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A follow-up to this.

“General. It’s an honor to meet you.”

It all hits Anakin at once: how much Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan looks like Padme, and how her presence in the Force sings out to him.

He nods, doing his best to settle himself. “And you, Princess. I’ve heard you’ve done great work for the Rebellion.”

Leia smiles, pleased to have been heard of. “Thank you. We were all so surprised to hear your message. But relieved that another Jedi Knight had survived.”

Anakin chuckles softly as another presence filters through the Force, like a door being kicked down.

Ahsoka Tano is staring at his back.

“There’s more of us than you think.” He turns around and grins at his former Padawan sadly.

She looks sad, too. Eighteen years older than she was, like he is.

She stumbles over her words. “I...I thought…”

“It’s a long story, Snips,” Anakin tells her. “For now...it’s just good to see you again.”

He’s fully prepared when she bum rushes him, throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly.

Anakin hugs her back, patting her shoulder gently. “I think I’ve missed a lot,” he tells her.

“You have no idea,” Ahsoka tells him. She pulls back and looks him over, frowning a little as she glances at the weapon attached to his belt. “That’s not your lightsaber.”

He grins sadly. “I haven’t been the man who made that lightsaber in a long time,” he says softly, before pulling his new one out and igniting it, the white blade glowing.

Ahsoka stares, eyes wide, before she pulls her own duo of lightsabers out, igniting them to show off her own white blades - twins of his own.

They stare at each other for a long moment, before they both crack into a sad laugh.

*****

Princess Leia Organa won’t stop following him around while he’s helping out around the base.

He keeps attempting to shake her; he’s not ready to tell her the truth, and she’s not ready to hear it, but if she keeps following him like a Naboo duckling imprinting on its mother, he’s going to wind up telling her.

It’s overwhelming to be so close to the daughter he never knew, and when he sees Obi-Wan again, he’s going to punch the man so hard for not telling him that Padme had given birth to twins.

“My father says you knew my mother,” Leia says. “My real mother.”

Anakin looks up from the Star Destroyer plans he’s been studying, eyes distant.

Warm smile.

Soft voice.

Deep brown eyes.

Long, dark hair he couldn’t keep his hands from running through.

“I did know her,” Anakin nods, keeping his voice neutral. “She was a senator. We worked together before the Republic fell.”

Leia lights up, undeterred. “What was she like?”

The most beautiful, most determined, most compassionate, most loving woman in the galaxy who could bring me to my knees with very little effort.

“Remarkable,” he tells her simply. “A remarkable woman.” Anakin offers the girl a kind smile. “One who would be proud of you.”

Leia beams, looking even more like Padme. “Did you know my father as well?”

Anakin stares at her, and he thinks maybe it’s time. Maybe she should know the truth.

But he can’t quite bring himself to admit it to her. Not yet.

“I didn’t,” he lies. “Senator Amidala kept her personal life to herself.”

Leia’s face falls a little, but she recovers. “Of course.”

It physically hurts him to feel her disappointment, in a way that Anakin isn’t used to, so he goes on. “But she was thrilled to become a mother. She talked all the time of...cribs and diapers…”

Leia smiles again. “It must have all been very mundane to a Jedi Knight,” she comments.

It was everything I ever wanted.

“Well, it wasn’t exactly my forte,” Anakin lies again, doing his best to remain calm. “But it was nice to see her so excited.”

Leia smiles again and nods, before finally wandering off.

He watches her go, tapping the fingers of his mech hand on the table he’s standing over.

“Man, you’re dumb,” Ahsoka tells him.

“Snips-”

“Tell her.”

“In time.”

“Tell her.”

“When I’m ready.”

*****

So much happens.

He feels Obi-Wan’s death through the Force and it rocks him to his very core.

“Master…”

Ahsoka feels it too, and she holds onto his shoulders tightly as they feel Obi-Wan Kenobi become one with the Force.

“Vader will pay for that,” Anakin vows once he gets a hold of himself.

An old, junky-looking smuggling ship lands on Yavin not long after, and its passengers disembark and get to work.

Leia is back, and Anakin fights the urge to go to her, because with her is…

“Luke,” Anakin says softly.

Ahsoka looks, too. “Oh god. It’s another you. But way shorter.”

Anakin can’t help a watery laugh.

“You have the same last name, you know,” she points out. “And everybody knows who you are. You won’t be able to dodge this one, Master.”

He nods and gazes at Luke, drinking him in. His determined face, and shaggy blonde hair. His bright, bright presence in the Force.

When Luke turns and spots him, he fights the urge to run, staying still as they lock eyes.

Padme’s children, both of them right next to each other.

His children.

He swallows and gives Luke a half-hearted wave.

It’s Luke who crosses the distance between them.

It’s Luke who gets close enough to really look him in the eyes.

It’s Luke who smiles widely. “Owen and Beru told me you were a navigator on a spice freighter.”

Anakin can’t help wrinkling his nose distastefully. “They told you I sold drugs?”

“In all fairness, they were trying to keep me from following in your footsteps,” Luke says, grinning sadly.

“...I suppose it’s hard to blame them for that,” Anakin shrugs. “I’m a terrible role model.”

“You’re kidding, right?” Luke asks, boggling. “You were one of the most successful Generals of the Clone Wars, a Jedi Knight, the best starpilot in the galaxy - you’re amazing!”

Anakin blows out a breath and a chuckle. “I can feel several members of the fallen Jedi High Council rolling in their graves,” he tells his son jokingly.

“You’re my father,” Luke says.

Anakin nods. “I...I am.”

Leia steps up then, crossing her arms. “I didn’t know you had children.”

Anakin gazes at the both of them, unable to hold back his joy at seeing them side-by-side, feeling tears threaten to spill over.

“No one was ever supposed to know,” Anakin explains gently. “Jedi aren’t supposed to have attachments. Back in the days of the Order, having children was likely to get you expelled.”

“That’s insane!” Luke boggles. “Jedi are supposed to show compassion! Jedi are supposed to love! How can you love without attachment?”

“Not easily,” Anakin answers. “And Padme made it impossible for me.”

Leia’s eyes widen. “Padme-”

Anakin grins sheepishly at her. “Hello, Daughter.”

Luke’s wild stare turns from his father to his newly-discovered sister. “Daughter?!”

Leia takes a breath, clearly incensed, before she reels a fist back and punches him hard in the arm.

“Ow!” Anakin yelps, unprepared, and equally unprepared for the girl to then hug him tightly.

Luke stares at them, gobsmacked.

*****

As the Death Star blows up, and Anakin reaches out from Yavin, feeling his son’s exhilarated presence through the Force, he feels something else.

And he grins.

Because he feels Vader.

And Vader is afraid.

“That’s right, impostor,” Anakin smirks to himself. “The boogieman is coming to get you.”

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