Pieces Between

It started out as a feeling
Which then grew into a hope
Which then turned into a quiet thought
Which then turned into a quiet word

And then that word grew louder and louder
'Til it was a battle cry….

'The Call', Regina Spektor

Act 1. Scene 1. a little beginning

Ahsoka wasn't sure if she should be angry or grateful.

Entering the medical bay, she looked around, searching amid the similar faces for the one that was more familiar than the others. She found Rex lying on one of the beds, sleeping. Though his injuries appeared to be healed, he was still a chalky grey color, his brows pinched slightly as though still feeling some ache from the healing process. He looked far better than the last time she'd seen him, being hauled away on a stretcher, bloodied from their most recent mission. There were always too many casualties. Too many brought back to the ship to be placed in the bacta tanks, too many filling the medical bay after a fight. Too many buried. Too many left behind.

Rex taking an unnecessary risk to jump in to help her filled her with a mixture of relief at the aid – there had been so many droids – and anger at the risk he was taking – she was handling them just fine, if with a little more effort than she'd have liked, thank you. Watching him catch a blaster bolt, when he hadn't needed to be there in the first place, nearly made her heart stop. It wasn't easy watching any of the clones go down, but Rex was a particular friend.

She sighed, slipped her hand into his, and gave it a quick, reassuring squeeze. "Just don't do anything like that again," she told him, then watched as he stirred, eyes opening blearily and eventually settling on her. He looked vaguely puzzled.

"Commander?"

"Hey. Sorry, did I wake you?" He shook his head slightly, eyes focusing as he continued to emerge from sleep. "You were in the bacta tank for about a day," she told him. "Blaster to the chest, remember?"

"Don't remind me," he muttered, shifting to make himself more comfortable. "The mission?"

"Well, we made it out alive." Then added, giving him a serious look and a frown, "Barely. You need to be more careful. You almost got yourself killed."

"Sorry sir." She almost missed the small smile that twitched across his lips at that, the tone changing from polite apology to vaguely indulgent, as though he were patronizing her.

She scowled. "I'm serious, Rex."

"Just trying to help, kid."

"I don't need you helping me into your early death." She tried to lighten the conversation, not really wanting to argue, and so added with a light smile, "Besides, who could replace you?"

Rex chuckled a little. "And who could replace you, Commander? You're a Jedi. I'm a clone. With all due respect, sir, it's what we were born for. I would be easily replaced."

She knew this. The clones, Rex included, were born to fight, to defend, and ultimately to die for the sake of the war, for the sake of the Republic. She stood and risked her own life every day beside them, didn't she? Knew their names, knew the differences between their faces and personalities. She knew why they were created, but it didn't mean she had to like it. He was worth more than he was giving himself credit for.

"You are not replaceable to me!" she snapped at him, suddenly angry. The words sounded loudly in the medical bay, and the quiet hum of machinery seemed to fill the room. Aware of her own voice, she glanced around. A medical droid was frozen midstride, staring at them, then quickly hurried on its way. Ahsoka flushed. "That was really loud."

Rex tried to smother a laugh, and as Ahsoka returned her gaze to him, he said, "Thank you, sir."

It was then that she noticed her hand was still holding his, and, somewhere within the last few moments, it had begun to hold hers back.

Hello all. Hmm, this is mostly the product of being a little overly-busy lately, and my brain apparently needing to blow off some steam. Chapters shall be short, usually mushy, and hopefully posted with some regularity since I have an outline laid out for myself. Though I've been a SW fan since I was little, this is my first foray into the fandom and writing for it, so hopefully there will not be any blatant mistakes.

Star Wars, of course, does not belong to me (ha, I wish).

Do enjoy the ramblings in here.

~Queen