Part 2

Author's Note: Enjoy the second and last part of this installment in the Blood-Bound series! :D Also, Rex is not paid enough. Lol.

~ Amina Gila

Anakin ends up feeding from all of them, partially because he was afraid of hurting them, so he didn't feed as much as he could have, and partially because, for whatever reason, his transformation is… different than theirs. He needed more blood than they did, and the reason for that became apparent when his right arm started throbbing. The pain was… almost unbearable as his body very determinedly put all its focus into regrowing his severed limb.

Drugs don't work on him, so Anakin had no choice but to lie on Tech's bunk and bear it, distracting himself as much as possible from the overhwleming pain by exchanging stories with them, telling them about Fives, about the crazy things he and his boys have gotten themselves into. When Echo wakes up finally, his own transformation complete, he joins in, helping Anakin keep his mind off the agonizing pain. It hurts. Horribly. It feels like his arm is burning, the nerves flaring with constant, white-hot pain.

They're regrowing, so yes, it makes sense, but it still hurts.

And now that his own transformation is reaching its end, he can feel the bright links in his mind, connecting him to the five of them. It's comforting, soothing, feeling the bonds connecting them, knowing that they're his family now, no matter what the future will bring. Always, Anakin has wanted somewhere that he can belong, a place where he'll truly fit in. The clones gave him that, true, but… he was never really one of them. Until now. Now, he is, and he can't say how grateful he is for that.

"There is something distinctly… different about the way I feel with respect to you," Tech states, not looking at him. He's focused on taking apart Anakin's prosthetic arm right now, and it makes him feel weird to see it in pieces in front of someone that isn't him. He's always done his own modifications, but Tech had asked if he could look at it, to see if he could use it to design something for Echo – right now, Echo only has a scomp, but Tech thought he might be able to create a prosthetic arm for him which could interface with his current connections, so he could have a real hand again, not just… a scomp.

Anakin had agreed, because he knows that the Kaminoans and the Republic will never agree to "waste resources" on the clones in such a manner, and it's not as if he needs his prosthetic anymore. Unless he's planning to get his arm cut off again, and – never mind. Even if it does happen, his arm will just regrow again, perks of being a vampire, apparently. Tech had been unreasonably thrilled about that, studying the whole thing from start to finish, while Crosshair had made fun of him incessantly for even wanting to study such a thing. Anakin… had actually agreed with Crosshair, but he also hadn't minded letting Tech indulge in his curiosity.

"As opposed to… what exactly?" Anakin asks, frowning.

"I feel it, too," Crosshair agrees, glancing at his older brother.

"Vampires have a hierarchical system of dominancy according to legends," Tech answers, as he welds two pieces of durasteel together. "The sire is at the top, and fledglings who he turns are beneath him. They answer to him, and there is a certain level of obedience and devotion which they feel. Those who his fledglings turn, are subsequently further down the chain of power."

"So, the more fledglings who are… subservient to a sire, the more powerful he is?" Anakin checks, flexing the fingers of his right hand. It's so strange to be able to feel it, to see flesh instead of metal. It's stranger still to be able to actually feel things, and he knows he's getting a little bit obsessive, tracing his hand over everything he can feel, just to experience the sensations again, but he can't help it.

"Correct," Tech affirms. "Perhaps because of the previous nature of our relationships, we… have not exactly been subject to the hierarchical system that legends have spoken of amongst ourselves. But now… something is different."

Hunter casts Anakin a quick sideways look before he turns back to his vibroblade, spinning it between his fingers, not speaking. Wrecker also glances at Anakin, his expression strangely inscrutable. He almost seems worried, or apprehensive, at least.

"Different how?" Anakin queries, frowning as he looks between the clones. Only Echo meets his gaze fully, and he seems equally confused, shrugging wordlessly.

"When you… fed from us," Tech says slowly, "It… changed something. In us. We are still the same, but it… it feels as if it has reset the hierarchy that should have been in place."

