***This story is going through a rewrite. It is not abandoned, though it may be a little while before another update.***

The Republic Cruiser Tribunal

As Ahsoka clips her newly restored lightsabers to her belt, she smiles. They're blue now, like his, and she can feel his energy coursing through the crystal, intertwined with hers. It's comforting.

She's missed it.

She's missed him.

There's a lot she wants to say to him, a lot she needs to say, but she knows now is not the time. She's going to Mandalore to face Maul, and he's going to Coruscant to save the Chancellor. But as he's walking away, she's overcome with this feeling of urgency, and she calls out after him.

"Anakin"

He turns around and looks at her with those cerulean blue eyes, and before she knows it, she's throwing her arms around his neck. She was a little worried that he might shun her after being so cold to him when she first landed, but he immediately returns her embrace, wrapping his strong arms around her and pulling her close.

She sighs contentedly. "I've really, really missed you, Skyguy."

"Me too, Snips. Me too," he replies, squeezing her tighter.

For the longest time, they just hold each other, soaking in each other's presence; almost afraid to let go. She's missed this, the feeling of being in his arms. It's warm. It's safe. It's… home.

After a while, Ahsoka pulls back from the hug and grabs his hand, leading him to a more secluded part of the hangar.

Once they are away from prying eyes, she lets go of his hand and starts to pace. Anakin watches her with thinly veiled amusement as she walks back and forth, working up the courage to speak. He also notices is what a beautiful woman she's become. Her longer lekku frame her face perfectly and she carries herself with a certain assuredness that she's never had before. It's extremely attractive and his heart starts to beat a little faster.

Suddenly, she stops and looks at him and he wonders if he's been projecting, but then she starts to speak.

"Anakin, I know that we're not very good about talking about our feelings, but… I want you to know that you mean a lot to me. You're more than just my master. You're more than just my best friend. You're just— just— more to me," she says as she wrings her hands anxiously.

Anakin can feel her nervousness in the Force, so he reaches out and rubs her shoulders in comfort. She gives him a small smile in thanks. Then she takes a steadying breath and continues.

"I love you, Anakin," she says seriously. "I love you and I always will. I guess… well, I guess I just wanted you to know that."

After she's done speaking, Ahsoka immediately buries her face in Anakin's chest and wraps her arms around his waist. He can feel her shaking from nervousness, and he smiles, pressing a kiss to the valley between her montrals.

"I've always known that, Snips," he says, and chuckles when he feels her surprise in the Force. "But it's nice to hear you say it."

He pulls back a little so he can lift her chin up and look into her eyes. "And… I love you. More than you know. You're my everything, Ahsoka. I'm lost without you"

She smiles shyly when she hears his confession and squeezes her arms around him in acknowledgement. He knows how difficult this must have been for her, so he pulls her closer to him and kisses the top of her head. Their long dormant bond blooms brightly with new life and the Force sings with rightness. She closes her eyes, and breathes him in, taking a moment to just feel him in her arms again.

Suddenly, she jerks back from him like she's been burned and gives him a skeptical look.

"What about… Padme?" she almost whispers, concern in her eyes.

He chuckles and tries to give her a reassuring smile.

"Snips… Padme and I called it off shortly after you left. We're still friends and everything, but…" he shrugs his shoulders, "I guess it just wasn't meant to be."

She visibly relaxes and lets out a breath she didn't realize she was holding.

"You're not stepping on anyone's toes, Ahsoka. It's just me and you... If you'll have me, that is," he says with a smirk.

She blinks once, twice, three times. "I—" she shakes her head, then looks at him, "Yes," she says.

"Good," he replies, kissing her forehead and pulling her close again.

She just gets her arms around him when the moment is interrupted by Anakin's comm going off. Ahsoka releases him and steps away, looking at him anxiously as he checks to see who's calling. She knows they don't have a lot of time, but she's hopeful that he doesn't have to go quite yet.

"If you need to go, you can—" Ahsoka starts.

"No," Anakin interrupts her, shaking his head and ignoring the call.

"I haven't seen you in over a year," he says resolutely as he pockets the comm. "The war can wait for five minutes. You're my priority right now."

She smiles as she settles back into his embrace, a little surprised that he's prioritizing her above everything else. Not that she's complaining, but Anakin has always been about duty first. Except now. Except with her.

Suddenly, it hits her that even though she's longed for this moment— for him— for so long, now that he's here, she's not quite sure what to do or say.

Her emotions seem to be all over the place too, as feelings of love combine with the feelings of shame and regret she has over leaving him. Before she knows it, it all comes tumbling out, and she starts to cry.

Anakin can feel her distress in the Force and sends her waves of peace and calm; softly kissing the top of her head and whispering words of encouragement. He's not sure what has her so shaken up but figures she will tell him when she calms down a bit. But when he feels her tears start to soak through his tunic, he pulls back from the hug and takes her face in his hands.

