Anakin did not like the cold.

He supposed that was ironic, seeing as he grew up hating the twin suns and endless volumes of sand on Tatooine.

Even now, the thermostat in his quarters was lower than what most humans would be comfortable with.

This was different.

This was an icy blizzard that made his nose feel like a separate part of his body. He was having to sit with his hands tucked in his armpits, clenching his jaw to stop his teeth from chattering embarrassingly.

The snow had been falling for about six hours now, and even in the emergency bunker, Anakin was still very much cold.

The clones had set up gas warming lights and the medics were pushing hot cups of caf (or just hot water now they'd run out of Relgim Instant) towards anyone within reach, but it was still awful.

This was miserable cold.

He wanted nothing more than to snuggle up under his duvet, preferably with Padmé in his arms- the woman was like a radiator. He wanted a hot meal that wasn't mushy rations, and he wanted his toes not to feel numb.

Until they got off this planet, those luxuries would have to wait.

The storm had cut off their communications with the cruiser, and the snowfall would prevent any gunships from safely flying through the atmosphere anyway.

They were quite literally stranded.

To make matters worse, Ahsoka had gone out on patrol in the morning, and he hadn't heard from her yet.

He tried not to panic, knowing that the snowstorm would make it difficult to navigate the BARC speeders, and hopefully, Captain Rex had advised her to hold off from making the journey back until it cleared up.

Even he wouldn't travel in weather like this.

Then again, Ahsoka could surprise him.

"How are you doing, sir?" A helmet appeared in front of him, the markings distinguishing it to be Coric.

"I'm cold, Sergeant," Anakin replied dryly, accepting the ration bar from the medic. "Got any remedies for that?"

"I'd offer to run you a hot bath, but that might have to wait until we're space-side again." Coric joked back, "I'm not sure what the GAR's rules are about Generals bathing in front of their men."

"I think I'm past the point of caring." Anakin leaned back, marveling at the chill of the metal walls that he could feel through his coat. Their tents were better insulated than this so-called emergency bunker.

Coric hesitated from moving on.

"Any word from the Commander, sir?"

Anakin shook his head, "Hopefully, she's found some shelter to wait out the storm. That's what I'm telling myself, anyway."

The medic chuckled, his Force-signature still radiating unease. All of the 501st saw Ahsoka as their little sister- they were very protective.

"You'd know if she was in distress, wouldn't you?" Coric tilted his helmet to the side, "Through your Force bond."

"I would," Anakin said, which wasn't completely true, but he didn't want to panic his men.

As the Sergeant moved on, Anakin discreetly tapped his commlink. He tried to dial Ahsoka's frequency, but it only showed static. Damn snow.

Pushing his worries aside for now, Anakin tried to get comfortable. Exhaustion was pulling at his eyelids, and even though he knew it would be impossible to get a good amount of rest whilst feeling so kriffing cold, he could at least pretend to sleep.


He must've actually dozed off at some point, as he blinked groggily at the sound of the bunker door slamming shut.

Rubbing his eyes, Anakin noticed a blanket had been pulled over his lap in the time since he first closed his eyes. Good old Coric.

Across the room, the BARC speeder squadron had entered- followed closely by Captain Rex who had icicles forming on his pauldron, and just behind him, Ahsoka.

Anakin strode forward, exhaustion forgotten, to greet his Padawan.

Her huge coat with a fluffy hood made her montrals look like spires, and the goggles over her eyes nearly engulfed her entire face. Ahsoka tugged down her mask that kept her nose and mouth covered, beaming from ear to ear as she saw her Master approaching.

"I figured you would be taking shelter somewhere," he said, wiping his sleeve across her goggles to clear them of frost, and then lifting them off her face.

"We did for a while," she replied, unzipping her coat, "But we had to keep moving. It would've only been harder to navigate back if we left it any longer."

"Where are your gloves?" He asked, noticing her bare hands were paler than her face. He took her hands in his own, frowning at the coldness of her fingers. "You're gonna get frostbite."

