Catalyst:

After drying off and dressing her upper half, then employing one of the towels as a makeshift skirt, Hera settled into the pilot's chair of the Ghost with a satisfied smile and strapped herself in. (She had every intention of putting the ship through her paces.) She glanced at all of the controls one more time, just to familiarize herself with where everything was, and started the ship. She then closed her eyes and listened to the engines for a minute. Could use a little tuning, but they'll do for now.

I still can't believe Kanan brought me a ship for my birthday.

Then again, he IS my perfect, fated, soulmate. So of course he brought me a ship.

Perhaps what is more unbelievable is that Father LET him! He HAD to know that I'd get into trouble with this, right?

She sniggered to herself. And, stars, I can't wait!

With great pleasure, Hera guided her new freighter up into the air.

When Kanan strolled into the cockpit a couple minutes later, also wearing his shirt and a towel, he sat in the co-pilot chair beside Hera, still more than a little surprised by how carried away things had gotten. Not that I'm regretting it or anything. Anything but, in fact. Could happily do stuff like that with Hera until the end of time.

Not having to worry about our messes being detected by keen-nosed father-in-laws, though, would definitely make this way more enjoyable.

Speaking of…

Force am I happy we scrubbed this ship from top to bottom. Today's adventures on the floor would have been entirely unsanitary otherwise, he thought with a wry grimace.

Do I need to wash the floor again?

And this chair?

Kanan stared at the metal decking for a few seconds, then shrugged mentally. Nah. Surely that's overkill.

Relieved with his own conclusion, he turned his attention to watching Hera fly – something he never tired of.

Not only was she drop dead gorgeous to look at, her pure enjoyment in the moment radiated from her like a perpetual stream of fireworks into the Force.

I wonder…

Curious to see how she'd look through Force Sight, he closed his eyes and nearly gasped.

Literally as he watched, her sparkling Force signature changed slightly and he swore she started to resonate with the ship. Whoa. She might not be a Force sensitive, per se, but she's certainly gifted in some fashion. I swear this girl was born to fly. To even think about keeping her on the ground should be considered a criminal offense.

Forcing Hera to stay in the house is the one thing about Cham that I've never agreed with. I know he was just trying to protect her, but all he's really done is imprison her. Hera belongs in a ship the same way a fish belongs in the water.

The first time Kanan had seen her fly, she'd become a different person. Her face had lit up like a sun and she'd come alive in a way that had made him realize that she'd just been going through the motions of life until that moment. Kanan had vowed to himself then and there that she would always have something to fly, as often as she wanted and wherever she wanted.

And now it looks like we might be exploring the galaxy sooner than I thought.

Despite what he'd said to her earlier, he didn't think there was much of chance that Cham would change his mind about Hera getting to fight with the Resistance here on Ryloth. He'd tried talking to her father about it in the past, and had been shut down quickly. The man is just too overprotective and could use a few Jedi lessons in how to let go.

Force, I hope I never have to do the same, but I will if I have to. She's my everything.

After a minute of gazing at her with his heart in his eyes, he broke the peaceful silence, curiosity finally getting to him. "Well, Captain, where are we going?"

Hera glanced at him as her face split into a grin that had his own lips copying hers instantly. "Captain… I like it." She breathed deeply, projecting satisfaction into their bond nearly as much as when he'd made her explode with pleasure. (Fortunately, his ego didn't mind too much.) She touched the controls with deft fingers and the Ghost twirled through the clouds with a happy spin, reflecting her mood – and making him hang on to his chair for dear life. He found himself laughing with her, though, when she glanced at him and saw his predicament. "You might want to put on your seatbelt, love."

"Ya think?" he said as he matched action to her words. "A little warning next time, darling, would be appreciated."

Hera laughed again, spinning the ship the other way before pointing the nose straight up towards space. "Where's the fun in that?"

He just chuckled, helpless but to agree with her as they left the clouds behind and the sky in front of them faded to black. "Soooooo, do we actually have a destination or are you just playing?"

He caught a flash of emerald eyes and sharp white canine as she glanced at him again and then dove the Ghost back down towards the clouds. "Both, actually. I acquired a new toy the day you left. I can't wait to show you."

Kanan raised a brow as they leveled out – along with his grateful stomach. "What kind of toy?"

Hera just smirked. "You'll see in a minute."

And then, of course, the commlink on Kanan's wrist chimed. He grimaced at the frequency shown. I should have known he'd call as soon as he noticed we were gone. "Hey, Cham," Kanan answered, trying not to sound as guilty as he felt.

"I thought you two would be in the house by now for dinner, so I looked outside and noticed that the new ship was gone. I'm assuming you have a good reason for leaving?" the Twi'lek General said rather sternly.

Hera glared at the commlink while Kanan suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. "Yes, sir. Hera wanted to try out her new ship. I promise we're not going anywhere we might get into any trouble. We'll be back in..." Hera held up one finger. "One hour. "

"Fine," Cham growled. "But we will be talking about this when you get back."

