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Chapter Text

Even before he got his master's degree, Anakin Skywalker decided that would not be enough, he wanted to get the doctorate, to stay at the university and become a full professor at Stanford one day in the distant future...or maybe, just maybe, start his own company. As a computer scientist, he had a good chance for success, he wasn't just good, he was a genius.

He was passionate about fixing things, back then as he was still a child. His mother didn't need to buy any new household appliances; Anakin could get everything running again. That was his hobby.

Now, as the adult, he remembered again and again and with pain in his heart at his mother Shmi and his childhood. He had grown up without a father. Shmi was a single parent, Anakin was born when she was twenty, and she had never contacted with the father of her child. Anakin never met his father and never asked about him.

The first few years after Anakin was born in 1981 were very difficult for Shmi. She had to earn money to survive, leaving her child with some neighbors who charged a lot of money for it or at best, in a daycare center if there was one where she lived and worked. She spent all of her free time, which there was little of, with her son, whom she loved dearly. Despite all the difficulties and lack of contact with his mother, Anakin was a sweet child and seemed to bear no lasting damage from his difficult childhood. But deep within him were buried fears of loss. For a while, he had his mother only for himself, and she had him, only him.

When Anakin was five years old, his mother married Cliegg Lars. The first time of the transition passed in uncertainty and a kind of jealousy, but then Anakin realized, even though he was still young, that his stepfather Cliegg would not take his mother away. Cliegg treated Anakin the same way he treated his own son, Owen. Shmi always lived with Anakin in the San Francisco Bay Area, sometimes here and there, but now they lived in Santa Rosa, where Cliegg had a house.

The family was also doing better financially. Cliegg and Shmi worked hard and periodically purchased vineyards in Napa Valley and made good money selling their wines. They could always use the money to pay off one part of the mortgage and buy some land.

Anakin has played football since he was a child, first with Pop Warner and continuing through middle school and high school with the Santa Rosa High Panters. Not only was he a good football player, he was also an outstanding student. His grades were more than good, so he received a scholarship for Stanford University. Since he was also a good football player, he signed on as an assistant quarterback coach. He no longer wanted to play football actively; it would take up too much time, time that he wanted to invest in his studies. The good thing about his part-time job was that it kept his athletic body in shape. His second part-time job was working at Watto’s Garage, he needed money…always.

When he came to Stanford, there were assertions around, he was the best-looking student on campus. The result was, of course, all the female students ran after him and...he liked it...at the beginning. One or the other classmate ended up in his bed or he in hers, as long as his needs were met. That wasn't love, it was only sex. He asked himself more and more often what that was supposed to be...that love, according to the descriptions, he had never felt anything like it. Maybe one day it will come when he meets the right one, he thought, and the more time passed the more skeptical he became about finding the right woman for life…. but Master's graduation as first.

After his bachelor's degree, his forays through the women's beds became less and less frequent, the testosterone no longer raged through his body like a tornado like before, so he spent a lot of time with his friends. It was more fun to roam the gyms, bars and nightclubs, sometimes even go hiking or skiing with his best friends Ben, Rex and Cody in Kirkwood, where Ben's parents had a small weekend house. Ben Kenobi was the son of wealthy parents and had been given a Hummer for his bachelor's degree, so they occasionally took a joyride to L.A. to explore the nightlife of the metropolis. An occasional one-night stand, to do something good for his body, was enough. He didn't have any real relationships, he didn't have time for that, and he didn't want to commit because that's precisely what a relationship would mean. His friends were no different, so they were a good match and this friendship would last for a long time and work like this.

The four friends had been living together since their sophomore year at Stanford. It was a house at 2121 Mills Ave, Menlo Park. It wasn't expensive and Anakin could walk to campus, but he usually rode his Harley, which was a gift from his parents for his eighteenth birthday.

And this wonderful life ended abruptly when Ben met the beautiful Satine, fell in love and moved in with her. They stayed in touch, but it wasn't like it used to be. When Rex and Cody got their master's degrees, they found jobs at NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, just nearby. So, they continued living together.

At the same time, Anakin began working on his dissertation and as an assistant to Prof. Dr. Stone, who was also his doctoral supervisor.

It was the end of the carefree student life, but the friends still found time for fun, at least on weekends, but then all the more intensely.

After two years, Ben and Satine got married. There was a big wedding, and Anakin was even asked to be best man. Such an attractive academic attracted the attention of all the young women at the ceremony, especially one of the bridesmaids called Barriss Offee. She was Satines good friend, a former fellow student. They even worked together. Barriss was working on her doctorate and wanted to be a pediatrician when she finished. She was good-looking, tall, dark-haired and had green eyes. Anakin was not averse, but had no serious intentions.

He started dating her, it was that she rather than him was strongly interested. Date after date and something like a casual relationship had developed, but not exclusive.

In the beginning, they went out for dinner once or twice a month, occasionally with Ben and Satine. After a few dates, she invited him to her apartment for a drink, and then the sex followed. For Barriss it was overwhelming because Anakin had experience, was a good lover, but for him, it was rather satisfying, there were no fireworks, he had just relieved himself. He wondered if he was even capable of feeling absolute ecstasy, or if Barriss wasn't the right woman. No, she was not. While he wondered if he should continue this relationship or not, the answer was already there, at least it was comfortable without having to look for someone to satisfy certain needs.

For a while Barriss was happy with whatever Anakin was willing to give, she wanted him and thought the more time passed she would be able to keep him close, but actually the opposite was the case. Anakin passed through their efforts like an eel fish. Even after three years, they weren't really together. They still went out, but less and less, they didn't go out together, they didn't go on trips together, they didn't go to the theater or the cinema. Anakin still preferred going to the gym with the twins Rex and Cody or having a drink somewhere at night rather than spending time with Barriss, and he still lived in Menlo Park. Barriss brought up the topic often, she wanted them to move in together, but Anakin was determined to escape her control. He thought he was definitely going to lose his freedom, commit to this woman, and he wasn't ready for that, not ready yet… if ever. No, not at all.
He wanted to keep things as they were and that was to go to university and work during the week, go to the gym in the evening or meet up with Rex and Cody and spend Saturday and possibly Sunday in bed with Barriss. But Barriss didn't want that, no more. After three years of the so-called relationship with Anakin, she gave him the ultimatum:

“Anakin, either we change this way of being together, move in together, or we end this weird relationship. I'm getting tired of it. It seems to me like you only come to fuck on the weekends because it's comfortable for you and you'd rather hit the nightclubs with your friends and possibly pick up one or two willing whores."

Anakin didn't think she was serious this time, thought that this time too, like every time before, it would turn out, and he would see her again the next Sunday... and then he said something wrong, something that definitely made Barriss freak out.

"What is wrong with you? I don't know why you're complaining when sex has been so good for you for the last three years. What do you want more?”

“You damn, dirty pig! What do you think, that you are so irresistible, that you are the only one in the world who can fuck? Take your pents here..." she threw his boxer shorts at him "...the only thing you have here, taken off because it bothered you while you were fucking, and leave... leave now and never let me see you here again!!!"

Then she threw a small lamp that was on the nightstand at him, and Anakin raised his hands to prevent it from getting in his face. He quickly ran out of the bedroom, but she ran after him and whatever was in reach of her hands that she could pick up, she threw in his direction. She got really in rage.

Anakin would never hurt a woman, never hit a woman. He recognized her anger and just tried to get away unscathed. He ran through the hallway and tripped over the low chest standing there, tearing a deep gash in his left calf, howling and feeling the warm blood seep into his shoe. But it wasn't enough for her, she still ran after him and threw things at him as if she had sworn to kill him. After he had torn open the front door of her apartment, he ran as fast as he could down the outside stairs that led into the courtyard. The last thing to hit his head was a flowerpot full of soil and plants. Before he reached the bottom, Anakin ducked and slipped. It had been raining, it was wet and slippery, so he fell. At that moment, he heard a crack and felt terrible pain spread through his right forearm. He immediately realized the arm was broken.

Well, it was complicated now. They came to her apartment together, but somehow, injured as he was, he had to get to Alameda de las Pulgas to catch a taxi. It was dark, the rain was getting heavier, it was cold, his leg hurt, his arm hurt even more, and the battery on his iPhone was dead. Damn. What to do now, Anakin thought... keep walking, maybe he'll get lucky, and a free taxi will be driving down the street.

…………..

Best regards from Germany

Chapter Text

Stanford University is a private, elite university known for its political science and engineering programs, but its other courses are excellent as well. Padmé Amidala Naberrie knew this, which is why she wanted to study political science there. Her grades were excellent, so she was accepted. Her father, an attorney in Los Angeles with his own firm, could pay the tuition fees. The Naberrie name was at the top of the list of those who needed an excellent criminal defense attorney.

Padmé's mother, Jobal Naberrie, was also a Harvard graduate, like her husband. However, she decided to raise her daughters, Sola and Padmé, and pursue a career later. She returned to the firm when Padmé finished high school.

Padmé's sister, Sola, was six years older and married Darred Janren, whom she met at the University of California, Los Angeles. They both studied management and took the same major subjects. Immediately after graduation, they got married, and a year later, their daughter Ryoo was born. Two years later, they had a second daughter, little Pooja. Darred founded a consulting company immediately after completing his studies and quickly gained high-paying clients. Sola was supposed to join her husband after eight years.

