The Preserve [just before lunchtime]

[tatooine_doofus]

Luke turned around to wait for Rory to catch up.

Not that she was all that much shorter but she got more distracted.

"Which one's a weepin' willow?" he asked.



[OOC: Preplayed with rory__gilmore and sith_happened, no IC interaction available, void where prohibited, et cetera]

Rory	Rory was looking at a flower. "Lookit the pretty, Lukey! Pink!"
Luke	Luke crouched down next to it. "Pink," he confirmed. "But s'not a tree. You said we wanted a tree."
Rory	Rory patted the flower. "Yeah, tree! Weepy willows are sad. We hafta make 'em happy 'gain." She hurried along on her tiny little legs and pointed up at a droopy tree. "Sad tree!"
Luke	Luke looked waaaaay up at it. "CHEER UP, TREE!"
Rory	Rory bounced. "Treeeee, don't be sad!!!" she shouted. "We could tell jokeses or sing songies."
Luke	"I know a joke!" Luke said, bouncing up and down. And up and down and up and down. "Why did the AT-AT cross the road?" he asked the tree. And seriously expected a response.
Rory	"AT-AT-AT-AT-AT-AT-AT-AT-AT-AT!" Rory echoed happily.
Luke	"Come on, tree, cheer up an' answer!" Luke said, beginning to pout.
Rory	"Lukey, weepy trees don't talk," Rory told him seriously. "Too sad."
Luke	"Ohhh," Luke said. "The reason th' AT-AT crossed the road was because the Chicken Walker was on vacation!" He burst out giggling. It...wasn't that funny.
Rory	Rory burst into hysterical giggles. Ah, such was the appeal of stupid jokes and being four. "Oh! Oh! I know how to make it happy!" she cried, hurrying forward. She flung her arms around the tree's trunk. They didn't reach very far around. "Hugs, yay!"
Luke	Luke took Rory's hand and stretched to hug the tree, too. "Be happy, tree!" he demanded.
Anakin	That was how Anakin found them as he walked into the woods searching for a familiar dark-haired little girl. He smiled and leaned against a nearby oak, trying to figure out what they were up to.
Rory	Rory moved back. "It's not cheering up," she wibbled, and then spotted a grown-up she knew! "LukeyLukeyLukeyLukeyLukeyLukeyLukeyLuke! It's your daddy!" she yelled, running over to Anakin. "Hiiiiiiiii!"
Anakin	Anakin stared. That was Luke? Of course it would make sense he'd be with Rory. "Hello, Luke," he said, crouching down.
Luke	Luke flung himself at Anakin, grinning from ear to ear. "Daddy!"
Rory	Rory bounced forward, shy. She wanted to give Anakin a hug too but he was Luke's daddy and not hers. So she just waved and then put her hands behind her back like she did when Mia told her to behave.
Anakin	Anakin's expression softened. Not letting go of his armful of Luke, he held his his other arm. "I can give you a hug, too, love," he said quietly.
Rory	Rory didn't need more invitation than that. She flung herself at him. "Hi hi hi!"
Anakin	Anakin held them both close and kissed the top of their heads. "What have my two favorite people on this planet been up to?" he asked.
Rory	"We're cheering up the weepy tree," Rory informed him, pointing at the willow.
Luke	Luke leaned his head against his father's shoulder. "I tolded it a joke but it didn't work. You should sing to it."
Rory	Rory bounced. "Yes, pleeeeeeeeease? We gave it hugs too."
Anakin	Anakin sat down on the ground and pulled the two younglings into his lap. "You were trying to cheer up the tree," he repeated, "and you think a song will help." He shrugged. What the hell, right? "What song do you think would be best?"
Rory	"The one about the bunny!" Rory yelled. "Innna forest!"
Luke	"CLANG!" Luke added helpfully.
Anakin	"How do you even know..." Anakin shook his head. "You know, never mind. Only if you sing along with me." He'd be damned if his voice was the only one the squirrels would pick up today.
Rory	"I know alla words," Rory said, nodding.
Luke	"CLANG!" Luke added, bouncing up and down on Anakin's thigh.
Anakin	Anakin laughed and ruffled his son's hair. "Okay," he said, "Little Bunny Foo-Foo..."
Rory	"Hoppin' through the forest!" Rory chimed in, clapping.
Luke	"Scoopin' up the field mice CLANG!" Luke yelled, checking to see how the tree was taking it. It looked happier.
Anakin	"And bopping them on the head," Anakin sang, bopping both younglings gently on the tops of their heads with a grin.
