A/N: Hello everyone! I am alive! Sorry about the long wait for this chapter. Hope you enjoy it!
Lena turned away from Rex towards the source of the voice. Even though Obi-Wan had warned them that Ventress would be coming, her sudden appearance surprised Lena. Stepping forward, she placed herself between Rex and Ventress. While he was a good shot, he didn't stand a chance against her lightsabers.
"You're earlier than expected," Lena said, focusing on the bald woman in front of her. Her fingers flicked at her side, calling her lightsaber to her hand from Rex's belt.
Ventress grabbed one of her own sabers, holding it ready in her hand.
"I'm nothing if not efficient," she said, smirking at Lena. "I wasn't expecting to find Kenobi's little girlfriend here when I arrived, but I guess we're both full of surprises. Although, from what I just witnessed, it seems that you've downgraded."
Lena could feel a mix of emotions rolling off of Rex from where he stood behind her. Anger. Jealousy. Offense. She wasn't sure if he was more upset about her being labeled as Obi-Wan's girlfriend or about Ventress calling him a downgrade.
"Not that my personal life is any of your business, but neither of those things is true. Enough about me, why are you here? Surely someone lower down the ladder could handle being a bodyguard for your Separatist friend."
Ventress chuckled at Lena's statement.
"That is very true, but I'm not here as a bodyguard."
A cough from the doorway of the club interrupted their conversation, grabbing the attention of everyone involved. The separatist that Lena had flirted with earlier was standing at the top of the stairs. His eyes shifted between Ventress and Lena.
"If you aren't here to protect me, why did Dooku send you?" he asked nervously.
Ventress smirked at the man, igniting her saber. The red glow lit up the dark street, accentuating the panic on his face.
"I'm afraid that you've slipped up too many times, so you are no longer valuable to my master's cause."
The man turned as if to run, but he was stopped in his tracks. Before he could go anywhere, he was lifted through the air. He flew over Ventress and landed with a grunt on the ground beside Lena and Rex. Lena lowered her hand and grasped her lightsaber with both hands, igniting it.
"Rex, get him out of here. I'll deal with her."
Focusing her attention on the woman before her, Lena held her saber up defensively.
"You can't be serious," Ventress scoffed, grabbing her other saber and igniting it.
"Try me," Lena replied.
With a shout, Ventress lept across the distance between them, her red sabers clashing with Lena's blue one.
Rex was surprised by the sudden escalation of the situation. One minute he was being insulted, the next, the Seppie was at his feet, and he was being told to leave. He hauled the man to his feet, dragging him away from the clashing sabers.
"You're just gonna leave your girl behind?" the man asked as Rex led him in the direction of the hanger where the Twilight was docked.
"She can handle herself. She's a Jedi."
Inside his head, Rex was unsure about leaving Lena to deal with Ventress. While he had no doubts about her ability to fight, he had witnessed her failure against Dooku with his own eyes. This time she was on her own, so if she went down, there wouldn't be anyone to help her. Ventress would kill her and come after them next.
"I'm sure Ventress has killed many Jedi in her time," the Seppie said, fueling Rex's fears.
Cursing, Rex shoved the man into the hanger. Grabbing the binders off his belt, he secured him to a nearby post. He ran over to where a pair of speeder bikes were parked and jumped on one, revving the engine.
"Where are you going?" the man asked, pulling against his binds, "don't leave me here!"
Ignoring him, Rex sped back in the direction they had come from.
Lena struggled against Ventress, feeling every blow vibrate through her arms. Normally she didn't have much trouble fighting against taller opponents, but her outfit hindered her ability to fight her off, her boots in particular. The thought of her boots gave her an idea. Blocking a blow above her head, Lena lifted one of her feet and kicked Ventress in the leg with the pointed heel of her boot. Ventress groaned and stumbled back from Lena, dropping one of her lightsabers as she bent over in pain. She scowled up at her, clutching her injured leg.
"What are you wearing?" she asked.
Lena looked at her in disbelief.
"I don't think now is the best time to discuss fashion. Not that you could contribute much," Lena said mockingly.
"Rich coming from a Jedi," Ventress replied, straightening up.
She swung her remaining saber at Lena, stumbling as she stepped forward. Lena easily moved out of the way of the clumsy blow. Her victory was short-lived, though, as Ventress pushed her over with the force with an enraged yell. Lena fell to the ground, her lightsaber shutting off as it hit the ground beside her.
"You're not as weak as I thought you were," Ventress sneered, limping towards Lena.
"It's my goal in life to break expectations," Lena responded sarcastically, grabbing her lightsaber and getting to her feet.
Ventress was clearly past the point of bantering as she bared her teeth in a combination of pain and aggression. Lena ignited her saber again and started to back away from the slowly approaching woman. In the distance, she could hear the sound of an approaching speeder bike. Turning her head towards the sound, Lena saw Rex coming towards her, a cloud of dust billowing up behind him.
"I hate to run, but I've got somewhere to be," Lena said, blocking the blow that Ventress brought down on her. "I'd avoid telling your master it was me that got away. He's not overly fond of me and might take that information badly."
Ventress let out another shriek of rage before swinging again in Lena's direction. Before her lightsabers could hit their target, Lena jumped. She flipped through the air gracefully before landing nimbly on the back of Rex's speeder bike that had pulled up to the fight. Rex fired a few times at Ventress before taking off again back in the direction of the hanger. Surprised by his sudden appearance and Lena's escape, Ventress wildly blocked the blaster bolts.
