I know, sooner than normal; but I just HAD to do this one! I had no patience I've been looking forward to this episode :D

You'll see why soon hehehehe

You Analina fans better thank me hahaha

Thanks for the reviews! Keep them up!

Enjooooooooooyyyyyy! ;D

"Our shields are gone!"

Zelina groaned, regaining her balance as their ship lurched to the side. In front of her, Aayla Secura clenched her fists, obviously worried.

"I hate not being able to really do anything," Zelina quipped.

"Calm yourself Padawan, we will find a way out of this," Aayla responded before walking forward, watching the battle outside intently. "Hurry Skywalker…we're depending on you," she muttered under her breath.

Zelina felt Anakin's presence the moment he entered the Quell System, and hurrying was exactly what he was doing.

It was what she would expect her friend to be doing considering the ship she was currently on was about to be blown out of the sky.

"He's here," Zelina announced, coming even with Aayla. Beside them, one ship was currently headed for a fiery doom on the planet's surface while the other seemed to be starting to dip in the same direction—down. "But so is a lovely Separatist welcome party," Zelina added as she saw a horde of super battle droids landing on the ship outside.

"Commander! Get out there and stop those droids!" Aayla ordered sharply.

"I'm on it!" he said instantly, rushing off the bride.

"Can I go out there now?" Zelina asked. She'd been begging since the attack started to go out in a fighter and do some one on one combat. Of course, Aayla wasn't having it.

"No Padawan; I need you here. If we separate, I sense one of us will not make it out of this attack alive."

"Isn't it already looking grim for both of us?" Zelina pointed out with a hint of humor before she snapped her mouth shut. "Sorry Master, I speak out of term…"

Aayla smiled a little. "There is a difference between speaking out of term, and adding some humor to a grim situation. There is nothing wrong with the latter."

"General, Skywalker's here!" said one of the bridge troopers. Of course, Zelina and Aayla already knew that. At that very moment, Anakin's presence was reaching out to brush against Zelina's conscious to make sure she was alive and unharmed.

Well, she was so far.

"Just in time; we're entering the atmosphere," Aayla responded grimly. "Brace yourself Padawan."

"Already doing so Master," Zelina said with a small smile. She pointed out the window. "Besides, there's the transports; he's about to board us."

"I don't think that's the wisest choice right now," Aayla said grimly.

"Either way, I think he'll be here in a few seconds," Zelina mused, watching Anakin's form use the super battle droids as stepping stones into the ship. "Should I go meet him?"

"We'll go together. It's time to leave," Aayla stated, turning on her heel and rushing off of the bridge. Zelina was right on her heels.

"It sounds like they're done waiting. We don't have much time," Zelina grunted out a short while later as the ship was rocked by a disheartening barrage of fire from the Separatist ships. Aayla, Zelina, and the commander from earlier were currently holding off a rather large wave of battle droids. Aayla and Zelina stood back to back, deflecting the blaster bolts from both sides of the hall. Thankfully, Zelina could sense Anakin growing steadily closer.

"Don't lose faith young one; the Force will provide a way for us to escape. There's still Skywalker to count for."

"I know Master. Ani hasn't let me down yet," Zelina said with a small smile.

Aayla turned around, her attention as well as Zelina's caught by Anakin making a dramatic entrance, practically running over the battle droids between him and his friend.

"Nice entrance Skywalker," Aayla quipped as the group pushed forward, dismissing the brief moment where Anakin placed a hand on Zelina's shoulder and shot her an inquiring look to make sure she was okay. He'd let go once she gave him an affirmative nod. "How do you plan to get us out of this mess?"

"Well…I have a ship docking in the lower hanger…as we speak," Anakin grunted out as they pressed forward with more urgency, gradually easing into a run. The way cleared up and they rushed forward undisturbed for a while.

"It's nice of you to join our party either way Ani," Zelina said with a small smile.

"I wouldn't miss it for the Galaxy Zee," he chuckled as they rounded the corner to find a single battle droid.

