Hey guys. This chapter deals with the abuse Ezra had when at the Bridger's house and Kanan asks him questions about it. If you don't want to read it, I will give you a warning at the beginning of it so if you might have triggers, you don't have to read it. I've tried to make it go into it as little detail as possible, but I will tell you when it starts and when it ends.

Ezra woke up in another cold sweat. He knew it wasn't the first time he has had that dream, but he also knows it won't be the last. As he sat up, taking in his new surroundings, dread filled his stomach, thinking he was back at his adopted parent's house. But realized, with the help of a little light and a softer bed, that he was at a different house. Whose's, he didn't know yet. But he knew that they could still be as bad as the last home he stayed in if he stayed longer than he needed to. As he stood up from the bed, shoes still on his feet, too exhausted to care the night before, he walked towards the window that was on the farthest side of the room. He looked out of it and realized it was past sunrise and would be taken back to the police station. For some reason, sadness found its way to him, and he didn't quite know why.

As if on cue, though, there was a light knock on the door before it opened. Kanan came through, already having his uniform on, and looked at Ezra.

"Come on, kid. Breakfast." Ezra stole one more glance out the window before walking towards Kanan. As he walked past him, Ezra, out of his peripheral vision, Kanan lift his hand on his shoulder but thought better of it as Ezra flinched away from him, and put it back to his side. As the two walked to the kitchen, Sabine was finishing up her waffles, Hera was washing dishes, and Zeb was nowhere to be seen. Ezra walked towards the cabinet and grabbed a plate.

"There are some fresh waffles in the maker if you want some. And Zeb is off at work, so you don't need to worry about him." Hera spoke to him, smiling. Ezra gave a small nod in an answer and went to the waffle maker. As he opened it, his fingers touched the hot part of the maker, making him drop the plate in surprise and to grab his wounded hand. His eyes widened as Kanan yelled out.

"Kid!" He quickly bent down, forgetting about his hand, and picking up pieces of the plate, getting multiple small cuts along his hand. Tears streamed down his face, trying to pick up all the pieces. He heard somebody say they'd get a first aid kit and he saw Kanan kneel in front of him. He dropped what shards of the plate he had to put his arms up to protect himself. He backed himself into a corner where the cabinets met as somebody took his hands in theirs.

"Hey. It's okay. Breathe in. Breathe out. It's okay. Hey, hey, it's okay." He felt somebody rubbing his back, trying to calm him down. As his breathing started to calm down, his hands were still shaking in Kanan's, who was assessing the kind of injuries he had. "It's just a plate, hon. Just a plate. You're okay." Ezra buried his face in his arms since his hands were being wrapped by Sabine, who had come back with an Aloe Vera plant leaf and put it on his burn and some bandages for the cuts on his hands.

When she was finished, Hera continued to rub his back as Kanan cleaned up the plate. When the last bits of broken ceramic were put into the garbage, Ezra had finally calmed down enough that he could breathe without crying. When Hera tried to ask him why he had a panic attack because of the plate, although she had a good idea, he just shrugged. Hera pressed, wanting to figure out why.

"Hon, why did you panic because of breaking the plate?" Ezra relented, knowing the older female wouldn't give up, looked at Kanan.

"Me?" He asked, shocked. Ezra shook his head, but when Hera asked again, he pointed at Kanan. "What did I do?"

"To be fair, love, you yelled at him," Hera answered, shrugging in sympathy. Kanan looked at her like she had just grown two heads.

"Because he got burned! I was worried!" Ezra pulled on the sleeve of Hera's shirt, getting her attention.

"What's wrong?" She asked, concerned that their fighting caused him the paleness in his face. He pointed at Kanan again. "Did Kanan make you panic?" Ezra shook his head, but stopped, shaking his hand from side to side, meaning that Kanan's outburst had frightened him. Suddenly, it clicked for Hera. Her face fell as she leaned back onto the cabinets with Ezra. "I'm sorry, hon. He would never do something like that. I swear." And then, it clicked for Kanan too, his face falling as he groaned.

"I'm so sorry, kid." Ezra shrugged, standing. As the two adults pulled themselves from the floor, Sabine had left when Kanan finished cleaning up the plate, Hera led Ezra to the table while Kanan got a waffle from the maker and a cup of water, bringing it over to Ezra. "Hungry?" Ezra shook his head and Kanan sighed. He placed the untouched waffle and cup of water on the table and started to head upstairs. "I'll get changed." Hera nodded and made sure Ezra was okay, with the very unconvincing nod of his head, and also went upstairs to change.

Ezra stared at the waffle, his stomach growling. He reached for it, taking a single bite. His nose crinkled, wanting to spit out the thing as he swallowed, trying to keep it down, but took another bite, this time washing it down with the whole cup of water that was made for him. When the glass clinked against the table, he heard footsteps coming from the stairs, so he sat as if he hadn't moved. Kanan came up behind him, saying it was time to. As Ezra got up from the table, Kanan led him to the car. As Ezra entered, he hugged his knees against his chest and rested his chin on his left knee, looking out the window.

