It Takes Two to Tango

Intentions and Interventions

"Psst. Ahsoka, wake up." Lux gently shook Ahsoka, waking her up just enough to roll over and see him standing above her, dressed in formal robes and wearing his crown.

"Morning, Lux," she mumbled. "Where you going?"

"Nowhere," he said, sitting down by her feet.

"Then why are you dressed up?"

"We have a meeting today."

"We?" She reached her hand out from under the blanket and took his. "What for?"

He pointed to the crown. "Something right up your alley."

She sat up and kissed his cheek. "Good. You know I love you, but there is no way I'm going to one of those boring sessions about finance bills."

He took off the crown and put it on the bed beside them. He kissed her softly, and Ahsoka happily obliged.

He shifted his weight to stand up, but Ahsoka wouldn't let him. "Five minutes?" She kissed him more passionately this time, wrapping her legs around his waist.

"Oh so it's like that, huh?" He smiled, playing with the strap of her nightgown. "Yeah, five minutes is good."

He kissed her again, his hands resting on her hips as her arms wrapped around him in an effort to close any remaining distance between them. His mouth drifted down her neck to her collarbone, finding and exploiting a sensitive spot.

"I wish it could be like this forever," Lux said between kisses.

And Ahsoka did too, but it was different. Even to this day, she felt guilty about their relationship. She was raised to believe that close relationships were a weakness, and it was hard to behave in a way that was directly contrary to everything she knew to be wrong. Times had changed, but had she?

"Me too, Lux."

He stopped and looked her in the eye. "Well then why can't it be?"

Ahsoka sighed. "We've been through this a million times. You're a king and Imperial Senator. The people that run the Empire want me dead, and your people have no idea I even exist. I can't leave the palace or go public with you because someone will recognize me and come after both of us. Your people need you here and well."

"Yeah, but I need you."

She untangled herself from him and picked up his crown. She placed it on his head and stood up. "You have me right now, and all we can do is live in the moment."

He stood up. "Ahsoka, I'm tired of that. I'll give up the crown for you if that's what you want. There can always be another king, but there isn't anyone else like you."

Ahsoka felt her face heat up. She knew she was important to Lux, but for him to give everything up for her?

"And there's no one else like you. That's why your people need you to lead them."

He crossed his arms. "So then why are we still together if you've already decided it's not going to be able to turn into anything more than what it is right now? Do you think our relationship is just going to stagnate until the Empire falls? I want to start a family and live a somewhat normal life. I'm not going to be around forever, so I don't want to wait for circumstances to change."

Ahsoka took a step back. He was dead serious, and that scared her. After all they'd been through together, she refused to let it be the end. "Lux, I love you."

"I know," he said, raising his voice. "And I love you. But I can't keep doing this. We can't keep doing this. You say you love me, but clearly we have different definitions of love. I don't want to call it quits, but I'm going to if you don't decide what you want from me."

He walked to the door and turned his head over his shoulder, lingering for a moment in the doorframe. "Get dressed and come downstairs. We have a meeting to go to with my head of security."

He left, but Ahsoka didn't move. What the helł just happened? She and Lux hadn't fought in years. Why now all of a sudden?

She wanted to call him back, but what would she say? You're absolutely right. I didn't think we'd be together this long, so I didn't create a plan for my future that included you. I'm dating you without a long term goal, which is pointless, so it makes no sense for us to be together.

No, definitely not that. She would work out out. She had to. But that was a problem for another time. She'd been procrastinating facing the inevitable of their relationship for a long time, so surely it could wait a little while longer.

She changed and headed downstairs to the meeting room. There, she met Lux and his head of security, Captain Anya Myec. Anya and Ahsoka had interacted briefly a few years ago when Ahsoka moved in to the palace, but Ahsoka hadn't seen her since. She was a tall human with dark hair that was always kept in a tight ponytail. Tattoos covered her left arm, depicting elaborate patterns and shapes.

"Ahsoka, thank you for joining us," she said coldly. Ahsoka stood across from her on the other side of the holotable. Between them was an image of a Star Destroyer at least double the size of any Imperial ship Ahsoka had seen before. "I want to discuss the Super Star Destroyer. My spies told me that the Emperor plans to use one to go oversee the final stages of construction for a new super weapon. I'm not sure what this super weapon is, but it won't matter. I have the entire technical blueprint of the Super Star Destroyer the Emperor will be using, so if we can blow it up with him on it, this war is going to be over a whole lot faster."

Ahsoka studied the image. It didn't seem drastically different from the Republic Cruisers she'd commanded back in her days as a Jedi. She pictured herself on the bridge, her master at her side as they looked out at the stars in front of them.

Her master. Her breathing quickened as she felt the dark emptiness that used to be his presence. She felt each death from Order 66 weighing her down as as she staggered on her feet, bracing herself on the holotable in front of her. Tears welled up in her eyes as she resisted the urge to scream.

She was standing next to Rex on Mandalore as he told Lux she was dead. The sadness in his eyes broke her, and she began to cry.

Lux grabbed her wrist. "Hey, are you okay?"

She shook his hand off and wiped the tears from her face. "I can't do this right now."

And then she ran.

A/N: Hope you're doing well! This chapter was a rollercoaster to write. I always struggle with the whole romance thing, especially making fights seem perfectly legit. @shanswfan makes it seem easy with her long and eloquent monologues (seriously, go read some of her stuff), but I assure you, it's a process. Hopefully it was believable enough here.

I'm going finish the next chapter before I go to bed, so it should be up later tonight or tomorrow sometime.

May the force be with you!