Lena watched the woman disappear in the distance as they sped away, the red glow from her lightsabers being the last thing she saw before they turned a corner, and she was completely out of sight. Lena turned off her own saber and dropped down onto the back of the bike, wrapping her arms around Rex's midsection. When they arrived back at the hanger, she quickly jumped off and ran in the direction of the Twilight.
"Hey!" their captive Separatist yelled from his chained position. "Are you guys planning on just leaving me here?"
"Oh, shut up," Rex said as he undid the binding to the post and led the man up the ramp of the Twilight, closing the door behind him.
Lena started up the ship, taking off from the hanger as soon as the engines were prepped. Rex shoved the man into an empty seat before taking the one next to Lena. Before long, they left the atmosphere and jumped into hyperspace, leaving the planet and Ventress behind.
As they flew through hyperspace, Lena sent out a message to Admiral Yung to let him know that they had captured their target. He responded with rendezvous coordinates to meet up with The Monitor to finish their trip to Coruscant. Ending the communication, Lena turned her chair around to face the man chained to the chair behind her.
"I hope you have some information that will be useful. It would be a shame for this mission to have been a waste."
The man in front of her looked at her suspiciously.
"How do I know that you two aren't taking me somewhere to sell me to the highest bidder?"
"I'm a Jedi, not a slave trader," Lena replied.
The man scoffed at her statement.
"Depends on who you ask."
Lena narrowed her eyes at him before her gaze shifted over to Rex, sitting in the seat beside her. He didn't seem to be paying attention to the conversation, focusing on the control console in front of him. Lena was tempted to ascertain what he was thinking but decided to give him privacy. She turned her attention back to their prisoner.
"I promise you, if you have something valuable to the Republic, there may be a way you can benefit from it. Your cooperation could lead to a lighter sentence."
That seemed to lighten the man's mood. He relaxed slightly in his chair, his guarded expression easing a bit. Curiosity came over his expression, his eyes giving Lena a once over.
"I thought the Jedi were celibate. Where did you learn to flirt like you did?" he asked.
Rex let out a small laugh, coughing to cover the noise. Lena smirked both at the man's question and Rex's reaction.
"My apprentice is a Twi'lek, as was my master. They taught me a few things about using men's desire against them. It's a useful trick, even if it doesn't lead to the commonly desired outcome."
Lena turned to look at Rex again, gauging his reaction to her answer. His face had returned to his usual stoic expression, showing nothing. She sighed before standing from her chair. Making her way back to the living compartment, she sat down on one of the bunks. She pulled the uncomfortable boots off her feet, throwing them on the floor.
"I can't wait to be back in my own clothes," she muttered, massaging her sore feet.
Lena looked up as the door to the room opened, and Rex walked into the room. His controlled expression from before had vanished, replaced by concern.
"Lena, I need to apologize. What I did was unprofessional and broke all kinds of regulations."
She knew they needed to have a conversation about what happened, but she hadn't figured that this is how it would start. Lena stood from her place on the bed and stepped closer to Rex.
"You don't have to apologize, Rex. The situation was very heated and what happened was only natural. I'm not upset with you."
Lena watched relief wash over Rex's face. She reached out with her mind, hoping his calm wasn't only skin deep. She was met with a mix of relief and disappointment. He was happy that she wasn't upset with him, but it seemed that he wanted something else. Tentatively, she took another step towards him.
"Rex? What did you mean when you talked about wanting what you couldn't have?" she asked.
Rex averted his eyes sheepishly.
"I had hoped that you would forget I said that."
Lena took one more step, raising her hand to cup his face gently. She turned his head so she could look him in the eyes.
"Rex, I need to know. Was that simply a heat of the moment thing, or is there something more?"
Rex lifted his own hand to touch hers, pulling it away from his face and holding it gently in his own.
"I don't know how to say this in a way that doesn't sound horrible. Ever since the first time I saw you on the bridge of the Resolute, I've felt something for you. I tried to bury it, but it just kept getting stronger. I'm afraid this mission broke through my final resolve, and I lost control."
Lena was surprised by his honesty. She had been bothered by his conflicted emotions during their time together, but she had assumed that he didn't like her at all. The fact that the opposite was true made her question her abilities.
"I should have kept my composure," Rex continued. "I crossed a line simply by having feelings for you. I shouldn't have kissed you."
Lena knew she had to say something before he spiraled too much further. Rather than use her words, she pulled her hand from his grasp and reached up with both hands to grasp his face. She pulled his face down as she stood up on her toes, pressing her lips against his in a gentle kiss. Rex froze for a moment before mirroring her actions, holding her face in place with his own hands. They stayed like that for a moment before Lena pulled away and met his eyes again.
"Just let me say that I'm glad you did. I didn't realize until last night that I had feelings for you as well. I would never have put you in that position without your permission, so I'm glad it happened."
Rex smiled at her and gave her another gentle peck before releasing her. Lena looked pointedly at the door, returning his smile.
"You should probably get back out there before he thinks something is up. We can talk again later after this is all over."
"Yes, General," Rex said with a smirk.
Lena rolled her eyes at him as he left the room, the door closing behind him. She returned to her seat on the bunk. Her lips broke into a large smile as she played the few kisses over and over in her head. She wasn't sure where to go from here, but right now, she was happy to bask in the moment.
A/N: It hopefully won't be as long before I update again. Please review and let me know what you think!