#hera and kanan actually have a quite happier ending

[followtheowls]

Kids throw Kanera surprise date night

Thanks for the prompt :) 

I actually really love this prompt because it reminded me of a Tik Tok I recently watched lol and that inspired the path I took this fic. Re-reading it through after writing it, Sabine and Ezra do kinda seem childish, but roll with it because the concept is super cute.

Also it’s kinda fitting a prompt with Valentine’s day coming up.

I imagine it’s set somewhere in the second half of season one.

Words: 2.5k

…….

Ezra sank heavily into the Dejarik booth in the gallery, his eyes tracking the game currently being played between Sabine and Chopper. Sabine was staring intently at the holo-pieces in front of her and didn’t even look up when he sat down. The sounds of Hera and Kanans argument rang down the hall. It didn’t sound like anything too serious, but it was definitely strange to see the couple arguing - it wasn’t something Ezra had witnessed before that day. Despite just having sat down, Ezra fidgeted nervously, the fact that his Captain and his Master were arguing made him feel on edge. 

He’d only been on the Ghost for a few months, but Ezra had gotten used to the lifestyle of his new living situation. He never went to bed hungry, the Ghost had heating, and he had access to regular showers with hot water. The best part of it all was the place he had found for himself in their little family on the Ghost. Ezra jumped, startled out of his thoughts as a particularly loud “Kanan!” echoed down the hall and into the gallery. His frown deepened. He knew how these things went - the two leaders of a group fight and the group ends up splitting up because the rest are forced to take sides. Ezra had seen it before on the streets with gangs of other Loth rats. Another pang of unhappiness rang through him. He’d just gotten used to being onboard and he was finally happy - happier than he had remembered being in a long time - why did things have to go wrong now?

“You okay, kid?” Ezra looked over to Sabine, who had been distracted from her intense game of Dejarik, and was staring at Ezra in mild concern. “You kinda look like you’re freaking out about something.”

Ezra rolled his eyes in annoyance at her usage of the nickname kid (Sabine was barely two years older than him!), and forced a smile. “I’m not freaking out about anything! It’s just, well,” Ezra floundered, struggling to come up with the right way to phrase his concern without revealing too much. “Uh, have they ever fought like this before?” Ezra finished timidly.

“Who? Oh, wait, do you mean Kanan and Hera? Do they fight? Is that what you’re worried about?” She clarified, inquisitively. At Ezra’s nod she continued, “Don’t think too much about it; they argue every once in a while. They get over it eventually, I think some people call it a, uh, lovers quarrel?” She snickered and Chopper emitted a loud beep of laughter. “They just need some time together that's not about missions or supply runs or anything too serious.”

Ezra visibly relaxed at Sabine’s words. “Oh. I guess that makes sense.” His eyes clouded as a thoughtful expression appeared on his face. 

“Uh, oh,” Sabine chuckled. “What are you up to?”

Ezra’s face broke into a large grin. “I have an idea,” he started, “and you can help.”

--------------

“Come on, let’s get the supplies inside,” Hera ordered, while shifting her grip on the package in her hands. “I wonder what the kids have gotten up to while we were out.”

Kanan huffed. “Probably nothing good,” he muttered. “I don’t know how they get into the situations they do. Force only knows how they survived before we came along.”

Hera smirked and playfully retorted, while poking him in the shoulder. “Some might say they get their troublesome streak from you.”

Kanan chuckled dryly and rolled his eyes. “Well, I guess I’d have to disagree with you there, Captain Rebel. I’d say they take after you and your wild antics.”

Hera playfully turned her nose upwards feigning an air of innocence. “I have no idea what you’re referring to Mister I-like-to-jump-out-the-Phantom-midflight-and-have-my-apprentice-follow-my-lead.” 

Kanan just snorted humorously in response while making his way up the ramp of the Ghost. They both set down their crates in the cargo bay and looked up to see the twin Cheshire grins aimed at them from the two youngest members of the crew. The older Jedi and the pilot exchanged wary glances with each other. “What have you two done?” Hera asked with a brow raised and a tone that indicated a fair amount of suspicion.

“Oh, nothing to worry about,” Sabine replied, sporting a cheeky smile, while Ezra beside her was seemingly vibrating with excitement. “Just a few decorations, why don’t you come see.” Ezra nodded enthusiastically, and giggled while racing up the ladder before the rest of them.

Kanan and Hera exchanged another glance, both sporting cautious smiles, before following the two teens up the ladder and Sabine ushered them into the gallery. What greeted them was a scene that they never would have predicted. The gallery was decorated in a romantic fashion - Hera assumed this was mostly Sabine’s doing. There were two sets of silverware and glasses on the Dejarik table and a bunch of lit candles in various parts of the room. There were also decorative hearts and flowers made of flimsi strewn throughout the room. 

Once again, the couple stared at each other, this time bewildered instead of suspicious. Whatever they were expecting, this was not it. Ezra returned again with what looked like a thick piece of fabric or ribbon tied around his collar like a bow tie. He giggled again and started to lead Hera to her seat while Sabine pushed Kanan towards the opposite seat. “Kids - what? What is this?” Hera questioned. 

Sabine replied with an everlasting grin. “Welcome to date night on the Ghost, we will be your hosts for the evening! Thank you for choosing us, please settle in and get comfortable. My colleague Ezra will take it from here!” And at that she disappeared out the door, heading in the direction of the kitchen. Ezra stepped forward with two pieces of flimsi that he placed in front of the seated couple. 

“Here is the menu,” Ezra said playfully, putting on a posh accent. “Let me know if there's any questions! First off, what would the both of you like to drink?”

