6ABY. In continuity with 'Together'.

Ezra entered the room, removing his armour as he did so. He made sure not to make too much noise when removing the pieces, for he didn't want to disturb his sleeping wife who was lying on the bed. His day had been quite tiring from all the travel, getting different things for Sabine and even managing to make a visit to Hera. His former captain was working to stabilise Ryloth with her family after finally freeing her home from Imperial control. It was like this all over, for The Empire had finally surrendered to the New Republic after a crushing final defeat on Jakku, it's remnants fleeing to the Unknown Regions, not to be seen again. That was all a year ago. The Galaxy was finally free...and new life could begin. A new era had began.

Though Ezra partly wanted to go to Lothal and see it recover from the scars The Empire gave it, he knew his people were strong and would manage to find their own way forward. Ezra had many ties to Mandalore now, he was officially one of them. And now...he had even greater reason to be here.

"Hah...what did you drag me into, Sabine?"

He sat down on the bed, and looked at the sleeping Sabine. He smiled at her pretty, calm face. He lightly brushed his hand across her short hair of red and orange...then his hand went down to rest over her stomach.

Her heavily pregnant stomach.

Ezra was often fascinated by the sight of Sabine in this state. Inside her, she was growing something amazing. Something that she and Ezra were bringing into this world. He remembered how Sabine put it, how she really won him over.

"We fought so hard to take things out of this world...slavery, corruption, control. Let's put something in it, for once."

And now that's what they were doing. Ezra was looking forward to being able to touch his child...though really he could already feel it every day. Through The Force, he could feel the being inside Sabine. The Force was flowing through them intensely...he could sense the exact same thing that he once felt in that strange man standing idly in the Lothal streets as a fourteen year old boy...on a day that would change Ezra's life.

But maybe it would be best if he kept that to himself.

Ezra lay down on his side of the bed. He got his arm around Sabine and snuggled her up close. She mumbled a bit, but her body felt comfortable in his hold. When Ezra placed his hand firmly over her tummy, he could sometimes feel movement inside. Any day now, Sabine could go into labour. They were greatly anticipating that day...they had tossed many names around, Sabine had some interesting suggestions and was curious if it was a boy or girl. She was hoping for a boy, she wanted to call him J'enga. But Ezra had his own theories.

"I'm thinking...a girl."

It was just his guess. Though he'd be lying if he said The Force wasn't at play even a bit, letting him sense things that Sabine couldn't. But he didn't want to spoil the surpise...he wanted to see it on her face when she's finally holding her little bundle of life in her arms.

"Hahah..."

Just thinking about it all really helped him sleep.

Ezra awoke from that dream. He found himself lying on that same side of the bed, his stretched out arm reaching over nothing, the other side being empty. He lay there for a long while, contemplating in his head. The happiness he experienced in his dream was that just.

A dream.

The Galaxy was still free. People across thousands of worlds are no doubt the happiest they've been in years, for many it'll be the happiest they've been in their whole life. That's where Ezra should be, he never knew of a world without The Empire till now, this was supposed to be the prime time of his life.

And yet, he was sad.

Ezra got out of bed and started getting dressed, sticking to his routine when starting the day. But he didn't fit himself in his armour, he just got into some simple casual clothes. Before leaving the room, his eyes took notice of something in the room. In the corner, there was a crib fit for a perfect little baby.

And yet it was empty.

Ezra found himself staring at it for a long time. He did this so often. He wondered about the things that should've been...and yet weren't. All he could do, was rub his temple and sigh. Everything right now felt like a great confusion, and he knew Sabine was responding to it worse than himself. She was the mother, after all. And in her typical fashion, she liked to deal with things like this alone. That's why Ezra woke up alone, they were sleeping in separate rooms. They had done so for the last couple days.

