Three years later
Defeating the Empire took far lonthan Anakin had anticipated, probably, in part, due to the massive power struggle which took place immediately after Sidious's death. The only reason the Rebel Alliance triumphed with so few casualties was definitely because of the efforts put in by a certain former Jedi Knight, former Sith Lord: himself. He can't take all the credit, and nor does he want to, especially seeing as it's his fault the Empire existed in the first place. His wonderful twins helped immensely as well, their Force training making them that much more powerful.
Anakin can't even describe the feeling of victory which seized him as Mon Mothma is sworn in as the first Chancellor of the New Republic. At Leia's suggestion, Mothma will be immediately passing laws to prevent anyone from reforming an empire in the future as well as instituting term limits for everyone in the Senate. Never again will they permit an emperor.
While Leia has been busy in the political arena, Anakin and Luke have been working to restore the Jedi Order. They talked it over with Yoda, and all of them agree that numerous changes need to be made, including to the attachment rules. Much to Anakin's chagrin, Jade joined them after a number of conversations with Luke. She's no longer the Emperor's Hand, and whatever Dark Side leanings she may have are being carefully controlled. Worse – or better, Anakin doesn't really know – she's going to be his daughter-in-law in a few short months.
For now, the Skywalker family is gathered together in their apartment. It's not often that they all have time to spend together at the same time, what with everyone being so busy. Almost a year ago, Leia married her smuggler friend, Han Solo, and while Anakin hadn't exactly been... happy, he'd still agreed. Though Solo might have been a smuggler, it was obvious that he was – and still is – a good friend.
"Mara went to check some possible leads on Force-sensitives," Luke informs them as they sit in the living room. Leia is sprawled in the armchair looking at a datapad when Anakin and his son are at opposite ends of the couch.
"That's good news," Anakin replies, feeling the guilt flash though him. He releases it just as quickly. He'd undergone an extensive surgery shortly after they destroyed the Emperor, and it had taken him months to recover. When he had, his strength had been back to what it used to be, what it could have been had he not been injured on Mustafar. Despite the scarring, he looks much the same as he used to, except that his hair is now gray.
"If we're going to restart the Order, we probably should find the surviving Jedi too," Luke adds.
"I don't think that there are any surviving Jedi," Anakin mutters, tapping his fingers on his thigh, eyes wandering over a wall, so he doesn't have to look at his children. Shame and guilt are constants now, so he's continually trying to let them go, to accept his actions and move on. Yoda has helped where he can, but the one who's provided the most guidance is, unsurprisingly, Obi-Wan. They talk frequently, once a week if not every other day.
"Not Jedi perhaps," Obi-Wan interjects, materializing in the room. He's standing near the doorway, amusement dancing in his eyes. "There are some... who are not Jedi."
"No more riddles," complains Anakin, pointing at him. "Speak Basic."
"Wait and see," the Force ghost hums, clearly satisfied with himself.
Leia eyes him before turning towards Anakin, sudden happiness on her face. "In around six months, there will probably be another Force sensitive who will be able to be trained," she announces, practically bouncing from excitement. "I'm expecting."
Luke beams. "Congratulations!" he exclaims, grinning at Anakin. "Although, Father and I already knew, because we sensed it."
"Of course, you did," his sister sniffs.
"Two," Anakin murmurs with a soft smile.
Leia blinks at him. "What?"
"Twins," Anakin elaborates. "You're going to have twins." He reaches out with the Force, gently caressing the two tiny presences he can feel within his daughter. They'll be so strong with the Force if he can already sense the differences.
"That's... wonderful! I can't wait!" Leia doesn't sound quite as sure as her words indicate, but Anakin holds back a smirk. Raising two babies at the same time would be no easy task though it wouldn't be one he would ever have protested. He wasn't there for his children, but nothing in the galaxy short of death will keep him from being there for his grandchildren.
"How can you tell?" Luke queries curiously.