Dread pools in his gut. "I – you think that I'm the… sire?"

Hunter slides his knife into the sheath on his arm. "Yeah," he answers, sitting forward, "Even when Crosshair turned me, I never felt the… pull to him that I do now, to you."

"'S a little weird," Wrecker agrees, "But it's not so bad. Just… different, I guess."

"Mm. We've only ever had each other." Crosshair tilts his head, eyes narrowing on Anakin. "The regs have never cared about us, with a few exceptions, and we've certainly never… been close with any Jedi before."

"I didn't… mean to change anything," Anakin says uncertainly. He can't quite tell if they mind it, or if they're just a little unsettled by it – which he can understand. He'd probably find it unsettling, too, especially if he ended up in the hierarchy beneath Echo. That would have been… awkward, to say the least.

"It's fine," Hunter assures him immediately. "It's just… strange."

"I hypothesize that you were only able to do it because of your strength in the Force," Tech informs him. "You are… an anomaly."

"Thanks," Anakin replies dryly.

"I did not mean that badly."

"I know. It…" He hesitates, uncertain how much to say, but then, these are his family now. They're bound together for eternity now, and he's been touched by blood like they have. There's no going back. "I never wanted to be different from the other Jedi," he admits, hands curling into fists. "I never fit in there, at the Temple. I've always been… an outsider." I hate it, goes unsaid, but he thinks it must be obvious in his words anyway.

Crosshair huffs out a breath. "That – that is how we feel about the regs," he admits.

"Yeah," Wrecker agrees, subdued, rubbing the scar on the side of his face. "They don't like us, cuz we're different. Echo's the only one who's ever accepted us or wanted us."

"Sometimes, it feels like the clones are the only ones who have ever wanted me," Anakin says softly. "They… accepted me, I guess. I've never had that before since I was a child." He looks towards Echo, who gives him a small smile. Maybe they weren't as close as Anakin was with Fives later, but they were still friends.

A pause of silence settles over them, comfortable and welcoming, and Anakin finds that, even if he doesn't know the Bad Batch the way he knows his own boys, he feels comfortable here. They can get him in a way that Rex and Fives might not have. They know what it's like to be outsiders, and really, the Force couldn't have allowed events to unfold in a better way. They have each other now, and… he doesn't know what that will mean for the future, but somehow, it feels better. Happier. Lighter. Even despite the challenges that he knows will be there ahead of him, and all of them.

Crosshair breaks it, leaning forward. "Can we feed?" he asks with a brashness that makes Hunter groan and drop his face into his hands.

Anakin blinks, momentarily caught by surprise – they haven't mentioned feeding from him for a while – and then, he laughs. "Sure," he agrees, "Even if it's not a thing that vampire sires normally do, I'm fine with it."

"I really don't think –" Hunter begins weakly, but Crosshair has practically teleported across the room, dropping onto the bunk next to Anakin, eyes burning with a barely restrained hunger.

When Anakin nods to him, tipping his head back to give Crosshair better access to his neck, he pounces, even if he's gentle about it as his fangs break skin. It sends a strange wave of affection and calm through him, and he drapes his right arm around Crosshair before he can even think better of it, just touching his back, feeling the warmth of his body against his palm. He hasn't felt that, hasn't been able to feel anything like that for so long, that it's thrilling to have it back now.

"– You should bite a Jedi," Hunter finishes, sighing. "You never listen to me."

"And I don't want to watch you bite my General in front of me," Echo mumbles.

"He listens when he wants to," Wrecker says cheerfully. "Ya can try compelling him again."

"Kriff no," snarls Crosshair, lifting his head to shoot a deadly glare at Hunter. "Don't even think about it."

"Too late," Hunter deadpans.

Tech ignores them entirely, and Echo huffs out a half-laugh, but Anakin doesn't miss the disturbed look on his face when he glances towards him and Crosshair. "If I told Rex what you were doing to General Skywalker, he'd never let you within a parsec of him," Echo states dryly.

