The grownups did everything they could to make Lamenta feel at home while her parents were away. Anakin continued to read Lamenta her favorite book, play her favorite games with her, and sing her All Is Found every night. Qui-Gon did the same, especially on days when neither Padme nor Anakin were home. Padme also had their chef droid make Lamenta's favorite foods at mealtimes, and took Lamenta out whenever she could to distract her.

But, while the grownups were giving extra attention to Lamenta, things took a bit of a turn for the other kids.

One day, Gabby was putting together a toy droid she was given to practice putting mechanical things together. Or, she was trying to, anyway. She didn't understand mechanical things as well as her father or Ahsoka did. She knew how R2 units worked, but putting one together was another story. So, she went to Lamenta's room, where Anakin sat on the bed with Lamenta in his lap as he read Peter Pan to her.

"Daddy? Can you help me with something?" Gabby asked.

"Ask your brother." Anakin said. "I promised Lamenta I'd read with her."

Gabby sighed and went to look for her brother to help her with the little droid she was building.

After a while, the two of them managed to put the little R2 unit toy together. R2-D2 seemed to bond with the toy as Gabby activated it and the little blue droid rolled around like it was dancing.

"Looks like R2 has a friend." Gabby giggled. "Mini-R2."

Gabby decided to go see if her father was done reading with Lamenta so she could show him the little droid, but when she got there, she tripped on something and knocked over a small stack of books. That apparently woke up both Lamenta and Anakin, who'd fallen asleep reading the book.

"Gabby! Be careful." Anakin scolded.

Lamenta stirred and yawned, feeling a bit cranky as she was disturbed from her nap.

"Sorry, Daddy." Gabby said. "It was an accident."

"Gabby, you know Lamenta hasn't been sleeping well since her parents left. I finally had her napping." Anakin scolded. "Now I gotta get her to sleep all over again."

"I didn't mean to, Daddy. I'm sorry."

"Just go."

Gabby froze for a moment. Her father had never said anything like that to her before.

Another day, Boba and the ponies were getting ready to have a dance off on Gabby's Dance Prance Revolution game. Meanwhile, Gabby was flaunting the new pink ballet dress she'd gotten. She was looking forward to ballet practice today.

Crescent and Anakin walked by. Anakin was dressed in a white shirt and tight black pants for ballet practiced.

"Hey, Dad. Wanna join us in a dance off?" Boba asked as he and Remix set up the game.

"Maybe later, Boba." Anakin said. "I have to help Lamenta with her ballet practice."

"But... you said you'd help me with ballet practice today too." Gabby said sadly.

Most days of dance practice, it was just Gabby and Anakin. After she got a brother, she had to share her parents' attention, but she still had special things she did with them herself.

And so, Anakin began helping both girls with their lessons. Lamenta practiced her jumps and runs, while Gabby was practicing her pirouettes.

Gabby had received tutoring on her pirouettes and spent as much time as she could practicing. And today... it was perfect!

"Daddy, I did it! I did a perfect pirouette." Gabby exclaimed happily.

Except... Anakin didn't seem to be listening. Instead, he was doing a lift with Lamenta. They were both laughing and having fun. And Anakin started tickling her and messing around.

"That's what Daddy does with me." Gabby said quietly, sounding hurt. She couldn't quite explain it at first, but when she saw her father sharing their special father-daughter time with Lamenta instead of her, it gave her feelings she really didn't like.

The next day, Boba was practicing some chords Carmine had taught him before he left, with Remix supervising.

Boba then spotted Anakin walking by. He was holding a cup of orange juice.

"Hey, Dad. Wanna hear the new song I learned to play?" Boba asked.

"Maybe later, Boba." Anakin said. "Lamenta's not feeling well today. So, I'm bringing her juice."

Suddenly, Boba wanted juice too. Except when he got to the kitchen, he found out Lamenta got the last of it.

"Great." he said sarcastically.

The next day, Boba was supposed to meet Roya at the mall to see a movie with her. And Anakin said he'd take him to meet her, but he forgot because he took Lamenta to ride a new merry-go-round that opened at the park. Padme couldn't take him because she was at work, and Qui-Gon couldn't either because he was visiting Obi-Wan today.

Boba did not find it the least bit cool that he had to miss his date because his cousin was getting all the attention from his father.

"I'm so sorry, Roya." Boba said over the phone. "I really meant to be there, but somehow my dad forgot he was supposed to get me there and instead took my cousin to ride wooden horses when we already have four real ones here at home! I mean, seriously. What gives?"

