Padmé carries Luke on her hip as Ahsoka totes Leia. All of them are in their swimwear with various coverings. The twins and Padmé have matching sunhats on, protecting them from the bright rays. Leia keeps pulling hers off and swatting Ahsoka with it though. They make a small area on the beach, laying out a large blanket to keep the twins on. Padmé places the bags onto the corners to keep them from coming up.
"Aren't you two adorable?" Ahsoka coos as they set the almost nine-month-olds down. Padmé tosses a few toys onto the ground and they happily crawl to them. Thankfully, the two of them are pretty good babies. They're easy to entertain and aren't too fussy. She's grateful that they are practically content with whoever they're with too.
Padmé sighs and joins Ahsoka on the blanket. "Thank you for helping me get them ready, Ahsoka." She says. Anakin was off with the rest of the men getting whatever else they needed ready for their beach day. That left her alone to get everything the twins might need for the beach. Diapers, snacks, toys, spare clothes, you get the picture.
"Of course. It's no problem. Besides, I don't really want to see what the rest of them are up to." She chuckles. Luke lets out a playful screech and swats at her. She catches his hand and makes a growl. He growls back, a smile wide on his face. It's clear to her that Anakin must play with them a lot.
"I suppose we should get these two covered in sunscreen," Padmé says as she grabs Leia. "We don't want you two getting burnt today. So we gotta put on cold lotion to bounce the harmful rays away." She says to Leia as she pours the sunscreen into her hand. Leia lets her mother apply the sunscreen without much complaint.
But Ahsoka begins to rub some on Luke, who tries to push her away. She can't help but laugh as she rubs it on his arms. "You are so chubby! Look at your arm rolls!" She says. Luke whines, annoyed with her. He doesn't like the cold sunscreen.
"You think those are rolls?" Padmé grins. She pulls up Leia's skirt, revealing her legs. "Look at those rolls!" She says as she takes her hand and tries to wrap it around Leia's leg. Leia doesn't do anything in protest. She's used to it.
"Such chunky babies," Ahsoka exclaims as she pulls Luke close to her. He laughs and leans into her. He's always been such a good cuddler. Ahsoka watches Luke back up and hold out his arms. Suddenly, he is pulled from her grasp.
"Come here, chunky."
"Hey!" Ahsoka whines as she turns around to rest her hands behind her. She playfully pouts, watching Obi-Wan adjust Luke in his arms. The baby squeals in delight and tugs on his beard.
"What? He likes me better." Obi-Wan smiles as he encourages Luke to take his finger instead.
Padmé turns to look and Leia follows her gaze. "I like your shirt. Very fitting." She teases.
"Yes. Well, I thought that I should ditch those heavy robes for something more appropriate. Unfortunately, all they had were these cliche flowered shirts." He answers. He goes back to fussing with Luke, tickling underneath his chin to bring out loud giggles.
Every time the subject of babies and younglings get brought up, he complains about how he can only tolerate them for so long. He talks about how much he hates the crying and the whining. Yet he is always the one stealing Luke and Leia from everyone. It's rare to see him without one or both of the twins in his arms.
"Where is everyone else?" Ahsoka asks as she lays onto her back to bask in the warm Naboo sun.
"They should be here at any moment. I had to come to say hello to these precious squirts." He says. He begins to coo over Luke, whose laughter echoes around them. Padmé and Ahsoka share an eye-roll. Obi-Wan is clearly unaware of how in love he is with them.
But neither Padmé nor Ahsoka mind. In fact, it's nice to see this side of him.
Padmé awes, grabbing the sunscreen. "Here's the sunscreen. I know you'll want it." She says, holding it out to him.
"Oh, no. I don't need it. I'll be fine. Thanks though." He responds, hardly glancing her way.
"Obi-Wan, you're going to burn." She says, waving the bottle to get his attention. "You don't have skin that tans. You are going to regret not putting it on."
"And I guess I'll just have to live with that." He replies as Luke claps his hands.
