Summary: You spent years mourning your lost soldier until one day an old clone captain finds you...
Pairings: Arc Trooper/ Bad Batch era Echo x Fem!reader x Captain Rex
Warnings: ANGST, talks of the citadel, talks of Echo's death, post order 66, pining, mourning, dual pov, established relationship, happy ending
Words: 3.7k
A/N: I am back from vacation! I started working on this a while ago but I finally finished it and y'all I made myself cry so many times writing this... I really hope you love it, I did it dual pov from your perspective as well as Rex's, trust me it gives more angst! xx
masterlist here
Rex watches you from inside a small bar across the street.
You were cleaning the windows outside of your clinic, your medical jacket thrown over a bench revealing the simple pink sundress you were wearing. He could tell you were humming to yourself, something you’ve always done since your days working in the GAR as a civilian medic, a small smile on your face. You looked happy, and from the intel he gathered from the bartender you had made yourself a comfortable life here. He didn’t want to ruin that but, he also had nowhere else to go. You waved to someone down the road and grabbed your jacket, heading back inside.
Rex walks across the street and inside the clinic, freezing. It was clean and white with blue accents, the front counter was painted 501 blue and the young twi’lek woman behind it smiled at him but, what made him pause was the picture that hung on the wall. An old picture taken on the day of your first field mission, you sat in the center surrounded by himself, Fives, Jesse, Tup, Hardcase and Echo, all of you had big smiles and if you look closely, you can see you and Echo holding hands. Underneath the picture written on the wall was a line that made him tear up, “always remember who you fight for”
The twi’lek woman watches him curiously, “Can I help you sir?”
“Yes uh,” he clears his throat walking to the counter, “may I see y/n please?”
She types something on her data pad, “Do you have an un-treated illness or injury?”
“Umm no I-I'm an old friend...” he says quietly not knowing if this was such a good idea. The twi’lek looks up at him curiously and then gets up and walks to the back without another word. Rex turns around looking at the door thinking maybe it's not too late to leave.
Then he hears a gasp, and he slowly turns around to being almost thrown off his feet as you jump into his arms, “It’s really you! I can’t believe it! The reports said you were...”
“I know. I made sure they did. I had to disappear...” he whispers looking down at your tear-streaked face with his own watery smile. He always thought you were the most beautiful woman to grace this galaxy and was secretly jealous that it was Echo of all people that won your heart, especially now as you were in his arms.
You look around realizing that you are in fact in the middle of your clinic, clinging to the clone captain while crying, “Come with me.”
You lead him to your office in the back and close the door, “I have so many questions.”
“I know and I promise I’ll answer all of them but first I have a favor to ask of you.” he says timidly, he really didn’t want to intrude on your life here, especially since you finally seem happy.
Like you knew what he was thinking, you grabbed his hand and squeezed gently, “Rex. I will never turn you away, ever. If there’s anything I can do to help you, I will do it.”
“I need a place to stay for a while...” he sighs.
You nod smiling up at him, “You can take my spare room.”
He had planned to tell you about Echo that first night he stayed, but he couldn’t bring himself too. Part of the reason was he had no idea where Clone force 99 was but, a lesser more selfish part of him wanted to just be with you without opening the old wound that he caused all those years ago.
He can still remember coming back from the citadel mission with Fives, his heart in his throat, tears stinging his eyes. Your relationship with Echo had been kept a secret but most of the boys in the 501 knew, and they were all happy for you two. You had been together for a year, first meeting in the med bay when Echo brought Fives in for treatment, and it was love at first sight. The two of you became inseparable after that and started dating almost immediately after. Echo was your person, your partner, he was your whole galaxy, anyone who seen the two of you together knew that and Rex had no idea how to tell you he was gone. When they arrived back on Coruscant you were waiting at the hangar, not giving him any time to prepare. You ran over with a bright smile, your cheeks flushed pink, your eyes sparkling until you looked at Rex and Fives slumped shoulders and helmeted heads avoiding your gaze.
“Where is he?” you ask cautiously, “Where’s Echo?”