Kanan’s eyes crinkled with amusement and affection and a smile tugged at his lips. “We’ll take some water, and I don’t know… Hmm…” He said, playing along. “How about you surprise us? Sounds good, Hera?”

Hera hid her smile with her hand. “Of course, love. Surprise us with your best drink.” Ezra nodded vigorously, and made a big show of writing something down on a notepad. He then bounded off in the same direction Sabine disappeared to, but not before bowing in an exaggeratedly. 

The couple turned back to face one another and there was silence for several moments until Hera exclaimed, “Oh. My. Goodness. This has to be the most adorable thing they’ve ever done!” She tried to make sure her laughter was not too loud or giving the kids the wrong idea. Kanan echoed her reaction, his shoulders shaking with his suppressed chuckles.

“Let’s see what menu they’ve worked up for us in the meantime,” Kanan proposed, still sporting an amused grin. “By the way,” Kanan leaned in to whisper to her, “did you see his little bow-tie?” Hera hummed and nodded, her attention diverted to the menu.

The menu itself was handwritten (presumably by Ezra if the handwriting and spelling were any kind of indicator) and was comically short, provoking another round of amusement from the two. There, apparently, was going to be three courses. The first course was, hilariously, a choice between the four different flavors of ration bars they had on ship. The second course was a selection between the two different types of canned soups they had one board far back in the pantry. The dessert section announced it would be a chefs special, but didn’t list the item.

After only moments of deliberation, the two had made their selections, just in time for the return of the ‘waitstaff’. Giggling, Ezra stepped forward holding two glasses of water, in his excitement a little sloshed over the side. He set them down in front of the pair, and stepped out of the way while Sabine brought over two champagne flutes filled with a sparkling pinkish-purple beverage.

“Ooh,” Hera commented, “What’s this pretty drink?” 

The kids met each other's gaze, and Sabine replied, “It’s our signature drink, we call it ‘the Sparkling Spectre’.” Ezra giggled and clapped his hands. “It’s really just meiloorun and jogan juice mixed with Alderaanian champagne.”

Now that made Hera strike a serious face and she opened her mouth to inquire for further explanation. “And, how, may I ask, did you acquire the champagne?” She doubted they had gotten it themselves, no vendor would believe either of them to be over the legal age. 

Breaking character for a moment, Ezra explained Zeb had generously offered up the bottle, which he had received as a gift a while ago, claiming it to be too bubbly for his liking. At that response, Hera relaxed. 

“Well, I will leave you with my colleague, as I must be returning to my kitchen.”

Ezra stepped forward, again putting on a posh accent and asked if they were ready to place their order. They responded affirmatively, and relayed their orders to him. “Very well, I will inform the kitchen,” Ezra confirmed. “Before I go, are your beverages to your liking?” The both of them sipped their drink and responded affirmatively.

Kanan and Hera watched, not quite suppressing their amusement, as Ezra scurried out of the room towards the kitchen to tell Sabine what they had ordered. On his way out, he passed Chopper, giving him a swift kick and ordering him to play the music Sabine had found. Chopper replied he would do no such thing, but remained in the room. Hera covered her smile with her hand and giggled. “I wonder what brought this on?” She asked Kanan. He just smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

“Eh, I can never tell with that kid. It sure is funny though - and nice to not have to have to organize dinner, even if the dinner’s going to be ration bars and canned soup.” Kanan replied, his eyes twinkling in amusement.

Chopper once again made his presence known with a loud string of beeps. “Baby Jedi’s scared that Mom’s gonna break up with you, so he and Spectre 5 are making a date to offset that outcome.” Kanan and Hera looked at each other in bewilderment, both of them clearly wondering where Ezra got that idea from.

“Well, obviously that’s not true. I wonder where he got that idea from?” Hera contemplated for a moment before realization dawned on her face.“He must’ve been spooked by how we were arguing earlier. We’ll clear it up - he’ll be fine. You hear that Chop? No one’s breaking up with anyone!”

Chopper responded with a curse, and fled the room whooping with laughter, but not before beeping “A droid can only dream!” at Kanan, who rolled his eyes. 

Several minutes of pleasant conversation followed until their youngest crew member returned with a tray in his hand. “For you, Madame, and for you, Master Jedi.” He placed the ration bars in front of them, and backed away heading towards the kitchen.

----------

Around thirty minutes of warm and pleasant conversation and two courses later, the Twi’lek and Jedi had finished both their ration bars and soup. “Delicious, Ezra,” Hera praised, purposefully holding Kanan’s hand in a visible manner; she wanted to try to ease his worries about the couple. “We loved it!”

“You did good, kid,” Kanan smiled at him, picking up on Hera’s intentions. “It’s been an excellent date.” His body language was relaxed in a way Hera hadn’t seen in a while, he’d had a tenseness to him ever since he began to teach Ezra the ways of the Force; it was almost as if he struggled to relax lately and sometimes the evidence of the heaviness of his past weighed down on him. But, right now, Kanan was grinning happily while looking at his student, his eyes twinkling in a prideful expression that Hera noticed was often inching everyday towards paternal.

Ezra beamed in response. “That’s great, and there’s still the last course!” He took away their finished soup bowls, headed back towards the kitchen. From the gallery, they could hear Ezra relay their compliments of the meal to Sabine and, seconds later, the cheering and slapping sound which presumably was a high five. The couple now also heard the addition of a new voice echoing down the hall - Zeb. They were thankful to hear his voice, as neither teenager had any cooking skills.

Dessert finally arrived along with the rest of the crew, this time Zeb finally making an appearance. He presented them with their dessert - a stack of fresh waffles with slices of meiloorun and whipped cream - it was clearly made by Zeb as he was the only one with the necessary skills to make it. 