"What's wrong, Ahsoka," he asks, wiping her tears away.

"I'm sorry, Anakin," she says softly, looking down at her feet. "I never meant to hurt you when I left"

Anakin shakes his head, not sure where this is coming from. "Ahsoka…" he starts.

Ahsoka raises a hand to cut him off and continues, "I had to leave. I don't regret that. But I shouldn't have shut you out. You were always the one person I could count on to be there for me, and I just… just walked away."

She pauses for a moment and Anakin softly runs a hand down her back lek in comfort, waiting for her to continue.

"I was so scared, Anakin. So scared and hurt"

Anakin kisses her forehead and wipes away her tears.

She looks up at him with pleading eyes. "There's just so much I want to tell you… so much that I need to tell to you. And I thought we'd have more time, but now that I'm here, you have to go, and I don't know when we'll be able to see each other again, and I— I—"

"Hey, hey, hey. Look at me," he interjects softly.

She lets out a shaky breath and lifts her tear-filled eyes to his, lips still trembling.

"It's okay," he says and kisses her forehead. "I know that we don't have a ton of time right now, but I promise I'll make time for you when we get back. I'll— I'll— I'll ask for a meditative retreat or something when I get back to Coruscant, I'm due for some time off anyway. It'll be fine. I think the Jedi can do without their Chosen One for a few days."

She scoffs at the title she knows he hates and he searches her face for a moment, wiping away the last of her tears. "I'll always make time for you, Ahsoka. Okay? Always."

She leans her forehead against his chest and nods. "Okay," she says quietly as she curls her fingers in his robes and pulls him closer.

Anakin's comm goes off again and he sighs before spouting a litany of curses in Huttese under his breath. Ahsoka smiles at his outburst and Anakin fishes the comm out of his pocket.

He checks who's calling and groans, ignoring the call one more time. She reaches for his hand and holds it in both of hers against her chest.

"You should probably go," she says quietly as she kisses the back of his hand, rubbing it with her thumb. "They'll just keep calling if you don't"

He sighs. "Probably," he says, annoyed. Then he lifts her chin to look at him. "But I'd rather stay here with you."

Ahsoka smiles at him. "I'll be fine, Anakin. I just miss you. But I can't be selfish. Other people need you too."

She releases his hand and places both of her hands on his chest and half-heartedly pushes him away. "So go, Skyguy. Go save the galaxy."

Anakin steps back up to her and lifts his hands, cupping both of her cheeks and rubbing his thumbs over her markings. "Are you sure?" he asks, looking in her eyes. "I can stay with you a little while longer if that's what you want"

She rolls her eyes, but her smile doesn't fade. "Yes, I'm sure, Skyguy… but that's very sweet."

Anakin kisses her forehead and whispers into her skin. "We'll talk soon, Ahsoka. I promise."

Ahsoka nods her agreement against his mouth, and Anakin reluctantly releases her and starts walking away.

She watches him go, but he only makes it five or six steps before he suddenly stops and turns around.

She looks at him curiously. "What?" she asks looking around. "Did you forget something?"

"Yes," Anakin breathes, then he marches up to her, lifts her chin, and presses his lips against hers. Ahsoka lets out a little noise of surprise then quickly forgets everything else and melts into the kiss. He starts off soft and exploratory at first, letting his lips graze against hers. But it's not long before things begin to deepen as she parts her mouth for him, inviting him to taste her.

The next thing she knows, he's backing her up against the wall and pressing against her, causing her to stifle a moan. One of his hands runs the length of her lekku and she shivers, heat pooling in her belly. She kisses down his neck and works her way back up his jaw, nibbling as she goes, eliciting a growl from him.

Then Anakin lowers his shields, and she can feel the depth of his emotions for her. She gasps and bites his neck, but not hard enough to draw blood. His hands possessively grip her waist and he grinds against her as their mouths meet again. Not to be outdone, she opens up for him in turn, letting her feelings for him flow along their bond and he moans into her mouth.

But all of a sudden, he stops and pulls away from her, and starts looking around the room as if he suddenly remembered where they are.

Satisfied they are hidden enough; he chuckles and presses his forehead against hers.

Ahsoka laughs with him and settles into a smile as her fingers play with his hair.

He sighs deeply in frustration. "I need to go," he says.

"I know," Ahsoka responds, trying not to sound dejected.

Anakin sighs again and pulls her into one more hug, and for a few minutes, they just hold each other tight and enjoy the warmth of their newly restored bond.

Finally, he kisses the top of her head and steps back, but she reaches out and grabs his hand before he can get too far. She doesn't know why, but she's nervous all of a sudden about him leaving. It's not like he can't take care of himself, but something in the Force feels off and she's not sure what it means.

"Anakin…" Ahsoka says softly, looking at their intertwined fingers.

"Hmm?" Anakin asks, watching the same.

Ahsoka pauses for a moment causing Anakin to look at her face.

