It Takes Two to Tango

A Shot in the Dark

Ahsoka ran down the hall, sniffling as she hid her face from passersby. She didn't stop to catch her breath until she reached a small clearing in a forest just outside the main gate into Iziz.

She collapsed to her knees and buried her face in her hands. The water trickling down a stream near her and the chirp of birds in the distance calmed her enough to take a deep breath.

She picked up a rock and hurled it at a tree. For the first time in a while, she didn't feel the usual warm and consoling aura that came with being on Onderon. The only thing she could sense was the cold and regimented presence of the Empire surrounding her, trying to find her and snuff her out.

Once they found her, they would find Lux. And they would kill him in the most brutal way possible to punish her for evading the Empire for so long. For being a Jedi. For being Anakin's apprentice. For fighting back.

She couldn't lose Lux. Not after everyone else.

Shedding her cloak, she stood up and called her lightsabers to her hands. Their familiar weight made her feel better. The hum of their crystals had always been comforting.

Ahsoka did the only thing she knew to do when she was upset: train. She moved through the positions she had been taught as a youngling, performing her old exercises with the same precision that Anakin praised her for. If only he were there to guide her now.

She was so lost in thought that she didn't sense Lux as he sat down by the stream and watched, waiting for her to finish a sequence.

He spoke when she hit the final position. "Ahsoka, what's going on?"

She clipped her lightsabers on her belt and sat down beside him. "Nothing. I'm fine."

He shifted his body to face her. "Stop telling me you're fine. You're not. Please, tell me what's going on."

She sighed and scooted closer to him. Resting her head on his shoulder, she took his hand and squeezed it gently.

"Is this about what I said earlier?" He whispered, though it sounded more like he was just realizing that possibility.

"Partly," she said, fighting back the tears she'd barely been able to suppress while training. "It's much more than that."

"Talk to me, love." He kissed her lekku and squeezed her hand gently.

Ahsoka wanted to tell him everything, but there was no way she could make him understand. He hadn't lost everything the way she had. There were still people like him that shared a culture and lifestyle. Ahsoka's people were the Jedi that had been ripped from the galaxy in the blink of an eye, leaving her alone with no one like her to turn to.

"I don't really know what to say about it. I've been pushing myself for so many years that now I'm feeling all of the stress and emotion that I'd been avoiding. I had no idea it was affecting our relationship, and I'm really sorry. I know you want to take the next step together, but I'm just not ready." She paused, surrendering to her tears. "And... if you want to move on to someone else," she sniffled, "that's fine, and I... I won't be hurt."

"Absolutely not." Lux said, using the thumb of his free hand to dry her tears. "I'm sorry I snapped. I had no idea that you felt that way."

Ahsoka remained silent, letting Lux's soothing presence wash over her. They sat for a long time, enjoying each other's company.

Lux shifted and stood up. "I have to get back to the palace. Captain Myec is waiting to discuss some things, and I really think I should hear what she has to say." He extended a hand and helped her up. "I would love it if you came with me."

She nodded and kissed his cheek. "Thanks for coming after me."

"Of course."

-:-:-:-:-:-

Captain Myec was waiting by the holotable when they returned. She said nothing until Ahsoka and Lux returned to where they had been standing before Ahsoka ran out.

"Now," the captain said, "back to business. The Emperor is leaving Lothal tomorrow morning to go check on his construction project somewhere in the outer rim. I want to get a small team on board his ship to take him out. If the Emperor is gone, the Empire will crumble. We've never come this close to getting to him before, so I suggest we take advantage of it."

Ahsoka studied the map on the holotable in front of her. The ship was scheduled to leave from an area close to Capital City early tomorrow morning. If she left in the next hour, she could make it to Lothal before it left. She crossed her arms. "So what would be the plan?"

"Easy," Captain Myec replied. "Sneak someone on board to assassinate the Emperor or blow up the whole ship. It really just depends on circumstances after the assassin gets on board."

"I see." Ahsoka was getting the sense that the captain wanted Ahsoka to be the one to kill the Emperor, except she was far too out of practice and lacking the other half of her training. Ahsoka couldn't best him in combat, and he was much more in tune with the force.

Lux cleared his throat. "We'd need a small group to get on board. That way, we have more options should something go wrong."

Ahsoka's stomach dropped, remembering the vision she'd seen on Lothal about Kanan's fate. Maybe she misinterpreted what she saw, and this was a mission meant for the Ghost crew.

"Done." She said. "I'm in, and I'm taking the Ghost crew with me."

Lux took a step back. "You just got back from Lothal! I'm not sending you back there to die! This plan is incredibly risky, and people are going to die of we go through with it. I don't want you to be one of them."

Ahsoka shrugged. "I'm still going. I have a strong feeling about this, like the force wants me to be there to see something."

He ran a hand through his hair. "Then I'm going with you."

"Fine. Under one condition." 

"Name it."

She smiled. "Try to keep up."

A/N: And so the AU begins! The rest of this story is going to follow a different path than canon, so be prepared for some things to happen that don't go along with Rebels. Anything is possible!

I have a little twist in store for one of the next chapters that you'll hate at first but like at the end. Just trust me on his one. It won't even be that sad initially ;)

See you in the next update, and may the force be with you!