A Happy Reunion:

D2/3 BBY, Space

Apprentice relaxed in his chair and let go of the controls of the TIE as hyperspace appeared around them. He turned towards Sabine, who was still hanging on to his chair from the space battle so she didn't get thrown around, and grinned at her. "Now THAT was fun."

Sabine returned his grin. "Yep, it was. Nice flying there, Bridger."

Apprentice sucked in a deep breath, and, for the first time in years, started to the think that maybe, just maybe, he was safe to think of himself as Ezra Bridger again. Sabine sure seemed to think of him that way. His soul felt a little happier as his name settled back in his being where it belonged. Master would probably have a fit and he didn't care.

"You know it's not over yet, right? Master is still following us," he said solemnly.

Sabine closed her eyes for a moment and sighed. "Of course he is," she said with resignation. "Nothing is ever that easy for us. I'll let Hera know. I'm sure she'll come up with a plan to get us out of this TIE so we can ditch it. While we're waiting for that to happen, you got any bright ideas to keep us occupied?" Ezra's eyes lit up and twinkled at her devilishly and she just knew what he was thinking. "Not that, you nerfherder. I don't make out with guys I just met." She punched him in the shoulder to emphasize her point. "Think of something else."

Ezra sighed comically, but wasn't really disappointed. It had been a long shot anyway. Honestly, he was just happy to be in her presence. She radiated the Light side and warmth. He hadn't felt so warm and comfortable with another person since before losing his parents. He stood from the chair and opened a compartment in the pod and pulled out his bag, and from that a worn deck of cards, while she talked to the Hera person briefly. He'd spent countless hours playing solitaire during his stay in Vader's castle. It would be nice to play cards with a partner for once.

When she was done on the comm he showed her the deck. "You play cards?"

Sabine smirked. "You know how to play sabacc?"

Ezra shook his head. "No. But you can teach me."

Sabine lowered herself to a cross-legged position on the floor and patted the space in front of her. "Come on, Ezra. I'll give you fair warning though. You'll probably regret this."

Ezra raised a brow and copied her position, handing her the cards. "I'll take my chances."

Sabine smiled at him, then tilted her head as she took in his appearance again. She sighed. She just couldn't leave him looking like that. "You have any water in here? And a cloth or something?"

Ezra summoned his bag over without moving and pulled out a water bottle and a t-shirt, wondering what she wanted them for.

Sabine looked at the t-shirt in her hands and shrugged; it would wash. She poured a bit of the water on a corner of the shirt and reached towards Ezra.

He flinched back for a second before he realized her intentions and let her clean the dried blood off of his face. He'd completely forgotten that he might still be bloody. He felt himself warm up a little more as she cared for him. No one had taken care of him but med droids for so many years. Ezra closed his eyes and just relished the feeling.

Sabine dried Ezra's face with a dry side of the t-shirt. She may have let the tips of her fingers brush his cheek gently as she finished, but she'd never admit it. "You're starting to swell a little, but it looks like it'll heal straight."

Ezra opened his eyes and shrugged as he made the dirty t-shirt disappear back into his bag. "It's not the first time it's been broken. I've learnt how to start the healing process with the Force, so it should be fine in a day or two. Thank you, Sabine," he said with utter sincerity, meaning more than just the clean up.

Sabine raised a brow. "For breaking your nose?"

Ezra chuckled. "Ha ha. I could have done without that. No. I meant for everything else. For not panicking when I wasn't in control of myself. For not having a complete meltdown on me for stealing you. For being nice to me. For caring enough to clean me up. Do you need more? Cause I can probably come up with more."

Sabine blushed a little as she giggled and shook her head. "No, that's enough. You're welcome, Ezra. Despite the unfortunate way in which we met, I'm glad it happened."

Before Ezra could respond in kind, she turned her attention back to the cards and shuffled them expertly. "Now, let's teach you sabacc, shall we? I can't wait to thrash you in this at least."

Her eyes gleamed with amber fire at him and Ezra laughed, feeling more carefree than he could remember being in a very very long time. "Whatever pleases you, My Lady."

