[A/N: For maximum feels, try reading this chapter while listening to Borrowed Time by Tennis.]

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Three lines of genetic code.

I stared at the screen, hands clenched, shaking.

Why hadn't I noticed them before?

Offee had already given me sizable tissue samples for preservation, in case she needed an organ transplant or something.

And like an idiot, I had taken but a cursory glance at their structure and left it at that.

The minute difference between humans and mirialans lay at the core of their genetic expression.

Three lines of genetic code that now threatened to rip the love of my life from me.

They didn't do much or make that much of a difference.

Mirialans were still humanoids, and for most purposes including mating, human.

But being born in a desert world, strong in the force had pushed their evolution a slight bit in a different way.

Small differences, of course.

A slightly higher body temperature made cuddling with Offee almost addicting, a slight variation in enzyme quality that allowed Offee to down trandoshian peppers like candy, without spending the next morning crouched over the toilet downing antacids.

But more importantly, to the matter at hand, the disturbingly low levels of cortisol, the stress hormone that they produced.

No wonder Offee was so much calmer and kinder than others her age.

She was almost incapable of being stressed. But that was a double-edged sword.

When Mirialans were faced with potentially stressful situations beyond their control, they had only two choices - accept their fate, like master Luminara was fond of doing, or break down like Offee did the day she pulled me into bed in desperation.

But this low cortisol production also meant a low tolerance for cortisol in their bodies.

And one of the three main ingredients that pushed the power evolution of the humans in the Heroes world was stress, and therefore cortisol, pumping in alarming quantities through Offee's bloodstream as we spoke.

And it was causing a massive allergic shock through her system.

Offee was dying, painfully, right before my eyes. And I was to blame.

The doctor came out of the room and ushered me in.

"Doctor...this.....do you have anything that can help? Price is no bar! Any treatment, any medicine. Just name it. Even if you don't have it here with you I can procure it within the hour-" I babbled on.

"Chancellor. I will be honest." He sighed, "Whatever is in your wife's body, it's nothing we have ever seen before. The cortisol allergy, yes. But the treatment for that is detox by poison. And we already tried it. That medicine you gave her, it's .... miraculous in some ways. It's healing your wife, keeping her alive even though she ... pardon my words. Your wife should be dead, by all conventional accounts. This medicine of yours is forcing her to live, even as the pain breaks her. I can't bear to witness such agony, chancellor.

We don't usually suggest this... but.

Would you consider euthanasia? A peaceful death for her.

It will at least let you preserve her mem-"

I grabbed the doctor by his collar and slammed him into the wall with surprising force as a cold fury seethed within me.

"Am I to assume you can do nothing to help her? Or that you won't do anything to help her out of som-" I asked, staring into his eyes when the door opened, and Anakin rushed in pulling me off of the doctor.

"Jay! What do you think you're doing?" He asked, shocked at my rage.

And he was right. What was I doing?

Am I not as if not more capable than Rick?

Yes. I can save her. I just need time.

The doctor said the blood is healing her, keeping her alive, but how long will it last? Four hours now? Maybe five?

I don't have much time. So I just need to buy some!

"You're right Annie. If they can't help, I'll just have to do it." I scoffed at the doctor.

"Clear the next room over for me, and bring me a bacta bath, carbonite gel, an uplink to the hospital generator, some spare tubing..." I ran off a list of items at the scared little man, before stuffing a platinum card into his hands.

"The price is no bar. Get the best. And you can keep the rest. Consider it an apology." I said, softly, " I'm sorry."

Pays to be good to doctors. I thought.

Shouldn't have panicked earlier.

No. That was stupid.

I should have done this from the start.

Turning to Anakin and Ahsoka, I felt tears well up in my eyes.

No. No!

I wiped my eyes with my sleeve.

No time for tears.

I had a job to do.

"Could you keep her company, Ahsoka?" I asked, "Keep her here. Conscious. Don't let her slip away. I'll save her, I promise."

I said that last part more to myself than anyone else.

"Anakin." I continued, "Could you go and delay the peace talks? And while you're at it, investigate this assassination attempt. Find out who exactly allowed them to slip on-world."

"Of course. There will be justice, Jay. Don't worry. We'll make sure of it."

"Thank you. I am honoured to have friends like you." I bowed, gratefully, but Anakin grabbed me by the shoulders and pulled me into a hug.

"It'll be fine. I believe in you, Jay." He assured me, and while it was cold comfort, at least it was some.

I walked out, into the next room, which was being emptied for me, and let loose my power, soaking it into all nooks, crannies, and crevices. I scoured through the walls and floor, ceiling and door, shutting off all surveillance devices.

With that, I shut the door to the room and opened a portal to the colony ship, into my armory, donning the telekinetic gauntlet, grabbed a handful of repulsor lifts, connector nodes, and my usual portable toolkit, returning to the hospital.

I set them down in one corner of the room and stretched them.

Four hours.

I can do this. But before that, I needed to visit Offee.

I could see her eyes flitting, her face in a frozen wince, as Ahsoka sat by her bed, holding her hand.

She was struggling to hold on.

My heart ached, watching her lie there. But I wasn't ready to lose her.

I extended a hand to the door when I heard some students whisper behind me.

"...really?" One said.

"Yeah. Shame too. She was with the child. Such a tragedy." The other shook her head.

My eyes widened. Was it true?

I turned to face them, and stomped over, startling the apprentices.

"Is that true, about my wife?" I asked, pleadingly.

The girls looked down and stepped back before one replied.

"Yes. We heard the doctor say it....he was angry at you."

"Tch!" I clicked my tongue.

That doctor is definitely dying.

How dare he hide this from me?!

The apprentices looked at my face, pale with fear, and ran off, bringing me back to my senses.

