Panic consumed Padme as she ran down the alley. She spotted a collapsed form entering her view, horrifying her sight.

Lying spread out on the damp concrete was Aubree. The girl struggled to control the pain that had shot into her arm, as she clutched her wound tightly. Blood streamed through her fingertips, staining her tunic crimson.

Padme immediately knelt at her side, gently turning her over. "Oh no," she whispered, as she spotted the rapid flow. Aubree could only feel her vision blur, as she was helplessly consumed by the throbs and inevitable darkness.

Aubree stirred to the sound of a click! and snap-hiss! of the door opening. Her head throbbed, but it was her arm above all.

She lay in a bunk on a vessel unknown to her. It was all so bright, and she had to explore it, had to discover what…

Her pain sent tremors down here arm, as she grunted angrily. She tried to lift herself up once more, as a small astromech droid rolled in.

The dome-shaped droid was a different sight to Aubree. She had only seen them at rare occasions, trips to the spaceports or in the holodramas…

It came bearing a small tray, a drink placed on top. Aubree hesitantly reached for it, the droid rolling back to its guard post.

"Okay then…who are you?" she questioned, her eyebrows raised.

The droid roved back towards her, whistling in a series of animated tones. It reached into a compartment, handing her what appeared to be a business card.

The card viewed a holo of the droid, followed by printed words: R2D2, Queen's Rescuer, Co-Pilot, and 'Most Adorable Droid in the Galaxy Contest Winner'.

Aubree smiled warmly. "Not conceited at all, right?" she asked sarcastically. Her gaze studied the room once more, wondering why she was in this predicament. "So why am I here? Listen, if I owe you credits, I can give you my safe's code. All you need is there…" she said carefully.

R2's dome swayed back and forth. It began an attempt to explain what really was happening, but it doubted the child could understand him.

Aubree shrugged, as she patted the droid's "leg" joint. "Thanks for trying to explain but I, sadly, do not speak droid." She handed the drink that R2 had delivered with a small smile. "I'm not really that thirsty…I wish I knew what was going on here…"

R2 let out a low "Dwoo…" Then he figured out what to do! It plugged into the nearby outlet, printing out a translation of his explanation of the situation.

"You're a good droid. But, please, can I LEAVE? I mean, I'm not good for anything except being an artist and playing guitar," Aubree begged.

R2 shut the door, unable to let her pass. However, Aubree banged her head against the wall. She should have just run. Why did she have to be so polite? She ought to have just shoved the droid aside and ran. That was, until she suddenly got an idea. "Hey R2D2? May I have a guitar? I mean, to mess with 'til whatever comes along?" she asked.

R2 rolled towards her; it's dome whirring, as he printed a no.

"Well, can you get one? Please?" she asked in what her father once called her "strawberry shortcake tone".

I think Padme might have the one from the show…R2 printed, as he rolled out.

"You know, blue really looks good on you!" Aubree called with a wide grin, hoping to earn some points with the droid. Shortly, R2 returned with the guitar in its retractable claw.

"Thank you," she stated sweetly, as she began to strum 'Old Blue Chair'. R2, meanwhile, withdrew a candle from his storage compartment and began to sway.

Padme paced in the hallway, that was, until she heard that familiar song. She found herself humming the tune, as she leaned against the doorway. The tune, and the humorous sight of R2 and Aubree entranced her.

The girl lifted her head at the sight of the woman, her eyes fixed into a glare. "Going to explain yourself?" she questioned already feeling her face begin to heat up.

Padme sat down on the cot beside her, hesitant to begin. "I…Yes. I think you will not believe me though." Aubree gave her a sharp nod to immediately continue. "Your father wrote me a letter. It explained what happened and for me to come and take you…Aubree, I'm your mother," Padme quietly explained.

Aubree's jaw was clenched, her face anger-filled like thunderclouds. "If what you are saying is true, then why? Why send me away? Father took care of me even though he was young," she stated in a forced calm tone.

Padme understood her anger, as it was expected. "I would have kept you, but my life would have truly been difficult. Not only did I have to find a way to support you, but also fulfill my duties, my career. I was trying to protect you," she explained, or at least, tried to.

Aubree stared at her, her gaze unwavering. "I'm not stupid. But why didn't you write? Or visit? Or anything at all?!" she snapped, losing control of her mixed emotions. Love, hate, sadness, and anger all boiled in her chest.