Padmé later described her time in high school, when she lived with her parents, as a carefree youth. Her high school years were unforgettable, full of activities like swimming and tennis. She was involved with the International Institute of Los Angeles, where her job was to help people with limited English skills. This commitment did not take up all her free time. She still found time to go out with friends and attend parties. That was not all. Her grandmother, Thule Naberrie, lived alone in her large house on Castellammare Drive with a beautiful view of the open Pacific. Padmé adored her grandmother and was determined to ensure she didn't feel isolated. There was no necessity for that to be the case. She had the option of moving in with her son. It was always one open offer. However, the old lady refused to leave the house where she had lived all her life. Padmé understood her. It was a nice place; Padmé came whenever she could. Sometimes she would bring her friends, and they would work in the garden together. Then, they would sit on the terrace, enjoy the view, and drink lemonade and eat cake that Grandma had baked.

Sola also often came before she got married; less so after, as she now had a family.

This wonderful, carefree time came to an end when Padmé had to say goodbye to her family and beloved grandmother to study at Stanford.

She would always remember their last conversation before she left. Her grandmother gave her a few pieces of advice to remember.

"The seriousness of life begins for you now, Padmé. Your studies should come first, not the boys. You'll have time for them later. All boys your age are only interested in having fun. Be careful; don't be fooled. Don't look for or expect great love on campus. When you fall in love, you make yourself dependent. Even later, Padmé, keep your freedom first and foremost. As you know, I used to be a well-known actress, but after your grandfather's early death, I didn't want to give up my independence. I raised your father alone, but with a lot of love. I'm not telling you to live a lonely life; I'm just saying that you have important things to do right now. Be diligent and always strive to be the best."

Padmé hadn't forgotten the advice; she just didn't follow all of it.

What was the catch? During the first year, all freshmen reside on campus under the supervision of the dormitories. That's good, but it's not. The girls and boys keep to each of their own groups, but they can't avoid each other like they could if they lived somewhere else.

Padmé shared a room with Dormé, Rabé, and Sabé. There were two bunk beds, two desks, and two closets, but not much space. She had to deal with it; she wasn't home. By her second year, she could look for an apartment and probably move into a shared one.

She studied hard that first year, but still found time to go to fraternity parties with her roommates. There were lots of them every weekend and in between.

Dorme, Rabé, and Sabé became best friends. Dormé was open and direct, yet helpful and loyal. She enjoyed the company of boys, even in bed, and was adventurous with them. Although there seemed to be too many boys, she didn't feel guilty. Rabé and Sabé were similar but more reserved. Padmé only partially fit into this quartet. She had the same personality traits, but when it came to boys, she was an outsider. She was still a virgin. Her three friends always teased her about it and made plans to free her from the vice of virginity. Unfortunately, there weren't many options for locations. She was never alone, and neither were the boys. The older students mostly lived off campus, so you only met them on campus. Needless to say, she definitely didn't want to lose her virginity in a ladies' room somewhere.

She finished her first year at the top of her class. Her parents expected this of her, and she didn't want to disappoint them.

In their second year, the four girls decided to look for an apartment close to campus. They found a house in Palo Alto on Emerson Street. It was a nice, small house in a good area with enough space for four students. There were three bedrooms upstairs, each with a bathroom. Downstairs, there was a kitchen, living area, toilet, and additional rooms. Sabé and Rabé shared the master bedroom, and Padmé and Dormé had smaller rooms. There was a small garden and a garage in the backyard. When the weather permitted, they liked to sit on the terrace. Padmé often talked about her grandmother and her gardening. Dormé even googled her name and was surprised by what she found.

"Your grandmother wasn't as famous as Ava Gardner or Vivien Leigh, but she was pretty well-known. Why didn't you become an actress?"

"I'd rather be smart than famous." She always laughed.

During her second year, she met a philosophy major who was minoring in her subject. He was tall and slim with dark, curly hair and green eyes. He was sweet, talkative, and popular with the girls. Padmé ignored her grandmother's advice.

She spent more and more time with him. At first, it was in the company of others, but after a few weeks, he asked her out. Her three friends were hopeful that she would finally give up her "V-Card. It didn't happen on the first date, but after the fifth or sixth—she hadn't counted—it finally did. He suggested they have a drink at his place before he drove her home. She couldn't remember later whether she had wanted it or if it had just happened. The amount of Jack Daniel's clouded her senses. The only thing she could remember after a few whiskeys was that it was painful. Her friends assured her that it would only be pleasant now.

It became more and more beautiful until she noticed how he always tried to avoid her, claiming he had to study, and spent less and less time with her. She happened to see him with other girls in compromising poses. She tried to confront him about it, but he insisted that she was the only one he was dating. Yes, she was the only one he went out with, but not the only one he slept with. This went on for a few weeks. Then one day on campus, she overheard two of his friends referring to him as a defloration machine. She knew instinctively that this had to be true, so she ended the relationship.

She was more miserable than she had ever been. She was also angry with herself. Had she forgotten what her grandmother had told her? Apparently. From now on, things would be different.

Learning became the top priority again. She buried her nose in books and consistently ranked at the top of her class. However, she didn't just study; she also went out with her friends and celebrated. She didn't want a boyfriend, but she had certain needs that she satisfied now and then without remorse or looking back.

Whenever she could, she went home to L.A., where she loved spending time with her family. It was hard without her parents, grandmother, Sola, and especially Ryoo and Pooja. They were so sweet and loved their aunt dearly. She really wanted to have children of her own... some day...eventually.

It seemed her wish would come true when she met the lawyer managing her recently deceased grandmother's estate. After the will was read, Padmé was surprised to find that she had inherited her grandmother's house. Sola didn't miss out, either. She received the shares, valuable jewelry, paintings, and the house's inventory, as well as millions.

The lawyer's name was Rush Clovis. He was well known in L.A., and no one could have imagined that he had approached Padmé about her inheritance. Padmé considered keeping the house, but she was undecided. Rush Clovis wanted the house but didn't want to pay the price. He tried to persuade Padmé to sell it for less or convince her that the house wasn't worth that much. He started visiting her at Stanford and going out with her. Padmé liked it all. She forgot her grandmother's words again. Besides, he would have been a suitable candidate: He was a renowned lawyer, a little older, good-looking, and a good lover. How could she resist?

Her friend Dormé didn't like Rush Clovis; she saw through him right away.

"Padmé, stay away from that greasy guy. He's as fake as a six-dollar bill. I don't know what, but he wants something from you. End this 'I want what you've got' relationship before you get hurt."

But Padmé didn't listen to her. She wasn't really in love with him; she just liked the way he gallantly courted her and complied with her wishes. It somehow impressed her.

It went on like this for a few months until her father found out and opened her eyes. Rush Clovis was married. Shock—a big one.

When Rush returned to Palo Alto, Padmé went to his hotel and confronted him. There was a terrible argument. He kicked her out. She left the hotel in tears, got into her small car, and drove off. After a mile or two, the engine quit. What should she do? Should she lift the hood and look in the pouring rain? It was no use; she didn't know what she was looking at. She called Dormé, but couldn't reach her. Neither could she reach Rabé or Sabe. She left a message, but none of them answered. Then, she called a taxi. She was soaked by the time she got into the taxi.

She couldn't sleep at all that night. How could she not have noticed this happening to her? She began to doubt her ability to read men, their character, and their intentions. Clovis didn't break her heart, but he nearly caused her to lose her self-esteem.

She hid under a mountain of books again and decided to exclude men from her life. But what about having children? She really wanted to have children. If she slept with someone, got pregnant, and kept the pregnancy a secret from the man, that wouldn't be fair to the child. But if she didn't know the father, an idea came to her: Artificial insemination.

Dormé wasn't convinced, and Sabé and Rabé told her she was crazy. Nevertheless, she stuck to her idea.

When she finished her studies, her roommates finished theirs and moved out. Sabé got married but stayed nearby in San Carlos. Rabé went back to her parents' home in San Diego to look for work. Dormé found a job as a lawyer in San Jose and suggested that they live together for the time being. Padmé thought it would be a good idea for them to stay together, and said she could buy the house and Dormé could pay reasonable rent. Even after buying the house, Padmé had enough money that she didn't have to work. She wanted to live off the money for a few years because she wanted to have a child.

Padmé started looking for ways to make her dream a reality. Initially, she was advised to adopt, but that was out of the question; she wanted her own blood.

After a few months and many legal steps, the time had come. She flew to Boston to undergo the procedure. Her other grandmother lived there.

"Do you have specific ideas about the sperm donor, or do you not care?" the doctor asked.

"Oh? If you ask like that, then... he should be healthy, of course. Maybe he could have blue eyes, and he should be educated or intelligent, not ordinary."

"Mrs. Naberrie, we select our donors very carefully. We don't take beggars off the streets just because they could earn money from sperm donation."

"Excuse me."

"Let's see what we have. Here: manager, dark hair, dark eyes..." He looked at her. She didn't react, so he continued scrolling. "Student, tall, dark hair, green eyes..."

"No, no, no…. green eyes, no."

"Okay, let's keep looking." He scrolled down again. "Here: tall, blonde, blue eyes, student, intelligent, IQ 180. Should I keep looking?"

"No, it seems perfect. Do you have a photo, perhaps?"

"No, we aren't allowed to have photos. The sperm donors are anonymous, but here's one of him as a child."

“I understand, but let me see the one you have.” She took the iPad.

"Oh my God, what a sweet boy. I think I've decided on him."

Padmé was artificially inseminated in July 2005. She became pregnant, and in mid-April 2006, she gave birth to a boy whom she named Christian. Christian Naberrie. She was determined to make him the center of her life.

Only Dormé, Sabé, and Rabé knew the circumstances under which the baby was born, but who the baby's father was, was unknown to anyone.

...............

Best regards from Germany!

Chapter Text

Three years after the birth of her son Christian, Padmé remained a stay-at-home mother. There was still enough money; she had sold her grandmother's house for four and a half million dollars. After deducting the inheritance tax, she still had enough left that she didn't have to turn over every dollar before she spent it.

