Chapter 10

Anakin Skywalker was losing his mind. He pivoted around to continue his panicked pace across his apartment. He paused for a moment when he felt a flash of fear from his Padawan. She was lost. Somewhere in the galaxy, Ahsoka Tano, his Padawan, his best friend, the love of his life was lost and terrified. And he couldn't help her.

At least she's still alive, he continually reminded himself. She was still alive and as far as he could tell, she wasn't in pain. Afraid, yes, but also incredibly determined.

He continued his steps, the only thing that was keeping him from hopping into his ship and travelling across the entire Galaxy until he found her.

Because the Council told him not to look for her and he couldn't risk exposing his feelings for her to them if she was okay.

But she wasn't okay!

But she was alive...

But she was afraid!

But she was hopeful...

With a harsh sigh, Anakin sunk down on the couch. Obi-Wan had been watching him from the other side of the apartment for the past couple of hours. Anakin could feel his former Master's concern, even without the bond of a Master and a Padawan between them. Whether the concern was for his former student or for his grand-Padawan, the younger Jedi couldn't be sure, but it was there.

"Ahsoka's strong," Obi-Wan said.

"You don't think I know that?!" Anakin failed to keep the bite from his tone and he shook his head, hiding his face with his hand.

"If you taught her well, then she'll be fine, Anakin. You just have to believe in her."

He did. He believed in Ahsoka so much that it hurt so much. He might be the "Chosen One", but she had the potential to match him in strength one day. And that thought both terrified and exhilarated him. Terrified him because he knew that once she became a Knight, the Council would use her power to their advantage. And it exhilarated him because they would always continue to challenge each other, encourage each other to get better.

Imagine the good they could do.

Another flash of terror.

Or the damage.

Anakin had to stop himself from sprinting out of the Temple when he heard of the Wookie ship that arrived. But even that couldn't stop him from running towards his Padawan and exclaiming her name. Or stop the grin that spread across his face when she thanked him for his tutelage. He resisted embracing her though and felt incredibly proud of himself for that fact.

Until they were back in their apartment.

Anakin gathered Ahsoka into his arms and she returned his embrace with just as much enthusiasm. Absolute bliss passed between them, even after Ahsoka pulled away. "I think I need to take a shower," she said with a small giggle, rubbing at the dirt she managed to get smeared on Anakin's robes.

He laughed and smudged away some of the mud on her cheeks. His thumb hovered over her skin as she smiled up at him. "Force, I love you," he whispered. "I love you so much, Ahsoka Tano."

She smirked up at him, an eye-marking raised, "Are you going to start reciting poetry, Ani?"

"I just might," he responded with a smug look of his own.

A blush splashed across her face as she placed a hand on his cheek. He didn't mind the way the dirt clung to his skin. Not as long as Ahsoka was touching him. He leaned in, pressing their foreheads together. "I never stopped believing in you," he said. "And I never will."

"I know, Anakin," she swiped a hand through his hair. "Looks like you're gonna need a shower too."

Anakin shook his head, heat rising up his face, "I guess I do."

"Dibs!" she shouted before sprinting towards the refresher.

He blinked at the space she was just occupying and slowly turned in the direction she ran off in. "Not fair, Snips!"

Anakin found himself in this position quite a lot, but not usually in this situation. Ahsoka lingered above him, straddling him on top of the bed they usually shared, a triumphant grin spread across her face. "You are beaten," she teased in a sing-songy voice.

The male Jedi heaved in a deep, laughter-filled voice. His sides still hurt from where she'd tickled him. "I concede defeat," he managed to gasp out. "Please, no more!"

The togruta giggled before collapsing on top of him and knocking the wind out of him. That only made her laugh harder as she rolled off of him. He turned to face her as she smiled up at him. Her fingers combed through his damp hair as they watched each other. "You're the reason I'm alive," she said after a moment.

He chuckled, "You already thanked me, little Padawan."

She rolled her eyes and flipped onto her back. Anakin whined for a second at being deprived of her soothing fingers. She kept her gaze on the ceiling though. "I meant what I said. About surviving because of what you taught me, as my Master, but..." she turned to face him and he found himself entranced by her eyes. "You also kept me alive as Anakin Skywalker, the man I love. All I could think of was getting back home to you."

The love that passed between their bond almost overwhelmed him. He wound an arm and pulled her closer, pressing a soft kiss against her montral. He'd never done that with her awake before. She sank into his body as she pressed her lips against his bare shoulder. After a moment, he rolled on top of her, hovering above her in the sort of almost-kiss they shared so often. Less than a centimeter of space separating them. All he had to do was move less than a centimeter.

Her breath ghosted against his face, smelling strongly of the flavorless chemical that Togrutas used to clean their teeth. He'd come to love the smell, associated it with Ahsoka's lips. The lips he thought about kissing at least five times a day. "Tell me a story, Anakin," she said, her voice soft as her eyes fluttered closed.

That was their code. That she wanted to kiss him just as badly as he wanted to kiss her. But they had yet to break that minuscule space between them. "Once upon a time," he whispered into the space between them, closing his own eyes. "There was a princess that fell in love with a prince and their love was forbidden. But they didn't care and eventually, no one else cared either."

"And they lived happily ever after?" she asked, a hint of a laugh in her voice.

"Yes," he sighed and that centimeter felt like a galaxy between them. "They did."

And then he felt it. The oh-so-gentle pressure of a pair of lips against his. His eyes flew open and he realized that, yes, Ahsoka was really kissing him. She pulled back before he could return the gesture. "Sorry," she breathed out. "I really don't want to die before I get a chance to kiss you."

He stared down at her before closing the distance between them once again. If someone looked at their signatures in that moment, he doubted they would find see two distinct signatures. One of Ahsoka's hands rested on his chest while the other carded through his hair. They deepened the kiss, lips moving in sync as he dropped a hand to her hip. She gasped against him as his fingers trailed down her thigh.

They pulled away, heaving in deep breaths of air. Anakin stared down at Ahsoka, her eyes closed as she inhaled and exhaled. White markings accentuating her cheekbones. Her lips curved into a half-smile. She eased her eyes open and her smile grew. "Can we do that again?" she questioned, her voice raspier and deeper than usual.

Anakin was more than happy to oblige.

So, I plan on this going pretty far. I actually already have a chapter written for after The Wrong Jedi {it was actually going to be a one-shot that inspired this whole thing...}, so don't worry about how long this is going to be. Then again... We're already finished with Season 3... Haha...