AN: I had to meddle with time a little in here, especially when it came to the location of the rebellion and the timing of this, but I'm allowed to tweak things as I see fit. I'll tell you this though. The first…one, two, three… The first three chapters end up being set up for the rest of the story before it all just explodes all over the place in chapter four which I just loved writing. We'll call it the buildup in tension and suspense. This story is more adventurous than the first though the romantic elements come on just as strong (stronger actually) than in the first. My point? Be patient please. Lot's of Vader Ahsoka interaction and other stuff you're looking for is coming.

Read, enjoy, and review!

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Chapter Two

"Mama, tell me about daddy," Shmi said excitedly as she sat in her mother's lap.

"I already told you," Ahsoka said tiredly letting up the leg rest of the recliner making Shmi giggled as it made her bounce and nearly fall off her mother's lap.

"Please," Shmi asked her

Mama, Ahsoka mused. It was a foreign term to Ahsoka and to be quite honest, she had been prepared to let Shmi call her by her name like Leia did when she started talking. But before she could get the little one accustomed to it, Leia had already used her influence to get her to say mama instead. If someone had mentioned to her twenty years ago she would have a child by her former master one day, she probably would have gotten angry. She hadn't wanted children, didn't even like to be around them too much to tell the truth. They tied her down, and she was naturally a busy body. But she had gotten used to the domestic role from raising Leia and it had been far more interesting than she could have ever anticipated.

However, raising Leia was different as Ahsoka always held up her dead mother to the girl which gave Ahsoka some leeway to do things that Padmé would have never done as she was the mother. Ahsoka wasn't Leia's mother and Leia knew that. So whenever Leia called out that Ahsoka was being hypocritical about something, she could say that Padmé would have wanted her to do it. But Shmi looked to Ahsoka and only Ahsoka. So habits that Ahsoka had clung on to over the years, she ended up letting go after she had Shmi, not that she had many to begin with. However, Ahsoka was grateful that Vader wasn't around to a degree. She still wasn't quite sure where their relationship stood and would rather Shmi be older before she witnessed it firsthand.

"Mama!" Shmi said shaking Ahsoka out her daydream.

"Ahsoka's tired," Leia said coming into the room to get her sister. "I'll tell you about daddy. You have his eyes you know."

At that, Shmi jumped off her mother's lap and pulled Leia over to the couch.

Shmi suddenly frowned.

"Wait a minute. Can you tell me something Leia?"

"What?"

"You're my sister right? And Luke's my brother," Shmi said in a voice that was suddenly more mature than her five years. Leia had a feeling she purposely did that. Shmi had her serious voice that said she meant business, and her child voice which meant she was being playful and light.

"Of course," Leia said to her matching her serious tone but a little confused why she would ask. "You know that."

"And we all have the same daddy?"

Ahsoka opened her eyes. She had a feeling she knew where this was going.

"Yes," Leia said cautiously as she too sensed the question before it was asked.

"Then why don't we have the same mommy?"

Leia exchanged a looked with Ahsoka who was frozen in her spot though Leia couldn't imagine why. She was sure Shmi had noticed it a long time ago but never felt the need to ask it. She sighed.

"Because me and Luke's mother died Shmi," Leia explained patiently. "And when things like that happen, sometimes the remaining parent, our daddy, finds someone else to love and that's why Ahsoka's your mom and not me and Luke's."

"But mama takes care of all of us," Shmi said tilting her head to the side and Ahsoka laughed in amusement. It seemed all the Skywalker children picked up that trait from their father.

"Yes, because even though me and Luke don't belong to her, she loves us anyway because we have the same daddy," Leia explained and Shmi nodded her head slowly.

"So daddy loved your mama before she died?"

"Exactly," Leia said.

"And now he loves mama right?" Shmi asked.

"Yes," Leia said despite the way Ahsoka hissed and rolled her eyes. Shmi started to say something else, but Leia shook her head. "That's enough questions Mimi. Time for bed. Ask Luke to tuck you in."

Shmi groaned. "I'm not tired."

"Yes you are. I can sense it."

