Married:

D364/1 BBY, Yavin 4

Sabine and Ezra picked up their pace into a steady jog after Hera called. "I wonder what she wants?" said Ezra.

"Maybe we have another mission, or a supply run or something." She tucked the beautiful phoenix necklace into her bodysuit, still astonished that Ezra had managed to find something that suited her so well; it's bouncing reminding her that it was there.

"Well, it surely can't be another battle like yesterday's. That was intense." Ezra shook his head at the many lost lives. And he didn't even know why they were fighting that one, since Command was keeping the details under extremely tight wraps. Hera wasn't even talking, and she usually told them whatever she could get away with.

"Yes, it was. But it's probably nothing important. We'll find out in a minute anyway," Sabine said as the Ghost came into view through the trees. They jogged all the way to the ramp of the ship where they met Zeb and Chopper, also making their way onto the ship. "Hey, do you guys know what this is about?"

Chopper beeped a negative and Zeb shook his head. "Hopefully it's better than yesterday's mission."

They all climbed up to the common room, where they found Kanan and Hera holding hands and grinning like little kids. "Sit, everybody. You're gonna love this," Kanan said teasingly. So they sat, except for Chopper of course. He just beeped inquiringly.

"Sooo," Kanan started out, "Hera's finally making an honest man out of me!"

When everyone's signatures just looked confused, he elaborated. "She asked me to marry her. Finally." He gave Hera a teasing smile, which she returned with a wink.

"Finally is right," Sabine said as she rushed out of her seat to hug them in congratulations, Ezra right on her heels. "You two have been setting a terrible example for us younger people," she teased.

"What?" Kanan said with wide innocent eyes. "Us? I don't know what you're talking about. Hera and I have been perfectly discreet."

"Ha!" Ezra snorted in amusement as he let go of Hera so Zeb could take his turn hugging her. "That's a blatant untruth, but we'll let you get away with thinking it."

Kanan huffed a sigh and glanced apologetically at Hera. "Sorry, darling. I guess they did catch us embracing once or twice."

"Once or twice!?" Ezra said in disbelief. "Are you kidding me? I stumbled upon the two of you twice in the first week alone that I was on the Ghost."

"Ditto," Sabine and Zeb said in unison, then gave each other a fist bump for it with matching grins.

"So when are you going to get hitched?" asked Zeb, getting slightly more serious.

"Right now," said Hera. "Then we're going to escape for a couple of days. It's now or never. Things are quiet right now so we should be able to get away. Zeb, we're going to leave you the Phantom II in case you need a ride somewhere. And Ezra, you have your Gauntlet. Chopper, you can stay here at the base with AP-5. This is a honeymoon. No droids needed."

Chopper beeped mournfully, so Hera patted his dome in consolation and he pressed into her leg, looking as glum as a faceless droid can look. Hera and Sabine were the only ones who noticed.

"We're all really happy for you," said Ezra with a grin.

"Yah, and it really is about time," added Sabine.

"Thank you," Hera said with a bit of a shine to her eyes. "You guys are the best family a girl could ask for."

Kanan hugged her into his side again and kissed the top of her head as he smiled gratefully at his little family as well.

Wondering if she should add to the happy moment, Sabine looked at Ezra and raised an eyebrow. He gave a small encouraging nod in return, heart skipping a beat at what was about to happen.

Kanan and Hera looked on in askance, sensing something going on between the two youngest members of the family.

Looking around at Kanan, Hera, and Zeb, Sabine pulled a diamond necklace out of the collar of her bodysuit.

Hera and Zeb froze at the sight of the beautiful fire colored phoenix.

Kanan frowned in confusion, sensing the movement, but not really seeing what Sabine was holding other than it was small and gave off mineral vibes. "What is it?" he whispered to Hera.

"A diamond necklace," she whispered back, making a mental note to tell him more details later.

"We have something to share as well," Sabine said bravely with a tentative smile at her 'parents'.

Hera gave her a small nod of encouragement and Ezra grabbed her hand, lacing their fingers together.

With a deep breath, Sabine blurted out, "Ezra and I are engaged too."

Kanan was suddenly sputtering. "But, but, but, you two are just friends. I'd feel it otherwise."

