In the End {1}

vii: Gut Instinct

Nyx put down his fork. "We?"

Ahsoka froze. Had she said "we" instead of "they?" "I mean 'we' as in the Republic supporters, of course."

He shrugged. "I don't know. I wouldn't call myself a Republic supporter. They're just as corrupt as the Separatists. Do you have ties to it?"

How was she supposed to answer that without revealing she was a Jedi? She didn't want to lie in case she decided to tell him about her past later. "I, um, used to date someone that worked for the Republic."

"Oh." There was a period of awkward silence before Nyx picked up his fork and spoke again. "What did he do?"

She couldn't exactly say that she dated a Senator, but what other option was there? "He does some work for the Senate. Like organizes things and stuff for some representatives." Please don't ask which ones.

"Neat."

She let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding. That was too close. She would have to be better about how she talked about her past, especially concerning Lux.

She took a sip of her drink and felt a familiar presence in the force. Her gaze was immediately drawn to the front door, where Anakin and Padme walked in, both dressed as civilian as possible. He stopped suddenly, and Ahsoka knew that her presence has been recognized.

"Excuse me, I have to use the 'fresher," she said to Nyx, folding her napkin and standing up. "I'll be right back."

She walked over to where they had been seated and made eye contact with Anakin.

"Ahsoka?" He whispered.

"Hey, Master. Didn't think I'd run into you here." She glanced at Senator Amidala and smiled politely before looking back at Anakin. "Isn't this a little risky for you? What if someone recognizes you?"

Padme cleared her throat. "As you know, Ahsoka, neither of us are strangers to taking risks. It's our anniversary today, so we wanted to do something special."

"Oh," Ahsoka said, surprised. "Well happy anniversary then!"

"Thanks, Snips. What are you doing here?"

She felt her cheeks heat up. "I, um, actually have a date."

Anakin raised an eyebrow. "A what?"

"Unimportant. I wanted to ask you about the case. Have you been able to do some digging yet?"

He nodded. "Yes, but I haven't found much. It's hard to track exactly how many murders this guy has done because he doesn't have a trademark. An obvious one, anyway. I'm going to do some more research tomorrow to get information about each victim tied to this string of murders to see if we can narrow our search down to a specific location."

"Good." Ahsoka could see their waiter coming over to the table with drinks. "I can talk more about it tomorrow. Enjoy your evening. You both deserve a nice, relaxing break from all the action."

Anakin picked up his menu and pretended to read it. "Good. And tell that boy that if he so much as looks at you the wrong way–"

"Bye, Ahsoka. Take care," Padme said, smiling as she interrupted Anakin.

Ahsoka turned and walled back toward her table, where Nyx was waiting patiently for her. She sat down and took a sip of her drink.

It was late by the time Ahsoka and Nyx returned to Nyx's apartment. Ahsoka sat down on the couch and let her mind wander as Nyx turned on the lights and put away their leftovers.

She couldn't help but feel like there was something she was missing, like the answer to this string of murders was right in front of her. It had to be someone she knows or had known. Without the label of a Jedi, there was no reason to believe it was a Separatist or some sort of military strategy. It felt almost personal in a sense. And who had recently personally attacked Ahsoka?

Barriss Offee.

The room spun around her. This could not be happening.

Barriss was in prison. Anakin had put her there. She was supposed to be executed soon. Had she escaped?

"Ashla, you okay? You look a little pale," Nyx said, sitting down beside her.

Ahsoka nodded. "I'm fine, too much to drink, I think," she lied.

He shrugged. "Okay. You tired?"

"Yeah. I think I'm going to step outside and make a call and then go to bed, if that's okay." If Barriss had indeed escaped, Anakin would know. "Do you mind if I stay here tonight? It's late."

He kissed her cheek. "Of course. I'll go change while you make your call. I'll lay out some clothes for you, too."

"Thanks." She stood up and briskly walked outside, closing the door behind her.

She immediately placed a call through Anakin's secure channel. He didn't pick up the first time, so she called again and again until he did answer.

"Hey, Snips. Are you okay?" His voice sounded tired. She must've woken him up.

"Yeah, for the moment. But I think we have a problem. When's the last time you heard anything about Barriss?"

"Not recently, why?"

"I just have a feeling. Can you check and make sure there's not an issue at the prison?"

"Sure. Just give me a minute." The line went dead.

Ahsoka's heart raced as she waited for him to call back. It was probably fine. Those prisons are high security, designed to keep even the cleverest criminals from getting out. After everything that Barriss had done, she was sure the guards would be watching her like a hawk.

Her comm beeped. "What's going on? Please tell me I'm wrong, Master."

He was silent for a few seconds. "Ahsoka, Barriss's cell is empty. She escaped."