In the End {1}

xxii: The Locket

Ahsoka and Padme returned to the Senator's apartment that night, much to the Jedi Council's chagrin. The killer was still out there, they reasoned, and he knew virtually everything about Ahsoka's personal and professional life. It wasn't safe for them to stay there anymore. They knew better than to argue with Padme, though, when she voiced her intentions to return home whether they thought it was a good idea or not.

Rex and some of the men from the 501st as well as members of the Jedi Order and Nubian Royal Guard would keep watch over the entire building while they slept just to be sure there was absolutely nothing to worry about. And it did help ease Ahsoka's mind. Once she saw the troops lined up outside the building, she knew it was going to be virtually impossible to get inside without somebody knowing.

Once Padme and Ahsoka arrived at the apartment and Padme was secure inside, Ahsoka pulled Rex aside.

"Captain, I have a request for you," she said.

"Name it, Commander."

"Now that the Senator is settled in, I have some business to take care of in Senator Bonteri's apartment a few floors down. Do you think you'll be able to keep whoever is in charge of security occupied long enough for me to sneak away for a few minutes?"

She couldn't see Rex's face under his helmet, but she knew he wasn't pleased.

"Ahsoka, don't you think in light of recent events that tonight might not be the best night to disobey the Council? I can't lose both of my Jedi leaders in one day."

She sighed. Of course Rex was taking this hard, too. He was Anakin's first in command, which meant they were practically inseparable on missions across the galaxy.

"Then come with me. I'll only be a minute or two."

"I can't just leave my post!"

"Sure you can! If anyone gives you a hard time, you can tell them that it was my idea and it was our way of keeping the memory of General Skywalker alive."

Rex knew better than anyone, besides maybe Ahsoka, that Anakin found great enjoyment in doing everything he was explicitly told not to do.

Rex shrugged. "Can't argue with that one." He motioned for Jesse to join them.

"Yeah, Captain?" he said.

"Jesse, Ahsoka and I are going downstairs to Senator Bonteri's apartment to pick up a few of the Commander's things. When someone notices we're gone, will you cover for us?"

"Yeah, 'course," he said. "It's the least I can do. We'll be fine until you get back."

Rex nodded in thanks and led Ahsoka past some of the guards to the lift. In a matter of seconds, they reached Lux's apartment.

Ahsoka reached inside one of the pouches on her belt and pulled out the spare key to his apartment. She didn't even remember why she had it, but she was certainly thankful that she did.

The door slid open, and she turned on the lights. Of course, it looked exactly like she'd left it. Everything was neatly organized and put away in its proper place. Ahsoka could never understand his hyper organization.

She walked immediately to his room and opened the closet door. She grabbed the nearest t-shirt she could find and changed into it. It still smelled like his cologne, as she knew it would. Even though he wasn't there, she could sense his presence. She smiled, looking at the rest of the room. As organized as he was elsewhere in the apartment, Lux never got around to making the bed. That had been her job.

There was just one more thing she needed before she could go back upstairs. She rummaged through a few of his drawers, looking for it. After searching in all of them, she crossed her arms. It had to be here. There was no way he would've thrown it away. He wouldn't do that.

She felt a small hum through the force coming from his study. She took a tentative step inside. She had never really been in that part of the apartment before because Lux never did anything work-related while she was there. She turned the lights on, and there it was, sitting plainly across his desk.

He did keep the locket.

She picked it up and opened it, expecting to see the picture of the two of them at the Senate building on his first day on the job. Instead, the picture had been removed, and there was a small, neatly folded piece of paper in its place.

She unfolded it gently.

Mustafar.

A/N: Ooooooo things just got interesting, didn't they?

I have a big project due on Sunday (I'm writing music to a short film for a class yay), so this is probably going to be the last update until I get some more work done on that. I'm updating at a much faster rate than I can write new chapters, so I'm going to slow down a little to catch up.

In the meantime, any predictions on Lux's mysterious note? I will neither confirm nor deny anything, but I'm curious to see where you think I'm going with this :)

Until the next update, may the force be with you!