No. I have to focus on the cryo chamber.

Yes. Offee is not dying. Not on my watch.

I turned around and walked into her room, taking a seat beside her.

"Offee," I whispered, and her eyes shot open, trailing towards me.

I moved up a bit to accommodate her, and she sighed in relief.

"You're fine." She said, a tear tracing down her cheeks.

"Don't worry about me, stupid." I said, caressing her face, "Why did you jump in the way? I would have healed. You could have healed me with the force."

"I didn't want to take the chance. I saw it. That day." She said, her voice straining against the pain, hoarse and garbled.

"I saw you die. I didn't know how. Ventress, she pointed at you, and you fell to the floor.

I tried injecting the serum but your forcefield stopped me.

I didn't know what to do. I was scared. Scared of losing you. Losing everything I have. Everything I ever wanted." She cried.

"You could have crushed the forcefield generator!" I said.

"I didn't know. I couldn't think straight." She gave me a sad smile.

"Then it changed. The song, it hummed beside me. All around.

And the vision changed.

I told you about the vision, you said something. Then it all went black. I tried again and again. Nothing worked.

I didn't want to lose you." She reached her hand to my face, latching to my ear, her thumb wiping my tears away.

"I am sorry." She continued, "I am so sorry.....for being selfish. For leaving you alone. I don't want to. But I know. The force, it's calling to me."

"No! I am working on something. Just....." I sniffled, "...just hold on a bit. Hold on for me. Please!

I will save you. I promise."

"Don't blame yourself." She said as if she were deaf, and she likely was, her ears turning purple, "I just wanted to thank you....."

Like a dam burst open, she sobbed, "Thank you, for the best two years of my life. I couldn't....." She twitched and seized, coughing up blood, "..I couldn't ask for more."

I stood up.

"No," I said, resolute.

"Kiss me one last time?" She asked, her kind eyes filled with love.

"No!" I said, cupping her head, my voice breaking, "I will save you. And then, I will kiss you. Wait for me, Offee. Don't give up. Don't you dare give up."

I rushed out, just as the nurses carried in a bacta bath.

Yes. I can do this. I will save Offee.

I have work to do.

Barriss Offee didn't know what she was feeling. Or if she was even feeling.

But she knew one thing.

Relief.

Relief that her vision hadn't come true.

Relief that her beloved was alive.

Relief that she could save the one thing in the world that mattered to her.

Could she have done it better? Probably. Hindsight was 20/20.

But the past was set in stone. That much she knew.

There was nothing to be done anymore.

The pain, it was dulling, its waves ebbing over time.

She knew she didn't have long now.

And all she wished was for a kiss.

One final kiss from the man she loved more than life itself.

But she was denied.

And she understood. He loved her. He wanted to save her. But she knew now. There was no way. The force was whispering to her. It was fated. And somehow, it was very convincing.

But she had faith.

He hadn't kissed her. And he was an idiot.

But he was her idiot.

And she believed in him, somewhere deep down in her heart.

She had seen him work miracles

She had seen him liberate worlds.

She had seen him kill gods.

She knew he would do it. She had faith in him. More faith than she had in the force.

But sometimes, as he liked to put it, you just can't win.

Even so, you must prepare. Prepare for the worst. And hope for the best.

And prepare she would.

Offee looked down the bed at Ahsoka, sitting by her bedside, trying to make small talk, to keep her up, alive. She could scarcely hear anything now though.

She couldn't even feel her face anymore.

But she had to do it.

"Ahsoka?" She struggled to speak, her lips felt like great mattresses, and it was cleaning day.

"Offee?" She could read off Ahsoka's lips.

"Listen." Offee continued, mimicking her beloved's manner of speech.

"I won't last long. Don't .... don't worry. And don't ask.

Just listen. Please. Ahsoka.

I know you like him. I know ...you wanted what we had.

And I know you still do."

Ahsoka tried vehemently to deny it, but her words wouldn't come out.

She just nodded downcast, expecting a castigation.

Offee smiled. It was so cute.

Too bad Jay couldn't see it.

"He will be broken over me. He will need support. He can't be alone. Just like me." Offee said.

He was cute like that too.

Offee knew.

"He won't say it. But he will feel crushed. He...I don't want him to be alone.

Promise me Ahsoka. Promise me, you won't leave him alone? You will support...him, won't you?"

Offee could feel the darkness creeping now, at the edges of her vision.

The whispers of the force were becoming louder.

Ahsoka teared up, nodding in promise.

"Thank you," Offee replied her last words.

She couldn't move her lips anymore.

There were no more words to be said.

Her beloved would be safe. He won't be alone. And in due time, Offee hoped, he would get over his sorrow and grief. He would live anew. Travel the multiverse as he liked to call that thing.

She hoped to do it too, by his side.

Desperately so. But the end was here. And there was no fighting it.

Not alone.

And she did feel it. So alone.

A part of her wanted to hate him. To scream at him.

"Come save me!" She wanted to say.

"Don't leave me alone."

"I'm scared."

"I don't want to die."

But she couldn't bring herself to do that.

Tears streamed down her face, as she began to hum the familiar tune that had brought her comfort in the vision.

She never knew where she heard it. But it was very catchy. And sufficiently sad.

Enough to distract her from the inevitable.

And she smiled.

The darkness was almost upon her, nipping at her heels.

The whispers of the force were so sweet and comforting.

She was scared. Yes. But perhaps it really was as master Yoda used to say.

Perhaps she would become one with the force, live on through it, and yet see her beloved again.

Someday, sometime.

She accepted her fate, as master Luminara had taught her. It was the way of her people, odd as it may seem to only now embrace her tradition again.

Offee was at peace.

And then the world froze.