Chapter Eighty-Nine: Dee'ja Peak

The mist from the waterfall billowed into giant clouds, reaching as far up as the balcony on which Rex and I sat. The wind was gentle and warm, making the light dance across the long grass below us. I sipped at my caf, watching Rex's fingers tap nervously against his own cup. I smiled gently at him, admiring the way the morning light cast across his sharp features.

"You're allowed to relax, you know," I teased, laughing against the warm brim of my mug. His golden eyes flickered to me briefly before casting back out over the vast mountains and crashing waterfall. I sighed through my nose lightly and set down my mug. "What's bothering you?" I leaned forward to touch his arm,

His fingers stilled, a slow breath escaping his chest, but he still didn't look at me. Instead, his gaze cut nervously back towards the streets off to our side. They were hardly full, considering the small size of the town, but I understood what he meant immediately.

"This place is discreet," I promised gently. "And it's remote. They've probably never even seen a clone without his helmet. And they get a lot of people passing through looking for some quiet time away from prying eyes." Rex finally turned to me, but it was only to give me a frown. I returned it. "Fine, maybe not a lot, but the people who do come through, are safe. I swear it. Ori'haat."

"The woman here seemed to know you," he said finally, nodding his head towards the small shop we were dining in. His voice was deep, still groggy with sleep, making me smile again. We'd arrived at Dee'ja Peak the night before, but had done nothing but eat and go to bed on my shuttle. Rex had been far too anxious to go out and explore as I'd encouraged, though he'd blamed it on being tired and wanting to get some extra rest on this 'vacation.' I'd let it slide, but it wasn't going to work today. I'd gotten him up and immediately forced him to breakfast at the small restaurant in town.

"She did," I admitted, forcing myself back to the conversation. "I've been to Dee'ja Peak before, remember? And it's not like it's big."

Rex nodded, looking out over the waterfall again. "I'll admit, I couldn't believe your memory was a real place," he said, recalling our shared dream on Kadavo.

I smirked, muttering into my mug, "You should see the lake country."

"I've heard General Skywalker and Senator Amidala mention it before. I think they hid there when Jango was hunting her."

"Pretty sure they got married there," I thought aloud, trying to remember my conversations with Padme.

Rex surprised me with a laugh, followed by coughing as he choked on his caf. I chuckled, watching him regain his composure and face my questioning expression. "I guess I just sometimes forget that they actually got married."

"It's pretty ballsy," I agreed, "Though if I were to believe anyone had that kind of guts, it would be Anakin and Padme."

"Their bull-headedness was really made for each other, huh?"

I chuckled, picking at the bread and cheese before us mindlessly. "I can't figure out how they're not arguing all the time." I stopped. "I wonder if they would if they weren't separated by war all the time."

"What do you mean?" Rex's brow raised curiously as he took another long sip of his caf. He was relaxing now. Good.

I shrugged. "I dunno. They got together at the start of the war and have spent a lot of it apart." I lifted my shoulders again, waving my hand. "It's not my business. Besides, it doesn't even matter. They clearly love each other and I can only imagine Padme forces Anakin to talk out his feelings."

Rex laughed again. "I'm sure that's interesting."

"You act as if our emotional conversations are boring," I teased, earning yet another laugh. I smiled genuinely, watching him relax fully into his chair. He was sipping happily at his caf, amber eyes bright and full of mirth. His tunic was a soft olive color, embroidered along the collar and cuffs, the top opened casually.

To my dismay, my comm beeped on the table before us, chasing Rex's relaxation away. I merely sighed as he sat rigidly in his chair. I activated the comm, hearing the beep that told me it connected.

"Fett," came Windu's voice, making my eyes roll. "Were you able to find any signs of the bounty hunters coming through Dee'ja Peak?"

I smirked at Rex over the comm, my eyes cutting down to the creature that was happily chewing on a bone at my feet. "Windu," I replied, mimicking the Jedi's curt tone. "The bounty hunters aren't here, but they definitely were."

The Jedi's hum crackled slightly through the comm. "There's no point in you remaining there. Return to Theed and aid in the protection of the Chancellor."