Sabine raised a brow, but let it slide. Maybe she was getting soft, but the sound of him calling her My Lady felt oh so right. She wondered what he'd think when he found out that she actually was a Lady. Sort of.


Ahsoka Tano and her corvette, The Reckless, just happened to be with the Phoenix fleet, in a meeting with Commander Sato, when her personal comm link chimed. This was fortunate, because she generally divided her time equally between all of the Rebel factions, and Sato's fleet was closest to the section of the Outer Rim that she suddenly found herself needed in.

Ahsoka excused herself from Sato's holographic presence and made her way to her office before answering the comm. There were very few people who had this frequency, and it was meant to be for emergencies only. "Yes?" she said. "What is it?"

Kanan's voice answered her back. "Sorry to bother you, Ahsoka. But we have a situation. We have a Sith Lord on our tail and Sabine is trapped with a Darksider of questionable integrity who just happens to be the missing Ezra Bridger in a TIE Advanced that we've locked to the bottom of the Ghost. And, well, we thought you just might be interested in helping us out. You have the most experience dealing with the Sith Lords, and are easily the best fighter amongst us."

Ahsoka's eyes widened in dismay as she heard Kanan's explanation. He was definitely justified in the use of the emergency comm. "Where are you right now?"

She heard Kanan address Chopper. "Hey, Chopper! Where did you send us?"

Chopper's response of, "Towards the fleet," made everyone on the Ghost groan.

Hera's, "C1-10P!" came through loud and clear, putting a hint of a smile on Ahsoka's face. "Why would you lead the Sith right towards the fleet?"

His beeped back reply of, "Because that's where help is?" just got more groans.

Ahsoka took control of the conversation again. "No. It's okay. That just puts us closer together. Where are you exactly right now?" Hera rattled off some coordinates and Ahsoka did some quick calculations. "Change your course for Fort Anaxes. If I leave now, we should both arrive at the same time." After receiving an affirmative from Hera, Ahsoka ended the call with, "I'll see you shortly."

Ahsoka ran down to the hangar, telling the Captain of her plans over the comm on the way. He was to stay with Phoenix Fleet until she returned and to apologize to Sato for her abrupt departure. She jumped into her personal A-Wing and was off the Reckless and in hyperspace a minute later.


Hera took the Ghost to the very edge of the asteroid field in hyperspace, not pulling out until the last possible moment, and then she did the fastest flying and evading of her life as she dodged asteroids, trying to gain some time over the evil Sith following them. She had the advantage of knowing this route fairly well, because Fort Anaxes was one of her regular meeting places with Ahsoka, but the asteroids didn't exactly stay still, so the route was never exactly the same.

The destroyed planet was a perfect meeting point for clandestine operations. Although, ever since they discovered the fyrnocks living in the depths of the base, they'd been very careful to time their meetings when the sun was up on the landing pad. Today, they were just going to have to work with whatever light they had, and she had three Jedi with her to keep the animals at bay, unlike the time she and Sabine had been caught alone with the slavering 'nasties that live in the dark', like Sabine liked to call them.

Hera dropped the TIE on the landing pad in a relatively gentle fashion and set the Ghost beside it as her crew was already making their way down the ladder and into the cargo hold. They were loaded for war with lightsabres and blasters and a bo-rifle, just in case Ezra wasn't in the mood to be nice. They'd need all of it for when the Sith Lord caught up to them anyway.

Hera swiftly followed, grabbing Sabine's helmet with her WESTARs resting in it from the floor on her way by. A thought had her pausing with only her head still at deck level as she climbed down the ladder. "Chopper, keep the ship running and the shields up, just in case."

"Will do," he beeped cheerily and plugged into his outlet.

Hera smiled at her droid swiftly and then continued down the ladder.


Ezra spent two of the best hours of his life playing cards with Sabine and learning more about her as they talked about their favourite foods, movies, colours, hobbies, and so on and so forth. None of their chatter went into anything serious or too revealing about painful bits of their pasts, but Ezra had a feeling that they could get there if they had the chance.

He really hoped he got that chance. Sabine was officially the most fascinating being he'd ever met and he just knew he'd be the luckiest person in the galaxy if he was granted the privilege of spending the rest of his life in her company.

