Chapter 161

It had been two weeks since the Rebels miraculously captured Darth Vader, and he miraculously broke out of their tight restrains. They knew they couldn't hold that monstrous Sith Lord for long, but this was ... shocking.

No one knew what really happened, except Laetitia, Thexan, Ahsoka and Rex. They didn't even tell Han, Mon Mothma, Lux, or especially ... Luke. If he found out that his sister let a dangerous Sith Lord, that they both hated, go, he would have questions ... Ones Leah didn't know how to answer.

One of the reasons was that she didn't know how to answer those questions that everyone had. She actually had the same questions that they did, and was even more confused. Thexan just told her that she didn't want to kill her father again ... And maybe, that was it.

She didn't owe Darth Vader anything, but when the moment came, she couldn't bring herself to kill him or let him suffer. After everything they'd been through, after how much he had tortured her physically and emotionally, after how much she shouted her anger and hatred at him ... At the end, she saved his life.

Laetitia was holding a tablet in her hand, analyzing the data that the Bothan Spynet had sent her, as she was walking. When she looked up to not trip, her eyes grabbed Thexan in front of her across the hall.

Oh, God ...

Leah had no idea what to do. She had been avoiding him for the last 2 weeks. It had little something to do with the fact that she asked him to commit a serious and ethical crime. But also, the main reason was that the last time they were alone ...

She couldn't bring herself to talk about it. It was too awkward and she didn't want to. She just slowly started to turn away and walk quickly away from him.

"Do you have a second?" Thexan asked as he grabbed her hand and led her to her room, which conveniently was on the way.


Thexan closed the door as he dragged Laetitia to her room to talk. Leah tried to get out, but it was no use. Thexan didn't have the look to let her go this time.

"I've been trying to catch you." He started.

"Well, I've been busy." Leah blurted out, shaking in awkwardness. She didn't even mean to say that.

Thexan just held back his chuckle as he clicked his tongue. She was a horrible liar in times like this.

"Ah. So you weren't avoiding me?"

"What? Avoid? Me? You? Pff! No way!" She confidently bluffed.

When Thexan rose his eyebrow, she just sighed in giving up. She was avoiding him. He was right.

"Why are you avoiding me?" He asked again.

"'Avoiding' isn't the right word. I was … scared."

"Of what?"

"When I thought about us, it was always like this. After we get close, something bad always happens. When I was okay with you being a Palpatine spawn, you were stabbed to death. Then you went away. We kissed but I died. We …" She stopped when she tried to come up with words. She just blushed as she cleared her throat.

"Vader got captured and escaped." She simply said.

"When we're happy, when I'm happy, something bad happens and gets things messed up. When I multitask, someone always gets hurt."

"That's why you run away from happy moments?" He asked.

"That's why I run away from happy moments." She quietly repeated as she looked down.

Thexan just nodded in understanding. He knew where she was coming from, probably better than anyone else could understand. They both had a reason to close their hearts and never open it for anyone.

"Okay. I understand that ... But let's be together anyway." He confidently said.

Leah blinked in surprise. This might have been the first time that she was ever at a loss of words. How could he say that? After what sh just said!

"What? I just … I mean … Were you not listening to a word I just said? It took lots of courage to say that." She wondered, which caused him to chuckle slightly.

"Then what? Do you suggest we pretend nothing happened?"

"No, that's not what I meant ... But should I just … forget about all the dangers ahead of us and 'date' you?" She asked. She really didn't know what to do.

"Yeah … If you really feel that way, then why were you all over me last week?" Thexan bluntly asked to tense her. And it worked.

Leah scoffed in disbelief as she moved her head to find the words.

"Okay. That is NOT what happened! That was … I did it because Ahsoka got to my head, told me to follow my heart and finally give you an answer. I did it … without realizing it." She quickly said to get it over with.

"Then you should take responsibility for it. What about me? What should I do, then?"

"I mean, it was just … one night. There is no need to take responsibility for it." She said without realizing that she did.

That sounded ...

Thexan just gasped in fake shock as he covered his body with his hands.

"I feel violated! There is absolutely every need to take responsibility for it!" He said, high-pitch voice in slight shame.

"Right?" Leah shrugged with high-pitch voice, herself. She had to agree with that.

"Yeah!"

"Aren't you ... scared that something bad might happen again? Every time we get closer, we lose each other." She honestly asked.

Thexan dropped his hands and thought about it for a second. She did have a point, but ... neither of them could live like this.

"I don't know. Let it happen. It doesn't matter to me."

"And people call me reckless. How are you so stupid?"

"Well … for me … not being with you is scarier. There is nothing scarier than that." He honestly said.

