Omg this is the last chapter! I'm not gonna post next week, I want to write out a bunch of the next story before I start publishing it. I hope this is a satisfying ending for you guys, I spend a lot of time writing and editing so I hope you like it 3

Disclaimer: I still don't own star wars. If i did i wouldnt be putting these disclaimers here EVERY CHAPTER

Chapter Eleven: And they found peace again

Anakin sat in his chair sipping on his fifth mug of caf. He was tired, his eyelids drooping despite the invigorating stimulant he was ingesting. This moment almost didn't feel real, it was hard not to think he was dreaming. After escaping from their capture, the ship had almost immediately jumped into hyperspace. Many men had been lost to retrieve them, he would never forget it.

He was supervising Rex and Ahsoka in their bacta tanks, both having sustained enough injuries to warrant at least a couple hours. While the General had been shooting at the commandos, she had sniped a few and then fistfought one, getting pretty banged up in the process. Not to mention the burns and scabbed-over cuts from her… session with Count Dooku, there would be some scars from this mission.

The Captain's blaster wound was also going to create a couple scars, proof of what he survived. His torture injures weren't nearly as bad as the Commander's, so those would heal quicker, but the mental scars would be something all four victims would not soon lose.

The sound of the medbay door opening caught the Jedi's attention, and Obi-Wan walked in. He had taken the opportunity to rest for a couple hours, saying that his former padawan should have as well, but understood the need to watch over his student. He had his own mug of caf and a tray with two rations on it. The Knight took the second one silently, starting to eat. He wouldn't admit it, but he was hungry.

The older man asked, "How are they?"

The youngest sighed. "They're healing well, but scars will stay. This mission was hard on us all, we're lucky that Master Plo was able to complete it."

"Yes, that was fortunate. The colonists have been reinstated to their homes on Kiros, there were minimal casualties on Zygerria."

The Jedi's face darkened. That slaver planet was a touchy subject for him, he didn't like talking about it. He changed the subject, "Are you sure you don't need a few hours in there, Master?" He inclined his head towards the bacta tank.

"I'm quite alright Anakin, but I appreciate the concern."

The General was confused as to why he had remained so unscathed when all of his friends had retained visible injuries. Dooku had clearly been holding back, but why? It was a mystery, one he was guilty to be grateful for. Ahsoka deserved that treatment, not him. He should be the one in the bacta tank right now.

He associated a lot of guilt with slavery. Guilt that the mission had only been to free the new slaves, guilt that he had been free when his mom had not, guilt that the Jedi were doing nothing to help the millions-billions- of slaves still suffering and guilt that he had come out of this mission unharmed. It ate him up, but the Knight just had to suppress it and it was gone. That worked pretty well most of the time.

The two Jedi stared into the depths of the bacta tanks and wished that that was them instead.

Ahsoka stood in the refresher, silently processing the last week. After they had landed in the main hangar of the Venator, everything was sort of a blur. She had been ushered to the medbay, too numb from shock to do anything but comply. The ship had jumped to hyperspace a few minutes before she was prepped for the bacta tank, and her recollection of that moment ended there. She did remember waking up in her hospital bed, her Master there and alerting to her consciousness immediately. He filled her in on how long she had been out and how close they were to Coruscant, where they would be placed on meditative leave for two weeks. It was time to recover from the failed mission and what it had brought, to heal the mental wounds from Separatist capture.

The water ran down the teen's face, and she rested her forehead against the wall, closing her eyes. She had been tired at first, so tired. The time on Dooku's ship and the escape had been incredibly draining, so it was all the stress catching up to her. Not to mention the physical strain torture had put on her, combined with then constantly aggravating the wounds. It was a wonder she was completely healed now.

The 'fresher's water ran down the scars on her legs, marks left from Dooku's lightsaber. They were no longer sore to the touch, the wounds having healed on their own after the bacta did what it could. She opened her eyes back up and grabbed the bottle of soap she had, a specific brand for togruta. It was a foamy one, and she washed her whole body with it, including the montrals and lekku.

After going through the motions, the togruta turned off the refresher. The flow of water halted, and cold started to seep in before she dried off. Hanging up the towel to dry, she dressed and headed out of the communal bathroom at the Temple. It was nice to be back, and taking the familiar route to her quarters was comforting. It was a few minutes before she arrived, and then she walked inside and sat on one of the ottomans the Jedi loved so dearly.