"Come back," she states as she meets his eyes.

'…To me' goes unsaid.

Anakin smirks, and for a moment he thinks about something sarcastic to say, but he dismisses that thought and his smirk softens into a genuine smile.

"For you, Snips… Always"

She smiles and he leans in and gives her one more kiss. A tender one, full of love. Then he lets go of her hand and walks away.

Ahsoka chews on her lip as she watches him go, finding that she misses his warmth already. Once he's around the corner and out of sight, she sighs and rubs her hands over her face. Time to focus on her mission.

She turns and starts looking for Rex, finding him not far away, standing off to the side. Her lekku darken a little in embarrassment as she wonders if he's been there the whole time, watching her and Anakin.

Ahsoka walks towards him and gives him a bright smile when he lifts his head and sees her coming.

"Sorry, Rex. I didn't mean to leave you hanging out by yourself. Anakin and I just— well, he and I are— we just—"

Rex chuckles and holds up a hand to thankfully put her out of her misery. "I know, Commander. I've known for a while. I wasn't sure if either of you would actually do anything about it, but…" he shrugs, "I've always known."

"Yeah, well I'm glad we finally ad— wait… what?" she asks.

"I've always known you two were in love. It was obvious to the rest of us if you knew what to look for. I was honestly surprised that it took you two this long to admit it to one another."

"Wait, no—" she gives him a confused look. "I— I just figured out that I loved him when I saw him again. This is… This is all new."

Rex laughs. "New for you maybe, but not for the rest of us."

Ahsoka shakes her head. "I don't— what?" she asks.

"I said new for you maybe, but not for the rest of us," he says, smiling.

Suddenly, Anakin's words come to her mind from earlier when she told him that she loved him for the first time.

I've always known that, Snips. But it's nice to hear you say it.

"Wait…" she says as images start flashing through her mind and she thinks about all of the time that her and Anakin have spent together in the past.

All of the missions and training.

All of the games they played.

The way they looked at one another.

The touches they shared.

The way they sought comfort in each other.

The way it felt when he looked at her.

The way her skin tingled when his hands—

Her eyes fly open in amazement. "Holy karking drek!" she exclaims as she looks at Rex. "I've been in love with Anakin for years!"

Rex laughs loudly. "Just figuring that out now, are ya?"

"I— well, I—" She pauses and looks at him stunned. "Yes…" she breathes.

"Well, better late than never, I suppose"

Ahsoka nods absently. "Yeah… better late than never"

Ahsoka shakes her head to clear it and blushes a little before pulling Rex in for a hug.

"I missed you, you know."

"And I missed you, lil'un," he replies

"I'm not so little anymore, Captain— Sorry— Commander," she says with a smirk.

"No, you're not," he replies. "I don't think little girls do the type of work you do… Ashla."

Ahsoka's eyes fly open as she pulls back from the hug. "Wait. How do you—"

Rex laughs and shrugs his shoulders. Ahsoka narrows her eyes at him, and Rex smiles at her. Realization hits her and she shakes her head. "Anakin."

Rex's eyes twinkle with amusement.

"He just can't seem to trust that I'll be alright on my own, can he?" she asks annoyed.

"He does trust you, Commander." Ahsoka looks at him skeptically, but Rex presses on. "In fact, I think he trusts you more than anyone else."

Seeing that Ahsoka is still not convinced, Rex continues, "He always knew where you were and what you were doing, you know, but he never got involved because you asked him not to."

Ahsoka starts to speak but Rex puts up a hand.

"Listen, we both know what he's like when it comes to people he cares about. So, for him to know you're in danger and not do anything about it because you told him you needed to figure out things alone… well… let's just say no one else gets that level of trust."

Ahsoka thinks about all of the dangerous situations she's found herself in and chuckles as she can picture Anakin going crazy watching her and not being able to do anything about it.

The irony of it all is that every time she made it through one of those crazy situations, the first thing she wanted to do was tell Anakin about it. She wanted him to know that his training paid off. She wanted to show him that she could make it on her own

She wanted him to be proud of her.

And now that she finds out that he's known all along, it makes her feel good about herself.

I mean, she's still going to have a long talk with him about following her everywhere because boundaries, but at least she knows that he trusts her enough to get out of whatever crazy situations she gets herself into.

Almost as if on cue, she hears Anakin say through their bond, "Taking off now, Snips. Be careful with Maul, please. I trust you and I know you can do it, just... be careful. Love you. See you soon."

"I love you too, Skyguy," she whispers to herself. Then she feels his presence disappear as he jumps into hyperspace.

Now that he's officially on the way to complete his mission, Ahsoka figures that it's time to focus solely on hers. She looks up at Rex and clears her mind.

"Let's go find Bo-Katan and see what we can do about freeing Mandalore. What do you say?"

Rex smiles and gestures his hand towards the bridge. "Right behind you, Commander"