A/N: Apologies for the short hiatus! Unfortunately, everyday life has proven to be extremely busy, working fulltime and trying to find spare time to proofread these for you guys has been difficult, however, I do hope you enjoy this next chapter! Please don't be afraid to review!

Darkness. Fear. Dread. Ahsoka was overwhelmed with emotions, she was running into a dark abyss, nothing but a void. There were voices, distant echoes with no source. She could hear Anakin, Obi-Wan, Rex, the list was endless, all of them had passion and anger behind their voices but Ahsoka could not hear them clearly. The only noises she could hear clearly was an infant crying, her baby, and a laugh. The laugh. It was sinister, pure evil. She desperately ran further and further into the darkness, following the dim white lights that were appearing slowly. A white pathway soon became clear, with many square and circular portals along it. The Convor flying over head as she ran. Panting, she frantically tried to find the source of her baby crying, she drew closer and closer to the portal as the baby's cries grew louder. Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks at the entrance to a square portal. Ahsoka did not hesitate to peer into it, her motherly instinct consuming her. The image was blurred, a cloaked and hooded figure stood over a wailing child. the baby was also blurred, it had light orange skin and Ahsoka knew instantly it was her and Lux's baby. The maniacal laughing grew stronger as the baby continued to scream, Ahsoka attempted to throw herself into the portal…

Ahsoka awoke, drenched in sweat and breathing heavily. This dream had become a regular part of her nightly routine, she would find herself reaching out into the portal and waking up before she could enter it. Every time she awoke, Ahsoka would be breathless and sweaty from the intensity of the dream. Nothing would change in her nightmare; everything happened the same each time she slept. Where was she? Who was the cloaked figure? Why could she hear those voices? There were so many questions but no answers. The one question Ahsoka was mostly concerned with was, is it just a dream or a premonition? The answer frightened her.

As her pregnancy progressed, she realised the dream became more frequent. Ahsoka was now nearing full term with her pregnancy, but she still had a few weeks to go. Her bump had grown so large, she found most things difficult. Her daily activities had lessened with this, but she still found the energy to walk around the Palace grounds at least once a day, but she mostly confined herself to the quarters. Saw would visit her regularly while Lux was back on Coruscant to ensure she was not lonely, he was one of the few who knew of the pregnancy and Ahsoka cherished his company. Dendup spent time with Ahsoka also, the two had grown fond of one another. The King had kindly offered part of the Palace to the young parents and had part of the southern wing converted to quarters that would be suitable to their needs. Both Ahsoka and Lux were grateful to the King for his generosity, the conversion consisted of two bedrooms, a lounge area, a refresher, and a kitchenette. It was enough for them, one room they had set up to be a nursery for their baby and the other for themselves. It was perfect for their little family.

Now she had calmed down, Ahsoka hobbled from her bed and drew the curtains. It was a dark, stormy day on Onderon, and she had realised that she had fallen asleep during the early afternoon. Rain pelted against the window, and she watched intently, she found the thunder and rain therapeutic, she could watch and listen for hours. Her holotransmitter began to beep, she once again waddled to the bed and answered.

"Hello, darling." Lux smiled.

"Hey, Lux." Ahsoka was happy to hear from him, she had not seen Lux for a good few weeks.

"How's bump?" She chuckled, the two had begun referring to their child as bump and the pet name had stuck. Lux knew that she had grown during his absence, but just could not believe how Ahsoka's small frame could carry such a sizeable bump.

"I mean, bump is big," Lux snickered. "And is missing you."

"I miss you both too." He sighed.

"Do you know when you'll be home?"

"I honestly do not know, Ahsoka. Every time there's an opportunity to leave, the senate erupts into chaos." Ahsoka frowned, she understood that Lux had duties, but she still could not help being upset from them being apart. She went silent and drifted, Lux noticed and knew something was amiss. He watched as Ahsoka became distant and away with her thoughts.

"Ahsoka?" She did not acknowledge Lux, which only concerned him more. "Ahsoka? Is everything alright."

"Hm. Oh. Yes, I'm all fine." Lux frowned, knowing she was lying.

"Are you having those nightmares again?" He confronted, folding his arms. Ahsoka gulped and refused to look at him through the transmitter. Lux sighed, he knew of Ahsoka's dreams and was extremely worried for her and their baby. Ahsoka never revealed much to Lux, but he had seen her shocking herself out of sleep and even if she was not aware, Lux knew she was suffering.