"You can call me Anakin, if you want," he offers quietly, tugging Crosshair closer. He… It's never been much of a secret that he enjoys snuggling and physical contact, and this is – something about this is making his instincts go crazy, but in a good way.

His words bring an abrupt halt to whatever retort the others might have had, and all eyes turn to him. "I can?" Wrecker says hopefully.

"That is against every protocol," Echo points out dubiously.

Anakin shrugs one shoulder, careful not to dislodge Crosshair – is he even feeding anymore or just… sort of nuzzling close? – and looks towards the ARC trooper. "I know, but… things have changed. We're… We're all vampires, and we're all linked together now, and this isn't something that any regulation could have accounted for." We're a family, he isn't quite brave enough to say. We're allowed to be familiar with each other.

He can't say how much he craves it, the closeness with other people. Crosshair curls closer, and Anakin purrs very quietly. But it takes him by surprise – that he's even capable of making such a noise – enough that he flushes faintly.

"Can we?" Wrecker asks, giving Hunter a pleading glance.

Hunter looks at Anakin appraisingly. "Well," he says slowly, "We're all linked together now. There's no going back from that. I don't think there's room for military ranks in our bonds, and when we're alone. Outside this room… It'll be different." He gives Wrecker a firm look, and the bigger clone nods, understanding.

"Yeah, we'll behave," he promises.

Anakin thinks it's kind of adorable how they all look to Hunter for permission, even though Anakin gave it to them. It shows how close they are, how much they respect Hunter, and he admires it about them. They're so… close.

When Crosshair finally decides he's done feeding, it's more because Tech is getting impatient than anything else, so while Tech takes his turn, Crosshair gleefully starts experimenting with his newly borrowed Force abilities. It works well until he "accidentally" – well, he insists that it's accidental, but Anakin thinks he's lying – drops Hunter's helmet on his head. The ensuing yelp, and the way he'd nearly jumped straight off his bunk, had been unreasonably hilarious, and Anakin couldn't help but laugh at it, reminded abruptly of Fives' antics.

Tech switches out for Wrecker, and any reservations Anakin might have had about letting Wrecker feed from him – he's big okay? And his fangs are decidedly bigger than any of the others' are – disappear when Wrecker gleefully scoops him into a hug and snuggles next to him. It's adorable, he's adorable, and Anakin feels his protective instincts kicking in, demanding that he protect Wrecker from anyone who might want to hurt him. Which is annoying, because Wrecker might act half his physical age, but he's still a soldier. He's capable, and he can take care of himself.

Hunter is the last of them to feed, and the way he slinks to the bunk, tension visible, very much gives Anakin the feeling that he's harboring some guilt for it, or maybe just that he feels weird about it, since Anakin is a Jedi, and he's annoyed at himself for craving it so much. It lasts only until he bites down, and then, the tension in his body totally drains away. He seems content when Anakin nudges him lightly through the Force, and it's obvious that he finds feeding just as soothing as the rest of them do. Even Anakin.

It is soothing, soothing in a way Anakin didn't even know he needed until now. It's somehow more comforting than a meditation session even, the Light curling around him, content and buzzing with a spirited energy that makes Anakin feel the slightest bit hyper. It… is a little weird when he thinks about it, because the whole vampire thing can't be something that was created with the Light, so he doesn't know why the Force is responding to it the way it is.

The calm contentedness lasts until Wrecker inadvertently fractures it. It turns out that Wrecker having the Force is a decidedly bad idea. He's good at controlling it, but he gets too overly excited about it, and nearly drops an explosive on the floor. Thankfully, Anakin catches it in the nick of time, but it still gave them all a scare.

"Is there a training room we can go to?" Anakin queries, flexing the fingers of his new, right hand. The weight of it is different, and it keeps throwing him off. He'll have to get used to it again, the way he got used to his prosthetic in the first place, and he needs to practice. He can't let anyone know about the change – which is something he'll have to deal with later – because it would be highly abnormal for him to suddenly regrow a hand. It goes without saying that he can't tell anyone about the vampire thing.

