(Sorry guys. No Q/A's and Reactions this chapter. But I hope you all had a great Christmas/new year! ;D Enjoy this concluding chapter!)
"Mm. We should get these more often," Kanan revelled in delight as he started on another candy cane.
Ezra laughed at his master's new found attitude while they walked across the grassy planes of Lothal. He had dragged Kanan all over Capital City, showing him the best attractions and getting him to try new things like Christmas pudding and rumballs. Kanan had thoroughly enjoyed the experience, and wondered why the whole galaxy didn't celebrate this 'Christmas' thing. They had both bickered about what house had the best decorations while exploring the town, before finally agreeing that the one that had set of fireworks was the best of all.
But concern began to seep into Ezra as he walked, his mind drifting back to the rest of the crew. "Do you think the others are okay?" he asked suddenly.
Kanan glanced down at his padawan, sliding the candy cane out of his mouth with a pop before replying "Yeah. I'm sure they're fine kid."
Ezra frowned. "It just doesn't feel right," he muttered, kicking a pebble across the ground. "They should be celebrating too."
Kanan smiled softly, wrapping his arm around the boy's shoulder and pulling him to his side. "I'm sure they're okay. Maybe next year we can celebrate it, yeah?" he soothed.
Ezra mustered a smile. "Yeah. That sounds good," Ezra replied, leaning his head against Kanan's side.
They continued their journey, glancing up at the twinkling stars as they split the packet of candy canes Kanan had bought. When they finally made it back to the Ghost, they walked up the ramp and realised how quiet everything was. Ezra shot Kanan an uncertain look as they climbed up into the cockpit, which was also completely empty. "You think they're asleep?" the boy asked softly.
Kanan hummed a thought to himself, before agreeing dismissively "Yeah. Probably."
The two strolled through the hall, stepping softly so not the wake the others. They walked up to the common room door, but surprisingly, it didn't open. Ezra stared at it, puzzled. "What the-?" he mumbled, before pressing the button on the control panel. The doors slid open without objection, and they were greeted with the completely dark common room. "Strange," Kanan muttered as they stepped in.
There was a slight crunch under Ezra's boot, causing the boy to jump slightly while Kanan reached for the light. And with the flick of a switch, light pierced through the darkness quickly. The two squinted, and when their vision focused, they gasped in shock to see the room had been completely transformed. White, fluffy snow was gathered in piles on the floor, and lights that had just activated were strung along the walls and up the door frames. Glinting green, red and blue tinsel was lining the room's edges, and a top the circular table sat a small, makeshift pine tree.
Ezra's mouth gaped open and closed in shock, while Kanan just stared at the scene with wide eyes. "What the-"
"Merry Christmas boys!" a new voice exclaimed, causing the two to leap forward in surprise.
They twisted around and faced the green Twi'lek, a sparkle in her joyful green orbs. She had a wide grin, and she was wearing a baggy red jumper as well as a red fluffy hat. "Did you have a good time?" she asked.
"W-What?" Kanan stuttered, completely and utterly confused. And Ezra wasn't doing much better.
Suddenly, Sabine jumped into the room from behind Hera, running over and engulfing Ezra into a bone-crushing hug. Ezra rasped to breathe, unsure how to react to the girl's new found affection. She finally pulled back, a wide smile on her face as she lifted something onto his head. "What are you-" he started, but was cut off when Sabine suddenly pressed a red cotton ball onto his nose, sticking it there firmly.
Ezra stumbled back, while Kanan and Hera began to laugh. Sabine pulled something from behind her back, settling a brown headband onto her skull that had a few make-made antlers sticking out of it. Ezra's eyes widened, and he reached up to feel the wiry, antlers on his head too.
Zeb and Chopper walked in, the Lasat sporting a more casual green jacket while Chopper twirled around with a felt red hat on his dome. He also had Christmas lights wrapped around his body, causing him to twinkle and glint with vibrant blues, yellows and reds.
Zeb stood beside Sabine as the two mischievously glanced over Kanan. "I think he's missing somethin'," Zeb stated thoughtfully.
"Agreed," Sabine nodded, before the two cracked up laughing and ran forward.
Kanan reacted too late, and Zeb grabbed hold of him while Sabine pulled out a pallet of face paint from her belt. The Mandalorian got to work, even while Kanan protested furiously. "Stay still Kanan! You're only making it smudge!" she snapped. Finally, he begrudgingly allowed the girl to continue her… 'artistic project'.