Ezra finally did leave his room, and walked down the corridors to the Great Hall. This time of day, he'd usually go for some breakfast...both him and Sabine would. They'd go get themselves some ingredients and Sabine would cook something, and try her best to impress Ezra with Mandalorian cuisine. And he would always be impressed, even if he had to feign it occasionally. Mandalorian food wasn't exactly the most flavourful. And after they were done eating, Sabine would often get to teaching him some Mando'a...or just have sex, if they were in the mood. That was all before Sabine got pregnant...after that Ezra was practically slaving for her, treating her like a goddess. And she loved him for it.

Those were happier times in their marriage. What happened lately...it was the first obstacle that Ezra felt was threatening that marriage.

When making it to the Great Hall, Ezra stopped at the entrance. He saw two figures quietly conversing, Alrich Wren and his dear Sabine Wren. From here, Ezra could tell that Alrich was giving his daughter some comforting words, his hands resting on her shoulders. He would say something and she would nod with the smallest smile. It was brief, and when they were done talking, Sabine received a kiss on her forehead. Then Sabine went to leave the room and return to the cabins, walking past Ezra. They both exchanged a brief sad look, but nothing was said between them.

Ezra stood still, tempted to turn around and go after her. Usually Ezra would follow after her, because he knew this was that time again where they needed to be there for each other. But even he, for once, felt a bit distraught. But Alrich, he was easier to approach.

"Ezra." Alrich greeted him with a slightly sad tone.

"Hey, Alrich." Ezra greeted with the same tone. "How's Ursa?"

Though she was aware of what happened, Ursa couldn't be here for the family in this delicate time. The Countess was away on political business, with Bo-Katan. Mandalore needed a new government, one that wouldn't repeat the same mistakes the Mandalorian people made in the past. With The Empire gone, there was no better time to create stability.

"Oh, my wife is fine." Alrich assured him. "She's heard the news, though...and her biggest regret is not being able to share her condolences in person. The better question, young Ezra, is how is yours?"

Ezra should've supposed that was coming. For the past two days, how Sabine was feeling was constantly on his mind. Actually, it was on his mind most of the time regardless...but right now it was a particular concern.

"She's managing...I think." Ezra said with a lack of confidence. "I mean...she's never been great at communication when she's upset."

It often frustrated Ezra a bit. He hoped being her husband would at least make her open to him, but she still liked to wind herself tight. But it didn't work so well this time...Sabine wasn't alone in this pain, they were in it together.

"Uh, Alrich...how did you deal with Sabine whenever she does this?" Ezra asked. "Whenever she was sad, and you wanted to make her feel better...?"

"Hmm...Sabine has always been a tough nut to crack." Alrich began, looking back in his mind. "Whenever something greatly upset her, I remember she used to lock herself away in her room. Never came out, not even to eat."

That was certainly a bit more extreme than what Ezra was used to, though this was no doubt about a much younger Sabine. Thankfully she wasn't quite like that in their time together aboard The Ghost.

"Of course, she learnt that she needed to eat to live. So she stopped locking herself away and instead would just socially isolate herself."

Now THAT...sounded much more familiar.

"How did you deal with that?" Ezra asked. "She was your daughter...didn't it hurt to see her alone all the time?"

As her husband, it definitely hurt Ezra. More than it did in the past.

"I always had my ways of getting her to open up." Alrich continued. "Though I find they become less effective as she gets older. And this particular incident...is most troubling to her. You need to be there for her, she needs to be there for you too."

"I've tried talking but she's stubborn...if her father can't open her up, how can I?"

"I am her father." Alrich agreed. "But you are her husband."

Ezra simply blinked. He knew his wife very well, but sometimes he wondered how much that mattered.

"You may want to talk to her before she leaves." Alrich recommended.

Ezra blinked again. Leave?

"Wha-what?"

Alrich gave him a blank look.

"Oh. She didn't even tell you...?" He showed some surpise. "Well...you best catch up with her."

Ezra was confused now. What did Alrich mean, that Sabine was leaving? It would be best to get an answer from Sabine herself. So he swiftly left Alrich and went off after Sabine.

