For Redstorm867
"Output to Fulcrum! Do you copy?"
There was no response. Why wasn't she paying attention to her commlink?
"Fulcrum!"
The approaching footfalls of Imperial Stormtroopers grew louder with each passing second.
"FULCRUM!"
At last the crackling on the other side of the comm channel echoed through (Y/N)'s ears, shortly followed by the familiar voice of Ahsoka Tano. "I hear you- I had to lead some troopers away from the ship. What's your status?"
As (Y/N) raced through the loading dock, blaster fire began resounding through the air. (Y/N) dodged, barely stopping herself from crashing into a nearby crate, as bolts bounced off of the walls in every direction. For once in her life she wished that the Stormtroopers had better aim- it would be easier to deflect the shots if she knew where they were coming from.
Ahsoka's voice filled emitted from the comm once again, "...nevermind. How close are you to the rendezvous?"
(Y/N) gasped as a bolt narrowly missed her shoulder. "Get the ship fired up! We're going to have to make a run for it!"
(Y/N) ducked behind a particularly battered crate just as she heard the unmistakable sound of her freighter taking off. She looked over her shoulder and saw the ship steadily rising, now just barely over a meter above the ground. If she wanted an easy escape, now was the time to make a mad dash for the ramp that Ahsoka had purposefully left down in order for (Y/N) to board.
Gathering up the last of her courage, (Y/N) propelled herself towards the ship using the force, almost missing the edge of the ramp as she landed. She wobbled precariously for a moment before balancing herself and running up the remainder of the slope, leaving a now much larger battalion of Stormtroopers firing in their wake as they fled the Imperial base.
. . .
"We'll be arriving at the outpost soon," Ahsoka commented as she returned to her seat in the cockpit. Shortly after they had jumped into hyperspace, Ahsoka had relinquished her control of the pilot's seat to (Y/N), who had found herself staring out into tunnel that the ship sped through faster than the speed of light.
"Hey," Ahsoka began softly, lightly placing her hand on (Y/N)'s shoulder. "We got what we were after- everything's okay now."
(Y/N) sighed. "I know, I had just hoped that when I hacked into the Imperial database-"
"(Y/N), we'll find him. One way or another, I promise that we'll get him back someday."
(Y/N) turned to meet her oldest friend's gaze. She wanted to believe her, but everyday she doubted more and more that promise that she had made countless times before. With every passing second she lost faith that he was even alive- how could he be? Surely he had been hunted down and killed for his mutiny against the former Supreme Chancellor of the Republic.
"Do you remember how you and I met?" (Y/N) asked slowly. Ahsoka nodded.
"You and your padawan joined my master and I to take down a Separatist base. Why do you ask?"
(Y/N) smiled in spite of herself. "That was also how I met him." She paused for a moment before bursting out with laughter. Ahsoka watched her in confusion, as only a few seconds ago (Y/N) had looked as though she was restraining tears.
"Do you remember the first thing I said to him?" (Y/N) finally asked as she caught her breath. Ahsoka, now understanding, couldn't contain her own laughter.
"How could I forget? He took off his helmet and the first thing that flew out of your mouth was..."
. . .
"...Captain to meet you, nice Rex,"
Hushed whispers and chuckles filled the air around the rest of the clones as (Y/N) realized exactly what she had just said. She shook her head and covered her eyes with her hand as the amused response to her words continued. She looked to her side and found that even her own padawan -as well as her associate Master Skywalker's apprentice- barely resisting the urge to smile. She shot her young apprentice a warning glare, causing him to immediately stand at attention with the most deadpan look he could muster at the time. She had been warned that Caleb Dume was trouble, but it had never occurred to her that he would betray her in such a way.
As for her second apprentice for the time being, she noted that Ahsoka Tano seemed to have a much more difficult time restraining herself. While she certainly was a promising Jedi, she would have to work on maintaining an air of professionalism. She hoped that Caleb's usual demeanor that she had drilled into him would rub off on Ahsoka in time.
It was in that moment that Anakin Skywalker returned from his briefing with the council. He seemed a little put-off, however his glum expression quickly changed to one of confusion when the laughter from the large gathering of people reached his ears.
"Master (L/N)?" he questioned. She turned to face him and shook her head, not wanting him to catch onto the fact that they were all laughing at her.