Well, except for Rex. Maybe he can turn Rex, and they can turn some of the other boys together. There are so many practical applications for their abilities, after all.

… He should probably tell Obi-Wan, too, since he deserves to know. (And he ignores the part of him that instantly starts clamoring about how he should turn Obi-Wan, too, because then they'll truly be a family.)

It would be most ideal, right now, for him to get used to his new abilities. He needs to know how to fight with them, and he can learn a lot from the Bad Batch. They've had time to explore their abilities and limits, and it would be in his best interests to benefit from that knowledge.

"There's one right nearby," Hunter replies, nodding in the general direction. He's not feeding anymore, but he's casually leaning against Anakin's shoulder on the bunk. Apparently, vampires, despite whatever the legends might say, are very prone to seeking out physical contact with each other, and Anakin kind of likes it. "We use it when we're testing ourselves. It's safe."

Anakin pushes to his feet, flexing his hand again and brushing his fingers over the cool, durasteel hilt of his lightsaber. "I'd like to go there to see what I can do now. And maybe test out my hand." It would be ideal for him to go through the katas, if only to adjust to what it used to be like for him before he lost the limb in the first place.

"Sure," Hunter agrees, rising as well. He seems eager, excited, and maybe it's just the prospect of doing a training exercise with a Jedi, but it also might be the chance to show off what they can really do in front of others who can fully appreciate it. It must be tiring, after all, to hide their abilities all the time so they don't draw unwanted attention.

**w**

Anakin finds that training against Hunter is, in many ways, the most thrilling. It's nice to go up against each of them, while learning what his new limits are and figuring out how much he can enhance himself further with the Force – he concludes that he'll be nigh unstoppable since he can move faster than scanners can even keep track of him.

But Hunter's special enhancements coupled with his skill with a vibroblade make him a much more challenging opponent, especially when Anakin is practicing with his lightsaber. It's fun. It's thrilling to be able to let go somewhat – not that he can ever truly let go without hurting someone, but it's close enough.

It's all good and well, freeing, up until Tech informs them that Hunter's borrowed Force abilities aren't fading the way the rest of theirs did. Though they decreased, they've settled at a level that is actually sensitive enough to be considered Force sensitive.

"That's not fair!" Wrecker pouts. "Why does he get the Force sensitivity and not us?"

"I am uncertain," Tech answers, in a put-out tone that indicates he's just as grumpy about it, "But it is likely because of his enhancements which have affected him in ways that are still fully unclear to us, even now." Seeing as Hunter can sense magnetic fields and that some of his other senses, namely smell, are enhanced as well, Anakin can see the point.

"It was not intentional," Anakin assures all of them, because Hunter looks more freaked out than delighted by the prospect.

Crosshair huffs. "Are you sure you're not a demigod or something?"

"No," says Anakin, at the same time Echo deadpans, "yes."

"What will this mean?" Hunter asks.

"It's up to you," Anakin answers with a shrug when Tech doesn't say anything, "You can ignore it, or you can train to utilize those abilities."

"… Does that mean he can use a lightsaber?" queries Echo.

"Yeah," Anakin replies, looking between them, "There is no official law against non-Jedi carrying a lightsaber, but it would draw a lot of attention. I can take you to Ilum and give you the clearance to get on the surface and get a kyber crystal for a lightsaber, but I would recommend that you keep it concealed."

Hunter's gaze flickers between his brothers. "It would help us," he says finally, "And if I have the Force, I should probably know how to use it, right?"

"There are many Force sensitives who aren't trained," Anakin informs him, "And I – I was… training someone. She – she walked out of the Order. Left the war." Talking about Ahsoka still hurts, even now. It probably always will. She was – she was his child, his responsibility, and he failed her enough that she thought leaving him and the Order and the boys was the only path forward. For all that he's glad she's away from the fight, away from the frontlines where she was always in so much danger, he still feels… a certain hurt and grief over her absence. "She had some training, but she wasn't a fully trained Jedi Knight, either."