Alrich watched him leave. He sighed and shook his head. The atmosphere for his family wasn't so good right now, but he was confident that Sabine and Ezra would work things out.

Ezra soon made it to the door of Sabine's cabin, her room before they got married and started renovating a larger one. He knocked politely.

"Sabine, can I come in?" He asked with an amount of desperation. "Please. We really need to talk."

There was a moment of silence, of contemplation. Soon, the door opened on its own. Sabine stood before him, they looked at each other. Ezra could see the stress on her face, her glaring shadows under her eyes...she looked like hell. She had plenty reason to. Sabine walked back with a nod before returning to what she was doing without a word. Ezra followed, and he saw that Sabine was laying things out on her bed. She was packing things into a case.

"What are you doing?" Ezra asked quietly.

"Lady Bo-Katan invited me to Sundari." She spoke firmly. "I'm going to join my mother and get...involved with politics. I don't have the best reputation but...I offer a fresh perspective, which is why I've been invited."

Ezra was silent yet saddened as he just watched her. His wife left the bed for a moment and walked past him, taking some dye-remover from her shelf to pack. She needed to look sensible if she was going to partake in politics.

"Where do I fit in all this?"

"You don't want to get involved with politics, Ezra." She sighed.

Ezra was quiet again for a moment as she kept packing. He knew Sabine just wanted a good excuse to leave Krownest..and while he could understand that, he knew this was a stretch. Politics are full of rules and regulations...he knew Sabine wasn't a fan of either.

"No..." He agreed. "But I do want to be with you."

"Well...I need time away from here, away from everything." She crossed her arms, not looking at him. "Sometimes...even away from you."

Ezra felt hurt by that.

"I think, right now...you need me." Ezra told her, almost in a whisper as emotions got to him. "And...I need you, too."

Sabine made eye-contact with him, and the two just stared at one another. So much communication was exchanged with this simple gesture, as the two began to understand the situation they were in. They understood that this was a pain they had to share together.

Sabine also got visibly a little upset after this.

"Oh, Ezra...I..." She swallowed. "I know you're grieving too."

Sabine understood that she wasn't alone in this.

"So are you really going to leave me? Expect me to stay here?" He asked, arms stretched out. "I came here, stayed here...for you. Without you, I have no reason to be here."

Sabine's face appeared considerate.

"Are you...at least going to see her, before you leave?"

Sabine closed her eyes. She wanted to forget, but things were so fresh right now. The pain was new. However, she nodded silently. There was another pause, before Ezra starting stepping forward. He wanted to hold her, he wanted to really talk about the misery they were going through.

"Sabine, it wasn't your faul-"

"Ezra, I...I really don't want to talk about it." She told him, sucking in her emotions as she held her hand out to stop him embracing her. "I know I say it a lot...but sometimes someone does need time to think, time to be alone."

Ezra pulled his arms back, sighed and nodded.

"I'll see her." She promised him, looking back at her case on the bed.

Ezra also looked at it, then back at her.

"And about you leaving...?" He asked gently.

Sabine picked up a pair of pants and looked at them, about to fold them. But then she let out a long sigh and dropped it back on the bed.

"I've never liked politics." She muttered. "We'll see."

It was better than her giving a definite answer that she'd leave. Ezra decided he'd said enough, for now. She gave her a quick kiss on her cheek before leaving her alone. When Sabine was by herself, she rubbed her temple with increasing frustration before suddenly picking up her case and throwing it across the room, spilling all her clothes and objects everywhere.

She then sat on the bed and covered her face with her hands.

It was much later on in the day. Ezra had spent much of it lying on the bed, hands together on his chest as he contemplated. He was meditating through The Force. That's what Jedi did, if they ever had emotional issues, physical issues...anything at all that troubled them. Have a problem? Meditate. Sure, he did promise to put aside his Jedi ways...but The Force isn't strictly tied to being a Jedi. And besides, who knew when it could be really handy?

Sabine didn't complain when he used it to give her the most amazing massage.

