Author's Note: the placing of this fic in the The Clone Wars timeline is not specific. While writing I was picturing early years, before Ahsoka gains her second lightsaber, but after her first costume change. I didn't actually check if that lines up. This fic does not affect any canon Clone Wars plots or episodes though, so I didn't think it mattered!

Trigger Warning: There is torture in this fic (this chapter only has a device that creates headaches). But, I would not describe the torture scenes as graphic. I am far too squeamish for that! 95% of torture in this fic is equivalent to what you'd see on the show. I will put warnings at the beginning of every chapter for what kind of torture (if any) is depicted, because I know proper trigger warnings are important! Please enjoy the story!

The Beginning

"Snips, watch your back!" Anakin shouted over the noise of the battle as he leaped, slashing a red bullet from the air before it could hit her back.

She dodged one coming from the front. "I know, Master," she said, her tone sarcastically patient. She turned and slashed another one from the air in a mirror of his previous move, right before it would've hit his head. She smiled. He grinned back. "Now we're even."

Anakin rolled his eyes. "Let's just get to the castle, okay?" With that, he pushed upward with the Force, getting himself about ten metres closer to their target.

Ahsoka sighed, ruefully smiling at her Master's overly competitive nature.

Now, surrounded by clones surging forward, she took a moment to examine their goal.

A literal castle on a hill, the battle droid-guarded fortress was rumoured to be the hideout of Count Dooku. Or so said their intel, anyway. Ahsoka, her Master, and the 501st had been dispatched to capture the Count, as well as Master Kenobi and his 212th. Master Kenobi was currently attacking from the other side of the castle, as per their battle plan. Anakin was also attempting to race him.

Ahsoka shook her head and Force-jumped her way back to the battle. Back to the droids.

"Snips, what took you so long?" Her Master asked with a devilish grin, as she took the last few steps up the hill to join him in the castle's courtyard.

She simply glared at him.

He smirked. "Looks like I won!" He turned back to face the castle, continuing, "Obi-wan has taken control of the other side. There should be no escape for Dooku this time."

"I hope you're right, Master." She stepped up next to him, resting her hand on his shoulder in a comforting manner. "I wouldn't want you to have to add another tally to your "Times I Let Dooku Get Away" count."

Anakin shrugged off her hand, half-turning to glare at Rex who had suddenly been overtaken by a coughing fit. "Need some water there, Rex?" He asked menacingly.

"No, sir!" Rex straightened up from his '"fit", a grin threatening to burst from his lips. "The malady seems to have disappeared now, sir." He winked at Ahsoka.

"Good!" Anakin smiled, so slightly anyone else might've missed it, just to let them know he was in on the joke. He turned back to the gate, Ahsoka noticing the squaring of his shoulders that meant he was back to business. "Then let's go."

Everything was going well. The bulk of Dooku's forces seemed to have been placed on the outside, as there was very little resistance inside.

Ahsoka had fallen back to protect their rear, letting Anakin take point as he so often loved to do. She didn't mind. She found more trouble happened at the back than the front more often than not, anyway. Besides, if she had ever asked Anakin to switch positions, he would've just said it was good practice for her.

There were probably fifty or so clones between them, so she wasn't surprised when she heard what sounded like a cry for help coming from a corridor she'd just passed, and Anakin didn't stop.

She paused, listening intently.

"Help me! Please!"

So she hadn't imagined it. A cry for help in a hideout of Dooku's probably meant some poor soul had been left to rot in a dungeon. Nonetheless, she was grateful when two clones automatically followed her as she slipped off to investigate.

"Please, you have to help me!"

The voice sounded more scared than before. She stepped softly through the dark corridor, no windows to let in any light to guide their way. All they had was the green glow from her saber.

She picked up her pace.

"Please, please, he's coming back. Don't let him hurt me again!"

Ahsoka started to jog, sure she almost had the voice pinpointed. "He" had to be Dooku! She tried to remain mindful of her surroundings, but there was something strange trying to cloud her senses, and the continuing frantic pitch of the voice was distracting her.

There! A light shining under a door just down the hall. She signaled the clones to be ready, and she heard them get a tighter grip on their weapons, just as the voice cried out, "No! No! Please help me-" The frantic cry was cut off. Just as Ahsoka flung open the door, all her senses tuning into… nothing?

The room was empty? It just looked like some storage room, with nobody here to make cries for help - her gaze finally fell on a black rectangle lying on the floor.

A voice recorder.

It was a trap.

Of course, just as the true nature of the cries was laid bare to her, she suddenly became aware of another hum. One that wasn't coming from her lightsaber.

The two clones guarding her back gasped in pain, and she swung around to watch them both fall to the floor. Glowing holes now sizzling in the middle of their chest armour.

"Dooku," she spoke, practically spitting the name.

"I am sorry, my dear Padawan Tano. I'm afraid the deception was necessary." His deep tones rolled over her, just as she was freshly assaulted by waves of… something. Something that brought on a fierce headache, her vision blurring for a second. Swaying slightly, she tried to catch up to his words.

"Necessary? For what?"

He shrugged, more nonchalantly than even Anakin could have. "I needed to get you alone."