She shrugs her shoulder and places the bottle back down. "Don't come crying to me when you're burnt then." Leia huffs in agreement, making Ahsoka and Padmé laugh. They begin to play with her as everyone begins to show up.
The 501st is carrying a volleyball and a net. Anakin and a few of the 212th have miscellaneous water items from kayaks to water guns. Anakin sets down his items then rushes over to the group on the beach. He bends down, kissing Padmé on the cheek. "Hello, dear."
"Hello." She smiles.
"Hey, Snips." He greets as he grabs Leia from the blanket.
"No fair. You too?" She asks, watching the other Skywalker twin be taken from her.
"Hey, she's my kid. I think I get priority." He replies. He places his mouth onto Leia's stomach and blows, making her squeal.
"Yeah, but you see her every day, Skyguy." Ahsoka counters, watching her masters play with the twins. It's a sight she never could have thought of in her wildest dreams. Anakin had decided to walk away from the Order after Padmé gave birth. No one was too shocked or surprised that he chose that path.
"You can try to take Luke from Obi-Wan. I'm sure he'll share." Anakin says, knowing full well that Obi-Wan would never give up the child unless necessary.
"Fat chance. He wasn't around us for more than ten seconds before he stole him from me." She smiles. Anakin playfully glares at Obi-Wan, who shrugs his shoulders in response.
"What? I couldn't resist."
Rex comes jogging up to them. He points over his shoulder at the group of clones already passing the volleyball around. "We're about to start a game if any of you would like to join." He says. He looks down, smiling at Ahsoka. "That means you too."
Ahsoka groans with a grin. "Fine. I guess I could play a round or two." She says. She holds out her hand for help. Rex takes it and pulls her to her feet. She wipes the sand off of herself and watches for the others to join.
"Come on, Obi-Wan," Anakin says, patting his master's shoulder.
"Oh, alright. I suppose." He replies. Both of them hand the twins off to Padmé. She is taken back, not expecting to have both of them thrust onto her at once.
"Thanks for leaving me on babysitting duty." She teases, holding them in her lap.
"Don't worry. I'll just beat them a few times then you can have a break." Anakin calls out as he walks over to join the others at the net.
"I'm only kidding. Go have fun." She smiles, waving him away. The twins eagerly climb out of her grasp and onto the blanket. They babble to each other as they reach for their favorite toys. Padmé keeps an eye on them, but also watches the game at hand.
They divided each other into teams. Of course, it's the 501st against 212th. Ahsoka unfortunately makes the teams uneven. So they decide that she's on both teams. For one full rotation, she's on Anakin's side. For the next, she's with Obi-Wan.
You'd be surprised how long it took for them to settle on this decision.
Eventually, their game starts. Rex wins the coin toss and he chooses to serve first. The teams have a good volley going on. There are some interesting moves that happen, but that's what makes the game fun. The ball is constantly dropping between Obi-Wan and Cody because neither of them can decide who can have it. Rex and Ahsoka are tripping over each other at least twice per serve. Really, it's quite entertaining.
Soon, the ball gets to Anakin. He jogs to the backline, holding it up to serve. "Luke! Leia!" He calls out. Their heads snap up, hearing their names. Padmé points their attention to their father. "Watch Daddy show Uncle Obi-Wan how it's done." He singsongs.
"Whatever. You're not that great of a server." Obi-Wan counters as he rolls his eyes.
"Oh, don't say that, Master," Anakin replies. He tosses the ball into the air and smacks it almost as hard as he can. Obi-Wan raises his arms to block it but is taken down by the force of it.
Luke bursts into a fit of laughter, falling onto his back. Padmé tries to contain her own laughter at the sight of Obi-Wan and Luke. He can't stop himself, his little face turning a bright red. She's almost afraid that he'll never stop. Leia begins to join in, watching Obi-Wan try to stand but fall back down.
"Okay, not fair. We agreed to not use the Force." Obi-Wan complains as he finally gets to his feet and shakes the sand off of himself.
"I did not use the Force!"
"You did too! You expect me to believe that come at me that fast without the Force?"