Hera gasped with appreciation, clapping her hands together in praise. “Wow, this looks amazing everybody! I can’t wait to try it. While you're all here, we just want to say how much we appreciate this. We love it and we love our little family here on the Ghost.” Spectres 4, 5, and 6 smiled back at them, and Hera gracefully chose not to comment if Ezra’s eyes happened to glisen more than normal. “You all are so important to us, really!”

Zeb laughed and scratched the back of his neck. “Eh, that’s enough sappiness for me, I’m going to go clean the mess they left in the kitchen.” He backed, away leaving the kids with the parental figures of the ship.

“Hera’s right,” Kanan continued. “We couldn’t have asked for a better family, kids who care enough to organize a whole dinner for the two of us. We love it and wouldn’t change it for anything in the galaxy.” His words clearly resonated with the two teenagers, both coming from sensitive familial backgrounds. He opened his arms, inviting them both in for a hug, which Ezra practically melted into. To his left, Sabine was hugging Hera.

“Why don’t the both of you stay while we eat dinner, hmm?” Hera asked, reaching across the table to grasp Ezra’s hand. The two teens nodded and settled in beside the adults who began to dig into their dessert. They chatted joyfully with the young teens, enjoying the leisure time. Kanan wrapped an arm around Ezra’s shoulders, and the teen eventually leaned his head against Kanan’s arm. For what felt like the thousandth time that day, Kanan’s heart fluttered with affection and gratefulness for the family he and Hera had built, and the home they have been able to provide for the younger members of the crew, both of whom were products of difficult living situations. Kanan met Hera’s eyes for a brief moment and knew she was appreciating the same thing. Together, they basked in the intense sense of pride for the thoughtfulness and creativity of their younger counterparts, knowing that their family, in that moment, was untouchable by those of the Empire who wished to break them.

[anathtsurugi]

The Colder the Winter, the Warmer the Spring - New Chapter Teaser

‘I’ve Loved You Since Forever’ is an actual picture book. I just thought it was adorable and I wanted to see these two lovely idiots read it to their baby girl. I just composed a Star Wars version for the scene. Enjoy!

 As Zeb had guessed, they'd wound up with nearly a crate-full of flowers once word got around Base One that their little kit's first birthday had rolled by without them knowing. That and just what the Lasat birthday tradition entailed. The nice thing about Yavin IV was that there was no shortage of plant life to choose from, so the variety of flowers Ari received was beautiful.

 Sabine and Ezra managed to weave her a proper flower crown, which delighted the baby girl to no end. She had also received a steady stream of rough, but lovingly made gifts, little toys crafted from whatever might be scrounged up from the base or the jungle, nearly every single soldier in the cell eager for nothing more than a smile from the little one.

 From among the sweets Kanan and the others had managed to trade for, Ari also had her first taste of Christophsian sugar and Felucian swirlfudge, leaving her hyper as an overcharged MSE droid while the other rebels enjoyed the impromptu celebration of her birth.

 It was later in the evening than any of them wanted to admit by the time the party properly wound down. Zeb was left watching Alex cuddle a fussy Arkalia while everyone else insisted on cleaning up the Ghost. The kit was obviously exhausted, but plainly of a mind that she was not going to sleep yet.

 "Ah, Lia...ni Lia," his mate soothed the kit as he paced the common room with her in his arms. "I don't know what you want from me, dear heart. I've given you every song I know."

 "Hey, how about we give this a try," Zeb suggested with a snap, remembering something in the pile of presents on the table. Digging briefly, he came up with a little holoprojector.

 "That was...the one from Mon Mothma?" Alex tried to remember, coming to sit beside him.

 "Yeah," Zeb said as he set the small device up on the table, remembering the older woman's distant smile as she'd passed the little thing into his hands.

 "It's been in my family for a long time. An old holobook. I knew from a fairly young age there would be no next generation for me to pass it on to, but it has given me comfort in these dark days. I believe it is time for it to bring joy to another child, so I'm giving it to your little girl," the chancellor explained, her expression solemn, but warm.

 "This thing's old, so she said we'd have to do the readin' ourselves, but I don't mind that," he continued, smiling at his grumpy daughter as he leaned over to tickle her foot.

 "Nor do I," Alex agreed as the first image flickered to life above the projector – a view of a beautifully illustrated night sky bursting with stars, as if viewed while lying down on the grass and peering up through trees. As the words to accompany the image shimmered into being within it, he read them aloud. "I've loved you since forever."

 Once he'd read the words, the image shifted. The new holo was of a rainbow in a fresh blue sky, with a light dove and her baby winging through the air, the shine of their underplumage catching the light.

 "Before light doves flew over rainbows," Alex read as the words appeared, and Zeb saw the kit steal a glance at the holo, almost in spite of herself.

 With Alex's words, the holo began its next transformation. This time into a forest with a group of Kowakian monkey-lizards hanging in the branches. And at the center of the group was featured yet another parent and child.

 "And monkey-lizards swung on trees," Alex continued to read, pointing at the holo, drawing an indignant trill from the baby.

 When the image transformed again, it was into something much like the first – a holo of the night sky. Only this time two very bright stars stood out from all the rest.

 "There was you, and there was me," his mate read, kissing one of Kali's twitching ears. The kit batted at him before pointing back at the shifting image.

 The new holo was of a family of loth cats cuddled up together in an underground den. Arkalia cooed curiously when she saw it, though her eyes were starting to blink sleepily.

 "Before the suns rose in the skies," Alex narrated over the next change, a holo of several yellow and grey hreran bees buzzing their way over a field of flowers. The tiny princess reached out a paw to try and batt at the image, only a little confused when her fingers simply passed through it. "And honey came from hreran bees."

