An alternative fate

An alternative fate

After leaving Wotto’s Anakin and Obi-wan lead the rest of their group towards Anakin’s childhood home. Anakin sighed at the sight before him, it had not changed one bit since he had last been there at the age of nine.

Anakin sighed as he reminisced “I remember many a time where I would hang around in this area around our home and just work on my pod racer, and other times I would work to plan and create C3PO.” Anakin eyed said droid with a smile full of remembrance of those times, times he would never be able to get back or recreate.

Obi-wan smiled slightly as he took in their surroundings, trying to imagine his husband as a small boy tinkering around with all sorts of mechanical contraptions and self creations, C3PO for example.

“Ani, my Ani?” Everyone turned when they heard a very feminine and friendly voice from behind them. “Is it really you, have you really retuned?”

Anakin eyed the middle aged woman in front of him, middle aged, but still the same caring and loving woman he had left all those years ago, his mother. Anakin felt a lump rise in his throat he felt an unexplainable surge of joy and just plain relief.

Obi-wan felt the emotions coming off his mate in waves, he was clearly overwhelmed. Seeing his mother for the first time in seventeen years was an incredible thing for his love to digest especially in his current condition, when his emotions and hormones were all over the place.

Anakin barely choked out “mom?” As quickly as she could Shim ran towards her only child and drew him into a tight and warm loving embrace as Anakin swallowed up the rest of the distance. Both clung to each other as tears of joy and relief streamed down their faces. Shim pulled away slightly so she could take in her son at arms length. She slowly reached up and removed the hood obscuring her boy away from her own gaze.

She smiled clearly proud, her voice filling with that same pride, “oh my Ani, you’re so handsome so grown up, oh just look at you.” Anakin blushed at the beaming pride he could see on his mothers face and hear in her voice, for all around them to witness.

She asked “tell me Ani, did you finally achieve your dreams? Are you that great Jedi and protector of the universe that you so often dreamed of being?”

Anakin smiled slightly and turned his gaze to Obi-wan and smiled lovingly at his husband and mate and told his mother, his face and voice a light with love and pride.

“Yes mum, I most certainly did. And Obi-wan Kenobi is the one I owe my dreams becoming reality to. He trained me from that boy who left you, and into the man, and Jedi master that now stands before you at this very moment.”

Shim Skywalker turned her gaze to her son in law even if she however wasn’t currently aware of that just yet. She eyed Obi-wan and smiled at the man before her who didn’t appear to look much older then her son, how could he possible be the one to have taken her baby boy and transformed him into the grown and confidant young man that currently stood before her?

She said “thank you, I owe you my deepest gratitude and thanks. You’ve done a remarkable job with my boy; you’ve aided him in becoming the man that stands before me. For that I feel there are no words I could deem suitable or worthy enough to properly thank you.”

Obi-wan blushed modestly and replied “please no mama. I think I should be the one thanking you. You after all were the one whom allowed my former and late master, master Qui-Gon Jinn to take your son, and in the process bring him into my own life. Something I’m forever grateful and thankful for. When I first met Ani I honestly had no idea he would come to be so un-irreplaceably precious to me. So thank you.”

Shim was clearly stunned while Anakin’s eyes were shining with unshed tears and the biggest and most loving smile Obi-wan had ever witnessed was being turned on him at full force. It was a beautiful and overwhelming sight; no one had ever looked at him with such love and complete and utter adoration on their face before.

Shim said in awe “but how may I ask did you find the time to bring up a nine year old boy and turn him into a man? You barely looked all that much older then my son. How is it possible?”

Anakin laughed out aloud, while Obi-wan blushed brightly in total and complete utter disbelief. He choked out “oh my mama, I truly am flattered. But you must realise I’m truly and honestly am in fact forty three years old. I honestly had no idea that shaving off my beard and rearranging my hair style after eleven years would make such an impact on my appearance.”

Shim’s jaw practically hit the floor, while Anakin laughed again in delight and told his mother “unbelievable isn’t it? He looks incredibly beautiful doesn’t he? It’s astounding what one can accomplish by merely shaving off ones beard and rearranging ones hair style. I for one I’m very pleased, that he is mine and I can honestly claim that he is mine.”

Anakin grinned at his mother’s confused look and explained “mother I would like to properly introduce to you to my husband and bonded life mate and former master, Master Jedi Obi-wan Kenobi, and your son in law.” Shim smiled brightly and replied “oh my, your married Ani?”

Anakin smiled and gestured to his left “I would like you to also meet your twin grandson and granddaughter Luke and Leia Skywalker. Luke is also my padawan leaner and apprentice.” Shim had a look of awe on her face as she took in the miniature copy of her son, and the miniature copy of that pretty young girl she remembered accompanying Qui-Gon all those years ago.

