After a brief lunch at the Amidala-Skywalker apartment, Ahsoka was on her way to meet Nyx for the remainder of the afternoon. She was still wary of straying too far from her master's reach with everything going on, but she knew she could look after herself just fine if an issue arose.
She felt a little badly for walking out on him last night, but her reasoning was perfectly justifiable. To be honest, she'd rather have a panic attack with Anakin there to support her. If Nyx had an issue with it, that was his problem.
She knocked on the door. Nyx opened it almost immediately. "Hey, Ashla." He gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "Come on in."
"I'm actually on my way to the shop," she said. She was taking more time off than usual, which mean that her work was beginning to pile up. "I came to see if you wanted to keep me company while I finish up the last of the repairs."
He shrugged. "I mean, I guess I could. I could stand some fresh air, anyway."
It wasn't long before Ahsoka was underneath a speeder, fixing a loose screw while Nyx leaned against the wall, twirling a screwdriver.
"Where did you even go last night?" He asked. "You said you were staying and then a second later, you wanted to leave."
Ahsoka was thankful he couldn't see her face. "I had something come up that required my attention. Sorry it was so sudden."
"Am I just not good enough for you, then?" He asked. "Because usually when people say something like that, it means you hooked up with your ex."
"No, no, it's not like that." She reassured him. She supposed it was only fair she told him she'd seen Lux. Maybe it would bring him peace of mind to know that any chance of them getting back together was gone. "Funny you say that, though, because I did run into my ex this morning."
"Really?" He sounded more aggravated than surprised. "And what was that all about?"
"It wasn't very pleasant to say the least. Hopefully, I won't ever see him again."
"Good, because you're mine now, not his." He paused, and Ahsoka could see the gears in his mind turning. "He seems like bad news. I don't want you talking to him anymore, got it?"
That wasn't going to be a problem. She didn't really want to talk to Lux, either. "Okay. Don't worry, him and I are done."
"You said he worked for a senator, right? He was probably some entitled rich kid, anyway. At least I work for the things I have."
Ahsoka didn't think that was fair of him to say, especially since he'd never met Lux and didn't know a thing about him. Rather than fight him on it, though, she kept her mouth shut. She had a lot on her mind, and getting into an argument with her current boyfriend about her ex boyfriend was an unnecessary drama to add to her plate.
She worked in silence for another few minutes until she finished working on the speeder. When she slid out from underneath it, Nyx was nowhere to be found.
"Well, that explains the silence," she muttered to herself.
Something felt out of place. There was a ripple in the force. A small cry for help.
"Nyx?" she called out. When there was no reply, she began to worry. What if Barriss had found him?
She jogged out of the hangar over to the reception area. Nyx was sitting on top of the desk, flipping through news articles on a holopad.
Ahsoka stopped and placed her hands on her hips. At least he was okay. Who's cry for help had she heard, then?
"Anything interesting in the news today?" she asked. She could really use some good news.
She sat down next to him and planted a chaste kiss on his cheek. Glancing down, she read the headline of the news article he was reading.
Onderon Senator Bonteri Shot After Big Speech
Ahsoka felt a lump form in her throat. Lux had been shot?
"Whoa, what's this?" she asked Nyx, snatching the holopad from his hands.
"Oh, I don't know. Some Senator was shot after opposing a bill in the Senate. Something about the Banking Clan and the Trade Federation. I don't really follow politics, so it doesn't mean anything to me."
She skimmed the article. According to this source, he would be fine, but that didn't put Ahsoka's mind at ease. She had no doubt that this was Dooku's work, and if she knew that Dooku was very thorough when he wanted someone dead. If he hadn't succeeded this time, he was bound to try again. Maybe she cry she heard through the force was Lux.
"I hope he's okay," she said, and she meant it. Even though she wasn't exactly on good terms with him at the moment, she didn't want him to die. "It's really awful that this sort of thing is becoming more and more common. You'd think the Jedi would do something more to keep the Senators safe, especially Senators that are particularly vulnerable to the Separatists."
"What do you mean, particularly vulnerable? Besides, this has nothing to do with the Separatists. He's what, nineteen? Twenty? I bet he's just not used to playing with the adults instead of sitting at the kids table. He should've hired better security guards. Rookie mistake if you ask me."
Ahsoka couldn't explain why his words about Lux were making her upset. Why was she even defending him? She had no idea what happened to him or what the circumstances were, but she knew that his inexperience in the Republic Senate had nothing to do with it. And for the record, he knew how to choose a good bodyguard. That had been her job once, after all. "He's a perfectly capable senator, Nyx. And there've been younger senators before."
"And how would you know how capable he is?" Nyx crossed his arms. "I bet you've never met him."
Oh, how she wished that was true. "Cut the guy some slack," she said, standing up. "And for the record, I have met him. He happens to be a perfectly nice guy."
"Oh, is he? Then why don't you go make out with him then, since I'm so unimportant to you."
She could tell that he was hurt, but she had a feeling it wasn't because of Lux.
"Hey," she said softly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "What's wrong?" She noticed a rather long cut on his forearm but paid it no mind. It was probably something to do with that. "Are you okay?"
"It's nothing," he said. "I just hate it when you talk about other guys like I'm not even here. You're mine now, not theirs."