 The latest line led to yet another holo of the night sky. Only this time, the two stars had shifted a little closer.

 "There was you, and there was me," Alex almost seemed to sing, cuddling the baby even closer against him. Kali gave a wide yawn and a tired smile. The holo was soon swirling into its next set, an image of a convor and her chick tucked up safe in a nest.

 "I've loved you since forever, before the moons lit up the night."

 The image this latest line drew in was a holo of a herd of bantha roaming across a desert. At the edge of the holo was a tiny baby bantha following along after its mother.

 "And banthas wandered free."

 Once again, the image of the night sky swirled into being, the two stars much closer than before.

 "There was you, and there was me," Alex whispered in Kali's ear. Struggling to stay awake, she nearly missed the new image.

 This one was a holo of a loth wolf and its pup dashing across the grasslands of Lothal. When Zeb heard a quiet gasp of recognition, he glanced over to see Sabine and Ezra off in one of the connecting corridors.

 "Before loth wolves ran together," Alex continued to read, narrating another beautiful transformation into a nightscape. Only this was a night sky overlooking a gently lapping ocean as a shower of falling stars fell from overhead.

 "And stardust reached the sea."

 One more time, the holo shifted into the initial view of the night sky. Only now the two stars were right beside each other.

 "There was you, and there was me, waiting for the day our stars would cross...and you and I turned into we."

 Alex's voice trembled mildly at the last when he pressed a kiss to the top of Kali's head, but she wasn't aware of any of it. The little kit had finally fallen fast asleep.

 When his mate looked up at him, his lovely amber eyes were bright with a sheen of unshed tears.

 "I love you," he said softly, amazed. "I love you both...so dearly."

 "Gal L'ashkerrir an," Zeb returned, feeling the emotion he saw mirrored in those human eyes well up in his own heart. He didn't know if Alex was entirely aware that they weren't as alone as all that, but he couldn't bring himself to care all that much one way or the other. In this moment, he had his family. He was surrounded by the family who had accepted him after the loss of his world, and he had the man he loved more than life itself in his arms, with their daughter cradled perfectly between them. Whatever happened, he didn't think he could be any happier than he was in this moment.

 So he drew Alex to him and kissed him soundly, breathing in the contented sigh from his lips as he held him, both of them careful of the kit between them. But despite being so lost in the moment and in each other, they were both well aware when Kanan and Hera re-entered the room.

 "You know what? Why don't Kanan and I take Lia for tonight. You two haven't had any time to yourselves since the others have been gone," she said, a knowing look in her eyes as she easily lifted the slumbering kit from Alex's arms.

 "But- Kanan's only just got back," Alex tried to argue, though he didn't fight too hard to keep ahold of Arkalia.

 "We'll have time. But you two haven't even had your wedding night yet. You should take the time to enjoy each other. Trust me, Kanan and I have enjoyed each other plenty," she assured them as she gently laid the baby against her breast.

 Zeb shared a look with his mate at this. The human smiled helplessly for a moment before shrugging.

 "Well...I suppose we haven't truly been together since I was quit of the Empire."

 "It's true," he returned, pulling the man in for another kiss.

 "Though we assume that's going to be happening in your bunk," Sabine called out rather pointedly.

 "Mm," Alex agreed when he pulled back from him, a vaguely dazzled smile now on his face. "Suppose we can't be scarring the children."

 "Eh, kids can take more than you think," Kanan teased as he came up behind Hera.

 "Kanan," the Twi'lek scolded him mildly, accompanied by noises of disgust from the younger two Spectres.

-

So whatcha think? A good start to the fluff chapter?

The full chapter is available right now on my Patreon, so if you don’t think you can wait until next friday, go check it out. But we’ll be getting back to regular TCTW in just a week. Hope this suffices in the meantime. :D

[bedlamsbard]

Here’s the second part of the accidental roommates AU -- this is one of those times when I say “second” in terms of when I wrote it, not in terms of the internal chronology, because there are probably two or three months between this part and the previous part.  As usual, please remember that this is concept writing and not a titled, polished fic.  (Also IDK if the timeline with Solo matches up but that’s why it’s concept writing, so I don’t have to do math.)

About 4.9K below the break.  Please remember that I don’t warn.

“Hera, I am very disappointed in you.”

Hera did her best not to flinch at the words, sitting with her back poker-straight and her hands folded in her lap.  When Agent Beneke didn’t go on, she said, trying not to let her voice shake, “It isn’t against regulations.”

Her handler regarded her grimly, his mouth set in a moue of disgust and distaste. “I was starting to believe you were less of a slut than other members of your species, Hera.”

This time Hera did flinch. She didn’t trust herself to say anything, so she just sat there, her hands fisted so tightly that her knuckles ached.

Beneked waited for her to reply; when she didn’t, he went on, “No, it isn’t against regulations, but that’s only because the Inquisition is outside the scope of the rest of the Imperial service.  The true Imperial service, not the Emperor’s –”  He hesitated over the words, then finished, “– attack dogs.”

He let the words hang in the air.

Hera said in a whisper, “I’m not a slut.”

He ignored that.  “Of course, I understand that some allowances must be made for your species, but surely, Hera, there were other alternatives. The Lake House – well, I suppose you might have a taste for humans.  Agent Melplith –”

“He wanted to rape me.”

“You misunderstood, Hera –”

“He wanted to rape me,” Hera spat, feeling heat gather in her cheeks. “I might be a Twi’lek, but I’m not stupid.”