"Yeah, about that. They left traces here…things that I know they'll return for. They'll come back through here."

"Not if we capture them in Theed," Windu growled back. If I could see his face, I was sure he'd be scowling at me.

Rex shifted uncomfortably in his seat, but stayed silent under my gaze. "We don't know how many hunters are involved in this and you want to rely on the chance we will catch them all amidst an abduction attempt?"

There was a small pause on the other end before a third voice chimed in. "We can handle it here," came Skywalker's voice, making both Rex and I jump in our seats. We hadn't realized he was there with Windu. "Stay at Dee'ja Peak and cut off any hunters that may try to escape. Lock down what you've found and stay in contact." I glanced at Rex, giving him a small smile. Anakin knew Rex needed some time away, too. "I'll let you know when everything starts."

"Understood." The connection ended, Rex relaxing immediately again. "I'm sure Windu loved Anakin speaking over him like that," I chuckled.

Rex responded in kind, taking another sip of his caf. He shifted, earning a low growl from the creature below us. Rex's smile melted into an expression of worry, his legs retracting beneath his chair, eliciting a laugh from me. I reached down to pat the broad and furry white side of the anooba sitting against my legs.

"He's fine," I said softly, not really sure if I was saying it to Rex or Marrok. Neither seemed to relax much. I gave Marrok a good scratch behind his giant ears until he returned to gnawing on the bone I'd offered him. Embo's ship had been easy to find, the Kyuzo not even really trying to hide it. Marrok had been aboard to guard it, so it wasn't like taking it would be easy. Nor did Embo expect someone to search Dee'ja Peak for him.

It had been easy to greet the familiar anooba with a large slab of meat I'd stowed away with him in mind. He'd bounded out of the ship easily, trusting me not to harm his master. I wasn't going to, of course. But I wasn't about to let a target of my mission just slip by without him paying me back for it.

Speaking of which…

"What are you going to do with him when we have to capture Embo?" Rex asked, breaking the silence. His voice was soft. Hesitant. I couldn't be sure if his nerves were caused by me or the anooba at his feet.

I bit my lip, taking a long sip of my caf until the cup was empty, refusing to respond as I cast my gaze out over the falls. The captain's gaze settled on me, burning into my skin until I couldn't bear it any longer. "What was that?" I asked sweetly, looking at him finally with doe eyes.

"You heard me just fine." His voice was gruff, though it wasn't with sleep anymore. A low roll of frustration rippled off of him, my brow lifting as I sensed him stuff it back down. He was getting good at blocking his emotions from me. It was annoying.

Still, he couldn't dampen my mood. This was the furthest from any real danger either of us had been in a long time. For Rex, it honestly may have been the furthest. Though I doubt he agreed on his level of safety, considering his concern about Marrok. I was feeling light, however, my plan moving smoothly so far. We were so close.

And I wasn't about to let him sour my mood. I smirked at him, earning a tired groan as Rex pinched the bridge of his nose. "What are you planning?"

My smirk shifted slightly until I was chewing my lip, my nose scrunching. 'You're not going to love it."

"I don't think I'm even going to like it," he shot back, his golden gaze hard. Still, beneath it, I saw the slightest flicker of amusement at my teasing.

I offered him a fake pout, scratching at Marrok's chin until his mighty head lifted up over my lap, nose nudging the edge of the table. Rex's eyes flickered down to the beast, his fingers curling around his mug slightly. "This is all circumstantial, of course, like I said on the shuttle." I was only given a deeper frown – an expression hurtling its way towards a scowl. "But if it does happen, I also said there may be crime involved."

"Kida."

"You hadn't been bothered about not knowing back on the shuttle," I argued, lifting my drink again to find it empty. I scowled at the mug before setting it down, Rex following my movements with his eyes. He smirked at my dismay, immediately lifting his own cup and pouring some of his caf for me. "Thank you," I whispered. Despite my teasing and his frustration with me, he was always kind.

"Considering you're asking me to commit–" his voice cut off, making my eyes snap to him in an instant. Rex was swallowing thickly, his golden gaze avoiding my own. Treason. He was going to say treason. But I felt his mind, the intricate workings grinding to a stand-still as he was transported in time, his brain only recalling one thing: the growling tones of Pong Krell saying that word.