Sitting felt different with her new outfit, it was a little less comfortable. She supposed that this was what clones felt like all the time, and she should just get used to it. The Commander had decided to change up her wardrobe, requesting something new. It was armor styled after that of a clone trooper, but fitted to her size. There was no helmet, so she had painted the design she normally would have had over her face on the chestplate. It was her face markings, the blue paint standing out across the white.

Her Master had asked why she wanted the armour, there were plenty of reasons. When that commando had stomped on her, it had hurt really badly. Armour would protect against that pretty well, aiding in any fight. There was also the fact that she was a soldier, she should've been wearing something appropriate for war. Expressing yourself was fine, but there is a time and a place to wear civilian clothes. The battlefield is not one of them. The boys in the 501st had been asking their vod'ika to wear armour for a while, not wanting to see her hurt, and Zygerria had made her finally give in.

The Masters on the Council had all disapproved of her outfits before but said nothing, everyone deserves the right to express themselves through their clothes. That didn't mean they weren't relieved to see her new outfit, and Master Yoda had even said it complemented her skin tone. He was always good at giving compliments, or life advice. Master Yoda was the best.

Rex had been appalled at her state of dress when she had first arrived on Christophsis, pointing out that she was basically fully exposed to the dangers of a battlefield. He and the rest of the 501st had been pleased with her most recent outfit, but to them, it still wasn't enough. They thought she wasn't safe enough, and they were probably right. Now she was finally wearing something that would actually protect her, and the padawan felt safe. That was all that mattered.

Padme heard the door to her apartment open and rose from her chair, placing the bill she had been reading back on her desk. She got up and exited her office, but not before grabbing her blaster from a drawer. Odd that someone would come by her apartment unannounced, she needed to be vigilant to the constant threat to her life. Footsteps sounded down the hallway from the door, and the Senator sprung out into view of her intruder with her blaster raised.

The man in front of her raised his arms, surrendering immediately. He was a little taken aback by her hostility, and she lowered the blaster immediately. "Ani?" she asked.

He smiled sheepishly, arms falling to his sides. "Uh, surprise! I'm back."

His wife's smile filled her face and she rushed over to hug him, wrapping her arms around him. Her weapon was dropped to the floor, forgotten in the embrace of her lover.

She whispered into his shoulder, "I was so worried. I thought you could be captured or dead-"

He stroked her hair, the brown strands in a chignon with elegant braids adding flair. "I'm alright."

She closed her eyes and breathed him in, the familiar scent of his cheap soap and freshly cleaned robes. In this moment it was just the two of them, the world forgotten. She gripped his shoulders tightly and the hand that wasn't stroking her hair came to rest on the small of her back, holding her gently but firmly. It was the safest she had felt since before he left.

Breaking away from him, the senator asked, "What happened? I was so worried for you."

He took her hands in his, smiling sheepishly. "We may have gotten a bit captured."

"What?"

"Just a little bit discovered within the first five hours of our mission."

She looked him up and down, noticing a bruise on his face. She cupped it with her hand. "Are you alright?"

The General leaned into her touch, eyes closing for a moment. He answered, "Yeah. The Zygerrians found us out, we got captured by them. We tried to escape, but Dooku just happened to be on-world and got the best of us. He held us aboard the ship- interrogated us… I don't know what would've happened if Rex and I weren't able to send out a distress call."

Padme looked into his eyes, horrified. The Separatist military was known for their brutality, and Dooku never played fair. Interrogations by him meant torture. "Is Ahsoka okay? How's Obi-Wan, and Rex?"

The Jedi looked down. "Ahsoka and Rex got it the worst. She's alright now, the bacta tank healed most of it. He was shot while we were escaping. It wasn't fatal, but it took out a chunk of skin, and he's definitely going to be scarred for life. Obi-Wan refused to use the bacta tank, I think he feels bad that he didn't take the brunt of it. I understand the sentiment."

His wife softened. "Don't feel bad Ani, there was nothing you could've done. I'm just glad you're safe."

The couple touched foreheads, breathing together. The man tilted his head so that their mouths touched, and then they were kissing. They were coming together, making up for all the time spent apart. They were slow at first, but became more frantic as they deepened. Soon their hands roamed from cupping necks to other places, and it became a frenzied game.

As Padme and Anakin embraced, everything was right again.

Ahsoka walked confidently through the halls of the clone barracks. She was visiting her ori'vod, it was about time. The armor gave her new confidence, she felt strong and powerful. It was not a Jedi-like feeling, but she supposed that if she wasn't trying to lord her power over others it wasn't an issue.

Opening the doors, she strutted in with a smile on her face. "Evening, boys."

