It Takes Two to Tango

Part 2: Bittersweet Memory

Ahsoka was woken up by an elbow to her stomach. She sat bolt upright, her eyes scanning the room.

"Sorry," Lux moaned, still half asleep.

She shook her head, sure she was still asleep. "Aren't you supposed to be at a conference back on Onderon today?"

"Mhmm. Cancelled last minute." He reached his arm out in the air, feeling around for her.

Smiling, she interlaced her fingers with his. "You know I don't like to make this a habit; Lux." That much was true. To avoid any potential "accidents", as she liked to say, she would sleep pretty much anywhere. It helped that she wasn't particularly used to having spectacular sleeping conditions from all of the nights spent in tents with the rest of the 501st. There were times when she was so tired from a long day at work that she would simply pass out on the floor.

"Yeah, I know." He sat up and kissed her cheek. "I don't either. At least not for another few years." He winked and quickly pecked her lips before jumping out of bed and running across the room.

"Hey! No fair!" She knew he wanted to marry her someday; he liked to remind her all the time. Personally, she thought it was adorable of him. "Alright, you win." She shot him a clever grin.

"That's a first," he laughed, sliding his legs back under the sheets. "Love you, 'Soka."

She leaned in as if she were about to kiss him, and their foreheads met. "Gotcha," she smirked before tackling him and pulling the sheets over his head. She bounced off of the mattress and backed away, laughing. "Love you too, n'anya."

"I just can't win, can I?" He mumbled, sitting up. "What does that even mean, anyway?"

"What?" She could feel her face heating up.

"That name you always call me. N'anya."

She opened the blinds, and the room was flooded with daylight. "It's something in my mother tongue for sweetheart, baby, honey, darling, love, et cetera." She could see the Jedi Temple off in the distance and thought of Anakin. She missed him terribly and hadn't spoken to him since she left the order a little less than a year ago. Every now and then she would check to make sure she could still sense him somewhere out there.

"That's sweet." Lux wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her lekku. She let out a heavy sigh, and he rested his head between her montrals. "Whatcha thinking about?"

"I miss it, Lux. I miss the way it used to be. Being here with you is great and all, but I'm a mechanic. Life is so much simpler when I fix things, which is something I'm not sure I like. I miss the adrenaline rush I used to get when I called my sabers to my hands. I miss Anakin and the clones. I miss the feeling of accomplishment after winning a battle. I miss making a difference in the galaxy."

They had talked about her choice many a time since it happened. Not a day went by when she didn't regret leaving Anakin. They were family, and she had walked away from him. An essential part of her life seemed missing, and missing it would remain.

"You made the right choice, Ahsoka. You'll see him again, someday. There's a whole life ahead of you. Who knows what the force is planning." He kissed the top of her head. "And as much as I'd love to stand here and contemplate the future with you, I'm going to be late for work."

-:-:-:-:-:-

"Ashla, ya got another speeder with a busted engine," the store owner, a fat and greedy Quarren, snapped at her.