"It's treason, then."

I touched his arm but pulled it back in an instant when Rex jumped. It only took a moment for him to realize where he was, his fingers coming up to snag mine as my hand receded, holding it in place. Our fingers laced, his thumb brushing over my skin gently as he squeezed – a silent thank you. I squeezed back.

He really needed this vacation.

"We're not arresting Embo," I offered.

"That much was pretty obvious, cyar'ika."

Fair enough. "In exchange for his freedom, Embo will provide the means to our vacation." Rex didn't reply, lifting his brow and nodding for me to continue. "He's going to kidnap us."

"What?" The amused glint I'd seen in his eye was gone. I stayed silent, letting my words sink. After a moment, Rex shifted forward to lean across the table, his voice low despite the balcony being empty aside from us. "You can't be serious."

"Why wouldn't I be?" I asked genuinely. "We need a reason to go missing for a week."

"A week?" I could only imagine how impossible it must have felt to wrap his brain around that. I doubted he'd ever been away from the war, or at least his brothers, for that long.

"Five days, technically."

"There's no way the general–"

"Skywalker agreed to my proposal." I cut my eyes to the side, sweeping them over the rising mist of the waterfall again. "Okay, he admittedly didn't know all the details, but he also didn't ask. I probably could've offered more information, but really he should've asked, so it's really on him…" Rex was staring at me, my words trailing off. The amused glint in his eye was back, along with warmth. Despite the frustration I could still sense beneath the surface, he wasn't upset with me. If anything, he seemed curious to go with my plans.

My captain, as much as he would never admit it, was a rebel deep down. He claimed to be a stickler for rules, and in a way, was…yet he was breaking one of the biggest rules. Maybe I brought out that side of him.

Good.

"Look," I said to fill the silence, finally growing uncomfortable under Rex's unwavering gaze. "Anakin and Padme both agreed we should get away for a few days and we figured this was the best time and place. They trusted me to figure out the 'reason' we were gone."

"They weren't suspicious when your plan was only for a day?"

I shrugged. "I think Anakin has other things to worry about. And I think he wanted space to talk to Obi-wan," I admitted, before adding, "Yell at Obi-wan, more likely."

Rex breathed slowly, glancing down at the empty mug he was spinning between his fingers. The shopkeeper appeared on the balcony, her hair a wild flash of red as she swept by to refill our mugs. Freckles painted her face, her smile wide and crooked, and she smelled like flowers when her flowing robes drifted over our table. Rex gave her a warm smile in thanks, bringing the mug back to his lips greedily.

He caught me smiling at him across the table, earning myself a raised brow. "What?" he muttered into his drink.

"I like seeing you like this." He didn't seem to understand, so I gestured wildly between us and at the surrounding area in my struggle to find the words. "I like seeing you act like a person, rather than a soldier."

"I am a soldier."

"Yeah, but it doesn't have to be the only thing."

Rex sighed, his mood darkening slightly. "We clones don't get that luxury." He said it softly, mindful of the shopkeep who had only just left the balcony. His relaxation was dropping his mental walls, a few flashes of his thoughts flooding my mind. I saw my club apartment with Rex's drawers filled with his belongings – all clothes and no armor. I saw Cut Laqwuane's farmstead on a distant planet. I saw Cut's family. I saw my face, younger and wild with desperation and fear. My hair was shorter then, my skin blossoming with cuts and bruises. I was upset and speaking low enough that it was hard to hear my words through the haze of the memory. But I knew what I was saying on that ship after Vandor. After I'd faced down Dooku and awakened my own darkness.

I was telling him I loved him. And asking him to run away with me.

I frowned at him, grabbing his hand with a firm squeeze. "You are more than just a soldier, Rex." He offered me a smile, but he didn't seem very convinced. I didn't blame his doubt. "Yes, you're a captain. But you're also a leader. You're a brother. You're a hero. You're a teacher." His smile was softer, but more genuine now, his golden gaze just a bit dewey. I leaned forward, putting our faces closer as I smirked again. "You're a drinker. A Dejarik god. A mir'sheb."

