A/N: Here's something that is, in the true style of Rebels, a little sad, a little happy, and a little hopeful. Inspired by the fact that Ezra's last message to Hera should have been far more sentimental and meaningful than a throwaway meiloorun comment.
When the dust settles, when Lothal is safe, when Ezra and Thrawn and every last Imperial is gone, Hera decides—or really, the decision is made for her, by her crew—that she ought to rest.
She heads to the Ghost and passes Ezra's room on the way to her cabin; she hovers before the door and then, maybe against her better judgment, she goes inside. It's as if he left five minutes ago—his sheets are still rumpled, even though he hasn't been on the Ghost in days. Hera looks around the room and feels tears well in her eyes.
Losing one of her Jedi would have been hard. She's managed to lose them both.
She hasn't been to Kanan's room yet—she isn't ready; knows she won't be for a while. She trails her hand across Ezra's wall, along his bedding—she strips the bed absentmindedly, bundling up the sheets to run them through the wash, because he'll be back.
He has to come back—there's so much she didn't get to say to him. How proud she is of him, how far he's come. How sorry she is that he's lost Kanan; how strong he's been, in the wake of his master's death.
He'll be back.
She had to stop believing it with Kanan, but she won't give up on Ezra.
After she drops the sheets off she heads to her own cabin—she really does need the sleep, if she wants to process any of this somewhat rationally, and her crew was right to send her to bed—where she finds Ezra's promised meiloorun sitting on her bedside table, along with a small holoprojector.
She's tired, but not that tired, and she sits down and presses play.
"Hey, Hera. I, um…" A shimmering, projected Ezra rubs the back of his neck, looking sheepish, and his reminiscence to Kanan is a sting in her chest. "I tried putting this on the other recording, but I kept running out of time, so instead I made you this."
Her eyes are already wet again, and she takes a deep breath.
"First off, I'm, uh, sorry for the reason that you're watching this. If things played out the way I saw they would, I don't think I'll be back for a while, so, I'm sorry I had to leave," he said. "It's not forever, though—or at least I don't think it is. Things are… clearer, now, but, still a little fuzzy.
"But know that if I did this, it's because it was the only way to save you guys, and I owed you at least that much," he says. "You've been everything to me in the past few years—a home, a crew, a family. You've given me back things that I never thought I would get again."
There's already a lump in her throat. He looks down to his feet, then back up.
"Especially you, Hera. I know this probably goes without saying, but being on your ship made me feel like I had a mom again. You always looked out for me, even from the start, and I can't tell you how much that meant to me. I… I'm gonna miss you."
His voice breaks, and he looks away, wiping his sleeve under his eye. She feels a tear slip down her cheek.
"So, I guess the reason I made this holo was to say that. That I'm gonna miss you. And to say thank you. For everything you and Kanan gave me."
His face falls.
"I know we never really got the chance to talk about Kanan," he says, his shoulders sagging. "But I know you know how much he loved you. How much he loved all of us. And this is hard to explain, and I don't know if you can feel it, but he's still looking out for us, Hera. He's there. What he did was amazing, and selfless, and brave, and… he's not gone. He'll never really be gone."
Ezra clears his throat. "And I'm not gone either. I'll be back. Sabine's looking out for me, and, I know you will be too."
He looks down and then back up, his eyes shining. "I'll miss you, Hera. Thanks for everything. I'll see you soon."
He reaches to stop the recording, but then falters, looking at her one last time.
"May the Force be with you."
His image flickers out and fades away, and Hera touches her cheeks to find they're wet with tears.
Five Years Later
When Sabine walks him up to the Ghost, he's struck with a thousand feelings at once—nostalgia, joy; a fierce, homesick longing. But something else creeps into the milieu—a presence he hasn't felt in years, except through the occasional whisper. Ezra turns to Sabine, mouth agape, but her expression isn't giving anything away.
The presence is undoubtedly alive, too strong for him to be imagining it.
It can't be Kanan—can it?
The cargo bay door opens, and a tiny being with bright blue eyes and a shock of green hair scampers down it. Ezra's eyes fill with tears. He claps a hand over his mouth, and Sabine looks at him, a proud, knowing smirk on her face. The kid runs up to them and throws his arms around Sabine—
"Auntie Bean!" he cries, hugging her tight.
"Hi, Jacen," Sabine coos, hugging him back. Jacen releases Sabine to look at Ezra, his head cocked with curiosity.
"You must be Ezra," he says.
Ezra finds a lump in his throat when he tries to reply. "That's me."
Jacen grins, and it's like Ezra's staring into the brightest sun in the galaxy. "Mama's told me a lot about you," he says. "Did you really train with my dad? Are you really a Jedi? Can I play with your lightsaber?"
"Yes, yes, and maybe later."
A new voice answers his question—Hera's emerged at the top of the Ghost's ramp.
If the sight of Jacen brought tears to Ezra's eyes, Hera's appearance nearly has him sobbing.
"Ezra," she says with a smile, coming down to greet them. She looks the same—a little older, a little wiser, a little sadness around her eyes—but still with that warm, motherly smile that is undeniably Hera. Ezra can't stop himself from running up to meet her; he throws his arms around her and she hugs him back just as tightly.
"Hera," he says. As they separate, she keeps her hands on his forearms, as if to reaffirm that she's not letting him go.
"It's good to see you, Ezra," she says, and her voice is as warm as he remembered.
"I missed you guys," he says. It's the understatement of the century.
"We missed you more," she says, and then looks, smiling, at her son. "And… you've missed a lot."
"No kidding," he chuckles, looking as well to Jacen. "I assume he's…"
"Kanan's," Hera says, a soft smile on her face. Ezra makes a mental note to discuss that development in their relationship with Sabine later.
Hera turns her gaze to him. "I got your recording, you know. After you left."
Ezra's face falls. "Hera, I'm so sorry, I—"
"Don't be sorry." She shakes her head. "I'm proud of you. And I know Kanan would be too."
He's warmed, both by his blush and the pride in her gaze. They watch in peace, for a few moments, as Jacen plays with Sabine. Eventually she puts her hand on his shoulder.
"You were right, you know," she says. "About Kanan."
Ezra looks at her, curious. "What do you mean?"
Hera's gaze trails back to her son, and a soft smile rises on her lips. "He's always with us."
And though she's only touching his right shoulder, Ezra swears he feels another hand settle on his left.