DISCLAIMER:I only own my OC's every other character is owned by Disney, Lucas and everyone else who has ever written anything for Star Wars. This is for entertainment only. My own and anyone who cares to read it.

Reviews are appreciated.

CHAPTER THIRTY SIX

It was early, the girls weren't up, which was unusual but yesterday had been physically tiring for them, picking fruit and they slept soundly; the sun was just rising above the horizon, when lights of the perimeter intruder alarm was flashing red in the house.

They had a drill now that Jay had insisted on and she agreed; he was paranoid from what he had seen in Seelos City, people had been rounded up, questioned and disappeared. On the alarm they went into action. The girls woke, dressed quickly and picked up their bags, packed, ready to run if necessary, then they waited in the cellar, at the entrance to the tunnel.

Ana had both the rifle and pistol loaded ready but she wasn't prepared for who she saw standing there and let the rifle muzzle drop downwards. She heard Jay's steps on the floorboards and turned motioning him to lower his weapon also, he hesitated, she shook her head, she knew what these men could do, what they were trained to do.

"It's ok, I know them." Jay wasn't convinced. "You won't hurt us, will you Wolffe?" She looked directly at him. He looked older, more wrinkles, hair greyer; as did Gregor who stood poised next to him but they put their blasters in their holsters, when the rifle had been put down.

"Rex needs you."

Wolffe was straight to the point but she was walking away towards the children, who crouched on top of the stairs to the cellar and peered into the room, taking in everything that was happening.

"It's alright girls you can come out. They won't hurt you." Jay glared at her. "They won't." She confirmed for him and he ushered the children behind him, protectively.

"He left me, Wolffe, didn't even have the decency to tell me to my face." Her voice wavered at that point.

"I know." He had had the argument with Rex several times about leaving but Rex would not go back. Wolffe had got him to admit that had he returned, he would not have been able to leave a second time; Wolffe knew the reason he left but he would leave Rex to give his explanations.

"Rex needs you...Ahsoka's dead."

Ana stopped. Ahsoka was his Jedi; she turned back to Wolffe, confused. "How? When? Was he with her?"

"We...joined the Rebellion and she's ...was part of it but there was some Jedi business. A week ago and no he wasn't with her. He was on another mission."

She only heard the part about Rex; he was all she was interested in.

"How bad?"

"Bad. He's not eating, not planning, won't talk about it; just sits and looks at the stars. It's not him. He's never been like this, even at his worst."

"Is there anyone else, apart from you and Gregor, who he can talk to?"

"He's friendly with Kanan, a Jedi but he's injured, blinded by Maul. That happened in the same fight on Malachor when Ashoka was killed. Ezra hasn't been the same since either. It was pretty brutal."

"Who?" Ana was even more confused, name's were being thrown around that she had never heard before.

"Maul. A Sith."

"Everyone thought he was dead because General Kenobi cut him in half at the Battle of Naboo years ago but then he got new legs." Gregor interjected unhelpfully.

"Sith?" Jay asked, astonished. "Jedi?" Disbelief in his voice.

Jay grabbed her by the arm, "Are you really considering this? This fighting between Jedi and Sith, these are ...fairy stories."

The girls had retreated to the living room, sent there by Jay but came back to overhear the last part of the conversation.

"You're right." Ana took a deep breath as she turned back to Wolfe, "I'm sorry, he made his choice. It's nothing to do with me now."

Wolffe did not believe that, it didn't match her body language, her expression. He looked at Gregor, who just shrugged and continued the stare he was directing at Jay. Wolffe stood at the door, shaking his head, then pushed between them and added his glare to Gregors, before turning to Ana, "He needs you Ana, just you. You were good for him."

Looking at Wolffe and taking several thoughtful moments, Ana then shook her head. "No." She was just turning, when Gregor asked, still not taking his eyes off Jay, "So is this your lover now?"

"No. We're just friends." She replied evenly, he looked her in the eyes for several seconds, then nodded, appearing satisfied with her answer.

Disappointed was the only way to describe how Wolffe felt; he had been convinced she would return with them. He knew there was a part of him that wanted her with them too. He had felt different...about the Jedi, after she had talked with him last time. He didn't know why but just the fact that she had readily accepted them, restored some of his confidence in people. He wasn't going to give up that easily.

Ana packed away her rifle, saying "You two staying for Breakfast?" She looked between both of them before Gregor replied.

"Is there fruit loaf?"

She smiled but it didn't reach her eyes, there was resignation in them."Yes there's fruit loaf; there's always fruit loaf."

Ana started on the preparations, more Nuna eggs were collected and the girls started some of their chores; Bonnie remembered Gregor, she liked him and kept trying to trip him up, until he picked her up and walked around, holding her like a baby. Caf was made, Milk was poured, Citrus fruit juiced. Roba sausage and bacon was put in the oven to cook, while a meal grain porridge was out on the stove simmering. Fruit loaf sliced ready to toast.

Wolfe and Gregor fed the Roba, it was the least they could do.

You could feel the heat from the sun by the time breakfast was on the table, plus more Caf and Bonnie had her own helping of bacon, but that didn't stop her rubbing along the legs of anyone likely to give her another piece.

