Author's Note: Okay, I do have some bad news. I'm going out of town for two weeks tomorrow morning. Eeek! I know! I had hoped to have this entire story finished and posted before then, but that is certainly not going to happen. The good news? I do have the next chapter ready to go, so as soon as I get back there will be no stalling, and I'll immediately have up a new chapter while I start working on the next ones.

Some of you know that this is the second time I've posted this story. I got up to six chapters last time (this is currently chapter #5), then got a bad case of writer's block. After months of waiting, and realizing that I really hadn't written the story to its full potiential, I removed it. Months later, I've now revamped the old chapters and I'm almost done posting them. When I get back, after I've posted "revamped" chapter six, I will begin on the first of the very new chapters. Then everyone will get to be surprised:-)

Reviews are very greatly appreciated! I look forward to reading them when I get back!

 A Warm Breeze In the Snow Storm

By Rose-Arwen-Padmé

Disbelief

"Where?"

The low mumble of his voice echoed off the walls. Silence consumed time.

"Where!"

Jobal took a defiant step forward, the strong force of a mother's love pounding like liquid fire in her veins. "My daughter is no threat to the Empire. She's no longer a queen. She's no longer a senator! She will cause no trouble for you!"

"Where, Jobal! Where is Padmé!"

But the aged woman's eyes met his desperation inch for inch. Her relentless determination for keeping her daughter safe matched his desperate determination for finding his wife

"You know I can make life very unhappy for you and your family."

The elder lady raced her Naberrie chin in defiance. "You won't get her location out of me, and no one else here will tell you either." Those surrounding her nodded their agreement solemnly. "You see, our bond with Padmé is something that you haven't ever, don't, and won't ever understand. We love Padmé!"

Vader could have laughed at the absurdity of that statement.

"Padmé is our family; we won't betray her!" Ruwee shouted.

"You already have!" Vader shot back. "She's managed to remain hidden, believed dead, for ten years! And who, of all people, reveals the truth? Who exposes her lie? A member of her own family!"

Ryoo's doe eyes dropped and she struggled to hold back regretful tears. Then, once she realized that, because of her actions, she had no right to hold back those tears, they fell rapidly. Her silent tear drops were laced with guilt.

Vader took a threatening step forward. "I will find out were she is, Jobal! Now that I know she's alive, I won't stop from tearing this galaxy apart until I find her!" The Dark Lord of the Sith was not at all accustomed to his captives arguing with him. He wasn't accustomed to anyone arguing with him.

"You don't understand! She's no longer a threat to you or your Empire!"

If the Naberrie's could have seen them, they'd have known that Vader's eyes were wild with rage. "You're going to regret this, Jobal. Tell me her whereabouts now, before the extent of yourfuture sufferingreaches unbearable heights!"

Jobal straightened defiantly at his words. They angered her muchmore than they scared her. If anything, his statement only strengthened her resolve. "Your threats have no impact on this mother."

Vader's desperation to find Padmé reached a new level. "I warn you, your stubbornness is going to cost many innocent lives!" His voice thundered throughout the house. "I need to know!"

"Her whereabouts mean nothing to a Sith!"

His voice reached new volumes. "BUT THEY MEAN SOMETHING TO A HUSBAND!"

Silence suddenly reigned yet again in the household. All of the Naberrie's frowned in sudden confusion and they darted looks of bewilderment at each other. "Anakin…" Ruwee started.

"No," Sola interrupted. "Anakin died at the end of the Clone War. He was murdered. Padmé told us herself. That was the day that Padmé told us they had ever been married in the first place."

Vader nodded slowly, and his voice was low once more. "Yes, he did die. His death was horrible."

"Is this what you meant?" Jobal asked in a tearful voice. "You've come to us to open old wounds? To remind us of those close to us, who we have lost?"

Vader continued on as if she'd never interrupted him. "Anakin Skywalker stopped living the moment they told me… that his wife had died, along with their unborn child." He took a moment to pause— old memories and emotions were surfacing with a torturous result. "When they told me my Padmé had died of a broken heart…"

In a flash of hot anger, Ruwee stepped forward, his face flushed. "Oh, I get it now, Your Lordship!" He spat the title out bitterly. "You loved Padmé! Hah, it was probably more like a morbid fascination! You were jealous of her marriage to Anakin! You sick, disgusting, evil monster! You blamed that poor, heart-broken boy when Padmé "died" and it was you who killed him!"

Vader hung his head low. His emotions were swirling around him in a confusing fog. "Yes, I suppose that is true… from a certain point of view." He reminded himself that the familiar painful feeling of knowing Padmé was dead was over—he reminded himself that Padmé was alive. Immediately the fog cleared, and he raised his head again.

No one said a word for several minutes. Lord Vader stood there, pondering strategically what to say, as the adults wondered what to do, what they could do, now that they thought they knew the Dark Lord's real motives.

It was a light, airy voice that finally spoke.

"No." Pooja's soft whisper broke the tense silence. "That doesn't make any sense. You all are saying that he killed Anakin when he heard that AuntPadmé died of a broken heart—yet Anakin had already been dead when Auntie told us he'd died in the Clone War. Auntie "died" because she was in such grief over Anakin's death." She paused and swallowed before she continued, letting the silence wrap around her briefly like a security blanket. Finally, she continued, "That's how he knew our names. That's how he knew how old we are." She paused. "That's why he cares so much." She tilted her head, her eyes wide with a tear-jerking innocence.She timidly asked in a whispery voice, "Un-Uncle Ani?"

