Anakin Solo (anakinsolo) wrote in thedoorway, @ 2015-12-13 21:19:00 |
|
|||
Luke had been waiting to tell his family about the baby until after the wedding. For one thing, he wanted the focus to be on the happy couple and there didn’t seem to be a good time to bring it up before hand. For another, he was a little anxious about how everyone would take the news. He’d made a huge miscalculation in timing when he’d told Anakin about his relationship with Carol and Luke didn’t want to make the same mistake twice. Things had gotten to the point though where he couldn’t keep it a secret. It was becoming obvious that Carol was pregnant and his family deserved to hear it from him, not from someone who had seen her and mentioned it in passing. So the time had come and Luke checked first to make sure Anakin was home and then made his way upstairs to his nephew’s door. He still forgot sometimes that they didn’t live right down the hall from one another anymore and Luke missed that. He knocked on the door, waiting for Anakin to answer and trying to control his nerves. The last month had been a bit of a whirlwind for Anakin. His marriage, and honeymoon, his father's disappearance and then reappearance, but throughout it all there had been this unmistakably amazing feeling of being married to Rikki. He wasn't ashamed to admit that he'd sat next to her on Thanksgiving and been grateful to the Force, every deity that might exist to be believed in, and just generally life, for having this opportunity to have this life. It might not be the life he had dreamed of at home, but it had things he could have never had at home, and those things were amazing, good things. He felt more settled than he had since his arrival. Moving in with Rikki, proposing to her, and finally marrying her, had given him a foundation and while he knew there would be things in the future that would hit, that it wasn't perfect, and that he'd still have uncertainties, for the moment, he felt confident and as if things were how they were intended to be. It was a really weird feeling, a little heady, and the sort of thing he actually was handing over in meditations in the morning, because Anakin knew only too well how quickly things could change. His entire life over the past few years had been a lesson in that - and if they did, when they did, the Force was the only foundation he could safely rely on, and he knew it. Still, he had a smile on his face as he realized that it was his Uncle on the other side of the door, and he pulled it open with a grin. "Hey, what's up? Tell me you want some hot chocolate, cause I was just about to warm up some milk for some and I always feel silly doing it for just me. And Rikki's out." “Hot chocolate sounds great,” Luke replied, returning Anakin’s smile. “It’s a good night for it.” He stepped inside and looked around. It amazed him how much his nephew had grown up in the past year. The young man who’d greeted him at the door just now was a long way from the boy he’d met in medical over a year ago now and certainly miles apart from the child that he remembered from home. “I’m sorry to miss Rikki, I was hoping she’d be here.” Luke cared a lot for Rikki, he was glad that Anakin had met her, that the two of them had a chance to have the lives that they wouldn’t get to have at home. Whatever else this place might be or what it might do, it had given both of them a second chance. “I didn’t get to talk to you very much at Thanksgiving, there was so much going on but I’m glad that you and Jaina have your father back. I know I missed him and I know the two of you missed him even more.” Luke had been happy to discover that his friend (and brother in law) came from further along and remembered his children. Well two out of three but it was easy to see that Han was happy to meet his youngest. “It was good to have everyone together.” "Kinda what I figured," Anakin said with a grin, stepping aside for his Uncle to come inside. "You can take a seat, or come on into the kitchen if you want. You can make certain I don't burn the milk or whatever. You're family so it's hardly formalities." He stepped across the room towards the kitchen and found the milk in the refrigerator, and then put a pan on the stove, turning the stove on a lower temperature. He'd found out the hard way - a horrible smell and a burned pan later - that while it might make sense to turn it up high and heat it up quickly, that really didn't make sense at all. Hot chocolate made with real milk meant you took your time and were patience with the heating process or you'd end up with nothing you wanted to drink. It was the sort of thing that as a Jedi, he probably should have known even without the burned pan incident. Oh well. "It's really good to have Dad back," Anakin said as he poured the milk into the pan. "I mean, it'd have been nice if he'd been just a couple more years in the future, but hey, at least we didn't have to explain he married mom and had kids, that part he had down, so that's a plus." As he finished the milk he turned around to his Uncle and nodded to the bar stools if Luke wanted to sit down. "Your Thanksgiving was good?" Taking his nephew’s hint, Luke sat on the stool. “Yes it was. The best part was sharing it with all of you. I guess that’s what the whole holiday is about though isn’t it? Being thankful for the people in our lives,” and Luke was thankful. Most of his family was here, he’d even had the chance to meet his parents and though they were gone now, he had the memories and he would forever cherish them. “You’ve gotten pretty good at making hot chocolate,” he said with a grin. “I remember the first time you tried. I’ve never really mastered it myself, I depend