"We're here." Anakin laid a hand on and shook Ahsoka's shoulder as the gunship gently rocked to a stop.

She opened her eyes, sitting up as the doors on either side of the ship slid back, revealing a brightly lit, deserted hangar. Both walls were lined with speeders, starfighters, and more gunships. Anakin grabbed her bag and immediately stepped out the ship, starting across the hangar at a brisk pace in the direction of the exit. But Ahsoka stayed put.

As huge as the Temple was, it had many hangars. But she knew this hangar was the one she'd been accused of bombing. And, sure enough, she could hear the now faint screams of the dead—the ones Anakin mentioned when they'd been investigating the bombing—in the Force now. She felt a pang in her chest. Once upon a time, everyone thought she was responsible for those screams.

Anakin halted. "Ahsoka?" he asked, turning around to look at her with a concerned frown. "Are you okay?"

Ahsoka got to her feet and exited the ship, breaking into a slow jog to catch up with the Knight. "I'm fine," she lied. "The droid just did my bandages too tight."

"Mark my words, because that excuse for a med droid is getting a memory wipe, ASAP." Anakin narrowed his eyes and started walking again when Ahsoka reached him. "Or, better yet, decommissioned—"

"There you are, Skywalker." The doors to the hangar opened, and through them strode Mace Windu. A very annoyed Mace Windu. "You're late."

Anakin raised an eyebrow. "I've ten minutes to spare, Master."

Windu merely glanced at him. "But it would have taken you at least thirty minutes to settle in Former Padawan Tano and another ten to reach the High Council Chamber. Therefore, you are late."

Ahsoka couldn't help but give the Jedi Master a look that said are you serious? She knew for a fact Windu wasn't Anakin's biggest fan, simply saw her as some sort of scaled down version of the Knight and, ultimately, trusted neither of them—"The Jedi Council has decided Padawan Tano is guilty of sedition against the Republic."—but this was ridiculous. She crossed her arms, softly deadpanning, "Good evening to you too, Master Windu."

Windu's gaze flickered to her, and his features hardened into his infamous death glare. "Insolence is not tolerated in the Temple, Former Padawan Tano. I trust you know this?"

Ahsoka didn't flinch. She didn't remember anything about that rule. "I prefer Miss Tano."

"Once a Jedi, always a Jedi, Miss Tano." Windu turned back to Anakin. "It would be unwise to keep the Council waiting any longer, and the med bay is open twenty-four hours a day." He turned on his heel and started back towards the door. "Former Padawan Tano, why don't you accompany Skywalker and me?"

Ahsoka swore she felt her bandages wind themselves even tighter around her. Someone shoot me… again.


Anakin's mouth hung slightly open as Windu disappeared into the Temple. "Ahsoka—" he stopped talking. There was nothing he could say. What had he done? He should have never asked her to come to the Temple—defying the Council would have been easy; after all, it wouldn't have been the first time he'd done so. And this time, he would pay dearly for complying. No. Ahsoka would pay dearly for it—for his mistake.

As usual, he thought bitterly, turning to face his former apprentice.

Ahsoka blew air through and out her lips, suddenly looking much older than sixteen. "The Council doesn't scare me."

Anakin doubted that there was much that scared Ahsoka at all. Still, he could tell she was upset. "I know." He sighed. "I didn't think this through, I should have—"

Beep. His comlink went off.

"Skywalker, are you coming?" Windu's voice was distorted by the tiny speaker.

Anakin could practically see the Jedi Master arching an eyebrow, and that mental image on top of everything was enough to make him to mutter something—something he hoped Ahsoka wouldn't understand—under his breath in Huttese and end the call. "Ignore him. We're going to the med bay." He hit the button that said OPEN by the door and added, "Ladies first."

Ahsoka moved into the Temple, frowning. "What about—"

Screw the Council, Anakin thought. "I'll handle them." He couldn't help but grin. "Besides, since when have we ever followed orders?"

A smile twitched at Ahsoka's mouth. "Never," she agreed. "But I'm not going to give them an excuse to kick me out. Orders are orders."

"Where was that line of thought before you left?" When he had ordered her not to jump into the Underworld, specifically…"Kidding, we'll go. But say the word and I will personally set every single one of them straight."

"If by 'set them straight' you mean kick them off a cliff and into a sarlacc pit." Ahsoka stopped and kicked out her foot for emphasis. "I'm saying nothing."

Anakin watched as she shook her head and started moving again, folding her hands behind her back. He had missed her. Countless times, he would find himself in a jam on the battlefield and turn to ask empty air if it had any ideas—ideas just crazy, just bold enough to work and win them the day.

In a galaxy with a sense of justice, empty air, space, that Ahsoka would have filled.

Whatever the Council has the audacity to say to her… He pulled his hands into fists. It had better be an apology.

If it was anything else, they were going to regret the day they let him become a Jedi or gave him a padawan. Even if they had the sense to hire someone to spray him in the face and hold out a card that said do not get attached every time he'd pondered just how hard it was to remember life without Ahsoka, that was one thing they'd been too stupid to realize would never not happen.

But to be honest, they're too stupid to realize a lot of things.


Original version posted 4.9.13

Current version posted 9.12.13