In 2009, after the summer holidays, Christian was set to start kindergarten, so Padmé started looking for a suitable place.

She and Dormé were still very close. They had known each other for a long time. Padmé liked her almost as much as her sister, Sola.

During these three years dedicated to her son, she often traveled to L.A. to visit her family. She was always confronted with questions about the child's father, and she was never one to discuss it. What could she say about him other than that he had blue eyes, was tall, blonde, and was very intelligent? Family certainly wasn't enough; they would have wanted to get to know him. Padmé's son was a beautiful child, unlike her, which meant he was like his father. He had blonde hair and eyes as blue as the sky. The iris had a dark border, and there was a dark blue point in the right iris.

Padmé sometimes dreamed of meeting the sperm donor, but then she had to laugh at herself because she didn't want a man in her life, so such dreams were ridiculous. Reflection of the subconscious?

She found time to maintain contact with Rabé, even visiting her in San Diego once. Her friend was astounded that she had made her artificial insemination idea a reality. Rabé joked and told her to start looking for the sperm donor. He said that Chris was a beautiful and sweet child.

She and Dormé maintained close contact with her friend Sabé and visited each other often, since Sabé lived just twelve miles away. Sabé laughed and said, "Chris is such a sweet and beautiful child. She should try artificial insemination too." It was a joke, plain and simple. Even Sabé's husband Ron laughed at it.

Padmé went out with Dormé now and then to satisfy her needs with a one-night stand: uncomplicated, without consequences, without regrets.

Dormé was a good observer and knew Padmé needed to be careful not to endanger the child's development; Chris needed a father figure. Padmé made it clear that she didn't want a husband, so it's clear that Christian won't have a father. This is unacceptable. She heard over and over from Dormé that her behavior was selfish, but she refused to listen.

Padmé allowed her son to play with the children from the neighborhood. Children of the same age came to her house, or she took Chris to his playmates.

She started preparing for Cristian's third birthday at the beginning of April. The neighborhood children he played with should be invited. It won't be a big celebration, but four or five children should be invited, children with whom Chris was also at the birthday party.

Sabé's husband Ron said he has a fold-up, height-adjustable table in the garage. He used it when he was putting up wallpaper. It will work well when she wants to serve the kids food at just the right height, and the chairs will be found somewhere. She made her way to Sabé. It was late afternoon, and she had hired a student to babysit Chris because she didn't want to go on the tour with a small child. She loaded the table into her Jeep Grand Cherokee, the only luxury she had received from her inheritance, and drove off toward Palo Alto. It was already dark, and it started to rain, getting heavier. She drove slowly.

Somewhere near Melendy Dr, or rather from Melendy Dr, she saw a man coming. As she passed him, she saw that he was limping badly and holding his right forearm with his left hand. He was wearing nothing but jeans and a hoodie, even though it was cold, and his hair was dripping with water.

She thought about taking him with her, but she didn't. It was already dark. She was alone. She didn't know who she would taking with her. This could be a trap. Then she remembered the night Rush Clovis kicked her out, leaving her stranded with a broken car on the side of the road. No one stopped to help. No, I'm not like that, she thought. She pulled over to the edge of the sidewalk, rolled down the passenger-side window halfway, and asked, "Do you need help, mister?"

An uncertain voice left the mouth of a face contorted in agony. "I'll be fine, but thanks, Ma'am."

"I see, you can barely walk. Get in, and I'll take you to the doctor."

"It's really not necessary. I'd just ruin their car. I've got blood on my jeans."

“There is nothing that cannot be cleaned. Come on, get in.”

The man stood there for a few seconds, then grabbed the handle with his left hand, opened the door, and got in. "Thanks."

"I'm on the way to Palo Alto. I'll turn left on Sand Hill Road and drop you off at the Stanford emergency department."

"It's not that bad. I live in Melno Park, Mills Ave. If you drop me there, I'll be grateful."

"I'm not responsible for that. You don't look good. I'll take you to Stanford emergency, and if the doctors determine it's not serious, you'll be discharged immediately. OK. ?"

"Uh...good."

Padmé sped up. She has to drop him off now. She's wasting time. The babysitter is waiting. She can't kick him out at the entrance. She drove directly to the Stanford Emergency Department, going as fast as she could or was allowed. He was admitted there. He was taken in for care, and she stayed to give her name. Then she drove home.

The student who was there as a babysitter was pleased about the extra money she earned because Chris's mother was late, and Padmé thanked her for staying longer. She asked Dormé to help unload the table.

"What kind of iPhone do you have on the passenger seat? A brand new 3Gs? Wow! Oh my gosh, what is that? You have blood on the mat."

"Shit. I took someone who was injured, and they must have lost that iPhone."

"Are you taking someone with you? You don't know what's going to happen in the evening. Have you lost your mind?"

"It must have been like that."

After Padmé put Christian to bed, she sat with Dormé, with a glass of wine, and Padmé told her everything.

"The only stupid thing is that the battery is totally dead. Otherwise, I could have called someone from the contact list to find him like that."

"Yes, and it's even more stupid that I have LG and you have Samsung, charging cables are not compatible... but the stupidest thing is, Padmé, you don't even ask what his name is. Did he really look so good that he left you speechless?"

"I didn't even look at him properly...and he was miserable."

"I have an idea." Do you know the app Search&Find?"

"No, I've never heard of it."

"Oh Missy, are you kidding me? However. Just download it and look for him under category search:  young man, injured but still hot, who lost the latest iPhone 3Gs in my car. I would like to give him his iPhone back….or something like that…”

"Funny."

"Download the app and search for him."

Padmé had planned to do this, but the approaching birthday party pushed it back a few days. The day after the birthday, Padmé downloaded the app and typed in the text, but certainly not as Dormé suggested, she typed it matter-of-factly: I'm looking for the man I drove to the Stanford Emergency Department on April 10th. I discovered a new iPhone 3GS on the passenger seat, probably his. If you read this message, call 0169 73396500.

On April 19th, a man called and claimed to be the one she had taken with her. He said he had been missing his iPhone since that evening. She asked him when he wanted to come, she wanted to be at home. He was in a hurry and wanted to come that same day because he urgently needed his iPhone.

At around 6 p.m., the doorbell rang. An attractive young man, no, a very attractive young man, stood at the door.

"Good evening. I am Anakin Skywalker, the man you contacted. You took me to the hospital, and as you can see, my arm is broken, and I'm still limping. Thank you very much. And yes, I miss my iPhone.

"Come in."

Anakin came in, looked around, and noticed that some children's birthday garlands remained on the wall, along with two or three balloons bearing the number 3. On the table was a book with the title My Child Is Three Years Old.

"Wait a moment. I'll bring you your iPhone."

"Yes, thanks. I'll wait."

Padmé went into the bedroom and grabbed his cell phone from her dresser drawer and came back into the living area.

"Here it is. The battery is dead, otherwise I would have called someone on your contact list to find you like that."

"If the battery hadn't been dead that evening, I would have called a taxi, and you wouldn't have taken me. Fate...maybe...not true?" He smiled.

She thought, he's clearly flirting with me. She didn't know how to answer, so she just smiled. Chris entered the room at that moment and immediately stopped when he saw the man. He looked at him closely, but not as fearfully as he had been doing lately.

"Who's that man, Mom?"

"It's the man. I found his cell phone, and he came to pick it up."

"And what is your name?"

"My name is Anakin, and what's your name?"

"My name is Chris."

"Nice to meet you, Chris. Was it your birthday recently?"

"Yes, I'm three and how old are you?"

"I'm exactly twenty-eight today."

Padmé smiled. "Then we want to congratulate Anakin on his birthday and wish him all the best, don't we, Christian? Well, congratulations." She stood and extended her right hand.

"Congratulations, Anakin." Chris did the same.

"Thank you, and thank you, Chris. "You're a well-behaved boy. Your mom and your dad are surely proud of you." He looked at Padmé.

"I only have my mom."

Anakin didn't know what to say, not something wrong, so he said nothing. Was this beautiful woman a single mother, or had she been married before and lost her husband? This would all be a chance, but don't rush it. Rush? For what?

"Good, my birthday guests will probably be waiting. I'm late. "Thank you, Mrs. .... I didn't even ask for your name."

"Padmé...Padmé Naberrie."

"Thank you for everything, Mrs. Naberrie..."

"Miss..."

"Excuse me, Miss Naberrie. "Without you, I would have walked in the rain for a long time. I would like to return the favor. At least I can invite you to coffee, here is my business card…if you do…I would be very happy.”

She didn't want to reject him immediately; that would be rude. She took his business card and held it in her hand.

"Have a nice evening, have a nice party...goodnight."

"Goodnight and thank you again."

Anakin left, and she watched him go. As he sat in the car waiting for him, she closed the door and looked at the business card he had given her. M.Sc. Anakin Skywalker

2121 Mills Ave ,West Menlo Park, California 94025, Cell: 0179 66737889

"Is he coming back, Mom?"

“I don’t know, honey.”

Why did she get his hopes up if she didn't want anything to do with men...she should have said he wouldn't come back.

Dormé came out of the kitchen and looked at her.

"That's no ordinary mortal, Missy, he must have descended straight from Olympus."

…………

Best regards from Germany

Chapter Text

Padmé tapped the business card on the fingers of her other hand.

“My gosh Dormé, do you always have to be so dramatic? Hmm, Master of Science…everyone can say that, let the business card print … paper endures everything.”

“Your disbelief, submerged in sarcasm, is slowly reaching a dangerous limit. This rubs off on the child. Not good Missy... and whenever something appears on the horizon, your defense mechanism goes into overdrive. Padmé, it’s been so long…why?”

"Already forgotten?? Palo? Rush Clovis, huh?”