"I think I dropped them," Ahsoka looked at her hands, worry engraining in her expression. "Do I have to get my fingers amputated?"

"Come on," wrapping an arm around her, Anakin trusted Rex and Coric to sort out the rest of the BARC squad- who thankfully had all been in full thermo-regulating armour. "Kix!"

The medic appeared just as he was helping Ahsoka sit down. He passed Anakin a mug filled with warm water and what appeared to be electrolyte gel- if the overly sweet smell said anything.

"Let's have a look, Commander," Kix examined her hands, turning them over, "How do they feel?"

"Cold," Ahsoka replied, clenching her fists, "A bit numb."

"That's a good sign that it's just frostnip for now. Keep moving your fingers. They'll warm up now you're resting."

Kix activated his scanner, running it over her. When it beeped, he nodded whilst reading the results, "A bit low. Nothing too concerning for a Togruta."

He looked at Anakin, "Try to get her to drink that rocket fuel. She won't like the taste, but she needs the energy. She's probably a bit dehydrated too. Any problems, give me a shout."

Then, the medic was gone. There were over a hundred men in this bunker, and the medics had a hard job of making sure everyone stayed warm and alive until they got back to the cruiser.

The rest of the BARC squadron had been seated; their outer armour had been removed so it was easier to warm up. They were crowded around a gas lamp, drinking the same concoction Ahsoka had been prescribed.

Ahsoka was on the bench, her eyes a little unfocused. He sat down next to her, but she didn't really acknowledge him.

Tiredness, he figured. Driving the BARC speeders through a snowstorm was probably draining, especially if she had to rely on the Force to navigate at times.

"Snips," Anakin held the mug up to her lips, "Have a drink. Kix's orders."

She took a little bit, but quickly raised a hand to stop him. She scrunched up her face, "That's disgusting, Mas'er."

His worry spiked at her slurred speech, but she wasn't shivering, and her lips weren't blue. Kix hadn't appeared concerned.

"I know it is, little one, but it'll warm you up. A couple more sips, come on."

Ahsoka had never had much of a sweet tooth, but even he couldn't stand the taste of that gel- despite loving cakes and sweets. She didn't even take sweetener in caf, which was a testament as Relgim Instant was bitter as hell without lots of creamer and sugar.

Pressing the mug to her lips again, Anakin tried to make sure she had a bit more of the sugary drink before she pushed it away.

"I'll make you drink it in a minute," she said, with just enough of a growl to make him frown.

"Easy, tiger," putting the mug down and resolving to try again later, Anakin gathered the blanket that he had put aside and draped it over her shoulders.

He still had the ration bar that Coric gave him but figured if Ahsoka was flat-out refusing to drink the rocket fuel, he wouldn't have much luck with the bar either. Ahsoka hated those even without the cold making her grumpy.

She leaned against his shoulder, snippiness forgotten, and Anakin looked over her montrals. They weren't suited for the cold weather, and even with her fluffy hood, the chilly air could make them inflamed and cracked.

He had a balm to soothe them on the cruiser but hadn't thought he would need it on the surface.

Believe it or not, none of their fancy equipment on the cruiser had predicted this storm.

Thankfully, he couldn't see any visible damage to the surface of the appendages. Ahsoka would probably be whining if they did really hurt- they were so sensitive to temperature changes.

"You weren't worried, were you?" She asked, her voice quiet.

"Nah," he replied, "Figured Rex would stop you from doing anything reckless."

She huffed a laugh which became a cough. She sat upright to clear her throat. Anakin pressed his lips together.

"I'm tired, Mas'er," she sighed, shifting to lean against him again, "Wake me up when…."

Anakin looked down at her as she trailed off. His Master senses were tingling. Something wasn't right.

"Snips?"

"Stay," she had her eyes closed, her head lolling to the side, "It's too hot… you're cool."

Concern shot up his spine like an electric shock.

He took a knee in front of his Padawan, holding her up when she nearly slumped over, "Kix!"