Rory	Rory tugged on Anakin's sleeve. "The tree wants to sing now!" She looked at the tree, waiting.
Luke	Luke watched the tree, too. After a few seconds, he whispered--well, "whispered"--"is it done now?"
Rory	"Shhhh it's rude to innerupp!" Rory hissed.
Luke	Luke's lower lip started trembling.
Rory	"Sorry!" Rory said immediately, leaning across Anakin's lap to give Luke a hug. "The tree was singing an' issa sad tree so I didn't want to innerupp an' make it sad all over 'gain."
Luke	"S'okay," Luke said, hugging her back, then leaning into Anakin. He poked his father in the stomach. "Down came the good fairy, Daddy!"
Anakin	"My apologies," Anakin said, amused. "Down came the good fairy, and she said, 'Little Bunny Foo-Foo, I don't want to see you...'"
Rory	"Scoopin' up the field mice, an' boppin' 'em on the head!" Rory sang, reaching up to bop Anakin's head with a splayed, tiny hand.
Anakin	Anakin fell backwards dramatically, totally wounded. "Woe, for I am bopped!" he cried, snickering. Then he reached out to tickle Rory.
Rory	Rory had momentarily looked concerned. Then she burst into insane, gleeful, little-girl giggles at being tickled.
Luke	"Me too!" Luke squealed, leaping onto Anakin's stomach.
Rory	Rory attempted to tickle Luke. Or at least made grabby hands at him.
Luke	Luke squealed louder and fell over, curling into his father's robe and burrowing there. "Can't see me!" he yelled, making a Very Mysterious Jedi Move with his hand.
Rory	Rory pouted. "No fair!"
Anakin	Anakin smiled at her, then shrugged out of the rest of the robe and dropped the hood over Rory's eyes. "There," he said. "Now no one can see you either."
Rory	"I'm inisible," she said proudly, pronouncing it exactly as tiny Lorelai Huntzberger had.
Anakin	"Now I am sitting all alone in the forest," Anakin said loudly, ignoring the two lumps under his cloak. "Whatever shall I do?"
Rory	"Talk to the sad tree!" said a little voice.
Anakin	Anakin leaned back on his hands. "So, tree, I hear you're unhappy," he said conversationally. "I think you should really cheer up. Life in Fandom's not so terrible. People will sing songs and hug you when you're down."
Rory	A very muffled voice that was definitely not Rory's said, "This is the tree! Thank you for cheering me up Mr. Anakin!" Pause. "An' the little girl is pretty an' also a princess an' I think it would make me happy if you give her and her friends cookies!" Another pause. "Okay thanks! I'm going to be quiet again!"
Luke	"It would!" the Luke-sized robe bundle added.
Anakin	Anakin laughed. "Trees don't grow cookies, even around here. Should we go find some?"
Rory	Rory peeked out. "Sookie makes the bestest cookies but she lives far 'way," she said seriously.
Anakin	Anakin stood up and brushed dirt and leaves off of himself, then patted the two little heads. "Should we see what's at the God of Biscuits?" he asked.
Luke	Luke poked his head out too. "Sand cookies?" he asked hopefully.
Rory	"Choc'late chip?" Rory also asked.
Anakin	Anakin pulled his robe off of the two younglings and swung it around his shoulders, then gave them both solemn nods and held out his hands. "I'm sure those can both be arranged," he promised.
Rory	"Promise?" she asked, reaching for one of his hands.
Anakin	"Promise," he said with a smile, squeezing her fingers gently, then taking Luke's hand. "Say goodbye to the tree now."
Rory	Rory turned and waved to the tree. "Bye bye! Don't be sad anymore!"
Luke	Luke let go of his father's hand, raced over to the tree and gave it a smacking kiss, and then came back. "Bye!" he said cheerfully. "Cookies now?"
Rory	"Can we bring cookies back to the tree?" Rory asked Anakin.
Anakin	Anakin smiled. "I don't think trees like cookies, love."
Rory	"Maple cookies," she said, looking very serious.
Anakin	Anakin crouched down to look into her eyes. "But if you're holding chocolate chip cookies and Luke and I are having sand cookies, who will hold the maple ones?" he asked.
Rory	"You have biiiig hands," she told him, holding up one of hers for comparison.
Luke	"That's because he's biiiiiiiig," Luke said from Anakin's other side.