"No, we're not," Ezra said. "She's been my girlfriend for a very long time."

Chopper chimed in with, "I have evidence."

"But how did you hide it?" Kanan was so sure there was nothing more than friendly affection between them.

"Like this." Ezra took a deep breath and let go of his hold on the Force. He'd been keeping his and Sabine's Force signatures in check for so long whenever they were near each other it had become second nature and he did it without thinking about it much anymore.

Kanan sucked in a breath as the Force changed around Ezra and Sabine from just a normal light to a glow as bright as a sun where their two signatures met and converged. "Holy kriff. How have you been hiding that?"

Ezra blushed a bit. "With lots and lots of practise."

Kanan was speechless, his sightless eyes wide as his head looked back and forth between them, trying to believe what he was seeing in the Force.

Hera gave her kids a hug. "I had a suspicion this would happen one day. I didn't realize it already had. I'm very happy for you."

Zeb burst out, "No wonder you went to the refresher so much at night! You were sneaking into Sabine's room weren't you?"

Ezra and Sabine turned beet red. That was answer enough.

Kanan returned to sputtering, his words unintelligible until he eventually managed in a voice that almost squeaked on the last word, "You've been sleeping together?!"

"So have you and Hera!" Ezra shot back in his defence.

"Yes, but we're adults!" Kanan's face was turned rather red as well.

"And so are Sabine and I!"

"No you're..."

"I'm almost nineteen, Kanan! And Sabine is well into her twentieth year, and you know it." Ezra's arms were crossed over his chest now and he was glaring sullenly at his 'dad'.

Kanan crossed his arms back as they stood almost nose to nose, glaring at each other, cloudy teal meeting royal blue. "I'll bet you a hundred credits that you were both underage when you..." his voice trailed off, unable to say it. He huffed and glared some more, ignoring Hera's tugs on his arm.

Zeb and Chopper were simply standing back and watching the show in great amusement.

Sabine was standing beside Ezra, looking like she was about to blow up, but she was incredibly proud of Ezra for standing his ground. "I don't think that's any of your business, Kanan."

Her voice was quiet but deadly and Kanan finally realized he might be overdoing the outraged, overprotective father bit. Who was he getting upset over anyway? Ezra? Or Sabine? He realized he didn't know. "I apologize. That was uncalled for."

Hera tugged on his arm again and Kanan finally unstiffened enough to let her lead him away a few steps. "Really, Kanan? This was supposed to be a happy moment. For all of us. They wouldn't have told us if they didn't think we would support them."

Kanan sighed and hung his head in shame. "It's just... They're so young... And they're our 'kids'. And... Gah."

Hera raised a brow in warning. "Can you honestly tell me that if we hadn't met at the same age as they did, and we had lived different lives that didn't make us both a little broken so it took us forever to learn to love, that you and I wouldn't have jumped in a bed together when we were teenagers?"

Kanan thought about that for all of half a second and blushed. "No. I can't say that. I can guarantee that I would have loved you as a teenager too. You're my soulmate, darling."

Ezra and Sabine listened to all this with wide eyes, glancing at each other and feeling just a little bit embarrassed to witness a conversation that should probably have been held in private. But it wasn't, and it was better than holo t.v. so...

Ezra glanced at Zeb, catching his eye and got a big wink and a grin from the lasat. Ezra chuckled under his breath as Sabine squeezed his fingers that were once again laced with hers. It was so nice not to have hide his affection for her anymore.

Hera smiled sweetly at her mate, her eyes flashing in both approval and warning. "Thank you for saying that in front of everyone, love. Now, go tell our kids you're happy for them, because I know you are, somewhere in that thick skull of yours."

Kanan heaved a big sigh, turned to look at Ezra and Sabine, then grumbled out, "I'm happy for you."

Hera kicked him in the ankle.

"Oww." He mock glared at her as he hopped up and down on one foot. "Alright, alright. I guess it's not the end of the world. I'd be a giant hypocrite if I said you couldn't have love too." Limping to the younger couple, he hugged them both into his sides, his expression transforming into a smile. "I really am happy for you. You just shocked me that's all." Then he ruined it by saying, "At least tell me you've been careful."

"Kanan!" Ezra, Sabine, and Hera all but yelled in unison.