Skywalker sighed. He waved everyone towards the awaiting ships and called, "Alright men. Let's board the transports!"
(Y/N) sighed with relief as the troops filed out of the hangar and made their way to their designated ships. Just when she thought she was the only one still idling, the sound of a throat being cleared caused her to jump slightly. She turned around and saw that Captain Rex was the only one remaining in the hangar with her.
"What is it captain?" (Y/N) asked, attempting vainly to maintain an air of civility. The captain noticed the wavering in her voice and cautiously stepped forward.
"I'm sorry they reacted like that," he said quietly.
(Y/N) waved him off. "No need to apologize- I brought this upon myself."
Rex shook his head, a small smile forming on his features. "For the record, that first impression will stick out in my memory a lot more than others I've had- and for the right reasons."
(Y/N) returned his grin as they fell into step with each other, slowly but surely making their way to the transports.
. . .
The ship groaned as (Y/N) carefully set it down in the spot that she had been assigned at the Rebellion outpost. She knew that she wouldn't be staying long, as she had already received word from Bail Organa that she and Ahsoka would be meeting up with another small band of Rebels within the hour that they arrived at their destination.
During their journey to the outpost, (Y/N) had silently relived all of her meetings with Rex after their rough introduction. Even after their mission together had ended, they had continued to speak in private as often as possible. Less than a year had passed before they realized just how intense their feelings for each other were, and the very same day that they had agreed to meet in person to discuss what they would do about their predicament, (Y/N) had decided to cast everything that she knew aside and asked Rex to marry her. (Y/N) couldn't contain her smile as she recalled how happy Rex had been to accept her proposal, as her own joy had shone so much that even after they were forced to part for the day her padawan had watched her curiously as she practically skipped through the Jedi Temple. Of course she could not resist the urge to tell him- she trusted the boy after all. And that was part of the reason why it had been so painful for her to lose them both, one right after the other.
She felt uneasy as she turned off every part of the ship that wouldn't be needed while it was on the ground, her agonizing sorrow causing her to feel physical pain in her heart. The Imperial Senator of Alderaan was already waiting for them once they let the ramp down and abandoned their rugged ship, prompting (Y/N) to waste no time in handing him the data chip containing the information that they had recovered during their mission. He turned the chip over in his hands, admiring how they had collected such valuable intel after barely one rotation's passing since they had been assigned the task. He gestured for them to follow him onto an awaiting Alderaan Cruiser on the other side of the hangar, explaining to them along the way that they would be temporarily joining a group who referred to themselves as the Ghost Crew.
"I will warn you that their behavior can seem a little...unprofessional at times, but I assure you that they are very dedicated to our cause and are very skilled in their individual fields," Organa commented as the cruiser began the process of jumping into hyperspace. (Y/N) turned to smile at Ahsoka- the Ghost Crew sounded just like them during their short-lived partnership in the Clone War.
After a brief journey, the ship returned to normal speed. (Y/N) and Ahsoka peered out of the window before them and saw a Corellian-manufactured light freighter hovering idly among the stars. Senator Organa began relaying orders to prepare to board, confirming the inkling that the two Jedi had that this was the ship that they were looking for.
. . .
"Wait," Organa called as (Y/N) and Ahsoka prepared to descend down the ladder that would bring them into the freighter below. (Y/N) could sense that he was troubled, which was of course worrying- why would he be concerned if he knew that they were in an isolated region of space while meeting with allies?
"Master (L/N), Ahsoka, I almost forgot to tell you that you may or may not recognize one of their crew members...and when you do, it may not be the most lighthearted reunion."
(Y/N) and Ahsoka exchanged a glance before Ahsoka nodded in affirmation for the both of them. She quickly climbed down the ladder, shortly followed by (Y/N).
Once they were inside the ship, they were both met with a small, diverse group who seemed to know as little about the two Jedi as Ahsoka and (Y/N). knew about the Ghost Crew. As (Y/N) examined each of their faces and committed them to memory, she was forced to do a double-take as her eyes landed on a tall, bearded man who seemed to be just as shocked as she was.
His eyes were all too familiar.
"Caleb?" (Y/N) asked quietly. The man gently pushed past the other members of his crew until he was standing directly in front of (Y/N). Without a moment's hesitation, (Y/N) wrapped her arms around him, choking back tears all the while.
"Caleb, I thought you were dead!" she croaked.
