Skywalker Apartment [Saturday evening]

[sith_happened]

It had been a very long day, and Anakin had only really talked to two people.

He came home with a bottle of wine, opened the door and whined called out, "Rory?"

Time to add another branch to the cracked-out Skywalker family tree...

[OOC: For the fake wife and SP of dooooom.]

Comments

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"How was newbie day?" Rory softly called back, poking her head out of the nursery. "Baby just went to bed."

[sith_happened]

Anakin took a deep breath, shook his head, and blurted, "Leia's here."

He looked freaked out.

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"...like, in our apartment?" she asked, staring.

[sith_happened]

"At school," Anakin clarified. "I think she's younger than Jaina. She doesn't know who I am. Well, how we're related. She knows the old propaganda about me and Force, I'd forgotten what the stories used to say, and she doesn't know about Luke or that I used to be Vader and someone is going to tell her and then she's going to hate me and I deserve it but I really don't like being hated much."

Coherence, apparently, was overrated. And breathing.

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"...sit. I'll get the ice cream and vodka," Rory said, pointing to the couch after a moment.

[sith_happened]

Anakin pretty much collapsed onto the sofa and put his head between his hands, trying to remember how to breathe.

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

Rory walked out a moment later with a tub of ice cream and a bottle of vanilla vodka. "Okay, start at the beginning. This time with breathing involved."

[sith_happened]

"Okay," Anakin said, reaching for the vodka. "Leia is still young. She was sent here by her foster-father who hasn't been blown up on Alderaan, and who is going to have a kriffing gundark when he finds out I'm alive. We didn't exactly get along during the Clone Wars."

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"How did she react to you?" she asked, tilting her head.

[sith_happened]

"She wondered why the Hero With No Fear was here instead of home fighting the Empire," Anakin said, mouth twisting wryly.

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"So she just doesn't understand about the timeline thing," Rory said thoughtfully.

[sith_happened]

"And I'm not exactly comfortable telling her everything is going to work out in about five years, but don't be too attached to Alderaan," Anakin said bitterly.

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"Maybe you can change things for her?" Rory wondered, more thinking aloud than anything else.

[sith_happened]

"How?" Anakin asked, reaching out to pull Rory onto his lap. "If I tell her about the Death Star without the plans to blow it up, she'll die. If I tell her to watch what she says when she becomes a Senator she'll ignore me. If I tell her I'm her father--" he shook his head. "I don't know what will happen."

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

Rory curled up on his lap, deep in thought.

"...has she met Jaina?" she asked suddenly.

[sith_happened]

"I don't know," Anakin admitted. "It's probably best to assume yes, though."

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"That's not going to be the best," she commented lightly.

[sith_happened]

"At all," Anakin agreed, "but I can hardly lock the grandchildren in the basement. What do you think I should do?"

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"I'm not sure there's anything you can do," she noted softly.

[sith_happened]

"I can tell her I'm her father," he said. "I could tell her Vader is her father. Or I could wait it out and wait for Jaina or Ben to tell her."

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"It's going to change everything to do that," she pointed out. "Didn't Luke have to tell our Leia, and only after she'd gone through everything? You tell her now, she might never meet Luke, or Han, or have her kids, or play her part in destroying the Empire."

[sith_happened]

Anakin nodded, looking miserable. "But she's my daughter," he whispered, "and there is a whole galaxy of pain that's barreling down on her that she doesn't know is coming. I won't fix that. I can't. History has to play out. Her Vader needs his chance to become human again, too, and her Luke to fulfill his destiny."

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"It's hard," she said quietly. "You can't help her Luke, either."

[sith_happened]

He held on more tightly. "But I want to be more than just a teacher for her."

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"I'm not sure how that's possible," Rory murmured, stroking his hair.

[sith_happened]

He leaned his head against her shoulder and sighed. "And not just because I don't want her to harass me about why I'm here and not there."

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"Tell her it wasn't your choice," she replied. "That's true, isn't it?"

[sith_happened]

Anakin nodded. "But I think telling her a different Leia told me to stay here might not help."

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"She doesn't need to know that part," Rory suggested.

[sith_happened]

"And what do I do about Luke?" Anakin asked. "Besides suggest he not show up for Jaina's graduation, which just seems cruel."

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"Luke is an adult," Rory pointed out. "He can make decisions, too. Give him the information, and let him figure it out from there."

[sith_happened]

Anakin smiled, looking only a little pained. "It's still hard for me to remember that," he admitted, snuggling a little closer. "This whole day has put me off my game."

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"Funny how time-warped estranged children showing up can do that," Rory said, kissing his cheek. "Did you want to go tuck in Juliet? She's probably still up talking to herself."

[sith_happened]

"You promise not to eat all of the ice cream while I'm gone?" Anakin teased, kissing her cheek.

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"Well, not now that you're on to me," Rory replied.

[sith_happened]

He gave her a quick hug, then shifted her back onto the sofa. "I'll be right back," he promised. "I need to say hello to a little girl."

Whose life he hadn't either ruined or was going to ruin. Timeline complications were not fantastic for Anakin's guilt.