Hello friends!

A HUGE thanks to everyone who has supported my journey so far through this and life! You guys rule :)

This is, I think, one of my favorite chapters in this story. It's pretty long, and I felt sappy and poetic after watching three hours of family feel good movies. Also, I can't write fight scenes worth anything, so spare me, I know, it's awful.

(You may want to re-read chapters 11-12, cause a little part at the end about Zeb and Ezra)

ooh and someone asked me when the scars from much earlier will be explained...they WILL be explained and confronted, don't fret! I have somewhat a plan haha

Alright! Happy reading 3

-0-

"What is in this water?" Kallus said, his face pale.

Sabine saw ripples forming behind Kallus. What did Ezra call that beast? The treeo? Threero? Thirio, that's it. Sabine gulped and raised her chin, preparing for what was going to happen.

The Thirio was behind Agent Kallus.

With a burst from the slightly still water, the beast flew out from its home and latched itself onto the Imperial. The man screamed as the huge rows of teeth closed, basically ripping him in two. Sabine watched with horror, but she felt little to no remorse. This man...almost killed Zeb, kidnapped Ezra, and basically had done his best to kill all of them.

The Mandalorian rebel clung to Hera as the stormtroopers let them go and charged into the water. But it was too late. The beast was dragging their bosses dying carcass off into the depths. They fired their blasters at the creature, but all was in vain. Zeb ran behind the troopers, bashing their helmets together while his mighty hands were still bound. The two men clad in the white trooper uniforms fell, leaving the two gaping pilots stunned. Before the two officers could react, Zeb knocked them both out with singular punches.

"I don't know whether I hate or love that beast now." Zeb laughed in adrenaline, smashing the handcuffs on a rock, freeing his hands from each other. He did the same for the women's restraints.

"Considering Ezra's condition, i'm going with hate." Sabine muttered, rubbing her sore wrist.

Hera crouched by the water, pulling out the separated arm from before. "I'm going with 'it's mutual'."

"Hera! Don't touch tha' thing!'' Zeb spat, grimacing at the limp limb.

But Hera, the complete rebel she was, dug her fingers deep into the bite wound and...pulled out a large tooth.

"I think I just found our antidote." Hera smirked.

Sabine shook her head. "Gross...but cool."

Zeb groaned, "Ugh, not cool. Just gross."

Hera shook her head, "Zeb, tie up those troopers. Sabine, take the fuel from the Tie fighters and put it into our ship. I'll get us reconnected and then you come help me." Hera stood and began running towards the Ghost. "We have an antidote to extract."

-0-

Kanan gently moved his padawan back to the bed.

Ezra wasn't doing well at all. His navy hair was plastered to his head, and sweat soaked through his tank top. His entire body radiated a awful warmth of sickness and he shook with fever.

Kanan mentally counted the hours...Hera had said they had a few hours until the poison killed him, and well-...it had been a few hours. By the way Ezra looked, Kanan could tell the poor boy probably only had another hour or two left without treatment. And then? He would die.

Swallowing thickly, Kanan peered outside the window. Zeb was tying up the Imperial officers? Kallus was no where to be seen. The Tie Fighters were both parked.

"What is going on?" Kanan fretted, turning back to Ezra.

"Kanan?" Ezra spoke softly.

"Yeah kid?"

"I'm going to die, ri-right?"

"Ezra! No you-"

"I am. There isn't an antidote." Ezra cried, tears skidding down his cheeks.

Kanan gulped, "No, but...Ezra?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm so proud of you...and everything you've done. You're an amazing student and you are stronger than anyone in all of the galaxies." Kanan praised. Tears welled up in his own teal eyes as he leaned over Ezra.

"K-...a-..nn?" Ezra slurred. His vision had begun to spin and it was getting even harder to function.

"Save your energy kid." Kanan smiled sadly, holding the boys face.

"Tha-ank you. All o...o...vv...you-...g-guys." Ezra Bridger used the last of his strength to say, "I-...I love y-you guys..."

The padawan's head slumped back, becoming a disturbingly heavy dead weight.

"Kid? Oh Ezra...please..." Kanan cried, tears dripping down his face.

And in the dim light from the window, Kanan cried over his resting student.

-0-

On Lasan, Zeb had been trained in the Honor Guard to protect your family and your people at all cost.

But all of the Lasats had been wiped out by the very man who was slowly dying at the bottom of a pond. So who would Zeb protect?

Zeb hadn't been too old when Lasan fell, just in his mid twenties. He missed his mother, his niece, his brothers, his sisters. Zeb never got the chance to fall in love and have kids of his own, but he had treated his niece like his own, and his youngest brother had only been ten when he passed at the falling.

