Sabine had cut her hand as they were escaping the Imperial dome. She had only just noticed and kark did it sting. She was in the fresher, finally taking a moment to recover after the day's events when the pain from what would be her newest scar flared up. The Mandalorian hissed, cursing and instinctively pulling her hand away. Further examination of the wound revealed little shards of glass buried in her palm that had sliced through her gloves. Sabine was not impressed.

Shutting the water off, she took a closer look at her hand.

Well it would have been strange to escape a day like today without a new scar, she reckoned.

As the thought crossed her mind, the gravity of the day's events began to sink in.

Lothal was free.

The empire was gone.

Thrawn was gone.

That witch Pryce was gone. (It had been more than satisfying to see her blown from the sky, whether she agreed with killing or not.)

The spectres had succeeded in their mission.

Sabine switched the water back on and turned the pressure and the temperature up, hoping to wash away the thoughts that inevitably came next. Wet eyelashes and hot water forced her eyes shut, locking her inside herself. Of course, there was no way she could stop them.

Kanan and Ezra were also gone.

Sabine had almost (barely) made peace with the fact that Kanan was gone and now Ezra was gone as well. That in itself still didn't seem to process in her mind. As the adrenaline finally wore off and her body unwillingly relaxed with the heat of the water, her collected demeanour began to unravel. The events of the day flew through her mind like a blur. Everything following the disappearance of the purgill was hazy at best. Memories flew through her mind until she landed on one.

And Sabine, don't forget, I'm counting on you.

Yes, but for what? What am I supposed to do? Where are you? Why did you have to do that?

And why did her hand hurt so kriffing much?

Sabine let out a frustrated growl at her hand and turned the water off.

She felt numb. Sabine had lost family before, she had been completely alone before. Back then she had felt abandoned and betrayed by her family and her anger towards them had surpressed any grief she felt towards being an outcast. It also helped that she had run away and made the choice to sever that bond. Being a part of the Ghost crew and having a new family had made her whole when she hadn't even realised how broken she was. In some ways, they had become more dear to her than her family on Mandalore and perhaps that was why Sabine now felt her grief acutely. It was almost overwhelming. Even though she knew that Zeb, Hera and Chopper were still very much with her, she could feel that things would never be the same. From his holo-message, Ezra seemed to be convinced that he would be fine - although how could he have survived that jump into hyperspace - and Sabine wanted to accept that instead of facing the reality, which was much harder to swallow.

If that karking moron hadn't pulled such a stupid, noble stunt then maybe we could all be celebrating.

She could see his stupid big blue eyes filled with hope and understanding as she replayed his message in her head.

I couldn't have wished for a better family. I can't wait to come home.

Sabine furiously wiped away tears and grabbed her clothes. There was no use in thinking about that now. No use in thinking about what could have been, about how one day there could have been something more between her and Ezra than just friends. It made no difference now. Ezra was gone and he was counting on her.

But for what?

Before Sabine could ponder further, a knock on the door brought her back to the Ghost.

"Sabine?" Hera's voice came through, soft and concerned. "Are you alright in there?"

Her throat went dry with guilt as she realised how long she had been in the fresher for. She shouldn't have left Hera alone with the others for that long; it wasn't fair.

"Yeah I'm fine Hera, I'll be out in a minute." She called, trying to sound as composed as possible.

Sabine sighed before she bent down to rub her hair dry. She knew it was up to her to look after Hera now; Kanan had always been there to support her and lift her up and Ezra had always managed to make them all smile and remind them of what they were fighting for. This rebellion would undoubtedly be gruelling without them, if they even managed to see it through.

Sabine steeled herself as she reached for the door. She was sure that no matter what Ezra had specifically meant he must have wanted her to look after their family. She would be strong for them, even if she couldn't be strong for herself.

—

Hera didn't think that her heart could sink lower than it did after she had lost Kanan. She was wrong. In the moments before the purgill had disappeared a cold feeling had seeped into her bones as she realised what Ezra was doing. She had begged him not to, because nothing, nothing could possibly be worth losing any of her family. Especially after how much they had already lost.

She was still reeling from the loss of Kanan. She felt untethered, adrift, as if she had been thrown out of the airlock the way she had so often threatened to do to Ezra, Zeb and Chopper in the early days. The future seemed like an empty, hopeless void without her boys.

Her poor boys, both of whom had been forced to grow up too soon.

Hera absentmindedly brushed away a tear as she returned her attention to fixing the steering. It had seemed a little off earlier on and she had leapt at any excuse to throw herself into something that could stop her from thinking. Mechanical work had always been Hera's way of tuning out from her worries. She enjoyed maintaining her ship and it was always satisfying to find a solution to whatever problem it presented her with. Today however, it wasn't working.

The familiar sound of Chopper rolling toward her echoed through the hallway. She listened to the familiar rhythm of his chirping as he asked her if she needed anything and if he could be of assistance. If a droid could sound concerned, Chopper was the closest to it. Since Kanan, he had paid extra attention to Hera and had ceased almost all pranking and mischief. It was strange.

"No, I'm fine thanks Chop. Why don't you go ahead and plug in for the night, I'm almost done here anyway." Hera tried to make her voice sound as even as possible.

Chopper beeped an acceptance and rolled off before returning a few minutes later, asking if he could be of assistance to Sabine. He noted that the Mandalorian was often prompt in her use of the refresher but that today she had been in there for a noticeably longer period of time than usual. Perhaps she had entered the organics version of standby mode by accident in there?

Hera's brow creased at this, marring her already worn face with an expression of concern. Chopper was right, she hadn't seen Sabine for a while. She sighed. She had been so consumed by her own grief, she hadn't thought about her family and how they were coping. Zeb had gone with Kallus, Rex and the others for victory drinks and she was sure he would drink himself under the table rather than face his grief. Sabine had stayed behind, saying something about having a shower and had disappeared. That had been hours ago.

"Don't worry about it Chop, I'll go and check on her," she assured her droid as she hoisted herself out of the hatch. Fixing the steering had only really been an excuse for Hera to go and hide. She had spent an hour in her cabin crying as she had clutched the meilooran Ezra had left for her, feeling almost crushed by her loss as she imagined him placing it there hours before, squaring his jaw as he made the decision to sacrifice himself to save his planet.

She sighed for what was likely the hundredth time that day before she made her way to the refresher. Sabine needed her and she knew she would need Sabine if they were going to get through this.

—

Both women had resolved to be strong for the other. Both had tried to hide their grief behind a mask of cool composure. But when they faced each other, they could both see a reflection of themselves in the other as both tried to brush over the grief they felt.

Perhaps then, for one night it would be alright to indulge in that grief and lean on each other.