Reunion (#3 Post-Order 66 Series)

Reunion - Part 24

"What can I do?" he asked gently, trying to keep his voice from shattering.

She shuddered. Her breath caught in her throat, and she leaned into him. Rex tightened his grip on her, pulling her into his lap and cradling her against his chest. "I know. I know," he whispered, pressing kisses against her forehead and hair. "I've got you. You can let go now. I'm right here."

Senna sobbed, digging her fingers into his shirt. Rex clenched his jaw as she fell apart in his arms. "I just don't understand," she wept. "H-how? How could h-he-"

"Shhhh," Rex whispered, rocking her gently. "It's not on you to understand or to feel responsible."

"I-I-I could have saved him. I should have just-"

"Senna." Rex's voice was firm as he cupped her cheeks, pulling her face away from him and forcing her to meet his gaze. He fought the lump rising in his throat and blinked away the mist clouding his vision. He waited until he was sure she was looking at him, really looking at him. "There is nothing you could have done to stop that, and thinking that there was will only torment you." He swiped his thumbs over her cheeks. "He is what he is because he made a choice, and nothing you or I did would have stopped him. You loved him unconditionally, you mentored him, you gave him everything he needed to understand that he was cared for. I...I trusted him with my life. I believed in him. And in spite of all of that, he turned. He failed us, Senna, not the other way around." He pulled her back to him. "Now please, tell me what I can do."

Senna was quiet for a few moments before she shifted in his lap, coming to straddle his waist and burying her face in his neck. "Please just hold me. Touch me. I haven't felt warm since..." Her voice trailed off and she shuddered again. Rex suddenly realized it wasn't just a sob, she was shivering.

Rex was struck by how small Senna felt in his arms. She was barely shorter than he was with a strong body that wasn't frail by any stretch of the imagination, but in this moment, she felt as though she'd shrunk in his arms, and he pulled her closer. For the first time since he'd known her, she felt as though she needed to be protected, that she needed him. It broke his heart.

Threading his fingers through her hair, he cradled the back of her head, finally allowing some of his tears to slide down his cheeks. "I've got you, Senna. I'm right here." His other palm slipped under her shirt, warm against her back, and she shuffled closer to him, as if she hoped that the two of them would meld together. Her breath stuttered against his neck, and he gripped her tighter.

"I'm right here, my love," he whispered again. "I've got you."

At some point, they moved further into the bunk and fell asleep tangled up in one another. As Rex drifted off, he prayed to any deity that was listening that Senna's sleep would be a dreamless one.

---

"His chip was successfully removed," Tech said. "He should be coming out of it shortly."

Rex felt Senna grip his hand from where she stood behind him, and he gave her a light squeeze back. All this time, and we've finally got him.

As soon as they'd returned, Tech had gotten the medpod calibrated for the chip removal procedure and prepped Wolffe for surgery. It had taken a few hours to complete and ensure that his vitals were stabilized, but as soon as they knew the procedure had been successful, Fives had come running out to Rex's ship to wake the two of them. Now, despite it being the middle of the night, Tech, Fives, Rex, and Senna had gathered around Wolffe's bed, waiting for him to wake up.

Rex's body felt exhausted. The sleep that he'd gotten with Senna for the last few hours had been fitful. He'd had nightmares of her hanging in the air in front of Anakin, but not as the Sith lord, as the young man he'd known throughout the war. Rex would shout his name, and Anakin would turn, his blue eyes burning into his former captain.