"Uh…hold it!" the droid tried, holding out its blaster. Anakin smirked, probably imagining slicing through the weapon with ease. Before he could carry the image out though, a door opened behind, revealing a horde of super battle droids as more came around the corner. "Ah ha!" the droid said triumphantly as their small band quickly dashed around the corner away from the small army.

"This is going so well Ani, think you could have planned this out a little better?" Zelina asked, running slightly ahead of Anakin, who was taking up the rear.

"Hey, don't judge, so long as I get us out of here it should be fine!" Anakin protested. Up ahead, Ahsoka was opening up the last door they needed to go through that brought them right into the ship.

"We made it!" Zelina heard her say up ahead, though both her and Anakin were thrown off balance by a new barrage of heavy fire from the Separatist ships. They all rushed forward, and Zelina could hear the sound of an explosion starting behind them. They needed to speed it up or they weren't going to make it—

"It's too late!" she heard Anakin say behind her, and she whipped around to see him standing firmly in the middle of the hall. Before she could say a word, she felt a rush through the Force, and Anakin threw their entire group forward.

"Master!" Ahsoka cried out in protest, but she was drowned out by Zelina.

"Anakin!" she shouted in horror, watching as the explosion rushed towards her friend, who stood still in the middle of the hall, trying to contain the force of the explosion with the Force. The door shut in her face, once more thanks to Anakin, and she couldn't see what was happening.

Never had she known such terror in her life.

She heard the loud boom, heard the sickening thud followed by the sound of metal against metal, and pressed up against the door as Ahsoka spoke into her com link.

"Don't move the ship!"

"Are you guys all right down there?" the pilot was asking even as Zelina waited impatiently for the door to open, having already hit the button furiously and impatiently. It only opened partially, and both her and Ahsoka fought to open the door, peering through to try and find Anakin in the fiery wreckage it had protected them from.

Anakin was lying still in the wreckage, the flames casting eerie shadows across his face.

"Help me!" Ahsoka pleaded, activating her lightsaber. Zelina didn't have to be told twice. She was already doing the same, and they cut a hole in the door in half the time it would have taken alone, each of them grabbing one of Anakin's arms before dragging him out of the wreckage.

The ship rattled dangerously.

"Ahsoka! Zelina! We have to leave now!" Aayla warned them. Zelina simply blocked her out, helping Ahsoka pull Anakin further into the ship. Aayla seemed to realize her words were falling on deaf ears and joined them in dragging Anakin inside.

"Hurry, get him on the ship!" she warned them before they finally made it into the hall, sealing the door firmly behind them. Zelina and Ahsoka crouched at Anakin's side, checking him over. He was in really bad shape, and Zelina only felt her fear grow as she placed his head gently in her lap.

"We'll get him some medical attention; you can go to the cockpit and make sure we get out of here Master," Zelina told Aayla, already gathering Anakin up to gingerly carry him to wherever the medical room was.

Aayla met her eyes, and Zelina saw a flicker of disapproval in Aayla's eyes before it changed to acceptance and she nodded, rushing off to the cockpit.

"Come on, help me lift him," she told Ahsoka, holding Anakin's broken form as carefully as she could. Even though she knew it would hurt, Zelina kept glancing at Anakin's face, taking in the soot and burns that covered his familiar, comforting features. She's seen him hurt before, but never this badly, and it scared her.

Without a word, Ahsoka and Zelina got Anakin settled into a medical cot, the medical droid approaching them to check him over. While he ran his test, Zelina had to refrain herself from brushing some of the hair out of his face under Ahsoka's watchful gaze. So, an awkward, stressful silence fell over them as they watched helplessly while Anakin was put on life support. Once more, Zelina's heart clenched painfully at his condition.

Sometime later, Aayla walked through the doorway. "I need you with Commander Blyde at the bridge right now," Aayla said sternly, glancing between the two. Zelina bristled, watching Anakin's still form.

