Chapter Text
“Ani, could you open the door?”
Anakin waved a hand at the screen, and it slid to the side, not looking up from the nerf steaks on the grill.
“Thank you darling.”
Padme’ came out with a huge white platter in her hands, piled high with a glorious explosion of color in the variety of chopped fruit she had prepared.
“Luke and Leia, I could use a hand now. You two have been lying there long enough.”
The twins, sprawled on towels on the sloping green lawn, moaned in unison.
“I can’t move,” Luke complained.
“You were the one who set the ‘swim the lake and back’ challenge,” Leia said accusingly, not moving her arm from over her eyes.
“Stars, I thought you two were Jedi,” Padme’ teased, “I don’t think you could fight off Rilla right now. Which could be a reality quite soon, so you need to change and give me some help.”
“I can’t fight off Rilla in normal circumstances,” Luke murmured, making it to his knees, and snagging his towel.
Leia snickered. “Yes and you’re in Aunt Sola’s black book for giving her too much cryum candy last time in an effort to buy her off.”
She rose and grabbed her own towel. “I’ll be down in a second, Mother.” And she disappeared into the big house.
Padme’ set the platter on the big table on the broad terrace, and shaded her eyes with her hand, gazing out toward the clear blue of the lake.
“I can see the boat,” she said to her husband. “They’ll be here in about ten minutes.”
Anakin looked out and agreed. He studied his wife of twenty years in the glorious early evening sun. She was even more beautiful, the few threads of grey in her dark hair making her more majestic. She was attired simply---this was a family dinner---and her blue dress hung on her slim form softly.
She felt him staring at her and grinned.
“Ani, you’ll burn the steaks.”
“Let them burn.” He drew her to him. “Do we have to have people tonight? I could think of something else to do…..” he murmured in her ear.
She laughed and he kissed her. “Dearest, our grown children are here and of course we want these ‘people’ as you so rudely called them. They’re family ! We even like them!”
He grinned. “Fine then. And these steaks are perfect thank you.”
She ran her fingers down his arm and moved back into the house. “I’ll get the drinks going.”
Anakin watched her go and then turned his attention back to the boat. His brother-in-law loved the water almost as much as he loved the stars, and had taught himself to sail---no engines for this boat if you please.
“Do you need a master to show you how to properly cook those?” asked Obi-Wan, coming up the long stairs from the beach---looking very brown and content with life.
Anakin snorted. “Please, your idea of a good nerf steak means we could use it for building material.”
His friend waved a dismissive hand. “Some of us, Anakin, do not like our nerf steaks still moving when they are served.”
“Even Rilla likes it pink. And she’s 7. Pathetic, O master.”
“Yes, I saw they were almost here. And just because some of us are civilized, Anakin, and like our food cooked….” he moved to the fruit platter to snag a piece as Leia came out with a tray of appetizers.
“Ah, that is lovely. And you look very fetching too, Leia.”
“Hilarious Obi-Wan,” his daughter responded dryly, in a tone remarkably like his. She set the tray on the table, and looked up to break into a big smile.
“Rilla!”
And a small curly haired brunette ran at Leia’s knees to give her a tremendous hug.
“I won, Leia,” she declared. “Mummy and Daddy are terribly slow.”
“Have some mercy, Rilla-my-Rilla,” said Kenobi, catching her by the waist, and swinging her shrieking in delight to his shoulder. “Your mother is pregnant.”
“I’ve offered to use the Force to bring her up here from the beach,” Anakin said.
His daughter speared him with a look. “It was not amusing at all the one time you tried. I think she might have killed you if she didn’t love mother so much.”
Obi-Wan snickered. “Your face when she was done swearing at you, Anakin…..”
“Who’s swearing at him now?” came a new voice, and at last Sola came into view at the edge of the lawn, holding firmly to her husband’s arm.
“We were just recalling your very vivid thoughts for him, Aunt Sola,” Leia replied with a smile, going to help them. “I can take the basket, Uncle Firmus.”
“Thank you my dear, and don’t you look lovely.”
“You see, Obi-Wan?” his daughter shot over her shoulder, “ he has manners.”
“What have I walked into?” Piett asked, as Leia kissed his cheek, and moved to kiss her aunt as well.
“Kenobi being his usual troublesome self,” responded Anakin, flipping the steaks and brushing them with marinade.
“That statement is coming from you, brother, I can’t say you are the one whose judgment I trust,” Sola said as Piett found a chair for her in the shade. “ Force , for both of us being fairly small, this baby is huge.”