She hadn't been kidding when she said she was going to crush him at sabacc, but he didn't care. What he enjoyed the most was just the time spent with her; watching her smile when she won a hand, (which was almost all of them), watching her frown in concentration as she made a decision, listening to her laugh when he pretended to pout about losing yet another game.

He could happily spend every one of his waking hours just listening to her voice and soaking in the warmth that radiated from her Force signature like a kitten in a sunny spot. With his Master's freezing presence only a couple minutes behind them, Ezra needed all the warmth that he could get. He never wanted to feel like an emotionless block of ice again, now that he had finally felt what it was like to be warm after so many years.

When they felt the ship drop out of hyperspace and came face to face with an asteroid, they quickly packed up their things, including Sabine's broken belt and her gun holsters, into his bag and watched as their ride zoomed through an asteroid field.

"Where are we?" Ezra asked.

Sabine kind of grimaced. "We're flying through what's left of the planet Anaxes, on the way to an old Republic Base."

"And this is bad?" Ezra asked, sensing her distaste for the location.

"It's not good," she snorted. "There are creatures that live there that like to eat you if you give them half a chance."

Ezra smiled in relief at the simple problem. "Don't worry. I can take care of them for you. I'm good with animals."

Sabine looked at him with a raised brow. "I'm surprised. I didn't think Darksiders would want to bond with an animal."

Ezra shrugged. "My Master thinks it's beneath us, but it's one of the few things I was instantly good at. He let me develop the skill to help strengthen the rest of my Force abilities."

"Got it." Sabine looked at Ezra out of the corner of her eye as she watched the asteroids zip past. "When we land, you'll meet the rest of my family, so please don't kill them," she said, only half joking.

Ezra rolled his eyes. "After all we've been through in the last few hours, you'd think you'd have a little more faith in me," he said with the same amount of serious and half joking.

Sabine punched him in the arm. "Just don't do anything to make me dislike you again, and we'll be fine." Then she gave him a half smile that would do a tooka proud. "And you still have your surprise waiting for you. I know you'll like it."

Ezra smiled back at her, not even really caring what the surprise was at this point; he felt like she was all the present he ever needed.

As soon as their TIE was released from the ship above it and it hit the ground with a thud, Ezra had the hatch open and jumped up onto the roof of the TIE, bag in hand. He could feel his Master closing the distance between them faster than he cared to think about. He was worried for Sabine and her friends, terrified that he wouldn't be able to protect them from his Master's wrath.

Ezra took a deep breath and found his center of calm, letting the Force and determination fill him. A sense that everything would work out all right in the end snuck into his mind, allowing him to breathe easier.

Feeling better, he turned around to help Sabine out of the TIE but found she'd already jumped up beside him. He flashed her a smile before he jumped off the TIE and watched her do the same effortlessly. She might not have the Force, but the girl was certainly athletic. Stars, that was hot.

The ramp of the freighter beside them opened and out poured a small herd of people. Ezra glanced over each of them, recognizing most from their earlier encounter in the alleyway or from their descriptions on the datapad of info about them. But there were two who caught his eye and made him do a double take, since they weren't masked and cloaked this time.

Ezra froze as he stared at the couple who lined up with the rest in front of him. It couldn't be them. Could it? He stared into the woman's purple eyes, so familiar, then turned his attention the man with the midnight blue hair and beard and vibrant royal blue eyes, and then looked back at the woman, positive he was losing his mind. "Sabine?" he whispered, eyes superglued to the couple.

She touched his back gently. "Surprise." Ezra shot her a wide eyed look and she smiled sweetly at him. "I told you you'd like it."

Mira stopped beside her husband, surprised and pleased to see Sabine looking unharmed and apparently friendly with her son. Mira studied the teenage boy, her heart in her throat and tears stinging her eyes. She fished around for Ephraim's hand and squeezed hard when she found it. He squeezed back just as hard.

