The Senator And The Jedi

Chapter Thirty-Two: Into The Woods

Ahsoka

"Come on, Ahsoka! Keep up!"

Ahsoka groaned, searching for the next handhold in the rock. They were climbing up a steep ravine carved into the hills of the Lake Country by a nearby waterfall. The natural erosion of the rock had sent the flow of water running down the other side, leaving a long chasm they could use to find their way up.

"Your medication gives you energy; mine saps it," Ahsoka complained, stifling a sneeze as a wildflower growing out of the rock beside her brushed past her nose. "I don't have the stamina."

"Since when?" Lux called with a laugh, pausing to look down at her from where he was a few feet up. "You're the Jedi, out fighting and pushing the limits every day on the frontline! I'm the pudgy Senator who has to schedule exercise time so I actually remember to do it."

Ahsoka rolled her eyes, but memories of the few times she had seen him shirtless came quickly to mind. His scheduling had really been paying off.

His comment pushed her to go a little faster, and soon, they were side by side on a small ledge. However, that was where it ran out.

"But do we really have to climb this far?" she asked. Lux had excitement and adrenaline to fuel him because of what he had been told of their destination, but she had nothing to motivate her. On top of that, it was a hot day and the sun beat down mercilessly on Ahsoka's back through the cutout.

"Yes," Lux insisted. "Padme told me about it. It's called Lookout Rock. She said that growing up as a child, it was her and her sister's favorite place to explore in the Lake Country. I figure we should at least check it out before we leave."

Nodding, Ahsoka set out again. She had heard Padme mention Lookout Rock a few times at the supper table over the course of their stay here, calling it 'one of her favorite memories of her childhood here on Naboo' and she couldn't deny that her curiosity was piqued.

It wasn't long before they had reached the top. By then, Lux had managed to take the lead again, and once he had heaved himself up onto solid ground, he reached down to help her up after him.

She took his hands and let him pull her up. As she found her feet again, she realized how close he was to her, and looked down, blushing. "Thanks," she said.

"Anytime." Lux smiled gently and put a hand on her waist as if to steady her.

Ahsoka would normally have been annoyed, since she was a Jedi and supposed to be as attuned to her body as she was to the Force. But considering her balance still wasn't back to normal, perhaps it was best if she had someone there to make sure she didn't fall.

Finally, she managed to tear her gaze away from Lux's face to take in the view. And as soon as she did, an awestricken gasp escaped her lips.

The scene that extended out before their eyes was simply spectacular. The rolling hills were a vibrant green, and the distant waterfalls sparkled in the light. Enormous fields of wildflowers turned the slopes vibrant hues of pink, yellow, red and violet. They could see for miles – and if Ahsoka looked at a point between two waterfalls just right, she was almost certain she could make out the rose-colored marble walls of Varykino Estate beside the lake from which it took its name.

Lux wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close to him. "So," he asked softly, "is this worth the climb?"

Ahsoka nodded against his shoulder, folding her arms over his chest. "Thank you," she whispered, kissing his cheek.

"Come on, Lookout Rock is this way," Lux said, gesturing off into the woods.

He took her hand and started off towards them, but Ahsoka stopped him before he could go too far. "Do you even know where you're going?" she asked.

"Of course I do," he said, mockingly indignant. "Padme told me how to get there. There's a footpath just beyond that ridge."

Ahsoka raised an eyebrow. "You're lying."

"Okay, she did say it might be a little hard to find," Lux admitted. Then, he cupped her face in his hands. "Where's your sense of adventure? You usually jump at the chance to go off exploring."

"Lux, in light of what happened to you..." Ahsoka shook her head. "You know what? Never mind. I have my lightsabers, and my connection to the Force is strong here; I can protect you from just about anything that would want to do you harm."

"That's the spirit." Lux kissed her briefly but tenderly on the forehead, then started walking. "All right, let's go. If we can't find the path in the end, at least we'll be able to get out of this heat."

Ahsoka grinned and started off through the meadow, vaulting over a nearby rock covered in moss and landing neatly on the other side. Lux scrambled up after her, but he was far less graceful about it – he landed on his behind with a loud thud.

As the leaves he had disturbed flew up and settled back down on top of him, Ahsoka giggled. Lux blew a leaf off his face and joined in, accepting her hand when she reached down to help him up.

"Well, at least you're slightly more coordinated than you were back on Onderon." Ahsoka snickered. "Remember when you fell off that tank during the training exercise with the droid poppers?"

"Hey! Keeping your footing on one of those things isn't as easy as it looks! And besides, Saw was the one with good boots. Mine always slipped."

"Sure, Lux, blame your boots. Come on, we all know you were just trying to impress Steela," Ahsoka teased.

Suddenly, a shadow passed over them. Lux's presence in the Force went dark and sad, and Ahsoka immediately regretted having brought Steela up.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"It's... it's okay. It happened a while ago. I'm not going let the past cloud the present. But I'm lucky that I had people to help me move on this time."

" 'People'? "

Lux smiled, and when he turned towards her his greyish-green eyes sparkled in the light filtering into the meadow through the trees. "I had you. You keep me grounded, Ahsoka – you help me see what really matters when it matters, and not before it's too late like I usually do. And, to be completely honest, I wasn't trying to impress her." His hand tightened around hers. "I was trying to impress you."

Ahsoka pushed him away, blushing furiously. "Oh, stop it."

"Well, did it work?"

Ahsoka exhaled softly, looking up at the canopy of trees above their heads, letting the music of the wind and Force that thrived in all the living creatures in the forest fill her head. "Yes. Yes, I think it did."

From then on, they walked in silence, saying everything that needed to be said in looks and smiles and their steady grip on one another's hand.

*WOOHOO DOUBLE UPDATE

Geez how many chapters have I posted today?? 

*checks the dates on the chapters* FOUR

AND I WASNT EVEN TRYING

Technically even FIVE because yesterday's second chapter was posted after midnight!

I mean, part of this chapter and part of the next one were prewritten, but STILL. I legitimately love Christmas break. It's only the first day I've been able to really sit down and work on stuff not related to the Christmas special, and I wrote FOUR CHAPTERS.

THAT IS LITERALLY 5000 TO 6000 WORDS. I HAVENT HAD THE CHANCE TO COUNT YET.

I honestly don't know whether I should be proud or a little scared...

But I digress. I've kept you long enough, so ONTO THE NEXT CHAPTER :D