Echo shifts closer, close enough that their shoulders brush lightly, a silent, steady support. Anakin appreciates it more than he can ever say.

Hunter still seems uncertain, so Anakin wordlessly unclips his lightsaber hilt, holding it out to him. "Take it," he says, "Turn it on. See how it feels in your hands, if it's something that calls to you."

Slowly, Hunter takes it, turning it in his hands, and nothing can hide the flicker of reverence that echoes into the Force and through their bonds as he pushes the ignition. The blue blade hisses to life in his hands, and it looks so right that it takes Anakin's breath away. The Force sings, content, whispering this is right. Hunter swings it experimentally, and whatever jealousy his brothers might have had – which seemed less like jealousy and more like them just being brothers and teasing each other – melts into wonder and awe.

"Wow," whispers Wrecker, and it's a real whisper this time, so hushed that Anakin only hears it because of his newly enhanced hearing.

Hunter hesitates at first, but then, as he becomes more comfortable with the blade – Anakin can feel him connecting to it instinctively, though it doesn't respond to him the way his own kyber crystal would – he swings it purposefully, testing out the weight and balance of it, trying out some of the fighting moves he usually uses when in close quarters with droids; Hunter often uses his vibroknife on them, and that close-quarter fighting is not too dissimilar from using a lightsaber.

Finally, he thumbs the blade off, passing it back to Anakin. "Teach me," he requests. "It'll help us if I can use all of my abilities." There's a protectiveness there, a fierce, burning need to defend that Anakin himself always feels for his boys. Hunter will do anything to protect his brothers, and Anakin respects that. He would do anything for his family, too.

"Is Hunter your padawan now?" Echo asks with visible amusement, "Does that mean he'll get a padawan braid?"

"Of course, it's tradition," Anakin quips.

Crosshair snickers, and Hunter's look of absolute horror is totally worth it. "I – uh…" he splutters, and Anakin loses his composure entirely and bursts into laughter.

"Kidding," he promises, holding up a hand. "You're not a Jedi. You don't need to be a Jedi to use the Force. You're fine just as you are."

A comfortable silence settles over them, finally broken when Tech asks, "When do you propose we go to Ilum?"

And Anakin grins back at them. "Whenever you're ready."

This is another thing that would be better to ask forgiveness rather than permission. Ilum might be sacred to the Jedi, but that doesn't mean outsiders are barred from there, and Anakin feels deep inside of him that this is the right path to be walking. If anyone finds out that Hunter can use the Force, he would probably disappear into the labs, never to be seen again. Clones have never been Force sensitive before, and it's something that Anakin knows the Kaminoans would want to study. He won't let that happen.

For the sake of Hunter and the Bad Batch, this is a secret that must be kept secret. But that doesn't mean Hunter can't learn to use his abilities. They can be careful. They can keep it hidden. They'll be fine. The Force is with them.

**w**

"General," Rex says, and he's very proud of himself for keeping his voice so even and reasonable, "With all due respect, where the kriff have you been?!"

Oops.

Okay, so that was not calm. Or reasonable. Or even.

But whatever.

He thinks he has a right to be a little annoyed – mainly worried though – when Anakin took a full three rotations to return instead of the one that he'd promised. He hadn't been answering his comms, either, which had only worried Rex more. It wouldn't be the first time that his General took off on an unsanctioned mission and went comm silent, but Rex has always been with him in the past.

Anakin's face is sheepish. "Sorry," he says, "I didn't mean to worry you, but one thing just led to the next, and I had to see it through before I came back."

He means it. He is sorry, and Rex sighs, feeling any and all irritation melt away. Force above, it is hard to stay angry at the General. He has to be genuinely trying to do so, and that's only ever happened once. It was justifiable, too, when Anakin kept disregarding Kix's orders and sneaking off his bed rest to work even after he nearly died from the internal bleeding he suffered. He'd spent the whole week with a major migraine, and suddenly, he could relate to Cody very well in having annoying Jedi who never listen and constantly disregard any and all requests to take care of themselves and get some rest.

