A/N Just a heads up, if you have not watched the second episode of Rebels season two, this does contain spoilers.
*I do not own Star Wars Rebels or any of its characters*
Ahsoka anxiously waited in the Ghost's common room. It had been nearly a day since Kanan, Ezra, Sabine and Zeb had left, and she had just returned from a task of her own. They had a relatively simple mission to a sparsely populated world, and she expected them to return much sooner.
But that's not why she was worried. Not really.
The Ghost was currently in orbit around Seelos with only her and Hera onboard, the rest of the crew being on the planet's surface. Hera, after receiving a transmission, informed her that everything was fine, and that they were almost ready to depart. That was nearly an hour ago. She had been sitting in her current position since then, with her chin resting on her palm, elbow braced on her knee. She chewed on her bottom lip, deep in thought. Ahsoka wanted nothing more than to fly the ship down to Seelos' surface and find her friends.
Since her trial she had very little contact with people from her past life. She had - at least tried to - move on. But now things were changing, and she was about to come face to face with someone from that past life.
Clone Captain CC-7567, of the now extinct GAR.
Rex.
From a life where she was a Commander in that same extinct GAR, fighting for a better future alongside her master, Torrent, and Captain Rex. The same Rex that Ghost crew were, hopefully, bringing back with them. Ahsoka ceased biting her lip, for fear that any further damage to it would become unrepairable, and instead picked at the hem of her skirt.
A skirt so similar to the one she wore in that distant time. Nearly the same as the one she wore the last time she saw Rex, when he chased her through the Coruscant under world. That she wore in the events that lead up to her trial, and, subsequently, her departure from the Jedi Order and GAR.
That was fifteen years ago. Fifteen years since she had seen her Captain. Since he had seen her.
She shouldn't be this anxious, she knew she shouldn't. If anything, she should be glad. It wasn't everyday she got the chance to see an old friend. Ahsoka took a deep breath in an effort to calm herself. It had little effect.
She had left him - and the rest of the five-oh-first, for that matter - without an explanation, apology, or goodbye. She just up and left.
And that was why she worried.
She was worried about what Rex's reaction would be to her dragging him back into the war, after leaving without so much as a farewell fifteen years ago.
Ahsoka often wondered if the clone missed her company as much as she missed his. Occasionally she wondered if he even remembered her, before quickly dismissing the thought. They was no way for him to forget the snippy little headstrong girl who came bounding out of the shuttle on Christophsis, was there?
The former Jedi was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't hear the Phantom when it docked, nor did she sense as several Force signatures arrived on the Ghost. Only the sound of footsteps broke her from her reverie, and even after that it took several moments for her to realize what those footsteps meant. She tried every calming, Jedi meditation trick she could think of, but not even that was enough to prevent her pulse from accelerating and her hands from trembling.
It took all of her very plentiful willpower to stand up on her shaky legs and cross the room. By the time she made it to the door she still hadn't got control of her nerves, if anything she was starting to tremble more. She stared at the door's activation panel for several long seconds before convincing herself that this was ridiculous, and slamming her hand down on the panel before she could change her mind.
There stood the rebels. They filed in, gathering at the opposite end of the hall. And then they parted, allowing someone to pass.
Rex.
He paused once he stood at the front of the group, his face holding a mixture of emotions she was sure were etched on her own as each assessed the other.
He looked much the same, the only change to his face being the addition of a graying beard. His body was mostly the same too, though it was clear he had aged. He still wore his phase II armor, the arm pieces removed to allow some ventilation - Seelos was, after all, a desert world.
Upon seeing him, her shaking abated, and her previously pounding heart nearly stopped. Knowing Rex would be here was one thing. Actually seeing him, alive and well, was another. It meant this was real, that she wasn't just fantasizing it. This was Rex. He was safe, he was with her, and she wasn't alone in this any more. He hesitantly started toward her, snapping her from her daze. She forced herself to move her feet, one small step at a time, until they met in the middle, an arm's length apart. He politely smiled, fully aware that Ghost crew was watching, and offered her a nod.
"Commander."
He was still taller than her, so she had to crane her neck to see his face, which she did before returning his gesture.
"Captain."
Each watched the other, taking in every detail, every change and familiarity. All the apprehension she had felt earlier dissipated, replaced by joy. Rex. Rex was here. A friend, comrade. Someone to lean on, who understood. She saw his gaze move from her face, scanning over the rest of her. He studied certain areas longer, noting the diamond patterns of her gloves that she seemed to like, and curiously observing her new lightsabers. His formerly polite smile became wry as his attention shifted back to her face.
"You got old."
Ahsoka barely stifled her laughter. "It had to happen sometime, Rex."
And then every Jedi teaching was forgotten. All attempts at professionalism were abandoned, and any thought as to them being watched vanished.
Ahsoka had missed this. She missed having a friend, the joking, playful banter of that friendship
She unceremoniously threw herself at Rex, wrapping her arms around his neck. He stiffened, before accepting the embrace and delicately placing his large, calloused hands on her back. She was on the tips of her feet, stretching to place her chin on his shoulder.
It was worth it. Everything she had endured over the past fifteen years was worth it.
She felt his grip around her tighten, pushing the plastoid of his gauntlet into her ribs - she couldn't care less. Her montrals were against his neck, and she could hear the steady beat of his heart, feel the warmth of his skin, his breath. Rex was very much alive. He had deserted the Empire and was alive. He was here, with her. She wasn't alone. He stirred, pressing his cheek closer to her.
" I missed you, little'un." His voice was full of emotion, so unlike the battle hardened soldier he sounded like before. She pulled him nearer.
"Rexster." She choked on the word. A single word, because that was all she could say. It was all that needed to be said.
They were together, just like they were before. They would protect each other and end this war. He was all she had left of that previous life, and she was all he had. They each tethered the other to who they used to be, and they would each lead the other to who they were meant to be.
They would survive this, together.
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McAwsome