“Maybe it’s twins,” said Luke helpfully, coming out with a pitcher of water. He proceeded to pour his aunt a glass and hand it to her, while Padme’ exited with a tray of frosty drinks. Leia seized two, handing one to Piett and the other to her father, before snagging one herself.
“Luke!” said his mother chidingly, as Anakin and Obi-Wan snickered at Piett’s frozen face, and Sola glowered at her nephew.
“Hello, Sola darling, you are a trooper to make it up those stairs,” Padme' said, hugging her sister, and picking up her own drink.
“Well, we won’t have another opportunity to take the boat out before these two deploy, and Firmus loves it so,” Sola replied, smiling fondly at her husband, who took her hand.
“Rilla does too, where did she get to….ah.” he spotted her at the huge rope swing across the lawn, installed especially for her.
“I thought Veers was coming,” Kenobi said, looking around.
“Oh they are,” Padme’ responded, “but apparently, Zev just got back so he’s joining us too.”
Luke and Leia both looked up with pleased expressions.
“That’s great!” Luke exclaimed, “I’ve been wanting to hear about how training went!”
Anakin smiled. Both Luke and Zevulon Veers loved fighters, though Luke preferred the X-Wings and Zev was learning to fly A-Wings.
“Is Max going to take the same shuttle with you two?” Sola asked, relaxing back in the chair, and taking another drink of water.
“That’s the plan,” Anakin responded. “The Veers will stay here the next few days to make that easier.”
Piett moved across the lawn at his daughter’s insistence for being pushed on the swing.
“I saw you with your mother at the last Senate meeting on the holonet,” Sola commented to Leia as she sat down near her aunt. “You looked so very grown up.”
“Oh thanks, Aunt Sola,” his daughter said, eyes shining, “It’s so interesting listening to all the speeches and debates.”
“ All of them?” Padme’ asked with a knowing smile.
“Ok,” Leia laughed, “not all of them. But still…..”
“So here’s where everyone’s hiding!” declared Veers striding around from the front of the big house, flanked by Zev and Myra.
Another round of hugs, and drink distribution happened while Anakin removed the steaks and covered them.
“So Luke,” Obi-Wan said, turning to his son, “When is the lightsaber making mission?”
Anakin shared a look with him and smiled.
“Soon,” Luke answered. “I mean, obviously, you are all deploying for six months but after that, Father thought that he and I and Leia could all go to Jedha.”
“I’ve been told that having Jedi babysitting is quite the rage,” Myra said with a quiet smile, leaning against her tall husband, and looking at Sola.
“Oh yes. Rilla runs them through their paces,” Sola said, smiling at Luke’s grimace. “Wears them out in fact.”
“Rilla is a force of nature, aren’t you darling?” said her father, coming up to them with the Jedi defeater in question on his shoulders.
“What does that mean?” the curly haired girl asked. “Hi Uncle Max!”
“Hello sweetheart.”
“It means,” said Piett, swinging her down, “that you are amazing and strong and capable of making your cousins very tired while you could still keep going.”
“Hey!” Leia protested.
“All right, Luke gets very tired,” Piett corrected, smiling at his son’s offended look.
“Firmus, what will you do when the baby comes?” Myra asked, leaning down for a hug from Rilla.
“Well,” said Piett, shooting Anakin a glance, “I’ve been told the commander of the Republic fleet isn’t as much of a hard nose as has been reported, so I’ll be taking leave about a week before the due date.”
“Yes, I’ve been waiting to use the new title, Admiral ,” Veers said, with a wide grin at his friend, and shaking his hand.
“It’s purely nepotism of course,” Anakin said, taking a long drink from the refreshing cocktail. Piett had just made Fleet Admiral and it was richly deserved.
“Ani, you are utterly terrible,” reproved his wife, coming over again holding a water pitcher and leaning in to give Piett a quick peck on the cheek. “And I meant to say congratulations when you got here, Firmus, but got distracted by the adorable baby bump.”
He laughed. “I’ve already accepted that I’m outranked by my children.”
“All right everyone, we can sit,” Padme’ declared and they made their way to the big table. Anakin looked around. Piett was helping Sola to a chair and she did indeed look glowing. Luke and Leia were flanking Zev, all three of them talking animatedly about something, while Myra and Veers seated themselves across from Anakin’s newest Admiral and his wife. Rilla ensconced herself by Leia, and Padme’ came to his side as Obi-wan sat at the foot of the table between Piett and Rilla.
All was right with his world.