Big Brother:

Anakin wore an indulgent smile as Ahsoka inspected Rex's surprise. A surprise that the Jedi Knight thought was truly inspired and touching. And showed just how much Rex and his brothers respected and loved the petite Togrutan girl that in any normal world would never have been leading grown soldiers into battle.

But she did, and once she gained confidence in herself, she did it well.

Having a really good teacher didn't hurt anything, either, he thought a little smugly as Ahsoka told Rex that he didn't have to call her Commander anymore.

But of course, the clone did again anyway. Rex loved Ahsoka, after all. And not just sibling love like the other clones gathered here felt, but real, true love that shone in the Force if you wanted to see it.

Ahsoka had won over the best soldier in the GAR almost from the very first moment they'd met, and Anakin will always remember the first time he'd caught Rex gazing after Ahsoka with his heart in eyes while she sparred with Obi-Wan during one of their many long trips through hyperspace.

He'd nudged the Captain who'd become one of his best friends in only a few short months with an elbow and flicked his eyes over at the girl in question who was leaping around the older Jedi like a graceful dancer. "You do know that as long as she's my Padawan, I'm obliged to kill you if you act on the thoughts in your head, right?"

Rex had turned to him with wide eyes and gulped audibly. "Uhhhh. I couldn't possibly know what you're talking about, Sir. Us clones aren't programmed to have any indecent or romantic thoughts."

Anakin had snorted. "Ha. That's a load of bantha poodoo. I've see the posters you boys tack up all over the place and the paintings on the gunships." Rex had actually blushed. The memory was still hilarious. "I don't begrudge you your feelings for her, but I want your promise here and now that you won't act on them until she's old enough to return them with full confidence in what she's doing. And that means after she's old enough to be a Knight and can ignore a certain part of the code like I do, understood?"

Rex had nodded quickly, a sense of peace settling around him as he accepted the terms and a content smile crossed his face. "Understood. Thank you for not just slicing me in half like a tinny."

Anakin had shot him a look. "Oh. I thought about it, no question. She IS mine to protect, after all, and you ARE considerably older than her, both in body and mind, if not in actual age."

Rex had winced, and then smiled ruefully. "Yeah, well, as far as she's concerned, my hormones are quite convinced that I'm eleven years old in every way you can think of."

"Force," Anakin sympathized, remembering how possessed his body had felt at the same age, dreams and visions of a naked Padmè wrecking havoc with his sleep on a regular basis. "It's a good thing you're not ruled by your hormones, then, isn't it?"

Rex had huffed a sigh and returned his longing gaze to Ahsoka. "If it makes you feel better to think that, Sir, then go right ahead."

Anakin had blinked at the blond man and then chosen to do exactly that.

Almost three years later, Rex still wore that same look in his eyes, and Anakin had to wonder how Ahsoka had never noticed. The poor man was absolutely gone over her and undoubtedly always would be. She hadn't even noticed that Rex had all but stopped eating and had basically communicated in grunts only when she went through her crushing on Lux Bonteri phase.

And Rex had probably been even more depressed than Anakin when she'd left the Order and had disappeared without a word as to where she was or how she was doing. They'd both understood that she was hurt and probably hiding, but that hadn't made it any easier to not KNOW that she was okay, even if Anakin was fairly sure he would have sensed it if she was in any real danger; their bond was too strong for it not to be so, no matter how much she blocked it or how far away from him she ended up.

The initial reunion of his Padawan and his Captain had gone better than his own with her had, but Anakin couldn't begrudge them that. He'd been afraid that things would be a little tense between him and Ahsoka when they saw each again for the first time after parting in such a tragic way, and he'd been right.

But it was all better now, their bond wide open again and their unbreakable friendship right back where it was before. Because she was his family, and always would be, at least as far as he was concerned. I hope it will always be that way, being able to pick up where we left off like that, no matter how many months or years pass between the times we see each other.

When he'd first found out that Ahsoka was coming back to ask for help for Mandalore, he'd hoped that she would consider joining the Order again, but now that he'd seen her, felt how at peace she was within herself in a way he'd never quite found on his own, he knew he would never ask her to return to a place that had hurt her so deeply. And if that meant that their visits ended up being few and far between, so be it. Better she be happy and elsewhere than miserable and close.

It also strengthened his resolve to leave the Order when the war was over, because he wanted to be at peace and happy too, and he would never find it with an Order that forbid relationships. Just look at poor Obi-Wan. His former Master had been miserable ever since Duchess Satine died, and the way Lady Kryze had attacked him with her memory had just made it even worse. (He'd felt Obi-Wan withdraw even deeper into his emotionless safe zone.) Ignoring your feelings for the sake of an antiquated code or the greater good of the Order was simply not worth it.

At the moment, Ahsoka and Rex were looking at each other in a way that gave Anakin hope that she was finally starting to realize that Rex would be more than just a friend if she'd let him, but he couldn't let the silence drag on for more than a prolonged second or two or someone was bound to notice that a clone was making goo goo eyes at a (former) Jedi, and technically, he shouldn't be endorsing such things.

So he regretfully broke the moment, confident that they'd find another one – preferably without witnesses – to continue it.

Acting as if there was nothing abnormal or illicit about the situation at all, Anakin grinned like an eager puppy and nudged Rex to hold up the wooden box tucked under his left arm. "Oh. I have one more surprise for you."

Ahsoka's eyes shot to his and then down to the box Anakin took from Rex and held out to her.

He knew she knew what was the in the box. He could see it in her eyes and feel it in their bond. She shot him a look filled with such gratitude that it made his chest hurt. She's been without them for so long. That had to suck to lose the bond to her crystals on top of everything else. Maybe not quite as bad as losing a limb, but definitely like losing a good friend. I know how both feel, unfortunately.

Ahsoka touched the box, anticipation heavy in the air as he heard the Kyber crystals inside the box start singing with joy. He held his breath, and Rex did too, beside him. Kriff, everyone did. Even the orange helmeted clones who where probably watching through the wide range display of their H.U.D.s. since they were still facing side-on to their little drama.

And then an alarm started to wail throughout the hangar. Her hand withdrew from the box and the moment was lost.

Anakin almost cursed the man he could feel rapidly approaching for the rotten timing, somehow just knowing that the alarm was Obi-Wan's doing.