Thinking about that made him smile. Possibly the first smile he had in days.

But one thing that was glaring to him, was what he could sense. Through The Force, he could feel whatever Sabine felt as their bond was so strong. And right now, she was going through the same pain he was. Which meant it was only intensified for him. But eventually the feelings he could sense were getting particularly intense, indicating Sabine was in a moment of particular pain. It grew so glaring to him, that he got up from the bed and left the room, making his way outside the Wren ancestral home.

He knew exactly where Sabine would be.

Walking in the snow, Ezra couldn't even feel the cold air. He simply kept on walking. Soon, he saw the figure in the distance, with a fiery head of hair. Sabine was standing silently on a small white hill. Ezra shuffled quietly up to her, and Sabine could hear him. But she was still silent as he joined her at her side.

They were stood at the site where they buried their dreams.

The two adults could only hear the whistle of blowing, chilly wind. They both didn't know what to say, for once they were both devastated. But standing here together...it was the first time they were truly sharing the pain. No single person could possibly handle it on their own...they needed each other.

But eventually Sabine did speak up.

"I'm not leaving." She whispered.

Ezra didn't remove his eyes from the ground they were looking at. Neither of them did.

"Thank you." He said, just as quietly.

They needed to be there for each other to get through this.

When they continued looking at the ground, Sabine build up the courage to talk about their pain. She knew that she always ended up talking to Ezra about what was bothering her anyways, but since this was something they both shared...now was a good time for it.

"I had no idea..." She began. "I had no idea things would turn out like this."

"It wasn't your fault." He told her quietly.

There was a pause.

"Yes it was." Sabine said. "I'm the one who made us do this. You were reluctant, you thought maybe we weren't ready...I ignored you and now..."

She shook her head in disbelief of herself.

"Clearly...I wasn't ready..." She told herself.

Ezra looked at his wife. His darling wife. He stepped close to her, and took her hand in his. He squeezed tightly, and then she did the same.

"I could feel the life, Sabine." He told her. "There wasn't anything wrong. It...was only at the last moment..."

Sabine assumed he meant through The Force. Ezra always did have a great connection with living beings.

"Well...I also felt it." She said, swallowing up more grief. "Not through magic or belief...but as a mother. I felt it develop, felt it move. I felt life growing inside me..."

It was a feeling that one couldn't ever experience any other way. And Sabine loved it...she thought it was beautiful.

"And in my arms it all just...turned to ashes..."

Sabine will never forget it. That feeling of finally getting to hold what you were nurturing inside you for months. It could've very well been the happiest moment of her life...had it not also been the exact moment her happiness literally died in her arms.

And a couple days later, she found herself here. Finally talking to her husband about it.

"Clearly I wasn't ready." She stated decisively.

Ezra leaned closer to her.

"You would've been great, Sabine." He assured her. "You would've been the best...you still can be."

Sabine finally looked at him, with her pained expression. She could see he was trying to offer light at the end of this dark tunnel...and she appreciated that. Could she expect less of her loving husband?

"I'm not sure if I want to try again." Her weak, tender voice said.

"Our whole lives have been built on hope, Sabine." He reminded her. "If there's one thing The Rebellion taught us...it's that."

Sabine gave him a tiny, soft smile.

"You're right."

They both looked back at the ground. Sabine stepped forward and Ezra let go of her hand. The pain hit her hard again, but she held on to hope for the future. Her eyes closed and tears slowly flowed down her face, but she remained silent. Sabine crouched down, and brushed her hands across the delicate snow.

"Goodbye, my ik'aad..." She whispered. "I barely got to hold you...but I know you'll always be with me."

Sabine then stood up, and wiped her face with a sniff. Ezra went close to her again, and he placed his arms around her. She found it comforting to be held...and he found it comforting to hold her.

"We'll have another chance." Ezra promised her.

The two Mandalorians then walked off together, walking down the small hill. On the top of that hill, the site of such significance to them, was a small gravestone. On the stone was an engraved name.

Mira.