"I swear, I didn't. Ahsoka, tell him I didn't."
"I don't know, Anakin. That was a bit sketchy." She shrugs. Following their lead, they all begin to fight. Their shouts grow louder and louder by the second. Some agree with Obi-Wan while others believe Anakin.
The twins begin to fuss, their bottoms lips puckering. Wanting to avoid any temper tantrums and sick of listening to them bicker, Padmé stands up. "Enough!" She shouts. Everyone immediately stops and begins to apologize to her.
She walks over and grabs the volleyball. She hands it to Anakin. "Play nice." She sternly says to all of them. They watch her walk back to the blanket, cooing at the babies.
Anakin clears his throat and scratches the back of his head. "Sorry, Obi-Wan. I admit that was a little rough."
"No, it's my fault. I shouldn't have accused you of using the Force. I was just getting a little too competitive." Obi-Wan quickly replies. Everyone quietly stumbles back to their positions.
"Re-serve?" Anakin asks, holding up the ball.
"Actually, I think we should end the game here before it gets out of hand," Ahsoka says. "We have other things we can do, after all. We have water guns, kayaks, floaties." She lists off on her fingers.
"I'm getting hot. Let's take a swim." Rex says. He waves towards the lake. "Come on, boys! Last one there's a rusted clanker!"
The group of them charge towards the water with Ahsoka in the lead. Obi-Wan and Anakin calmly walk back to the blanket. "Want to take a dip?" Anakin asks, holding out his hand to her.
"Sure," Padmé replies as she lets him pull her to her feet. "The twins are already in their swimsuits so they can join us. They'll have so much fun."
Anakin grins, picking up Luke. "Wanna go for a swim?" He asks. Luke playfully growls at him. Anakin growls back, pretending to claw him.
"So vicious," Padmé says with a smile. She grabs Leia from the ground and places her on her hip. She turns and looks around at their small camp. "Obi-Wan, would you grab three floaties for us?"
"Of course." He answers. The five of them make their way to the cool water. The swimmers have already split up. A few of the clones are relaxing in the water by laying on their backs or swimming calmly. Not too far down from them, Ahsoka and the others are splashing and diving. Their loud cheers and chants are echoing off the water.
Anakin, Padmé, and Obi-Wan gently float off to join the calmer side of the waters. Leia splashes in Padmé's lap, her two hands forcefully hitting the water. Luke whines in Anakin's arms, afraid of the water. "I know it's cold, but it's okay," Anakin says, trying to calm him. He turns his floaty so they face Padmé and Leia. "See? Leia's okay."
Still hesitate, he tries to climb up Anakin to avoid the water.
"Don't worry about it, shiny. It's just water." Rex says to Luke. Luke shyly smiles and hides his face into the place between Anakin's shoulder and neck. He stays close to Anakin but peeks at Rex.
Anakin gently pats Luke's back, trying to get his attention again. "Hey, no need to be shy. It's just Rex. We love Rex."
"Probably can't tell me apart from everyone else here." Rex laughs, getting a few chuckles from the rest of them. He looks over at Leia, who is still splashing. "Ain't that right, shiny?"
She babbles, nodding her head. Padmé and Rex laugh, watching the interaction. Ahsoka suddenly appears from underneath the water beside Anakin. He lets out a scream, surprised by her sudden reappearance. "Scare ya, Skyguy?" She laughs. She gently touches Luke's arm to get his attention, who lays his head on Anakin's shoulder to watch her. "Sorry if I scared you, Skyguy Jr."
"I forgot my drink onshore. While I'm there, does anyone else want something?" Padmé asks.
"I'd like a drink, please," Obi-Wan replies as he lazily raises his hand. He's laying on his back in his floaty with one of the twin's hats laying over his face to protect him from the bright sun. Anakin quickly agrees and she takes their orders.
"Here, take Leia for me," She says. She places the splashing child into Obi-Wan's lap. He jumps, startled by the suddenly cold water hitting him. "I know you wanted her, so don't even begin to complain."