Caleb wrapped his arms around her shoulders in turn. "Master...it's...where have you been?"
(Y/N) reluctantly pulled herself away, knowing that she owed her former padawan an explanation. He lead her to a small table surrounded by chairs, inviting her and Ahsoka to sit down and talk as all but a green Twi'lek disbanded and spread about the ship to see to their individual business.But where would she even begin? The last time that she had seen him was two weeks before the Empire overthrew the Jedi...that was when Caleb had been the only witness of her private marriage to Captain Rex.
She sighed and began her story shortly after the wedding, when she and Caleb had been summoned back to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant to receive their next assignment from the council. They had shortly after been separated, as it turned out that their tasks were to be done covertly and individually. She avoided recalling what they had been away from the capital for, and what she had done up until the order for the execution of the Jedi had been given, as she had yet to tell Ahsoka that her relationship with Rex had exceeded beyond subtle flirting. After the purge, there was not much to tell. She recounted her travels with Ahsoka after running into her as she fled from Mandalore, and how they had gone into hiding for a number of years before coming into contact with Bail Organa about the efforts to liberate the galaxy from Imperial control.
After her spiel, Caleb -who explained to her that he had been going by the alias Kanan Jarrus since the beginning of his exile- summarized his life after the Jedi had become obsolete, with the only thing he explained in detail being his meeting with the Twi'lek Hera Syndulla during the Gorse conflict. Other than that, he had done exactly the same work as (Y/N); fighting with the Rebellion to eliminate the Empire.
"It sounds like you really have been busy," (Y/N) remarked, taking note of the glance shared between Kanan and Hera with mild amusement.
"I guess I have...speaking of busy, you still need to meet the rest of the crew," Kanan said. He pointed out each member as he gave a brief introduction for them. "That's Zeb- don't get on his bad side. Over there is Sabine. She might look young, but she knows what she's doing. Messing with Zeb's things over there is Chopper. Just don't leave anything of value lying around and you'll be fine."
At last he indicated towards the boy who looked to be about Sabine's age. He had bright blue eyes and jet black hair that almost appeared blue under the lighting of the freighter. (Y/N) could sense the force flowing through him, and she knew from Ahsoka's shift in position that she felt it too.
"The little kid over there is Ezra," Kanan explained. Ezra shot him a glare before waving at (Y/N) and Ahsoka. They returned his gesture before (Y/N) leaned over the table, asking Kanan in a hushed tone, "I assume that if he didn't know before that you've told him by now?"
Kanan nodded. His solemn expression was quickly replaced with a proud smile as he commented, "As a matter of fact, I've even trained him a little bit.
(Y/N) and Ahsoka laughed. "I'm certain that you've tried your best," (Y/N) said.
. . .
A good amount of time had passed since (Y/N) and Ahsoka had been reunited with Kanan and had been introduced to his crew when Kanan announced to his old friends that he was taking a condensed version of his team on a special assignment for Organa. (Y/N) thought nothing of it until she saw Kanan and Ahsoka share a conspiratorial nod before her former apprentice took his leave.
"What's going on?" (Y/N) questioned as she and Ahsoka made their way in the opposite direction.
"I'm not sure what you're talking about," Ahsoka said blankly.
(Y/N) sighed. "Very well, keep your secrets. I would expect nothing less from the two of you."
Ahsoka laughed at (Y/N)'s reference to the trouble that she and Kanan had gotten into during that short period of time when they worked together in their adolescence.
(Y/N) watched Ahsoka continue to walk away as the Jedi Master retired to her quarters. She fell onto her cot as the door slid to a close, allowing herself for the first time in weeks to reflect on her feelings and current situation.
After very firmly believing that she would never see her apprentice again, he had appeared before her in such an anticlimactic manner that she almost didn't believe that their meeting was real. She felt that she had kept herself very composed during their reunion, however inside she had been drowning in her own overwhelming emotions. Nothing could have prepared her for the loss that she felt during the fall of the Jedi- what with having no evidence that her padawan and husband had survived the bloody ordeal; however she felt even less prepared for the moment that she found out that he was alive and as well as one could be when fighting to free an entire galaxy. How would she handle it if she was ever met with the sight of Rex again?
