Rila: I GOT THIS PART FINISHED i KNOW I SAID IT'D BE DONE BUT I GOT MORE IDEAS FOR A SECOND PART So. Hope this is to your liking, Sachariah! If it isn't, let me know and I'll take it down and revise it. :3 Music inspiration — Are We There Yet by Ingrid Michaelson. THE SECOND PART WILL MAKE MORE SENSE I SWEAR

Disclaimer: CRAP WHY WASN'T THIS UP SOONER WAIT THAT'S WHAT CAFFINE IS FOR

Word Count: 2,095

Chapter Description: A future that was unknown for both of them.

It was quiet.

It was not something that bothered him, and he found comforting in the lack of words. No explosions, no giving orders and obeying orders in return. No blaster bolts, no shouts of his brothers. Nothing but the crackle of the fire before him and the occasional cry from the wildlife, though nothing ventured close enough to warrant the use of his blasters. Cleaned properly, they sat to his left, ready at a moment's notice.

Footsteps approached, light and barely audible over the noise of the fire, though he did not turn around to identify who it was — he did not have to.

"May I join you?" The tone was light, though there was no hint of teasing. She did not need to ask, but she had taken to asking his opinion on everything since their discussion after Umbara. Though it was not needed, it was appreciated. He nodded, and moved, crossing to sit on the other side of the fire, across from him.

There was a glint from the cylinders attached to her belt, and his mouth curved into a small smile. Even though this planet was rather peaceful, no one seemed eager to press their luck in disarming themselves.

"I figured you'd be out here," she spoke, though this time there was a teasing note to her voice, her eyes glittering with amusement as she looked at him over the leaping tongues of orange and yellow. "Couldn't sleep?"

He shook his head. As of late, thoughts that were not suited towards someone of his status — both as clone and as Captain — had begun to frequently invade his mind, and, unable to dispell them long enough to get any proper amount of sleep, he had found himself here, trying to clear his thoughts.

Ahsoka's arrival, though not unpleasant and not unwelcome, had done nothing to help banish said thoughts — in fact, they had only made it worse, as she was generally involved in those sorts of thoughts. Thoughts of the future beyond the war, a future that, when he had asked Fives, after Krell had fallen, his brother had not been able to answer. No one knew what happened to a clone after the war.

Regardless, he had never given himself much room to think of those things, dismissing them as pointless — the Kaminoans had never encouraged such things, nor had he ever had reason to even toy with the idea of a future beyond the war — but in light of what had happened recently, it gave rise to the thoughts that he had dismissed so easily before.

And with those thoughts of the future came what it might entail, though Rex was wary in letting himself linger on it for too long. He had seen far too many brothers fall to assume that he would even see the end of the war. And though it was a cruel truth, he was not meant to see the end of the war. Clones were expendable, though he had been told time and time again by Ahsoka that his life — and the lives of his brothers — were not so easily thrown away.

Not for the first time, he wondered what it would be like to see things through her eyes, to acknowledge them and understand them as she did. Though she was a far cry from the wide-eyed, naive Padawan she had once been, there was still a certain innocence to her views, a confidence and determination that could not be shaken. It was admirable, to say the least.

That admiration that had begun after the battle on Christophsis had changed over time, however, and developed into something more than just simple admiration for the Togruta Jedi. It was a friendship, a mutual leaning upon each other for comfort and support when needed — but it too, had turned into something else. Though it was his duty as a clone to protect Jedi, he was certain that none of his brothers felt the same sense of protection towards Ahsoka as he did.

The concern when she was injured — even though she brushed it off as trivial — because she, unlike he and his brothers, was not replaceable. There was not another Togruta that could take her place. Ahsoka seemed to take after her Master in regards to being reckless towards her own safety, and though he was usually there to watch her back, there was a muted worry when he was not.

"Rex?" Ahsoka's voice reached him, but it was not until a small pebble was launched at him and bounced off his armor that he looked up, catching the glimmer of relief in her gaze as she continued, "You looked like you were in pretty deep thought." Concern replaced the relief, and her mouth pulled down as she watched him. "Are you alright?"

He nodded. "Just thinking," he clarified, and one of the white lines over her eyes arched, an unspoken 'About what?' prompting him to add, "After the war."

Her mouth tugged at one corner and then the other, a small smile that lingered as she said, "I've thought about that."

Rex blinked. Ahsoka had never seemed like someone who would give much thought to the future after the war, as there was little that she would be able to do. She was a Jedi, and it would be her role to keep the peace that the end of the war would bring about. He did not press her for details, though she shifted and began speaking, perhaps prompted by her own line of thinking to do so.

