Consequences

Bonus Chapter - Anakin

Anakin can hardly believe Ahsoka agreed to stay. Still, he's never been prouder in his life than when he saw her standing up to the Council like that. She's truly something of a living miracle, and he couldn't be gladder to have her as a padawan. Or rather, a former padawan, now. At least with his little sister at his side, he can feel marginally better about everything that happened.

Even so, Anakin highly doubts he'll ever be able to forgive the Council for what they did. The second there was a slight question about Ahsoka's loyalty, they threw her out. She'd spent her entire life with them, and she'd never done anything that could have harmed anyone. He can't count the number of times, she'd nearly gotten herself killed fighting for them, for the Republic. If she wasn't a padawan, he wonders, what would they have done? Would they have reacted the same way? Somehow, he expects they would have. He almost wishes he'd gone to speak with Letta instead. He would have been able to sense the person doing it. It would have spared Ahsoka so much of what she's gone through. Because of the Council. And when he was trying to find the true killer, he was completely alone. Not even Obi-Wan had bothered coming with him.

He can't deny his anger at Palpatine for being the one to lead the trial, but if he's being honest, it's not like he could have known. Anakin wasn't there, which turned out to be a good thing. If he hadn't found Barriss right when he did, Ahsoka would have been executed. The Council and Senate would have caused an innocent child's death. Senselessly. She was still a minor, but none of them cared. It's just further proof that the system is completely corrupted.

Anakin had hoped so badly Ahsoka would come back – though a small part of him wasn't sure she would. He has to admit that if he was in her place, he probably wouldn't, but he'd done everything he could for her. He should have known she'd never leave him.

He won't deny how worried he'd been when she suddenly lost consciousness right as she seemed to be having second thoughts about rejoining. If that's what she was thinking in that moment, all such ideas had been thoroughly washed away when she awoke. He's still not quite sure what to make of that. He's never heard of anything like it before. Visions, sure, he's had them himself, but something like that? Anakin's never heard of actually walking through times before. Then again, considering the kind of future she'd seen, it's a good thing it happened.

There was nothing like being able to Knight Ahsoka. Seeing the girl he practically raised standing in front of him as a Jedi Knight, he could clearly see the young woman she's going to grow into. So much unlike the young, over-energetic girl he'd taken a few years ago. Was it only a few? It's felt way longer. Anakin's only regret is that she was a padawan all throughout the entire war, never having known what it was like to be raised outside one. Hopefully her own future padawan will have a different fate.

Usually after knighting, a master and padawan don't see each other much, but that changed to an extent after the war started. Anakin and Obi-Wan were still almost always with each other, but he's still very grateful. Ahsoka wanted to remain the commander of the 501st at least temporarily. After this, it would be too odd for her to take on her own group of clones so soon. Besides, he knows she's ready to be a Knight, but he's not so sure about a General. He has a lot of faith in her, but the thought of Ahsoka running around the galaxy with a group of her own clones without him is not something he wants to think about.

"What do you say to paying Rex and the boys a visit?" he asks as the pair walk side by side through the Temple halls.

Ahsoka seems to instantly brighten from the dark look she's had – she's been that way ever since she came back from the future, which really makes Anakin wonder just what kind of horrors she experienced that she never told him – and nods. "Of course. They must've been worried to death about me."