Secrets and Suspicion (Book 1)

A Padawan's Celebration

He walked into the kitchen, greeting Padmé. "Smells good," he said, massaging her shoulders and kissing her cheek.

Padmé smiled. "Thanks. And also, thank you for getting the gifts. I need to wrap them, by the way."

"I can do it," he said.

"Really. Would you?"

"Yeah. I'll go do it now. Where's the wrapping paper?"

"It's propped up against the couch," she answered. Luke and Leia sat strapped in their high chairs with their trays in front of them. Luke banged on his tray with excitement, and Leia laughed at him.

Anakin walked into the living room to wrap Ahsoka's gifts and sat on the floor.

Padmé took tiny bits of the warm mashed potatoes that were cooking and put them on Leia and Luke's trays to see if they liked it.

She turned back to the oven and took the meat out that had been broiling.

"I can't wait to show Ahsoka the room," Padmé called to Anakin from the kitchen.

"I know." A year ago, when they rebuilt the apartment from the explosion, the Senate had voted to expand the space a little. So, Anakin and Padmé's apartment had two new rooms built in, plus another bathroom. One room was for Ahsoka that they had closed off until now.

Just as Anakin had wrapped the gifts and placed them on the coffee table, Ahsoka walked in. Padmé had also just finished her task, cooking dinner.

"Happy birthday, Ahsoka!" Padmé hugged Ahsoka when she walked in the door.

Ahsoka hugged Padmé back. "Thank you!"

"Happy birthday, Snips," Anakin placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Thank you, Master. Mmm, it smells so good in here!"

Padmé smiled, but noticed there was still laundry all over the couch. "Of course, there's still something I missed!" She walked over to it and picked several piles up, walking them back to the bedroom.

"So, how does it feel to be 20?" Anakin asked her.

"It feels good. Not much different, I have to admit."

"I feel old."

"Oh, Master! You're only still 24."

"Yeah, about to turn 25 in a few months! And then the twins will be 2 in 5 months, and Padmé just turned 30!"

Ahsoka laughed. "You guys are still really young."

"You've always told us that."

Padmé walked back in, inviting them to the table. "Anakin, can you help me move the kids to the table? I can't really drag the high chairs down the three steps to the table."

"Yeah." He walked in the kitchen, picking up Luke's high chair. He ran with it in his hands, making a funny gunship noise on the way over to the table. Luke laughed. Anakin did the same thing for Leia, and she laughed, too.

Once they were all seated at the table, they said a prayer and started to eat.

"So, how was the library today? Good birthday present?" Anakin asked Ahsoka sarcastically as he helped feed Luke.

"Yeah, totally. I mean, I'm not really sure why Master Yoda sent me to study today. He said it was good for me to 'refresh my literature skills'. Do we really need that as Jedi?"

"Well, it can come in handy when you need to research or read a different language. You do need that as a Jedi. It's very important that you study and read in your free time, Ahsoka."

"I guess." She scooped up some of her potatoes.

"Padmé," Anakin directed, glancing up at her. "You haven't been talking very much."

"Oh, I didn't know. I was just eating, that's all."

When they finished dinner, Anakin and Padmé did the dishes and cleaned everything up, Ahsoka keeping the twins busy.

"Ready for gifts?" Padmé said, shaking water off of her hands in the sink.

Anakin walked into the living room, with Padmé following him. They met Ahsoka, and sat on the floor.

"Ah," Padmé groaned, leaning down to sit on the floor.

"Apparently, according to Ahsoka, we're not old. Get down here. You're not crippled," Anakin said to Padmé, laughing. He pulled her down to his lap.

Padmé laughed. "Okay. I guess this is my seat tonight."

Anakin kissed her cheek.

"Okay, Ahsoka. Open the first gift. Pick any one you'd like." There were 2 small boxes.

Ahsoka picked the smallest one first. When she opened it, there was a small necklace inside, with five tiny silver hearts on it, arranged like the circles on the symbol for the Olympics. Right away, she realized it's meaning.

She wiped a tear away that was falling down her cheek. "This is... this is precious."

Padmé smiled thoughtfully, and Anakin hugged her from behind.

"The hearts on top are Padmé and I, and the ones on the bottom at you, L-"

"She knows, Ani," Padmé whispered.

Ahsoka couldn't hold her tears in any longer, and she sniffled and inhaled loudly, starting to cry.

She hugged Padmé and Anakin at the same time. "Thank you," was what she whispered in their ears. Her head rested on Anakin's shoulder. He placed his hand on her head.

When they all let go, Ahsoka sat back on her knees. "Um, I guess we can start the next one," she said, wiping a tear away. She reached over to the couch and grabbed the last box. It was heavy, and when she opened it, she found 200 credits in it.

"What? A-"

"Yes, it's for you to keep," Anakin said.

"Thank you, again! Thank you!"

"Of course!" Padmé said, smiling. "Ahsoka, we have something else for your birthday, also. Come on." She rose and took Ahsoka's hand, and Anakin picked up Luke and Leia. They all walked down to where Luke and Leia's bedroom was, not far from Anakin and Padmé's. They led Ahsoka to another room next to Leia and Luke's.

"It's all yours," Padmé said. Anakin took the cover off of the door so they could walk in.

Ahsoka gasped as she walked in and saw everything in the room. It had everything that a young Jedi needed. But it also had much more. The bed was big like Anakin and Padmé's, with ultra-soft, huge blankets lying down on it. There was a big closet, and a mirror on the wall. There was a bathroom connecting Leia and Luke's and Ahsoka's rooms, with doors on each side. The carpet was soft, and a lot of the things in the room were nice shades of the color purple.

"I-I don't know what to say," Ahsoka said, shocked.

"You don't have to," Padmé said.

Ahsoka hugged them again. "Thank you so, so, so much. The whole time I've been here, you have treated me like your own daughter. I can't thank you enough. You don't know how awesome it is to be loved again."

Ahsoka loved her Master and his wife, and she wasn't afraid to say it. Though, it wasn't exactly breaking the rules of the Order.