Author's Notes: Chapter 3, chapter 3! Who's excited? This is a very sweet chapter. Nicely balanced fluff *and* angst😆 Today was a crappy Monday, so thought I'd post for anyone else whose Monday might've sucked. Also of note: this fic is a big milestone for me. It's my 20th fic I've ever written! I know there are other author's out there with lots more to their name, but 20 is big for me! Anyway. Enjoy!


Chapter III

Time went by. She couldn't tell how much. The sensation of floating in strange liquid became the only thing in her world for quite a while. That was nice. Her favourite part was that she never woke up enough to think about anything she didn't want to.

Without warning, she was rudely plucked from her world of ignorance and sunk into proper dreams.

She was strapped to a chair, yanking at restraints as an IV in her arm delivered drugs that would only make the already horrible torture worse… The sound of the ocean was all around her. A thread snapped and she was submerged in icy water, the waves malevolent, seeking to crush her skull with their thunderous weight. She tried to cry out, but the water entered her lungs, and the cage pulled her down, down into the depths -

She woke abruptly, a scream tearing through her throat as she drowned in Despair.

"Hey, hey, hey! Ahsoka! Calm down, please, you're alright!"

She became aware of her heaving chest, and realized she must not be underwater if she was breathing that hard. Opening her eyes, she blinked rapidly at the dark figure looming over her, many bright, white lights behind him blinding her.

"It's okay, Ahsoka. You're okay, I promise."

A flash of memory, and she spoke quickly so as to get the pain over with. "T-there are four lights."

"What?"

She still couldn't quite make out the figure. "There are four lights."

The Jedi Anakin finally came into focus as he turned to look behind him. "Uhhh, Snips, there's a lot more than four." He turned back around, a peculiar expression on his face. "Guess you should've spent a little more time in the bacta tank, huh?" He attempted a lopsided grin.

This man was not very good at hiding his feelings. Ahsoka could easily tell that while he tried to make the line a funny one - was trying to get her to laugh - he was so badly hiding actual… well no, that didn't make sense. What reason would this man have to hide fear for her? Not of her. For her.

It was perplexing.

And not high on her priority list right now.

Suddenly becoming aware of a drag on her arm, she glanced down to see an IV hanging from her wrist. Oh no. The urge to rip it out became overwhelming, as her nightmare flashed back to the forefront of her mind. But… that was just a dream, right? Just a dream. But how could her mind have made up such a scenario? She was supposed to have been the Count's student, her only brush with violence being the Jedi, and they had only burned her. Nothing to do with drugs, or cages, or oceans. Unless… Unless it really was based on memory. If that were the case, she didn't know why it came out so fragmented, or why she was remembering things that didn't fit with the timeline her Master had told her.

Either way, this IV held too many terrifying implications.

She eyed the Jedi. He was staring right at her, leaning forward in his chair, elbows on knees, hands clasped in front of his mouth.

Quick as a flash, she reached for the needle, prepared to yank it out in one smooth motion. But somehow he was faster.

Anakin blinked and grabbed her arm, almost as though he had known what she was going to do before she did it. She tried to pull out of his grip, but he held fast, looking up at her with an earnest, yet soft expression.

"Snips, don't. It's there to help you, not hurt you. I promise." His voice was low and imploring. It had a quality to it that made her want to trust him.

She asked a question in return, matching her volume to his. "Why do you call me that?"

He gently let go of her hand. There was a faraway look in his eyes now, and he had to swallow before he could answer. "It's your nickname. I gave it to you the first day we met." He smiled slightly, rather sadly, to Ahsoka's eyes. "You gave me one too. I don't suppose you remember?" He huffed, scoffing at his own question. "No, I don't suppose you would. Yet."

Ahsoka felt like there was something she wanted to say, something right on the tip of her tongue.

And then Obi-wan walked in, and the spell was broken.

Anakin sat up, and she pulled back, hunching in on herself.

"Ahsoka!" Obi-wan said brightly, sitting down in the chair next to Anakin, "It's good to see you awake. How are you feeling?"

She kept silent, blinking at him. What am I feeling? Far too many things to put into words.

"Alright, that's fine."

He leaned forward, mirroring Anakin's earlier posture. "Ahsoka, we are currently on our way back to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant."

"Our home," Anakin interrupted, gesturing at all three of them.

"Yes, thank you, I was getting to that." Obi-wan rolled his eyes.

"You're welcome. I never could resist your I-need-help face."

Ahsoka felt the ridiculous urge to laugh at them, as Obi-wan gave Anakin a stern look. He received a goofy smile in return.

"As I was saying," Obi-wan continued. "We are going to the Temple. But since it is likely we will get there before your memory returns, there are a few things we really must discuss."

Ahsoka held up a hand, stopping him. "My home is not a temple. You took me from my home."

"No, Ahsoka, that was not your home," Anakin cut in. "Home is not where you have only one meal a day, home is not where you get scars like - " His voice shook. "Like that. Home is where you're allowed to make mistakes, and not get punished for it!"

Ahsoka stared at him, not comprehending his words, as he hung his head in his hands. Obi-wan reached over and put a hand on his back comfortingly, and Anakin leaned into the touch.

"I know this is hard. I really do." Now it was Obi-wan's turn for a voice break. "But we must be mindful of our feelings. We can't let them rule us, not when we're faced with such a… delicate situation."

Anakin looked up again, dragging his hands over his face. "I know, I know."

Ahsoka watched as he took a deep breath, squaring his shoulders in a way that seemed familiar. She was completely mystified by their display. They were being… vulnerable with each other? Ahsoka was pretty sure Anakin had just admitted to making a mistake, and Obi-wan had only… told him to do better? These Jedi were not like what she had thought. Or is it… what I had been led to believe? She banished the thought as soon as it appeared.

"I'm not going anywhere with you. My Master will come for me. I know it," she growled at them, baring her teeth.

"No, my dear, he will not," came Obi-wan's reply. "The Separatists do not have the ability to track our ships just yet, you can be assured."

Ahsoka shook her head. "No, he'll come. He'll come because he cares about his students. He's not a liar, like you claim." Now she mumbled to herself. "Every time I thought otherwise, the red light would show me the truth." She shivered at the remembrance of the light that always felt so cold, so insidious. She put a hand to her head, sure she could feel the ache of it's touch taking hold.

"Yes. You mentioned this light before." Obi-wan put his elbows on his knees again and clasped his hands. "Ahsoka, could you describe it?"

She closed her eyes, envisioning the moments it came to her. "... It would come when I had doubts. Or fears, or questions. I could hear it in my head when I was alone. It w-would smooth the thoughts away." She rubbed her hands over her arms, fighting off a sudden chill. Why was she telling them this? Who said she had to think about the light ever again? You have a plan, you have a plan, you have a plan, she reminded herself. Get them to trust you! She forced herself to keep going. "It was s-so cold. The touch of it on… on my mind made me sick to my stomach. I wished it would leave me alone. I h-had enough pro- things to think about, without worrying about being sick." Her voice dipped to a whisper, shame colouring her voice. "Especially while the gag was on." She couldn't believe she'd almost referred to her Master's actions as problems. She needed to be more careful. "But the n-n-nights were long, and w-when I was in the cage… I'd do anything to keep my mind off the waves. Eventually, it stopped making me so sick, and I just had headaches." She touched the back of her collar, giving it a slight tug as she did so. "I think it came from here."

She waited with bated breath for their reply. Was it enough? Do they trust me yet?


Author's Notes: Thank you guys for reading, and please don't hesitate to let me know your thoughts in the comments! Much love💕