"After the war ends...I'd like to see Shili again." Her tone took on a wistful edge as she leaned forward, elbows resting atop her knees and her face supported by her hands, fingers splayed over the white markings on her cheeks. Her attention had shifted from Rex to the fire, and she stared at it as she continued. "I know I wouldn't be able to stay, but...It'd be nice." She lapsed into silence for a few moments before she resumed, though her voice had grown quieter, though it was still audible over the crackle and pop of the fire. "My species...they're really big on community and family. So it's rare for someone to be so independent." Her nose wrinkled. "I'm the oddball, I guess."

Ahsoka could have said more, but she stopped herself. She was not supposed to have attachments, though she had formed her own 'family' through the people that she knew. Master Plo was the closest thing to a father that she had, while Anakin acted more like a brother. Barriss was like a wise, older sister. And Rex — she halted her train of thought, chevrons of her montrals darkening as her face warmed, though it was not from the heat of the fire. The rational side of her knew better than to form feelings for him — much less acknowledge that she already had them. But it was difficult not to form attachments, especially when she spent so much time with him, though it was outside of battle as well. There was no one — not even her Master — that she trusted more.

Clearing her throat to dismiss her less than appropriate thoughts, Ahsoka returned her attention to the clone sitting across from her. "So...what do you want to do after the war?"

"I don't know if there will be a future for me after the war," he answered and then smiled, but the gesture was humorless and rather bitter. "I'm a clone, Ahsoka. I don't know if there can be a future for someone who was bred for the war."

Anger flared, and Ahsoka stood. "Of course there's a future for you, Rex! Even if you are a clone, you're still you. A person." Her tone quieted, and she moved to sit back down, only to change her mind at the last moment and move around the fire to take a seat next to him. "Don't let anyone tell you any different, Rex." Her mouth curved. "Now, what do you plan on doing after the war?"

Rex's lips twitched upwards for a moment before he began to speak. He already knew what he wanted, and though he trusted Ahsoka, he was not sure if he was ready to share it with her. "I don't know."

Ahsoka snorted. "Come on, there has to be something." She pushed at his shoulder, the action friendly and playful. "You could become a farmer, or become a business man or—" she paused when he snorted and shook his head, giving him a look. "Don't blame me. At least I'm coming up with ideas. Or you could..." Her head tilted before she continued, "You could meet someone. Someone nice, and pretty...and you could fall in love with her, and get married. And have a house, and a family."

The soft, wistful tone from earlier was back, and Rex glanced over. She was not watching him, her posture like it had been before, though her fingers had curled to rest over her lips, her gaze locked on some obscure point. There was a bittersweet edge to the smile that had curved the edges of her lips upward, a longing for an ending that she could not have. She was a Jedi, she was not allowed to have attachments, not allowed to form the bonds that her people created so easily. She could watch from a distance, just as he did. A glimpse into a life that she could never have — a life that he had seen when he had met Cut and his wife Suu.

A life without battles, a life without wondering if today would be their last, a life without the war — a life with a family.

Something he had never had — and to a certain point, neither had Ahsoka. Though she had been born to a mother and a father, she did not remember them. She had told him so earlier on in their friendship, and waved it away with a soft smile akin to the one on her lips now as she replied, "I have a family here."

"This is your home. My family is elsewhere."

The words he had spoken to Cut as he left, having decided to leave his brother in peace. His family was comprised of his brothers, ones who shared the same face as him but had so very different personalities. They were as close to a family as he had, and he valued each one of them. But it was not the same as what Cut had. He had a wife and children, a house of his own.

His attention returned to Ahsoka. She had lapsed into silence, her face bathed partially in warm light from the fire, the rest in cool shadow. Though she had quite the attitude, he knew her to be kind and compassionate, worried more over the lives of those around her than her own. Strong, confident. Graceful, beautiful — and she was not his. The sort of future that he wanted — he wanted with her. It was a selfish thought, dreadfully so. And yet —

"Do you want a family, Rex?" Her voice startled him, and he watched as she turned towards him, the look that she gave him one of bittersweet sorrow, the same as her smile. She said nothing, however, waiting for his answer. He did not answer right away, contemplating before finally answering in a voice just audible over the fire,

"Yes."

He did not elaborate, and she didn't ask him to, only scooted closer and placed her head on his shoulder, an action that prompted him to place an arm around her shoulders, tucking her closer. He said nothing more, nor did she — they simply sat in silence, contemplating the future and what it would mean for both of them.