Suddenly, Ezra was embraced tightly in Hera's warm arms. "Merry Christmas Ezra," she whispered softly, gazing down at him caringly.
He could feel a smile pulling at my lips. "You guys did all of this… for me?" he asked in awe.
Hera grinned, replying "Of course! When we twigged on, Sabine and I did some extra research and found out all the traditions. Then we headed down to a local town and bought all the decorations to surprise you when you got back!"
"Even the snow, and the lights?" Ezra echoed blissfully.
Hera smiled, saying "And we have a have a roast."
The boy's eyes widened in shock and amazement. "Really?!" he exclaimed. "I haven't had one of those in forever!"
Hera giggled, ruffling his hair gently. "Well, I hope you're ready for a very special Christmas Ezra," she said.
Ezra glowed inwardly, throwing his arms around Hera's waist and hugging her fiercely. "Thank you Hera," he murmured, voice hitching. "Thank you so much."
Hera smiled, holding the boy in her embrace and combing her fingers through his blue locks. "You're welcome Ezra," she whispered.
"Done!" Sabine suddenly proclaimed, stepping back to admire her work.
Ezra and Hera turned to face Kanan, who wore an unimpressed expression on his face. They all started laughing hysterically once soaking in the 'reindeer' face paint Sabine had applied. Kanan groaned. "I've never been so humiliated in my life," he muttered.
"Humiliated?" Sabine gasped, acting offended. "This is a work of art!"
Kanan rolled his eyes, while everyone else just giggled uncontrollably. Ezra chuckled, still wrapped in Hera's arms. Kanan strolled over to the two, pulling them into a warm hug of his own. Sabine ran over, joining into the embrace, with Zeb managing to engulf everyone in his long arms. And finally, Chopper nuzzled up to Hera's leg, completing the family group hug.
From that moment on, Ezra just knew that this night would be amazing. Because it would be so much better with his family by his side this time.
Yes siree. It would be a Christmas like no other.
...
The six of them lounged back on the couch, watching the dim lights of the small Christmas tree twinkle on the table. They had turned off the lights, allowing the beauty of the tree and other decorations to amuse their minds. Sabine was leaning against Kanan's side, sipping on a mug of hot chocolate just like Ezra, who was lying against Hera. Kanan had one arm draped over Hera's shoulder, the two resting their heads against each other. Zeb had both arms stretched over the edge of the seats as he snored loudly in his sleep, while Chopper just watched the scene in a comfortable silence. Sabine yawned, placing her mug on the table. "Wow… I'm tired," she murmured, nuzzling up against Kanan's arm.
"Yeah, we had a big night," Hera pointed out.
"But it was amazing," Ezra mumbled in delight, almost dozing off himself.
Sabine's eyelids fluttered shut as she said "We should do this every year. I couldn't think of any reason why not."
Kanan grinned, glancing down at Hera with a spark in his eye. "I can think of a reason why we should," he smirked slyly…
"Hera, what're you doing?" Kanan asked as Hera pulled him to his feet.
She didn't answer, only giggling slightly as she dragged him out of the common room and into the hallway. Once they were by themselves, she just stood there, watching the male with large, dazzling eyes. "What?" Kanan quizzed.
She grinned. "Look up."
He glanced up to see a small clipping of a plant with green leaves, the end tied with a red ribbon stuck to the roof. "What is that?" he asked curiously.
"It's called mistletoe," she explained with glee, grasping his hands in hers and squeezing them tightly. "My research says there's a Christmas tradition when two people stand under it."
"Really?" Kanan said. "What's tha-"
He was cut off when Hera suddenly pressed her lips into Kanan's, rendering him completely frozen as her hands slipped to the back of his neck. And after a moment, Kanan melted into the kiss, wrapping his hands around Hera's waist and holding her to his torso warmly. The two stayed locked in their position for a long time, before finally pulling back with a sigh. Kanan blinked a few times in shock, before his cheeks flushed red and he stated bashfully "I think I like this tradition."
Hera giggled, before the two leaned back in for round two…
Hera arched a thin brow, but smiled. She leant her head against Kanan's and closed her eyes. "I liked the games," Sabine yawned.
Ezra scoffed, murmuring "That's just because you won all of them."
Sabine smirked. "Or maybe you were just bad at them," she retorted.