"Okay, Boba. Look, we'll take a raincheck, okay? I'm not mad at you." Roya said. "Just disappointed. I was really looking forward to our date today."

"Me too. I can't tell you how upset I am now."

"Another time then."

Boba facepalmed himself when Roya ended the call. This was supposed to be a great night with the girl of his dreams. And he'd planned to officially ask her to be his girlfriend. But now it looked like that was going to have to wait a while.

And pretty soon, it wasn't just Anakin who was hovering over Lamenta.

Padme was going to teach Boba and Gabby how to make five blossom bread, her specialty, today. But then, Lamenta came in, looking a little pale.

"Auntie Padme?" Lamenta said weakly.

"Lamenta, what's the matter?" Padme said, picking Lamenta up.

"I'm cold and feel achy."

And sure enough, Lamenta was shivering and seemed pretty weak. Padme felt her niece's forehead. She had a fever

"I think we'll need to take a raincheck, kids." Padme said. "Tell the cook to get some soup ready for Lamenta."

"Padme, maybe I should-" Crescent stepped in.

"No, Crescent. This is a mother's job now."

And Padme took Lamenta to her room to rest.

A med-droid checked Lamenta out, and it was confirmed she had a light case of the flu, which had apparently been going around lately.

This time, the kids were a little more understanding of the extra attention because Lamenta was sick. But when she felt better a few days later, things still didn't change.

"Mommy, will you play Hide and Seek with us?" Gabby asked.

"I can't right now, Sweetie." said Padme.

"Let me guess, playing with Lamenta?" Boba guessed.

"Actually, we're getting ice cream." Padme said. "You and Boba can come if you like."

Gabby actually felt a little better being invited. So did Boba. But the ice cream shop was somehow out of caramel praline, Gabby's favorite, and cinnamon roll swirl, Boba's favorite. Yet, they had Lamenta's favorite: blueberry cheesecake. Padme let Lamenta get two scoops with sprinkles. Gabby and Boba had to settle for plain vanilla ice cream because their cousin got the last of the sprinkles.

Things just didn't seem to go the Skywalker kids' way since their parents started taking care of Lamenta.

One day, Qui-Gon arrived after helping Padme do some shopping.

"Lamenta, your grandpa got you a little something." Qui-Gon sang.

Lamenta was presented with a sparkly purple unicorn plushie Qui-Gon bought for her. She was so happy, but Gabby and Boba got jealous.

"That's the unicorn plushie I wanted!" Gabby whispered jealously.

She'd seen that plushie in the window of the store a few weeks back on an errand with her mother, but Padme said they didn't have time to buy it then. And now her cousin got that very plushie instead of her.

Then Qui-Gon approached his other grandchildren.

"Don't worry, you two. I didn't forget to get you presents too."

Gabby got a plush zebra, while Boba got a toy speeder. Gabby did like the zebra, but she wished she'd gotten a unicorn like her cousin.

Qui-Gon sat in a chair, Lamenta sitting in his lap as she told him some stories of her travels across the galaxy with her parents. Padme was at work, and Anakin was away on another mission, which left Grandpa Qui-Gon in charge.

"And then there was this one time when Larkus, one of the guys who puts up the props and scenery for the shows, accidentally got himself tangled in a string of lights, and he looked like a Life Day tree. Daddy and Mommy tried to get him untied, but ended up tangled themselves, and I had to pull them free. Mommy and Daddy spun around, and Mommy had to catch Daddy before he fell."

Lamenta laughed as she reminisced that story.

"That is an amusing story, young one." Qui-Gon chuckled.

Gabby walked up with the book Robin Hood, which she yearned to read today.

"Grandpa, will you read with me?" Gabby asked, holding up the book.

Qui-Gon looked at Gabby and said, "In a moment, Gabriella. I am listening to Lamenta's story right now."

Unbelievable. Gabby thought. She went upstairs to wait until her grandpa was done with story time with her cousin. But after two hours, Qui-Gon never came to read to Gabby, and was too tired to read to her, as it was already bedtime. But, apparently, not too tired to sing Lamenta a lullaby tonight.

Lamenta was getting all the attention from the grownups and being treated like the queen of the Skywalker-Jinn apartment. If it wasn't serving her favorite dish for dinner, it was letting her choose a movie, letting her choose which story to read at night, playing her favorite games, singing to her, and Padme and Anakin giving her lots of cuddles and tickles like they did with Gabby. Even Qui-Gon was paying more attention to her and spoiling her with the best presents.