“Not every man is like Palo or Rush. This young man seems to be nice and…”

"Yeah, yeah, Palo and Rush were nice as well...until they weren't nice anymore."

Still, she thought about how Christian approached the man, openly and without fear, how he interacted with him. This man obviously knew how to deal with children, maybe he had some of his own, maybe he was married...but would he invite she to take coffee with him in that case? ?...well, Rush was married as well and did a much more with her than just drink coffee. Damned. No ! Forget him !

As the door was closed behind him, Anakin felt the desire to go back and forcefully ask the beautiful woman to go out with him...but that would be inappropriate. Maybe she had a boyfriend and that was why she was so reserved...but a boyfriend who doesn’t live with mother of his child?...or was the boyfriend not the father...who was his father? Why did he want to know that? He reminded him of someone. Funny. He didn't know much about children, his stepbrother Owen still didn't have any, and no one he knew did either.

Anakin sat next to Ben and wasn't very talkative, he was pretty quiet, which his friend noticed right away.

“You went in in a good mood, and now you look like three days of rainy weather. What happened in there?”

"Nothing at all."

“What else but nothing?”

"She is much more beautiful than I realized that evening...but I was confused and everything hurt...and now..."

"Now what?"

His thoughts drifted away again, remembering the evening she had taken him to the emergency department. He saw her in the bright neon lights of the corridors; she was beautiful. She had just wished him a good recovery and was gone. After the treatment, he lay there for several hours... with a deep wound in his calf, a broken arm, pain, and a bruised ego. One woman had thrown him out, thrown him out. There were times when he thought that no woman could resist him...maybe it was like that for a while until he calmed down, thought about women he was going out with, or at all, devoted himself to his studies, and tried not to plan much in advance. And just that had gotten him into this situation with Barriss.

"Now what, Anakin?" Ben repeated the question a little louder.

“She has a son.”

“She’s probably married.”

"The boy is so sweet and well-behaved, I praised him and said his mother and his father must be proud of him... and he said he only had his mother."

"Then you still have a chance, Anakin." Ben laughed.

“Not funny, Ben.”

“You don’t need to tell me anything else, I know you, you’ve already caught fire.”

“I saw her for the second time... “

“Then it’s love at second sight.”

“Sure, you always know better than I do.”

"Perhaps."

“Is Satine coming later tonight?” he asked wanting to change the subject.

“Unfortunately not. She has a headache.”

"I can understand why she pretends it when you want sex from her, but she doesn't have to fob me off with it."

“That was below the belt.”

"Sorry."

“You’re irritable, did you forget anything there?”

“I forgot myself there.”

“It’s going to be a crappy evening with an absent-minded host.”

"I'm going to put some effort in it."

When Anakin and Ben arrived, Rex and Cody were already there. “Happy Birthday, Skywalker. Where are you? I thought we would have to pay for the party ourselves.”

“Has this ever happened before?”

“No, but hey, why so excited? What’s bothering you?”

“After just a few days of mourning, he fell in love again.”

“You are really an asshole, Ben.”

"We have ladies here, Anakin."

“Uh, sorry.”

Anakin invited people to the Hedley Club, he didn't want to be stingy. The nightclub was elegant with a pleasant atmosphere. There you could eat something small and, above all, drink something. Anakin had only invited his best friends Ben, Rex and Cody, accompanied of course. Satine apologized, and Anakin couldn't remember the faces or names of Rex and Cody's new companions, and didn't bother anymore. None of them were interesting for more than a week. He himself was now...without Barriss. He wasn't unhappy it ended, but how it ended and most of all, his friends knew.

It scratched his self-esteem, no one can do to him something like that. He had been considering about that over the last few days and especially nights when he couldn't sleep, and came to the realization that it was his own fault. When you're in a relationship, you also have to consider your partner's wants and needs, not just those in bed. He wondered why he didn't. Well, Barriss probably wasn't important to him or wasn't important enough. So, he decided that there would be no more relationships with women who were not important.

And then his thoughts wandered back to the beautiful woman and her sweet son...what did he say...he said Chris, he probably can't pronounce his full name Christian. He had just turned three, had such lovely blonde curls and those blue eyes... maybe one day he'll have a son as well, maybe.

"Anakin!"

"What did you say?"

“Are you going to spend something to drink or….”

"Sure, you'll get...OK. , what do you want?"

“Whiskey on the rocks this time.”

“Sure Cody, for a change, and what did you have earlier?”

“Whiskey on the Rocks.”

“….and that’s not the same thing?”

“No, it wasn’t served in a tumbler.”

“I don’t think you noticed the shape after the fourth one.”

Many whiskeys on the rocks followed, and Ben had to leave the car, but that's what taxis are for.

Ben went to Satine, Anakin drove home, and Rex and Cody will try not to fall asleep.

Anakin was working on his dissertation, was a diligent graduate student, and the hours as Professor Stone's assistant kept him busy.

It had been almost six weeks since his accident, and he thought the splint would be removed soon, so he wouldn't be disabled in everything. He wasn't disabled at work, but he missed training in the gym. Not to gain the weight, so he ate less, much less, was hungry and irritable.

He often thought of the beautiful Padmé and her little son Christian and hoped she would call him, but she didn't.

Dormé had already made her last efforts to persuade Padmé to give this good-looking Mr. M.Sc. the call, but Padmé was stubborn as a mule, even though she asked herself why. A one-night stand would be good for her, and he could feel like he had returned the favor. Nothing stopped her except...fear that it could turn into something more because of Christian...or was she the one who might want something more? So she left it.

She planned to fly to L.A. on May 22nd and spend the long weekend with family. At the last moment she decided against it, she urgently needed some summer clothes for Chris and finally to pick up the watch she gave for repairing at Cartier, the watch she inherited from her grandmother. The time for the Stanford shopping center she set, right after breakfast, around 9:00 a.m.

She found something for Chris at Bloomingdale's, but it took a while for him to try everything on; children are not patient in this regard. With two full bags, they made their way to the Cartier. Since the watch was a bit older, it was not under warranty, so the repair cost a lot. She took her son by the hand, and they walked towards the exit of the shopping center. As they passed the huge glass wall and entrance to the Apple Shop, Christian saw Anakin coming out, ripped his hand from his mother's grip and ran towards him. Padmé ran after her son, not yet realizing why he was running away...and then she saw why.

"Anakin, Anakin..." as soon as he stood in front of Anakin, he reached up to be lifted.

"Hey little man, you remember me?" He bent down and picked up the child with almost only one arm, supporting him with the other. Now he was holding him in his arms with a big smile on his face, it felt good.

Padmé said almost apologetically, "You can't do that Christian, you can't attack strangers like that."

"But it's Anakin."

"I'm sorry Mr....Skywalker."

“No need to apologize, Miss Naberrie, I'm glad we met. I can now invite you for coffee, hopefully you won’t say no.”

“I’m hungry, Mom. Can I eat something …please?”

“I'm hungry as well. Can we convince your mother to go for lunch together? What do you think?” he looked into his eyes, which were the bluest he's ever seen...except the ones in the mirror at home, but that didn't occur to him at the moment.

“Can we Mom…please…?”

“You can also eat at home.”

"I want to eat with Anakin, Mom..."

"OK. but I’m embarrassed Mr. Skywalker…. we can go to McDonald’s?”

“There’s True Food Kitchen near Bloomingdale’s, where you can also eat burgers, but better ones.”

“Good, you know your stuff.”

Anakin carried Chris in his arms all the way to the restaurant, and Padmé carried her bags. At lunchtime, every restaurant is full, but they found a table in a corner and sat down. Padmé was amazed at how her son didn't want to get off Anakin's lap, ordered pizza, but ate the burger from Anakin's plate. He even allowed Anakin to put some fries in his mouth, which she wasn't allowed to do because he was a big boy. For Padmé it was a beautiful sight, and she imagined, just for a few seconds, that they were a family. Then she quickly dismissed the idea that she didn't want a man. Even if Christian obviously enjoys it, or even needs it? ...she asked herself the question.

During the meal they talked about their friends and shared memories of their student life.

“It really is a miracle, Miss Naberrie…..”

"Just Padmé would do."

"Well, Padmé..." he smiled at her "...then just Anakin...and it's really a miracle that we both studied at Stanford University and never saw each other on campus."

“The campus is large, and since we were on different faculties, it’s no wonder.”

“But I wish we had met….”

“Are we not too old for flirting?”

"Oh? Is that what it sounds like?”

"As a matter of fact."

"OK. Then…I would be happy if you had time to go out with me for dinner... somewhere.”

“But…we’re already eating together….”

"I mean just you and me, Padmé."

“So…you’re asking for a date?”

“Uh…yeah.”

“I would like that.” She smiled and wondered why she had agreed so quickly.

Funny, she didn't want a man in her life anymore. She looked at him closely...those eyes, kind of like that...No, no, everything is deceptive, but a one-night stand...with this Adonis in blue jeans??? She would like that too, she thought. The only problem was the fear that she might enjoy it.

“Here, my just-repaired iPhone…” he laughed “…please enter your details and I’ll call you when I’ve made the reservation.”

“…just repaired iPhone? It was new.”

"Yeah, it dropped...screen broken." Of course, he couldn't tell her that he had thrown his iPhone against the wall because she didn't call and he forgot to ask for her number. He sometimes had problems with his temper tantrums.

“What day would you prefer?”

"Friday or Saturday."

“Good…..I think Christian fell asleep on my lap.”

“Yeah, and I’m surprised he doesn’t even do it by me. You work miracles… somehow.”

"He's so sweet, I wish he was...I also want a child like him...one day." He smiled wistfully.

The waitress came, he paid the bill and they got up to leave.