"Yes, sir." Kanan said, and turned off the comm. He focused on Hera and found her pretty much fuming in her chair, her grip on the controls turning her knuckles the palest possible shade of green. "Hey," he said. "It's going to be okay. I'll deal with him. Forget about your father for the next hour and just enjoy your present. Please."

Hera sucked in a breath and let it out in a sigh, forcing her limbs to relax. I can do that.

But later… Father and I are going to have this out once and for all. I'm done being trapped in a half-life.

Glancing at her soulmate, she found him gazing at her with concerned teal eyes. Stars, I love him. How could I not? "Thank you, Kanan. I don't know how much more of this I can take. I don't know how you can stay so calm all the time, when we have to get permission just to go for a quick jaunt. He's… He's driving me insane!" she confessed as she landed the Ghost beside a large rock formation.

After hastily undoing his seatbelt, Kanan stood and then knelt beside her chair as she powered down the ship, resting a comforting hand on her towel-covered thigh. (A naughty piece of her wished the towel would disappear.) When she focused on him, he said softly, "I have a LOT of Jedi training to call on. Emotions were practically drilled out of us as soon as we were old enough to know what emotions were. If you think your father is aggravating, you should try living with a Master who knows every little emotion you have."

Hera snorted. "Yeah. I'd rather not."

He flashed her a grin at that before continuing. "I'm not saying that I didn't like my Master, I did. But ever since the day I met you, I was scolded quite frequently for letting my emotions get carried away and was lectured constantly on how Jedi don't form attachments and that I needed to forget you. I'm ashamed to say that I might have left the Order if it hadn't been wiped out, because you haunted my dreams. The Force kept sending me visions of you and of our future."

Even though she'd heard this before, it still thrilled her to no end. She cupped his face, her eyes searching his. "And you're okay with that?"

"Very." He raised his other hand to cup her face in return, and she leaned into the large, warm palm with a subtle purr of approval, eyes closing slightly. "I think... No. I know that the Force believes we were meant to be together and that the Order had the no attachments rule wrong. I've loved you for real for more than half a year now and I don't feel like I'm falling to the Dark side at all. If anything, I feel even closer to the Light than I ever have. Just being in your presence fills me with Light."

"Oh, my love," she breathed, blinking back a few tears. His words made her chest hurt with too much emotion. Hera all but flung herself off her chair and into his arms, nearly making him fall backward onto his butt before he caught himself with a quick hand to the chair. She scattered kisses all over his face as he readjusted so he was holding her in return and she was better settled on his thighs so her knees weren't on the floor – the sweet, sweet man. Between kisses, she muttered, "Kanan, you officially win the declarations of devotion contest. I don't think I can top that."

After chuckling for a moment or two, Kanan smiled with utter contentment as they held each other, once again on the floor of the Ghost. With his face buried in her neck and hers in his, they stayed like that until his bare knees reminded him that the metal decking was still kriffing hard. Holding her tighter, he picked her up as he stood for a moment and sat in a chair with her in his lap.

Much better.

Hera's chest brushed his as she sighed happily, sending his pulse back towards racing at the feel of her breasts against him again. Then she pressed kisses up his neck and down his jaw, making him groan lightly in appreciation, before she came to a stop at his mouth and kissing him senseless for one blissful minute.

He knew he was wearing a truly dopey smile when she grinned at him afterwards. Her tone was just as cheeky as she said, "As much as I'd love to continue that, dear, we're only wearing towels on our bottom halves and we really can't get afford to get carried away again. Besides, I still have a surprise to show you, and we have a ticking time limit, so let's go." Hera hopped off his lap in a move that was all grace and legs – inspiring a gulp – and then pulled him up onto his feet.

Kanan laced their fingers together as they meandered over to the refresher, reluctant to stop touching her, no matter how it happened. Her beaming smile said she was on the same page.

Knowing they still had a few minutes to kill before the cleaner would be finished with their clothes, Hera spent more time examining her new ship with a gleam in her eyes and contentment radiating into the Force while Kanan was drawn along like a lovesick puppy. A very happy lovesick puppy.

Too soon for Kanan - because he was enjoying looking at Hera's bare calves, ankles, and adorable little feet - the cleaner chimed that it was done, and they put all their clothes back on.

(Watching her slide her underwear on beneath her towel had been so distracting, he'd nearly put his own boxers on backward.)

(He'd also had to suppress a sigh of disappointment when Hera's delightful curves had been mostly hidden by her coveralls again, but he had some fantastic memories now, so he figured he couldn't complain too much.)

Kanan followed her off the ship and into the rocks, thinking that he would happily follow her anywhere until the end of his days. Especially if I can always look at that ass…

What the… He came to a sudden stop when he saw the somewhat beat up looking shuttle. "Umm... Do I want to know where you got that?"

