Each time someone went to reach for her, they felt their body freeze up, an invisible hand grasped around them. They could only watch on as the Commander tried time and time again to wake the Captain, to damage the tank.

Just as the final set of monitors beeped out, a wave of pure force crashed into them, flinging them to the walls, half suspended in the air before they tumbled to the floor. They were soaked, covered in bacta and glass.

When the gaseous glass powder cleared from the air, they saw Ahsoka curled around Rex, holding him tightly to her, much like he'd done for her in the palace.

"Ahsoka?" Anakin called out, clutching his thumping head.

"He's still alive! You tried to kill him!" Ahsoka hissed, "you know it's true!"

Anakin swallowed back the lump in his throat. They were no doubt that Rex was alive when the support systems were helping him. But, that wasn't his body keeping him alive, but a machine keeping him alive. Could you honestly say that is living?

"Prepare a clean up in room ten," the clone spoke into his comms, "the jetii blew up another one."

Ahsoka growled the moment her ears heard the voice of the clone, sneering the moment her eyes locked onto him. "You tried to kill him! He's alive!" Ahsoka wailed out through her growls.

"Snips..." Anakin started, trying to calm the angry and panicking Padawan.

"Don't you dare," Ahsoka hissed, "can't you feel it, he's alive!"

Now that Anakin thought about it, the number of force signatures in the room had not diminished. His eyes snapped wide as it finally clocked, Ahsoka was right, Rex was alive, he was living off his own body, not that of a machine.

"Young one, you know we meant neither of you any harm," Obi-Wan whispered, "but the Captain needs to be checked out and monitored if he is to make it still."

Ahsoka growled as slowly the clones came and placed Rex on a stretched to take him away.

"Place him in the same room as Ahsoka; both should be more stable together," Anakin stated, watching as the clones nodded and hurried off with a twitchy growling Padawan followed behind.

-----

After the tenth time of the medic having to fight Ahsoka away from the unconscious Rex; they decided that they would just move her bed next to his so that when she was almost curled around him, she was still on her bed. It was the best win-win situation they could come to without restraints and sedatives.

Another positive of this situation was that the Captain was coming on leaps and bounds when Ahsoka was almost attached to him. All the clones that managed to sneak through found many laughs at the situation - until the Commander had started to throw things at them—including sharp utensils that medics had now taken to leaving outside the room - along with shields for the visitors.

Ahsoka knew what she was doing was technically breaking all the rules the medics had in place, but those rules could find somewhere else to curl up. She knew why she hadn't stopped, all that time as a slave she'd almost survived of her instincts, but now she was finding it hard to take them away from the centre of her control.

But going off the instincts, staying as close as she could to Rex meant that she could almost feel her body singing at her. She found herself continually chasing the scars littering his arms, the ones around his neck and legs. One injury she dared not touch was the chip scar; even just a glancing look would bring up a phantom pain on her neck.

She had initially tried to force-heal the scar away, but instead, the two were left screaming as both their wounds cried out. It was easier to ignore, to cover it up, to try and numb that memory, block herself from it.

She'd just finished attacking Fives with half a bowl of rations when a groan came from Rex; she didn't have to move much from her curled and cuddling position to stare him straight in the eye as he slowly woke.

The first time Rex opened his eyes, he was blinded by how bright everything was. The second time Rex opened his eyes, he was greeted by an up-close view of Ahsoka's face.

Ahsoka didn't blink as Rex yelled out in shock, but instead looked him over, making sure that he was ok. His eyes seemed to show more confusion and shock than pain, so that was good.

"I, uh," Rex stuttered, his throat aching and dying out along with his thinking capability.

"Water?" Ahsoka asked as she scrambled away only to appear with a glass of water, watching as Rex drank the cold drink like he'd been left in a desert for the past two weeks.

"Thanks," Rex muttered. "How long was I out?"

"Long enough they shut off life support," Ahsoka growled.

"But?" Rex questioned, pointing to the fact that he was alive.

"They hadn't been able to pick up that you were able to support yourself," Ahsoka stated, "and it nearly killed you when they did it."

Rex slowly lifted a hand to rub Ahsoka's arms to help her calm, "I'm still alive."

"Only just," Ahsoka stated.

"But I am still here, am I not?"

Ahsoka sighed, curling into his so she could feel his steady heartbeat, "yes, you are."

The silence the room had fallen into was disturbed as Anakin walked into the room, looking down at his hands as not to spill the food he carried. "Hey, Snips, how is he?"

"Morning, General."

Crash.

There went that food.

"Rex!" Anakin exclaimed springing over the pile of food, "you're awake!"

And, Force be had it, that brought the attention of everyone in the area. Soon the room was almost swarming with various clones. And more was on their way if the various thumping of boots down corridors was the sound that they heard.

By the time Kix had broken through the wall of bodies, Rex's head was already swimming.

-----

There was another round of celebration when Rex and Ahsoka were released from the medical suite. '79's was just too small to hold a party for what ended up being two battalions worth of clones, so they used the hanger. It wasn't perfect, but through the music, alcohol and food, it didn't need to be.

After being pulled between so many brothers, Rex would have been happy for the chance to escape if it didn't come in the form of a giggling Ahsoka that screamed mischief and trouble.

-----

Mischief and trouble did not correspond with the whole of their quarters being covered in various bedsheets and pillows. No floor or wall was in sight, and the ceiling would have got the same treatment if she could have reached.

He guessed he could deal with it the next day as Ahsoka curled around him as he lay in the bed, the purrs she released echoing through him.