His ship landed in the temple hangar on Coruscant. It was night, and he was sure no one would be waiting for him. He sighed with relief; he could surprise Leia in the morning.
"Where were you?" a voice asked, and Luke froze. He looked behind him and saw Anakin glaring at him.
"I had something to do," he replied.
"Where were you then?" Anakin demanded, stepping toward him.
"I needed to find an answer," Luke began to explain. Why was he so upset?
"Leia and Ahsoka have been worried about your health all day. You didn't even bring a communicator and you didn't answer the calls to Ahsoka's ship."
"I didn't mean to worry them," Luke began.
"Padmé has been trying to calm them down all night, but even she can't, and I don't understand why," Anakin said, taking Luke by the shoulders.
"I'm sorry," Luke said, looking down in embarrassment. He shouldn't have worried them like that. He should have answered the calls. "I'm really sorry," Luke said. It felt strange that his father was scolding him for disappearing.
"I really am." "I understand better than anyone what it's like to want to do everything alone," he said, looking him straight in the eyes. "But you have to think about what you're leaving behind. You have a sister and friends. Your mission here in the past is also important. You can't risk it like that, Luke," Anakin reprimanded him. "Especially if the future depends on you."
"I desperately needed that answer," Luke repeated, but what Anakin was saying certainly made sense.
"Did you at least find her?" Anakin asked with a sigh.
"Yes," Luke said.
"I really understand, Luke," Anakin said, walking with him. "But please don't disappear like that again. We were all worried," he said, guiding Luke to where Padmé, Ahsoka, and Leia were.
Luke felt almost happy, guilty for having worried them, but happy, because his father had admitted that he cared about him. It hadn't been an emotional word; he didn't know who he was, but he had expressed concern for him.
When Luke entered the room, Leia ran into his arms. Padmé wanted to do the same, to ask if he was alright, but with Anakin there, she couldn't; it would be suspicious. Ahsoka lay down on the bed, relaxed. She had no idea how to explain to her master what had happened if Luke didn't return, no way of explaining that she had let her son die.
Anakin decided to give them some privacy. Later, he would go with Padmé to his apartment. Obi-Wan watched him with a smile in the hallway. After the conversation he'd had with his former apprentice that afternoon, he felt comfortable with him again. While it was true that Anakin hadn't yet confessed his marriage, he was sure that one day he would feel comfortable enough to do so.
"I remember when you were just a boy," Obi-Wan smiled, and Anakin blushed.
"Why?" Anakin asked nervously.
"You gave me a lot of trouble too," Obi-Wan smiled. "Just like Luke, you were driven by your instincts. Many times you disappeared, and I didn't know how to find you."
"I always came back," Anakin complained, and then he understood what his master meant.
"Your precognition in battle is amazing," Obi-Wan said. "That's something I couldn't teach you. You learned it by being reckless, just like Luke."
"Now I understand how much being reckless worried you," Anakin admitted, and Obi-Wan laughed. "I'm sorry, Master," he apologized, and Obi-Wan nodded.
"You and Luke are very similar," Obi-Wan smiled, turning toward his room.
"What do you mean?" Anakin asked, but Obi-Wan was gone.
Anakin waited for Padmé in the hangar. She appeared almost an hour later, with a kind smile and that look that captivated him.
"What do you mean you can't tell us?" Ahsoka asked, exasperated.
"I have the answer, but I'll have to decipher its meaning over time."
"You're just like my master," Ahsoka complained, lying down on Luke's bed.
"It's the same in the future. You always have to ask more than three times to understand," Leia said, lying down next to Ahsoka. They were both very sleepy; they had been awake since Luke had left, and even when Padmé tried to calm them and tell them to go to sleep, they remained worried.
Luke watched them fall into a deep sleep and took the dagger in his hands. That would be the key at some point, and he would have to know who was meant to wield it. He sat on the bed, reflecting, and soon fell asleep on Leia's lap.
The door opened and Padmé entered. She had forgotten something in the room and smiled at the sight of everyone asleep. She stroked Luke's hair and placed a kiss on Leia's forehead. Just as she was about to leave, Anakin was arriving in the room.
"Did you find what you were looking for?" he asked, and Padmé gestured for him to be quiet.
"What a trio you've become in such a short time," Anakin smiled, watching them sleep. He was surprised by the feeling of peace that filled his heart; he only felt this way when he was with Padmé. "Ahsoka has become very good friends with them."
"It's good that you get along so well," Padmé smiled, hugging Anakin. They were alone in the corridors; everyone was asleep. No one would notice them if they hugged.
"Don't you think she'll miss them when they have to return to their own time?" Anakin asked, sensing Padmé's unease, but then she smiled.
"I'm sure she'll understand," Padmé said. At first, she had been distressed, thinking they weren't from that time, that her children would have to leave, but then she remembered that if they changed the future, she would have the opportunity to raise them, and if fate dictated that she should die in childbirth, at least she had had the chance to share her life with them and see Anakin happy.
"Let them sleep," Anakin said, and Padmé went outside. It was quite cold, given the time of day, and the three of them were completely uncovered.
He took a blanket from the closet and covered them, increasingly confused by the feelings in his heart. Padmé smiled, watching him from the doorway. She pretended not to see anything when Anakin left. They closed the door and headed back to their apartment.
"You'll be an excellent father, my friend," Obi-Wan smiled, looking down from the end of the corridor. "I'll make sure you don't miss a single day of your children's lives. The darkness won't touch you, not while I can prevent it."
The next day, Anakin and Obi-Wan stood before the council. They were given an important mission. Anakin and Obi-Wan were to lead their squads to the Outer Rim. There were rumors of a Sith presence on the distant moon Zanbar. Anakin suspected it could be Count Dooku, but Obi-Wan had a bad feeling.