Leah exhaled in irritation. His honesty was something that she both hated and loved.

"So what do you wanna do?"

Leah opened her mouth to say something, but the door suddenly opened and a Rebel soldier interrupted them.

"General?"

Leah took that opportunity to flee the room. She ran so quickly before Thexan could say anything. He just groaned in frustration at the empty place Leah was 2 seconds ago.

"Really?! I was just starting to break her wall and get her to admit it!" He snapped at the Rebel who interrupted them and followed Leah to the Command Center.


Ahsoka was walking with Laetitia, who was completely out of it. The meeting about Darth Vader's capture and escape was the only thing they talked about these days.

Ahsoka just observed her friend as she was walking around like a zombie with no brain. She had known her since she was a 1-year-old toddler in the Jedi Temple, and she knew when her friend was thinking hard about something. She usually played with her hair and made it a complete mess, but that was out of the options ever since Leah got her cybernetic hand.

"Something happen between you and Thexan?" Ahsoka asked and brought her sister out of her bubble.

Thexan was the only one and only thing that could mess with Leah like that.

"Huh? Why do you ask?" Leah tried to play dumb, but Ahsoka wasn't the Spymaster of the Rebellion for no reason.

"So it did. Why didn't you tell me?" She asked whispery.

"It's not like that, Ahsoka. It's ..." She trailed off and sighed.

"What, you don't feel that way?"

"No! I mean ... When I tell people, it becomes real. And when it becomes real, people get hurt. When I multitask, people get hurt." Leah muttered as she stopped.

Why did Thexan always show up when she started talking about him? Maybe it had something to do with his Palpatine genes.

He didn't notice Leah or Ahsoka as he was talking to some Rebels about a mission. Leah could only guess. She didn't have the courage to go ask him directly.

"I get it. You've always run from getting hurt." Ahsoka said as she observed both Laetitia and Thexan.

"I haven't ..."

"You have ... for good reasons. But don't you wanna give it a try? I mean ... don't you think that what you'll have with him would be worth it to stop running and actually enjoy it?" She challenged her softly.

"Do you know how hard it is to find someone like Thexan, and that someone like him even exists? Someone who has never lost faith, even when the woman he loved was dead. He still believes in the good things that happen in small places of this Galaxy. He actually believes with all his heart that the Rebellion will one day crush the Empire, his father, his Master and his brother." Ahsoka stated, whispering in awe. She knew that she would not be able to kill her Master, even then.

"He came back from the dark side, turned his life upside down and changed basically everything he had ever known in his life because he loved you so much that he didn't want you to change ... He is waiting for you. He has been waiting for you for 7 years, but if you keep choosing everything else over him ... You'll change who he is. And don't tell him, but I kinda like him like he is now." She smiled to encourage her friend.

Ahsoka owed Leah everything. She helped her build a family of her own, took care of her daughter when she couldn't and made sure she came back to her husband and daughter in one piece. She would make sure that she had a change of being happy herself.

Leah just stopped and thought about it for a second. She had never looked at it that way, and never thought that Ahsoka would say such things about Thexan ... Never in a million years.

She walked closely to Ahsoka, who was still. She just made a fake-proud face and patted her in the shoulder.

"Good speech, Mama Ahsoka ... Good speech." She praised her friend.

Ahsoka scoffed and pushed her hand aside. Leah always felt awkward when emotional, so she knew that her speech worked.

Leah smiled. She turned around and walked slowly to Thexan, who now noticed her presence. She didn't say anything and just closed the distance between them as he stood right where he was. She just grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pushed his closer as she kissed him.

Thexan blinked in complete shock. He could have never seen that one coming. But he was no one to stop her just when she was staring to open up.

Ahsoka just watched them from afar, smile not leaving her face. She noticed Luke, Han and Rex coming up to her and watched them. Han clapped his hands, the playboy he way. And Luke was genuinely happy for his sister. She deserved that.

"Well, finally!" Han stated.

"Mm-hmm. I thought she was never gonna admit it." Ahsoka mused.

"Yeah! What's it been, like 3 years now?" Luke asked.

"7, if you count from when he was in love with her." Rex corrected him.

They all just laughed slightly as they watched them. It took Laetitia basically 7 years to open up to Thexan. Poor guy ... and lucky.

"Wait. Does this mean you're not scared anymore?" Thexan asked as he pulled her aside softly.

Leah sighed. Truth to be told, she was still scared. Maybe now more that ever, because now, she actually had everything to lose. But she could no longer let that stop her.

"I am ... But I'm also not. I mean, the worst that can happen is one of us dying. So ..." She sarcastically said as she trailed off.

Thexan chuckled. That was true.

"Yeah. That's just a possibility."

Done :)