"Seatbelt," Kanan spoke from the front seat. Ezra complied, putting his knees down long enough to fasten it, but resumed the same position he was in. Kanan sighed before backing out of the driveway.

As Hera came down the stairs, just as Kanan left, she entered the kitchen to finish cleaning up. She smiled at the two bites taken out of the waffle and the whole cup of water gone.

As Kanan pulled up to the station, Ezra unbuckled his seatbelt, waiting for Kanan to open the door. When he did, he exited, hanging his head. He followed Kanan inside, but instead of waiting in the front room, Kanan led him to a secluded room where a single mirror was to his left when he entered, but to his right when he sat down. He didn't feel the cold of the metal seat or table when he sat down. The only way he did is when he put his hands on the table while waiting for Kanan to come back.

He looked to his right at the double-sided mirror, wondering how many people were watching him right now. His head snapped to Kanan as he opened the door again, having a rather thin folder in his right hand. As he closed the door, he walked over to the small table and sat in front of Ezra, placing the thin folder between the two men.

"You gave our guys in the research company quite the task." He started off, opening the folder. "You have no records except for birth and adoption papers. No medical files. No dentist files. No school files. You were adopted by Mira and Ephraim Bridger, who had a daughter named Eve Bridger, is that correct?" Ezra nodded, shrinking back as much as he could into the uncomfortable, metal chair, rubbing the skin, again, between his first finger and thumb.

*The questioning will begin after this paragraph. look for next bold*

"We were going to call your parents, but are holding off until we can get pull you from their custody and place you into the system." Ezra, although relieved he wouldn't have to go back to the people who abused him, panicked. He shook his head. He has only been adopted one and fostered no times, but he knew kids that went to foster homes and never came out. Like Oleg. He went to Kallus' Foster Home, and he never heard from him again. Kanan looked at him funny. "You want to go back to the Bridger's?" Ezra straightened, eyes wide as he shook his head as his hands began to tremble again. Kanan took a deep breathe and let it out slowly. "You don't want to be put into the system again." Ezra nodded furiously. Rubbing between his fingers wasn't helping. He took deep breathes, trying to remember how the female, Hera, calmed him down this morning. It helped, some, but enough that he didn't have another attack. Kanan waited patiently, knowing that he couldn't help all that much, especially after this mornings incident

"Alright. We'll see what we can do about that. But in the meantime, do you think you could answer some questions?" Ezra would've laughed if he wasn't still trying to calm himself down.

"Ezra Bridger, did your adopted parents abuse you?" He nodded. Kanan briefly looked towards the mirror, but then back to him.

"To what extent." Ezra knew he couldn't respond with words, so he rolled up his sleeves, making sure he only showed the back of his arms. "Oh my god." Kanan breathed out, eyes stuck to the bruised and scarred skin on Ezra's arms with horror. He swallowed, jaw clenching and unclenching before he was able to ask the next question.

"Is there anywhere else you have... these marks?" Kanan question, face pale and solemn. Ezra nodded. Kanan took a breath. "Where?" Ezra pointed to his back, neck, arms, and stomach. Kanan looked as if he was going to throw up. "Are there any... other ways your 'family' abused you." Ezra nodded.

"How?" Kanan wanted to be anywhere else but here and asking these questions. But if they were going to put these two in jail, and their daughter in custody of another family member, they needed to be as thorough as possible. Ezra pointed to his stomach. Kanan looked at him quizzically but then understood. "They starved you?" He nodded. "How many days at a time." Ezra shrugged. Kanan clenched his fist as he tried to not go over to the mirror and hit it as many times as he could to shatter it. He counted to ten before he asked the next question.

"Did they ever... assault you?" Ezra shook his head. Kanan sighed in almost-near relief. He thought he was going to have to make them pay for doing such thing to him, a child no less. He still might for all the other things they've done. He'd beg Ahsoka to let him go with the team arresting the two and be not-so-gentle with the couple.

"Alright. I think we have enough information. We're just about done here."

*it has ended. No trigger warnings from here.*

"Ezra, can you speak?" Ezra shook his head. Kanan pursed his lips, trying to think of why.

"Why?" Ezra stood up and motioned that he was going to fake punch Kanan, making sure that he wouldn't even touch him. Kanan nodded for him to go on. Ezra punched near Kanan's throat where his Adam's apple was. Kanan nodded and told him to sit back down.

"Can you read or write?" Ezra shook his head. "Sign language?" He shook his head no again.

"Alright. We're done here." Kanan stood with the file and Ezra didn't move. Kanan walked out, leaving Ezra alone. He looked towards the mirror and took a deep breath. He turned back forward to where Kanan had sat and stared at the empty seat. He knew people who went into the system and he never saw them again.

He didn't want to go missing and be missed by nobody. He didn't want to be a distant memory for few.

But right then, he was too tired to care anymore.