Fading

Chapter 12 - Reunions

Author's Note: Warnings are at the end. 

Also, I don't think Sidious is actually dead; they just think he is. Remember, Obi-Wan does not have a good track record of killing Sith and them staying dead. Lol. But either way, Sidious will not be around again in this fic. If, and it's a big if, we do a sequel, that will change. :)

~ Amina Gila

Anakin hasn't actually been excited like this for anything, since –

"Ani, I'm pregnant."

And now he's about to see his children and Padme again. He can hardly believe it. He'll be with his family. He doesn't even know what this will be like. The twins have already lived a long time without him.

They called ahead once they were away from Tatooine so Padme could tell them where to go. They're on Naboo now, and it's... fitting that he'll reunite with his family here again. For a moment he lets himself not think about everything he saw with Obi-Wan, and... everything. He doesn't want to think about it right now, or ever.

Padme is waiting outside the house when they arrive. She looks just as she did when he last saw her in person, except her presence doesn't feel quite so dim anymore. She feels more alive.

Obi-Wan's still back by the ramp of the ship, thankfully, to give them a little privacy.

"Padme," Anakin breathes, rapidly crossing the grass to where she's standing. It feels like – like a very long mission where they've been apart, but worse in some ways because they've hardly had any contact.

"Ani," she murmurs, throwing her arms around him. He holds her tightly, leaning down to kiss her – which happens to be right when she moves her arm wrong, pressing against the wound on his side.

Pain jolts sharply through his side, and he can't quite suppress his slight jolt at the suddenness of it.

Padme instantly pulls back, frowning. "Are you injured?"

"It is nothing significant," Anakin assures, "We... fought Sidious." He doesn't add that that's not what the wound on his side is from. Padme doesn't need to know... any of it, really. She definitely doesn't need to know how he's still healing.

"We have some medical supplies here," she replies, "But not much. I hope it'll be enough."

"We can manage," he promises. He managed all this times, and although he and Obi-Wan's electric burns are more serious, they can handle it. He wants to see his children already, and – there's something else catching his attention now that he's thinking about.

Padme nods, smiling again. "There's someone else here to see you."

"Who?" Anakin asks, but suddenly, he knows.

"Ahsoka."

"She's here?" Obi-Wan asks, materializing behind him. Maybe he was watching their interactions after all.

Ahsoka is here. She's alive. She's – Force, she's okay. He'd been so worried; he had no idea if she was alive or anything. He didn't realize how scared he was for her fate until now.

"She tracked me down," Padme responds, "I didn't think it safe to say anything over holocall, but she's been waiting to see you. I explained to her what... happened."

Oh. Anakin immediately knows what that means, and his stomach drops. Ahsoka was always very loyal to the Jedi ideals, as well she should be, and he doubts that changed when she left. If she knows that he Fell, knows what he did... she's going to be very upset. It's not as if he deserves any less, but that doesn't mean he's looking forward to it. Their last meeting was already so... cold.