Ahsoka looked like she was about to pass out. He grabbed her wrist, pushing two fingers against her pulse point. Her skin was like ice, her pulse weak and slow. He cursed himself for not acting sooner.

The fact that she wasn't shivering when she entered the bunker should've been the first sign that she was already affected by the cold.

"Ahsoka, look at me," he ordered, but her eyes were still closed. He grabbed her shoulders, "Ahsoka!"

"Sir," the medic dropped beside him, scanner out ready. He blanched at the results, "How did she become hypothermic so kriffing quickly?"

Coric appeared next, tearing open a hypo package that Anakin couldn't see the label of. Tilting Ahsoka's head back, the hypo hissed as it was pushed against her neck.

The girl didn't even flinch.

Anakin had always hated seeing his student hurt. It made him feel helpless when the medics had to treat her, knowing that he couldn't do anything but watch.

As if reading his thoughts, Kix glanced up from the foil blanket he was unfolding. "General, bring that gas warmer a bit closer."

He nodded, glad to have been given a job. He carried the warmer over, placing it a little way from Ahsoka. He remembered Vokara Che lecturing the importance of not warming someone with hypothermia up too quickly.

There was a huge risk of sending Ahsoka into shock.

"If any of her clothes are wet, they need to come off," Kix told him, his voice lowered. "I'll get the Captain to form a barrier."

It wouldn't matter anyway. The clones would never pry when it came to their beloved Commander's dignity. Privacy was a luxury that rarely existed on battlefields. If Anakin could've protected Ahsoka from the more horrific sights of war, he would have.

Once Rex and some of the other veterans had formed a loose layer of bodies to protect Ahsoka from any wandering gazes, Anakin began to remove her coat. The snow had melted, and the material was damp- inside and out.

How did he not notice that before?

She was like a dead weight in his arms- he had to keep reminding himself that she was very much alive. Her chest was still rising and falling, and though her pulse had been weak, her heart was still beating.

Underneath her coat, every layer was saturated in freezing water, right down to the wicking base layer. Ahsoka's skin was pale, a drastic change to her usual sienna hue. She had a cooler body temperature than humans anyway, but Ahsoka's skin felt like ice- even through his thick gloves.

As soon as the last of her layers were removed, Kix acted fast.

She was wrapped in the foil blanket, the shiny side inwards to reflect any heat back onto herself. Kix inserted the cannula into the crook of her elbow so fast that Anakin didn't even notice.

Immediately, warmed saline was being fed into her bloodstream, warming her up from the inside out.

Meanwhile, Kix ran the scanner again.

"Temp's coming up." He said, "Still a bit low for my liking. We can only monitor her for now."

"Can I hold her?" Anakin asked, palms itching to scoop his Padawan up but not wanting to disrupt the IV weaving around her.

"I'd almost prefer it if you did, sir." Kix answered, "Your heat will help her."

That was all the permission he needed.

Anakin wrapped his arms around the girl, tugging her close to his body. Ahsoka's face fell into the crook of his neck, her nose like an ice cube against his pulse point. Her montrals were terrifying cold against his cheek.

"I've got you, Snips," he said, though he wasn't sure if she could even hear him. He would hold her until they arrived back to Coruscant if he had to.


Ahsoka's near-death experience left her weak for days after being cleared from the Halls of Healing.

Vokara Che advised her to keep movement minimal, even ordering Skywalker to push her back to her quarters in a wheelchair (which he promptly dumped outside the medbay doors to carry her back instead).

He turned off the hob, carefully pouring Padmé's homemade soup into two bowls. She had made him a large batch and brought it over- purely so Ahsoka didn't have to suffer his terrible cooking.

"Here you are, Snips," he helped settle a tray on her lap so the soup wouldn't spill. The sofa was currently her bed and their dining table whilst she had been taking it easy.

She was wrapped in the fluffiest blanket Anakin owned and had warming pads tucked in her lap.

"I don't like the cold," she told him, lifting a spoonful to blow away some of the steam.

"Me neither," he admitted.

Her eye markings furrowed, "I thought it was sand you didn't like."

"I don't like either."