Understanding

Rex heard the door open. He didn't bother to turn; he already knew who it was. Ahsoka. He felt her hand touch his shoulder.

"You alright?" She asked.

"Ya, I'm fine." Rex answered.

Ahsoka sighed. "That was a rhetorical question. I know you're not alright. What I want to know is whether you want to talk or not." She sat down on the edge of the cot. "I know you're thinking about what happened earlier, it's over and done know Rex. Slick's locked up and we're both still alive."

"That much I'm pretty sure I realized." Rex responded dryly.

"Okay, lose the attitude, it's really not needed." Ahsoka brushed her hand down the tips of her montrals.

"Sorry." Rex bit his lip. "It's just…after what happened; it's making me think about how much danger that could have put you in. I don't like that. I don't want to have to risk losing you so much."

Even facing different directions, Ahsoka brought her head close to Rex's and her cheek brushed his. "I don't want to lose you either, but if we're going to win this war we need to take risks. Just be careful when we take risks." She whispered in his ear.

"Sorry if I brought it up too much." Ahsoka's blue-striped montrals went a darker shade of blue.

Rex shook his head. "It's not your fault."

Suddenly he reached over and scooped her up so Ahsoka was sitting in his lap. She laughed and wrapped her arms around Rex's neck.

"Hey, stop it."

"What, you don't trust me?" Rex teased.

Ahsoka brought herself face to face with him. "Maybe, maybe not."

They sat in silence, enjoying the moment. Rex brought his hand up and caressed Ahsoka's cheek. She buried her head into his shoulder.

To Rex, Ahsoka was as delicate as it could get. No matter how many times she saved her men and defended herself in battle, Rex still felt as if she needed to be protected from everything outside this little bubble of safety and comfort. He knew it wasn't true but he couldn't shut off the feeling. She was small and seemed so fragile, so easy to lose.

To Ahsoka, Rex was the opposite. He was her shield. She knew he would put his life on the line for her, he had done it before. Yet, he still needed to be cared for, thought of, even softened up a bit. His hazel eyes were stern but if you looked deep enough there was softness protruding a little.

Rex massaged the Ahsoka's shoulders. "The General hasn't found out yet?"

Ahsoka snorted and pulled her arms tighter around Rex's neck. "With the way he pays attention to things sometimes I doubt he ever will."

Rex smiled and cradled Ahsoka in his arms. "That's a good thing." It was moments like these he was glad Ahsoka had been the one to find a way through to his heart. But it was also moments like these that Rex wished Ahsoka was as far away from the frontlines as possible.

Ahsoka on the other hand wasn't even thinking in the tiniest corner of her mind about the war being waged around her. She was totally and completely focused on Rex's embrace and how good it felt. As a Jedi, she was forbidden to make attachments, not that Ahsoka cared. She had realized a long time ago that when you love someone it's nearly impossible to not get attached to them. So instead of following Jedi code, Ahsoka brushed a kiss past Rex's lips.

Rex raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected that one.

Ahsoka looked up and laughed. "What? Don't tell me you didn't enjoy that."

"I didn't say that. I just wasn't expecting it." Rex smiled.

Ahsoka gave him a questioning look. "I still want to know, did you or did you not?"

"Here's your answer." Rex leaned down and brought his lips to hers.

At first Ahsoka's eyes widened, then they closed and she let herself get caught up in the kiss. When Rex pulled back, she reopened her eyes. She was still dazed from the kiss. It had been strong and taken all her senses and put them into overdrive while numbing them at the same time.

The sensation had been amazing, not only for Ahsoka but for Rex as well. He hadn't thought he'd have the nerve to kiss Ahsoka; it had mostly been the little instinct that wasn't bred out of him or flash-trained into him.

Ahsoka blinked once or twice. "I'll take that as a yes."

Rex blushed scarlet. "I'm sorry. It's just-" He struggled for the right words. "When I'm with you I lose control. I-I can't help myself. I know what I'm doing puts you in even more danger."

Rex looked away from Ahsoka. "We shouldn't be doing this."

Ahsoka settled her hand on Rex's cheek and forced him to face her. She then slid her hand behind his head and pulled him close. Rex could see the determination in her sky-blue eyes.

"Look, Rex, I don't care. I love you and nothing can take that away." She looked at his chest then added more softly. "Nothing."

"Rex cupped her chin in his hand and looked into her familiar blue eyes. "Ahsoka, if anyone ever found out, you would be kicked out of the order." Now Rex just about looked down but with difficulty, kept Ahsoka's gaze looked in his. "I love you, too. I just don't want to see you get hurt."

Ahsoka rested her head on Rex's shoulder. "I don't care, some rules are meant to be broken."

Rex smiled at this. This was the Ahsoka he knew.

She shifted to get more comfortable in Rex's lap and he winced. His leg was still sore from earlier. Ahsoka must have seen him winced because she asked softly.

"Is everything okay?"

Rex nodded. "I'm fine, just a little sore. Slick decided it was a good idea to fight with us earlier."

Ahsoka shifted again, this time to take as much weight of it as she could. She easily located his thigh as the part that hurt Rex the most.

Rex reached down and roughly rubbed his leg. Ahsoka reached over and set his hands in her own lap. She then placed her hands on his thigh and rubbed, much more gently than Rex had been doing.

"Thanks." Rex wrapped his arms around Ahsoka and she went back to resting her head on his shoulder, rubbing the while. Rex brushed his hand down her montrals and set his chin on her head. "I didn't ever think I was capable of loving like this."

Rex was quiet for a moment. "At least not till I met you anyway."

Ahsoka bit her lip and thought. "Of course you are." She answered finally. "Neither you nor any of your brothers are droids. You're all capable of this; you just need to look deep enough. I can feel the force in you as much as any other being. You have feelings; just like everybody else."

Rex closed his eyes. "We're just clones 'Soka. We're only made for taking orders, not for feeling."

"Rex, if I wanted someone to take orders right now, I would've gotten a droid, not you. You're irreplaceable to me."

Ahsoka stopped rubbing. "Better?"

Rex nodded and Ahsoka leaned back on him, finally understanding why Slick had betrayed the Republic. Finally understanding why the troopers dyed and cut their hair different styles. All of those things she finally understood. It was to have a personality, but how many people actual treated the like they were human? How many treated them not as droids but as indivuals? Not many at all.

With that Ahsoka pulled her head up and caught Rex's lips with her own, finally understanding who really was and not just as a clone.

I thought up this one while Paint was duck taping Cody to the wall. Cody was being annoying so Aurora Lunar 0Love This0 let me borrow Paint for a while. This will probably be a one-shot but if it gets good reviews I might add more RexSoka and some other clone couples. Please review and read Healing and Loving (then you'll find out why Cody wasn't cooperating).

Chow.