“We won't wake him up, I'll carry him to your car.”

"Oh, it would be kind, Anakin. Thank you."

So they walked towards the parking lot, Anakin with sleeping Cristian in his arms. The child was completely relaxed with his head in the crook of Anakin’s neck. He held it loosely, supporting him with his right arm, where the rail was still attached.

They met Rex at the entrance to the shopping center.

"Hey Skywalker, WOW, are you hiding something from us?" he looked between Padmé and Anakin several times "...I mean, it suits you...uh, don't you want to introduce me to the beautiful lady?"

Anakin rolled his eyes. "Padmé, it's my unbearable, since-eternity roommate Rex Kamino. Rex, my acquaintance Padmé Naberrie and her son Christian."

Rex reached out and took Padmé's small hand in his, he was careful, squeezed slightly.

“Nice to meet you Mrs. Naberrie.”

“I’m glad as well, but Miss.”

"Miss, sorry." He grinned the whole time and looked between Anakin and Padmé, conspicuously.

“You’re surely in a hurry, Rex.”

"Oh yes, I'm surely in a hurry." He repeated as if prompted by the Jedi mind trick. "I wish you a nice day."

He left and Anakin knew he would never hear the end of it.

Anakin walked with Padmé to her car and carefully placed Chris in the child seat that was attached to the back seat, while Padmé stored the shopping bags in the back.

"Thanks Anakin, we had a nice few hours, and Christian obviously enjoyed it all, but now when he wakes up, I don't know how I'll explain that you're not there." she laughed.

"Then I'll come with you..." he joked but hoped she would take up his idea.

“We’ve kept you too long.”

"I'll be in touch...about the date." He winked at her.

Padmé was sure it was clearly flirting. She got in, waved goodbye, and drove home.

……………….

Best regards from Germany

Chapter Text

Anakin met Cody when he returned home.

“I got a call from my brother a quarter of an hour ago. He said he saw you at the Stanford Shopping Center with a beautiful woman and a child in your arms. So... who is the woman, and is that your child? Is she the reason why this disaster with Barriss happened?”

“Oh, ooooh? Too many questions at once... but no, it's not my child, and of course she's not the reason for the disaster with Barriss... but she's the one who picked me up off the street when Barriss kicked me out and took me to the hospital...  and we met at the shopping center by chance. Satisfied?”

“And now you want to return the favor by buying your chances of a date? Are you going to see her again? Rex said she's beautiful, much more beautiful than Barriss. In fact, he said he has never seen a more beautiful woman.”

“I can imagine, because he stared at her nonstop like a hormone-driven teenager. It was embarrassing.”

“So?”

“So what?”

“Are you going to ask her for a date, or have you already...”

“Damn it, Cody, we're not teenagers anymore.”

“Indeed, but you could give your friends a piece of your good fortune.”

“I don't want to share her.”

“Oh-ooo...”

“What does that mean?”

“It means: serious.”

It went on like this until Rex came home, and as if that weren't enough, they called Ben and he came running.

"Guys, what's wrong with you? I don't need to tell you about my every move, I'm twenty-eight, not eight. Besides, she's a grown woman with a child, she's not some cheap girl you pick up for a one-time fuck."

Ben looked at him and saw the complete seriousness in his face. “We've never seen you like this before, you look like you're in love.”

“Nonsense... and enough of it. Can we talk about something else?”

“About sex?” Cody asked.

“If this continues, I'm going to my room.”

“Instead of *this is where the fun begins*, this is where the fun ends... too pity.”

Anakin found it unpleasant and refused to be provoked. She was a woman with a child, and that child was... he couldn't explain why he felt so drawn to this child... and it was mutual, it wasn't just today, it was like that the first time he came to pick up his iPhone.

The friends spent the whole evening together, talking about old times, work, and drinking countless bottles of beer.

Padmé parked her Jeep Cherokee in the driveway to the garage, and the first thing she did was take Chris out of his seat; it was getting warm in the car. Turning on the air conditioning would mean he would catch a cold.

She laid the sleeping child on the couch in the living room and motioned to Dormé with her index finger on her mouth that he should not be woken up. She went outside to get the shopping bags. When she returned, her son was sitting on Dormé's lap, crying.

“What's wrong, sweetie? I'm here.”

“He asked where... Anakin... is?” Dormé nodded knowingly and widened her eyes.

“I was afraid that question would come up.”

Padmé took her crying son on her lap, comforted him, and promised that Anakin would be coming soon. She didn't know why she promised that, perhaps it was more her own wish.

She told Dormé about her encounter with Anakin, how Chris interacted with him, what they had talked about, and finally about the upcoming date.

“That's good, Missy. You have to finally get out of your *I don't want a man in my life* hole. It's normal that you need someone, and especially Chris. He needs a father, Padmé.”

“I know, but the sting still runs deep... and if I were to be betrayed and disappointed again... I don't know, Dormé, but I have to say, he's devilishly handsome, so well-built and...”

“I've seen him, Padmé, you don't see every day someone like him.”

“I watched him while he was sitting there with Christian on his lap... he has beautiful face, and when he laughs, he shows his wonderful white teeth, but those eyes... extraordinary... as blue as...”

“...as Chris's.”

“Yes... but many people have blue eyes...”

Of course, many people have that incredible sky-blue color and the dark ring around them... and that dark spot in the right iris...

“When is the date?”

“He'll get in touch when he finds a suitable restaurant.”

“Is he wealthy?”

“I don't know, not yet, but it's not that important. Besides, a Master of Science isn't a bum... if he a Master of Science is.”

Chris had a hard time calming down, and Padmé had struggled to get him to bed later that evening. He kept asking about Anakin. She couldn't explain it. He didn't even interact like that with her father or brother-in-law Darred, although she had to admit that they were the only men Chris knew well. Anakin was new and good with children, that must be it, she thought.

After three days, Anakin called and said that he had only been able to get a table at Gery Danko in San Francisco for June 6. He insisted on picking her up at 6:30 p.m. She thanked him for the invitation and wondered why they had to drive so far when there were surely good restaurants nearby. Then she googled it, wanting to know what kind of restaurant it was, so she could dress appropriately. And it was one of the better ones.

She booked the same babysitter as always for this Saturday and was glad that the student was willing to come that Saturday. The blue dress and jacket she chose went well with her black Jimmy Choo shoes and the black Prada bag her parents gave her for her 25th birthday. Her hair was tied back in a chignon that touched her neck. She wore only subtle makeup, which only emphasized her elegance.

Right on time at 6:30 p.m., Anakin parked in the driveway and rang the doorbell. The door opened, Padmé stood there, and so did he, unable to say anything for a few seconds. Then words finally came out but couldn't even begin to express his thoughts.

“You are...you look beautiful.”

“You also look great...so elegant.” She looked him up and down. He was wearing a gray-blue suit and a light blue shirt without a tie, black brogues, and a black belt about 4 cm wide with a buckle in the shape of the letter H...aha.

Chris came running up, already in his pajamas...

“Anakin! Do you stay to eat with me?”

“Not tonight, unfortunately.”

“Why not?”

“I'm going to eat with your Mom.”

“That's not fair.” He made a sad face and looked like he was about to cry.

“Don't cry, Christian. On a Saturday, when your mom has time, I'll come over and we'll go to McDonald's, OK?”

“Don't forget.”

Anakin crouched down and wrapped both hands around the child's upper arms. “No, I won't forget, I promise.”

“Good, Anakin.”

Padmé picked up her son and told him to be a good boy and eat everything that babysitter Julie gave him. She kissed him goodnight and put him back down. Julie took his hand and was about to leave when she saw Anakin. She smiled coquettishly.

“Oh, good evening, Professor.”

“Good evening, but not Professor yet.”

So, so, thought Padmé, he must be more than a Master of Science.

“Let's go, Padmé.”

“Do you like to drive fast?” she asked jokingly when she saw the expensive Corvette coupe. She knew how much that car cost.

He opened the door for her, as a gentleman should. “Yes, and this little Corvette is the only luxury I treated myself to, otherwise, I live very modestly.”

“Except for the thousand-dollar Hermes belt.” She laughed, hoping to embarrass him.

He smiled, revealing his perfect white teeth. “Right, except for the belt.”

Anakin tried not to drive faster than the speed limit, knowing how scared she would be if he drove like he did when he was alone. 

He was able to find a parking space near the restaurant, so they didn't have to walk far, otherwise it would have been difficult for her in her high heels. He offered her his arm, and she gratefully accepted.

They were assigned a nice table for two in a corner, next to which was a second table where an older couple was sitting. They didn't want to discuss topics that weren't suitable for others to hear, but there weren't any such topics anyway, as they hardly knew each other. Nevertheless, they talked a lot about their studies, their friends, and professors they both knew. Anakin ordered dessert, and when Padmé realized that the evening was coming to an end, she regretted it.

“It was a very pleasant evening, Anakin. Thank you.”

“I enjoyed it, and I hope there will be a second one.”

“To be honest, I don't know why I agreed to this first one. You seem like a nice guy, but I want to tell you the truth, Anakin.”

The older couple had already left, and she could tell him what no one else should hear. She spoke not loud, and he leaned across the table a little to hear her better. She told him about Palo and Rush Clovis, about betrayal, her suffering and disappointments, and her current caution with men. She hadn't even confided some of the details of her stories to Dormé. He told her about Barriss and their relationship and how it ended.

“I've never told anyone these details before,” he confessed honestly.

“I should feel honored that you were willing to confide such intimate things to me in the short time we've known each other.”

“I can trust you somehow.” He smiled at her, reached across the table, and took her hand in his. “I won't push for a second date, but I'd be happy if you called me.”