With the disappearance of his irritation, curiosity takes its place. "So, what happened?" he asks faux casually. "Can you tell me anything?"

Anakin's expression twitches, something like mirth dancing in his eyes, and Rex does not like the look of it, his wariness instantly rising. "It's a long story," he answers lightly. Rex hates those words with a passion. It usually means the beginning of something that will make his head hurt, and his thoughts turn to a litany of more Jedi osik why does this always happen to me and my General.

"Do I need caff for this?" Rex asks, "Or something stronger?"

His General glances at him, almost startled, and then, he laughs. "How about some privacy and time?" he queries, still laughing, as he gestures to his quarters. Rex warily follows him in, watching as he activates a jammer – which sets off alarm bells. What could Anakin possibly need to talk to him about that's so secretive he's not taking even the off chance that someone might be listening in?

"Sir?" he queries, setting his helmet down on the edge of Anakin's workspace.

Anakin meets his gaze, suddenly serious. "Something… happened," he admits, "And I don't know how to tell you without just… saying it." Well, that isn't ominous or anything, and Rex can't help the pit of anxiety inside him. "I – I'm a vampire."

Rex blinks, but the words don't change. "A… vampire?" he clarifies.

"I – uh…" Anakin trails off, plucking a datapad out from under some clutter – it looked like it was strategically hidden there – and handing it over to him. "Here. Read that. It'll explain everything, and we all agreed you should know."

We?

He's not going to touch that word right now. He doesn't want to ask, doesn't want to know who the 'we' is any sooner than he has to.

Rex slowly and dubiously begins to read, and he can't quite define the whirlwind of emotions and thoughts that rush through him as he scans through the written file. Vampires. Vampires are real. Anakin's a vampire now, because Echo bit him – and Rex will have words with him about that – and the Bad Batch are vampires too. But as he begins to read through the abilities that they have, he understands. Almost immediately, he can think of so many benefits to them, and darkly, he almost wishes that he could have been a vampire before Umbara. So many good men could have been saved.

But there's no use crying over the past, even as the old wound of Fives' death grates on him. He doesn't know if he'll ever be able to truly let go of what happened. He and Fives had been so close, and his loss is – it's something Rex will always carry with him, a grief wrapped around him like a second skin. Some things hurt too deeply to let go of.

When he finally looks up, his General is watching him intently. "Well?" he queries, "What do you think? Would you be interested in turning?"

Probably, there's only one answer to it, and the situation is so ludicrous that a semi-hysterical laugh bubbles out before he can stop it. "We've done crazier things than this, General," he answers, shaking his head with a half-smile. "Like I could ever say no."

Anakin grins, and when Rex blinks, the Jedi's standing next to him. He moves fast enough that Rex jumps slightly, startled. He starts reaching towards him, and then stops. "Are you certain? If we go through with this, you will be bonded to me for forever, and I've been told that it's… intense."

"General, I already am," he answers, fondly. He can't imagine a world where he isn't as close to Anakin as he is now. They're friends, brothers even, and Anakin is the only Jedi who has accepted, and been accepted by, the clones like this. Even if their current bond isn't made of some type of Force osik, it's still there, binding them together for eternity.

Anakin lowers his head, something pleased on his face, before he meets Rex's gaze again, nothing but warmth, sincerity, and affection shining in his blue eyes. He reaches out slowly, and Rex lets him touch him, turn his head to the side, exposing his neck enough for a bite. Rex neither falters nor flinches as his General moves closer, his fangs grazing skin lightly before he bites down.

He's dealt with pain before, so this is nothing, even as the strange burning blossoms, spreading throughout his body. This is where he wants to be, at Anakin's side, and maybe he's not a Jedi, maybe he doesn't have the Force, but somehow, he can feel that this is something which will lead them all down a much brighter path and to a lighter future.

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