"No." She lied, again.

"Ahsoka, I know you aren't telling me the truth." Lux poked, Ahsoka sighed and gave in.

"Yes." She admitted. Lux's expression softened and he unfolded his arms, he knew that she was lying just so he did not worry but he knew her too well.

"How many times have you had the same dream?"

"A few times now… I just don't know what it means."

"Darling, I know you have closed yourself off from the Force, but I think you need to reconnect with your ability." Lux was right, the only way Ahsoka could find out more from the dream was to use the Force again, something she did not want to do.

"I know, but I can't." She breathed, barely above a whisper. She knew that she had to but for the last few months her Force presence had slowly perished, her bonds with everyone had been severed and by reconnecting with the Force, those bonds would become active once again. Ahsoka could not do that to herself, she had come so far with healing herself mentally and by doing this it was like reopening the wound. However, she needed to know what her dreams meant and there was no other way.

"Ahsoka, I know this is hard for you, but you owe yourself an explanation. It'll be tough and I will be here for you regardless." Lux's words provided her with comfort, the expectant mother rubbed her large bump and felt her little one flutter, affirming what she needed to do.

"Okay, I'll do it." Ahsoka said reluctantly, Lux smiled through the hologram.

"And I will support you through it. I'll return home as soon as I can, Darling." Ahsoka grinned lightly in response and nodded.

"I know."

"Promise me you'll tell me if anything happens."

"I promise. I love you."

"I love you too, Ahsoka. I'll see you soon."

With that, the image of Ahsoka laid on the bed buzzed away, and Lux was left alone in his office. He sighed and shut his eyes, fingers pressing into his temples and elbows resting on the desk. Lux felt incredibly guilty, while he was stuck on Coruscant, Ahsoka was on Onderon alone. He was missing out on her pregnancy and could not help but feel useless, Ahsoka was still struggling mentally, and he was absent. Lux was immensely concerned about Ahsoka's nightmare, she tried to hide it, but it was putting her under a lot of stress. This worried Lux as the stress was not good for her or their baby, Lux had hinted that she gets back in touch with the Force to discover the dream's intentions many times but, Ahsoka was apprehensive. She avoided it completely and pretended everything was fine, Ahsoka wanted to elude her abilities all together. Both knew that Ahsoka needed to reengage and no longer be in denial, it was just difficult for her to accept and do.

Lux moved his hands from his temples and rubbed his face and eyes, he felt the prickle of his stubble and once again stared at the screen in front of him. He inhaled and exhaled sharply.

"Lux?" Padme knocked on the office door, checking on her friend. Lux hummed in response and looked at the senator with half opened eyes. "Oh, Lux." She sighed at the sight of the young man; he was exhausted.

"I'm heading back for the afternoon, are you able to join?" Padme hinted.

"I would but, I still have to finish this contract to ensure Onderon can trade within the Republic, it's pretty consuming." He yawned. Padme chuckled lightly; she knew all too well the predicament he was in. She had been in similar situations herself when she had entered office.

"I'll leave you to it, I'm on annual leave as of tomorrow but please don't hesitate to contact me if you need anything." The corners of Lux's mouth turned up, and she smiled back.

"Thank you, Padme. Enjoy your time away." With that, the senator left. She drifted down the corridors of the Senate Building and headed towards the landing platform where her driver was waiting. During her walk, she thought to herself what she could do with her downtime. Anakin was away on a mission in the Outer Rim, so she would not see him for the duration much to her dismay. Although she should be taking her break, Padme enjoyed occupying herself during her leave but, no ideas came to mind.

Padme's driver stood straight beside the speeder, hand on the door ready for her to arrive.

"Hello, mi 'lady."

"Hello." She beamed, her opened the door and she sat down. He closed the door behind her and made his way to the driver's seat. The sun had begun to set on Coruscant and for the duration of her journey, Padme stared at the horizon, still thinking what she could do with her annual leave.

"Sir?" Padme queried.

"Yes, Miss?"

"When we arrive, would you mind contacting Captain Typho?"

"Of course, would you like me to pass on a message?" He asked, turning his head slightly.

"Yes, tell him to prepare my ship."