"I wasn't going to." Obi-Wan quickly says. He sits up in his floaty, holding her better in his lap so she can play in the water. He takes the hat from his head and places it onto her. A devilish grin appears on her face.
"I wouldn't do that." Ahsoka begins, but it's too late. Leia rips it off of her head and dunks it into the water. She begins hitting him with it. Everyone laughs, watching him try to get her to hit Anakin instead. She refuses, content with getting Obi-Wan wet.
This sparks an idea in Ahsoka's head. She sneaks over to Rex and whispers into his ear. Anakin and Obi-Wan share a glance, concerned with what they are up to. Those two should never be left alone together. It never turns out well, especially for Anakin and Obi-Wan.
Ahsoka calmly walks over to Anakin and grabs Luke from his arms. Luke whines, kicking his legs in protest. He calms slightly at the sight of Ahsoka, but not much. "Hey, what are you doing? I was holding him." Anakin pouts as he watches his son be taken away.
"Rex wanted a turn." She replies with a shrug, handing Luke off. He clings tight to the trooper, still afraid to touch the water. His arms wrap tightly around Rex's neck, soft whimpers coming from him.
"You're alright. I won't drop ya." Rex promises, holding him high up. He gives him a few pats, reassuring him. Luke relaxes in his arms, trusting him.
Anakin eyes Ahsoka. What is she doing? She never just gives the twins up. She would keep Luke to herself. But before Anakin can ask, she flips his floaty over, sending him tumbling into the water. A large splash hits the group, sending cold water everywhere.
Ahsoka and Rex are holding back laughs as Anakin scrambles to the surface, playfully narrowing his eyes at them. Leia, Luke, and Obi-Wan whine, now covered in water. "If I wanted to get soaking wet, I would have gone over there," Obi-Wan complains with Leia grunting in agreement.
"Oh, you're fine, Obi-Wan." Anakin brushes off as he runs his hands through his wet hair. Luke bursts into tears, the cold water dripping down him. He cries into Rex's shoulder as Ahsoka tries to wipe the water off of him.
Everyone begins to awe, trying to offer him words of comfort. They didn't mean to make him upset. Anakin dives underwater, hoping his idea will calm Luke down. He slowly reappears beside Rex, getting the baby's attention.
He stops crying, his eyes wide at the water. "Lukie!" Anakin grins. He dives back under then reappears. The child shakily laughs in Rex's arms. He glances at Rex, who laughs with him. It seems to be working. Anakin does it again and again until Luke is practically in tears from laughter. Rex sticking his tongue out is enough to make the baby laugh.
Now that Luke is happy, Anakin swims underwater, leaving him. After all, there is another baby to entertain. Noticing his dad swimming away, Luke turns his head to watch him, curious. Anakin suddenly emerges by Leia. "Lele!" He exclaims. She pouts, splashing water at his face.
"Yeah, get him. He deserves it." Obi-Wan chuckles, gently splashing him too. Anakin repeats it and she continues to splash him each time. Eventually, a smile grows on her face and she is laughing, looking back at Obi-Wan to see if he's happy too. Luke begins to giggle, enjoying each time his sister splashes their father.
Ahsoka joins Anakin, going between Leia and Luke. He sings their nicknames as she sprays water out from her mouth, getting fits of laughter from both of the twins. The twins begin to join in, trying to spray water like her. Leia tries to bring her mouth to the water, but Obi-Wan quickly stops her. "You just pretend, sweetie. No real water for you."
Padmé returns, handing the drinks to their owners. "I see Leia is loving the water." She smiles as she gently pours water onto the little girl's head. Leia giggles, feeling the water pour down the sides of her face. Padmé turns her attention to Luke. "How about you? Have you gotten in the water?"
"Not really. I think he's still afraid." Anakin replies as he floats onto his back.
"Aww. Not a fan of the cold water?" She asks as she affectionately squeezes Luke's arm. Anakin shares a glance with Ahsoka. Swiftly, he hands his drink off to her.
