Ahsoka stared after Rex after he left down the corridor.

Rex needs space.

She tried to force her feet to turn and walk in the opposite direction.

Damn you, feet. Move!

Much as she wanted to head away from Rex, she could not. Why was she always drawn to him like a beacon? And, when had things gotten so complicated between them? From the time she had stepped off that shuttle on Christophsis, he had been a mentor, a protector and a friend. And, then a best friend. And, then... her feelings had evolved into whatever this was now between them.

And, that was the problem, wasn't it? She had no idea how to define what this thing was between them. She had no one to talk to about it (except Rex, her best friend), and no idea where to go from here.

Except... where the Force was leading her. And, that was after Rex. No, not after him... with him.

She sighed, both in relief and in exasperation. The Force was both a curse and a blessing sometimes and took off down the corridor after Rex.

Krek. He's fast.

He had only a minute headstart while she had been standing there arguing with herself and now he was nowhere to be seen. His duty shift was over so he could be in his quarters, or the mess, or the gym. Or... the showers. Rex liked to shower before bed. He had private quarters here on the ship, but he'd mentioned about quartering with his brothers instead.

Maybe he was with his brothers already.

OK, stop thinking about Rex in the showers. Or, Rex in the showers with his brothers.

She gave herself a mental slap and focused in on the Force again. Rex had a distinct Force signature. It took very little for her to reach for it. It was as if his Force signature was always reaching back for her. Even when he was mad at her, it was as if the Force wanted them to work out things between them.

Well, of course, we are the two highest ranking 501st on active duty. We have to be there for the men and... that's a total load of kark.

Her feet wound their way through the ship on their own. The ship had corridors and rooms everywhere. They were constantly discovering new spaces within the ship, and the Kaz'harians seemed to have a great fondness for hidden rooms. There was nothing creepy or untoward in any of them. It was likely a defensive measure in case of boarding. The hidden rooms were well-stocked with freeze dried rations (incompatible with human biology, unfortunately), and additional caches of weapons. Commander Cody was doing an admirable job of keeping all troopers on the ship busy mapping out these rooms and inventoring the supplies inside.

Too bad we can't keep the ship. Unlike the jungle fortress, the men actually seem to like this piece of Kaz'harian handiwork.

She rounded a corner, greeting a group of 212th troopers chatting animatedly as they headed in the other direction. They all stopped to salute her. She signaled them to be at ease and their conversation immediately resumed as she passed. Something about a new type of rocket propelled grenade launcher they'd discovered.

You wouldn't know these boys had been locked up for two months.

They'd been rescued, thanks to Rex and Cody, and were recovering more quickly than she ever thought possible.

If only she could restore her relationship with Rex so quickly. He was a vital part of her. Somehow she wasn't always sure what to do or say around him now and why the topic of Appo made him so angry.

She found Rex on the rec level observation deck. The ship seemed to have an abundance of them. Ringed with thick plexiglass, they were both a military asset and a liability. The visibility was excellent, but not as strong as the armored hull. Yet, it was an excellent place to come and think.

And, it was why Rex had come here.

He was staring out toward the stars, hands clasped behind his back. He turned didn't around when she entered the observation deck, but the slight stiffening in his shoulders told her he sensed her presence.

"Do you... want me to leave?" Her voice cracked and she cursed herself for it.

"No." Rex didn't move from his position at the viewport. He stared out into the passing blue of hyperspace, but she sensed he was trying to see further as if his mind was on something much further away.

She left him alone with his thoughts for several minutes, closing her eyes, and using the time to meditate. She sensed the shift in his breathing when he was ready to talk.

He turned and looked at her. His gaze intense and his brown eyes searching her face. "What do you want?"

His voice wasn't harsh, but somehow it still felt like a rebuke. "We need to talk about Appo."

Rex swore softly under his breath, but did so in a long string of fluent Mando'a. "What else is there to say?!" He turned his attention back to the mesmerizing blue of hyperspace and the flashing lights of the stars they were passing by. With each star they passed, they were rapidly returning to their old lives.

"Regretting you came back?" she asked softly.

"Regretting we rescued the shabuir," he snorted softly, a trace of his characteristic humor in his tone. He sighed and scrubbed at his face with one gloved hand. "No, coming back- it... was the right call," his voice was flat. Not quite uncertain, but not the same conviction as when he led men into battle and gave them stirring passionate words and told them how much he believed in the Republic. It was as if he wasn't quite sure what he believed in anymore.

"You don't sound convinced," Ahsoka gently laid a hand on his armored bicep. Rex looked down at her hand and she recognized that gaze of his- a certain tenderness he only seemed to use around her. She took this as an encouraging sign and continued on, asking something that had been nagging at her on a personal level for a while. "Rex... are you... having doubts about the Republic?"

Rex placed his gloved hand on top of hers. "I didn't come back for the Republic." He turned and fully faced her, shifting his hands slightly so he could place them on each of her upper arms. His gaze continued to stare straight into hers. "I came back for you and for my brothers. You know that, right?"

Ahsoka nodded. She did know that. She had no doubts. Even when her and Rex disagreed, she had no doubts about him, or his convictions. Or, his dedication to his brothers. Or, to her. Maybe that is why he frustrated her so much sometimes. Rex was an open book. Most of the time. He was straight-forward. Honest. He had his convictions and he stuck to them. Getting him to change his mind about anything was near impossible.

"I was wrong to say what I did," Ahsoka closed her eyes in regret. "I'm sorry. I'm not trying to choose Appo over you. I would never do that."

"And, I'd never ask you to make that choice. Appo is one of my brothers, too. It's just..." Rex sighed in frustration again. "I was sent away, Ahsoka." The pain in his voice spoke volumes about how much this action had hurt him. "I would have given anything to be there for you and the 501st. But, instead it was Appo. I'm trying to get along with him, but that battle was a total cluster and it cost us a lot of men. I'm still processing all of it. It's unfair of you to ask me to just accept him and think favorably of him in light of all that's happened."

Ahsoka took a long moment to take in his words. "I understand." And, she did. "Just try not to kill him. Alright?"

He snorted lightly again in a sound that was uniquely Rex that it squeezed at her heart. "Alright, then."

She leaned her head against his armored chest, and he wrapped his arms around her. It was one of those moments that felt so natural as if they were always meant to be. They looked out at the stars. It was such a rare moment of quiet in a war which almost never allowed them a moment of peace.

Rex leaned in and brushed his lips against hers, ever so gently. There was nothing sexual about it. Nothing urgent or demanding. It was a promise. Maybe. One day.

Ahsoka would think of the moment often later. She'd had more heated embraces with Rex before, but somehow this one quiet embrace was so meaningful. It was a lifeline in a war which took so much away from them and didn't usually allow them such moments.

The moment was over as soon as it began.

Rex's comlink suddenly went off, sounding a high priority alert signal chime. It shattered the quiet and startled both of them. Rex shifted his grip, although didn't immediately remove his arms from around Ahsoka. He brought his wrist comm up to his lips, his voice calm. "This is Rex."

"Rex, this is Coric. We have a Code Red Medical Emergency."

Ahsoka's heart plummeted. She knew who it was. Rex somehow knew, as well.

"Echo?"

"Yes, his vitals are plummeting and his body temperature is spiking. Kix is here with me, and we can't pinpoint the cause."

"What do you need?" Rex's voice was an ocean of calm, as it always was in a crisis.

"His only chance is to get to ArmyMed stat." There was so much else there in Coric's voice. Echo is dying.

Rex's body stiffened. "I'll meet you in medbay."

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