Rex couldn’t even answer, the words stuck in his throat, and it seemed Fives was the same. He shook his head not meeting your eyes and you immediately started sobbing. It only lasted a few seconds before you fainted, Rex catching you before you hit the ground. He carried you back to the med bay with hidden tears streaming behind his helmet. When you woke up in the med bay with Rex and Fives sitting beside your bed you started sobbing all over again. After that day it was like something broke inside of you, you couldn’t treat the soldiers without breaking down, so Kix put you on desk duty. You worked silently, avoiding eye contact with everyone, only giving one or two-word answers, you became a shell of the bright bubbly woman that Echo fell in love with. You were broken and nothing anyone could do would help. You left the GAR shortly after, saying that you would never be able to heal if you stayed. You wrote Rex and Fives a letter delivering it after you left with your contact information and your new address saying that there would always be a place for them if they ever needed it.
Rex never thought that he would take you up on that offer, but here he was sitting at your dining table with a hot cup of caf and news that he should have told you a week ago. He didn’t know the status of Clone force 99 and he couldn’t live with himself if he told you about Echo only to find out that he was gone again. No, he would wait until he could locate the bad batch and go from there.
You hummed quietly to yourself as you cleaned up from dinner, wearing another sundress this time blue and a warm smile on your face. Rex couldn’t take that smile from you twice, he wouldn’t.
Seeing Rex after years apart felt like your world started spinning again. It was strange but, you knew that the force led Rex to you for a purpose, just like it led you to Echo all those years ago. A lot of people don’t really believe in the force, they think it’s just something the Jedi say to explain the magical things they can do, but you’ve always believed. “There’s no such thing as coincidence” was something master Yoda had said, and you agree wholeheartedly.
The day you met Echo, it felt like your whole being snapped into place. You've never been able to explain it without sounding a little crazy, but you knew from the first moment you and Echo made eye contact that he was yours and you were his. You knew he felt the same way, you could see it in the twinkle in his eyes, the warmth of his smile, the shiver when you touched him, the same way you did for him. It was the will of the force that helped you find each other.
The day Rex and Fives returned without Echo it was like half of your soul died with him. You thought you would never be able to live without him, so you found a way to keep him with you. After leaving the GAR and opening your little clinic in Echo’s name, it gave you a new reason to carry on. You put touches of Echo and his brothers all around you so you wouldn’t have to part with them, seeing their smiling faces from the picture everyday almost made it feel like they were with you, almost. It took you a long time to be able to smile, to walk around and feel okay with where you were. You knew you would never feel complete again, not without your Echo but you had spent these past few years trying.
Rex walks into your kitchen with a small smile, and eyes that sparkled. You knew that he liked you, and you wished some days that you could like him back, but that isn’t the reality. You may hold Rex’s affection but someone else will come and hold Rex’s heart, that you were certain.
You took off your apron and walked over to him, “You look happy.”
“I am happy here... I wish I could stay...” he sighs stroking your cheek gently.
You look up at him with a smile, “You can always come back. I meant what I said all those years ago, you’ll always have a place here when you need it.”
He closes his eyes and his shoulders droop slightly, “And what if I brought a few more stragglers with me? Would you mind?”
“Rex. I live on this big farm all by myself, there’s plenty of room for you and anyone else you might bring with you. It's quiet and secluded you’ll be safe here.” you say wrapping your arms around him, hugging tightly, “Just promise you’ll come back. You're the only friend I have left.”
He squeezes you back, his armor digging into your sides, but you don’t care, “I promise I will come back... Wait for me, okay?”
You nod ignoring the ache in your chest, “Okay.”
Rex sits inside Cid’s bar, with a cloak hiding his face and a drink in his hand. He shouldn’t feel nervous but, since order 66 his heart hammers every time he has to face another one of his brothers. A little part of him dies every time one of his brothers do, and after losing everything and everyone, his calm confident personality doesn’t exist the way it once did.
He sees the bad batch enter the bar, including Echo. Relief and sorrow fill his chest as he rises, hiding his face from the boys. They approach him cautiously, “Who are you?”
Slowly he drops his hood and Cid scoffs from the side, “Great! Just what I need, another clone!”
He smirks and looks over his brothers, “been a while boys. Glad to see your all in one piece...”
They all sit at the bar catching up, talking about what happened after the order, and the entire time Rex’s stomach is in knots. Their inhibitor chips are still in, they’re still a threat, Echo is still a threat... He will fix this, and then he’ll bring him home to you.
