The Senator And The Jedi

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Fond Farewells

Ahsoka

Ahsoka Tano, the sixteen-year-old Padawan to Anakin Skywalker, was lying in her room studying information on Kayzani Clan and assassin-designate Myarra as intently as she could manage – which was not very intently.

Her thoughts always managed to drift back to shortly before the brief duel near Lookout Rock just when she was beginning to find focus. Or to the ball, before everything went to hell. Or to the various other sweet moments she and Lux had shared before and since. And she couldn't quite bring herself to be mad about it.

Before long, however, her sense of purpose overcame her personal feelings and brought her back to the task at hand. Though Rex and the men were convinced any threat from Myarra was past, Ahsoka had seen how her Master only met their confident smiles with uneasy ones. When he turned out to be right that there was something else in store – as he so often was –, she wanted to be ready.

But she too was being lulled into a sense of security, content in a job well done and a sweetheart equally well won. Besides, so much time had elapsed since Myarra's capture with no incident, it was unlikely any more review would be useful.

Absentmindedly, she called her HoloNet feed up from beneath the clutter of archival research, and began to browse through it. Several articles about Lux came up, full of glowing praise for his actions at the negotiating table (when had those gotten into her recommended list? She hadn't been stalking him that much since the Rebellion of Onderon, had she?), and, without thinking, she began to read one.

She bit back a smile and sat up when the door opened and shut behind her, the datapad quickly forgotten – but Lux was quicker and more observant than that.

"Why are you reading what the news channels are saying about me when you've got the real thing right here?" Lux made a wide gesture to himself, grinning. "I'm not so bad, am I?"

"Oh, terrible," Ahsoka deadpanned as she turned toward him, though she knew there was a smile in her eyes.

Lux laughed and bent down to press a kiss to her forehead. "Love you too."

Ahsoka knew she had to be flushing a few shades darker than usual and looked away to hide it. Though he had made his feelings for her clear earlier that day, she still found it so hard to believe he could give words that meant so much away so freely. But then again, she had been raised a Jedi, and Jedi were not naturally as open about such things.

But now, Ahsoka felt like a flower that at last was feeling the warmth of the sun, and almost ready to start opening its petals to the glow.

Lux sat down on the bed beside her, and as soon as he was close enough, she pressed a soft kiss to his lips. It was a show of affection, sweet and slow but over before it could carry them too far. They had to leave soon, and though control and pleasure could sometimes coexist, she wasn't looking to get distracted.

She found herself in Lux's arms as the kiss ended. (Too late.) "Are you okay?" he asked, stroking her back gently through the cutout.

Ahsoka laughed faintly and drew back again, shaking her head. "Lux, that's gotta be the tenth time you've asked me that. I'm all right, I promise you – Myarra may be good, but she's nowhere near as good against me as she thought."

"Still..." Lux tore his gaze away from hers and turned his focus solely to their hands as he interlinked his fingers with hers. "She was the one who poisoned me."

No wonder Anakin was so uneasy, Ahsoka thought, eyes wide. "You're sure?"

"Almost completely. It took awhile of trying to remember any of it beyond the occasional flash of memory, but I know she's the reason I ended up such a mess at the ball. I'm not going to let my guard down again."