"I should stay," Ahsoka said sharply. "Commander Blyde doesn't need my help, Anakin does!"

As much as Zelina wanted to stay with Anakin as well, she had to disagree with Ahsoka. There was nothing they could do for Anakin right now but stand by helplessly. Right now, the best way to help Anakin, was to help themselves because there was nothing they could do for him directly.

Aayla might have just read her mind by what she said next. "You can help Anakin by getting this ship to safety."

Zelina didn't let her gaze waver from Anakin, listening to the almost mechanical breathing that came from him with a chill going through her. The sound frightened her for some reason as she listened to the mechanical breathing in and out, and suddenly it was like the ship was disappearing around her, the sound of Aayla and Ahsoka fading away until it disappeared entirely.

The sound of Anakin on the life support did not leave her. The sound continued, seeming louder than before as Anakin's face disappeared and all she saw was darkness.

Kooosh…kurrrrr…kooosh…kurrrrr…

The temperature seemed to drop, and hysterical, evil laughter suddenly echoed around the room along with the sound of Anakin's mechanized breathing. Despair and agonizing sorrow overwhelmed her before suddenly the darkness rushed away and she found herself supported in Aayla and Ahsoka's arms. The two were staring down at her in worry as she clambered back to her feet, weaving slightly.

"Are you all right?" Ahsoka asked.

Dimly, Zelina registered that the Commander was there again, staring at her next to a picture that showed that their ship was on a crash course for some planet.

"I…I'm fine," Zelina mumbled, looking back at Anakin in worry. It didn't help that his mechanical breathing hadn't changed because of the life support.

"I didn't know you were one to faint under such stressful circumstances," Ahsoka said lightly, attempting humor.

"I'm not," Zelina said shortly. "I just…had a little bit of a vision…nothing I can make sense of though, so don't ask me what it was," she added hastily at the look on Aayla's face.

"Well…we're apparently about to crash into that star," Aayla said, nodding towards the picture the Commander was standing next to.

Zelina nodded. "You two go on ahead. I'll stay back here and make sure no further harm comes to Anakin. Trust me," she said, adding on the last bit while holding Ahsoka's gaze. Ahsoka nodded reluctantly, and Zelina clutched the edge of Anakin's cot, moving out of the way for the medical droid as he checked on Anakin. The door shut firmly behind them, and the only sound was the robot's movements and that cursed life support breathing.

Kooosh…kurrrrr…kooosh…kurrrrr…

At least she knew he was alive. Silently, she watched the steady rise and fall of Anakin's chest, trying not to think of the fact that they were headed on a literal crash course for more disaster, for more tragedy.

Once the medical droid had moved away, Zelina reached out to hold Anakin's hand in her own.

"You're going to be alright Anakin…I promise," Zelina said softly.

Not moments after she said that, the power circuits in the ship went off…as did Anakin's life support. Zelina stood ramrod straight as the mechanical breathing stopped, leaning over Anakin immediately, and checking every inch of him while trying to figure out why they had shut off the power while Anakin was on the life support. Anakin shifted uncomfortably even though he was unconscious as the ship suddenly took a steep dive, and Zelina had to fight to keep her position next to Anakin's cot.

"Hold on Anakin," she said pointlessly. It wasn't like he could do anything about it, or even hear her.

The power suddenly came back on. "What the kriff are they doing?" Zelina muttered angrily under her breath as she got her feet firmly back on the ground, though Anakin's life support didn't start up again. The ship trembled suddenly, and Zelina looked around warily. She hated not knowing what was going on, but she had to make sure Anakin stayed all right, even if she was sure they had just lost something important.

Anakin groaned in pain in front of her, and she bent over him, placing a hand on his cheek. "it's going to be all right Anakin, just hang in there," she mumbled.

She wasn't expecting the impact when it came.