He paid the bill, gave the waiter a generous tip, and asked her to wait at the restaurant entrance until he drove up in his car. She was grateful. With an exhaust note that only a Corvette can produce, he pulled up in front of the entrance, got out, and held the door open for her. He's a true gentleman, she thought.

They spoke little on the way home. Both of them were replaying the wonderful evening in their minds, wanting to remember everything in the right order.

When they got out of the car, he helped her out of the seat and accompanied her to the door. There were no lights on in the living room. Was Julie still there?

“Thanks for the wonderful evening, Anakin.”

“You made it so amazing.” He took her cheek in his hands and, instead of kissing her, just brushed his thumb over her lower lip. One of his hands wandered over her neck and shoulder, down her arm to her hand, which he lifted to his lips and kissed. “Good night, Padmé.”

She shuddered, having expected the kiss, but didn't let on. “Good night, Anakin.”

Then she unlocked the door and went inside. Anakin waited until the door closed behind her, got into his car, and drove home.

When Padmé was inside, the light came on, and she saw Dormé sitting on the couch.

“So, Missy, I want to know everything, don't leave out a single letter.”

……..

Best regards from Germany

Chapter Text

Padmé told her friend all about the pleasant evening, about the things they had talked about.

“You confided quite a lot in him, girlfriend.”

“I also learned a lot about him, but the most important thing is that he now understands why I don't want a man... well, why I don't want a second date...”

“...don't want a second date??? Padmé... Chris kept asking about him the whole time.”

“I can't let someone into my life just because my son likes him.”

"Right. It makes more sense to fuck... random... mediocre men than to respond to your own child's needs. Why did you bring him into the world? Was it just a whim of the moment?"

“That wasn't fair, Dormé. Not even my mother said things like that to me.”

“I know you better than your mother does by now.”

“Of course my mother knows me, character doesn't change, maybe only desires and inclinations...”

"Right, and that's exactly what we're talking about here: desires and inclinations of an adult Padmé. I've been through all these changes with you... and then there are your bad experiences and the resulting insecurities and fears... and I know you're afraid of suffering another emotional breakdown. You don't know this M.Sc. Skywalker-Wonderful, but if you don't want to date him, you'll never get to know him. Maybe he's the right father for Chris and perhaps, just perhaps, the right man for you." It was a real tirade. 

“I know now why you're such a successful criminal defense attorney.”

“Enlighten me.”

“You can always convince the jury of the innocence of the murderers you defend.” “Anakin is not a murderer, and he is not guilty. I'm just trying to convince you to give him a chance.”

“Yes, I'll think about it, maybe a date together with Christian.”

“That would be the right thing to do, just don't wait too long... and now let's go to sleep.”

On Monday morning, after Dormé had gone to work and she had had breakfast with Chris, Padmé got ready to take her son to the Stanford Shopping Center. The date for her flight to L.A. had been set for some time, and now she wanted to buy a little something for everyone in her family. The gifts for Ryoo and Pooja were especially important.

“Mom, are we going to see Anakin again?”

She hated to disappoint Chris, but this time she had to. “No, sweetheart, Anakin has to work.”

“Then call him. He'll come.”

“That's not possible, Christian. When people are working, you shouldn't disturb them. He works to earn money. He uses it to buy groceries, pay for his apartment, and other bills.”

“And how do you pay for all that? You don't work.”

Oh, this will be difficult to explain, she thought. “I inherited my grandmother's house, which I then sold, and now I have money, so I don't have to work... just for a while.” 

“But Anakin has to work. That's not fair.” 

“You know what? I'll call him later this evening, and then we'll meet up when he's not working, on a weekend, for example.”

“We'll all go to the park and play in the sandbox. We'll play like he's my dad.”

That came as a bit of a shock. Padmé picked up her son.

“Why do you want him to play your dad?”

“I love him.”

“Okay, then we'll play in the sand.”

All day long, Padmé thought about what to say to Anakin, why she was calling him and wanting to meet up with him just one day after she said she didn't want any more dates. She can't do that, at least wait until after her birthday, she thought.

On Friday evening, she called him.

*Hi Anakin, it's Padmé... my son has been asking about you a lot, so... I thought we could go to the playground together... if you want to and have time, of course.*

*Oh Padmé, that's a surprise... um, yes, of course I want to, and I always have time for you. What do you have in mind?*

*Sunday afternoon, Holbrook Palmer Park. Christian wants to play in the sand with you.*

*Oh...okay.*

Anakin didn't like sand, but if Chris wanted to play in the sand, then so be it...and now he had more time, he was only working on his dissertation.

*Come to our place, we have to take my Jeep... because of the child seat.*

*Sunday at 4:00 p.m.?*

*Yes, great. Christian will be thrilled.*

*And you?*

*Uh... me too. See you then.*

...and didn't know why she had said that. Because it was true? No, they were only meeting because of Christian.

On this Sunday afternoon, with the weather being so nice, it was wonderful to sit in the park, sometimes on the grass, sometimes in the sand. Padmé sat on the edge and watched the two of them.

“You have a little shovel and a bucket, shall we build a castle?”

“Other children are playing with their daddy. Do you want to be my daddy now?”

“But... I'm not your daddy...”

“It's just a game.”

“OK, then let's pretend I'm your daddy.”

Chris called him daddy several times and it felt so... strange. No, it felt good. Padmé said nothing; she didn't want to shatter the illusion. After two hours in the sand, Anakin remembered his promise.

“What do you think about McDonald's? I think I promised you that, Chris, didn't I?”

“Yes! Shall we go, Mom?”

“If Anakin has time, gladly.”

...and so, they went to McDonald's on El Camino Real. Chris sat on Anakin's lap again and let him feed him.

“We're flying to L.A. in two days to visit my family and will be staying for ten days or so.”

“Then we won't see each other for a while. Let me know when you're back.”

“I will, Christian won't let me rest otherwise.”

“Otherwise, you wouldn't call?”

“Uh... yes, no... I don't know.” She smiled sheepishly.

“Yes, I know, no second...”

“That's not what I meant.”

“What did you mean then?”

“You know my story.”

“Yes, but I could call you... while you're away, it wouldn't be a date, and there would be nothing to it, right?”

“Right.”

At home, in the driveway, Anakin took Chris out of the car and carried him to the door. He was about to put him down when Chris said:

“Give me a goodnight kiss.”

Anakin was a little surprised, but he kissed him on the cheek. The child's skin was soft and he still smelled of the soap he had been washed with. Even more surprising was that Chris kissed him back, and it felt so good.

“Good night, Chris, sleep well. Good night to you too, Padmé. Talk to you later.”

“Thanks for the lovely afternoon and for dinner... I still have to give him a bath, he's covered in sand. Good night, Anakin.”

“Yeah, I've got sand everywhere too, need to take a shower... and have a good flight, bye.”

Padmé watched him until he got into his Corvette and drove away.

She gave Chris a shower and put him to bed. A bedtime story was a must every night; her parents had always read her one, and she couldn't fall asleep without it. Neither could Chris.

She took a shower herself, put on her nightgown, a light robe over it, and went down to the living room to watch TV. On Netflix, she could always find something: trashy romantic movies or series, often comedies. She always told Dormé when she asked her what to watch, “I don't want to see a movie that makes me cry. Give me a comedy every day, and I'll be happy.” So, she browsed Netflix and found He's Just Not That Into You. ...OK. It made her laugh. When the movie ended, she sat there thinking about the afternoon. She couldn't explain why her son liked Anakin so much. OK, she liked him too... a little. He was so nice and courteous and... no, she didn't want to think about his appearance, about him as a man.

In the days before the trip to L.A., Padmé was busy packing; she had a lot of luggage this time. She had even bought a small children's trolley. Chris was also excited; she had told him a lot about his cousins, whom he had forgotten since his last visit.

On Tuesday morning, she took a taxi to San Jose Mineta Airport, checked in, and went to the gate. The flight took an hour and twenty minutes. Her mother was already waiting impatiently at Los Angeles International Airport.

“I've missed you so much, Padmé, you don't come often enough. Promise me you'll come more often, I get to see so little of his childhood.”

“I'll do better, Mom.”

“I don't believe a word you say, actually. Once you start working, your visits will be even rarer.”

At home, everyone was excited, and they all fawned over little Chris, especially his cousins. They were a few years older, but Chris fit right in. As usual, Sola had to ask questions about Padmé's love life, and as usual, Padmé didn't answer.

“Oh, let's see, maybe Christian will tell us a little more...”

“Sola! Don't you dare.”

“Why are you getting so upset? If there's no boyfriend, Chris can't tell us anything. Tell me, Chris, does Mom have a boyfriend?”

“No, but I have a daddy, we play in the sand.”

“Oh, I see... Padmé, little children can't lie. You're in contact with the Christian’s father. Why are you hiding him from us? Is he that bad? Is he a criminal, a bum, or even worse?”

“No, it's not like that, he's just an acquaintance that Christian likes and plays with in the sand.”

“Is he also Christian’s father? Who is Christian’s father? When are we finally going to find out, Padmé?” Ruwee said, quite annoyed.

“I'm tired of these questions, there is no father! I had artificial insemination. Are you satisfied now?”

Suddenly, it became so quiet that you could hear the mosquitoes flying. No one had expected this, not even in their wildest dreams. After a few long minutes, Sola dropped something, picked up Chris, went out onto the porch, and said only:

“The sperm donor must be gorgeous, Chris doesn't look anything like you.”

“Oh! Thanks, sis,” Padmé said sarcastically, but she understood that the family still had to cope with the shock.

“Come on, Padmé, you know very well that I didn't mean to say you were ugly. You're a beautiful young woman, you could have any man you want.”

