Redemption

Seven - "Does It Really Matter?"

As Luke opened his eyes that next morning, it was like waking up in Heaven. The sheer curtains let the bright sun shine through just right, casting strips of light over the floor and his bed. Everything was so calming there in Naboo.

Luke rolled out of bed, sighing in satisfaction. He was sitting on the floor when Leia came in, sitting next to him.

"Whatcha doin' Luke?"

He set his head on the mattress behind him and sighed. "Nothing. I just woke up." He looked at her from the corner of his eye. "You?"

"Eh. I haven't really done anything either. I tried going downstairs but I came back up because I saw Dad sleeping on the sofa. He probably crashed there last night."

Luke smirked and stood up, brushing the back of his trousers off. "Probably."

Leia stood up also, walking toward the door. "Well, I'm gonna go see if Mom's up." Just as she was walking out, she stopped abruptly and turned around, slowly. "I noticed last night that Mom and Dad slept separately. Don't you think that's weird?"

"Don't you think that's awkward?"

Leia rolled her eyes and smirked, stepping outside of the door. "They're married."

"They just met up after fourteen years, Leia! They're not just going to be like, 'Hey, I haven't seen you in a while, I love you, let's -'"

"Shut up, Luke!" Leia laughed as she ran away and down the hallway. Even though she technically just met her brother for the first time, she loved him. He was just her type of twin.

***********************************

"Well, this is formal," Anakin commented.

The Skywalkers all sat around their dinner table for the first time in forever. Padme smiled as she passed the dish of nuna legs to Anakin. "I like it, though."

Anakin smirked as he served himself, filling his plate. "I didn't say I didn't like it."

"Mom?" Luke said, starting on his food.

"Yes, honey."

"Was Leia born first or me?"

Leia groaned and hit her head against her palm repeatedly, making Luke laugh. Ever since the twins met up, they had been arguing about the subject.

"Well?" Luke repeated. "Was it me or Leia? And... how many minutes apart were we?"

Padme looked over at Anakin, who appeared to be uncomfortable with the subject and shifted in his seat, clearing his throat and focusing on his dinner.

"Well, Luke, you were born first. And you were about a minute or two apart. Not that much."

"HA!" Luke exclaimed, directing his gaze to his twin sister. "I told you I was older! Now you owe me 15 credits, in cash."

Leia pushed her chair back and stood, open-mouthed. "What?! That's not fair!"

"Oh, yes it --"

"Luke, Leia! You don't have to argue over who was born first or how many minutes apart you are! Does it really matter?" Anakin exploded. He stood up and collected his dishes, brandishing them in the sink. "I'll be upstairs," he grumbled, running up the stairs. He disappeared, and the sound of slamming doors could be heard from downstairs.

Padme, Luke and Leia all exchanged nervous and confused glances as they gathered their own dishes and cleaned up the table. After that, everyone stayed silent, all separating to do their own thing.

Padme knew that Anakin was devastated with himself for all of his past decisions, and she was worried about him. Very worried.