hey guys sorry for the wait. I decided not to change the previous chapter right now. Maybe later. Well anyway. I hope you like this chapter. lol When I figured out what I wanted to do on it, I was sitting on my couch watching TV. lol, when it hit me, I literally yelled out loud, "I got it!" then jumped up and ran to the computer before I lost it. lol My dad was the only one in the room and he looked at me like I'd lost my mind. lol can't imagine why. Anyways! Enjoy!

"Docking sequence initiated," the pilot's voice echoed through the bridge, accompanied by the clatter of buttons and the mechanical whirling of devices activating.

Anakin gripped the rail of the small platform that overlooked the rest of the bridge as he stared out the front window. They had just entered the Coruscant atmosphere and were about to land. He could see the platform now. From there, they would take a speeder to the Temple, where Ahsoka would be taken to the healers.

The ship hit a small bump, and several more mild thumps and creaks radiated through the ship before it finally stilled.

"Docking complete…" Anakin didn't wait to listen to the rest of the pilot's sentence before leaving the Bridge. He was anxious to get Ahsoka to the Temple healers and the anti-toxin in her. Yes, he knew it wasn't actually going to cure her but it would help.

Anakin walked into the Medical bay just in time to see Rex lifting Ahsoka, being careful not to disturb any of the tubes or IV's connected to her, and moving her to a stretcher.

Ahsoka's pale face showed no sign of pain or comprehension of any kind. She must be very deeply out.

Setting one hand on the edge of the stretcher, Anakin walked along side it as a couple of medical droids guided it out the door. It wasn't long before they were on the speeder and jetting through the air.

As they crossed the landing bay towards the Temple, Anakin looked up when he felt a ripple of pain through the force. One that wasn't his, or Rex's, or Ahsoka's.

Master Windu and Master Plo had come out to meet them. Both of them had their eyes locked on the figure on the stretcher, but only Windu's turn upwards to Anakin after a moment.

It was Master Plo's pain Anakin had felt. He couldn't read the Kel Dorian's face, due to the mask that covered the majority of it, but he didn't need to see it. His force sense said it all. The Jedi Master's feelings mirrored his own. A feeling of déjà vu washed over him and he was reminded of his first dream, where he'd sensed these emotions both around and in him. The setting had been different, put the feelings were exactly the same. Anakin abruptly felt tears flash to his eyes, and quickly blinked them away before they could be noticed. He blocked the ending to that nightmare from his mind, trying to stop it from fully setting itself in.

Master Windu was looking at him. Why? Had he said something and Anakin hadn't been listening. "I'm sorry Master, what did you say?" Anakin asked.

Anakin couldn't quite decipher the look on Windu's face, but if he were being honest, he had no interest in trying. "I said Obi-wan contacted us. The healers are ready for Ahsoka and the Echani scientists are having the medication sent over now," Master Windu told him.

Anakin nodded. "Good." He had paused for a moment to talk to Windu, so now he walked passed him to follow the Medical droids with Ahsoka into the Temple. Master Plo had gone with them. Anakin flashed back to the time he and Ahsoka had gone to search for Plo after he and his ship had been attacked by the Malevolence. Ahsoka had told him that Master Plo had been the one to find her and bring her to the Temple. They were good friends. Anakin had seen them interact with each other before. Their relationship didn't seem entirely different from Anakin and Ahsoka's. Perhaps a little more respect was mixed in, but still. The two of them reminded Anakin of a father and daughter. No wonder the surge of pain when Plo had caught sight of Ahsoka. It would have been like his daughter was lying there.

When Anakin caught up with the others he glanced at Ahsoka again. Obviously, Anakin had never had a daughter. Not a sister or any of the like, so he didn't really have any reason to know how Plo felt. But Anakin could guess what it was like. There wasn't a much lower feeling. Anakin walked along side Master Plo. He didn't attempt to start a conversation and neither did Plo. They simply walked in silence. It wasn't until Ahsoka was transferred to a bed in the healing wing that Plo turned to Anakin.

"The day we spoke. She'd been poisoned already."

It took Anakin a moment to gather his thoughts enough to recall the day. It seemed so long ago. When he did, his head nodded without a conscious thought telling it to do so. "Yeah. It was why she looked so tired and was stumbling all over herself."

Plo nodded. "Do they know her chances?" he asked in his deep voice.

Anakin sighed. "If she doesn't get an antidote in time, she won't make it. And from what I've heard from Brianna, that's not going so well." He hadn't realized how bad it sounded until he actually made himself say it, but he refused to keep his mind on it too long. It didn't matter how bad things looked. Ahsoka could hold out.

Plo turned partly around to look at the small girl they both cared for.

Soon one of the healers moved past the two Jedi and injected a small vile of an odd colored liquid. The treatment.

Anakin wasn't sure what he had been expecting to happen. Maybe Ahsoka's labored breathing to ease. Or the skin on her face to begin to brighten again. Maybe even open her eyes and give him a reassuring smile. Something that would give him hope that she would make it.

But there was nothing. No breathing change. No increase in color or heart pace. No response at all.

And that made it very difficult to find a foothold of optimism to hold onto.

So, he would make his own.

"Where are you going?" Master Plo asked as Anakin turned without warning to exit the room.

"To talk to the scientist who came up with the treatment. I'm not going to sit here and watch her die. There has to be something I can do," Anakin responded without slowing his pace.