Her hand reached for her comm a second too late. The Count flung out a hand and she flew backwards, pinned to the wall. Her lightsaber tumbled from her grip.

She thrashed as he casually reached down and picked it up. Still keeping her pinned, he looked it over before attaching it to his belt.

"I will hold onto that for now. You may get it back… if you behave." His grin was dark, as Ahsoka fought to push down the anger that flared inside her.

"Let me go, Dooku!" She attempted a commanding tone of voice, but was waylaid by the feeling that her head was about to split open. Something was sending waves of dark energy at her, and her body was not taking it well.

"I do apologize for this as well, my dear. It is simply the quickest way."

Ahsoka's mind generated a hundred questions at that, but they all blew away like smoke when he pulled a crystal from inside his cloak. So deeply red it was almost black, he let it float closer and closer to her.

Easily able to ascertain that this was the source of her sickness, Ahsoka quickly stopped caring as the pain that built within her as the object floated closer became too much to bear.

Her mind gave out, and her body went slack in Dooku's grip.

Anakin marched confidently into the throne room, his battalion - the best in the army, if he did say so himself - arranged in formation behind him.

And stopped dead, glowering at a sight he did not want to see.

Count Dooku was on the throne, alright. In hologram form. Blast it, Ahsoka was never going to let him live this down. Speaking of, where was his Padawan anyway?

He didn't have time to dwell on the question, as Dooku stood up.

"General Skywalker." He gave a satisfied smile at Anakin's obvious frustration. "It is, as always, a pleasure."

"Wish I could say the same, Dooku." He stopped a few feet short of the dais that the throne rested on.

Dooku raised an eyebrow at the obvious omission of his title. "Now, now, just because we were unable to meet in person does not mean we can abandon courtesy." He waved a glowing hand as Anakin opened his mouth to retort. "I suppose it is really of no consequence. Really, I only wished to thank you, before my departure."

"Departure? So you're still here!" Anakin's eyes lit up as he turned to Rex. "Spread out and find him!"

"Find him?" Anakin heard from the opposite corner of the room. Obi-wan had arrived. Turning to greet his friend, his brow furrowed as his eyes did not catch sight of his Padawan guarding the rear as he had expected.

"So he's still here then?" Obi-wan asked, coming to stand beside his former Padawan.

"So he says," Anakin answered, waving his hand at the hologram. Lowering his voice, he leaned closer to Obi-wan. "Have you seen Ahsoka?"

"I thought she was with you."

"Dear Padawan Tano is why I wanted to thank you, General Skywalker."

Anakin felt his whole body freeze. He had a bad feeling about this.

"What could you possibly mean?" Obi-wan asked.

The Count grinned, and Anakin was viscerally reminded of the moment that he'd lost his arm to the man. This was not good.

The hologram shifted to reveal a bound, unconscious figure at the Count's feet.

Anakin almost literally started seeing red, as Obi-wan inhaled sharply beside him. "Oh, no."

"Oh no, indeed, General Kenobi. And if you ever want to see your pet again, you'll instruct your air team to let us pass."

The hologram flickered as, deep within the bowels of the castle, there was a rumble, and suddenly Anakin's comm lit up with cries of a spotted ship.

Not even taking a second to think about it, Anakin called urgently, hoarsely into the wrist unit. "Do not engage. I repeat, do not engage the enemy ship. Let them through!"

His breath was coming too fast, and he could hear a roaring in his ears as he felt Obi-wan's hand come down on his shoulder, his old Master attempting to send waves of calm into him.

But all the action did was remind Anakin of the last person to touch his shoulder.

"If you lay a single hand on her - !" He heard himself shouting, taking a step toward the hologram. Toward Ahsoka.

"You'll what?" The Count, as serene as ever, interrupted him. Anakin faltered, and Dooku smiled. "That's right. There's nothing you can do."

"We will find you, Dooku." The calm voice of Obi-wan came through the haze in Anakin's mind. Only someone who had known Obi-wan for a lifetime would be able to hear the hint of anger that was slipping through his former Master's steely exterior.

"That's right," Anakin spat. "You'll pay for this, Dooku!"

Inclining his head, as if he were letting two children think they had won an argument, he continued. "I'm sure there is no need for worry." He held up a hand as now even Obi-wan visibly bristled at his condescension. "Your Padawan will not be harmed at all!" He looked down at his feet, Anakin following his gaze to Ahsoka, whose face spasmed in pain every few seconds. The Count was already proving himself a liar. "As long as she cooperates."

He smiled his limb-slicing grin, and before Anakin could even shiver, the hologram flickered out.

Anakin fell to his knees at the dais, so overcome by his emotions that he didn't even register it when the hologram projector disk snapped seemingly on its own, tiny pieces scattering into the air without a single hand having touched it.

Author's Note: I hope you guys enjoyed this first chapter! I was thinking of posting on a weekly schedule, most likely Sunday or Saturday (excepting today of course). The entirety of this work is already written, so no worries! You will not be left hanging! I'm just using a posting schedule to give myself and my betas time to go over the rest of the fic, while still finally getting it out of my drafts. Please check my profile for any updates to this schedule (if the schedule has changed, if the posting date is different that week, if there's bonus chapters incoming, etc.). Don't forget to leave a kudos *blushing smiley face*!