The Force is With Her

12 · a cause for celebration

(vera)

"This was a great idea," Anakin said after leaning back in his booth. He'd eaten five pancakes, and they weren't small ones either. I had only been able to eat one.

"I know, I'm the best," I said, taking a swig from my blue milk.

"By the way, your chopped hair does look pretty nice."

"Really?"

"Yeah, it suits you. I love it."

I smiled. For years my hair had been something of joy for me, and the loss of it stung. I thankfully had managed to keep the padawan braid out of the way, however, meaning it wouldn't need a replacement. 

"You have a milk mustache," I said, pointing at Anakin's lips.

"And you have syrup on the side of your mouth."

We both wiped away at our mouths, before I sat back in the booth and it hit me. The Chancellor was dead. The Sith were no more. Sure, there were still a few here and there, but their main leader was gone. The war was over. We didn't have to keep fighting. We were...free. 

"Vera?" Anakin asked.

"The war's done. We've won," I said, my eyes sparkling.

"That we have, kid."

"Let's go visit Padmé."

"That's another great idea."

Anakin forked over the hefty price of our meals to Dex, before we exited the building. It was late at night, the streets deserted except for a few stragglers who had a little too much at the bar. It was a peaceful night, and the first night I had ever felt calm.

"Come on, let's go," Anakin said, waving his arm.

"Alright, alright," I replied as I opened the hatch to my ship. 

The two of us took off, and thankfully we were at Padmé's apartment before I knew it. She was awake, and standing on the balcony. 

"We did it, the Chancellor is dead," Anakin said, wrapping her in a hug, careful of her belly.

"What?" she exclaimed, "b-but how?"

"Anakin defeated him. Shoved him out of a broken window," I said, jumping up and down.

"He was the Sith lord. He pulled all the strings on both sides of the Clone Wars."

"But now that he's dead, the Sith are gone, and we can end this war for good."

Padmé smiled, and hugged me too as we went inside. We all sat down on the couch.

"You two smell like pancakes and burnt clothing," Padmé said. "And Vera, your hair!"

"I got electrocuted by force lightning. It sucked. It made my hair catch on fire and I had to cut it off," I said,  while Padmé's jaw opened, and I added, "But I'm okay, and then we went to Dex's for celebration."

"I'm glad you're okay, and the hair looks pretty good. And you didn't even bring me some Dex's?"

"Anakin, you idiot! I told you we should have!" 

"I forgot!"

"I was kidding. Besides, I got some earlier today anyways. The baby seems to really like blue milk."

"Do you guys have names yet?" I asked, looking at her swollen stomach.

"Luke for a boy, Leia for a girl," Padmé replied, patting her bump.

"Those names are so good! I hope you guys have twins so I get to say both."

Anakin stood up from the couch and checked the time.

"Vera, I think you need to go to bed. You had a long day," he said.

"But there's no bed for me here, or pajamas," I said, crossing my arms.

"You can sleep in the baby's room. We keep an extra mattress in there, and I have tons of pajamas you can borrow," Padmé replied, patting my shoulder and holding out her hand for Anakin to help her up.

"I'll get the mattress while she gets you clothes," Anakin said, leading me to the baby's room. The walls were white and the crib had a mobile with various space creatures swirling around. 

"Thank you," I said, tiredness now setting in.

Padmé handed me a sleeveless white nightgown and I changed into it in the fresher, examining the scars the force lightning had left and comparing them to the blaster wound on my thigh and the various scars on my knees and elbow, the singed off ends of my hair. My body was battered but I was still alive. 

I brushed my hair and teeth and washed my face before drying it with cloth and heading back to my room for the night. I laid down on the mattress, and was half asleep when Anakin came in, and said good night.

"Goodnight, Vera," he said.

"Goodnight, Master," I replied, before letting the sleep finally take me.

(anakin)

I closed the door on the baby's room, Vera now sound asleep inside the room. She needed it. I leaned my head against the door, just to make sure she was still there and I wasn't hallucinating.

"Ani?"

"Hm?"

I turned around to see Padmé behind me. She looked tired and I felt terrible for keeping her awake for so long.

"She's truly wondeful," Padmé said, placing her hand on the door and smiling.

"She's changed my life," I whispered, the realization hitting. If it wasn't for her I might have been swayed by the Chancellor and this night could have been a lot different...

"C'mon, let's go to bed. We need it," Padmé spoke up, and I nodded, following her to the room.

I changed into my sleep pants and threw my robes, tunic, and boots onto a chair in the corner, but made sure to carefully set my lightsaber down. There was a blackened hole in the back of the chair from a time when I'd haphazardly had thrown it and activated the blade. Padmé was furious. I promised to buy her a new one soon. 

I got into bed, rolling over and throwing the covers over my body. I closed my eyes, and let peaceful sleep take me for the first time in years.