-Chapter 45: Nightmare Fuel-

Location: The Dominance/The Jedi Temple

"The greatest battleground is the mind."

Wraith awoke to the feeling of soft, warm flesh pressed against him. He was underneath a smaller body, one laying atop him. Surprised by the sensation and unable to recall the events of the night before, Wraith quickly gathered his senses and looked down... instantly recognizing the blue and white striped montrals resting on his chest.

"Ahsoka?" He softly wondered in surprise. The young Togruta stirred, slowly waking up. She looked up at him and smiled, her crystal blue eyes shining as she reached up to give him a soft kiss.

"Hey Wraith." She whispered, still smiling. Ahsoka then sat up, the covers sliding off to reveal her bare body.

"Well now..." Wraith mused as a grin quickly grew across his face, "I could get used to waking up to this." Ahsoka giggled at his comment.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah..." He whispered, hands sliding up her legs until they settled on her hips. "You sleep well?" He asked.

"Yeah..." She replied, bending over until they were nose to nose. "Best I've ever had." She whispered in a low voice, tapping his chest in time with her words. Wraith lightly chuckled, looking his love up and down.

And then he blinked... and the beautiful Togruta suddenly transformed into her dark and twisted self with pale skin and amber eyes. Wraith shook his head in shock, fear immediately coursing through his veins.

"Ahsoka?!" He gasped, voice ripe with fear. The darkened Ahsoka cackled and sat up.

"You're such a monster! It will never work out between us!" She growled with a wicked smile on her face. Suddenly, her lightsaber appeared in her hand and she ignited it, turning the green blade to thrust it through his chest.

"AHSOKA!" Wraith screamed, raising his hands in defence...

Wraith awoke with loud gasp, sweat clinging to his brow. His shoulders heaved as he panted for breath, the nightmare fading away now that he was wide awake. He quickly realized he was still in his room, in his bed and that Ahsoka was nowhere to be found.

And she likely wasn't her dark and twisted self.

"Sithspit..." He rumbled, running a hand through his hair as he tried to calm down. He performed a few breathing exercises to help regulate himself... but knew he needed to push those images out of his mind first.

Why did his subconscious have to be like this?

What is it? Another nightmare? Voice asked.

"Yes. This one a little more... suggestive in nature." Wraith answered. In the dark of his room, it was wierd to engage in a such a casual conversation with a voice only he could hear.

Oh? How was that a nightmare?

"It ended like the others." He answered. This wasn't the first time he'd had a nightmare after Celanon and it especially wasn't the first time he'd had a nightmare that involved the corrupted Ahsoka.

Oh. Voice plainly replied. Wraith sighed.

"Ever since Celanon... that corrupted version of her has tormented my subconscious." He muttered. "But... she's alive now..." He couldn't figure out why he as still afraid of this when he now knew Ahsoka to be healthy and alive.

Maybe you're afraid that might be lurking beneath the surface. Voice suggested. You're afraid that might be her dark side... just like you're afraid yours will consume the both of you.

"Not sure if I should accept your philosophical point or deny it altogether." Wraith remarked, rubbing his temples. "No matter how hard I try, I can't forget the corrupted her. Her words drove me to... well, you know..." Voice knew well, having stepped in to stop Wraith the one time his thoughts turned far too dark for either of them.

Good thing that connection opened up when it did. Stopped you from making an irreversible choice. Voice added.

"Those were dark days." Wraith agreed. Deciding he needed sleep more than he needed to psychoanalyze this situation, he laid back down and got comfortable, prepared to try and get some shuteye in.

Hey... you notice anything different? Voice wondered, changing the subject.

"You mean other than the fact some kind of connection has opened up between Ahsoka and I? No." Wraith responded.

I mean, have you felt anything different? Voice continued.

"No. Why?"

Well... ever since Celanon... I'm in your head, right? Or, well, my head-

"Get to the point Voice." Wraith growled.

I keep feeling something different. There's something... new in here. Voice said. Wraith raised an eyebrow as he pondered that notion.

"In my head?" He repeated. He didn't feel any different.

Yeah. I mean... Don't you feel it? Voice asked.