Zeb was practically rolling on the floor laughing by now.

And Chopper was recording, sure this would make excellent blackmail material at some point in the future.

Kanan just stared at the young adults with a raised brow until Sabine finally rolled her eyes at him and said, "Do you see any little Spectres running around the ship?"

Kanan shook his head, starting to grin.

"Then that's your answer," Sabine said in exasperation. "It's a good thing I love you, Kanan, cause otherwise I might actually be really mad about all this."

Kanan's grin widened and he grabbed Sabine and Ezra in another hug. "And I love you two too. Just try not to give me anymore shocks in the next decade or so, kay?"

Ezra snorted and pulled out of the hug. "I'm not promising anything."

"Speaking of shocks," Kanan said. "I still can't believe you mastered shielding your signatures to such an extent. I've never been that good at it."

Ezra grinned. "I guess it's my turn to teach you something, hey Master?"

Kanan groaned.

Ezra nudged him in the side. "Now, aren't you supposed to be getting married or something?"

Kanan's face lit back up. "Right. Come on Hera, let's go find the Senator. Or one of the other Generals. I'm sure one of them can marry us." He grabbed her hand and was dragging a laughing Hera out of the room, when Sabine called for them to wait.

"Hera, can you please ask if Ezra and I can go to Krownest for a couple of days? I need to tell my parents, and this needs to be done in person."

"I'm sure it'll be fine, Sabine. Make your plans." Hera was pulled out the door on the last word.

"When was the last time Hera and Kanan had some alone time for more than half a day?" Ezra asked as he gazed at the common room door with a thoughtful expression. When no one said anything, he looked back and saw Sabine and Zeb scrunching their faces up as they wracked their brains and came up blank. Ezra snorted lightly. "That's what I thought."

Sabine stared at Ezra, studying the expression on his face, and then she got it. "Are you thinking what I think you're thinking, Ezra Bridger?"

Ezra nodded as his face brook into an evil grin of mischief.

Sabine's mouth quirked up and her own expression soon copied his. "I am so all over this. Ezra, you're a genius. It'll even be worth it when Hera grounds us for life."

"Totally," Ezra said happily.

"Hey, whatever you guys are planning, I want in on it, " said Zeb.

"Me too," beeped Chopper.

"So here's my plan," Ezra said, blue eyes glinting with glee.

Everyone huddled together and nodded as he spoke.

"This is going to be great," Zeb said as he left to do his part.

Kanan was just about to drag Hera down the ramp of the Ghost, when he remembered something very important. Screeching to a halt, he held Hera by the shoulders for a moment while he kissed her nose. "Wait here, I just need to get something."

Hera nodded, eyes going wide in disbelief as Kanan actually skipped the ladder, using the Force instead to jump up two levels to where the crew quarters were. He re-emerged thirty seconds later and jumped back down, landing lightly with a huge grin on his face.

Kanan pulled her into his arms and planted a grinning kiss on her lips. Pulling back, he said, "You have made me the happiest man in the galaxy right now. I don't even know if someone can even marry us at this very moment, but you finally asked me, and that's all I care about."

Hera was stunned by his exuberance. She was mentally slapping herself for not thinking of this sooner. She never knew a little piece of paper would mean so much to him. His culture was so different from hers. In her mind, they'd already been married for years; ever since she'd asked him to be her mate and he had accepted. Something had clearly been lost in translation. She'd have to explain her revelation to him later since she didn't want to ruin this moment for him. So she just smiled at him and let him pull her by the hand all the way to the command center of the base.

Hera managed to ignore all the startled looks their passing caused. It's not every day you see a smiling General get dragged by a clearly overjoyed Jedi. The whispered speculations started the instant they were out of sight. By the end of the night, the number of different theories about their strange behaviour had reached astronomical proportions. The funny thing was, not a single person guessed that Kanan was finally getting what he'd always wanted the most; married to his beautiful green twi'lek.

Just before Kanan could drag her into the command room, she pulled him to a halt by planting her feet. Kanan looked back at her in surprise, raising a brow in query. Hera smiled gently at him. "Let me talk to them please, Kanan. And a little dignity doesn't hurt either."

Kanan looked a little sheepish. "Sure, Hera. Sorry." He swept an arm towards the door. "After you, General."

