Title: And You Never Freed the Slaves

Author: Ruby-Flame Jedi Queen

Rating: PG

Feedback: Would be greatly appreciated...

Disclaimer: I'm not making any money off of this, all charaters belong to George Lucas.

On his ninth birthday, Anakin had been reprimanded by Watt several times to work faster, but it had been his birthday and that was all Anakin could think about. He was excited, although he wasnít quite sure why-- after all heíd gone through 8 of these birthdays before, yet somehow this one felt more special than the others.

"Boy! If you donít finish putting together that Sunnet Droid by this afternoon, I am going to have very grumpy customers indeed!"

"Boy! This place needs to look clean! Go put that junk back where it belongs, and stop daydreaming!"

"Boy! Hurry hurry, are you done with the Droid yet?"

"Boy! Eh! Are you listening?!"

It was all just an annoying buzz in the back of his mind today, and not even that could ruin his high spirits. It was his birthday! If he just concentrated on that thought enough, he reasoned, then maybe the day would go by faster. It still didnít pass by fast enough, but finally, finally, Watto sent him home-- warning him about being distracted again. Anakin nodded, but he didnít really care; the sun was high and shining just for him that day, him and all the other slaves that he would one day free. He knew he would do it someday-- free the slaves-- he had known it ever since he found that dusty old recording in Wattoís junkyard that talked about the jedi and the sith. The sith were bad, bad people, but now they were extinct, and the jedi were good, powerful people, who could come to Tatooine and free all the slaves! Anakin wanted to be a jedi more than anything else now, and he wasnít sure exactly how he would do it, but he swor! e he would become one somehow.

When Anakin got home, he found his mother in the kitchen, baking.

"Hi mom!" He shouted and gave her a big hug before running off to his room to add a couple more parts to the droid he had almost completed-- one he was building to help his mother around the house-- C3PO.

"Hello, Ani," his mother replied, "Oh, Ani, come back into the kitchen, I have a surprise for you!"

A surprise? Anakin perked up and headed right back into the kitchen where his mother removed a large cake from out of the oven.

"Happy Birthday, Ani!" She beamed at him, and brought him into another hug.

"Thanks, mom!" Anakin thanked her and quickly went into the cupboard to get two plates. "Iíll do the honors," he said, and she handed him the knife to cut the cake. He placed a slice on her plate first and then his, and then he smiled broadly up at her.

"Eat up!" she told him, and so he did, he ate every last crumb.

"Delicious!" he stated, only it sounded more like, "Deeishish!" since his mouth was full of birthday cake.

"Well, I am very happy you like it, Ani," Shmi laughed at how funny his face looked with his cheeks puffed out like pouches from all the cake he had stuffed into his mouth, "and no talking with your mouth full!"

Anakin laughed, as best one can laugh with oneís mouth full of cake--spitting out crumbs everywhere. As soon as he swallowed the cake he looked up at his mother, who was still laughing, and told her, "Not fair mom!"

Shmi just smiled and said, "Well now, now that your mouth isnít full, how about telling me how it is your day went?"

"Oh, it went really well-- except Watto kept telling me to pay attention, but I was happy it was my birthday, so it was a good day anyway... and--" Anakin suddenly remembered again that he had a surprise to finish for his mom, "--Wait here for five minutes! I have something for you too!" and Anakin ran off to his room. He only had one more part to put on C3PO (minus the casing, which he would take care of later, as long as the droid functioned in helping out his mom, its appearance wasnít too important) and he was in such good spirits that he just had to give C3PO to his mom today, especially since she would be tired after all the baking she had done today. He knew she had prepared his his favorite dinner as well because she did that EVERY year for his birthday, so he really wanted to give her something too.

He just needed to attach the chip to the two outer circuits and--

"Hello. I am C3PO."

"Finally! Hi Threepio, come on, letís go show my mom!" Anakin felt almost giddy; he was very much anticipating the look on his motherís face when she saw him, but he slowed himself down and told C3PO to wait behind the entryway to the kitchen.

"Mom?" Anakin nudged his mom to turn around, and she did.

"Yes, Ani?"

"Okay. Well, I figured you need an extra pair of hands helping you out around here, so..." and in a loud whisper Anakin said, "Threepio! Come here!"

Threepio walked into the kitchen, feeling a bit awkward in his new environment, and addressed Shmi, "Hello. I am C3PO--"

Anakinís mother cut the droid off as she excitedly gasped, "Ah!" And picked Anakin up into her arms. "You built me a droid? Oh thank you, Ani, thank you!" and she placed kisses all over the top of his head.

She finally put him back down and answered, "Hello C3PO."

"You can call him Threepio for short," Anakin told her.

"Alright, Threepio."

"Tell him to do something, mom! Here, sit down, and HE can serve us dinner! How about it, Threepio?"

"Of course, Anakin. Let me just get to the oven..."

Anakin pulled out a chair for his mom, and then sat down next to her. "Isnít this exciting mom?" he asked.

"Oh yes, very!" his mother exclaimed as the droid set their dishes filled with food upon the table.

"Thanks, Threepio! Now go back to my room; Iíll come turn you off as soon as we finish dinner!"

Anakin beamed at his mother and picked up his fork.

"Now remember, Ani, before you eat, you have to make a wish," Shmi reminded him.

"Okay mom," Anakin replied and shut his eyes. *A wish*, he thought, *a wish...a wish...a wish... Oh! Of course!* So silently, inside his mind on that day of his ninth birthday, Anakin wished that one day he would be a jedi and come back and free all the slaves.

Go to Part I