He nudged her chin up and brushed his thumb across her lips. He was very close now, and she felt her heart beat faster. Her lips parted slightly as he kissed her. It was gentle at first, but she knew he wanted more. He always wanted more. She took a few steps back and sat on the desk as he kissed her harder.
She gripped the back of his neck and pulled her body against his. He let out a low moan as she played with his hair. His hands played with the collar on her jumpsuit before he kissed her neck. She could sense pure lust radiating off of him, and it felt different than what Lux usually felt when they kissed. Not a good or bad different, just different.
"I should probably finish the speeders," she said, prying herself off of him.
"Or you could finish this," he winked.
She rolled her eyes and smiled. "Speeders first. Then we'll see."
She walked back into the hangar and grabbed some tools. Once she was sure that Nyx wouldn't be able to hear her, she pulled her communicator out of her pocket and called Anakin.
"Hey, Snips. You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. What's going on with Senator Bonteri? I just read a piece in the news. Is he okay?"
"Oh. He's going to be fine. There was an assassination attempt after he gave his speech earlier today, but lucky for him, we were prepared. He got hit in the shoulder, but he'll live."
She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "That's good."
"If you want to see him, I can take you over to the hospital later."
Did she want to see him? Their last encounter had been a disaster to say the least, and she knew Nyx would be upset. "Does he want to see me?"
"No idea. Though I don't think he would mind a familiar face."
"If you say so. Let me know when you're on your way, then."
"Of course. Skywalker out."
She sighed. There was no going back now. She wanted to apologize to him and try to repair their friendship, she just doubted he's want anything to do with her after their argument. Hopefully, he would at least agree to see her.
As she approached the hospital, she felt her stomach turn. What if he wasn't going to be okay? What if he still wanted nothing to do with her? He exploded in their last conversation, and she didn't want that to happen again. She had decided not to tell Nyx where she was really going to avoid any unnecessary arguments. She wasn't there to do anything other than make sure he was okay, but she knew Nyx wouldn't understand that.
Anakin led her to Lux's hospital room upon her arrival. The whole hospital was as bland and distasteful as she remembered. The walls, floor, and ceiling where a clinical white, and the only sounds were footsteps echoing through the halls. It was a Republic military hospital, designed for clones, but the occasional Jedi or Senator would be admitted from time to time.
As soon as she rounded the corner to Lux's room, her jaw dropped. Lux's hospital room was different from the rest of the hospital. the fanciest hospital room she'd ever seen, and she'd been in more hospitals than she could count. There was an electronic machine sitting on a cart with odd wires leading to a monitor displaying various vital stats. There was a large screen across from Lux's bed for watching shows on the holonet. Ahsoka was surprised that Lux hadn't taken full advantage of that amenity yet. On the far side of the room, Ahsoka could see a glimpse of the city below thorough the blinds. There was a half eaten tray of food on the bedside table. at least he ate something.
He was sitting up in his bed wearing a hospital gown. HIs right arm was in a sling, and she could see the bandages underneath the gown.
"I'll be waiting in the lobby," Anakin said. "Take as long as you'd like."
She nodded in thanks and slowly brushed the curtain aside. "Hey," she said, taking a few tentative steps toward his bed.
He picked up his head and gave her a once-over. "What are you doing here?"
"I just came to see if you were alright. Just because we aren't on the best of terms right now doesn't mean I don't care." She sat down on the end of his bed and stared at the floor.
"I see."
He was silent. Ahsoka could feel the tension in the atmosphere, but she could sense his resolve crumbling. Though he wasn't going to admit it, he was glad to see her.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm sorry for the way I ended things. It was selfish of me and not very considerate of your feelings."
"I'm sorry I was an ass earlier," he said. "I was just blowing off steam. I don't actually hate you. I was way out of control and being unfair. I regretted what I said the minute I left, but it was too late to say anything then." He put his holopad down and sat up. "Will you forgive me?"
She nodded. "Will you forgive me?"
He placed a hand on top of hers. "Of course, Ahsoka."
She knew where this was going, but she didn't say anything. Between the subtle rise and fall in his chest and the way his eyes flitted to her lips and then darted quickly away, she knew she didn't have to. Maybe it was because she missed him or because a part of her still wished they could be together, but she didn't stop him when he brought his lips to hers.
Kissing Lux was just as calming as she remembered. Her racing mind quieted down until all she could focus on was the scent of his shampoo as his hair brushed against her forehead and how soft his skin felt as he laced his fingers in hers and squeezed her hand gently.
What was she doing? She had moved on. She was with someone else now. Lux was a reminder of everything the Jedi had taken from her, and she couldn't let herself hold on to the past.
But she couldn't deny that without the Jedi, she never would've met Lux. She wouldn't have a family. Her gratitude for those gifts far outweighed the anger she felt toward the Council. Maybe it was time she starting making peace with her past instead of running from it.
"Thanks for coming to see me," he said, pulling away. "The doctor says I'll be fine, but it's going to take more than bacta to heal."
She had a feeling he wasn't talking about his wound anymore.
"But you'll recover soon with the right treatments, I'm sure."
"Let's hope so," he said, "for both our sakes."