A/N: Hello. This was an idea I had while listening to "Count on me" by Bruno Mars. So I hope I'll finish it at some point.

Reviews and saves are welcome.

Trigger warning: PTSD and panic attacks

If you ever find yourself stuck in the middle of the sea

I'll sail the world to find you

Chapter 1:

Anakin loved the water.

As a child who grew up on a planet like Tatooine, a planet where water was so rare and precious, it made sense why he would be amazed by water-planets. He didn't even know there was that much water in the entire galaxy when he first visited a water-planet with Obi-wan, back when he was his padawan.

He didn't only like the oceans though, he loved the rain, he loved pools and showers. He loved to open up every window in his quarters after it rained just to smell the fresh air. He loved swimming, even as therapy for when he broke his leg as a youngling. He loved taking ridiculously long showers after long missions, it didn't matter to him if it was warm or cold water.

Anakin loved water

Yet as the war progressed, water became more of a trouble to him and his troops in many ways.

Just getting to filtered and drinkable water got harder as water-planets would go to war, stopping their clean shipments to other planets.

In an active war zone, rain would be a problem and an annoyance, Anakin himself slipping out on more than one occasion. It didn't help that standing and fighting in the rain would make one miserable after a while. The cold and wet feeling like it was seeping into your bones.

Not that those weren't enough reasons for Ahsoka to hate water, but she had other ones too. More serious ones.

As a youngling, she was very hated by other children. Ahsoka was always the smart one, the know-it-all, because she did know everything and did everything better. She didn't have any friends because who would want to be friends with someone that didn't have flaws? Of course, Ahsoka tried everything to make them like her - she would let them push her around and wouldn't speak up when she was left out. Ahsoka started to use all her free time with studying and going through forms. Her famous attitude was only reserved for Master Plo-Koon, as Ahsoka felt he would never judge her.

Every other master and all her instructors adored her and jealousy from everyone in her clan was everywhere around her.

So one day, Ahsoka and her clan had another mandatory swimming lesson, just like they had with free-climbing and other survival training. The other younglings - that were in fact a lot older than her as she skipped a few classes - decided they really didn't like her and wanted Ahsoka to have an accident.

As they were starting their swimming lesson, the instructor gave them the task to swim some rounds to warm up and got distracted talking to a Master. One of the older younglings saw his chance and pulled Ahsoka down by her foot. Panicking, she started to fight to stay up and get air until she almost passed out. After what felt like a few minutes for her, the master noticed and she was pulled out, wrapped in towels and taken to a healer. Plo-Koon was informed as everyone knew how close their bond was. The younglings were seriously punished - the eldest even sent to the agri-corps.

After a check by healer Cho, they found nothing other than a bruised ankle and a sore throat, for which she was described bed-rest. Ahsoka didn't mind too much as she had an excuse to study more and she enjoyed the daily visits from Master Plo.

After a month of resting she was allowed back to physical training so, as everyone else in her clan, she went to her next swimming class. Ahsoka stared to walk into the water and it went fine until she went in far enough that she couldn't stand anymore. Ahsoka stared to breathe quicker and noticed her vision getting a little blurry. Everything around her started to blur away - the worried voices and looks from everyone there. After about three minutes, she came back and her breathing started to slow - long enough that she could see someone carried her back to land - right before she threw up. Ahsoka was brought back to healer Che who diagnosed her with PTSD.

After that, she had to take swimming lessons with a mind-healer at the temple. Her instructors supported her and Plo-Koon told her often how proud he was of Ahsoka still going back into the water from time to time.

So Ahsoka hated water, which was amazing whenever they went on missions.

Anakin knew of her fear and condition, so he would make sure she was close to him whenever they would need to be on a mission with a lot of lakes and oceans. Most of the time she was fine during the mission, but after, when she was safe in their shared quarters and tucked into his arms, she would break down and panic. Anakin helped her with every single one, wondering how the galaxy could be so unfair to her, especially at such a young age.