"Maybe he wouldn't be afraid if he saw Mommy was swimming," Anakin smirks. Before Padmé can react, Ahsoka snatches the drink from Padmé's hand. Anakin grabs her from the waist and pulls her under.
Padmé rushes to the surface, splashing water everywhere. She tosses her hair over her head then dunks Anakin under the water. "Anakin!" She exclaims with a grin as he emerges. He laughs, shaking the water from his hair.
Luke cries out again, reaching for his mother. Padmé awes, taking him from Rex.
"Guess you didn't learn from the first time you splashed him," Obi-Wan says to Anakin. Leia babbles in agreement, looking back at Obi-Wan. He talks to her, shaking his head in mock disappointment. "Your father, I tell you. You better not follow his example."
"Lukie, it's alright. Calm down." Padmé says, running her hands through his hair. Still, he carries on. Slowly, she brings him to the water, keeping him close to her. Once the water reaches his waist, he begins to settle down. He doesn't move much in the water, he's quiet. "See? It's safe. No need for that big lip." She smiles, tapping his pouting bottom lip.
Cody joins the group. "What's going on over here?" He asks as he slaps Obi-Wan's shoulders.
Obi-Wan holds back a cry of pain. "Please, don't do that again." He says through gritted teeth. Leia coos, touching his arms to make him feel better. He smiles at her, trying not to look like he's in too much pain.
"Oh, Obi-Wan. You are so red." Ahsoka gasps. She and Anakin grimace at the thought of how much it must hurt.
"Kenobi, did you put on any sunscreen?" Rex asks.
"Nope. Thought it wouldn't be too bad." He replies. He looks down at his arms, slightly sighing. "Later, I was too stubborn to put any on, even though I could feel how much I was burning."
Padmé rolls her eyes. "I know I said you couldn't come crying to me, but I feel really bad. When we're done, I am applying aloe to your skin. You are going to want it." She says. Obi-Wan opens his mouth to protest, but she cuts him off. "No arguing." She glares.
Suddenly, a loud cry comes from the shore. The remaining clones come charging at them, spraying their water guns. Padmé playfully screams, covering Luke from the fire. Obi-Wan attempts to protect Leia, but she tries to get in the fun.
Soon, their spraying dies down. Everyone turns to watch Luke, waiting for the waterworks. Instead, he sports a shy smile. "Look at you! You're so brave!" Anakin cheers, grabbing him from Padmé's arms. He tosses him in the air then catches him. Luke giggles, tossing his head back.
Padmé lets out a sigh, looking at the setting sun. "Well, should we head back? I'm more than happy to make you guys something to eat before you leave." She says, taking Leia from Obi-Wan.
"I'll help you." Obi-Wan offers, standing up. He follows her to shore, the rest of them trickling behind. Anakin lets out a groan, tossing his head back at the edge of the shoreline. Ahsoka stops, waiting for him.
"What's wrong?" She asks, crossing her arms over her chest.
"I hate sand." He replies, glaring at the beach he has to walk over to get back to the house.
"You hate sand?" She asks with a scoff.
"Yeah. It's coarse and rough and irritating." He lists off. He gives it a kick, sending some sand flying. "And it gets everywhere!"
She rolls her eyes. "You are so dramatic." She laughs, taking Luke from his arms. She begins walking back to the house, leaving Anakin behind.
"You're telling me you like it when the sand gets stuck between your toes?" He asks, tiptoeing quickly to keep up with her.
She shrugs. "I don't really care."
He fakes a gag. "Disgusting!" He exclaims. "How can you not hate sand when it's in your shoes? Or in your clothes?"
She ignores him, running to Padmé's side. Padmé gives her a sideways smile. "Sand rant again?" She asks.
"Yupp. He just doesn't quit with it, does he?" She replies, shaking her head with a laugh. Her master can be a bit dramatic. In fact, her master's master can be dramatic too. But she loves them all the same. She enjoys the adventures they have, even if it is just a day at the beach with the people closest to her.
~~~~~~~~~