"What will happen to Luke and Leia?" Anakin asked. At first, he had thought they would have to accompany them to change the future, but he didn't want to expose them to the war.
"Their mission is elsewhere. Ours is to fight this war," Obi-Wan lied, hating to have to do it. He couldn't simply tell Anakin that his wife and two children would be following them.
"I hope they can do it, though I'd like to know how," Anakin sighed. That night would be the last he'd spend with Padmé for a long time. He only hoped that when he returned, she would be alright and the war would be over.
Obi-Wan informed Padmé and the twins of the fate and was tempted not to give them the coordinates so as not to expose them, but then he remembered that the future was at stake. If the twins believed this would save them, he was no one to stand in their way.
"Do they know yet?" Ahsoka asked, walking beside Obi-Wan.
"I want you to know that I completely disagree with this. We're going on a mission where a Sith is present," Obi-Wan said.
"Master," Ahsoka smiled, not entirely sure what she was saying, "everything will be alright. They know what they're doing."
"When Anakin finds out that Padmé is going with them, he'll kill me," Obi-Wan said, and Ahsoka smiled nervously. That could certainly be true.
After receiving the call, Padmé went to speak with the chancellor.
"I've contacted most of the senators you suggested, Padmé," the chancellor said with a smile. "Many of them have accepted."
"That's incredible, Chancellor," Padmé said, feigning relief. She was truly upset, but it was a necessary sacrifice.
"Some wish to know who gave me their names. This journey to care for your father will undoubtedly be beneficial. It will keep your name anonymous, just as you wish, my child," Palpatine said.
"Thank you very much for the warning, Chancellor. I only wish the best," Padmé said, lowering her gaze. "The best for..."
"For your friends, Padmé," the Chancellor smiled. "To care is human. What would become of us without feelings?" The Chancellor smiled, placing a hand on Padmé's shoulder in a fatherly manner.
"" "I feel I shouldn't involve my feelings with my work, Chancellor, but I—" she said, feigning dejection and confusion, "I can't help it."
"I would object if the decision you're making were wrong, but this is the right thing to do, Padmé. You know I would never do anything that would harm the Republic or democracy," Palpatine said, and Padmé nodded.
"Oh, of course I know that, Chancellor. That's why I've always trusted you. You've always been my role model since I was a child," Padmé said, nearly vomiting from the lie.
"Your words flatter me, Padmé. I will continue speaking with the people on the list you gave me," Palpatine said. "I promise the Jedi will have a significant numerical advantage in this war."
"I hope so, Chancellor," Padmé smiled as she left.
"Do you need an escort for your trip to Naboo, my child?" the Chancellor asked, feeling kind. He didn't want this unexpected and foolish ally to come to any harm. He had always seen the senator as... Amidala was like a stumbling block, but certainly her feelings had led her astray from her ideals, and she would be a great ally.
"Oh, don't worry, Chancellor," Padmé said. "I'll be leaving tomorrow with the Jedi cruiser. Naboo is on the way. Master Skywalker said I could go with them, for my safety."
The smile on Palpatine's face widened. It was convenient that those two were together; their feelings would blind them. Skywalker was still reluctant to talk about Padmé, but the naive girl was practically an open book. A little longer and he'd be asking her for love advice, he was sure of it.
"I'm glad. You couldn't be safer than with Skywalker," the Chancellor said. "Give him my regards. Unfortunately, I won't be able to say goodbye to him because I have long meetings awaiting me in the Senate."
"I'll pass on your regards," Padmé said, blushing, as she left the room.
"I'll give him your regards." Her smile was utterly triumphant; she was outsmarting the most powerful Sith Lord of all, and so far, everything was going perfectly.
"How was the meeting?" Leia asked, helping her mother close her suitcase.
"Wonderful," Padmé smiled.
Padmé handed Leia a blaster; she didn't want her daughter to be in danger.
"But I already have a lightsaber," Leia said, confused.
"I'd feel safer if you had it," Padmé smiled. You never knew when a weapon might save your life.
"Thank you, Mother," Leia smiled, hugging her.
"Alright, let's head back to the temple. Father wants to say goodbye now that he's leaving for the mission," Luke said, smiling.
"Don't waste any time. Anakin is always punctual," Padmé smiled. "Don't do anything suspicious, or he'll find us out," she warned, and Luke piloted to the temple where Anakin was waiting for them.
They talked for hours in the temple, and the twins reassured Anakin, explaining that his mission was here in the Jedi Temple.
"I wish you could change the future. I wish this war would end," Anakin said, bidding them farewell.
"Please, be careful," Leia said, hugging him goodbye.
"I'll do it. It's not my first time going to war," Anakin smiled, touched by Leia's attitude.
"Be careful. Next time, I'll beat you in a fight," Luke grinned, and Anakin embraced him.
"I'll be eager to fight alongside you," Anakin smiled.
Anakin suspected absolutely nothing that night. He said goodbye to the twins, hoping it wouldn't be the last time he saw them. He never imagined that his beloved wife and children would follow him on this mission.
That night, he fell asleep with Padmé in his arms. It was the last night he would spend in peace for a long time. He fell asleep with the memory of his angel's face, the face that inspired him to return after every battle. Padmé lay on Anakin's bare chest. She felt his calm breathing. She felt good. She didn't feel the sadness that consumed her every time Anakin had to leave, because this time she would go with him. She would be close to him, she and their children. She fell asleep listening to Anakin's slow breathing, she fell asleep with the exquisite sensation of his strong arms around her small waist; tomorrow the real adventure would begin.
"I love you, Ani," she whispered before drifting off, and even though he was asleep, a smile appeared on Anakin's face.