Zelina was thrown upwards, slamming her head on the ceiling above Anakin's cot. Thankfully, her body shielded any harm from befalling Anakin and kept him from falling out of his bed. She struggled to stay at his side, grasping tightly to the edge to keep from getting thrown across the room. After a rough landing, Zelina looked around groggily, sure she had a concussion from her hit. Still, all of her senses screamed that they needed to get out of the ship. Grimacing, Zelina took the mask of Anakin, doing her best to gather him up in her arms.

"Come on Anakin," she said, groaning under his weight though still straining herself to carry him anyway. There was no excuses; the Force was screaming danger. They needed to get out.

She was already halfway down the hallway when she ran into Ahsoka and Aayla. "Help me with him," Zelina grunted. They assisted immediately, and they were able to move much faster, racing off of the ship just moments before it went up in a ball of flames. Ahsoka and Aayla let Anakin go, though Zelina slowly lowered him to the ground.

"Well…we made it," Aayla said breathlessly. "And Master Skywalker is still alive."

Ahsoka was panting on Zelina's left. "I'm just glad he wasn't awake to see that landing," she said with a small grimace.

"He would have been proud," Aayla told her before standing up.

Zelina smiled a little two. "I'm glad I didn't have to see it, though experiencing it wasn't fun either," Zelina said, rubbing the spot where her head had connected with the ceiling. "I think you might have given me a concussion."

"I'll check you for one in a moment," Aayla told her.

"I've certainly perfected the art of demolishing ships and almost getting my Master killed," Ahsoka said with a sigh.

Aayla frowned. "Come on, let's get a shelter built. Padawan, if you really do have a concussion, I don't want you moving around too much. Stay there with Skywalker. I'll check you for a concussion once we've finished the shelter."

"Yes Master," she said smoothly, bracing herself at Anakin's side. She didn't plan on leaving it any time soon.

Ahsoka was approaching the tent Zelina and Anakin were holed up in when Aayla made her diagnosis.

"You don't have a concussion," she said with a frown. "You should be all right. It's just a really nasty headache."

"What about Anakin?" Ahsoka asked.

"Anakin doesn't have much time. We have to find help tonight," Aayla said in concern.

"Okay…you and Blye go south, Rex, Zelina and I will stay here with Anakin," Ahsoka said, taking control of the situation like she wasn't the Padawan, least of all the junior Padawan.

"No Ahsoka. In order to get help quickly we must work together," Aayla said sternly.

"I can't leave him!" Ahsoka protested, though Zelina knew very well what principle Aayla was applying at the moment. Aayla had a point; they couldn't let any personal attachments get in the way with Anakin's life on the line. "Master! I know if I was hurt, he'd never leave me behind!"

"I know this is hard Ahsoka, but Anakin has to stay behind and we have to go; now!" Aayla softened her tone. "There is nothing more we can do for him. We must do all we can to get off this planet; as a Jedi, it is your duty to do what is best for the group."

Anakin's face grimaced in pain in his unconscious state, and Zelina was over him in a second, though she grunted when her vision swam, her head pounding in pain. Maybe she didn't have a concussion, but she believed she might have come close. Quick movements were definitely agitating her injury.

Ahsoka, it seemed, had agreed. So Aayla turned to Zelina. "Padawan, you are injured too, and I can see that too sudden movements are too much for you at the moment, and you'd need to be alert to come with us. You can stay here and rest, and when you're better you can look out for Master Skywalker; but only after you rest!" Aayla said sternly.

"Yes Master," Zelina said quietly, slowly lying down in the makeshift tent next to Anakin while the others all discussed what they were going to do. She didn't care anymore; it wasn't like she was going with them. Slowly, her eyes fluttered closed, and she drifted to sleep almost immediately, dreaming strange dreams of Anakin's life support mechanical breathing and a little blonde boy.

When Zelina woke up, it was dark, and her headache was relatively gone. Rex was pacing around the parameter, keeping watch instead of staying warm by the fire. With a sigh, Zelina sat up, rubbing her eyes blearily before she looked down at Anakin, who was still lying motionless beside her.