"Reach deeply into the Force," Anakin explains. "You might not be able to tell right now because they're still so small. Honestly, I didn't know I would be having twins either – which is weird, come to think of it..." His voice trails off, and he shakes his head.
"You only didn't notice because you were very unobservant sometimes," Obi-Wan comments dryly, and Anakin glares at him.
"General?" Rex pokes his head into the room, sheer delight radiating into the Force. "There's someone here to see you."
"Send them in," Anakin answers distractedly, reaching out with the Force. His breath catches in his lungs when he feels her. He thought – he thought she was dead, that he would never see her again because he'd killed her.
"I told you so," whispers Obi-Wan, smiling before he vanishes.
Anakin slowly stands up, barely noticing the confused looks his children are giving him. At that moment, an all too familiar adult Togruta glides through the doorway, lips quirking into a smile when she sees him. "Hello, Anakin. It's been a while." Her words are an echo of the time they'd first seen one another again after she left the Order. From the look in her eyes, Anakin realizes that it was intentional.
"Ahsoka," he chokes out, tears blurring his eyes. He spreads his arms, and she throws herself at him. "Ahsoka," he whispers again, holding her tightly. "I thought – I thought..." That you were dead. That I killed you. He doesn't say it, though. He doesn't need to.
"I know," she mumbles, face pressed against his shoulder, hiding her tears, her relief and happiness at being here. "I've missed you."
"I've missed you too, Snips." He smiles ever so slightly when he uses her nickname. "And I'm – I'm sorry... for – for everything." He doesn't want to say for trying to kill you, because that would make it too real. He's tried not to think about Ahsoka too much, because it was one thing that he didn't think he could ever fix, but now...
"It's okay," she replies, straightening and swiping her hands across her eyes to wipe away her tears. It's not though, but they'll have time to talk about it later.
"What are you going to do now?" he asks because he desperately wants to know. They need to catch up, but that can wait for a moment.
"What are you doing now, Skyguy?" she queries in return, tilting her head slightly, "Because I'm staying here. If you want me to, that is." I won't leave you. Not this time. The echo is right there in the air, and it's obvious that she feels it too when her smile dims.
"Penitence," he answers ruefully, "And spending time with my children."
Her gaze wanders to Luke and Leia who have been mercifully silent during the emotional reunion. Anakin turns to face them. "These are Luke and Leia," he tells Ahsoka, before looking at the twins. "This is Ahsoka Tano, my former Jedi Padawan... and your aunt," he adds as an afterthought. She grins.
"Fulcrum?" Leia's voice is incredulous. "I didn't know that she was a Jedi."
"I'm not," Ahsoka retorts, frowning. "I left the Order before being knighted, but I'm still a Force user. I... don't want to be a Jedi."
"Why not?" This time, it's Luke who asks the question.
Ahsoka exhales. "I was falsely accused for something I didn't do, and the Council expelled me. I probably would have been executed if Anakin hadn't found the real perpetrator."
Luke winces, and Leia looks horrified. "Well, you're more than welcome to help us rebuild," Anakin says to cover the silence. "This Order will be very different, and even I will be taking part of it."
Luke sends her a winning smile. "Please, Aunt 'Soka?" he cajoles. "We could use your help. Master Yoda is getting old, so Father is currently the only one who can do anything."
Ahsoka gives Anakin a sidelong look, so he promptly plasters a pleading expression on his face – which obviously looks as fake as it feels, because she smothers a grin. "Alright," she concedes after a long pause. "Only if you fill me in on everything I've missed." The last comment is pointedly directed at Anakin.
He nods. "Of course." He is... not looking forwards to it, because it will mean telling her how Obi-Wan died, and that will be painful for both of them, but he'll still do it. She deserves to know the truth. Besides, with his younger sister at his side once more, and his twin children finally with him, his family is now complete.
The end! :D
I really hope that you all enjoyed this story, even if it was a bit rushed! Thank you all so, so much for voting, commenting, and reading! ^-^