It Takes Two to Tango

The Last Shot

Ahsoka blinked, letting her eyes adjust to the bright sun around her. She coughed to get rid of the water that had built up inside her lungs.

"Hey, Snips."

She smiled, recognizing her master's voice. "Hey, Master. Thanks for the rescue."

A cold feeling washed over them. Ahsoka immediately knew it to be the Emperor's presence.

Anakin's face fell as an Imperial shuttle landed just in front of the ruins of what had been the tower. "Ahsoka, you let me do this. Get as far away from here as you can."

"Are you kidding me? Not a chance."

"I can't lose you, Ahsoka. Not after the way I lost everyone else the first time. It killed me then, and I don't want to ever go back to that."

Despite the fact that they were on a beach on a sunny day, the air around them became cold. "Ahsoka Tano and Anakin Skywalker, you have made a mess of my tower and my fleet.

Anakin stood up and reached for his lightsaber. With the blue blade by his side, Ahsoka could sense his calmness and concentration. "You took everything from me, and so it's my turn to take everything from you."

The Emperor called his lightsabers to his hands. "So be it."

As they sparred, Ahsoka's mind was racing. She was worried for Anakin, she felt useless, she was upset that Kanan had sacrificed himself for her to survive and take the crystal down, and she couldn't help but notice a slight tingling sensation in her left foot.

Her breath stopped. She hadn't felt anything below her hips since before her accident with Vader. As she thought about it more, the feeling spread to the rest of her legs. It had to be from the crystal. Instead of killing her, the energy healed her.

Anakin continued to hold off the Emperor, but he was on the defensive rather than offensive. If that didn't change, they were all going to die.

Anakin was knocked to the ground, and his lightsaber fell from his hand. Instead of fear, she could sense his inner content. He was ready to die for his family, but Ahsoka had other plans.

She summoned as much energy as she could and pushed the Emperor away from him using the force. With the momentum she had built up, she brought herself to her hands and knees. Slowly, as Anakin and the Emperor watched in shock, she stood up.

"Ahsoka? What the. . ." Anakin's stunned words were lost in his mouth as she reached out a hand to help him up.

"Did you really think I was going to let you have all the fun? If we're going to end this, we're ending it together."

She ignited her lightsabers and flourished them by her sides. Anakin called his own saber back to his hand and stood tall beside her.

The Emperor laughed. "You're fools!"

Ahsoka didn't wait long enough to hear whatever else he was going to say. She took a tentative and shaky step forward before her muscle memory began to kick in, and she went through the positions of an old training exercise she and Anakin used to do together. Anakin caught on and began to move in sync with her, perfectly timing each move to compliment hers.

The Emperor, however, was not to be underestimated. He blocked their blades with ease, twirling and jumping out of the way with plenty of time to spare. As Ahsoka grew tired, her technique became more and more sloppy. She knew she couldn't keep this up forever, and she could sense Anakin beginning to tire as well. Maybe this was really the end for them.

Their lightsabers locked, and Ahsoka channeled as much energy as she could into keeping the Emperor's blade away from her.

He smiled down upon her, showing his yellow rotten teeth and bloodshot eyes. "You will never beat me," he snapped.

Ahsoka hated to admit it, but he was right; she had reached her limit. She was very out of practice, and even at her best, she and Anakin wouldn't last much longer. The Emperor's lightsabers were inches from her face when an overwhelming sense of peace washed over her. She closed her eyes and pictured Lux's face. At least he would be safe with her dead. 

Ahsoka's eyes snapped open when she heard a gunshot. There was a pause, and the Emperor's eyes widened for a split second as a bullet hit his head from behind. He fell to the ground, too weak to stand. Ahsoka stared in disbelief. 

"Holy kriff. . ." she whispered. Anakin's expression matched hers as they both stared at the Emperor in shock. 

Her gaze drifted slowly to the shooter standing directly across from her.

Her lightsabers dropped when she saw him.

"Lux?"

"Hey." Lux threw his blaster aside and ran to her. She let him pick her up and spin her around before kissing him long and hard. 

"I thought I told you to stay on Onderon," she whispered, kissing him again.

"You most certainly did," he said. "You're walking again," he said, almost as if he wasn't fully sure of what he was saying. "How? This is impossible."

"The kyber crystal. It should've killed me, but I guess it had other plans." She looked back at Anakin, who just smiled. "Lux, you did it. It's finally over."

"Are you kidding? This was your mission and your plan. I just took an easy shot; you did the rest. He pressed his lips to hers one more time before their foreheads met. "I love you so much." He glanced at Anakin quickly to acknowledge his presence before taking a step back from Ahsoka.

"Now, believe me when I tell you I had this huge plan prepared for the banquet. I was going to give a speech, we were going to dance, and then I was going to ask you something. It was going to be perfect, but I don't think any amount of planning can create a moment more perfect than this."

He reached inside his pocket and revealed a small velvet box. He stared at it for a second, and Ahsoka knew he was most likely trying to remember the carefully crafted speech he'd written weeks ago.

He let out a deep sigh. "I don't know what to say. You overcame paralysis, brought down the Empire, and saved the galaxy. I don't think anything I could say would be enough."

"You don't have to say anything," Ahsoka said, surprising herself.

"I know we've talked about it before, but I want to ask officially." 

Ahsoka used to dream about Lux proposing when she first left the Jedi Order, but none of her fantasies prepared her for the moment when he got down on one knee in front of her. He opened a small velvet box to reveal the most beautiful ring Ahsoka had ever seen. "Ahsoka Tano, will you marry me? Will you be my queen?"

She could feel her face heat up as she smiled. "Yes!"

Lux slid the ring on her finger before standing up and pulling her into a hug. He kissed her softly, and Ahsoka let herself relax in his embrace. 

"I love you," she whispered. 

"I love you, too."

A/N: How about that for a double update XD More coming soon!