21 BBY - 7 months after Geonosis
A Week on Coruscant Day Six
.oOo.
Finally, the day the 327th was most excited for, a trip to the fake lake on the far side of Coruscant.
Unlike the rest of the 327th, Aayla was terrified of lakes and had been since she had almost drowned. She would have been dead if not for Master Fisto, who had used his gills to help her breathe. She had agreed to go to the artificial lake, but she wouldn't swim.
Aayla was running out of excuses for reasons not to swim. Reno, with his overly high level of confidence, finally asked what everyone wanted to know.
"Afraid, General?"
Aayla paused before answering. "If you must know, yes. I am afraid of lakes."
"Care to say why?" Reno's confidence never failed him.
"I almost drowned once." She didn't see the point in lying. "I haven't been swimming ever since."
Bly walked up with his attendance clipboard, checking off the last names on his paper. "What are we talking about?"
"The General's afraid of lakes." Reno burst out.
"Really?" Bly asked.
"Yeah." Aayla said with a slightly embarrassed tone. Reno's face suddenly lit up and he whispered something to Bly, who nodded in response. "No no no no no no. I am not swimming."
"Why do you think that's what we're talking about?" Bly said, trying to make an innocent face to cover his evil smile.
"Because Reno has his signature 'I have an evil plan' face on."
"Do I?" Reno asked. He was much better at making an innocent face than Bly.
"We're not gonna force you to swim, Aay-General." Bly cleared his throat.
"Did you almost call her Aayla?"
Simultaneously, Bly responded 'no' while Aayla responded 'yes' for fun.
"Sid owes me. Gotta go find him." Reno ran away quickly while searching for Sid.
"I'm not swimming."
"What if Sid and I were next to you the entire time?"
"You know Sid isn't allowed off Reno's leash until he pays up, and I doubt he has any credits with him now."
"What if I was next to you the entire time?"
"Okay?" Aayla's tone made it more of a question than a statement.
"Okay." Bly dropped his clipboard onto Aayla's small beach blanket. "Do you have a swimsuit on under that or are you swimming in your clothes?"
"I'll swim in my clothes. I didn't think I would be swimming... so."
"No problem." Bly tugged at the bottom of his t-shirt and pulled it off.
Holy kriff. I shouldn't be enjoying this as much as I am. Aayla forced herself to look away from Bly.
"Ready?"
Aayla jumped up. "Yep!" Snap out of it, Secura. She quickly took her boots off and headed closer to the water.
"Nervous?" Bly asked as they stood on the damp sand in front of the water.
"I am. But I shouldn't be."
"Everyone's afraid of something."
Aayla dipped her toes in the shallow water. You can do this. You're a Jedi. She took another step into the water.
"There ya go!" Bly smiled.
The water was up to her knees. Then her hips. She could feel her breaths getting shorter and quicker. The water was up to her waist, touching her blue skin and brown top. That's when everything started spinning.
Everything is dark. Aayla felt lightheaded. Something's pulling me down. Help me! I can't get away! Someone please help me! I'm going to die. I can't breathe! Someone please-
Suddenly, the water wasn't surrounding her. Rather a pair of strong arms. "You're okay."
I'm okay.
"You're safe."
I'm safe.
"I won't let anything happen to you."
Bly.
Aayla came back to reality. Bly was carrying her bridal style above the water, walking towards the artificial beach. No one around them seemed to notice what was happening, for which Aayla was grateful. She felt her warm towel beneath her and Bly's arms leave her side.
"Do you want to talk about it? It can help... sometimes."
Aayla sat in silence. "It was about two years ago. I somehow fell into a lake and something caught on my leg, pulling it down. I would have been dead if not for Master Fisto's quick thinking."
"I'll have to thank him personally then."
Aayla and Bly sat on the beach talking for another hour. "I think I want to try again."
"Are you sure?"
"No. Yes."
"I'll be right next to you the whole time."
Aayla stepped into the cool water.
I'm safe. The water came up to her knees.
I'm not drowning. She felt the water reach her waist.
Bly's here. Her sensitive lekkus felt the water start to rise. Panic started to flow through Aayla's veins.
No no no no no. I'm okay. The water level kept rising.
It's caught on my leg. Aayla spun around, checking her surroundings.
"Hey, it's okay. You're safe." Bly reassured her. "Do you want to go back?"
"No. I'll keep going." Aayla looked out at the deeper water with hesitation. She felt a warm hand grab hers.
"I'm right here."
Aayla weakly smiled and took a step forward. Only here shoulders and head were above the water line. I'm okay. "Should I do it?"
"Do what?"
"Swim."
"Only if you want to."
"Will you be here?"
Bly responded without hesitation. "Always."
I can do this. Aayla lifted her feet off the sandy lake floor and started to swim. Every bit of her terrible memory came back to her.
She was walking across a bridge with Senator Deaki and various other Jedi when she felt something weird in the force. Something was going to happen. She jumped in front of the senator as a blast ripped through her middle, sending her into the ocean below. Multiple pieces of debris from the bridge were falling around her. One caught on to her ankle and dragged her down. She kept sinking. Farther... and farther. The light from the sun was becoming non-existant. She saw a green lightsaber and felt the weight on her ankle disappear.
"I got you. You're safe. It's okay. I'm right here." Bly kept repeating small comforting statements to Aayla as he carried her to shallow water. Aayla, still shaken from her memories, hid her head in the crook of Bly's neck so she would feel safe.
.oOo.
Bly had given the 327th a thirty-minute warning, to which many clones had complained about.
"I want to try again." Aayla stood up confidently.
"Let's go."
"You're still willing to help even after the last two times?"
"I'll always be here. No matter what."
"Thank you, Bly."
Aayla started swimming into the deeper water, with Bly next to her.
I'm okay. I am not drowning. The fake beach was getting farther away.
I'm okay. Few people were swimming as far as Aayla and Bly.
I'm okay. Bly's here. He'll protect me.
"Aayla?"
She stopped and treaded water, looking at Bly.
"Yes."
"You're doing it!"
"I am!" She said in disbelief.
"We should probably head back if we're gonna leave on time."
"Right."
"Seriously, you're doing great."
Aayla smiled. "Thanks."
The warm sand under Aayla's feet was comforting to her. She had overcome her fear, for the most part. The 327th was following Aayla and Bly back to their LAATS in the parking area.
"Thank you, Bly."
"Of course."
"I couldn't have done it without you. Really, thank you ."
.oOo.
Hi readers! Thank you so much for over 200 reads! Happy 4th of July to those of you who celebrate it!
PS- I know that Kit saved Aayla from drowning but I made up the actual story. If you want the real story, there's a comic of it somewhere.