Shmi pouted but got down and headed to the back of the house to find Luke. When she was out of earshot, Leia turned to look at her guardian who was suddenly in a solemn mood.

"Why don't you believe it?" she asked.

"Can you blame me?"

Leia rolled her eyes. "Do you know in my twenty years never once has Vader told me out of his mouth that he loves me?"

"I know that. I used to get on him about it," Ahsoka muttered.

"But I never needed him to because I could feel it. I didn't understand it when I was little but I get he has to keep up appearances and he lost mom. He's afraid to get too close because he doesn't want to lose us. That's why he's done everything he can to keep us save and comfortable. I get that, but why can't you?"

"Leia," Ahsoka said leaning her head on her hand. "This has nothing to do with you."

"Yes it does! Because I've watched you mope around here for the last five years and it's been weighing down on you and it's not because you don't know he does. You just don't want to acknowledge it because you're a Jedi and he's a Sith. That's also why you don't want anything to do with the Jedi. You feel unworthy of the title because you know you'll turn on them in a split second if it means helping my father," Leia accused.

"And you know this how?" Ahsoka asked dryly as she got up.

Leia rolled her eyes. "I tried my damndest for the better part of nine and a half years to set you up. I wouldn't have had anywhere near the progress I did if I didn't know something about how you thought…"

"Whatever. It doesn't matter," Ahsoka said sighing.

"Haven't you ever heard the saying love knows no bounds?" Leia asked dryly. "That means it doesn't discriminate between Jedi or Sith."

"It would be a lot easier if it did," Ahsoka said heading outside to sit on the swinging bench

Leia looked at the woman for a moment before deciding that no amount of meddling like she had as a child would work for this. Ahsoka and her father would eventually have to sort this out with the help of the force.

Ahsoka looked up into the night sky as she pushed the swing back and forth at a steady pace with the force. She missed space. Then again, she only missed it because that's where Vader was. Five years didn't seem so long when she saw how much Shmi had grown, but it was a long time to be away from him, even if she didn't know exactly where his stood with his feelings for her. Ahsoka wanted to be away from the Jedi. She felt like a traitor amongst them and they knew it. However, even if that's what she intended she had no way to get into contact with him. They had severed all ties for the sake of going into hiding.

Ahsoka had to admit, as much as he had bothered her and tried her patience, frustrating her to no end, she missed Vader. If he were here, he would have come outside to find her sitting on the swing to check on her. But instead of simply saying that, he would have said it merely because he was wondering where she was. Then he would put a cloak over her after noticing her shiver in the cool night air and make the excuse that she couldn't take care of Shmi if she made herself sick, as Leia could pretty much take care of herself now.

"Mind if I sit here?" she heard Obi-wan's voice say.

She frowned. "As long as you're not trying to get me to let you train Shmi."

Obi-wan laughed. "That's reasonable," he said sitting down next to her. "Credit for your thoughts?"

Ahsoka sighed. "I doubt you want to know…"

"It's about Vader, isn't it?" he asked bluntly.

Ahsoka kept her eyes on the sky as she said, "Nothing makes sense anymore. It all used to be so simple. He wasn't Anakin, but a completely different man who had buried his true self under darkness and the only time I saw a glimpse of that person was when he was around his only flesh and blood. But the line became blurred and everything became so complicated. Sometimes I feel like I've lost myself in all of this."

"Leia doesn't seem to think so," Obi-wan said to her. "I may not agree with your ways but I must say, you've raised her well, just as well as Bail and Breha would have without Vader's influence on her. She's simply a free spirit, makes up her own mind about things."

"I think that's what he wanted. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Vader knows he was manipulated, but likes the power that comes with being who he is. He doesn't wish that on Leia though," Ahsoka explained.

"Is that why he's never tried to turn you?"

Ahsoka had never thought about it, but Obi-wan was right. As much as he hated the way she clung to some of her old Jedi beliefs, Vader had never bothered trying to change her opinion about the Jedi. He just banned her from talking to him about it.

"Maybe or maybe it's because Vader's only an extension of his old self without the checkmate that comes with trying to be a warrior of the light," Ahsoka said tapping her fingers.

"It seems like you've put a lot of thought into the psychology of Vader and Anakin," Obi-wan pointed out.