There was not much talking at the table as everyone tucked in; the girls were watching the older men constantly, intrigued by what they saw. Finally it was Mattie who had to say something. She stopped eating her spoon poised in mid air. "So how do you know Aunt Ana?"

"She helped our brother." Gregor answered.

"When?"

"Bout a year ago."

"What did she do?"

"Saved him from a nexu." Mattie's mouth dropped open.

"Treated some wounds, then he stayed for a while."

"Why did he leave?"

"To hunt Joopa."

"What are Joopa?"

"Large earthworms, in the desert."

"How do you hunt them?"

"Was with a tank, now it's an AT-AT.."

"Where do you live?"

"On the repurposed AT-AT walker."

"All of you?"

"Yes"

"How many?"

"Two or three, depending."

"How old are you?"

"28."

Mattie dropped her spoon in her porridge and she was just going to say something else when Gregor got in first.

"I know, we've had a hard life."

She decided not to pursue her questions and remembering what she had heard Ana telling her Father about them, simply watched them again, closely but she had one more question.

"What's a hat hat Walker?"

Wolffe gaffawed.

.

Jay cleared the breakfast items away, as Ana had gone to her office to check something. He was uneasy about this, recalling how she watched both the old Clones, intently, as they sat eating their breakfast. Although the man himself was not here, Jay was certain she was reconsidering her answer not to go with them. The two men seemed fine, even if one did have some kind of mental problem; but Rex, he had not even had the courtesy to explain to Ana's face why he was leaving, just left and let her think the worst. He had thought him better than that.

He left the Clones finishing their Caf; they certainly ate a lot. From a medical point of view he was intrigued by their accelerated ageing, which Ana had explained to him and he had wanted to ask them about it. In fact he had mentioned it to a colleague, and she was particularly interested in it and had questioned him about it.

"You're going to leave aren't you?" Jay had come to see her in the bedroom, as she wasn't in her office but he saw the broken datapad, the holo's of her and Rex and the half packed bag.

"I just need to make sure Rex is alright." She rolled up some more clothes and packed them, "This has hit him hard."

"All this Jedi and Force, nonsense, all that ended years ago and it was more legends and myths, than anything. They were a cult. If it wasn't for them we wouldn't have the Empire now."

"You don't mean that."

"Don't I?"

"I don't know, Jay. Rex..." She paused thinking through her words, "he was a practical man, a soldier and he certainly believed in the Jedi. He told me of some of the things they had done together, he and his Jedi's. Leaping from airships and bridges, deflecting blaster bolts. Influencing people; it all seemed a little far fetched but he said these things happened and I believe him."

"The Barve left you without even having the courtesy of telling you that he wasn't coming back. He's a bloody coward."

Ana stopped packing; "That's enough Jay. He may be many things but he was never a coward." Her voice was deeper, sharper; he knew she was angry but he was done pussy footing around the question.

"Ok. So is it that you like men who hurt you?" He had heard about her ex-husband

"That was low."

He let out a huff, and sniffed. "You're right, I apologise but I just want you to see that this is a bad idea. I've called Essie and Tula, they're coming over."

She sighed. "Ok, I'll think about it a bit longer." She muttered but the way she threw her clothes down, indicated just how angry she was.

.

They watched as Ana went head to head with Essie over leaving. She had thought about it further, just as she said she would; but the result was the same. Tula had taken the girls out; she didn't want them to hear what the two redheads were arguing about, or how. Wolffe was happy with her decision and Gregor was just glad he wasn't in the middle of the argument. Even though it had not turned physical, it was still nasty and words had been said, on both sides, that couldn't be retracted.

"So your Fekking mind's made up then?" Essie almost snarled the sentence out.

"Yes." The reply was curt.

"You know you're never very good at making decisions where men are concerned."

"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean."

Ana shrugged, "I'm a grown woman but you never seemed to understand that,"

"There's no coming back to us from this."

Essie wished she had bit her last retort back, as soon as she said it but with nothing more to add, she stormed out of the house, door swinging in her wake, glaring at the Clones, as they moved out of her way.

"Wolfe, Gregor? Can we leave tomorrow, I need to talk a few things through with Jay, just to make the final plans."

She turned and made her way back to the office; she had more packing to do and some legalities to tie up with Jay, that would help both of them in the short term.

.

Jay leaned backwards onto the desk, hands griping it. He listened to Ana's plan with regret.

"So you can stay here rent free, so long as you look after it. If you want to, that is. It's up to you. Just like we had decided but I won't be here."

Jay was speechless; he had watched the argument and regretted calling in the Aunts; it had simply pushed her to make the decision, that he thought was wrong, on so many points.

"I'm sorry…..about you and Essie. I didn't realise…"

"How alike we are?"

He nodded.

"We can both lose it, and have done in the past."

"This sounds bad though."

"We'll see." Ana sounded pragmatic about the whole argument.

"So this is definite?"

"Yes. Jay I need to. If I don't I'll regret it for the rest of my life. I know that much."

She looked, as if she was remembering something. "And if I had let them, let you persuade me otherwise, I would have blamed them, and you."

Jay shook his head. She was right.

"Come on, Let's get the legal details sorted so you can stay here, with no questions asked. I understand the Empire likes it's records."

He shook his head again as he followed her to her office.