They all stopped talking to take in her new outfit, shock morphing into smiles at the sight of the familiar garment. Fives yelled, "She finally agrees to wear armor! I never thought this day would come."

Everyone else broke into snickers. The boys in the 501st had been subtly after her to wear something a bit more suited for battle than her previous outfits, it was a good thing that she'd caved. Rex spoke up, "maybe now you can finally beat me when we spar, Commander. You've finally got something to level the playing field."

There were oohs all around them as the togruta narrowed her eyes playfully. "You seem to forget all the times I've beaten your sorry shebs onto the dirt, Rex. Maybe another round will remind you."

He smiled, and they were both stalking each other in circles in the middle of the barracks. The clones had moved from the space to make room in case a friendly fight really did break out, Jesse and Fives were already placing bets while Kix was rummaging under his bunk, clearly searching for a medkit. The padawan rolled her neck, working out the kinks as the Captain cracked his knuckles. This was going to be a fight to remember, the first sparring session in her new armor.

She made the first move, aiming a kick at his unprotected head. His forearm flashed up to block it, she barely stopped the knee he aimed at her groin. She got low and swept her foot, but he used the momentum against her, aiming to fall on her outstretched leg with his armoured knee. The Commander's eyes widened, but she was able to spur her spin to a faster speed to avoid his limb and circle back around to catch him in the neck. Her foot was caught midair, and he began to stand and take it with him.

She waited until he was finished to kick him in the chin with her other foot, causing the clone to stumble back and drop her. The teen caught herself and did a back hand-spring to land at the edge of their fighting ring, watching her opponent rub his chin briefly. The clones were going wild, cheering and laughing at the spectacle. The two fighters grinned at each other and charged again, meeting in the middle.

Ahsoka unleashed a volley of punches, most of which were blocked. One of them caught Rex in the stomach, but it was almost completely useless considering the armor he wore. She would've been way more hurt without her own shell, but her hands were protected. The Captain came at her, charging, but she used the momentum against him and threw him to the floor. His head was luckily unhurt, but the impact was definitely notable. After a split second to breathe, he grabbed her still-outstretched wrist and flung the togruta onto the ground in front of him. He wrapped his leg around her neck and squeezed, knowing she would tap out if necessary.

The togruta wheezed, there was no armor around her neck. She refused to give up, especially after her big talk earlier. She wound up her elbow and slammed it up into his crotch. There was a layer of plastoid between her joint and his children, but it still hurt.

The spectators winced in sympathy, a couple of them cupping their crotches protectively. Their Commander sure was brutal on the battlefield, and it showed in the loosening of their Captain's leg. She pried it away from her, doing another back hand-spring from her position on the floor (they oohed at the athleticism) and landed above his head, placing a booted foot on the clone's throat before he could get up.

Rex laughed, tapping her leg three times. He knew when he'd been beaten and was humble enough to accept it. Ahsoka helped him up, and they both pretended not to notice Fives and Jesse trading credits. The two soldiers shook hands, the man saying, "Good job, Commander. You beat me, but I did put up a good fight."

She smiled. "You always do, Rex."

He tapped her shoulder-plate with his knuckles, remarking, "This armor will come in handy, it already let you beat me."

She brushed his hand off with a snort, the clones in the barracks oohing at the burn. "I won fair and square. This-" she gestured to her outfit- "barely helped. But I do agree that it'll come in handy in battle."

Fives walked over and draped an arm around his vod'ika's shoulder. "I knew you'd pull through, Commander. I had a few credits riding on your victory."

The lively chatter was back, filling the room with a lightheartedness they rarely saw in war. Her worries faded away as she fell into the rhythm of friendly banter, finding peace again.

End of chapter!

Notes:

-Anakin was like "bitch i am going to WATCH OVER my padawan bc i actually CARE

-Ahsoka should have worn armour. I decided that since I'M the author of this fic i can add what i want so now she wears clone armour

-Anakin ANNOUNCE YOUR PRESENCE your wife faces so many death threats she could literally kill you especially since you dont have ur lightsaber

-Is it clear that I have never kissed anyone

-Ahsoka and the clones are friends it is my hc that that scene plays out REGULARLY

-I saw someone say that Anakin had to redo the gathering with the younglings when he lost his lightsaber and I am LOSING it at the idea of Ahsoka, Obi-Wan and Anakin returning to Ilum with a bunch of awed little kids to get their lightsaber crystals again LMAO

That was the last chapter! Tune in in two weeks for my new story