"I want to fly again." ~ A.S.
It had been about a month since Ahsoka was going to quit, and now here she was, standing up at the front with Rex as they were given they graduated. Tano made a speech for Syndulla who had won the Top Gun Trophy but had to leave ASAP for a top secret mission and requested that Tano and Rex accept the trophy on her behalf until she returned.
Obi-Wan was sitting in the front row, cheering the two of them on. The three of them did it, they graduated. Unfortunately, due to Anakin's incident he hand't been able to fly and therefore didn't graduate.
And he would've loved to be there, he really would've. But he had to stay in because he was expecting a call from the doctor during the graduation about his most recent test results. So he opted for Plo Koon to FaceTime him during the ceremony instead.
Anakin was cheering so loud for Ahsoka and Rex that he almost blew Plo's phone speakers. Once the ceremony was over, all the Top Gun graduates hung around as well as their loved ones who came to celebrate it with them.
"Nice job, Snips!" Anakin shouted through the phone, Ahsoka took the phone from Plo's hands as he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"Great job, Little 'Soka." Ahsoka smiled up at the Admiral who returned the same look. Ahsoka walked away from the crowd along with Rex and Obi-Wan so they could talk to Anakin in peace.
"We wish you were here, Skyguy." Ahsoka's voice had a hint of sadness in it. Although Anakin had been healing relatively well, he still wasn't quite the same person he used to be.
"Yeah, It's kind of embarrassing when the RIO graduates but not the pilot." Obi-Wan chimed in, teasing Anakin who just rolled his eyes at his comment.
"Sorry to interrupt you all before you have too much fun," The three graduates who were off to the side turned their heads to look in the direction of Admiral Windu. "But some of you have to depart immediately. There's a crisis situation."
"Hey we gotta go. But we'll see you later." Ahsoka said as the four of them quickly said goodbye before making away towards the crowd, with Ahsoka stopping in front of Plo to hand him his phone back.
"Chewy. Solo." The two men raised their hands slightly as Windu handed both of them a piece of paper.
"Tano. Rex." The two of them both looked towards the Admiral who handed the two of them a paper as well. It read that there had been sights of enemy MiGs in the area and they were going to be sent out to neutralize them.
"Kenobi." He grabbed the paper that was handed to him and read that he was going to be back up if something were to happen during the mission.
"Kenobi, you'll get your pilot when you get your ship." Plo spoke, earning the attention of Obi-Wan. "And if you don't, give me a call. I'll fly with you." The Admiral winked at the RIO who gave him a half smile in response.
"You all have one hour to collect any items you may need. I need you all to meet us back here once you're done." Admiral Windu instructed before dismissing all of the pilots.
-
Anakin was pacing around the room anxiously, holding his son in his arms as he waited for the phone to ring. Why weren't they calling? They should be calling soon, right?
"Ani, love. I think you need to sit down." Padmè had a hint of laughter in her voice as she patted the bed beside her, holding her daughter with her free arm.
Anakin complied, sitting with his son and bouncing his leg. Padmè eyed him before placing a hand on his knee, trying to calm his nerves.
He just looked at her with wide eyes before whispering a quiet, "Sorry." He held Luke close to his chest and kissed the top of his head, closing his eyes while trying to stay in the present moment.
"Why are you so stressed, Ani? You're recovering faster than they thought. You shouldn't even be out of the Hospital but you are." Anakin sighed, looking out the window as he thought about his answer.
"I want to fly again." Padmè sighed as she came to an understanding. Flying was always his dream, and now he couldn't. She couldn't even imagine what he must be feeling. She placed a hand on his cheek, causing him to look at her as she gave him a sad smile.
"And you will." Anakin flashed her an appreciative smile as he leaned into his wife's touch.
The moment was broken by the sound of Anakin's phone ringing. He sighed, picking up his phone and immediately had a nervous look flash across his face.
Padmè felt the nerves inside of her this time as she watched her husband anxiously answer the phone. She sat there, listening intently to his responses as the phone call went on.
"Thank you. Okay. You too." And that's when Anakin hung up his phone and looked towards Padmè with a wide smile.
"I can fly again!"
The two of them shared an embrace, still holding onto their twins. Padmè was happy for her husband as she held onto him as tight as she could with one arm.
Eventually the two were interrupted by a knock at the door. Anakin stood up and made his way over to it, still holding onto his son. When he opened it, he was met by Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, and Rex.
"Hey. Come in." Anakin gestured inside with his head as he stepped off to the side, allowing them to come in before closing the door behind them.
"We're being sent off to do an emergency mission." Ahsoka spoke, watching as Anakin's once happy demeanour dropped.
"When do you leave?" He asked, placing Luke down in his high chair.
"In 15 minutes." Rex answered, leaning against the wall with his forearm.
"Well then I guess this is goodbye." Anakin spoke sadly, feeling an intense mix of emotions. He knew that when people got sent out on a mission, it was awhile before they came home. They would be sent on another, and then another.
"What do you mean? We're definitely gonna see each other again." Ahsoka started to walk towards Anakin, placing a friendly hand on his shoulder before looking up at him with a smirk on her face. "You're stuck with me, Skyguy."
Anakin let out a slight chuckle as he pulled Ahsoka in for a hug, followed by Obi-Wan and Rex joining the two of them. At this point, there were tears streaming down everyone's face. The occasional sniffle escaping someones nose.
"We should probably get going." Obi-Wan spoke, cutting through the silence as everyone pulled away from each other. Anakin nodded, shoving his hands in his pockets as he watched the three of them walk out the door.
He sat down on the edge of his bed, looking into his lap as he thought about never seeing them again. Padmè sat with him in silence, rubbing his back while the twins slept.
The two were interrupted yet again by a knock at the door, and Anakin was shocked to see who was standing there.
A/N
I hope you enjoyed that lovely little cliff hanger. Who do y'all think is at the door? There's only two more chapters after this one so we're getting super close to the end and I hope that you've all enjoyed it so far. Personal Life Update: My exams did not go too good but I wrote one today so hopefully it'll be better than my other ones.
Let me know if you have any likes or dislikes and I'll try to add it into my next chapter. And if not, I'll update again in 2 weeks!
~ Jo