After Lasan fell to the Empire, he had been in rough shape. He lugged his bow rifle around like a lost child and a favorite blanket. His ears seemed to be glued down, and he trudged through the streets of Coruscant. And for two years all he did was drink...and drink...and drink. He knew he seriously had a problem when he realized the seat he always sat in at the local bar had an indent from his weight.

Fifty pounds overweight, out of shape, depressed, and a drunk, Zeb was utterly lost.

And then one day some gangly human who was barely old enough to drink plopped down next to him.

"Hey." The human had said, ordering a drink.

"Hey." Zeb gruffly replied. The last time he had spoken to someone besides ordering from the bartender was-...weeks?

"I'm Kanan, you?" The human went on.

Zeb took a swig of his drink. "Zeb."

"Well Zeb, you never seem to leave this bar, do you?" Kanan pried, stirring the small glass of water.

"What's it to you? You came in a bar and ordered free water?" Zeb scoffed.

Kanan smirked "You got me there. I don't drink."

"Then why are you in a bar?" Zeb groaned. This guy had to be a tourist.

"Because I wanted to talk to you." Kanan said simply.

Zeb put his glass down. "Excuse me?"

"I know you're a Lasat-"

"And?" Zeb growled.

"-and I know about the recent fall of your home planet."

Zeb took another gulp of his beverage.

Kanan cleared his throat. "Your bow rifle, that means you were a warrior on Lasan. And I know for a fact that the fighters on Lasan were always in great shape and never drank unless a holiday or celebration."

"Well what do you expect me to do, huh?! All of my people are dead." Zeb snapped. Who did this guy think he was?!

"Zeb, you need to get out of this slump. You need to fight back against those who stole your home!" Kanan encouraged, completely ignoring his water.

Zeb stared at the golden liquid in his cup. "A single Lasat? Against the Empire? Buddy you're crazy."

"You wouldn't be alone! Zeb...join the rebellion. It may be small now, but just think-"

"Kanan, i'm not going to die like my people. At the hands of Imperials." Zeb sighed.

"So your gonna sit here in this bar forever? Drinking away your life? Fight for Lasan, protect those who-" Kanan sputtered.

Zeb pushed away his glass. "Can't protect themselves...You mentioned a rebellion?"

Kanan smiled. "Welcome aboard Spector Four. We'll need to get you sobered up before you fight."

...Zeb smiled fondly of the memory.

The bucket heads sitting in an unconscious heap in front of him still made his blood boil.

These were the same type of people who killed his family on Lasan. And now they were trying to do the same to his new family abroad the Ghost. Sure...he would love to see his blood relatives once more. But he didn't need them. The Ghost crew was his new family.

-0-

Sabine had transferred fuel from ship to ship thousands of times.

Her record was forty seconds.

But given the circumstances she earned a new best time of seventeen seconds.

Which was just enough time for Hera to scramble into the control rooms. Turning on the newly powered Ghost, Hera focused all of its power towards the med bay, firing up all the machinery.

The twi'lek raced into the med bay and-...

Her heart dropped.

Throughout her life Hera had seem truly awful things. Slavery, torture, downfall of the Jedi, planets destroyed, races murdered, and so much more.

But nothing could have ever prepared her to see her best friend, Kanan Jarrus, weeping over their youngest crew member.

Ezra was completely lifeless. Besides some shallow uneven breathing, anyone would have guessed him as deceased. His navy hair was plastered down, sweat shimmering off his skin. Blood soaked through the bandages on his leg and it was a lot. The poor child's lips were blue, his fingers purple.

"Kanan..." Hera croaked, almost dropping the fang in her gloved hand.

Kanan looked up slowly, oblivious to the fact that the ship had power again.

"He's dying." Kanan whispered, tears slipping off his cheeks.

Hera snapped out of her shock and rushed to the counters of the med bay. She grabbed a small syringe that usually would be used for giving or taking shots. She quickly pulled out the stored venom in the tooth.

"Hera? What are you-" Kanan began to ask.

"The creature attacked Kallus and one of the troopers. Luckily, it left a tooth behind with venom inside." Hera answered shortly, mixing the venom with another chemical.

"Then...Ezra still has a chance?" Kanan wiped away at his tear streaked face.

"It may not be a large one due to time framing. Usually the chemical compound would need to cool for a few hours before being used...but i'm afraid i'll just have it inject it now and hope for the best." Hera shuddered, putting the two part mixture into a syringe.

"Hera! You don't know what will happen!" Kanan yelled. His face suddenly softened. "He should have a peaceful death...if he is going...going to go."