Zelina glanced over at Rex just to make sure he wasn't watching as she leaned over, tenderly brushing some of the hair from Anakin's face, finding herself gently stroking his cheek. He was breathing, but it was slight and hardly noticeable. A fact that frightened her. She feared that perhaps he really would die, and it was more of a possibility than it ever had been for her. She sighed.

"Why do you have to keep getting into these situations Ani…why do you have to keep being the hero?" she asked him softly, tracing his lips with her finger and feeling his light breathing tickle her fingers. She smiled, chuckling weakly under her breath. "Then again…I guess asking you why you keep being the hero is like asking me why I still…even though your with…"

She trailed off, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear and blinking back some stray tears as she stroked his cheek again. "I can't believe I never spoke up…I never told you the truth before it was too late…I should have…and if Padme hadn't come in when she had on my birthday…I'm pretty sure I would have at least known what it's like to kiss you…" she mumbled. She finally let her hand come to a stop, resting gently on his cheek. "Please don't die on me Anakin…I need you, more than you'll ever know because I never told you the truth…I never told you that I love you…"

Before she could think it over and chicken out, Zelina leaned over and gently pressed her lips against Anakin's unresponsive ones, kissing him slowly and softly and reveling in the feeling of his lips against hers. She could almost image that it was just the two of them on the balcony back at Varykino, that Padme had never interrupted them. Jolts of pure joy ran through her, but she didn't let herself dwell on the feeling too long, because suddenly he stirred underneath her, and she felt him retaining some form of consciousness. Suddenly very aware of what she was doing, Zelina pulled away sharply, staring down at him as his eyelids cracked open.

"Pad…me…" he moaned softly.

Zelina decided to play it off and pretend it had never happened. What he didn't know wouldn't kill him.

"No, it's me…" she told him softly. "It's Zelina…you're safe," she whispered to him, meeting what was visible of his crystalline blue gaze. He groaned, a weary look appearing in his eyes as he forced himself to sit up. Zelina immediately fought him, trying to push him down.

"Anakin, stop, you're going to hurt yourself," she warned him. He simply painfully shook his head, still trying to sit up as he gestured to the grass behind her.

"In…the…brush," he groaned weakly, trying to get on his feet. She pushed him gently back to a resting position, her eyes flickering in determination.

"I'll handle it. You're weak enough as it is, and we're all worried you might not make it. Relax!" she commanded, standing up and putting her hand on her lightsaber as her eyes scanned the brush.

"Be careful!" she heard Anakin force out. With how quickly he seemed to have regained consciousness, Zelina worried he might have remembered the kiss, and that she had not pulled away fast enough.

Her worrying almost cost her.

A large beaked beast lunged at her from the brush, and she had to bat it away with a strong strike to the face before she could activate her lightsaber. Behind her, she heard Rex rushing to meet her, obviously noticing that one of his injured charges was under attack. He shot at the beast from behind her, though it was hardly necessary. It was large, but it was hardly a kimogila.

With ease, she handicapped the creature, deeply wounding the creature in the leg with the lightsaber before she rolled into a slashing movement that sliced the thing's throat, causing it to land in a pile at her feet. She groaned as her head pulsed painfully, burying her face in her hands and sinking to one knee. She felt Rex's arms on her shoulders the next moment.

"Are you all right?" he asked. Zelina nodded.

"Just a little…headache…I'll be fine…" she murmured, pushing herself back to her feet. She turned to see Anakin rest his head on his arms with a sigh, most likely passing out again. "I'll get him…you keep watch…I can handle this."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," Zelina said softly, already making her way to Anakin's side before she gently pushed him onto his back, pulling him gently back into the makeshift tent.

"Zelina…" he murmured, somehow still awake.

"I'm here," she whispered. "I'm all right; it's okay."