Before opening the door, Hera looked back down the hallway. Multiple people had been openly gawking at them. At her glare, they turned away and tried to look busy. With a grin, Hera kissed Kanan on the cheek, then entered the command room with him trailing behind like a good soldier. Hera motioned for him to stay near the door when she saw Senator Mothma and Generals Dodonna and Willard in quiet conversation on the far side of the room. As she walked up to them she caught Dodonna saying the words, "...evacuate you on a shuttle," to which Mon Mothma was emphatically shaking her head.

"But I belong here, with the Rebellion," Mon Mothma replied.

Dodonna was adamant in his opinion. "If the Death Star does make it here, you simply cannot stay. You are the face of this Rebellion. You must live."

Hera agreed with Dodonna. The Senator was vital to the survival of the Rebellion cause. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I agree with General Dodonna."

Mothma sighed in defeat. "Fine, if, in the absolute worst case scenario, I must evacuate, then I will do so." Then she looked at Hera with the heavy knowledge of impending doom in her eyes. "Is there something we can help you with General Syndulla?"

Hera smiled sympathetically at the older woman. The Senator had the weight of the galaxy on her shoulders. "I know this isn't a great time, but there may not be much of any time left. I would like to ask a personal favour, if it's not too much trouble."

Dropping formality, Mon Mothma said, "Whatever it is, Hera. I'll try to make it happen. You have done so much for this Rebellion. I believe you have been fighting the Empire for more than a decade already, with hardly a day to yourself."

Hera hesitated. She hated to ask for personal favours. But then she looked back at Kanan, who was still practically vibrating with excitement. She gestured him over. Gathering her courage, she said in a rush, "Well, that's just it. Kanan and I were hoping one of you could marry us, then we'd like to go on a two day honeymoon, and Commanders Bridger and Wren are engaged, and they want to go to Krownest to tell her parents." Hera was relieved she'd been able to say all that without stuttering.

Mon Mothma's eyes widened more with every one of Hera's words.

Dodonna and Willard started chuckling, and were in full fledged, side splitting, peals of laughter within a minute of her last word.

Hera, Mothma and Kanan glared at them until they settled down. "This isn't a joke, gentlemen. I'm being perfectly serious," said Hera. "I want to marry Kanan before we die fighting this war. And my crew deserve the chance to be happy as well. Even if it's just for a day. Do you not agree?" They sobered at the sad reality of what she was saying. They both nodded, ashamed of making fun.

"I agree," said Mothma. "Come with me to my office. We'll have you married in five minutes and you can leave right away. Your crew too. Although you need to come back promptly. This war needs you. You and your team are an invaluable asset." Hera blushed slightly at the praise. She looked at Kanan with a happy smile at their success. Mothma addressed the other two Generals. "And you two buffoons can come as well and witness."

Mothma led the small parade out of the command room, her bearing regal and with the hint of a spring in her step. She was smiling brightly on the inside. Hera's crew had become quite dear to her over the last few years. As she left the command room, she was surprised to see a much greater than normal amount of people lingering in the hallway. "What is everyone doing? Go back to work!" As everyone scurried away, Mothma sighed in exasperation.

Back on the Ghost, Hera's family were rushing to get their tasks done before she and Kanan came back.

Ezra and Zeb had gone to acquire a couple weeks worth of supplies from AP-5.

Sabine and Chopper were reprogramming the nav computer. "Set it to randomly select a different planet or moon every time she tries to jump to Yavin 4 or anything in the Yavin system." Sabine said to Chopper as she sliced in a code that would expire in two weeks, preventing the computer from being reset again until then. Unless Hera was willing to purchase a new nav computer, she wasn't getting back to the Yavin system, and the war, for two whole weeks of war free bliss.

Chopper was chuckling to himself maniacally as he worked.

As soon as their task was done, Sabine sent Chopper to undock the Phantom II while she went to her room to gather up whatever she would need to tide her over for a couple weeks until she saw her room on the Ghost again. Then she left Hera a note on a datapad on her bunk for her to find later. She met Ezra and Zeb on her way out of the ship with an armload of bags, on her way to deposit them in the Gauntlet.

"How'd it go?" asked Ezra, pushing a crate full of supplies. His eyes were positively twinkling with his excitement over their prank.