And one day, Gabby walked by Lamenta's room and heard Padme singing.

Sun goes down, and we are here together

Fireflies glow like a thousand charms

Stay with me, and you can dream forever

Right here in my arms, Tonight

"That's my lullaby!" Gabby whisper yelled out of jealousy. That was the last straw for her.

The next day, Anakin was away, and Padme was at work, leaving Qui-Gon to babysit.

Already almost two weeks had gone by, and finally, Gabby and Boba both snapped.

"I can't take it anymore! Lamenta's taken over our parents!" Gabby said, throwing down her cards as she and Boba had been playing Go Fish.

"She can get the best toys and her favorite ice cream, but no one takes my special song from Mommy or my Daddy-daughter dance time with Daddy!" Gabby pouted.

"You think you've got it bad? Dad forgot to take me to see a movie with Roya because he was too busy taking Lamenta to ride a merry-go-round."

"But we have real horses here!" Gabby said angrily. "I know Daddy isn't the best at schedules, but he's always made time for us."

"You think you're the only ones?" Carousella said, stepping in. "Crescent and I haven't gotten to spend five minutes together because Lamenta needs so much attention."

"Not anymore." Crescent said. "Now the humans have hogged my girl, and your dad had her riding wooden horses. What do they have that I don't? Other than having music to go along with their ride?"

"Will you forget about the merry-go-round already?" said Carousella.

"What about me?" Remix said. "I can't even play my Count Crescendo playlists because it upsets Lamenta."

"She's all anyone thinks about now!" Boba said angrily. "It's Lamenta this, Lamenta that! Lamenta wants juice, Lamenta needs help with dancing, Lamenta can't sleep, Lamenta wants to read Peter Pan. What about us?"

"Yeah! What about Gabby needing help learning to put together droids?" Gabby said. "Or Boba when Daddy promised he'd take Boba to get new strings for his guitar? And why is he spending all the dance practice time with Lamenta? He was my daddy first!"

"He's my dad too." Boba said.

"I know, but the point is Lamenta's taken over our lives!"

Speak of the devil.

"Hi, cousins." Lamenta said, walking in.

But the others just glared at her.

"What's wrong?" Lamenta asked.

"Shouldn't you be spending time with your new parents?" Boba asked. Lamenta looked confused.

"What new parents?"

"You know, my parents." Gabby said. "Boba's parents. Our parents, who seem to have forgotten they have a son and which girl in this house is their daughter."

"They're just taking care of me." Lamenta said. "That's what parents do."

"Yeah, and they take care of their own kids. And last time I checked, you're their niece, not their daughter."

"Ever since your parents went on tour, you've been hogging all the attention around here." Boba said. "Just 'cause your dad's a superstar doesn't mean you're entitled to take whatever you want."

"I didn't take anything." Lamenta said. "I can't help it if Grandpa Qui-Gon, Uncle Ani, and Auntie Padme love me."

"Well, need I remind you that we need love too?" Gabby said.

"And need I remind you my parents are away right now?"

Gabby started thundering at that point.

"That's not an excuse to make us feel abandoned!" Gabby even pushed Lamenta to the floor in anger.

"You don't think I feel abandoned?!" Lamenta said angrily, angry tears forming in her eyes.

Lamenta picked herself up and pushed Gabby back. Then they two girls got into a cat fight. Boba tried to break them up, but only ended up in the fight himself. The horses tried to do something too, but the kids wouldn't stop. They kept fighting and yelling at each other until... CRASH!

A table was smashed nearby by Qui-Gon, who noticed they were fighting and found the need to use his super strength to get their attention.

"That's enough, all of you!" he said angrily.

Qui-Gon pulled the kids apart with the Force.

"All right. What happened?" he crossed his arms.

The kids started to all talk at once and then Lamenta and Gabby nearly started to fight each other again, until Qui-Gon pushed the girls apart again, this time with his hands.

"Obviously, all three of you need to cool down." Qui-Gon said. He pointed to the stairs and told the kids, "All of you, go to your rooms. Now!"

The kids knew better than to even try to disobey their grandfather. He rarely ever got angry like that. This was actually the first time they were actually seeing it. So, they all marched up to their rooms without another word. The horses went to the stable too.