"I had no way, Aubree! I could not have risked you being discovered. Every moment of my life, every second, someone is watching. Whether it is a bounty hunter or my closest friend, always. And if I even did write, they would have found the letters, and traced them to you!" Padme replied, as she stepped towards Aubree. The girl rested her head into her hands, setting Palo's guitar aside.

"So?! Alora's crew almost killed me anyway! I would have been better off at least knowing that I was with the ones I love!" Tears flooded Aubree's ice blue eyes. "Do you really think I would have been happy? By not knowing you, it was killing me inside. Who were you? Why did you abandon me?!"

Padme scooted towards her, pulling her daughter into her arms. "I was thirteen. I had fallen in love with your father, and then you came along. But…I thought you were dead," she managed to say.

Aubree lifted her head, confused. "W-Why would you think that?" she asked, having not heard about that.

Padme rubbed her back, recalling the painful memory. "I was preparing for bed, that was, until one of my guards entered. He said…that the ship carrying you, and at the time, your adopted parents, had crashed. I had never been so miserable, so dead in my life."

The information was too much for Aubree. "I-I have to go. Uncle Treh's cantina is nothing without me," she explained hastily, as she pulled out of the embrace.

Padme sighed, touching her shoulder. "Wait. Your father requested for you to stay with me. But if you love your home here, I won't stop you," she stated, realizing that she could not hold Aubree back. This was her old life, but was she ready to let go?

Aubree gazed over at her, her eyes red from the tears. "I don't want to be a burden. Nothing really has changed. We'd still be taking a risk on our lives and your career," she whispered. She withdrew a small holocron from her pocket, handing it to her mother. "It's from Father. He wanted you to have the key to his fortune."

Padme pushed it back into Aubree's hands, folding the child's fingers around it. "It's yours. And you won't be a burden. Besides, most will assumed you're either adopted or a handmaiden. There won't be any danger with eight guards plus Sabe and R2."

Aubree raised an eyebrow, still in disbelief. "You don't want me. I'm useless when it comes to politics. I mean, I'd stick out like a reek in a porcelain shop. You're a senator, and I'm an artist. We fit like water and oil," she babbled uncertainly.

Padme stood up as she pressed her fingers against the door. It slid open, as she leaned against the frame. "You're right. It's your life, and you should do what you feel is best." She sighed, smiling through her hidden pain. "I just want you to know that you are always welcome in my home."

Aubree smiled as she wiped her eyes. "I guess I could borrow some books on politics. Just to have the basics," she explained. Excitement flooded through her, as she stood up. "Can I go back to the cantina? I want to say bye to Uncle Treh."

Padme gazed over at her, remembering her wound. "I suppose. Just be careful with that…"

Aubree spotted her arm, blood-spilling out. "Oh, frack!" she cursed, grabbing at it to apply pressure. Padme immediately lifted a med kit from the shelf, motioning for her ti sit back down.

The girl scooted away, as she fixed a glare at the kit. "You senators and your new, fangled contraptions," she stated tentatively.

Padme forced back a laugh, as she drew a blue patch of bacta. "It's not a contraption. Bacta has been used for a hundred years, even before we ran out of kolto. I've been using it since I was five," she coaxed, as she removed her daughter's hand from the wound.

"It's newly fangled to me. Back home, you rip out the shrapnel and press cloth over the wound. Add a little Corellian whiskey, and it's almost healed by morning. And, two-year-olds use the method," she retorted. "Case closed."

Padme laughed as she finished up the wound by strapping a bandage. "Fine. Your father was right, you are stubborn."

"Born and raised," Aubree replied with a grin as she leaned against the wall. "From BOTH sides."

Sorry about the wait! Well, a little motherdaughter happy time now. And we're about 1-2 more chapters away from Anidala! Yay! Also, I do have a surprise for you later…it's not cookies, sorry. I don't have an oven nearby…Anyway, can't wait til next time!

The song, 'Old Blue Chair' from this chapter and the previous are by Kenny Chesney, courtesy of my cousin! So I don't own Kenny or the song...I'm sure that my cousin would love to own him, though!

Please, 5 reviews or no update. Sorry about the demands, but it's nice hearing from the reviewers :D.

-Fall Out Guirl