She asked “oh Ani you’re a father? And who is their mother Ani?” Anakin suddenly looked pained and swallowed hard before he replied “mum do you remember Padme, the dark haired girl that came with Qui-Gon all those years ago?” Shim nodded her suspicious having just been confirmed.

Anakin sighed and said “how about we take this inside, as I’m hardly in any condition to be standing around all day. I’ll explain why as soon as we’re inside. And oh yes and please allow me to introduce you to Sirius Delacour, he is Obi-wan’s padawan whom replaced me.

And of course Dorme and Sabe, they are the former handmaidens and close friends and practically like the sisters of Padme. They are now out of loyalty to Padme, Leia’s handmaidens and motherly figures to her, and now finally, but not least, Moira my healer. I will explain the reason for her being here inside as well.”

So Shmi leaded them all inside to the kitchen area where she proceeded to serve them all with something to drink before taking a seat next to Anakin, while Obi-wan sat on Anakin’s other side. Once everyone was settled Anakin started to tell his mother everything.

Anakin continued “well Padme, she was in fact the queen of Naboo. When I was nineteen I saw her again for the first time after not seeing her for ten years previously. She was a senator representing her home planet. She and I fell in love during the time she and I were on Naboo, during my first solo assignment from the Jedi council. I was assigned to protect her at all costs. Many an attempted had been made upon her life by a bounty hunter and several assassins.”

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose before he continued “it was until recently forbidden for a Jedi Knight to marry and gain attachments and possession to another person. Still it is forbidden for a Jedi to marry anyone from the outside of the temple that is not also a Jedi.

On the first day the clone war was declared started, I and Padme were married in secret by a Naboo holy man on her home planet of Naboo. Our marriage was kept a secret for three years, as it was so completely forbidden.”

He continued after relaxing into the arms of his husband, which settled protectively around his waist. He rubbed his hands in a circular motion over Obi-wan’s hands, as he continued to speak of many painful things he had not in four years.

It was then Shmi noticed the golden love knotted bands on her son and son in laws left hands, she decided to ask after Anakin had finished speaking.

“But we were never able to keep that secret for no longer then three years after I came back from a mission with Obi-wan who at the time was still my master. We had come back from saving the former supreme chancellor whom turned out to be the leader of the, sith, the evil Darth Sidious whom I’m destined to destroy in this prophecy as the chosen one.

Any way after we returned Padme had informed me that she was already five months pregnant with Luke and Leia.” He sighed and rested his head on Obi-wan’s shoulder who kissed the side of his jaw comfortingly knowing how hard this was for his love.

“Well Obi-wan found out not long after Padme reached her seventh month of her pregnancy. Force Obi-wan was livid he was furious with me for my deception against the Jedi code and council. I suppose it didn’t help that he was even back then in love with me, and I had no idea I had unknowingly shattered his heart when he discovered I was secretly married and soon to be a father.”

He snuggled closer to Obi-wan as he continued “Mean while not long after Padme had told me of her pregnancy I started to be plagued with nightmares of her dieing in child birth. Also around that period of time the Jedi council had ordered me to spy on chancellor Palpatine. Something that normally went against our whole nature and beliefs, but unfortunately desperate times called for desperate measures.”

He took a sip of his drink before continuing “I informed him of my nightmares, I trusted him completely. I had no idea I had entrusted such faith in the wrong individual. He lied to me by claiming he could teach me to prevent my wife from dieing or others close to me that I loved you included mum.

He propositioned me into becoming his apprentice on the dark side of the force. He tried to seduce me onto the dark side. He wanted me to become a sith like him self. He even had a name already planned out for me, presuming I would willingly turned against and killed those I loved and trusted with my life. He wanted to name me Lord Darth Vader. I never even told Obi-wan this or the council.”

He sighed “he kept insisting that the Jedi were trying to take over him and the senate and republic. He commanded me to wipe out the Jedi even the younglings as old as Luke and Leia. I pretended to agree, but had no intentions what so ever of following through with something so vile and inhumane. I’m no murderer; I’m a protector and stand for the right for the innocent and believe in the right for justice.”

He choked out “merely two weeks from giving birth Padme stood up in front of the senate and gave her speech for the running of the new supreme chancellor. She would have been supreme chancellor now, if Palpatine had not crashed that meeting and attacked her.

She was far too weak and close to the end of her pregnancy to withstand the full on impact of the attack. She had been knocked out cold.

When she had been taken to the medical bay at the Jedi temple, the healer and medical droid had informed us she was far to weakened from the attack to be able to withstand the strain that was labour and giving birth. She was in clear danger, but stubbornly refused to lose our baby or as we later discovered babies.”