Just before he left, he heard Master Plo sighed. "Always on the move," he muttered.

Anakin marched down the hall, ignoring all strange looks and a few concerned questions about how Ahsoka was. Geez, did everyone know her and what had happened?

"Anakin?"

Anakin tuned into this voice. He didn't have a choice. Obi-wan had cut him off.

"Where are you going?" Obi-wan asked, concerned. Concerned, concerned. Yes everyone was concerned. But was anyone doing anything about anything. No.

"To the communications room," he answered, sidestepping his old master.

Obi-wan grabbed his arm. "Slow down. Why?"

Anakin gave an exasperated huff. "Walk and talk, Obi-wan. Walk and talk," he said pulling against Obi-wan's hold.

"Fine," Obi-wan replied, following. "Now answer me."

"I'm going to talk to Brianna to find out what I can do. I can't just sit here. I'll go mad!"

"I believe you're just about there already. Anakin, there's nothing you can do. It's up to them now."

"Look," Anakin said sharply. "Rex told me that Brianna said she has a few theories. If I can do nothing but test those theories, then that what I'll do. Now either help me or don't, but don't slow me down."

"Oh I don't think anything could slow you down," Obi-wan stated dryly. "And I'm not going to try. But I am going to come with you, if for no other reason than to keep you from losing your head."

Anakin glared at Obi-wan but didn't respond. There was really no point.

Finally, they made it to the communications room. Anakin immediately called Brianna. Her blue form soon appeared on the holotable.

"Hello Master Jedi," she greeted solemnly. "You must be good at your job. I was just about to call you.

"Why?" Anakin replied, completely skipping the pleasantries. He was sure Obi-wan had something to say about that but he really didn't care.

"I've fabricated a few theories and run some tests," Brianna said. "I came up with a few formulas that looked like they may work. I tried one on Atristian. It'll take a few more doses, but she's responding well. She's recovering now."

Anakin couldn't believe his ears. Relief and gratitude swelled in his chest. "So," he started once he found his voice. "You- you found a cure."

Brianna didn't respond.

Oh no. "What is it?"

"Master Jedi. I tried the formula on a portion of my sample of Ahsoka's blood, but it had no lasting effect. It seemed to cure it at first, but within an hour, the poison came back full force. If we give it to Ahsoka, she'll die even sooner. You see-" she continued on, but Anakin couldn't stand to listen.

All the hope and relief was gone and he was right back where he was before.

Except worse. Because now, there really was nothing. The only thing that could have healed Ahsoka was not going to work. And she would die.

He had failed.

In some distant portion of his mind, Anakin heard Obi-wan ask Brianna if there was anything she could at all she could do. But it didn't matter. Because there wasn't. He didn't even bother listening to the response.

Anakin wanted to turn his head away and hide his face, sure that tears had flooded his eyes. But he couldn't move; he was just frozen.

"But there is a chance that it might work." The words penetrated Anakin's thoughts because there was hope in them.

Anakin blinked, barely noting that there was no wetness in his eyes. He suddenly realized that the conversation that he'd been tuning out because it wasn't discussing anything that mattered, did matter.

"Yes there is. Theoretically, it should work but there would be no way to test it," Brianna responded.

"What?" Anakin asked.

Obi-wan turned to him. "Brianna was saying there still might be a way to save your Padawan."

"How?" he asked, turning to the small holoform on Brianna.

"By a blood purifier. It would filter the blood and clear out the toxin. It would take a while, but, as I said, theoretically, it should work," Brianna stated.

"So what's stopping you?" Anakin asked. He hadn't meant to sound so rude, but there wasn't any time to waste.

"Well as I was trying to say, there would be no way to test it," Brianna asserted. "It wouldn't be like an anti-toxin that could be proven to work. If we started pumping Ahsoka's blood though it and I was wrong..."

"Then Ahsoka would be no worse off than she is now. It's her only hope," Anakin insisted.

"But I don't even have that kind of ability. I might be able to figure out the design, but I don't even begin to have the knowledge or skill required to actually put it together, or to-"

"I'm on my way," Anakin cut her off. Then, without waiting for a response, he bolted for the door.

Atristian's Pov

Atristian leaned forward in her chair to hear Brianna's conversation with the Jedi. She was still a bit weak from the effects of the poison, but she felt significantly better than she had two days ago. Now Ahsoka dominated her concern.

When the Atristian saw Ahsoka's master suddenly darted out of the hologram, she strained to pull herself up and walk over to see what they were discussing. She caught the beginning of the older Jedi's statement.

"Anakin is very gifted in mechanics. If you can guide him in what to do, he can do the actual building."

Brianna nodded. "Then I shall make the designs immediately."

"Thank you. We are very grateful."

"Not at all, Master Jedi."

The hologram cut off and Brianna turned.

"You told them about the blood purifier?" Atristian inquired.

Brianna nodded. "They wanted to know if there was any way. I felt I should tell them."

"I agree. But do they know all the risks?"

"I told them there was no way of testing it. And that I wasn't completely sure. But Skywalker still wanted to try it."

"I don't blame him. I want to try it too," Atristian replied.

"Yes. Well I suppose I should get to work," Brianna stated. Then she turned and to look over the notes that she had made when she first considered the idea. Hopefully, it would work as well as in her calculations.

Lol, I don't feel guilty about clifthangers anymore. Now I just take joy in the fun, and occasionally quite creatively entertaining, reviews y'all send in because of them. lol