She sighed and laid back on the cot. As her master before her had said, it was not wise to dwell on one's feelings. While (Y/N) had never subscribed to such a belief, now seemed like a good time to at least pretend to. She was certain that if she didn't close herself off from the raging storm of emotions in her soul, she would never be able to return to reality from the 'what-ifs' that her mind produced on an unending loop.
For her- and she was certain that this applied to many others- she had not only to escape the discord of the galaxy that surrounded her, but also from the emotional turmoil that plagued her heart and mind, threatening to corrupt her.
. . .
A knock at the door awoke (Y/N) out of her troubled sleep. She sat up abruptly after the first rapping of knuckles resounded on the sealed entrance to her private room, forcing herself to wake up as quickly as possible.
"Come in," she called groggily. The door slid open, allowing (Y/N) to see that Ahsoka had been the one to interrupt her slumber. The tall woman stepped inside of the room, and immediately (Y/N) could sense that her younger associate was full of an emotion that she hadn't felt in a long time- excitement.
Ahsoka ran to (Y/N)'s side and assisted her in standing up. Wordlessly, Ahsoka ushered (Y/N) out of the room.
The bright lights of the hallway effectively caused (Y/N) to groan as her eyes adjusted. Why was Ahsoka dragging her through the ship at such a fast pace as the one that they had accelerated to. Had something happened?
(Y/N) examined Ahsoka's face for any signs of what she might be thinking. She was certain that nothing too terrible had happened, as she could still sense the steady flow of positive emotions in Ahsoka's mind. Why was she so happy? And, better yet, how was she refraining from smiling when her joyfulness was so overpowering that it almost caused (Y/N) to fall to the floor on several occasions?
"Ahsoka?" (Y/N) questioned. There was, as usual, no initial response.
After what seemed like an eternity of speeding through hallways, Ahsoka at last came to a halt and gently pushed (Y/N) out from behind the corner where they had stopped.
"Ahsoka, I know that it goes against your nature, but could you please stop being so cryptic-"
(Y/N)'s mouth remained open, however she found that no sound was able to escape her lips. She even felt as though she couldn't breathe as she took in what Ahsoka had been in such a hurry to show her.
Standing at the opposite end of the hall was a tall, armor-clad man with a full white beard. While she couldn't place it at first, she felt as though she should recognize him. The force screamed at her as she stared, dumbfounded, at the man before her. It wasn't until she took note of the distinctive blue markings on his armor that she finally pieced together why this man had left her speechless.
"Rex?" she asked, unsure of how she would react to the answer. If it wasn't Rex, this disappointment would haunt her for years. And yet, if it was-
The man nodded slowly. He had held the same shocked expression as (Y/N) ever since he had laid eyes on her, and it seemed as though his ability to speak had abandoned him more than (Y/N)'s own.
(Y/N) cautiously took a step towards him. Unlike her meeting with Kanan, she was unable to conceal her emotions and keep them bubbling just under the surface. She pushed herself forward until she found herself standing directly in front of the man. Up close he looked even more familiar- he still had the same sharp eyes that he had in their younger years, and she noted with a start that he still looked at her in the same way that he did before their forced separation. She could see the love and unwavering trust in his gaze as his eyes met hers, and she realized that while they both certainly looked older, their hearts hadn't aged at all.
"(Y/N)?" he at last choked out. She nodded slowly before reaching out to grasp his hand. How this was even happening was beyond her, but she knew as he entangled his fingers with hers that she would never let him go again.
Without another moment's hesitation, she fell into his arms. She soon found that she could not stop herself from sobbing as every feeling that she had tried so hard to suppress came flooding back. All of the years of hurt and what she had thought was fruitless love and aimless longing escaped her all at once as she gripped Rex desperately. He wrapped his arms around her in turn, not wanting to release her any more than she wanted to let go of him.
"I love you," (Y/N) whispered. Her tears blurred her vision, and her throat burned with every word. She could hear that Rex had started crying with her, which did nothing to cease her relentless sobs. She had imagined their reunion in her mind countless times before, however she had never thought that they would be this overcome with emotion- it was both relieving and heart-wrenching.
"I love you too...and I'll never stop," Rex whispered in reply.
And so (Y/N) realized that the indescribable feeling that followed those words after he spoke were exactly how she was supposed to feel. There was no grief or pain- only some feeling that was so foreign to her that she felt she would never be able to place her finger on it.
Regardless, she knew in her heart that she was alright.
They would both be alright.