Cejanr (A Rexsoka SWTCW Fanfic)

25

"Ahsoka?" Lotta repeated herself. Ahsoka jerked, the stack of sheets she had been folding slipping to the ground in a heap.

"Sorry, what was that?" She asked sheepishly, picking up the sheets. Lotta tilted her head.

"I asked if you were ok. You've been distant for the last few days." Her tone was worried.

"I... I'm fine. Just got a lot on my mind." She said half heartedly, refolding the sheets into a crisp stack and standing on tiptoe to slide them onto their cupboard shelf and shut the cabinet doors.

"Well, figure I'd let you know that it's your break. Wouldn't want you to miss a rare thirty to grab a bite to eat and use the bathroom." Lotta chuckled. Ahsoka managed a weak smile.

"Yeah. That would be bad. Thanks, Lotta." She said quietly. Lotta's lavender brows furrowed.

"Are you sure you're ok? If you don't feel good I'm sure Petrov wouldn't mind taking your temperature or something." She persisted. "Come on, let me get you a snack." She practically dragged Ahsoka down the hall to the break room.

"Really, you don't have to..." She protested as Lotta bought her a small bag of jerky from the vending machine.

"Nonsense. This is what friends are for." She insisted. Ahsoka took the dried meat gratefully, chewing on it methodically. With out thinking about it, she touched mentally checked the gossamer thin strand of the reforming bond between her and Rex. Too weak to tell her anything more than he was alive, but she was almost constantly brushing against it, careful not to accidentally break it.

"Ahsoka? Ahsoka!?" Lotta shook her a little. "Anybody home? Ok. Something's definitely up." She jabbered. Ahsoka twitched.

"Sorry." She winced. Lotta crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Spill. You can't just leave like that. Are you sick? Is it something to do with your magic?" She asked anxiously. Ahsoka chewed her lip, sniffling a hiss as she accidentally stabbed her fang into her own lower lip. Thank force her venom sacks were currently empty, or that would have been embarrassing.

"No to the first, kinda to the second?" She said, wondering how to explain it to the older woman. "It's my husband. He shipped out a few days ago." She said quietly.

"Oh. You're worried about him? He hasn't called?" Lotta asked quietly, putting a hand on the togruta's arm. Ahsoka shook her head.

"He's under a comm blackout. Will be for at least five months. I... We have a connection, of sorts, because of the force. Magic. I can tell he's alive..." She trailed off, hunching her shoulders slightly.

"You don't know how he is other than that." Lotta finished for her. Ahsoka nodded. "Where does he serve? Navy officer, I'm guessing?" She asked.

"No, actually. Infantry. Part of the 501st." She said softly, taking another bite of meat. Lotta stiffened slightly.

"He's a clone?" She asked, the concern in her voice increasing. "No wonder you're half gone. I would be too, if I was in your shoes. An officer?"

Ahsoka gave another mute nod.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Lotta asked. Ahsoka shook her head, tears welling up.

"No." She said, her voice an octave higher than she would have liked it. Lotta, sensing she was on the verge of a breakdown at this point, took her by the hand and lead her into one of the overnight rooms.

She had Ahsoka sit on the bed and draped a blanket around her shoulders as the ex-jedi folded in on herself with sobs that wracked her thin frame. The pantoran rubbed at her back gently, sitting with her for a while.

"Do you want to go home? I'll cover for you." Lotta said. Ahsoka didn't answer, just curled up a little tighter into a ball. "Ok. Gimme a nanosec." She stood up and keyed up her comm, leaving the room. She called Dr. Kallus, who answered after the third buzz.

"What's going on?" He asked, a grim worry laced through his voice.

"It's Ahsoka. I'll explain more later, but I'm escorting her back to her apartment. She's taking the rest of the day as a sick day." Lotta said hurriedly. Usually you only pulled a doctor from his work if there was an emergency.

"Understood." Kallus replied, relief plain through his voice before he cut the connection.

Lotta took Ahsoka back in her speeder, and dropped her off at the doorstep. Ahsoka gave a mumbled thanks before stumbling to the door, barely able to punch in the code her hands were shaking so badly.

Fives looked up as she opened the door and all but fell in. "Com-er, Ahsoka?" He asked. Ahsoka fell to her knees, and he was making his way over to her as fast as he could and kneeling next to her. "Ahsoka what's- Oh." He was cut off as she all but fell against him, knocking him over so he smacked his head on the wall behind him.

"Sorry." She muttered against his shoulder. Fives rubbed at the back of his head.

"'S ok. Didn't need those particular braincells anyways." He said. Ahsoka gave a stifled sob. Fives sighed, letting his arm fall loosely around her. "Is it him?" He asked quietly. She grunted something he didn't quite catch but took as a yes nonetheless. "Shh. It's gonna be ok. Rex is a smart man. He can take care of himself." Fives soothed.

Ahsoka just clung to him a little tighter. Fives decided it would be better just to shut up. If she was missing her husband badly enough to break down like this, hearing somebody with the exact same voice probably wasn't going to help in the slightest.

Ahsoka cried until her head hurt and more, desperately waiting for the numbness that always followed the tears. When it finally came, she just released her friend and staggered off to her bed. Fives followed with a grunt, using the walls and countertops to help him balance. She curled up in a ball and he arranged her nest of blankets so she could sleep before leaving her to rest.