Ezra rolled his eyes. "Sure. And how did monopoly go for you?" he quipped with a grin.
"Come on Ezra, roll a three damnit!" Sabine urged, watching with anticipation as Ezra jiggled the two dice in his palm loosely.
"Not a three. Not a three," he muttered under his breath, just as he tossed the dice onto the board.
All of them watched intently as the cubes bounced and twisted, the tension rising. Hera, Zeb and Kanan watched with amusement while the two youngest members of the crew held their breath and watched. The first one landed on 2, causing Ezra to bite his lip and clench his fists. "Please! Anything but a one!" he thought desperately to himself.
The die finally landed.
"NO!" Ezra roared.
"YES!" Sabine bellowed in laughter. "That's 500 rent thanks!"
Ezra groaned, before passing out the last of his paper money to Sabine. "Well, I'm out," he muttered. "I was never really that good at this game anyways."
Kanan smiled, patting his student's shoulder and leaning in close to the boy. He whispered something into Ezra's ear, causing him to perk up with a grin. He glanced up at Kanan and chuckled childishly. "What?" Sabine quizzed.
"Oh, nothing," Ezra replied deviously.
Sabine rolled her eyes, dismissing it as nothing as she took her turn. Little did she known that Kanan owned the next 6 plots of buildings in a row, rendering it a practical money death trap for his opponents. Not to mention Kanan had taken care to upgrade all his houses to hotels in his last turn, causing them to now charge double the rent they used to.
Knowing this, Kanan and Ezra watched with amusement as Sabine rolled, landing on snake eyes and placing her right at the start of Kanan's trap. Her eye twitched slightly when she realised the amount she owed, passing over half of her fortune to the cocky Jedi. Ezra was laughing, saying "C'mon Sabine. You got doubles, so you have to roll again."
Sabine glared at Ezra coldly, before scooping up the dice and shaking them roughly. "Any number large enough to get me out," she whispered into her hands, before tossing the two cubes onto the board. They all watched intently as they tumbled and rolled, before landing once again on snake eyes. Sabine groaned, while Kanan, Hera, Ezra and Zeb all laughed hysterically. Even Chopper, who was watching from the sidelines snickered at the girl's misfortune.
Sabine begrudgingly paid Kanan most of her earnings, muttering "All of that work, for nothing!"
Kanan just smirked, replying "And you all thought I was crazy when I bought that row. Look who's laughing now."
Sabine rolled her eyes, and Zeb pointed out "Your roll again Sabine. One more set of doubles and you go to jail."
Sabine huffed, picking up the dice once again and throwing them with the flick of her wrist. "Please not a doubles," she thought desperately to herself. "Not a doubles. Not a-"
The cubes finally landed.
Sabine's eyes widened. "WHAT?!"
Zeb and Ezra bellowed in laughter, while Kanan and Hera stared with amused expressions at the pair of double 6's…
"Eh. That game was rigged," Sabine said, waving her hand dismissively.
Ezra grinned. "Sure, Miss Bankrupt."
Sabine opened her mouth to retort when Zeb suddenly awoke from his nap and slurred "Food… ugh… so much food."
"You just ate too much, Fatty," Chopper chirped.
Zeb yawned widely, stretching his arms and legs out. "Yea. But it was goood," he admitted, scratching his stomach before lounging back again.
"Agreed. It was the best thing we've had in a while," Kanan stated.
Hera smiled, stroking Ezra's head softly and saying "It was a good night. The only thing we couldn't do in time were the presents. Sorry Ezra."
Ezra nuzzled his head into Hera's touch, his eyelids sliding shut. "I don't need presents this year," he murmured, almost dozing off. "…I have… you guys…"
Kanan and Hera perked up, but Sabine and Zeb had already slipped into an unconscious state, Ezra not far behind. After a moment, the two adults closed their own eyes and allowed the silence to surround them. It was not long till they too were welcomed into the comforting arms of slumber.
Tonight would be a memory they all held close to their hearts, and a sensation they hoped they could relive next year…
Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait! I got distracted with family stuff. But hopefully you enjoyed this chapter! I slipped in many traditions that my family does, like the rumballs and the game nights, along with a roast dinner! :D But here's a question. What do you and your family do for Christmas?
Just because I'm curious. ;D
But I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope you've been having a great start to 2016 so far! May the force be with you all!
-Superherotiger