Agent Beneke raised his eyebrows in response to that, clearly suggesting that at the moment the matter was up for debate.  He let Hera’s words hang in the air between them for long enough that Hera felt her lekku twitch before he said, “But you were already fucking another man.”

Hera set her jaw and didn’t correct him, since it wasn’t any of his business when she and Kanan had started sleeping together, especially not when she had relied on that illusion to keep Agent Melplith away from her.  All she wanted was to be out of this room and back in Kanan’s, with a door that locked and which not even Beneke would dare to come into.  “It’s not against regs,” she repeated stubbornly. “And my grades haven’t dropped.”

“For now.”  His voice was cool.  “I’ll be contacting the Inquisition, Hera.”

She forced herself not to react, though she guessed that Beneke saw her flinch anyway.  She doubted that he was aware that Kanan was terrified of the rest of the Inquisition.  And even if he was aware – she knew as well as he did that they wouldn’t let Kanan keep a mistress.

“We have an offworld assignment in the morning,” she said, keeping her voice as calm as she could manage despite the fact that she felt like bursting into tears. “May I go, please?”

“Back to him.”  It wasn’t a question.

Hera raised her gaze to him and couldn’t keep the acid out of her voice. “That’s where my things are.”

“You’ve disgraced yourself, Hera,” Agent Beneke said coldly. “Yourself, and me.  I vouched for you to come to the Academy, you know, and you are on the verge of throwing it all away.  You should be ashamed of yourself.”

“May I be excused, please?” Hera said again.

“You may go,” Agent Beneke said, “but after you get back from Garel tomorrow, I’ll see this ended one way or another.  Do you understand, Hera?”

“Yes, sir,” Hera said.

His voice went gentle. “It’s for your own good, Hera.  You don’t understand the danger you’ve put yourself in with this Inquisitor. They’re not like the rest of us. He’s barely human anymore.”

Hera didn’t say anything, and after a moment, Agent Beneke said, “You’re dismissed, Hera.  Good luck on your operation tomorrow.”

“Thank you, sir,” Hera said, and fled the room, trying not to make it too obvious that running away was what she was doing.  She made it all the way back to the officers’ guest quarters without collapsing, ignoring the other officers and cadets she passed along the way.  She opened the door to find Kanan inside, sitting cross-legged on the bed and frowning at a datapad.  He smiled as she came in, lifting his gaze to her – that sweet smile that was just for her, which transformed his handsome, scarred face into something else entirely.

The smile fell away as he saw her expression, and he said, “What’s wrong?”

She took a stumbling step into the room, enough for the door to slide shut behind her.  She didn’t remember falling into Kanan’s arms, but she must have, because the next thing she knew he was holding her as she wept into his shoulder, her whole body shaking with the force of her sobs.  He held her close, rubbing her back with one hand, until Hera’s tears finally trailed off into gasping hiccups.

They were both sitting on the floor, Kanan with his back against the bed and Hera kneeling between his legs.  He still had his arms around her, holding her protectively against him, but he loosened his grip as Hera sat up, wiping at her eyes.

“What happened?” he asked her gently. “Are you hurt?”

“I’m not hurt,” Hera said. She felt dull, wrung out and scraped thin.  “Agent Beneke – my handler – he just got back.  And he heard about us.”

She was surprised, in a way, that someone hadn’t contacted him already, but presumably the same fear of the Inquisition that had kept anyone here from actually confronting them about it had kept anyone from bringing it to Agent Beneke’s attention.

“What happened?” Kanan’s voice was still impossibly gentle, and Hera couldn’t imagine how Beneke could accuse him of being something other than kind.

Hera shook her head and curled back up into his arms, hiding her face against his chest.  I want to go, she thought suddenly. I don’t want to be here anymore.

“We’ve got an op tomorrow,” she said eventually, her voice raw from crying. “We should sleep.”

“Okay,” Kanan said mildly. He ducked his head and kissed her very gently on the mouth, his lips brushing over hers.  Hera put her arms around his neck to hold him against her, unable to bear the idea of never seeing him again.

We could leave.  We could just leave.  I want to leave.

But she didn’t dare say the words out loud, not in the heart of the ISB itself, and the fact that she genuinely didn’t know what Kanan would say to it kept her from even whispering it in his ear.  He was terrified of the Inquisition – far more afraid of them than Hera was of the ISB.

“I love you,” she said against his mouth.

“I love you too.”  He kissed her again.  “It will be all right, I promise.”

Hera shook her head, but didn’t say anything, just curled up in the warm circle of his arms.  She couldn’t imagine it ever being all right.

*

Once the idea had come into her head, Hera couldn’t seem to get it out.  She turned it over and over in her mind the entire way to Garel, sitting in the back of a commuter shuttle with Kanan next to her, his arm comfortably around her shoulders like they were an ordinary couple.  She didn’t dare voice it to Kanan no matter how badly she needed to talk about it with him; there was no way that the shuttle wasn’t bugged, either by the company that operated it or by the ISB.  After what Agent Beneke had said, Hera didn’t trust the ISB not to have them surveilled at every opportunity.  The only place she knew they wouldn’t be watched was in the club itself.

She took Kanan’s hand as they left the shuttle, making their way through the corridors of the spaceport before they finally emerged into the city streets.  He bent his head to hers like any other young lover’s, brushing a kiss over her lips that made Hera shiver, self-conscious in public despite the fact that no one here had any idea who they were.  It wasn’t quite full dark yet, the planet cast in purple twilight as they wandered idly through the tourist district of the city, cutting a slow, meandering path towards the club.  Garel had a thriving nightlife, both licit and otherwise, and after months of barely leaving the Imperial Complex except to go on training missions it was enchanting to see something so different.  Species from all across the galaxy congregated on the world; Hera’s green skin and lekku didn’t warrant a second look from anymore, no more than Kanan’s handsome human features did.  She spotted enough other Twi’leks on the street to guess that there was probably an enclave somewhere in the city – no surprise there, though it hadn’t been in their brief.

