Clone Wars Chronicles: Volume 1

Chapter 4: Dancing

Rex wasn't really a stranger to dancing, but this was very different than what he was used to. Sure, the boys tended to dance at 79's, but here, everything was so formal.

"I hope you know how to dance, Snips," Anakin told Ahsoka.

"Of course I do!" However, she looked nervous. Rex felt bad for the kid.

Anakin grinned again. "Watch and learn, Snips. Watch and learn." Taking Padmé's hand, he led her to the dance floor. They began to dance, their movement graceful, practiced, like they had done this hundreds of times. Rex saw Ahsoka cross her arms out of the corner of his eye.

"Show-off," she muttered. She looked up at Rex. "I don't suppose you can dance too?"

"Not like that, kid. Wish I could help."

Ahsoka groaned. "Same with me. What are we supposed to do?"

"You could dance with me, Ashla," Jett said, once again sneaking up behind them. "I can show you the basics."

Ahsoka hesitated. "Oh, um, sure." Jett held out a hand, and Ahsoka took it. As he led her away, she turned back to look at Rex. He gave her an encouraging smile and mouthed, "Good luck."

Ahsoka managed a nervous smile and waved.

Rex was glad she could ignore the war for this one moment. He didn't know a whole lot about civies, but he did know that this dance allowed Ahsoka to act like a normal teenager. 

This day was going very differently than Ahsoka had expected. She was terribly nervous, even after Rex's encouragement. Thankfully, her gloves hid her sweaty palms.

She noticed her master and Padmé dancing like it was just the two of them. They were standing much closer together than normal friends. Despite her suspicions about them, she knew she had to focus on Jett.

"While certain dances can have many different steps, the waltz itself is pretty simple," Jett explained. He moved, slowly, doing a few turns. As Ahsoka studied his feet, she saw the repeat of the pattern.

"Alright, now you give it a go."

Mirroring his movement, Ahsoka did her best to dance,

"You got it!" Looking up, she saw his big smile. Heat rose to her cheeks unexpectedly, whether from pride or something else, she couldn't tell.

"Now let's do it together," Jett encouraged. He gently took her hand and pulled her closer to him. Ahsoka's cheeks were burning, along with her head tails, and she really hoped he couldn't tell.

"Put your hand on my shoulder." She did as he said. "And I put mine on your waist. Sound good?"

Ahsoka managed a nod. Soon, they were dancing. Ahsoka was a little clumsy at first, but after a moment the movements felt natural. Ahsoka let herself relax, and for a while, she let herself be a normal teenager.

Anakin kept his eyes on his padawan, but he mainly focused on Padmé. As always, he was amazed by her beauty, but also by her ability to tell what his next moves were. They were truly a sight to behold, based on the looks he was getting from other pairs. While the waltzed, he examined his padawan more closely. She was dancing with that Togruta boy from earlier, and she was a natural. However, her dancing skills didn't surprise him as much as her attitude did. She looked happier than she had in a long time.

As much as he wanted to tell her to focus on the mission, he knew she needed a break from being a soldier and a Jedi. At least for a while. After all, he thought to himself, how was he supposed to tell Ahsoka to get her head out of the clouds when he was enjoying his own partner's company far too much?

Obi-Wan switched partners again. Strangely enough, he was having no trouble finding a partner for each dance. He frowned slightly. Why was that?

 This time he was with a tall woman with blonde hair and bright blue eyes. When he had first seen her, he had sworn she was Satine. He felt a small pang of sadness. He was sure Satine was fine, ruling Mandalore, but he couldn't shake this feeling like he wouldn't see her again.

Obi-Wan frowned. He knew it was against the Code to be thinking like this. Satine was fine. There was no reason to worry.

After the first few dances ended, Ahsoka headed back over to Rex.

"Having fun?" he asked.

Ahsoka looked up, expecting to receive a scolding look, but instead, Rex was smiling.

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself, kid," he said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Thanks." She smirked at him. "You should consider dancing too, you know. There're already some people looking at you."

Rex looked at the four girls who were staring at him. Ahsoka could swear that he blushed.

"Eh, not sure that's my thing. Besides, I don't know if bodyguards are supposed to be dancing anyway."

"She might not think that way." Ahsoka pointed to one of the girls, who was heading toward them. Rex frowned. 

"Great," he muttered.

The girl had reached them. "Would you like to dance?" she asked quietly.

Rex seemed to be unable to reply, so Ahsoka spoke for him. "I'm sure Axe would love to dance." She playfully pushed him towards the girl. "Have fun." She leaned close to her. "He doesn't know how to dance, so you might want to teach him the basics," she stage-whispered. The girl smiled and nodded. 

As the girl led him away, Rex gave her a look that seemed to say, "Why me?"

Ahsoka laughed and waved at him.

The music began again, and they started to dance. Cody snickered from his spot against the wall. A mischievous grin spread across Ahsoka's face as an idea formed in her head. Ahsoka headed over to the three remaining girls from the group who had been watching Rex.

"If you guys still want a partner, my bodyguard's twin is right over there." she pointed towards Cody.  Giggling, the group of girls walked up to him.

Even from where she was, Ahsoka could see Cody blushing. She laughed to herself. It had been a while since she had been able to prank her friends. Ahsoka turned her attention back to Rex. He had finally figured out how to dance, and even though he was clumsy, he was doing very well.

Ahsoka smiled softly.

She was about to see what had happened with Cody when she got a cold feeling. Ahsoka froze.

Something's wrong.

Ahsoka gave a small tug on the Force bond between her and Anakin, hoping he got the hint that something was wrong. Luckily, it worked, because Anakin, along with Padmé, were at her side in seconds.

"Master, I sense something."

"What do you feel, Snips?" Anakin asked.

"I don't know, but something is off."

"I trust your judgment, Ahsoka," Anakin said seriously. "But nothing has gone wrong yet, so try not to worry."

"Okay, Master. I'll try my best."

Anakin and Padmé gave her genuine smiles, slowly moving back to the dance floor.