Ahsoka went into panic mode. What was he doing here, does he know I'm here? He must, but how? Ahsoka mentally face-palmed, Padme.

Lux turned to Ahsoka and saw the distressed look in her face. She shook her head violently, indicating that he shouldn't answer. 

"Wouldn't he already know you're here because of your bond?" Lux whispered.

Ahsoka shook her head. "He shouldn't be able to. I've tried to mask it. I'm not sure if it worked or not though," she whispered back. 

Lux hadn't looked at her, but he did now. He looked and he saw the tears streaming down her face. He reached up with his thumb and brushed them away, and then kissed Ahsoka on the forehead. 

"Shhh... it'll be okay" he cooed. "You can go hide in my room. I'll talk to him. Don't come out unless you feel you up to it."

She didn't respond, but got up and made her way to the bed room. Lux got up and headed for the door. When he opened it, he say a defeated and distraught Anakin on the doorstep. He was flabbergasted. He had never seen the powerful jedi like this. He remebered him as reckless and full of life.

"Hello Senator," Anakin said weakly, forcing a smile.

"Master Skywalker, this is a surprise," Lux tried to act surprised, as if he did not know why Anakin was here, "Is there something that you require from me?"

"Yea actually," Anakin replied, "Senator Amidala told me that Ahsoka may be here. I've been looking all over for her."

"No I'm sorry Master Skywalker, she's not currently here. She came last night along with Senator Amidala, and told us what had happened, but she left after that."

Lux saw Anakin's face fall. He really felt bad lying to him like this, but he reminded himself that he was doing it for Ahsoka, and he would do anything for her. Lux knew that Ahsoka should come out and face him though, and he thought he had an idea.

"Would you like to come in Master Skywalker? Maybe we can figure out a way to find Ahsoka."

"Yea, maybe," Anakin said, a little more upbeat.

Lux motioned Anakin inside, and they sat down on the same couches that he, Padme, and Ahsoka had sat on the night before. Lux got a cup of tea for each of them from the pot on the stove. Anakin graciously accepted.

"Thanks Senator," Anakin spoke

Lux cut him off, "Just Lux, we're not in a formal setting."

Anakin nodded and continued, "I just don't know what to do. Senator Amidala told me that she was here last night, so I held out hope that she would be here still, and I could just talk to her," he sighed before continuing, "I just miss her so much, it's like a part of me is missing. The part Ahsoka occupied in my heart just feels empty. There's so much I never got to say to her, how proud I am of her, how much she meant to me–she was like the little sister I never had. I failed her. I didn't do enough to prevent the Council from expelling her, I didn't do enough to stop everything that was happening." Anakin looked down in defeat, and tears began to stream down his face.

"Master Skywalker, none of that is even remotely true. You didn't fail her. You saved her, you prevented her from being executed for a crime she didn't commit. It wasn't your fault that she was framed, it wasn't your fault that the Council kicked her out. You had no control over any of that. You did everything in your power to prove her innocence. I'm sure if she were here right now, she would say the same," Lux said the last part louder, in hopes that Ahsoka would get the hint and reveal herself from his room.

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Ahsoka was listening to the whole conversation, tears streaming down her face. She wanted so badly to burst out of the room and wrap her master in a hug, telling him it wasn't his fault, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She couldn't bring herself to face her past, not yet.

She heard Anakin stop talking, and could hear him silently weeping. Her heart broke upon hearing this. She had never thought this was possible out of him, he was always the fearless, reckless leader that she looked up to, the "Hero With No Fear" as he had been called. Now he was a crying mess. She had known that her decision would be hard on him, as he said, they were like brother and sister, but she never knew that it would affect him this much. She felt horrible for making Anakin like this.

She hadn't been listening to what Lux said, as she was caught up in her thoughts, but she did hear the last part: "...if she were here right now, she would say the same." Ahsoka realized he had said it louder, almost as if her were calling her out as a coward. She knew he was right, but something still wouldn't let her reveal herself. 

What Ahsoka heard Anakin say next shocked her.

"I just don't know what I'm going to do without her, she meant the world to me. It's like losing my mother to those damned Tuscan Raiders all over again. I felt helpless then, and I'm helpless now."

At this Ahsoka gasped. Anakin had never really told her about his past, especially his family. Sure she knew Anakin's mother had passed, but she assumed it was due to natural causes. Losing her to Tuscan Raiders must have been traumatizing, and now she was making him go through almost the same thing. She felt beyond horrible.

She could now sense that he was a full on crying mess. Lux tried to comfort him, but there wasn't much he could do. Finally, she decided that she had had enough. She let down the walls she had put up in her mind, and walked into the room Anakin and Lux were in.

Lux had his back to her, so he did not realize she had entered the room, but even with his head down, and his mind clouded and distraught, Anakin felt her enter. His head shot up and was met with the tear stained face of his former padawan looking at him.

"Snips...?" Anakin croaked weakly, "Is that really you?"

Ahsoka looked back at the broken face of her former master, tears staining his face, just like hers.

"Yes Anakin, it's me," she said weakly.

Anakin wasted no time, as he got up from the couch, rushing over to her. He then pulled her into a hug, as he began to cry into her shoulder, and she cried into his shirt.

Lux turned around and smiled, he was glad she was doing this. He knew it would help her get over everything, and be able to cope with it more easily.

"Snips... I've missed you so much," he said pulling out of the hug and looking into her big, blue, tear-filled eyes, "I'm just glad that you're okay. I feared the worst," he smiled weakly.

"What, you didn't trust in my abilities? Even after all we've been through?" Ahsoka responded with fake hurt in her voice.

Anakin let out a hoarse laugh, "It's good to see you've kept that same snippy attitude."

Ahsoka giggled, but then frowned and looked down again. This didn't go unnoticed by Anakin.

"Ahsoka, what's wrong?" he asked.

"Anakin, if you've come to try to talk me out of leaving the Order again, don't. I told you, I have to sort this out without the Order," she then glanced to Lux, "I couldn't even go back if I wanted to."

Anakin didn't see her vision move to Lux for that split second, he was intently listening to her. "What do you mean you couldn't go back even if you wanted to? Of course you could, the Council offered you to come back, I'm sure they still would. Ahsoka if you don't come back, who am I gonna have watching my back, making sure I don't get myself killed? Who am I gonna be able to just talk to, to joke with? You know Obi-Wan isn't the type to do that. He's Mr. Serious. Ahsoka I need you. I know what the Council did was wrong, and you know how I feel about them. Just do it for me... please Snips, come back to me."