on the premixed packets which is a cop out,I know.” It was good talking to Anakin like this, just enjoying being together. What he had come to say was serious and he wasn’t looking forward to getting into it but it needed to be said and he only hoped that it went well. Anakin grinned. "Rikki's worked to make certain that I know the basics. And it's an exercise in patience this way. It's kind of relaxing, honestly, once you get the idea of it. And Kanan Jarrus? He knows some cooking too. I got a few tips from him. Although sometimes, you just want simple and premixed, definitely a plus there.” He stirred the milk and he looked over at his Uncle. The visit had been unexpected. So far as he knew there wasn't anything they needed to talk about. He hadn't asked for extra training, or for anything about the Jedi. Then again, maybe he was assuming they needed some reason to talk. They really didn't. He liked spending time with his Uncle. It had been pretty decent being in an apartment with him - well, until he'd really wanted Rikki to sleep over and it had gotten a little bit awkward. And then Uncle Luke had people sleeping over and it had gotten more awkward. "You know, I thought it was going to be awkward with Tahiri being here but it hasn't been. She's been really amazing. Sometimes I think I'm way too fortunate here and the bubble's going to burst. I think the weirdest thing about growing up is realizing that fear can take the oddest forms. It's not just battles and the obvious things - it can be the stupidest little stuff…" He took two mugs out and looked over at his Uncle. "I don't know where that came from, sorry. I think this has just been the best month of my life. And I know it can't last, even if most things stay relatively as they are." Taking the mug from Anakin with a word of thanks, Luke looked over at the living room. “Let’s go sit down over there,” he said. “More comfortable.” Also less chance of his nephew falling off the stool and cracking his head open when he found out why he’d come over. “I actually do have something for you,” he picked up an envelope that he’d brought in with him and handed it to Anakin as they sat down. “Your official marriage certificate. When I mailed in the license you signed, they sent that back. I had to make a few phone calls to get it, they didn’t believe that it was legitimate because of my name. Which I understand but anyway you have it now so you can do all those things that are listed in there that you have to do when you get married. I have no idea how that works with those of us who are from other times and places but you’re legally married as far as the state of New York is concerned.” Luke grinned and took a sip of his hot chocolate. Sitting back a bit, he thought about what Anakin had said about Tahiri. It could have been awkward and he was glad that it hadn’t been. The two had never really gotten to explore a relationship at home and Anakin was engaged to Rikki when he friend had arrived. “I’m glad that things with Tahiri aren’t awkward. It’s not easy to navigate things like that, not when you’re from different times and places, with different memories.” he knew that only too well. “and there be places here and there where it feels strange but if you both want to and try hard enough, you can get past it.” He paused to take a breath, wondering if there was ever going to be a perfect time to say this but he doubted it so he resumed his train of thought. “The marriage certificate isn’t the only reason I came by. I have something I want to ask you to do for me.” Anakin looked down at the paper that his Uncle had given him a slow grin crossing his face as he looked at his name, Rikki's name. It was just a piece of paper, and it didn't matter to what he and Rikki had in reality and what they'd built. He hadn't needed it to know that what he had with Rikki was amazing and special and worth treasuring, but that didn't mean that there wasn't some delight in seeing it all on a paper, knowing that other people would recognize that too - even if it was just with the paper. Setting it down on the coffee table he took a seat on the sofa to take a sip of the hot cocoa looking up at his Uncle. "Thanks," he said simply. He sat back against the seat and pulled one leg up under him, giving his Uncle his full attention. "What's up?" Here’s where things got tricky and Luke found himself at a loss for words. Chances were that he was about to start babbling and he couldn’t help thinking about how Carol teased him about his babbling when he got nervous. “You know that I moved in with Carol not too long before the wedding? Part of the reason is because it sort of hit us both that I’d more or less been living with her anyway but also because we needed the extra bedroom.” he took a deep breath and looked down into his mug and then up at Anakin. “Carol’s pregnant,, Anakin. The baby’s due at the end of March. I didn’t want to tell anyone until after the wedding, I didn’t want anyone being upset with me or asking a million questions about why and how to get in the way of your special moment. It was a moment that wouldn’t have happened anywhere but here and I'll alway be glad I was here to share that with you.” He took a sip of hot chocolate, almost afraid to look at his nephew’s face. “It wasn’t something either of us had ever considered, we both know the risks of bringing a child into such an uncertain environment but it seems the Force had other ideas.” Luke looked up. “but we love each other and as crazy as it is, as completely overwhelmed and in shock I’ve felt, I’m happy. I have no clue what to do with a baby and neither does she but I’m happy.” He smiled. “I’m years away from Ben’s birth and