A/N: Hello! I know it's been a bit since I posted the first chapter, for which I apologize for. Thank you so much to those that reviewed the first chapter, I really appreciate your feedback! Your thoughts are fuel for a writer and keep them going. I've been thinking about this fic a lot and I have decided that it will be longer than I originally planned. I hope you continue to enjoy the story! Again this chapter will be short, but enjoy!
The next morning, Lena made her way to the ship's med bay to check on Anakin. As she walked through the doors into the room, she stopped in her tracks when she noticed Ahsoka standing in front of the bacta tank. Her small orange hand rested on the side of the tank, her face turned up to look at her master's unconscious face. Lena looked on from the door, not wanting to interrupt the private moment between master and padawan. She could hear Ahsoka's quiet voice speaking to him.
"I'm sorry master. If I had listened to you and retreated like you told me to, you wouldn't have had to save me and get hurt."
Lena looked at the young woman with pity at hearing her words. She made her way across the room and placed a hand on Ahsoka's shoulder. The young Togruta turned her face from her master to Lena.
"I'm sure he wouldn't blame you Ahsoka. The battlefield is an unpredictable place, with unpredictable outcomes. You are still young and have much to learn, especially when it comes to what you can handle and what you cannot. I'm sure Anakin understands that more than anyone. He's made his fair share of mistakes."
Ahsoka sighed and shook her head.
"If I had just listened to him, he wouldn't be floating in this bacta tank right now. Master Plo always says that I am to headstrong for my own good."
Lena gave Ahsoka a small smile.
"Well, that means that you and Anakin are a perfect match then. You should have seen how he acted when he was younger. Has he ever told you what he did on Naboo?"
Ahsoka chuckled softly, her mouth turning up in a knowing smile.
"He embellishes the story a bit. Master Kenobi and Senator Amidala told me what really happened. It seems that he has been reckless his entire life."
Lena's smile faded as she turned to look at Anakin's floating form in the bacta tank. The scratches and bruises on his face and torso were healing quickly in the healing solution, but he still looked fairly battered. For someone so young, he had been through a lot. The war was taking a toll on all the Jedi, including herself.
Her hand drifted down to her right side where she knew a scar lay under her clothing. The war had barely started and she had been shot by a droid blaster on Geonosis. The pain had been nearly unbearable. Luckily her new commander Blaze had been there to get her off the battlefield and to a medic. She considered herself lucky though, as many had not survived the battle. She had spent some time in a bacta tank alongside other Jedi after Geonosis, including Obi-Wan and Anakin.
"Lena? Are you alright?" Ahsoka's voice called out to her, bringing her back to the present.
Lena shook her head to clear the past from her mind, turning her attention to the young woman beside her. She placed her arm around Ahsoka's shoulders and guided her towards the door.
"Why don't we head to the bridge. We can't let Anakin's valuable work go to waste."
The two women walked down the hallway of the large battle cruiser in the direction of the bridge, talking about what had been going on in their lives since they had last seen each other. As they rounded a corner, they nearly ran into Rex and another trooper. The four of them stopped short and the men dipped their heads in acknowledgment.
"Commander. General," the unknown trooper greeted.
Rex didn't say anything beyond the respectful nod to both women. Lena smiled at both troopers, her eyes lingering on Rex. He seemed to have something on his mind. She mentally shrugged and turned her attention to the other trooper, whom Ahsoka was introducing.
"This is ARC Trooper-5555, otherwise known as Fives."
Lena offered her hand to Fives to shake, which he accepted.
"It's nice to meet you Fives, you may call me Lena or General Orim. I hope to meet more of the troopers as I spend time here. We were on our way to the bridge to talk about the progress that has been made and what we still need to do. Would you care to join us?"
Again without saying anything, Rex turned and gestured down the hall in the direction he and Fives had come from. Lena and Fives started in the direction he pointed, making conversation between themselves. Ahsoka turned and looked at Rex, raising her eyebrows questionably.
"You know you are allowed to talk to her right? She doesn't bite."
Rex watched Lena and Fives walk down the hall, his feet firmly in place where he stood. He wasn't used to the feelings he encountered when Lena was around. This had been only the second interaction they'd had and he had felt his throat constrict at the sight of her. His heart both sped up and stopped at the same time.
"You're attracted to her you dummy," Ahsoka's voice broke through his cloudy mind.
Rex looked down at the padawan standing beside him, giving her a small hint of a smile.
"Stay out of my head kid. There's nothing serious going on in there."
Ahsoka shook her head, her mouth turned up in a smile.
"Whatever you say Rex. Just letting you know that it's normal to be attracted to a woman. I know you don't see many of them other than me, so I wanted to make sure you knew that."
Rex gently shoved her shoulder in jest, his usual attitude returning.
"Of course I know that, I'm not an idiot. There's just a slight problem of her being a Jedi and my current commanding officer. Those two things serve as a bit of a roadblock."
"You'd be surprised on her views of the Jedi code when it comes to attraction and acting on it, believe me."
Rex raised an eyebrow at Ahsoka's words.
"You mean the tension between her and General Kenobi yesterday was….?"
Ahsoka nodded affirmatively.
"A lover's spat. Or rather an almost lover's spat. Master Skywalker told me they have been dancing around each other for the last decade, but something always comes between them. It's not the Jedi code either. This time, I think it has to do with another woman. They think that no one notices, but we do. She might be glad to have a different man draw her attention."
Ahsoka turned away from Rex and followed Lena and Fives to the bridge, leaving him alone in the hallway.
Rex pondered Ahsoka's words briefly before shaking his head to clear his thoughts. It was a bad idea, and dwelling on it wouldn't help. He straightened himself up and followed the other three to the bridge to discuss the mission.
A/N: I found a December/Holiday themed prompt for every day in December for little one-shots that I think I want to write. Let me know if you would be interested in reading them. I plan on writing them with Rex/Lena as well as Kylo/Sanya from my other story Dark Hearts. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. It will take me a while to get in the swing of things, as I've never written Rex or Clone Wars stuff before, so bear with me! Please review and let me know what you think!