*'*'

Ahsoka sat cross legged in the Palace Garden, the storm had subsided, but the air was still humid and musty and that's all she could focus on. The ground was still damp, but she did not mind. She had taken on board what Lux had told her, she needed to reconnect with the Force, her dreams were screaming at her to reengage with her ability, but it was proving difficult. Every time she tried to focus, something prevented her from doing so and she was becoming frustrated. The ex-Jedi was relaxed but she was not progressing, but she persevered. Ahsoka tried once more to meditate, but to no avail. She let out a frustrated groan.

A teasing chuckle came from behind her, she turned her head to see Saw.

"Sounds like you're struggling there, Commander." She smirked as her approached her.

"I thought you were on a military exercise?" He extended his arm to her to help her from her position on the floor, she accepted to stumbled to her feet.

"Cut it short, you can do that when you're the boss." Saw winked, Ahsoka snickered as she brushed herself off, her clothes were slightly damp from the floor but that did not bother her. Saw pulled her into a hug, which she returned. Ahsoka had not seen Saw for a week or so, as he was busy training the Onderon Militaria. She pulled away and he looked down at her stomach.

"You've definitely grown since the last time I saw you." He mocked, she glared at him.

"You could say that." Ahsoka said rubbing her belly. She had outgrown her Jedi attire now, so she had found a jumpsuit that was stretchy and comfortable for her.

"How much longer until the baby's here?"

"Not much longer, a month to go." She replied, hand still firmly placed on her bump. Saw smiled at her.

"Fancy a drink?" Ahsoka rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, no spirits for you." He grinned.

The two found themselves in the main dining room of the Palace, sat across from one another on the long table. Saw gave Ahsoka a glass of water as he poured a small glass of liqueur for himself. The two caught up for a while, Saw sharing tales of his time training and Ahsoka expressing the journey of her pregnancy.

"When was Bonteri last here?"

"A week ago." Ahsoka sighed, arms folded and leaning over. Saw studied her body language.

"You miss him, don't you?" She nodded.

"It's hard and he comes back when he can but, I still miss him." She unfolded her arms and rested them on the table. Saw reached across and took her hand.

"I know, Commander but he loves you and your baby. I'm sure he'll be here soon enough." He was right. Lux wanted nothing more than to spend time with Ahsoka and ensure she was being looked after but he needed to provide for them, and the Senate is a mess.

"Once the little one is here, the workload should calm down." She mumbled.

"Have you thought of going to Coruscant with him?" Ahsoka shot him a glare.

"No." She affirmed rather quickly. Saw cringed slightly and rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry." She smiled shyly. Ahsoka could never go back there, it would only regress her mental state and Saw knew. The pair sat in a comfortable silence, just enjoying the company. Saw poured himself another drink. Then another. Ahsoka watched him nearly finish a whole bottle of liquor.

"You know?" Saw started and he examined the contents of his glass. "I knew Bonteri liked you from the moment he mentioned you during the rebellion." His words were slurred slightly, which Ahsoka found amusing. She sat back in her chair and let him stumble on his words.

"He knew you would help him… the Jedi I mean, but mostly you."

"It was the right thing to do, the Jedi saw it as an opportunity to win Onderon back." She clarified.

"Yeah but… he wanted you to come here, Commander." He hiccupped. "He used to talk about you all the time… like a lot." Ahsoka decided to sit back and let Saw speak, she was enjoying his tipsy state a bit too much.

"Steela used to get really jealous, and it was hilarious… when you got here, she only got more annoyed." He was chuckling at the memory.

"I never knew what she saw in him, actually what do you see in him?" He pointed his finger at her, drink still in hand.

"He's sweet and caring." Ahsoka shared, Lux had always been at the forefront of her mind, the two developed feelings for each other when they first met of Raxus but it was always uneasy to navigate that. She revealed to Saw the development of their relationship, from Raxus to Carlacc. Saw listened to her and poured himself yet another drink, finishing the bottle. It was the first time Ahsoka had opened up about her relationship with Lux and Saw was eager to hear.

"Thank you, Saw." Ahsoka said, staring down at her bump.

"For what?" He asked, slightly confused.

"For that night, on the balcony. If it wasn't for you, Lux and I wouldn't be together now. Saw furrowed his brow, still confused.

"What do you mean?" Ahsoka looked at him and gestured to her swollen belly.