Ezra's signature in the Force was still a little chilly and blurred, like he didn't really know who he was, but underneath that, he was still undoubtedly her son. She took in his closely cropped black hair, the scar on his cheek, the copper skin and general shape of his face that looked so much like Ephraim's, and she gulped back more happy tears. And to make it all even just that much better, his eyes were now all blue, like they should be. If Sabine had done that for him, then Mira was going to love the girl forever. Kanan had been right when he felt like Sabine was exactly what Ezra needed.

And then he whispered, "Mom?" in a broken voice that shattered her heart.

Sabine nudged Ezra's side when she heard his hoarse whisper, making him glance at her again. She smiled encouragingly when he didn't seem to be moving. The Bridgers looked frozen too, if a little teary eyed. "Go. It's them. I promise."

Ezra walked forward tentatively and stopped right in front of his parents and said it again. "Mom? Dad? It's me. Ezra."

Mira choked on a sob and flung her arms around her son. She'd been so sure she'd never see him again and here he was, almost all grown up and suddenly back in her arms where he belonged. Not even two seconds later, she felt Ephraim's arms envelop them both and tears fall on her hair as he cried, "Ezra," over and over.

Sabine felt her eyes get misty at the heartbreaking sight in front of her and turned her attention to the rest of her family so she could get herself get back under control. Hera, Kanan, and Zeb all looked smug and happy as they took in the scene, which she wasn't expecting. What happened to the shell shocked reaction they should have had?

She spotted her helmet and blasters in Hera's hands and rejoiced to have them back. Sabine moved up to Hera's side and gently pulled them from her unresisting fingers as Hera's focus was still on the Bridgers, happy tears swimming in her eyes now, too.

"Why do I get the feeling that you guys aren't surprised at all?" Sabine asked as she turned back and watched the Bridgers babble over each other in barely coherent words while Mira ran her hands all over Ezra's hair and face and shoulders in clear wonder.

Kanan grinned at her from the other side of Hera, arm wrapped around her shoulders. "Mira recognized his signature. The saying that a mother will always know her child is quite accurate."

Sabine leaned a little bit into Hera's side as she hugged her blaster filled helmet to her chest, the statement sending a niggle of pain through her at how her own mother had betrayed her. Hera glanced at her and smiled softly, wrapping an arm around Sabine's shoulders and hugging her into her side comfortingly.

Sabine glanced up at the taller woman and smiled back. Even though Hera wasn't that much older than her, she'd slipped into the role of Sabine's surrogate mother easily when they'd found her injured and abandoned a few years ago. Sabine now loved Hera and Kanan more than her real parents, and most of the time, she didn't even feel too guilty about it.

Sabine sighed a little, leaning her head on Hera's shoulder as Kanan reached further and squeezed her shoulder for a moment. "I'm just happy for them. It couldn't happen to nicer people."

Zeb joined the conversation from where he stood on the far side of Kanan. "There's just the one tiny issue of him being a Sith."

Sabine shook her head and pulled away from Hera, not one to cuddle for long. "Not really. He may have been forced to use the Dark side, but I think with our help, he's going to be just as Light as the rest of you with a little retraining. Ezra hasn't hurt me at all, and he's actually kind of sweet."

Zeb snorted. "I doubt that. You're not the one who got thrown into a wall. I'm reserving judgement for now."

Sabine rolled her eyes at the lasat. "Don't be such a baby. You look all right to me. I'm sure whatever Ezra did to you was probably justified."

Zeb blinked at her like she'd lost her mind, and Kanan even raised a brow at her. "Are you sure you're feeling all right, Sabine? I never thought I'd see the day that you actually spoke well of a boy. And this one's an Imperial Darksider."

"Ex Imperial Darksider," Sabine shot back defensively, blushing furiously. "Ezra's on our side now."

Zeb snorted loudly. "I'm calling it. Our kitten is officially gone on the Sith boy. He must have done something to her mind."

"He didn't!" Sabine protested.

"He put you to sleep," Kanan pointed out unhelpfully.

Sabine waved her free hand. "Semantics. He's been good since then, I swear. The one we really need to worry about is his Master. Now that one is BAD."

As if her words had summoned him to prove her point, a TIE Advanced came screeching up to the landing pad, firing laser shots at the Ghost like a hail of vindictive green rain.