In the End {1}

~ Dances and Declarations ~

Ahsoka stared at herself in the mirror of her room in the cottage she'd shared with Lux during her assignment on Onderon. It was the first time she'd put the whole outfit on, and she was feeling self-conscious. What if it was too much? The last thing she wanted was to look like one of those dainty princesses she'd had to protect before.

"You ready?" Lux called from downstairs. "It's just about time to get going."

"Yeah, I'll be down in a minute!" she yelled back.

After one final glance in the mirror, she picked up her purse and walked downstairs. Lux was waiting for her, sitting on one of the couches in the living room. He was wearing cream-colored robes with green accents, perfectly matching her dress. She met his eyes and twirled around, showing off the silky green fabric.

"Still think it's okay?"

He stood up and walked over to her. "You look beautiful." He trailed a lazy finger down the length of her sternum before leaning in and kissing her softly. She laced her fingers in his as he kissed her again, this time more passionately. Her insecurities faded away as he gently squeezed her hand. In Lux's eyes, she would always be good enough, no matter what. She realized that warm feeling in her heart was love.

He planted a warm, tender kiss on her forehead. "I think we should probably get doing before I take you upstairs and tear that sexy dress right off you." Her cheeks turned slightly pink as he smiled.

She raised an eyebrow. "You don't sound too sure about that."

"Oh I'm definitely not, but I asked you to come to a ball on Onderon, so that's what we're going to do." He reached in his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box. "If it's okay with you, I think there's still one thing missing from your outfit.

Ahsoka opened the box. Inside was a small gold locket in the shape of a teardrop. "Wow, it's beautiful."

"Open it."

Carefully, she opened the locket and saw the picture they had taken on Lux's first day as a Republic Senator, which also happened to be the day they officially got together.

She kissed his cheek. "It's perfect. Thank you."

"Anything for you, sweetheart."

She fastened it around her neck. "We're going to miss the ball if we don't get going, handsome."

Lux and Ahsoka arrived at the ball shortly after a quick stop in the city for dinner. They weren't the last to arrive, but from what Ahsoka could tell, the majority of the partygoers had already gotten there before them.

Lux stepped out of the cab and opened the door for her. "Right this way, milady."

She took his hand and let him lead her through a series of doors to a grand ballroom. The hall was definitely bigger than any ballroom she'd seen, with white round tables scattered around the dance floor, colorful lanterns on the walls, and floor-to ceiling windows letting in the beautiful sunset.

"Wow," she breathed.

"Cool, isn't it?" he whispered.

At the entrance, a server held a platter of masks. "Your name please, sir?"

"Bonteri."

The server put down the platter and picked up a small box on a table nearby. He handed it to Lux. "Enjoy."

Lux opened the box to reveal two stunning green masks with jewels and gold embroidery. "I had someone make ours so we didn't have to wear the generic ones. You like them?"

She picked up her mask and put it on. "I love them."

Lux took a step closer her and took her hand. "Good. Shall we get something to eat?"