when he was here, he was already potty trained and could feed himself so this will be a whole new world.” Anakin didn't know what he'd been expecting. He'd known that his Uncle moved in with Carol, and that hadn't entirely surprised him although he had to admit he missed having him on the same floor. But that was okay, it was natural even. He would have considered moving floors to Rikki's except that it had just worked for her to become the resident assistant for his floor. But pregnant? That was - not what he'd been expecting. "Wow," he managed, and then felt a little guilty because it maybe had come out less enthusiastic than he'd really intended for it to come. The truth was, he'd felt odd about Carol in the beginning, but maybe it was a sign of the fact that he'd actually matured a bit, that he didn't feel weird about this. It just was unexpected, not - uncomfortable. And there was a definite difference. "I mean, that's great, Uncle Luke. Right? I mean, that's wow. I - congratulations?" He laughed slightly as he put his hot cocoa down. "When? I mean, she didn't really look pregnant at the wedding… although I guess, I was mostly looking at Rikki," he grinned and half shrugged in what might have been an apology but really wasn't. Luke was relieved at Anakin’s reaction, he hadn’t know what to expect but this was more than he’d hoped for. “She’s tall enough that it doesn’t show very much yet. You wouldn’t notice unless you see her everyday.” He laughed at Anakin’s words. “You’re not supposed to be looking at anyone but the bride at your wedding so you were doing exactly what you were supposed to do and besides Rikki looked beautiful.” The two of them together had looked so happy, the way a couple in love was supposed to look at their wedding and once more Luke was grateful that they’d had the chance to be together. “Congratulations is appropriate although it took us a bit to get over the shock,” he shook his head. “I’m not sure how much you know about Carol but she’s been through a lot, she had a tumor in her brain and things got bad last year when we were on the Ascension. I helped keep her stable with a healing trance until we got home. Eventually she had surgery but she lost her memories. Some have come back but not all of them, we don’t know if they will or not, but physically she’s fine from that, the pregnancy has been normal. By the way, learn how to make ginger tea, it works for morning sickness so file that away for when the time comes if you decide to have children.” Anakin grinned. Rikki had looked beautiful, and the entire day had been almost as perfect as he could have hoped for. He would have loved to have had his brother there - or parents that actually knew who he was - but he'd had friends, much of his family, and Steve had even been back for Rikki, so he was hardly complaining. "I bet," he said, picking up his hot chocolate and taking another sip. "I didn't think you were planning on having kids exactly. And uh, check on the ginger tea. I'll make certain to keep it in the back of my mind, although I'm pretty certain that's not a needed thing for a while." At least he didn't think so. He was pretty certain Rikki was nowhere remotely ready to think about kids, and to be honest, Anakin - even if some part of him liked the idea of kids with Rikki - wasn't ready either. For all he might have fallen head over heels for Rikki, and for all they might have been married young - he really wasn't ready to be parents quite yet. He liked things how they were and he didn't really want to change them up right now. "That's good though, the normal part? I mean, I don't really know much about babies, or pregnancy, other than that it happens. But I guess it's a good sign that it's been normal. And I guess I'll get to be a cousin, huh?" He grinned. "That seems pretty all right too." “No, we weren’t. I mean, there’s Ben at home and I was fine knowing that somewhere out there I did become a father because I always wanted children. I was glad that he showed up here for a bit and that I got to meet him, it was nice seeing that he turned out okay.” Luke smiled. “but this? Not the least bit prepared for. When Carol told me, I started thinking out loud like I do and babbling at her, also like I do, I think she wanted to push me off the roof. And yes, normal is good especially since you might not know this either. Carol is half Kree which is where her powers come from. I’ve been doing some reading on genetics because there’s no way to know exactly what the baby will inherit although Force sensitivity is pretty much a given since it appears to be dominant. Like your father isn’t Force sensitive but all three of you are and I’ve also been able to feel the baby in the Force….not communicate with him or her exactly but enough that I can feel a response in return.” He put his mug down and took a deep breath, looking closely at Anakin. “That’s the other thing I want to talk to you about. I know it’s different here, I know that being a Jedi doesn’t mean the same thing as it does at home but I want the baby to know what that means, to understand the Force, to be able to use it as much as it can be used here. There is no one that I would trust to train my child in those ways other than you. You have a gift, Anakin, and you would have been a great Jedi Master one day if things had been different, I truly believe that. You have an understanding of the Force that is remarkable in someone so young and when the time comes, I want you to train him or her. If I should get taken back or if something should happen to me and I should get sent back, promise me that you’ll do that, even if stay here forever, I still want to you to do that.” Anakin's eyes