Kanan stopped at a food stall to buy her a waffle dusted with meiloorun sugar and himself one with syrup.  They stood in the shelter of a street lamp to eat them, Hera trying determinedly not to get powdered sugar all down her front and mostly succeeding.  Kanan licked his fingers clean of syrup and then grinned comfortably at her.  He looked happier in civilian clothes than Hera had ever seen him before – or at least, outside of their bed – with the comfortable ease of someone who had never been near an Imperial uniform in his life.

Hera leaned up and touched her lips to his.  Run away with me, she almost said.  Let’s just go, let’s leave now.  But she didn’t dare do it, not now, not when any of the beings around them could have been watching them, listening in, evaluating them for the ISB and the Inquisition. Instead, she just said, “I love you.”

Kanan kissed her back. “It will be all right,” he told her.

You don’t know that.  Hera just kissed him again, the napkins she had been using for the waffle balled up in one fist as she put her arms around his neck.  She still felt exhausted and wrung out after the confrontation with Agent Beneke, the hours she had spent crying in Kanan’s arms pricking weariness at the corners of her eyes.

Kanan wrapped his arms around her.  “Are you all right?” he asked softly.

Hera shook her head. “Let’s do this,” she told him.  Once they were in the club, she could be certain they weren’t being bugged – not by the Empire, anyway.  They just had to get that far.

“Okay.”  He kissed her again, then took the dirty napkins from her and stepped aside to toss them in a waste bin.  Hera took his hand again as they made their way to the club, which was garishly lit up even from the outside, a quickly-moving line formed at the door.  Hera and Kanan joined the queue and were inside a few moments later, feeling a low faint hum as they descended the staircase into the club’s open lower level. She flicked a startled glance upwards, spotting the jamming equipment in the ceiling, and felt her shoulders relax for the first time that day.

Kanan noticed, but didn’t say anything, just squeezed her hand.

The sound of the club, the number of people packed into the space, was oppressive.  It made Hera wince, her fingers tightening on Kanan’s hand until she was certain it had to hurt.

“Our guy’s not going to be out here on the floor,” he said, bending his head to her ear and keeping his voice low.  “They must have more rooms –”

Hera nodded to the curtained areas off the main space.  She guessed that some of them were probably no more than nooks for couples to retire to, but others were likely to be more substantial rooms for rent, or corridors leading to them, since curtains weren’t much for privacy.

She and Kanan made their way to the edge of the room, wandering along the walls with the air of a couple looking for somewhere to make out.  Several of the curtained nooks were clearly occupied by two or more beings; another turned out to be a hallway leading to the kitchens and another to the refreshers.  They stumbled into a third hallway with the careless ease of drunk lovers, Kanan pressing Hera against the wall as he kissed her, one hand toying with the hem of her shirt.

“Tease,” Hera gasped, only half-joking, and felt Kanan grin against her mouth.  He drew back a moment later, glancing around the corridor before he tilted his head slightly, his eyes slanting half-shut.

“I think we’re in the right spot,” he said.

Hera didn’t ask how he knew, just followed him as he moved cautiously down the corridor.  She knew he had his lightsaber hidden somewhere on his person; she had a comlink but no blaster.  If they were caught, their only two options were talking fast or Kanan killing everyone.

Kanan paused at a curve in the corridor after a few minutes of walking.  Hera peered around the curve, taking in the sight of the six beings standing outside another curtained entryway.  Two were Twi’leks, two Pykes, and two Falleens.  Definitely the right place, Hera thought; that was the Pyke Syndicate and the Black Sun, and the Twi’leks could have been from any number of cartels.  She started to draw back, then froze as one of the Twi’leks shifted position so that she could see his face clearly.

She grabbed Kanan’s hand, dragging him back down the corridor until they were near the floor again. She could feel as much as hear the roar of the crowd and the throbbing beat of the music beyond the thick curtain; the idea of going out there was unbearable.

“What is it?” Kanan demanded. “What’s wrong?”

“Do you want to leave?” Hera blurted out, her voice shaky. “With me?  Leave the Empire, I mean.”

“Who was that?” Kanan asked her. “You saw someone you knew?”

“Will you?” Hera asked him desperately.

He hesitated briefly, then nodded.

“I think my father’s in there,” Hera whispered.

Kanan’s eyes went wide. “What? I – your father?”

“I recognized one of the Twi’leks outside,” Hera said shakily.  She was barely aware of anything except white noise, turning this over and over again in her mind.  Her father was there; she could go home.  Hera hadn’t thought seriously about that in years, hadn’t thought she still wanted it, but now that the thought was lodged in her head it was the only thing she could think of.  “I need to get a message to him, but I can’t just walk up to them –”

“Get one of the waitresses to do it,” Kanan said promptly.  He ducked his head and kissed her.  “Come on.  Let’s go find one.”

*

This is a waste of time, Cham Syndulla thought wearily, but didn’t let it show on his face.  He had the money to outbid the Pykes and the Black Sun, but there was no reason to believe that Free Ryloth might not need those credits more in the future than they needed the weapons for sale now.  And even after all these years part of him still chapped at the fact that he had to sit at the same table as criminal scum like the cartels.  He doubted that they cared, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that the Pyke and Black Sun representatives looked equally smug that a scion of Ryloth had been brought down to their level.  The Crimson Dawn dealer, a scarred human named Vos, had said as much in so smooth a way that the cartel members hadn’t even realized Cham was being insulted.