Anakin	Anakin curled his fingers over Rory's. "You'll get big too," he promised.
Rory	"When I get big 'nough, I wanna marry you," she said shyly.
Anakin	Anakin's face went through a thousand different emotions. "Oh, you're going to regret saying that when you're not small," he sighed. "We'll see, love."
Rory	Rory looked sad. "'We'll see' means no. You don' like me."
Anakin	Anakin ran a finger down her cheek. "I love you, Rory," he said softly. "Cookies first, marriage much, much later. How's that sound?"
Rory	Rory considered this. "Okay! I'm already a very big girl," she informed him, taking his hand and bouncing to indicate that it was time for cookies now. "I'm this many." She held up her other hand, showing four fingers.
Anakin	"You are a very big girl," Anakin agreed, taking Luke's hand again and heading towards town. "How old are you, Luke?"
Luke	"Four," Luke said, swinging their hands. "But I don't wanna marry you."
Rory	"Ewwwww you can't," Rory said, wrinkling her teeny nose.
Luke	"That why I said I don't wanna," Luke said, rolling his eyes. "Sides, he's all big."
Rory	"I'll be big too!" she replied.
Luke	"Not that big," Luke said, frowning. "He's practically a hundred."
Rory	"Nuh uh," she protested. "But he's a big giant hero an' he's gonna be my husbandandand."
Luke	Luke stomped a weetiny foot. "Nuh-uh-uh! He was already a husbandandand."
Rory	Rory looked like she might burst into tears. "But my stepdaddy was already a husbandandnadnad an' he married my mommy."
Anakin	Anakin sighed, then reached down to pick Rory up and rest her against his hip. "No more fighting," he scolded them, "or there won't be any cookies."
Rory	Rory looked even sadder, but was quiet. "He started it," she mumbled.
Luke	Luke looked equally unhappy. "How come she gets picked up?"
Anakin	Anakin sighed again, then picked Luke up as well. Two armfuls of pouting, wriggling four-year-olds. Not his smartest moment. "Cookies?"
Rory	"Yay cookies!" Rory exclaimed. "I want choc'late chip!"
Luke	"I want two cookies," Luke said, playing with a piece of Anakin's hair.
Rory	"I want threeeee," Rory said, just to be contrary.
Anakin	"One for each hand," Anakin decided firmly, putting them both down so he could get the door to the bakery open.
Rory	"Can we measure using your hands?" she asked innocently. "Bigger."
Anakin	Anakin laughed and ruffled her hair. "No. Your cookies, your hand." He'd never thought Jedi training would be used for this kind of negotiation.
Rory	Rory pouted a little. "Okaaaaay," she sighed. "I have a li'l brother!" Why, yes, that was a non-sequitor. She was four.
Luke	"And I have a sister!" Luke said, bouncing up and down, then sensing an opportunity. "Can we get their cookies, too?"
Rory	"I have a sister too!" Rory added. And then, in a "whisper" to Luke, "I'll share hers with you!"
Anakin	Anakin raised an eyebrow. "Rory Gilmore, you don't have a sister."
Rory	"I do too!" she said, very clearly upset. "Her name is Gigi an' she lives with my daddy!"
Anakin	Anakin closed his eyes and cursed inwardly. "I'm sorry," he said sheepishly, trying to shuffle the younglings closer to the cookie case. "Pick out a big cookie for Gigi." He wasn't above bribery.
Rory	"She likes sprinkles," Rory said, pointing. And so did Rory. What a funny coincidence.
Anakin	"Does she?" Anakin said, hiding a smile. "What kind does Bucky like?" He turned to his son. "Would Leia like sand cookies, do you think?"
Luke	"Yes," Luke said firmly. "The biggest ones. Then she could wear them over her ears!" He giggled like, well, a four-year-old.
Rory	"Leia has silly hair," Rory added, giggling as well. "Bucky likes the choc'late ones," she said, pointing. "The duh...um. The doo...the dooble-ee?" she sounded out. "D-O-U-B-L-E choc'late." Go figure. She knew "chocolate" but not "double."
Anakin	Anakin laughed and placed the order, along with a couple of cups of milk and a giant mug of coffee. He herded Rory and Luke towards a table. "Which ones should we try first?" he asked.
Rory	"Choc'late chip choc'late chip!" Rory chanted, bouncing around.
Luke	"SAND ONES PLEASE, DADDY!" Luke shouted.
Anakin	Anakin handed the cookies out, then took a much-needed sip of coffee. It was going to be a long weekend.