"Wait, did that happen that night?" Ahsoka nodded. "You're telling me Bonteri got you pregnant that night?" He grinned, Ahsoka reciprocated the grin. Saw started laughing, spitting his drink slightly.

"I can't believe that…I guess the Force does work in mysterious ways." He said between laughs. Ahsoka giggled with him, she was enjoying his state far too much. Once his laughter subsided, he began to ask her some more questions about that night.

"So, you went running to him and you…"

"Yep." She said devilishly.

"I never knew he had it in him, I mean, he's no warrior." Ahsoka snickered at him.

"Well, he gave me another reason to leave the Order and I'm grateful for it." She admitted, changing the tone of the conversation.

"How have you been? Since leaving?"

"It's been difficult, but I know I've made the right choice." Ahsoka had opened up to him before about her decision and the reasons why.

"I guess the Force was telling you to go down another path." Ahsoka thought about what he just said, the Force was showing her that she had another purpose with this child, but she still did not know why.

Saw stumbled to his feet, in an effort to get another drink but fell over. Ahsoka started laughing but hobbled over to him to check if he was hurt. He laid on the floor, laughing as well.

"Alright, tough guy. Time for bed." She said helping him up, he wobbled to his feet as she supported him, he was not as heavy as he looked. Saw pretended to be annoyed but listened to his friend. Ahsoka helped him to his room with ease, he may have been in a state, but he was fine enough to walk. Opening the door to his quarters, she brought him over to his bed and eased him down. He curled up and shut his eyes, Ahsoka looked down on him, still amused. She turned to leave when he spoke.

"Thank you for tonight, Commander." He said sincerely.

"Any time." She smiled. With that, she left his room and decided to get some fresh air. Ahsoka found herself on that balcony from all those months ago when Onderon was liberated. Perching on the ledge, she looked on at the streets, dusk was upon them, and all the vendors were packing away their stalls on the market.

Hoot hoot.

Across from her sat the same Convor, she had not seen it since her last encounter.

"Hello there." She beamed; it hopped closer to her until it was arm's length away. It peered at the young Togruta with its green eyes, chirping up at her. Ahsoka still felt a familiar presence with the bird, from her research she knew the Condor had a strong connection to the Force and they were not native to Onderon. It appeared to her in her nightmares, and she felt a strong connection to it, but she still could not figure it out.

"Who are you?" It hooted back. She extended her arm to stroke its feathers and it let her. The colours were still distinct to her, then it clicked.

"Are you… The Daughter?" It jumped and chirped in response at Ahsoka's revelation, she was shocked. "But you died? How are you here?" Before she could find out more, a Palace Guard appeared and the Convor was gone.

"Commander Tano?" She looked around for The Daughter, but she had truly vanished before she could find out more.

"Um… yes?" Ahsoka coughed, still shaken from her discovery.

"You have a visitor waiting for you in the Throne Room." Ahsoka lifted herself down from her perch, giddy thinking Lux had returned.

"Thank you." With that the guard nodded and left, Ahsoka swiftly made her way to the Throne Room, eager to see Lux. However, she did find it odd that he sent a guard to find her rather than coming to her himself. She took in a deep breath as she turned into the room and was taken aback at who she saw. Padme stood with her back to her, looking at the sun setting. Ahsoka panicked and Padme turned to her. She gasped when she saw a heavily pregnant Ahsoka standing before her, terror etched on the Togruta's face.

"Ahsoka!" She exclaimed.

"Padme, what are you doing here?" Fear was present in her voice.

"Ahsoka… you're…" Padme struggled to find the words. "Ahsoka, are you pregnant?" Ahsoka just stared at her, eyes wide.

"Yes." Was all she could muster. The two women stared at each other, both in shock.

"Is it Lux's?" Padme finally asked, Ahsoka lowered her head and nodded. Before she knew it, Padme threw her arms around the startled Togruta. Ahsoka returned the embrace and sobbed, the shock consuming her. Padme held her tightly as she cried. Ahsoka was happy to see Padme, but she was fearful at her discovering she was pregnant.

"Oh, Ahsoka." She cooed against her friend's tears. Padme pulled away and gently wiped away her tears. Things had started to make sense to Padme now, she knew that Ahsoka left the Jedi due to their betrayal, but she knew there was another reason as to why she left abruptly and distanced herself from everyone. Padme took her hand.

"Come on, let's talk." With that, she led her away.