Rex chuckled, his breath fanning across my face. He was mimicking my posture, our noses nearly touching now. "Please, go on," he teased, mouth splitting in a wide smile. His eyes were burning into mine, only cutting away to steal a glance towards my lips.

"You're a gentleman," I smiled, leaning a bit closer to kiss him. To my dismay, he drew back, a devilish grin on his face. My eyes widened in shock for the briefest of moments before I shook myself free of the haze that had fallen over me. "And a damned tease," I added with a low growl, watching Rex's lips split in another wide grin.

His chuckles turned into real bellows when I shoved out my bottom lip in a pout, still half-leaning across the table towards him. He shifted, his lips pecking at my bottom lip with amusement, before finally capturing my lips with his. Marrok gave a whining yawn from below the table, but Rex didn't react to the anooba this time. Instead, the hand not interlaced with mine lifted from his mug to tuck into the nape of my neck, tilting our heads to deepen the kiss.

And then my communicator started beeping. Much to my surprise, Rex, despite tensing at the noise, kissed me for a few long moments more. Finally, his hand released me with a small brush of his thumb over my cheek. I kept my forehead against his for a second, my eyes still closed as I breathed in his scent. He smelled like the barracks soap again.

"I'm going to pirunir sur'haaise."

Rex laughed at my words, finally leaning away to slouch back into his chair. Yet, he was more relaxed now, his leg extending to bump his knee against mine. He sipped at his caf as I tapped the communicator, accepting the call from the Jedi in Theed.

"Kidnapping thwarted already?" I asked, hoping it wasn't true. Or if it was true, that at least Embo got away. I trusted Embo's abilities, but I definitely didn't want to hear of his injury or capture. Or worse.

I didn't come here to Dee'ja Peak to adopt a new pet.

"If only," came Skywalker's dark voice. "I just wanted to let you know that we are starting to set up for the Festival of Light. You probably won't hear from me again until whatever Dooku has planned happens."

"Got it. Good luck."

"Like I need it," came his reply, and I could tell it was more instinct for him to respond cockily than it was a reflection of how he was really feeling in that moment. "And Rex," he said, knowing his captain was listening. "Try to enjoy yourself." The Jedi disconnected, making my gaze lift to the clone before me.

I laughed abruptly, causing a shocked grunt from the anooba below me. I gave him a quick scratch behind the ears to settle him. Rex was wearing an expression of shock and amusement at his general's words, his mouth agape as he stared at the communicator. I laughed again, "You act like he didn't help send you on a vacation."

"I know," he said with a shake of his head. "But it's one thing to know and another for him to actually say something to me about it. He never really says anything about you and I, aside from glances or looks, but they're rare."

"A mercy, really, considering how poor he is at hiding his own secret."

Rex laughed at my bluntness, thumbing over my knuckles absent-mindledly. "Well, that means I have orders," he said with a lop-sided grin. "And considering this vacation might end soon, we have a time limit for the orders, too."

I chuckled, standing and stretching off the morning sleepiness. Marrok followed suit, bowing down in a long stretch that mimicked my own. Rex watched us both, newly freed hand rubbing over his buzzed hair. "Then we better get moving," I responded, offering my hand to him again, palm up, inviting him to join me.

He took a long, final sip of his caf before taking my hand and standing beside me. Marrok gave a soft growl before gently bumping against the clone's leg, greeting him. Rex gave me a genuine smile, his golden eyes dazzling in the morning mountain sun. "That sounds…amazing."

MANDO'A

Ori'haat – *It's the truth, I swear - no bull.*

Cyar'ika – sweetheart; darling

Mir'sheb – smartass

Pirunir sur'haaise – make their eyes water (slang for kill, injure or defeat)

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Still alive! Binged the Tales of the Jedi and got inspired. As per usual, I barely re-read what I write so apologies for grammar/typos/brain farts that cause dumb word choices.

Also as per usual, reviews/likes/shares are welcome and encouraged!

Also also per usual: I hope to write more soon but make no promises and may very well drop off the face of the planet the moment I sign off:)

Always love for those of you still with us on this journey,

-Ryder