Vader felt long dead heart strings be pulled on painfully. Many moments passed before he replied in a somber tone, "Hello, Pooy."

A tear drop fell from the tip of Pooja's chin. In the silence, its contact with the floor could be heard. Another followed. "N-nobody calls me that anymore."

With a dazed expression that the Naberrie's couldn't see, but could clearly hear, Vader replied, "I… I've missed a lot of things."

With agonizing slowness, both Jobal and Sola raised their hands to cover their mouths in disbelief. "Ani?" Jobal questioned, unable to comprehend. Her wet eyes glistened. "How…" The silence choked them—they were too shocked to take a breath.

Vader stood taller. "Now you understand. Now you will tell me were my wife is."

Jobal's eyes cleared, and her jaw tightened as she clenched her hand and rested it by her side once again. She took the all too familiar debating stance for a second time.

"No."

"Jobal—"

"You address me as Mrs. Naberrie or Lady Naberrie, Lord Vader! Don't you forget— you cleaned up my dishes after I fed you numerous meals! I gave you a warm bed in this house whenever you wanted one!" Her chest heaved with her heavy breathing.

"I protected your daughter's life!"

"And now I don't trust you with her life!"

Vader's fists were clenched painfully. Suddenly, a nearby plate went crashing to the floor with a jittery flick of his wrist. Darred jumped out of the way of the flying shards just in time. "I'm losing patience!"

"I've lost patience, Anak—V-Vad—whoever you are!"

"Admiral Tyson!" Vader abruptly called in frustration, his voice echoing down the halls of the house.

The sound of a pair of hard boots hitting the tile floor could be heard after a few quiet, tense moments. Within a short time, the Imperial officer stood facing the Dark Lord of the Sith. "You called for my assistance, Lord Vader?"

"Yes," Vader replied in a low growl. "Take those two younger girls. Send them to camp T3."

As Sola's sudden cry filled the air, Tyson bowed shortly, and responded, "As you wish, my Lord." He spun and barked the orders to three stormtroopers standing nearby. He had to strain his voice to be heard over the wails of Pooja and Ryoo. The two terrified teenagers were crying, along with their parents, and they grasped the skirts of the mother and grandmother as if for dear life.

Darred was shouting something, but it was unintelligent to anyone. It was as if his vocal cords had the strength to produce sound, but his numb lips were unable to form anything to make sense. Elder Ruwee was yelling hotly, "No, Vader, no!" His shouts to the Dark Lord went on deaf ears. It was Jobal's reply that was not only the single reply that Vader heard, but was the comment that cut into Vader. Her soft mumble barely made any sound, but the lady who had formed Padmé Amidala into the woman she had become had all of Vader's attention.

"My daughter… my Padmé…. married you?"

After prying the young ladies off of their family, the Stormtroopers began leading the squirming sisters out of the house, while four others held the screaming Naberrie's back. Vader spun to follow the white-clad, armored men. Admiral Tyson followed him in toe.

Once outside, the girls were loaded into a large, covered speeder, and their pleading screams were muffled behind the closed doors of the transporter. Vader yanked the assigned troopers aside with the force. He didn't give them time to recover before he started shouting.

"If a single hair on their heads is harmed, I'll break all of your necks!" His stressed voice left no room for questions. "You treat them and protect them like you would the Emperor!"

He turned to Admiral Tyson, his black, raging, and intimidating figure frightening the officer more than anything ever had. "Drive them around the next corner! Park the transporter out of sight!" He shook his gloved finger an inch away from Tyson's face. "You wait there until you get orders from me!"

Without another word, he spun and headed back inside the house, his black cape trailing behind him.

TBC….

backlash - Welcome! I'm very pleased that you like it! Thank you for reviewing!

orliNkeira - Nah, she's not stupid. Just... wrong timing. ;-) She really thought that he was no longer in hearing distance. Gotta watch those Sith Lords! They've got great hearing! Thank you! I was getting worried that I was putting in too many flashbacks. Glad to know you enjoy them!

Jokerisdaking - LOL, I would not know how that feels. But yep, "shocking" would be an understatement. I'm happy that you're enjoying this story so much!

Leif of Rohan - YES-- alive! Yay! Thank you for your comments! Always fun to read!

scooter5710 -Killer chapter, eh? But nobody has died -- YET! MWUAHAHAHA! blushes Just kidding, just kidding. ;-) Thanks for the review!

BGTom - :-) You make me smle.

J.E.A.R.K.Potter - lol, I guess there aren't many surprises in the first six chapters for you return readers. I'm so very happy that you've come back to read it again! I really appreciate it!

pinkpixie423 - Welcome! Thank you very much! I look forward to hearing what you thought about this chapter!

inspired-fire - Wow, I really like your screen name.Thanks for thewords!

baby poo poo - Thank you... The force is with you! ;-)

eridani - Yay! Wonderful to hear from you again! I'm glad I could surprise you. Um, nope, that teaparty flash black was an original scene. I didn't borrow it from anywhere. I'm pleased that you thought it worked! Thank you!

LVB - :-D It's fantastic to hear from you! I must say that I'm a huge fan of yours. I'm always enchantedby your artistic words!I'm truly flattered that you've taken interest in my work, and I'm flattered even more that you've come back to read it the second time around! Thank you so much for sharing your comments!