In another Universe althogether.

When Iris woke up again it was already a little past lunchtime, still slightly groggy from taking a nap in the middle of the day Iris hoisted herself out of her bed and slowly the memories before her nap started to come back as she stretched herself in her shared- but empty hospital room.

She felt excitement but also an incredible amount of guilt for just- running away like that, how was she gonna find Rex? What was she gonna do or say?
Slowly Iris put her white hospital pillow over her face and groaned deeply in annoyance of her own actions.

Why did she keep messing up?!

A gentle knock was heard from the door which startled Iris, curious but slightly anxious that it was Rex she hesitated to open it. But the gentle voice of her usual nurse told her it wasn't him.

Taking a deep breath and sighing a relief Iris didn't know she needed as the tension left her shoulders. Like a piece of ice had just removed itself from her bones and the warmth of the room around her finally started to comfort her again.

Opening the door a concerned face of the familiar nurse with flowers she first met were met her tired eyes from a days worth of stress and anxiety.

"Oh my, are you alright?" The nurse Xytila stated, surprised at seeing the declined state of her formerly so bright patient. "Yeah, I'm fine, today was just a lot is all." The nurse did once more a one over and hesitantly asked what had happened.

Iris left some details out but said she had a run in with someone, that person didn't do anything wrong but Iris felt extremely guilty for just running off. At the end of explanation of Irises situation she had a sympathetic look on her face, "would you like me to help you? Resolve and come with a solution I mean?" Iris nodded her head, "yes please, I don't want to come off as an asshole by ignoring them."

And thats how Iris ended up spending half an hour coming up with a plan to find said person and what she would say, which would be, 'I am sorry for running off like that and knocking you over."
Which Iris thought was good enough because in her mind she was 1000% sure she was gonna run away again.

When Xytila asked how she was gonna find the person she knocked over Iris told her she already kind of knew where he was. Before running out the door with a surprised and slightly stern voice of Xytila saying "No running in the halls!-"

Iris was long gone.

Sighing Xytila shook her head and headed off to where she was needed elsewhere.

Iris ran around the corner and sucked in a deep breath and closed her eyes, letting the darkness of her eyes bring a slow comfort to her racing heart before gently thinking of the one on the other end of the string she loathed slightly.

A gently tug, was all it took for Iris to be on her way to find Rex, and while walking she facepalmed when she realized she missed lunch and the new friend group she had made which she promised to eat with.

Letting a slow groan escape her throat she sighed at her own incapability to remember such a simple thing she continued to walk.

She almost decided to give up until she heard cheerful banter of similar voices across the hallway. And she knew she was at the right spot.

She was about to sneak around the corner and speedily walk around the group of clones until she heard a very excited voice speaking up about what happened to them today.

"Hold on, so you are saying there is an invisible red string around your finger attaching you to ANOTHER person?"

Iris froze.

That was Rex, and if she had to guess who was surrounding him it had to be the rest of his 501st group which were on leave.
Iris felt the anxiety run through her system again like someone dropped an ice bucket on her. She was so close to him- if she so much as even thought of him he would-

Too late.

Rex must've felt the pull because when she looked around the corner her blue green eyes met his dark ember ones. All that had to be said was in his eyes, surprise, hurt and slight confusion.

He said nothing, shaking his head he turned to his brothers and spoke a little louder than usual.

"Yeah, I've spoken to General Skywalker about it, it seems to be a force link between two people who fit so well together they are fated to be to eachother." The person she recognized as Fives spoke up, "Do you know who they are on the other side?" Rex looked at him and then quickly glanced at Iris, making sure to meet her eyes before stating.

"Yeah, but only if she makes a move to let me in will I ever approach them."

Those words stuck with Iris for the rest of the evening as she laid on her back in the white hospital bed. 'only if I make a move huh?' sighing she rolled over on her side before tracing the blue lines over her arm with the red string on it with her tatto-string free hand.

Iris hadn't gotten a headache in a while from thinking to hard and having too much anxiety, but she already felt a burning ache starting in the sides of her head that spread throughout her skull.

It took way to long for comfort to fall asleep, but when she opened her eyes she knew she was in another lucid dream.

And right on the other side of the barrier was a very lucid Rex, "So, you not gonna run away this time?" He asked, jokingly but looking slightly hurt. His arms were crossed over his blacks, and like last time he only wore his leg protectors and kama.

"I- I'm sorry, I shouldn't have ran, I was just-" Standing up from her kneeled position with her hands outstretched as if to attempt to heal the damage with her own hands, however good intentions her words failed her as her mind turned out blank with a lack of words to communicate how she felt. A sinking gut wrenching feeling of guilt sank in her stomach, her mind slowly lost its lucidity as  slowly her side of the barrier grew dark and hostile.

Dark whispers slowly started to emerge as Iris lost control and the lucidity slowly faded away, Iris felt small, smaller than ever and more vulnerable than she had ever imagined. The ghosts and haunting voices of her mind started voicing themselves like they had done once in the past.

None believes you

The voice of a young boy hissed through the darkness that seemed to spread everywhere. The voice of a woman soon followed suit.

I wish I never had you

That seemed to get Iris to break, and soon a hole tore open under Iris, long tears mimicking a spiderweb being pulled apart before Iris got swallowed by the darkest fears and history of her own mind.

Rex stood there, hands now no longer crossed over his chest, but reaching out panicking towards the barrier, he had tried to call out to her like she had done to him.

But it didn't work, his shouts for Iris fell on deaf ears as he watched the person who was bound to him for life get swallowed by the darkness.

Hands slammed against the barrier once more "IRIS!" Came his panicked yell, but he couldn't see anyone on the other side anymore.