“Right. My past confirms your claim. Why do you think, sis, that I don't have a boyfriend, that I don't want men anymore?”

“Don't make your life hell because of two failed relationships. There are women who have been through much more than you.”

"That's no consolation to me. I don't want to go through something like that again.”

That day, other topics were difficult to bring up and discuss; everyone had Padmé's actions on their minds.

Ruwee had to work, but Jobal took time off to be with his daughter and grandson. Sola came with her family every day. The topic of the child's father was dropped; there was nothing left to discuss.

Padmé wanted to go to Santa Monica Pier and Pacific Park with Chris, maybe spend a few more days at Malibu Beach, and definitely visit Disneyland California and see Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. Well, that was more her wish than Christian's; she was a big Star Wars fan.

On the third day, as she lay on Malibu Lagoon State Beach with Chris, her cell phone rang. It was Anakin.

*Hi, I just wanted to hear how you're doing, what you're up to... and stuff like that.*

*Hi, we're fine, we're lying on the sandy beach in Malibu right now.*

*Oh sand, I don't like sand. It's scratchy, rough, and uncomfortable. It gets everywhere.*

*But you played in the sand with Christian...*

*I can even tolerate sand for the little guy.* He laughed.

*Do you like him that much?*

*In this short time, I've grown fond of him and I... maybe one day I'll...*

*Sure, Anakin. One day you'll definitely...*

He interrupted. *Sure. On another note, when are you coming back?*

*Late on the 24th. Why do you ask?*

*I had an idea. We could drive to the Pacific Coast together on July 4th, somewhere between Half Moon Bay and Miramar. There are countless restaurants there, we could eat there and have a nice time... all day... sitting in the sand...*

*And then Christian will call you... Daddy.*

*That sounds good.*

*Then let's take this trip.*

*Great. I'm already looking forward to it and don't know how I'll manage to wait until July 4th.* He laughed loudly, trying to sound funny, but he was serious. *Okay then, talk to you later... uh, I'll call you. Bye.*

*Bye Anakin.* She hung up and already missed his voice.

.........

Best regards from Germany

Chapter Text

In the days leading up to June 24, she spent time with Chris at a nearby beach or Disneyland Adventure Park, and with her family.

One day, she drove to San Diego to visit Rabé. She wanted to maintain their friendship, and Rabé would be disappointed if she didn't visit.

The day before she was scheduled to fly home, Padmé began packing. Sola had just arrived, and they were chatting in Padmé's bedroom when a cell phone rang somewhere.

"Go ahead, I'll get it."

It was Padmé's phone; Anakin Skywalker was calling her.

*Hi, Padmé. I thought I could pick you up at the airport if you give me the flight number." You said you're landing late in the evening. Maybe it's better if you have someone accompany you. I...*

*This isn't Padmé. I'm her sister, Sola. Who are you, if I may ask?*

*I’m Anakin, an acquaintance of Padmé.*

*A good acquaintance who plays in the sand with Chris, whom Chris calls Daddy'?*

*Oh! She told you that?*

*No, but Chris did.*

*Yes, children tell a lot.*

*But certainly no lies.*

Sola had always been straightforward.

*Um, can I speak to Padmé… please?*

*Sure.*

"What did you say to unsettle him?"

"Nothing."

"I know you, Sola. Give it here." She almost snatched the phone out of her hand.

*Hi, Anakin. I don't know what my sister told you, but I apologize in advance.*

*It's okay, Padmé. I wanted to suggest picking you up from the airport since your flight is landing so late.*

*That would be really nice, Anakin. We're flying on the 24th with Alaska Airlines on flight 3434, which lands at 9:31 p.m. Yes, it's late, but I couldn't get another flight. I know it's late.*

*We'll manage it. I'll wait for you. I'm already looking forward to seeing you.*

*Is that flirting?*

*Does it sound like it?*

*Somehow, yes.*

*I can try. See you the day after tomorrow, Padmé. Bye.*

*Bye, Anakin. Sleep well.*

She smiled at her phone and hung up.

"Tell me, what does he look like? Tall? Blond? Blue eyes? Handsome? Smart?"

"What makes you think that?"

"Well, when I look at Chris... I think he must be your type. You must have had someone in mind when you were looking through the sperm donor catalog, someone who you thought your son might one day look like.”

"And what makes you think that?"

"You wouldn't choose a short, stupid, ugly man with green eyes, would you?"

"That description reminds me of someone."

"So, what does this Anakin look like?"

“Tall, blond, and devilishly handsome with eyes as blue as the sky above the Pacific Ocean. Actually, he looks like Adonis reincarnated. I've never seen a more beautiful man in my life, Sola." She smiled and gazed dreamily into the distance.

"Wow! Does he have any quirks?"

Padmé started laughing out loud. "Yes, he's not decisive enough.”

"Ah, I'd say that's one of his good points, which will win the race in the end."

"You're terrible, Sola."

"Am I right, or am I right? You have a crush on him, I can see it. You act like a teenager when you talk about him; the only thing missing is for you to start giggling."

"He's different from everyone else. He's so modest, not pushy, and Christian loves him."

"And you, do you love him?"

"I like him. I really do. But in the back of my mind are all my failed relationships, and I can't get rid of them, even if I wanted to."

"Do you want to move on and continue living normally?"

"I'm afraid of repeating the past."

"You just said he's different from the others. What are you afraid of?"

"I don't know."

"You won't get anywhere with that attitude. You think he's different, but you're still afraid of repeating the past."

Padmé snorted and nodded.

"You may feel good about your decision to live without a man right now, Padmé, but will you still feel that way in fifteen or twenty years when Chris goes to college—somewhere far away—or stays there? You'll be alone and a few years older. Who will look at you or need you then? Have you ever thought about that? You should take a chance again. Maybe he's the one. I think Chris has already figured that out."

"I don't know..."

"Then find out, and don't wait too long. Otherwise, the reincarnated Adonis will be snatched up by another woman who isn't as hesitant as you."

"Maybe you're right."

"I'm always right."

That night, Padmé couldn't sleep. The conversation she had with her sister kept running through her mind.

The sting was still too deep to dare it again. Besides, Anakin had a bad experience as well. As a result, they were both cautious. No, nothing could come of such a relationship. On the other hand, Sola is right. She's doing great without a man in her life right now. She has her little son to take care of, she has so much to do. He'll be starting kindergarten soon, and she'll find a job .... but later, when everyday life catches up with her, will she go out with Dormé as often, if at all? Will Dormé still be there? Or will she roam nightclubs alone, hoping to pick up an acceptable man? Or will she sit alone at home, watching old comedies on TV, just to make sure nothing changes? Just to hold on to what she has, only to realize she has nothing? It doesn't have to happen that way, but the probability is high. She finally asked herself if that's what she wants. No, she didn't want to end up an old maid walking her dog morning and night because she has no one else to love her.

Anakin. The thought of him dispelled the dark clouds of a possible future. He was cautious and subtle in his advances, but she would no longer reject him. Rather, she would encourage him, starting tomorrow. Starting tomorrow.

Before going to the airport, she spent time with her family in intense conversation. It seemed as if they had forgiven or at least tolerated her misstep, but there was nothing she could do about it now.

On the evening of the 24th, her mother drove Padmé and Chris to the airport. The flight took an hour and twenty minutes. They landed on time. As soon as she had her bag, she went to the exit and saw Anakin standing there.

He smiled. Chris noticed him and ran toward him. Anakin spread his arms to embrace the child. Chris put his little arms around Anakin's neck and hugged him tightly.

"I missed you so much, little man."

Padmé was already there, putting her hand around Anakin's neck and forcing him to bend his head so that she could kiss him on the cheek.

"We missed you."

"I missed you, too, Padmé." He kissed her back.

"Look, Mama, there's a dog." Anakin put him down, and he ran to an elderly woman who had a small dog on her lap. "Can I pet him?"

"Yes, he's not vicious."

In a matter of seconds, Anakin was right behind Chris and on his way.

"Excuse me."

"No problem. He's a cute boy. He looks so much like you. He has your eyes."

Yes, he had his father's eyes, whoever that father was, Anakin thought.

Padmé pulled the trolley, and Anakin carried Chris, who had made himself comfortable in his arms and laid his head in the crook of his neck. He had fallen asleep by the time they reached the parking lot. Padmé was surprised when they found the car.

"You came in my Jeep?"

"Yes, I asked Dormé to give me the car keys. I don't have a car seat in my Corvette."

"You think of everything. Thank you. One day, you'll be a great father."

"Yes, but first, I have to find the right mother for my child."

"You have to actively search, Anakin."

"It's not as easy as you think. I can't date a different woman every day, make a list of characteristics, and then decide if she's suitable. I'll become a father if fate assigns me that role...or maybe not."

When they arrived home, Anakin carefully took Chris out of his car seat and carried him to his bedroom. Padmé quickly put on his pajamas, covered him up, and kissed him on the cheek. Anakin did the same.

"My sweet boy."

"Your sweet boy?"

Anakin smiled. "As good as. He is already in my heart."

She looked at him and suddenly wondered what it would have been like if this beautiful man had been her son's father.

"Let's go downstairs," he said, putting his hand on her shoulder.

Downstairs in the living room, Dormé was waiting with questions that couldn't all be answered that evening. Anakin didn't stay long. He drank a lemonade, excused himself because he had work the next morning, and then got up. Padmé accompanied him to his car and put her hand on his shoulder to say goodbye. However, it seemed as if he had no intention of kissing her. She didn't want to let him go like that. Her hand moved to his neck, and he leaned in for a kiss on the cheek.

"Good night, Anakin. Thank you for picking us up."

"You're welcome. Sleep well, Padmé. I'll be in touch in the next few days about the trip.”

“Good. Bye.”