He let the tears streamed down his face unchecked as he went on “after four hours of labour and Leia arrived five minutes after Luke. She managed to last long enough to name the twins, and of course administer some famous last words and requests to both my self and Obi-wan who was also present at the birth. She had then died leaving me with the help of Obi-wan and Dorme and Sabe to raise Luke and Leia.”

Obi-wan comforted his husband as he silently cried. All the women were in tears after hearing all of that. Obi-wan sighed as he confirmed “I know exactly how Ani feels. Seeing as I and Qui-Gon had decided to bond and marry after I was knighted.”

Anakin lifted his head he had a look of deep sympathy and pain etched on his face. Obi-wan swallowed hard “but that was to never be, he died in my arms after being mortally slashed across his midsection with the end of Darth Maul’s lightsabre.

His last words to me before he died were to promise him that I would train the boy no matter what that he was the chosen one. I promised him and then his life force flickered out and passed over into the force. I felt his life force leave through our bond, so yes, I to do know the agony of losing a first love.”

Anakin ran a hand through Obi-wan’s wind swept golden reddish locks and said gently “you were all alone on your night of knight hood, while I got to celebrate with you and Padme, tell me what did you do with your padawan braid?”

Obi-wan smiled wistfully and replied “I’ve still got it, unlike you who gave your own to your master, yours truly. My master was not available to receive my braid, I realised as my braid was being removed that he would never be available ever again. So I planned to give my braid to the next best and deserving individual. I had planned to give it to you as a bonding present, but with everything going on of late; I decided to wait until we were on Tatooine.”

Obi-wan removed a slim black rectangular box, like the kind women used to put their jewellery in, from one of the inner pockets of his cloak. He handed it to Anakin before sitting back and waiting for Anakin’s full reaction, along with everyone else present.

Anakin gently removed the lid and smiled gently as he carefully and adoringly handled the lock of golden reddish braided hair. He fingered the soft hair, amazed that it was so soft even after all those years.

Shim looked over her sons shoulder and eyed the lock of hair. Anakin carefully placed the lock of hair in her hand. She marvelled at how beautiful it was and incredibly soft to the touch. She smiled “it’s beautiful, I can’t believe how soft it is. Is it actually real hair?” Obi-wan nodded “why don’t you come over here and find out?”

Shmi nodded and walked over to the other side of her son. She stopped near Obi-wan and carefully so not to ruin the lock of hair, held it up close to Obi-wan’s head. She immediately noticed the lock of hair definitely had once belonged to the man who sat before her.

She timidly reached out and slightly laced her fingers through the golden reddish locks. Most woman would have killed for hair that was that soft, she marvelled at how soft it was and such a beautiful colour and so obviously natural.

She removed her hand and shook her head as she handed back the lock of hair to her son. She retook her seat and marvelled “beautiful, absolutely beautiful.” She cleared her throat before saying “I knew I would see you again my Ani. But why now after all of these years?”

Anakin sighed and replied “what can I say I missed my mother. Besides I have been sent here by the orders of the Jedi council for the next six months. I found out at the beginning of the week, that due to a prophecy that was written about me and the fact I was conceived by the Medi-chlorians and never had a biological father. Because of that, I’ve made medical history by becoming the first male member of the human race to conceive. I’m three months pregnant mum; you’ve got four more grandchildren on the way in six months time.”

Shim’s jawed practically hit the floor. Anakin smiled gently and stood as he removed his cloak and discreetly pulled the bottom of his tunics a side. He revealed his stomach to his mother. She eyed the slightly rounded stomach in awe.

Anakin continued “the other father is Obi-wan naturally. It stated in the prophecy that the chosen one would conceive the four by the beloved former master, that it was the will of the force. The four were destined to be born on the same planet of the chosen one. In other words as the chosen one I was born here on Tatooine, so naturally the quadruplets are to also be born here on Tatooine.”

He readjusted his tunics and retook his seat as he concluded “so the council have sent me and anyone who is close to me here to Tatooine for the next six months until the quadruplets are born, hence the presence of my healer Moira.” He added “besides I and those close to me are not safe on Coruscant whilst the war is on going and I’m in the condition that I’m in.”

Shmi was stunned she said “six, six grandchildren. I never even dreamed I would have that many grandchildren. Thank you Ani.” Anakin nodded before he revealed “I’m not all that trilled over Wotto’s attitude. I’m going to spend the next six months of my pregnancy training my son.

Whilst I with the help of Obi-wan I will try to come up with a solution to have you freed. Obi-wan and I were discussing it on the way here. There’s got to be a way without me swiping his head clean off of his shoulders, which I assure you I’m just painfully itching to do so.”

Shmi was surprised at this, even as a boy Wotto would be less then pleasant to Anakin, but never had her Ani threatened to decapitate the foul airborne creature. She had a feeling her Ani was more then capable of following through on what he had said he wanted to do.