tell me you understand the meaning of the words ‘birth control’.”
“What? What’s that?” Anakin didn’t know what that was, and he didn’t really care at the moment. All that mattered was his big news. He wanted to shout it to the sky, buy all the Coruscant ads and advertise it to the commuters, sing it to the Jedi, even tell it to the Separatists. Everyone needed to know. “I’m going to be a father. Isn’t it great? So you see, I have to raise them. And I’d love to be a Jedi and raise them to be a Jedi and also be a family with them and Padmé, but I don’t think the Council will let me, so I want you to know you can still be my daughter’s uncle just in case I’m kicked out. Or my son’s uncle. We don’t know yet.”
Obi-Wan opened and closed his mouth, but no sound came out.
“Oh! I’m on the Council now! Maybe I can change that! I can let myself stay in the Order!” All new possibilities were opening now that the entity that had mistrusted Anakin since he was nine now had him on it. Let them mistrust him now! He’d prove he was a vital member of the Jedi Council, and the Jedi Order. Him and his kid!
“A…about that,” Obi-Wan said. “The only reason the Council decided to let you on it is…well…”
“What?” Anakin asked. “Because I’m devilishly handsome, winsomely clever, and daringly courageous?”
“No,” Obi-Wan said. “The Council wants you to report all the chancellor’s dealings.”
“You mean spy,” Anakin clarified. “That’s not very nice. He’s my friend and our government’s leader. Do they have a good reason?”
“Well, yes,” Obi-Wan said. “I…shouldn’t tell you this, but… they think he knows Darth Sidious. Or is being manipulated by Darth Sidious. Or something.”
“Darth Sidious.” Anakin could barely believe it. The Darth Sidious? The manipulating-the-entire-galaxy-for-his-own-purposes Darth Sidious? That Darth Sidious? “The one behind the war?”
“That’s the one,” Obi-Wan said. “Mace and a few others chased Darth Sidious from the Works to 500 Republica right before the Battle of Coruscant began. Darth Sidious lives inside 500 Republica. And, well, some of the chancellor’s actions have seemed a little…dark of late.”
“Fives did say the chancellor was involved in some sort of conspiracy,” Anakin said.
Obi-Wan breathed a sigh, nodding.
“Don’t worry.” Anakin clapped Obi-Wan on the shoulder. “I’ll save the chancellor from Darth Sidious for you! I’ll tell you everything you need to know so we can save him.”
“Be careful,” Obi-Wan stressed. “That’s the only other reason you’ve been given this assignment. The Council believes you’re one of the only Jedi in the Order that can actually survive an encounter with Darth Sidious. We are messing with someone very dangerous here.”
“I know,” Anakin said. “I’ll be careful. Careful’s my middle name.” He backed away from Obi-Wan. “I’ve gotta go now.”
“Wait, Anakin—” Obi-Wan started.
Anakin had the bear wave goodbye. “No time! Goodbye!”
“Anakin, wait!”
Anakin spun and took off down the halls.
Anakin actually got dressed when the chancellor summoned him to the Galaxies Opera House. He left the bear and the onesies in his room and made his way to Palpatine.
“You wanted to see me, Chancellor?” he whispered.
“Yes, Anakin, come closer, I have good news,” Palpatine said.
Anakin knelt by Palpatine’s chair. He studied his old friend. What were the signs of Sith control? Palpatine did look rather old, far too old for only being sixty-five. Premature aging was a sure sign of the dark side. Controlling the Force instead of bending to its will left all kinds of unhealthy side effects. But would that apply to a Sith-controlled slave as well as to a Sith Lord?
“Our clone intelligence units have discovered the location of General Grievous. He’s hiding. In the Utapau system,” Palpatine said.
Great news, if it was real. Fast, though. No offense to the clone intelligence units, but why had they suddenly discovered the location of General Grievous when they’d had little success in three years tracking him down? This came all too fast. Sure sign that Palpatine had been fed the information by Sidious. But how to confirm that? “Are you sure you got that from clone intelligence?”
Palpatine frowned. “I’m sorry?”
“Maybe you got it from someone else?” Anakin prodded. Smooth and subtle, that’s what he had to be. “Someone dark and mysterious, cloaked? It’s okay, it’s not your fault. Maybe his name was…Sidious?”