He hesitantly pulled his hand away from her upper arm, walked to his Corvette, got in, and drove out of the driveway. She stood there, her eyes following him until he was out of sight.

Dormé was still waiting on the couch.

"What was that out there, huh?"

“Unfortunately, nothing.”

"Unfortunately sounds good."

……………..

Best regards from Germany

Chapter Text

As always, Dormé wanted to know every detail, so Padmé told her that the cat was out of the bag and that her parents now knew about the artificial insemination.

"How did they take it?"

"Not good."

"Has anyone ever?" Padmé, you only do something like that in an extreme emergency. Look, you're slowly starting to take an interest in Anakin. Wouldn't it be better if you didn't have children? No man likes another man's children. Did you know that when a lion takes over a pride, he kills all the cubs?"

"Damn it, Dormé, we're not animals!"

"True, but that animal instinct hasn't been completely lost through evolution."

"Anyway, Anakin loves my Christian."

"Hmm, there are only two explanations for that. Either he was pretending, or he's the father."

Padmé started to laugh. "I don't believe the first, and the second is absurd. Stop it; this discussion get us nowhere."

"If you say so. Now, let's go to sleep. Sweet dreams about your new crush, finally." Good night. Phew, I have to work tomorrow. You're really enviable sometimes, you know that?"

"Oh yes, I know. Good night."

They turned off the lights and went to their rooms. Padmé opened Chris's door and couldn't resist kissing the sleeping child. She loved him more than anything. Would she love him even more if he had a father, if he were the result of her love with a man? No, definitely not. He was her whole world. But someone was slowly creeping into that world, step by step.

Padmé decided it was time to start looking for a job. What was possible? She had studied political science, so her options were limited. San Jose or San Francisco? Sacramento was too far away; she would have to leave her familiar surroundings. Well, she already knew that before she started studying. Then she could go home to L.A., where there was always a lot going on. But Sacramento? California's capital city? Lots of career opportunities. She wanted to look nearby first, so San Jose it was. She wrote an application and sent it off.

Anakin only pretended to be busy. But he didn't have much to do, he was busy thinking about Padmé. Spending time with her son, whom he had grown fond of, wasn't the main thing; it was Padmé herself. She was beautiful, intelligent, and educated. She was a little reserved, but he knew why, and that's why he didn't want to push. He wasn't sure if her hugs and kisses a few days ago were attempts to get closer or if she wanted to encourage him. Maybe he was just imagining things. He was afraid of doing the wrong thing and scaring her away, so he did nothing. On the other hand, she might interpret his inaction as disinterest. Damn, he wished he knew. Women had always been a mystery to him with their different ways of thinking and different signals. All right, then. Take it slowly and find out. First, the July 4th plan.

*Hi Padmé, everything OK with you?*

*Yes, everything's fine. What are you doing?* 

*I told you I had an idea for the 4th of July, and now I have a concrete plan. We're going on a trip to the coast. We could lie on the beach somewhere between Half Moon Bay and Miramar and enjoy the day. There are also countless restaurants where we can eat. Shall we do that?*

*That sounds great! Christian will be happy.*

*Then we have a date... I mean the three of us.*

*We'll pick you up at 8:00 a.m. and drive to the coast in my Jeep.*

*Because of the car seat?*

*Right, and because you like to drive, that way we'll get there faster.*

*Is that so? Okay, it's a deal.*

On the afternoon of July 3, Anakin called to confirm tomorrow's appointment. Padmé had already packed two bags with only the essentials, but when you're traveling with a toddler, even the essentials add up to quite a lot. She had packed everything, so Anakin only needed to bring his swimming trunks.

Early Saturday morning, she put everything in the trunk, then went inside to have breakfast with Chris and Dormé. She didn't eat much, just a piece of cheese toast and Dormé's good coffee. She was a little nervous, but since her friend knew her well, she also knew why.

"Well, what do you think? How does the Adonis look in swimming trunks?" “Damn it, Dormé...”

"What? It's written all over your face. You've been thinking about it the whole time."

"Is all you ever think about men?"

"Not when I'm in the courtroom, but otherwise, yes. Will you tell me what he looks like later?"

"No."

"Oh? Hiding that beautiful image in the back of your mind, not letting anyone else see it, huh?"

"You're nasty, Dormé."

"You like me that way. By the way, did you pack that skimpy bikini that will make Anakin's eyes pop out of his head?"

"Two of them, Dormé."

"Anakin will have a good time today."

"Sure, Christian. Are you done eating? We don't want to keep Anakin waiting.”

"I'm done, Mom."

They said goodbye to Dormé, and then she drove to Anakin's house.

At Anakin's house, she met Rex again and met his twin brother, Cody. Rex greeted her with a kiss on the cheek as though she were an old friend. She was a bit surprised but let it go.

" My brother and I also want to come to the coast, around noon. We'll find you, and then we can all eat together."

Anakin didn't know about this plan and didn't like it. He wanted to be alone with Padmé and Chris. Padmé wasn't opposed to the idea. Why not, after all? 

What the two of them didn't know was that the twins were planning to flirt with Padmé to finally prompt Anakin to take action.

They didn't talk much on the way. Padmé sank into her seat and enjoyed the ride. Route 92 ran partly through a dense forest, so she lowered her window and breathed in the fresh, lightly conifer-scented morning air. Anakin focused on the road, while little Christian slept in his car seat in the back. From time to time, Padmé glanced at Anakin and smiled.

"I didn't know my two roommates wanted to come to the coast, either. I hope you don't mind.”

"Not in the least."

"Good, but somehow I suspect they're up to something."

"You know them well, and I'm wary."

They found the road to the parking lot somewhere in Half Moon Bay, took their things out of the car, and walked down to Francis Beach. They spread out the blankets and gave Chris his toys. He was soon busy digging in the sand.

Anakin took off his T-shirt and slowly unfastened his jeans' belt. She stared, unable to take her eyes off him for a second. He noticed, of course. When he took off his jeans and stood there in just his swim trunks, he grinned and asked, "Do you like what you see?"

She just smiled shyly. "Flirting?"

"I'm a man interested in you, trying to get you interested in me."

"Are you? You're not that pushy."

"You've told me a few things, and I'm a little unsure. Besides, it's not my style to be pushy. I don't think you'd like that."

She took off her beach dress, and now he was the one who stared.

"You're beautiful." He didn't just say it, he truly thought she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Now, he just had to find a way to pull her out of her shell.

They played with Chris in the sand, building canals and castles. Anakin went into the water to fill buckets, but only up to his ankles. It was dangerous; the waves were high, and the current was strong. After all, this was the open Pacific.

Shortly before noon, Rex and Cody found them and they decided to eat together at Flying Fish & Grill. The twins mostly talked to Padmé, and Anakin suspected their intentions. Chris sat on Anakin's lap again and ate fries dipped in ketchup. He let Anakin feed him.

"It suits you, Skywalker. You should become a father as soon as possible."

"I'm happy and content with this little guy."

The suspicion that Anakin was hiding the fact that he was the boy's father grew stronger. They thought Anakin had an affair with Padmé, or even a one-night stand, and that the boy was the result. Of course, that wasn't the case, but when you don't know anything, wild speculation runs rampant.

Later, on the beach, Rex and Cody tried to draw Padmé into their conversations by teasing her and throwing sand and water at her. However, Anakin didn't react as they had hoped. He wasn't happy about it, but he didn't let himself be provoked. Instead, he played with Chris, who was digging in the sand in front of him. At some point, Padmé decided she'd had enough of the twins' teasing. She came over to Anakin, sat down close to him, and rested her head on his shoulder. Rex winked at Anakin. Anakin looked at Padmé, smiled, and hugged her. Satisfied with the result, she snuggled closer to him, receiving a kiss on the forehead in return.

Chris noticed this interaction and dropped everything to quickly come over and sit between Anakin's bent legs.

"Oh, you two look so cute. I'm going to take a picture." She quickly got up and took her cell phone out of her pocket. She stood a few steps in front of Anakin.

"Look here and say cheese."

She laughed, knowing it would be a beautiful photo of Anakin holding her son tightly with their cheeks pressed together. Click. She tapped the screen again to retrieve the photo she had just taken, eager to see if it had turned out well. Then, she enlarged the photo with two fingers, and her smile froze.

"Do we look that good, or have you seen a ghost?" he joked, laughing.

She said nothing, just handed him the phone. The photo was zoomed in so that only their faces were visible. Now Anakin knew why he had been wondering about the child's eyes. He had seen those eyes before, namely in his own mirror. They were blue like the sky, dark blue around the edges, with a small dark blue dot in the right iris, in the same place.

"Padmé, we need to talk."

"I think so."

They didn't exchange any more words; they didn't want his friends to think it was something everyone could discuss. It was only their business, so they tried to stay relaxed. Difficult.

After another two hours, Rex and Cody said goodbye.

"Padmé..."

"No, Anakin. This is not a topic for beach conversation."

"Okay. When and, more importantly, where?"

"If Dormé isn't home today, we can talk at my place after Chris falls asleep."

"And if she is home?"

"Then we'll have to postpone the discussion."

Until late afternoon, when they made their way home, they didn't talk much. Both were lost in their own thoughts. Padmé felt guilty for not telling Anakin about the circumstances surrounding Chris's birth. Anakin felt uneasy because he didn't understand what he had seen.

Now, they were both dreading the uncomfortable conversation they knew was coming. What did they want to talk about? Chris's blue eyes? Or that dark blue point in his iris, in the same place as Anakin's? Or the fact that Chris looked so much like Anakin, and how they had been attracted to each other from the start? These were all undeniable facts, but ultimately, they didn't have to mean anything.

…………..

Best regards from Germany