Clone Wars High School AU - The Movie

Chapter 9: A Trip to Walmart

This chapter was fun to write

Rotta sat on Ahsoka's lap all the way to Anakin's house. He was silent, though he played with her hair every once in a while.

They soon pulled up to a sand-colored two-story house with a gray roof and white shutters.

The group got out of the car, Ahsoka taking Rotta in her arms. "Nice place you've got."

Anakin smiled. "Thanks, Snips."

As soon as they were in the door, Ahsoka sat Rotta on the nearest sofa and hurried to the kitchen.

"Where is the medicine?" she asked, scanning the cabinets.

"Pantry," Anakin replied quickly. He spoke with Obi-Wan for a few moments, who decided to head to the store for groceries and supplies for Rotta. Rex went with him.

Meanwhile, Ahsoka had found some medicine to bring down Rotta's fever. Thankfully, there was still some medicine left over from Anakin's childhood. She also grabbed a thermometer, a wet washcloth, and some snacks and water. She headed to the sofa and sat next to the boy.

"This'll make you feel better," she said gently, placing the small cup in his hand. Rotta only stared at it, blinking slowly.

Sighing, Ahsoka brushed the thermometer across his forehead, grimacing at the temperature it showed her: 103 degrees Fahrenheit.

Just short of needing to take him to the hospital. Perhaps they should've done that in the first place, but the poor boy probably would've been terrified to be in such an overwhelming situation.

"Please drink it, Rotta," Ahsoka said.

He finally did as she asked, gulping it all down in one sip. Ahsoka smiled and took the small cup from him.

In the kitchen, she saw that Anakin had begun to make soup for Rotta.

"Thanks, Anakin. Do you have a bathtub? I need to clean him up and try to bring down his fever."

"Yeah, it's upstairs." Anakin's voice showed a hint of annoyance.

Ahsoka frowned at him. "What's wrong with that? Don't you like Rotta? You're making soup for him, aren't you?"

Before he could respond, Ahsoka continued, "You know, he reminds me of you."

"Really?" Anakin raised his eyebrows.

"Yep. Well, except for the fact that he doesn't complain," Ahsoka muttered. She left the kitchen.

Anakin grumbled to himself, but he was smiling.

"I have a feeling we might run into some trouble," Obi-Wan warned Rex as he pulled into the Walmart parking lot.

Rex frowned. "What makes you say that? Have we done anything wrong?"

"This whole situation gives me an uneasy feeling. Let's do this quickly."

"Right."

The two entered the store. "Rex, can you find some medicine and toiletries for Rotta? I'll handle the food and clothes."

"Can do."

It only took a minute for Rex to find the toiletry aisle. He picked out anything he thought Rotta might need, like a toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, and some medicine. Scanning the shelf one more time, he turned to leave the aisle. He froze when he saw who was also in the aisle.

What is Ventress doing at Walmart?

Obi-Wan easily found a new pair of clothes for Rotta and was in the process of buying pasta when his phone buzzed.

He wasn't surprised to see who it was.

"What is it, Anakin?"

"Obi-Wan, what are we planning on doing about this kid? We can't keep him here, his parents must be looking for him."

"Anakin, relax. We're doing what we can. Have you informed the police about Rotta?"

"Yeah. There's no one missing who meets his description."

Something in Anakin's tone made Obi-Wan hesitate. "But you have an idea of what's going on," he prompted, phrasing the question as a fact.

"You know as well as I do about who operates in that area. So do the authorities, but they don't have the numbers or strength to stop them."

"The Hutts?"

The pain was clear in Anakin's voice. "I just hope this kid isn't a victim."

"He must've been taken recently if there aren't any alerts about him being missing."

"Right..." Anakin was far away, Obi-Wan could tell.

"I've got to go find Rex, I still have a bad feeling about this," Obi-Wan said goodbye and hung up, deciding to buy mac and cheese for Rotta.

Rex wasn't scared of Ventress, even though her glare was positively murderous. And she was stalking closer, now that she'd seen him.

"What do you want, Ventress?" Rex asked shortly. It was no secret that he disliked her, and he really didn't have the time or patience for this right now.

She grabbed his wrist, her nails digging into his skin. "I know what your little friend did."

Rex raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "Do you mean Ahsoka, who has a name? She rescued a kid from being kidnapped."

Her grip tightened further and she narrowed her eyes. "Stay away from things that aren't your business if you don't want anyone to get hurt."

Any other person probably would've clocked her in the face, but Rex was a gentleman. And as a gentleman, he refused to hit a woman, no matter how annoying she might be.

Rex released a huff of annoyance, pulling his arm away from her. "Is that a threat?"

Before she could respond, he crossed his arms, keeping his expression neutral. "You shouldn't be involved in things like that. You're going to get in trouble. What in the world do you want with a four-year-old?"

"That kid is worth more than you know," Ventress hissed. "Tell that to your friends, and put him back where you found him."

Rex scoffed; he couldn't believe she was being serious. "Fat chance. Here's some advice, Ventress." He stepped closer, using his height to his advantage. "Don't mess with innocent kids or my friends. Mind your business, before you live to regret it."

He walked away without another word.

Rex unapologetically meant the first part as a threat, but the second was advice she could hopefully learn from.