widened at his Uncle's words. The implication of trust and the weight of responsibility was not lost on him. He'd hardly felt competent enough to carry the weight of the younger eyes that watched him at home, and now his Uncle was asking this of him. Although - he knew it was still a long way off - still it said a lot about his Uncle's faith in him. He nodded quickly, his tone matching the seriousness of the conversation. "I don't know how long I'll be here," he said simply. "But as long as I am, and as long as I can help with that, I'll do it. I - I mean, thank you. But are you sure you want to ask me? Jaina's older and more experienced. Or Master Kenobi, or any of the other Jedi here… I've never taught anyone anything." “Jaina’s proud of being a Jedi but we both know that isn’t where her heart is. I don’t think she’s ready yet to teach someone and yes, this isn’t something that is going to happen for several years yet but that only means you’ll learn more, grow stronger.” Luke looked intently at his nephew. “I’m asking you because you have no idea how much you’ve taught me. You come from a time where I have much more knowledge of the Force than I do now and watching you, talking to you, I know you would have been a great Jedi Master, you would have taken what I had started and continued to build on it, you and Ben….but that isn’t what happens at home as much as I wish that it did.” He shook his head. “You and I are a lot alike, we see things in very similar ways. I want my child to not be afraid to question, to know that he or she is doing nothing wrong but not always being certain about the Force. I’ve questioned, I still do and it used to bother me because I didn’t think a Jedi Master should question anything but they do…I do and that’s okay.” He knew he was asking a lot of the young man but he also knew that Anakin could handle it. “I just need to know that if something happens to me, whether I get sent back or...something else, that you’ll do this for me. I’m very proud that he or she will have two such good roles models as you and Jaina. Rikki as well, she might not be Force sensitive but she’s amazing in her own way but I don’t have to tell you that.” Anakin was quiet for a moment. It was a huge responsibility to take on the training of someone else. He knew it wouldn't happen immediately, not until the baby was born, and then not until he or she was old enough to start learning about the Force a bit. Anakin had time to grow into it and in his eighteen years he had been given the opportunity to lead people, to do the sort of thing that should help with this, but the fact that his Uncle had this much faith in him was still the sort of faith that made him pause. Some point since seventeen he'd gone from half-believing that he was invincible and he had this grand destiny with the Jedi to the very real understanding that he was not. And that what he would offer this world would necessarily be different. He still struggled at times, with fear, worry, a dozen emotions that weren't particularly Jedi-like, but he also knew that his Uncle was asking him and that he'd honor his Uncle's belief. "I will, and I'm really - I'm honored, Uncle Luke. I know it's an incredible responsibility, and I know I won't have to do it right this minute, but I'm really just - yes. I definitely will. You don't have to worry about it. If for some reason you aren't able to do the training, or even if you are, I'll be here to help, and to do it if that's what's needed." Luke nodded, the relief evident in his eyes. “Thank you. It’s really been on my mind a lot lately and it’s a relief to get that out in the open. To be honest with you, I’m a little anxious. A newborn is something I’ve never really had experience with. I mean I was there when all three of you were infants but mostly I just played with you. I wasn’t in charge of things like diapers and feeding,” he laughed. “I’m going to have to enlist your dad’s help about what to do with babies. Thankfully there is only one and not two. There’s always that chance when you’re a twin yourself but the books I’ve been reading say that it tends to skip a generation so Leia had your brother and sister which lets me off the hook. There’s only one of Ben and your Aunt Mara and i didn’t have any other children so maybe that’s true.” Luke had been reading a great deal about genetics lately, trying to learn all he could about how things were inherited and what he might be able to expect when the baby was born. Anakin reached for his cup and took another sip of his cocoa. There was a little nervousness when he thought about trying to train someone else, someone so small and without any knowledge. Anakin really didn't know if he could do that well, but he worked with people his own age easily enough, he was getting practice teaching people how to fly - and he'd have time. That was the thing he kept reminding himself. He'd have time to figure this out. Anakin grinned, he couldn't help it at the thought of Uncle Luke having to change diapers. "You'll be fine. And hey, you've got Dad here, and he just was wiping Jaina's bottom not that long ago, so he'll be totally helpful even if I'm not, and hey - I mean you won't be the only one having to figure it out. Carol will too!" Laughing, Luke shook his head. “I wouldn’t remind Jaina of that if I were you,” he said. It felt good, sitting here like this, talking to his nephew. The next few months would bring many new things and if this world stayed true to form, not all of them would be pleasant. For now though he could enjoy this evening, enjoy sharing his news with his family (for he was visiting Jaina next) and be thankful that they were here and they were together. |