Chapter Text
“Padawan Tano.” Ahsoka winces. Master Plo never calls her that. “Care to explain why, exactly, you were AWOL with your master, your grandmaster, and Captain Rex of the 501st?”
If it were anybody else, Ahsoka would consider lying. As it is, she doesn’t think she should, or could lie to her oldest friend. “It was Padmé’s idea, really,” she blurts out, “I just… helped it along.”
“Are you speaking of Senator Padmé Amidala?” Master Plo asks, his voice betraying his utter disbelief.
“Yes,” Ahsoka says staunchly, “Anakin, Rex, and Master Obi-Wan needed a rest after the mission on Zygerria and nobody was going to give it to them, so… Padmé decided that we should just… do it ourselves.”
“And you did not need a rest?” Master Plo questions. Ahsoka feels an uncomfortable prickle of heat on the back of her neck. She doesn’t respond. “Just… tell me what happened, so I can decide what to tell the Council,” the Kel Dor sighs.
“Well, we were on our way back from dropping the colonists off at Kiros…
…………………
Ahsoka really didn’t know how Master Obi-Wan was still on his feet. He had urged the Kiros colonists to get to the medbay as soon as they were safely on board Master Plo’s flagship and had pushed Rex to go with them when he had seemed likely to refuse medical attention. He, himself, was clearly worse off than Ahsoka had ever seen him and he hadn’t even let himself sit down yet. His robes were tattered and burned and he looked too thin, too shaky.
He was currently standing next to Anakin and pretending very successfully that he wasn’t leaning on his former padawan. Anakin’s eyes flashed with worry, but there was a glazed, unfocused quality to them that seemed to come from no injury that Ahsoka could see. Ahsoka’s montrals throbbed with the pain of a bad sunburn. She did her best to ignore it; her masters had enough on their plates without worrying about her.
Walking tentatively towards the pair, she cleared her throat loudly to get their attention. “Um, Masters?” Her voice was smaller than she wanted it to be. She tried again and, this time, her voice came out stronger, “Kix wants you both in the medbay. He says that it’s necessary that he checks you both for dangerous injuries.”
“Oh, I’m quite alright, dear,” Obi-Wan gave her a thin smile, “You can inform Kix of such.”
“Mas- Obi-Wan, you should go,” Anakin argued, “You can barely stand on your own feet.”
Looking affronted, Obi-Wan took his weight off of Anakin, in stubborn defiance. He had just enough time to throw Anakin a, rather childish, triumphant look, before his knees buckled. Anakin threw an arm around his old master and shot him a glare. “I- may have overestimated my current health,” Obi-Wan said, his voice tight with pain.
“Maybe you should help Master Obi-Wan to the medbay,” Ahsoka suggested hopefully.
Anakin only hesitated a moment, before heading that way, but, as he passed Ahsoka he paused for a moment. “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing, Snips.” Ahsoka tried to put on an innocent face and Anakin rolled his eyes. He reached out to lightly flick Ahsoka on the nose and snorted at her splutter of shock and annoyance.
Ahsoka’s sunburned nose stung as she slowly walked after the two stubborn Jedi. It wasn’t Anakin’s fault; she had intentionally neglected to mention the horrible sunburn she had suffered in that awful cage. Anakin would never forgive himself, if he thought he had hurt her. Ahsoka didn’t want to do that to him.
She didn’t actually enter the medbay with them, knowing that they would probably both prefer privacy. She did, however, make eye contact with a very relieved Kix and gave him a weak thumb’s up in response. The door slid shut behind Anakin and Obi-Wan and Ahsoka leaned against the wall beside it like a very tired sentry.
Her eyes began to slip… shut… and she snapped upright at the sound of the door opening again. She was face to face with an equally startled Anakin. “Force, Ahsoka,” he breathed, holding a hand to his heart, “How long were you standing there?”
“Just a couple of seconds,” she responded honestly, “what are you doing back out here already?”
“Ahsoka, it’s been almost two hours,” Anakin said flatly, “When was the last time you slept?”
“Oh,” Ahsoka said lightly, “Just… how long has it been since we went to Kiros for the first time?”
“Alright. Bedtime,” Anakin said firmly, but not unkindly, taking her by the arm. Ahsoka’s heart skipped several beats and, the next thing she knew, she was yanking her arm out of Anakin’s grip and backing up from him several steps. “Hey, hey, it’s okay,” Anakin held up his hands peaceably, voice gentler now.
“I- I know.” Ahsoka was panting. Why was she so out of breath? “Sorry, Master.” Anakin flinched bodily and Ahsoka winced, cursing herself. “I’m… going to get some sleep,” she decided tentatively, backing up a few more paces. Anakin was standing stock still, a rather lost look about him. Ahsoka opened her mouth, intending to offer him words of reassurance, but she found that she truly didn’t know what to say. She closed her mouth, wincing as she clicked her teeth together, before turning and striding back to the sleeping quarters.