You haven’t heard from Rex in months.
He warned you that he would only comm you when it was important or when he was coming back and you were only to comm him in an emergency. That still didn’t stop the loneliness from enveloping you again and after living all these years on your own you would think that you would be used to it but, Rex staying with you reminded you of the old days. Your chest ached every time you looked at Rex, reminding you of your lost love but that ache brought you comfort, knowing that even after all this time Echo was the only one your heart wanted.
You closed up the clinic for the day and walked down the long dirt road that went out of town to your farm. As you walked up the steps of your porch your comm pinged.
Y: See you then. Stay safe.
You got to work prepping beds and harvesting food from your gardens, not knowing what was in store for you when Rex landed...
Rex pulled Echo aside as they approached your home planet, his heart was in his stomach, “I haven’t been completely honest with you Echo...”
“What’s going on Rex?” he asks cautiously.
Rex sighs, his hands shaking as he looks at the now scar on Echo’s head, the scar that proves the only pain he can inflict on you now is emotional, “Do you remember when I said I got in contact with an old friend from the early days when I first disappeared? Someone I trust without a doubt?”
Echo nods noting the worry in his captain's eyes, “Yeah. Is that who were going to see?”
“Yes, it is,” Rex grabs Echos shoulders, “Echo... it’s y/n...”
Echo pulls his arms off his shoulders backing away frantically, “No. No! Rex... You all said she disappeared after the citadel! You said you couldn’t find her!”
Hunter and Wrecker come in looking at the two clones confused, “What's going on?”
Rex ignores them staring at Echo and the tears falling from his eyes, “When you died... Echo it was like she died with you. She closed herself off, couldn’t look at any of us anymore, she said she couldn’t be around us looking into our eyes and only seeing yours. She left but she sent Fives and I an address, saying if we ever needed her, she would be there for us.”
Echo is sobbing at this point his chest heaving but Rex continues, “I had nowhere to go, didn’t know who I could trust, I didn’t even know if that was her address after all these years but... I went anyway and I found her. I couldn’t believe it, our medic, the 501st sunshine, your girl, was just there. I stayed with her for a bit while I figured out my next move, and she doesn’t know Echo... she doesn’t know your alive.”
“W-What?” Echo chokes out as he leans against the wall of the ship, trying to catch his breath.
Rex sighs trying to compose himself, “I wanted to tell her so many times, but I didn’t know your status. I couldn’t break her heart for the second time I...” Rex stands beside him placing a shaking hand on his shoulder, “Telling her we lost you the first time almost broke me, Echo. You didn’t... You didn’t see her... I broke her! All because I couldn’t do my job as captain and bring you home safe!”
“So, she... doesn’t know I’m alive? Or... like this?” he asks quietly gesturing to his robotic body.
Rex shakes his head, “No she doesn’t but, if you think for one second that she would care about that then you don’t really know her.”
Tech enters the room looking unfazed by the emotional turmoil currently unfolding, “We have broken atmosphere and are approaching coordinates.”
“How do I... What if she... Rex I...” Echo couldn’t even finish his thoughts as he paced back and forth furiously wiping his eyes.
Rex grabs Echo’s shoulder again, stopping his pacing, “Echo... she has never stopped loving you.”
The ship lands on the edge of your farm and from the viewer the clones can see you sitting on your porch. Echo gasps as he walks to the viewer staring at the lover he thought he’d never see again. Your hair was long and cascaded down your shoulders, you were wearing a white sundress with a blue shawl wrapped around you, you were stunning. His heart hammered in his chest as he turned toward Rex, “I don’t know if I can do this...”
“Of course you can. Let's go.”
The ship platform opens, and Rex comes out with four clones plus a young girl trailing behind him. You run to him and throw your arms around him, “I’m glad your safe. I thought you said there would be six of you? Did something happen?”
Rex pulls back, his hands shaking as he looks behind him to his brothers and sister, “This is clone force 99. Hunter, Wrecker, Tech and Omega...”
“Pleasure to meet you all.” you wave at them, curiously looking from one clone to the next.
