The Adventures of Babysitting with Ahsoka Tano (COMPLETE)

Part 10

It was weird to see Ahsoka in anything other than her usual burgundy, but Anakin tried not to focus on it. Wearing neutral colors was a Jedi thing, and besides, she looked good in blue. She had also put on a lot more muscle than Anakin remembered. It probably had something to do with her improved diet, or maybe just working as a mechanic. She was probably doing a lot more strength exercise than before. 

At any rate, the more important thing was that she looked comfortable and happy. She didn't feel unwelcome on board, or at least she didn't act like it. Rex and Cody still seemed like they were on good terms with her, so she clearly didn't have to worry about being respected by the troopers. 

Now that Obi-Wan and Anakin had been caught up on the situation, she had relaxed a lot. When the banter had started up again, she practically glowed, and she still looked happy. A little smug too, but mostly happy. For some reason, that was what sealed the deal for Anakin. Ahsoka wasn't here because someone forced her against her will. Between the life she was leading on her own and the time she was spending with the Jedi and the clones, she was where she wanted to be. As long as that was true, how bad could it be? 

After they had walked a bit, Anakin turned to her again. "You've probably already told me this, so I'm sorry for asking again, but how did the troop respond when they saw you? The first time, I mean?"

She smiled again, and Anakin could tell it was a good memory.  "They nearly tackled me once they realized I was here. Not long after, Rex showed me the starfighter."

"The one they painted and signed?" he asked, pointing back toward the hangar. When Ahsoka nodded, he smirked. "I'm glad they showed you. They've been hiding it for a while now."

"Remind me again the next time we see Artoo," she told him. "He was nearby for the whole thing, and I'm sure he still has the recording."

"Where is he?" Anakin asked, looking around. "I haven't seen him since..."

"Since you forgot?"

"Yeah."

Ahsoka shrugged, glancing down a hallway they were passing. "I'm sure he's around here somewhere. He's probably in the command center, digging through the files Windu sent us for this mission."

Checking if anybody (or more specifically, Obi-Wan) was behind them, he asked lowly, "So I take it he's still alive in ten months?"

"Oh yeah, he's still alive," Ahsoka assured him. "Still alive and still no-nonsense. I had to wait until he and Yoda left the room before I could laugh at you."

"Ouch."

"Come on! If I turned into a ten-year-old, you would do the same thing."

Anakin grimaced at the thought. "I'm glad I'm not ten again. No thanks, not doing that again."

"Yeah, you said that earlier," she told him. "Kind of. Same idea, at least."

They walked into the engine room, where no one would walk in on them, and they could relax a little bit. After doing a once-over of the room, Anakin asked, "Has someone already done engine checks?"

She nodded, sitting next to a wall nearby. "I did, right after I explained to the battalions what was happening. That was before the night shift started, though."

He sat down next to her, relaxing for a moment before saying anything more. Despite being in the loudest room in the cruiser, it felt so still. Time didn't freeze, but it felt like it was moving slow enough that they had all the time in the world. It was strange, but welcome. 

Anakin turned his head to the side. "Windu didn't give you a hard time, did he?"

"Nah," Ahsoka assured him, waving a hand. "Nothing out of the usual, at least. I think he just didn't how to respond to me. I'm not sure anyone did, at first."