She didn’t fall asleep for a long time and, when she did, all she could see was Anakin’s lost expression. Slowly, it merged with the cruel face of the Zygerrian Prime Minister until Ahsoka couldn’t tell which was which anymore. The weight of Anakin’s fury when they had been on Kiros the first time pressed down on Ahsoka in her sleep. In her dreams, she let him kill that slaver. In her dreams, it felt good.
~*~
Ahsoka’s first shock, only two days after arriving back on Coruscant, was being informed that the 501st were being shipped out again in a day’s time, apparently from order of the Chancellor himself. Surprise flashed in Anakin’s eyes at that, but he set his jaw and seemed determined to do whatever was asked of him. When Ahsoka hissed to him that it wasn’t fair , he had opened his mouth, as if to rebuke her, and had ended up simply putting a hand on Ahsoka’s shoulder, instead. His eyes pleaded with her not to argue and Ahsoka found that she couldn’t refuse.
Ahsoka’s second shock was being contacted by Padmé Amidala a few hours later. Padmé wanted to talk in person, which put Ahsoka a bit on edge, because what could be so important? So, Ahsoka found herself taking a speeder from the Temple hangar and driving herself to Padmé’s apartment. She didn’t drive as recklessly as Anakin, but she knew that Obi-Wan would still shudder at her lack of strict adherence to traffic laws.
Not that Anakin had seemed up to much intentional recklessness in the last few days. Ahsoka didn’t think Obi-Wan was up for much scolding, even if he had been given reason to. Even Rex was too subdued to engage in his and Ahsoka’s usual teasing. Ahsoka frowned. She wished she knew what to do to help them.
Ahsoka parked the speeder outside Padmé’s apartment and was startled at receiving an incredibly tight hug, the moment she stepped inside. “Ahsoka,” Padmé pulled away, keeping one hand on Ahsoka’s shoulder and looking her up and down critically, “It’s so good to see you.”
“It’s good to see you too, Padmé,” Ahsoka said sincerely. Gingerly, she brought a hand up to the place where her montrals had pressed against Padmé’s shoulder and made a face, as skin peeled away with her hand.
“Oh, goodness, what’s wrong?” Padmé asked, gentle concern heavy in her voice.
“Oh, it’s nothing,” Ahsoka waved her off, “Just a sunburn.”
“Sit down, sit down,” Padmé urged, pushing her lightly towards one of the very comfortable sofas, “I’ll get something for that.”
Padmè’s apartment was very peaceful, Ahsoka thought idly, as she sat. It was cool and soothing, much like Naboo itself. There was even a fair amount of Nubian architecture and fountains dotted around the place that served to make it feel even more like a small piece of Padmé’s home planet.
It didn’t take long for Padmé to return, with a small tub of some kind of ointment in her hand. The senator sat down next to Ahsoka, turned to face her. “Did this happen on your last assignment?” Padmé questioned, motioning to Ahsoka’s face.
“Yes,” Ahsoka said cautiously, “How much do you know?”
“Anakin wouldn’t tell me anything,” Padmé admitted, unscrewing the lid of the ointment.
“Anakin was already here?” Ahsoka asked, startled. Though, in hindsight, she probably should have guessed.
Padmé didn’t respond, instead holding up the ointment, “May I?” Ahsoka nodded her consent and, soon, Padmé’s delicate fingers were dabbing a deliciously cold cream on the worst of the sunburn on Ahsoka’s face. Ahsoka couldn’t help letting out a sigh of relief. “Anakin’s not doing well, is he?” Padmé asked quietly.
“No,” Ahsoka said gravely, “Obi-Wan and Captain Rex are doing about as bad. I- Padmé, I don’t know what to do . Anakin seems so… distant. And Obi-Wan and Rex were so hurt and- and not just physically.”
Padmé sat thoughtfully for a while, before she looked back to Ahsoka, her jaw clenched in the stubborn way it gets when she’s debating the Senate. “I have an idea,” she said, leaning forward confidentially, “How would you like to go on vacation?”
“I-“ Ahsoka gaped, “Can you do that?”
“Not strictly legally , ” Padmé said lightly, “But I can send you all somewhere secluded and safe. Just for a few days. Enough time for you all to wind down a bit.”
“But what about the 501st?” Ahsoka asked doubtfully, “I don’t want them to be put under a different Jedi’s control again. They- they still haven’t fully recovered from Umbara.”
“I’ll talk to the Chancellor,” Padmé reassured, “Convince him that Coruscant needs some extra guards for the next week, or so.”
“You would do that for us?” Ahsoka asked, stunned.
“Why not?” Padmé challenged, “I’d say you all deserve a break.” That was all the pushing Ahsoka needed, before she was helping Padmé set everything in motion.