Rex sighs, “There’s one more but... I asked him to wait in the ship while I explain...” he grabs your hands gently, “A few months ago before the end of the war clone force 99 and I were sent on a mission with General Skywalker to infiltrate and retrieve information. Information that only a few people would know... only my brothers would know.”
“Okay?” you say confused.
“When we retrieved the information, it confirmed what my gut already knew. The information was being taken from one of our men... someone we thought had been dead for a long time...” he whispers.
You back up wide eyed looking frantically between all the eyes on you, “Rex this isn’t funny! You can’t- Oh my god!”
From the ship's door, standing there was Echo. He was different, paler, had cybernetics, and gone was the 501 blue now replaced with black and red, but it was him. Your eyes locked on each other and your whole body started vibrating, each molecule calling out to the man you thought you lost. His eyes sparkled the way they always had, even puffy and red. And as he cautiously walks towards you it felt like a walk back in time. You could see the ghost of his former self walking with him, the one in white and blue, the one with the regulation haircut, the one with the handprint over his heart, the one you lost.
You kept backing up until your feet hit the edge of the porch and Echo stopped a few feet away from you, tears streamed down his cheeks, and his breathing shallow, “Hi sweetie...”
Nobody moved, you stood there frozen, and then in an instant your eyes rolled back in your head, and you fainted. Echo ran and caught you before you could hit the ground, cradling your head with his flesh hand as his tears fell on your cheeks. He turned toward his captain, “help me get her inside.”
You woke up in your bed, the light of the setting sun illuminating around the room. You could hear the voices of the clones downstairs talking quietly, someone was pacing back and forth, and when you looked to the side Rex was sitting there.
“Your awake...” he whispers into the silent room.
You sit up slowly, tears already pooling in your eyes, “You knew? The whole time you knew, and you didn’t say anything!”
He flinches at your yelling, “I didn’t want to get your hopes up only to see you break again... y/n once I knew for certain that he was alive and not a threat I brought him here.”
“You still should have told me! Even if you didn’t know where he was, we could have-”
“No! If anything would have happened... if you would have lost him for a second time... y/n you barely survived losing him the first time and I couldn’t put you through that again!” he says gasping, holding back the tears in his eyes. “I couldn’t do that to you again... I couldn’t...”
You know he was right, if you found out Echo was alive only to find out that he was gone again you wouldn’t have been able to cope with it. It took you so long to live again, you never recovered from losing him, you never stopped mourning him, but you had learned to live in his memory, and if you had to mourn him all over again you knew you wouldn’t survive it. “You’re right... you’re right...”
Rex grabs your hand and squeezes as you wipe the tears from his cheek, “I’m sorry it took so long.”
“Silly man. You brought me back my soulmate and my best friend, I would have waited forever to have that chance. You and Echo are my family, always and forever.” you whisper as you pull him in for a shaky hug. “I can never thank you enough Rex...”
He pulls away looking down at you with a pained look, “don’t thank me. I’m just doing the job I couldn’t do all those years ago...”
He stands up and head to the door, turning around to looks at you one more time with a smile then he heads out of your room. It only took a second for Echo to appear in your doorway, making you speechless once again. He slowly walks over to you and sits on the edge of the bed, just staring at you with watery eyes.
The room is still as you both stare into each other's eyes, not daring to break the silence in fear that this may all be a figment of your imagination. Echo reaches his hand out and gently strokes your cheek, you can feel it trembling on your skin and without another word you grab his hand and pull him hard towards you. He doesn’t have any time to react before you slam your lips on his, making him freeze for only a second before he grabs your waist and pulls you closer, your tears mixing together in a salty passionate kiss. You pull away, cradling his face in your hands, “I missed you so much...”
He chokes out a sob, “I missed you more... I thought I’d never see you again. Everyone told me you left after the citadel... That they couldn’t find you...”
“I couldn’t stay there, helping all those soldiers when my soldier was never coming back to me... I had to leave.” you whisper gently, “But somehow you still found your way back to me...”
“I had some help,” he chuckles rubbing his nose with yours, “It seems we owe Rex a thank you for not giving up.”
“I think we owe him more than a thank you but it’s definitely a start.” you whisper ghosting your lips over his.
He kisses you gently, “I love you cyare.”
“I love you too... Thanks for coming back to me...”
Dividers by @saradika-graphics