Hera shook her head. "No, he should have one last chance! Fight for those who-"

"Who can't fight themselves. I know..." Kanan sighed. It was the same line every rebel would say at least a thousand times. "Just...do it."

Hera didn't wait another second. She plunged the vile into Ezra's vain.

And all three rebels, Kanan, Hera and Ezra, were silent. No one dared moved.

Then all of a sudden, a pair of huge blue eyes fluttered open.

Kanan never thought he would see those eyes again. So full of joy, innocence, cleverness, life.

The boy's life had been ready enter the jaws of death itself; only for a miracle to save him.

And what to people do when a miracle happens?

They cry.

"Ezra!" Kanan wept, tears of joy flowing.

The boy's tired eyes weakly twinkled. "H-Hey..."

Hera, who had snapped out of a wondered daze, brought him some water, which he thirstily chugged.

"Wha-?" Ezra began, looking quite confused.

But Kanan stroked his sweat soaked hair and gave a smile, "Sh, kid. Just rest."

So while Hera hooked up a heart monitor and IV, Ezra Bridger slept in peace knowing he would live.

-0-

Sabine collapsed onto her bed.

As she dazed off into a well deserved rest, she thought about Ezra.

Only a few months ago, the entire crew had been completely different.

Hera, she knew, had known how to fly a ship better than anyone in the galaxy by the time she was twelve. Accompanied by a droid that was suppose to be flattened and recycled into cans, the two were quite the team. Kanan had lived in a temple among Jedi with his master. And when Order 66 destroyed life as they both knew it, they somehow found each other, young twenty year olds who needed someone...someone to be able to talk to in the middle of the night when everything seemed hopeless.

About four years later Lasan fell. Sabine knew Zeb had troubles with coping, and even now the Lasat didn't like to talk about the short period of time when he was an addict. But he had found hope. He had found the rebellion.

Then there was herself.

When she was a mere sixteen her parents, as pushy as ever, wanted her to be the best warrior of all. So they enlisted her in the biggest and strongest force: The Empire. Despite her reluctantly and love of art, the academy tried to muffle her talent and spirit with rules and discipline. But as the teachers and other cadets developed, Sabine found herself sneaking out, painting beautiful images all over Imperial property. And one day, in the middle of her painting a dragonfly made of blazing purple flames, a woman emerged from the shadows.

"Vandalism is a crime the Empire doesn't take lightly, is it?" A smooth voice smirked.

Young seventeen year old Sabine yelped and spun around, seeing a twi'lek dressed in an odd pilot outfit.

"W-What?" Sabine coughed. Was the woman planning to turn her in for credits? Surely the Empire would imprison her, and her family would be shamed.

The twi'lek grinned, "Well love, I'd recognize your artwork anywhere, and I have to say while it is beautiful, it is marking Imperial property."

Sabine narrowed her eyes, "Y-Yeah, so what? You gonna turn me in to the Empire?"

"No. I'm going to ask you to join the rebellion."

Sabine laughed at the memory.

She had of course refused. Only to be caught a month later spraying a spectrum of colors on a wall. Her bunk mate, Ketso Onyo, fled with her, both young women becoming bounty hunters.

A year later Ketso and her had...gone their separate ways.

And Sabine didn't know where to go or what to do.

So she painted.

Only a week after she turned eighteen the woman found her again, painting a sea of fireflies on an abandoned store wall. But this time? Sabine joined. At first it was just because she needed a place to stay. But then she bonded with all of the crew members, even Chopper the grumpy droid.

Sabine closed her eyes. A few months ago, Sabine had been quite skeptical about Ezra.

Kids like Ezra tended to be scum. Not only were they thieves, they were also dirty and impolite. Plus a lot of Lothal boys around Ezra's age were cat-calling pervs.

It was obvious right off the bat that Ezra liked her. The way he constantly had to dry his sweaty palms on his pant leg, or the way he flipped his hair out of his eyes four too many times. Her favorite quirk was the way he winced after every word, as if he was afraid she would lash out and shut him down.

So her heart sped up in relief when she saw the lights of the Ghost flicker on, engine and all restarting.

After basically falling out of the TIE fighter, Zeb met her at the front, delivering the news.

He pulled her back, not letting her enter the ship.

"Zeb! I have to-" Sabine sputtered, desperate to get to the med bay.

Zeb held her tight. "He's okay."

Sabine stopped her struggling. "Wh-What?"

"The kid's okay. He'll be fine." Zeb chuckled, letting her arm go.

Sabine smiled, joy washing over her. The cloud of worry that had been surrounding her since the morning suddenly disappeared into a fog of relief, and the dark skies of her mugged mind were cleared by rays of hope.

"He's alright?" Sabine asked.