They all looked up as the curtain was swept back and Gobi stepped into the room. “My apologies for the interruption,” he said. “I have an urgent message for my master and mistress that cannot wait – a family matter.”

“I would never stand in the way of family,” Vos said smoothly. “Please, Syndulla, go – will you be returning to us?”

“Perhaps another occasion.” Cham rose to his feet, offering Alecto his hand. “I am sure we will have another opportunity to do business together.”

“Certainly something can be arranged,” Vos said. “My lady.”

Alecto inclined her head slightly in acknowledgment, but didn’t speak.  She and Cham left Vos and the cartel members to return to their bidding war, joining Gobi and Jaq in the corridor.  The Pyke and Black Sun soldiers regarded their appearance with curiosity.  One of the club waitresses was standing nearby with Jaq, a beautiful Pantoran girl in a skimpy outfit.  She started to speak, but Cham held up his hand until they had gone down the corridor somewhat, around the curve in the hallway and out of sight of the cartel soldiers.

“You’re Syndulla?” she asked.

“I am,” Cham said.  He blinked at her in surprise; his assumption when Gobi had said “family” had been that something had happened back at the fleet with Doriah or Xiaan.  “You have a message for me?”

“There’s a girl in the club who wants to see you,” the Pantoran said. “She said to tell you that she’s from the house with seven fountains.”

Alecto grabbed for Cham’s hand, her nails digging into his bare skin. “Where?” she demanded. “Where is she?”

“In one of the private rooms.”  The Pantoran looked inquisitively at them without moving.

Cham produced a twenty-credit chip without having to be prompted further; it disappeared into the girl’s bustier and she led them out of the corridor and onto the crowded floor of the club, skirting the walls and passing several curtained entrances before she came to a stop outside one of them.  “They’re in here,” she said.

“Stay here,” Cham said to Gobi and Jaq, and thrust the curtain aside to step into the chamber beyond, Alecto just behind him.

*

Hera couldn’t sit. She just paced back and forth across the small room while Kanan watched her from his position on the loveseat, legs crossed tailor-style in front of him. “It will be all right,” he told her.

Hera didn’t respond, just bit her knuckle and tried not to let her wild hope overwhelm her.  If the man the ISB had sent them after came in here instead of her father – or if the Empire – if this was a trick, a trap, another loyalty test and one she had failed –

Kanan raised his head suddenly.  When Hera jerked around to stare at him, he said, “There’s someone –”

The curtain was swept aside before he could finish, admitting a tall, orange-skinned Twi’lek man.

Hera didn’t think, just gasped, “Daddy!” and flung herself into his arms.  An instant later another pair of arms went around her, her mother holding onto her with desperate strength as she whispered, “My baby, my baby –”

Hera started to cry.

She hadn’t thought that she would, but once she started she couldn’t seem to stop, sobbing against her father’s shoulder as he held her tightly.  Her mother kissed her frantically and Hera managed to transfer her death grip from her father to her mother, clutching at her like the child she hadn’t been in years.  Her father put his arms around them both, his lips moving in something that Hera recognized as a prayer of thanksgiving.

An instant later he spotted Kanan, still seated on the loveseat, and drew back sharply, his hand going to the empty holster on his hip.

“He’s with me,” Hera said hastily, pulling herself out of her mother’s tight grip.  “Daddy, Mama, Kanan.  Kanan, these are – these are my parents, Cham and Alecto Syndulla.”

Kanan blinked once, recognizing at least one of the names, but unfolded himself as he stood up, keeping his hands in plain sight.  “Sir,” he said. “Ma’am.”  He hesitated and then added, “You knew one of my former teachers, General Syndulla. Master Windu always spoke very highly of you.”

Cham frowned at him, clearly startled, then his eyes widened with realization.  “You’re –”

Hera didn’t even see Kanan move, but all at once his lightsaber hilt was in his hand where Cham could see it.  Her father’s jaw dropped even as Kanan made the lightsaber vanish again.

Hera was staring too, because while she had guessed that particular secret from a few hints Kanan had dropped over the past months, she had never expected him to actually admit it. From his nervous expression, Kanan hadn’t expected to ever do so either.

“I – see,” Cham said after a moment where he just stared wide-eyed at Kanan.  He glanced at Hera, visibly realized what their relationship was, and swallowed back whatever automatic protest he had to that.

Her mother put her arm around Hera again like she couldn’t bear to not be touching her for even a few moments.  “We’re going back to the fleet,” she said. “You and your friend –”

Hera bit her lip, but nodded. “The – the Empire is watching the club,” she said. “I know there’s another – a team inside, maybe more than one.”

Her father caught the slip but didn’t ask about it, just frowned in thought, then turned to pull the curtain back.  “Gobi,” he said, “go find Vos’s second.  Tell her that they should be on the lookout for Imperial visitors, then meet us outside. I assume Vos has some kind of plan for that contingency.”

“Yes, Syndulla.”

Hera heard footsteps moving hastily away.  Cham said, “We’ll go out the back, the way we came in.”

Kanan flicked a glance at Hera.  She nodded slightly in response; she hadn’t meant to do this when she came in here, but it was happening now.  And Hera – there were a lot of things Hera had wanted for years and had given up hope of ever getting again.  Her family was one of them.

“They might be watching the back,” Kanan offered slowly.

It was a training mission, not a full assault, meant to be observation-only and with relatively little risk for several pairs of cadets.  Hera and Kanan hadn’t been briefed on how many other pairs were assigned to this operation, but she suspected that given the notoriety of Crimson Dawn she and Kanan weren’t the only ones in here.  She had been too overwhelmed on the club floor to look for any of the others.