"That man is so utterly frustrating you can't help but wonder and it makes you have sympathy for him," Ahsoka said to him. "Besides, I have to or else I can't prove that Padmé was right."

"How?"

"She said there was good in him and Padmé never lied to me so long as she was alive. I just have to prove it," Ahsoka said determined.

Obi-wan didn't say anything for a while, but then stood up and looked down at her.

"Well Ahsoka, if anyone can do it, it would probably be you," Obi-wan said to her. "Maybe… But I do worry about what's happening."

"He's still the chosen one," Ahsoka said to him. "You may have lost hope in him but I haven't. I won't just abandon him. I know he'll find his way."

Obi-wan didn't say anything for a moment before he stood up, squeezed her shoulder, and walked back into the house.

Ahsoka started to do the same when she heard a voice in her head, one she hadn't hear in five years.

Ahsoka.

She jumped. She had not just heard what she thought she did. There was no way.

Ahsoka. Where are you?

Ahsoka timidly replied.

Vader?

So you can hear me?

Of course she could hear him. They ignored their bond for the most part but it was still there. Ahsoka rushed into the house and locked herself into her room.

What are you doing? she sent back.

Looking for you, Vader said simply. It's time.

Ahsoka sighed as her mind went back to the conversation she had with Obi-wan and Yoda. She had openly admitted she'd betray them again if she had to, but…

Vader…

You don't want to betray them again, Vader said to her reading her thoughts quite easily being that she wasn't very focused.

It would be so easy if it were just the Jedi involved, Ahsoka said before she could really think about it and she wondered when it had become easy to turn her back on the Jedi.

What do you mean?

The rebellion… They've done so much for me and Shmi, took us in on Bail's word no questions asked. They took Leia in too, but she got in on the mere fact that her last name was Skywalker.

So what do you think they'll do when they find out where you've been all these years, what Shmi's heritage really is? Vader asked pointedly.

I don't know, Ahsoka admitted. But I don't want to turn on them first. If I have to, I'll do it in good conscience, knowing I had no other choice.

She sensed Vader's annoyance at her before he said, That's some twisted sense of logic. Sounds like something a former Jedi would come up with. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were looking for a reason to betray them.

Ahsoka didn't even grace him with a response because he would only succeed in convincing her that he was right and she wasn't quite ready to face that yet.

You're not angry are you?

Vader sent a mental scoff. Since when have you ever cared?

Vader.

I'll let you determine that, he said icily and Ahsoka figured that yes, he was a little peeved at her, but not directly at her if that made sense. Just know that I will find you.

I'll be counting on it, Ahsoka said before Vader closed the connection.

Ahsoka looked at the date on her calendar and sighed. It was only five more days to rendezvous with the rebellion to their new base on Hoth. She smiled at the memory when Leia found out that the base was on an ice planet and that her twin had been the one to discover it and suggest it. Being from a tropical planet where it was never below maybe seventy degrees, it had taken Leia a while just to get to the changing climates of Alderaan when they had been there. In fact, she had gotten sick at the beginning of the winter season because she was so accustomed to warm weather. But for her brother to suggest an ice planet… Leia had opted not to talk to him for a week and certainly planned on letting the High Council know she wasn't happy.

"Couldn't find another warmer barren planet with an asteroid field? Something like Destrillion?" she had muttered to which Luke said she was welcome to suggest it to the council sometime.

Ahsoka sighed as she felt the force shift, but only ever so slightly. She had a feeling that this wasn't going to go exactly as planned.

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AN: I started to take Leia and Shmi's conversation out, but it came into play later in the story. Ahsoka and Obi-wan's conversation also went through a two minute revamp as it didn't parallel the rest of the story. So I took out two sentences that made the difference between the tone of the conversation. Okay, that's chapter two. In five weeks I'll be looking back at this story not being able to believe this story started out by posting one chapter, then two, and so on…

Btw, technically the time for this move to Hoth is wrong. In canon, it happened 2 years ABY, not 1ABY. But like I said, I'm allowed to tweak as I see fit in here once in a while.

Anyway, Hope you enjoyed. Review Please!