Palpatine stiffened. “What are you implying, Anakin?”
“I know you’re working with Darth Sidious,” Anakin said.
Palpatine straightened up. “Leave us,” he commanded.
The other people in the box vacated.
Anakin took a seat next to Palpatine, his heart pounding. This was it. Palpatine was going to admit he was being manipulated by Sidious, and Anakin would be able to save him.
“I don’t know what you’ve heard about Darth Sidious, but your perceptions of him are all wrong. He’s not trying to rule the galaxy, he’s trying to save it,” Palpatine said.
“You know Sidious?” Anakin asked.
“Anakin, I am Sidious.”
Anakin’s lightsaber sprang into his hand before he knew it. He pointed the blue tip at Palpatine’s throat. “You’re the Sith Lord!”
“I know what’s been troubling you,” Palpatine—no, Sidious—said.
“Liar! Nothing’s been troubling me,” Anakin said. “Try again.”
“Listen to me,” Sidious insisted. “Don’t continue to be a pawn of the Jedi Council! Ever since I’ve known you, you’ve been searching for a life greater than that of an ordinary Jedi.”
How insulting. Anakin was no ordinary Jedi. And he’d found that greater life in his new status as a father of an amazing unborn baby. A Jedi father, now that would be cool.
“A life of significance, of conscience,” Sidious continued.
“I have a life of significance,” Anakin said. “I’m the Chosen One. I’m meant to destroy Sith like you.”
“You have great wisdom, Anakin. Know the power of the dark side, the power to save your wife from certain death,” Sidious said.
“How dare you threaten her!” That was it, he was done. Anakin swung his lightsaber down.
A red lightsaber blade met his. “Fine,” Sidious spat. “You want me to be the bad guy? Now I’m the bad guy.”
Anakin let out a wordless yell and launched himself off the seat to fight Sidious.
Burnt bubble ribbons floated down around Anakin’s face. All the bubbles had popped, which was a shame. Might have felt good on the burning pervading his body.
Sirens wailed, red and blue lights flashing inside the Galaxies Opera House. Someone, in their panicky flight from the clash between Anakin and Sidious, must have called the authorities.
“Anakin!” Mace cried, bending over Anakin. “What happened?”
Anakin reached up and grabbed Mace’s hand. “Palpatine doesn’t know Darth Sidious,” he managed, tightening his grip on Mace’s strangely sweaty hand. “He is Darth Sidious.”
“Then our worst fears have been realized,” Mace said.
“Nuh-uh.” Anakin shook his head as best he could. He pointed across the opera floor. “He’s right there. He’s dead.”
“Oh, yes, he’s very dead,” Obi-Wan confirmed. His bearded face appeared in Anakin’s field of vision. “Congratulations, my old friend.”
Anakin gave a smile that surely was streaked with blood.
Obi-Wan’s face grew tense. “Hold on, Anakin. Just hold on…”
Anakin was still in the Halls of Healing when Padmé went into labor, so they shared a room in the healers’ ward. She gave birth to not one, but two amazing, cute, adorable, stunning little babies. Anakin was holding Luke, gazing down with tears in his eyes, when Obi-Wan came in.
“Congratulations, my friend,” Obi-Wan said.
“Thanks,” Anakin said. “They’re amazing, aren’t they?”
“They are,” Obi-Wan agreed. “And the Council agreed to let you stay in the Order despite circumstances.”
“They’re amazing, aren’t they?” Anakin repeated. He could stay in the Order, and he could be a father.
“And you’ve been promoted to the rank of master,” Obi-Wan said.
“That’s amazing, isn’t it?” Anakin said.
“It is indeed. You’ll keep your seat on the Council, at least for now,” Obi-Wan continued.
“That’s amazing, isn’t it?” Anakin said.
“Though you might be too busy, seeing as Ahsoka wants to rejoin the Order,” Obi-Wan said.
“She’s amazing, isn’t she?” Anakin said.
“And the Jedi Council is going to be discussing preliminary reforms to the age requirements and the attachment rule, among other things,” Obi-Wan said.
There was only one word for that. “Amazing,” Anakin said.