“I don’t think so,” Hera said, equally hesitant.  It was possible, but because this was only a training mission, meant to test their cadets in the field without supervision, the ISB wasn’t likely to waste agents on something like that.  And none of the cadets she knew were likely to waste time camping out in the back of the club hoping something interesting happened there, rather than coming inside and seeking it out on their own.

“Can you sense them?” her father asked Kanan.

He looked startled to be asked, but shook his head.  “Too many people in here.”

“Then we’ll go now,” Cham said firmly.  He pushed the curtain aside and stepped out, revealing a vaguely familiar Twi’lek woman whose name Hera couldn’t remember off the top of her head.  The woman’s eyes widened as she recognized Hera. “We’re going,” Cham told her. “Hera, you remember Jaq?”

Hera absolutely did not remember Jaq, but she had to be either a Syndulla clanswoman or from her father’s old Clone Wars resistance group.

Hera’s mother put an arm around her, like she couldn’t bear not to be touching Hera even for a few moments. She held Hera close against her as they made their way across the club floor, which made walking a little difficult in the crowded space, but Hera wasn’t about to try to make her mother release her.  She looked back several times to make certain that Kanan was following, which he was. Jaq was trailing him, with an expression on her face that made Hera think the older woman wasn’t certain about Kanan’s ability to either stay with the group or take care of himself.

Hera should have been trying to spot the other ISB cadets that she was certain were here, but there were too many people in the club and she didn’t want to let go of her mother, so she let it be. There was nothing she could do about it now, anyway.  The realization was something of a relief.

What she did see were several of the club’s black-helmeted guards standing unobtrusively at the edges of the room, especially as they slipped out into a hallway she and Kanan had passed before.  One of them watched them leave, but didn’t make any attempt to stop them.  Still, Hera found herself holding her breath until they finally left the club and stepped abruptly into the cool dark of a back alley.

Gobi was waiting there for them, along with another one of the guards; this one had the visor of his helmet retracted, revealing monkey-like features.  Both were regarding each other grimly, but looked up as Cham emerged.  The guard waited for them all to emerge from the club, gave Kanan as the one human in the group a dubious look, and said, “The boss says your assistance is appreciated, and he hopes to do business again with you sometime.”

“Likewise,” Cham said, his voice carefully neutral.  He accepted the blaster the guard handed him and holstered it, then took two more blasters to pass back to Alecto and Jaq.  “Tell your boss I’ll be in touch.”

The guard nodded.  His visor slid back into place again, concealing his face.  When he spoke again, his voice came out with a slight metallic quality, “The landing bay has been notified that you’re on your way.”

“Thank you.”  Cham glanced at Hera as though to make sure she hadn’t gone anywhere in the past few minutes, then led the way down the alley.

The private landing bay was only a street away from the club, with a few more of the helmeted guards tucked discreetly just inside the doors, which Cham opened with a keycard. There weren’t individual bays inside, just docking slots.  Hera spotted what were probably the Pyke and Black Sun ships in two of them, along with a sleek shuttle that she suspected probably belonged to Dryden Vos himself. The Syndulla’s Gamble was docked in another slot.

Hera couldn’t help her sharp inhalation.  She had grown up with the Gamble, had expected to pilot it someday; it was a shock to see here and now, as if nothing had changed since the last time she had seen it four years ago.

“We’re almost there, baby,” her mother murmured to her. “We’ll be home soon.”

There were a couple of Twi’leks standing at the foot of the ramp, holding blaster rifles and eyeing the Pyke and Black Sun guards with suspicion; they were being eyed back in turn.  One of them, Hera realized, was her aunt Clotho; she didn’t recognize the other.

Kanan touched her elbow suddenly, and Hera jumped.  Her mother shot a wary glance at him, then at the expression on his face released Hera and stepped a little ways away.

“Don’t,” Hera told him. “Don’t you dare.  You already said you would.”

“My master –”

“I know you don’t want to go back to him.  I know you’re afraid of him.”

Kanan glanced aside, and even in the cool lights of the hangar bay Hera could see the faint scars on his face and neck, at the edge of his hairline.  She took his hands in hers and said, “Don’t leave me alone. Please.”

“You’re with your family.”

“I want you too,” Hera said. “I love you.”

He smiled a little. “I’m not afraid of him for me,” he said. “He’ll knock me around.  He’s done that before.  But if I leave, he’ll come after me, and he’ll kill everyone between us to do it.  That puts you and your family at risk.”

“I think my family’s been at risk for a while now,” Hera pointed out. “And I don’t want you to get hurt either.”  She leaned up and kissed him.  “Also, since we’re in a crime lord’s secret hangar bay, I don’t think they can actually let you leave without shooting you first.”

Kanan smiled a little, but kissed her back. “I can deal with a couple of enforcers,” he pointed out. “But my master –”  He stopped again, agony on his face.

“Please,” Hera said again.

After a terrifyingly long moment he nodded.  Hera kissed him again and then put her arms around him, holding him against her as he buried his face in her neck.  She was fighting back her surge of adrenaline with effort, trying not to let herself be angry at him.  He was frightened.  It wasn’t fair to expect him to be anything otherwise, not after what his master had done to him.

“Hera,” her father said quietly.

She released Kanan so that she could look at him.  He was standing a little ways away, regarding them both thoughtfully, and Hera realized that she had no idea how much of the conversation he had overheard.  But all he said was, “We need to leave.”

Hera took a breath. “All right,” she said.  She reached out for Kanan’s hand, resisted the urge to look behind her – there was nothing to see except the Crimson Dawn enforcers, anyway – and followed her parents towards the Syndulla’s Gamble.