"He's fine. Hera got the cure in him just in time." Zeb clarified.

"Can I-"

Chopper suddenly rolled down the ramp. The poor guy had been turned off by the troopers during the raid.

Sabine listened intently to what the droid had to say.

"What's he saying?" Zeb asked, worry reappearing in his eyes.

Sabine straightened. "Hera needs me."

Without another word, Sabine ran into the ship.

-0-

Zeb sat down on the Ghost ramp.

Lothal had a beautiful sunset, the colors of the setting sky reminded him of the late evening back on Lasan. Playing tag with his brothers until his mother called them in for supper, or when he would be cleaning up the barracks at training camp.

The shades of golds, blue, purple, pink and orange were something he knew his brothers would have liked to see. His fallen blood brothers of Lasan, and his little human brother Ezra.

No. Zeb would rather jump off the Ghost in flight than say it out loud. But...Ezra had grown on him. Slowly. At first he was just some pesky kid Kanan and Hera decided to keep. But in time he admired the persistence of the child.

While others saw Ezra beg Hera to teach him to fly, Zeb saw the true dedication and want to learn.

While others saw Ezra suck it up to Sabine with generic compliments to her art, Zeb saw a kid who truly looked at every inch of the work.

While others saw Ezra slack off in his Jedi training sessions, Zeb saw a kid who was trying to overcome a past of defending himself.

And while others thought of Ezra as sometimes harsh and overly sarcastic...Zeb saw himself.

After Lasan had fallen, Zeb had truly been lost. A hardcore alcoholic, he was drinking to die.

But in joining the rebellion, he found hope, and a new spark to fight.

In the first year of joining Hera, Kanan and Chopper, Zeb's exterior was like a rock. Unless they were fighting, Zeb was locked away in his room. Nightmares haunted him, and he ate less that he should have. Then, slowly, he found himself laughing with the crew, occasionally telling jokes of his own.

A coffee together once a month turned into weekly dinners, then every night, then every meal occurrences. When he was depressed Kanan listened, when he was sad Hera would make him smile. And when he needed to get his butt out of his room and go shower, well...Chopper was pretty good at getting someone on their feet.

When Sabine joined the crew she was kinda shy. Zeb, however, welcomed her the same way he had been welcomed. He bought her the expensive paint brushes with his saved up credits, and even treated her to weekly ice cream. Sabine wasn't exactly a little kid, she was technically an adult, but to Zeb...she was like a little sister he never had. Soon they became close enough to where once Sabine had called him her brother...and neither of them thought twice about it.

And then a year later Ezra joined.

His introduction to the crew was quite unusual. Stealing their crates, getting them into Imperial trouble and pissing them all off in various degrees? He definitely made a rough impression on Zeb.

And when the Lasat saw him first flirt with Sabine, the woman he thought of as his sister...Easy to say that Zeb wasn't pleased.

Yes, in the start they all had their disagreements and fights. The human boy's sarcastic nature and abrasive attitude made his blood boil.

Ezra had been with the crew for about a week before Zeb's resentment shattered.

While the rest of the crew ate their meals together, Ezra would often refuse, and go up to the roof to sit alone or to be in his shared room. Zeb had just rolled his eyes and thought of it as a teenage moodiness.

But then the boy would always have dark under eye circles, or just look too...scrawny, unhealthily small and skinny. He would flinch, and always keep at least an arms distance away from anyone. The navy mop he called hair hid his face, and Zeb realized he had never looked the kid in the eye for more than two seconds.

Finally, the thing that finally shattered Zeb's wall of dislike towards Ezra, was the nightmares.

Zeb himself hadn't had nightmares about Lasan in over a year, so he was very surprised to suddenly wake up in the middle of the night.

Lasats have much better hearing than any human, so his sensitive ears had heard the sharp gasps of breath, and the muffled sobs.

The lazy part of himself wanted to wave it off as nothing and go back to sleep

But Zeb's heart felt weak, as it had when he had accidentally broken his brother's arm, over thirty years ago. The crying was identical, sad, hurt, and betrayed. He saw the image of his friend, only nine, stare into his eyes and weep, 'It hurts.'

Zeb had climbed up to the bunk, looking at his bunkmate, switching the lights on.

Zeb had scars. Mental and physical, who didn't? But Ezra obviously had many more of both.

And at that moment, after seeing the brutal old wounds across the boy's body, Zeb saw himself.

The armor of a fake smile.

The hours spent in solitude.

The shell of insecurity.

The nightmare plagued life.

The feeling of being alone.

It was like a mirror.

And Zeb vowed to shatter it.

-0-

Tell me what you think! And please review or ask any questions you have, I read it all and try to answer them all!

-Shelby