"Great. I have no idea where they're going to end up, but it's not back here. At least not for two weeks anyway. You two need to grab whatever you need from your room." Sabine gave Ezra a quick kiss before turning to leave.

"Hey," said Zeb. "Where's mine?"

Sabine laughed, then gestured for him to bend down so she could reach his cheek. Normally, she'd punch him instead, but today, she was just so happy, she actually kissed his furry purple cheek, then walked off laughing as he sputtered in surprise.

Ezra punched him in the shoulder to make up for Sabine's good attitude, grinning at his friend. "Welcome to the club, Zeb. You've officially been kissed by the galaxy's most standoffish Mando. As far as I know, you're only the second being to receive such an honour."

Zeb punched him back as they laughed and pushed their crates again. "She's not my type by any stretch of the imagination, but you are one lucky mooka, kid."

Ezra smiled beatifically. "Don't I know it."

"Hera Syndulla. Do you take this man as your lawfully wedded husband?" Mothma said.

Hera gazed at Kanan with shining eyes. "I do."

"Kanan Jarrus. Do you take this woman as your lawfully wedded wife?"

Kanan barely let Mothma finish her line before he said, "I do."

"Do you have rings?" asked Mon Mothma.

Hera had completely forgotten about rings. She was about to say 'no,' when Kanan pulled a little green velvet bag out of his pocket.

"Yes, we do." Kanan emptied the bag on the palm of his hand. Two matching gold wedding bands gleamed. Each one had the same patterns as Hera's lekku engraved in them.

Hera's eyes filled with tears as she gazed in amazement at the beautiful rings. "Kanan." She could barely speak. "When?"

Kanan shrugged bashfully. "I had them made eight years ago. It was just us and Chopper back then. Then our crew started to grow, and the time never seemed right to ask you anymore."

Even the Generals teared up a little at that sob story.

Kanan and Hera put the rings on each others fingers, both of them trembling just a little and their eyes barely leaving the others'.

Mon Mothma said, "You may now kiss the..." her voice trailed off and turned into a chuckle as the newly married couple practically leapt at each other, kissing almost frantically. Leaving them to it, she prepared the wedding certificate. When it came time to write down the married names, she had to loudly clear her throat a couple of times to get their attention.

Hera pulled away from Kanan, her cheeks positively dark green with embarrassment at her behaviour. "Sorry, Senator Mothma."

Mon Mothma smiled gently at Hera. "No apologies necessary, Hera. I understand. I need to know what your married names are going to be?"

Kanan and Hera looked at each other in question. Kanan knew what she was thinking. "It's fine with me."

Hera turned back to Mon Mothma. "We're going to keep our names as they are. But if we ever have any children, their last name will be Jarrus. It doesn't make sense for me to change my name. Everyone knows me as General Syndulla."

Mothma nodded in agreement, then finished the certificate. After everyone had signed it, she made a holo copy of it, for the records, then handed the original to Hera. "You are now officially married according to the Rebel Alliance. Hopefully we win this war, because I don't know how much good that paper is in the Empire's eyes," she said with a shrug. She then added, "Go. Enjoy your honeymoon. We'll be in contact if we need you to come back sooner."

Hera handed Kanan his precious marriage certificate. He held it reverently for a moment, trembling fingers running over the paper in a gentle caress before meticulously folding it into a small enough square to fit inside the velvet bag.

Hera couldn't stop herself. She gave the Senator a quick hug, which was thankfully returned. "Thank you, Mon." She shook the hands of Dodonna and Willard, thanking them for witnessing. Then she grabbed Kanan's hand.

This time it was her leading him back to the Ghost, as he was still gazing blindly in rapt fascination at the little green bag in his hand. And the speculation from the peanut gallery continued. (Still getting it wrong.)

Ezra walked onto the Gauntlet, arms full of things. After dropping them onto his bunk, he used his bond with her to find Sabine. Sensing her on the bridge, he quickly made his way there. She was seated in the pilot's chair, elbows on knees, chin resting on a fist. Ezra knelt beside her so he could see her at eye level. He put a comforting hand on her thigh. "What has you looking so glum, cyar'ika?"