It worked great until one day, they were sent to Mon Cala. Not only would they be surrounded by water, they were forced into the water. He immediately worried for her and also noticed the councils sad and worried glances at Ahsoka during the briefing, especially Plo-Koons. They all knew she wouldn't back down from the mission, so Anakin hoped he would be enough for her, whenever she would eventually break down.

Despite it all, Anakin was very proud of how Ahsoka handled herself, from getting the news to preparing for it.

When they finally arrived it went smoothly. The doors of their gunship opened and she was one of the first to jump off and dive into the water. She was swimming and her breath came normally, so Anakin dared to hope that maybe this time it would go differently.

Then the battle started and it was going okay. Minimal causalities and they were winning. Anakin forgot how confusing and disorienting swimming under water could be, but he took it in his stride. He lost sight of Ahsoka between fighting and blocking blaster bolts which wasn't that unusual, but still worried him. He was in the middle of slicing down another aqua-droid and contemplating how best to find Ahsoka when he heard a scream across his force bond with her. Then pure, blinding and distracting fear, then quiet.

Anakin was still. His blood ran cold and he could hear his breathing clearly but everything else was zoned out.

He was the Hero with no Fear, yet it took just a scream from one of the people he held closest for him to go into a state of utter panic.

Ahsoka needed him. Anakin tried to trace her using their force bond but she was shielding everything and everyone around her, so he couldn't find her. He started using the coms, asking around where she was but no one had seen her, only heard her.

Anakin really started to worry but he kept calm - which he realised later was a miracle. He searched everywhere while still actively cutting down droids and protecting the clones, but he had a new mission, one that he felt was more important than winning this battle. It took a while and Anakins blood pressure rising an unhealthy amount until he finally saw a familiar green swim-suit.

"Ahsoka!" She didn't even move an inch or did anything that showed him he heard her. Trying, but failing, to keep calm Anakin swam over. As he reached her he saw what the problem was: while fighting off droids, one of the aqua-droids had grabbed her ankle which made her panic and fall into a flashback, right after slicing it in half.

While worry rose in him, he couldn't fight off the pride that she destroyed the droid first.

Anakin pulled the hand off of her leg and turned her around to face him, gently lifting her face up. "Ahsoka. Hey, it's okay. I'm here. You're on Mon Cala and your as safe as you can be because I am here. You are not drowning and you. are. okay."

He's talked her out of many flashbacks so he knew exactly what to say. He knew from experience that she didn't always need the same thing and that different people need different help, but this is what usually works for her. This time counted as a usually.

She was still stuck in the flashback. Anakin didn't give up and tried to keep talking to her to get her out of it. Her shaking worried him and he became desperate and would've done anything to get through to her but after a while Ahsokas eyes became clear again and she was actually looking at him, not just through him. He by far preferred the former.

"...Anakin?" He laughed out of pure relief and pulled her into a hug. Resting his chin in between her montrals, making sure he wasn't bothering her mask so she could keep breathing, he started to breathe normally again. "You scared me, Snips."

Ahsoka looked as confused as before but hugged him back. "I... am not drowning?"

Anakin wanted to kill the younglings that did this to her very badly. They deserved way worse than the agri-corps. If he ever saw them he couldn't promise he wouldn't try to hurt them badly. How anyone could hurt and dislike his padawan was far from him. Sure, she was a know-it-all but not in a bad way. She knew almost everything and could correct generals without a blink, but not because she knew better. She would do it to help them. Jealousy destroyed lives and Ahsokas was hurt, badly.

"No, you're not. You are in a suit that has a ventilation system. You are fine. That was only a flashback." Still holding Ahsoka he started to rub circles on her back, purposefully breathing loudly and slowly so she could copy him and her breathing began to calm.

"We need to get back to the shuttle. I got a comm from Rex that the battle is won. Are you going to be okay until we get back?" Ahsoka slowly pulled out of his embrace and looked deeply into his eyes, her expression determined.

"Let's go."

And if she had another panic attack in the comfort of her brothers arms back in their quarters, that was fine.

A/N: I wrote the panic attacks from how I experience them, but I know that it's different for everyone.

Tomorrow will be "If you ever find yourself lost in the dark and you can't see, I'll be the light to guide you."