"Strange dream…felt so…real…thought…Padme was…with me…thought she…kissed me…it…felt so real…so nice...pleasant..." Anakin rambled softly as she made sure he was comfortable in the tent. She froze at the last statement.

"I'm sure it did…" Zelina responded quietly.

"I miss her…" Anakin breathed out, his head lolling to the side.

"I know you do Ani…I know you do," Zelina said soothingly, gently placing a hand on his forehead and rubbing her thumb along his brow. "Now get some sleep…you need it…" she said smoothly, putting just a hint of a Force Persuasion in her words to get him to comply.

He fell asleep almost instantly, too weak to resist the suggestion.

The next morning, Anakin was very much awake, and it seemed the comrades of the creature Zelina had killed the night before had arrived to enact revenge. She tried to ignore them as they paced the perimeter of their camp, keeping her focus on Anakin as he struggled to sit up, groaning and grunting the entire time.

"Anakin, you need to lie down, stop struggling! You need to rest!" she said softly, trying to push him back down. He shot her an annoyed scowl.

"I can't rest!" He grasped her arm. "They're coming…back. I can hear them," he panted.

"I know, I can hear them too Anakin, but I can handle this, lie down!" Zelina hissed.

"Zelina, I saw last night, you're hurt—"

"And you're any better? Anakin, lie down, you're in no condition to fight, trust me," she said fiercely. "Lie down, and trust me to handle this."

Reluctantly, Anakin slowly lay back down. "Thank you," she said gently, standing up. He pressed his lightsaber into her hand.

"Take it, just in case you need it," he told her softly, and she nodded.

"Relax. Rex and I will handle this," she told him, reluctantly leaving him behind in the makeshift tent and going out to face the beaked creatures again.

"You feeling up to this today Rex?" she asked as she came even with the trooper.

"I should be asking you that ma'am," Rex responded evenly. Zelina chuckled, grasping Anakin's lightsaber in one hand and hers in the other.

"I'll be find Rex, don't worry about me," she murmured, counting as the creatures emerged from the brush. She could practically feel Anakin's eyes burning a hole in her back as she came up with a grand total of three.

"This shouldn't be so bad," she told Rex with a small smile.

"That's easy for you to say," Rex replied, though the conversation cut off there as Rex fired at one of the creatures, which had lunged at him. The shot rang true, and the creature hit the ground dead while the second one next to it charged at Zelina, who had both lightsabers activated and ready for it. Like with the kimogila, Zelina stood her ground, boring both lightsabers into the creatures chest and keeping it from destroying the tent Anakin was housed in. It was no small feat given the fact the creature had been charging her. Still, she only got a nasty gash along her side and pushed back a few feet. At least Anakin wasn't hurt, which was her goal.

Off to her side, she noticed Ahsoka arrive with the commander and some small furry creature, and decided that they had the last one. With a tired sigh, Zelina deactivated her lightsabers as Ahsoka and the others overtook the last creature, tying it up. She returned to the tent, kneeling at Anakin's side and handing him his lightsaber.

"Are you alright?" she asked him softly.

"Shouldn't I…be asking you that?" Anakin grunted, trying to push himself up. This time she didn't stop him, but helped him. She smiled.

"You're the one who was on life support in the ship," she said gently.

"So? You're the one who just faced down those things," he responded with a smile.

"So?" she said with a smile, earning a chuckle from Anakin.

"Master!" Ahsoka cried out when she saw that Anakin was conscious.

"Good to see you Snips," he said weakly with a small laugh as Zelina helped him out of the tent and into a sitting position by the campfire's previous spot.

"This is Wag Too," Ahsoka informed them as the furry creature approached them. "He's a healer; he can make you well again."

"Don't you worry; I can fix you right up," the creature assured him.

"I'm sure you will," Zelina said with a small smile. "I'm sure you will."

However, even when they carried Anakin back to Wag Too's village her mind wasn't on the conflict with the creatures, or the crash, or the fact they were in the middle of nowhere.

Her lips were still tingling from her kiss the night before.