Sabine shrugged, dropping her hand. She reached out and stroked her fingers through his short hair. She did so love to pet her tooka like Jedi. "I just feel bad for Hera and Kanan. They're getting married all by themselves with no formal clothes or guests or a party or anything. And I went and barged in on their announcement with our own. I know time is of the essence when you live in a war, but I feel like maybe I should have waited until they came back from their honeymoon."

Ezra cupped her face in his hand, thumb stroking over her cheekbone. "Hey, it's okay. They didn't feel upset, like they were being upstaged or anything like that. Aside from Kanan's hissy fit, they were both genuinely happy." Ezra closed his eyes for a moment and reached for his connection to Kanan. "And speaking of joy, there is a very, very happy Kanan and Hera coming back this way. I don't think they minded the lack of a formal wedding." Ezra stood, and taking both her hands, pulled her to her feet. "Come on, we should go congratulate them."

Sabine let Ezra lead her by the hand, her eyes still a little sad, but she felt better. It was nice having someone who could feel others emotions. It made things a little simpler sometimes. It was also a great relief to not have to hide her feelings for Ezra anymore. The years of masquerading as just friends had been really hard on her more often than not. She wasn't the kind of person who liked to hide what she was. Being able to express her personality through her art had helped a lot, but she still had felt like she wasn't being true to herself.

And then there was her amazing fiancé. Ezra had never complained once about having to sneak around, stealing moments of affection on the rare occasions they could be alone. She looked up at him as they walked. He seemed to be just a little taller and a little broader every day. His face reflected his happiness as he watched Hera and Kanan approach them. He really was growing into an amazing man. She was proud to take him home and present him to her family. She just hoped they could understand.

Kanan finally came out of his euphoric stupor when they had almost reached the ramp of the Ghost. He tucked the little bag back into his pocket. Ezra and Sabine were waiting for them, holding hands. It was still a shock to him that Ezra had been able to hide such a major thing from him for who knew how long. Other than at the beginning, when he had followed Sabine around like a puppy, his interactions with her had always seemed to be one hundred percent platonic. "You two must be incredibly good actors and have better self control than Hera and I. None of us suspected a thing. And that signature shield... I'm seriously impressed."

Ezra grinned at Kanan. "Well, you know what they say. Necessity is the mother of invention. And I needed to be able to see Sabine without you finding out. So I started experimenting. I had to get even better at it once you lost your normal sight and started using the Force to see. " Ezra shrugged, then looked down at Sabine with clear love radiating from him. "She was worth it." Sabine smiled back up at him then stood on her tip toes so could kiss his cheek.

Hera and Kanan both melted at the sight. They really did look good together. They'd make beautiful children one day. That thought lead to another.

"Ezra," Kanan said very seriously. "If the lot of us ever have kids, we are not teaching them the shielding trick until they are least eighteen. I'll want to know what our kids are up to. Having one set of kids pull one over on me is enough for one lifetime."

Everyone laughed at poor Kanan's bewildered expression. Including Zeb and Chopper, who had joined them in time to hear the last part. Then Ezra realized what Kanan had said. "Are you guys planning on having kids soon?"

Both Kanan and Hera shook their heads adamantly. "No, we're going to wait until this whole war is over. This is not the kind of environment I want to raise children in," said Hera. "What about you guys? Have you talked about it?"

Ezra and Sabine looked at each other, startled. Neither of them had thought about having children. They felt like they were just starting to be adults themselves. Sabine raised her brow at Ezra in question. Ezra thought about it for a moment, then shook his head. Sabine smiled at him and nodded, patting him on the cheek. She turned to Hera and Kanan. "We're waiting too. The end of the war sounds good to me."

Everyone was standing there, somewhat stunned at this continued evidence of their bond. That had just been a perfect example of a silent conversation that only people who had lived together for a long time were able to achieve.

Zeb blinked himself out of his shock. He wrapped his long arms around his whole family, hugging them close, and said, "Well, I'm just happy for everyone. My family is finally getting their happily ever after, despite the war."

Chopper beeped his agreement. He pushed his way into the center of the giant hug. When his favorite organic put her hand on his dome, he gave a happy purr, leaning against her legs.

The Ghost crew stayed like that for a while, basking in the rare moment of peace and contentment in a galaxy filled with war and death.