"Voice, it's been a wierd few days ever since Celanon. There's strange things going on that I can't fully comprehend, this connection to Ahsoka being the perfect example. All I feel right now is tired. And a little disturbed by that nightmare." Wraith stated. "Now be silent... I need some sleep." He rumbled as he rolled over.

Okay, fine. Voice relented. Sweet dreams super-soldier.

"Shut up." Wraith rumbled as he closed his eyes. Although he was growing to tolerate this voice, it did tend to overstay it's welcome sometimes. But right now he didn't care about anything apart from going back to a nightmare-free sleep. Sometimes he felt like the only person in the entire galaxy who had these kinds of problems.

Little did he realize that someone else was also enduring a nightmare tonight...


Bound and gagged, Ahsoka could see nothing around her. The darkened room in which she awoke was pitch black, save for the single light that illuminated her. Her hands were cuffed together, raised over her head by chains attached to the roof of this place. A kind of cloth keep a gag in place, keeping her from speaking but exposing her lips. She gave a few muffled noise of protest as she strained against her bonds, only to realize that they had also cut off her connection to the Force.

She was helpless.

"Comfortable, my dear?" Recognizing that voice, Ahsoka looked out into the gloom and saw Wraith's glowing optics approaching her. He drew close, very close, revealing that his mouthguard was retracted. "Glad to see you're awake. This would've been harder to do if you were still out cold." He commented. Ahsoka struggled against her bonds, trying to get him to help her out of this.

"Mm! Mmm mm?" She tried to say, the gag limiting her speech. But it appeared that Wraith had a vastly different idea in mind. His gloved hand reached out and he started to gently caress her cheek, eyeing her with an almost predatory gaze. "Mmm?"

"Bound and helpless... I wouldn't have you any other way." He mused in a low voice. Suddenly taking hold of her head, Wraith passionately kissed her. Ahsoka was instantly frozen to the spot, taken aback as she felt overwhelmed by the unexpected move. When he retreated, leaving her panting for air, Wraith removed her gag. "Try to relax, my dear... you might just enjoy this." He whispered.

"Wr-Wraith?" She wondered with a stammer.

"I've waited too long for this to be stopped now..." He growled in a low voice, parting his duster as he did. "And now that I have you here, like this... nothing's gonna stop me."

Ahsoka awoke with a start, breathing heavily and covered in a light sheen of sweat. The dream had been so vivid, too vivid for her liking. As she calmed down and realized she was still in her bed and, most importantly, not bound, she breathed a sigh of relief as she held her head in her hands.

"What the kriff was that?!" She wondered aloud, very concerned by what she had seen.

Wraith... ready to force himself upon her...

"Why would I even dream about that? This better not be some kind of Force vision!" If this was the future... Force, she didn't even want to think about that possibility. "But... why? Just... Just because he k-kissed me?" She inquired, pondering if this was connected to the incident on Lola Sayu where Wraith had stolen a kiss. "I mean... it did f-feel good." She added in a quiet voice. Having never been kissed before, Wraith was right, he was her first kiss. And to actually feel one... it kind of blew her mind.

But would a kiss truly lead to this? Why would she dream of this to begin with...?

Unless she was afraid that Wraith might try to go even further with her, now emboldened by what she had allowed him.

"No... No, this... th-this can't be right." She determined, more than a little shaken by the nightmare. That was out of character for Wraith.

He wouldn't do that to her... would he?"

"Get over it, Ahsoka. It's nothing. Just a bad dream..." She convinced herself. Laying back down and turning over, Ahsoka desperately tried to go back to sleep... but her constant worry about the desires of her subconscious made that just about impossible.


Neither Wraith nor Ahsoka realized that they were both experiencing nightmares featuring each other, both of them rather... suggestive in nature. While neither of them could tell if this was an act of the Force or not, they both knew that there was something amiss within these dreams. And yet the similarity of them seemed to hint at something about their future.

They had yet to experience it, but their destinies were interwoven, their lives eventually heading towards the same path. And they had no idea how unfolding events would bring them closer together...


Author's Note: Just a quick little something to fill the gap. I have to work pretty steadily for the next little while, so I might not have a whole lot of time to write. But when I get a chance, you know there will be more coming down the pipeline for you all!

What's on the horizon you ask? Season 3, Episodes 21 and 22...