Hera shook her head and smirked as she hit the button to open the back door. "Probably not, but I'll tell you anyway."

Lovely.

"I stole it from a pirate who tried to shoot the Kasmiri out of the sky."

WHAT!

But of course she never stopped talking for him to make any sort of concerned exclamation. And her eyes were fairly gleaming now. "This shuttle has guns, Kanan! It's been modified just like the..."

He raised an eyebrow, pretending he wasn't still freaking out on the inside. "Just like the what?"

Hera's eyes widened as she came to some kind of light bulb moment. "Kanan. Where did you get the Ghost from?"

Kanan shrugged and tried to look casual as his brain whirled through all the possible things that could have happened to her while someone was shooting at her as she sat all vulnerable in an unarmed and only moderately shielded freighter. What was the question again? Oh yeah. I got the ship from… "Pirates. The ones who were causing so many problems on the other side of the continent. And the same ones who killed Kasmir." Now answer my question! "How did you get the shuttle and what happened to its pilot?" he said as calmly as he could manage.

Hera waved a hand blithely as she sat in the pilot's chair and started the shuttle. "I just smacked it out of the sky and I left the smelly pirate to walk back to civilization whenever he woke up. Chopper recorded it so you could see."

Kanan gripped the back of her chair until his knuckles turned white. And not because they were lifting up into the air. She did WHAT?!

Force, I take it back. Cham had the right idea. We need to lock her up somewhere far away from ships so that I don't die of a heart attack before I'm thirty.

Or even twenty for that matter.

Fragging hell.

Hera pretended obliviousness to Kanan's gaping, wide eyed look as she flew the shuttle over to the Ghost. Funny. I thought he'd take it better. Oh well. Best he learns now that I'll never shy from aerial combat.

Eyeballing the notch on the top of the Ghost that had a second hatch that had seemed to lead to nowhere useful, she grinned to herself for figuring it out. Am I a smart chicky or what?

Hera backed the shuttle into the spot that was custom made for it so that the guns were pointing out. It fit perfectly. The satisfied Twi'lek girl patted the console of the shuttle after she'd powered down the engine. I think I'll call you the Phantom. With a little more TLC I'll have you looking and running just as well as the day you were made. Better even. She then turned her chair around and looked up at Kanan and raised a questioning brow at the look he was wearing now. The best she could think of to describe it was it appeared that he'd just bitten into something decidedly more sour then he'd expected it to be. That's… probably not good. "You okay, love?"

To her chagrin, he shook his head. "Currently suffering an attack of the conscience. Just give me a minute to self-flagellate a bit more."

Oh boy. "It can't be as bad as that."

Kanan's ears all but met his shoulders as he shrunk into himself. "Pretty sure it is. I just wished that I could lock you up to keep you safe, just like your father did to you."

Hera raised both eyebrows at that muttered confession. "I see. And do you intend to actually do that?"

He shook his head adamantly, "No! I wouldn't! I couldn't! I would never cage you, I promise! It was just a gut reaction that I'm just going to have to overcome… Aren't I?"

She rose to her feet and wrapped her arms around his waist, looking up at him with a lopsided smile. "Yeah. You're going to have to get over that overprotective streak you've had hidden in you somewhere. I adore that you care for me that much, but I need to fly. And in the current climate, that's going to include danger."

She felt him suck in a shuddering breath, and then he nodded once and wrapped his arms around her in return, resting his furry chin on top of her head – a sensation that still made her want to giggle half a year later. "I know. I'm ok now. I promise not to freak out on you again. But you… you smacked... You know what? I don't think I even want to know how you accomplished that." His ribs expanded under her arms again as he took another deep breath and then he pulled back to look at her with an expression of such pride and love that it made her own breath catch. "You constantly amaze me, darling. In a good way, I promise."

"Thank you," she said with all sincerity. Then Hera grinned and kissed Kanan's cheek before letting him go and making for the back of the shuttle. "Come on, love. We have to get back before Father has a fit. Oh, and the pirate I left in the dirt said that you had something his Captain wanted back desperately. Do you know what that is?"

Kanan looked down at her with wide, surprised eyes as he followed her down the ladder and back into the common room of the Ghost. "No, I don't. I have a bag of loot that Kasmir won the day he was shot, but I've never been inspired enough to actually look at it. We'll have to do that later."

Hera grinned up at him as she waited at the bottom of the ladder. "That sounds like it could be fun. Maybe it's a map to buried treasure."

Kanan laughed as he stepped onto the decking. "I doubt it. But I like the wishful thinking."

Cham was anxiously waiting at the window for the teenagers to return. And had been waiting for much longer than the hour they'd promised him. If they're not back in ten minutes…

He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the new diamond shaped ship appear on the horizon. Finally! Thank the stars they're safe!

From his position in the house, he could watch the freighter land in front of the hangar. Unfortunately, this also gave him a bird's eye view of the new addition to Hera's birthday present that hadn't been there two hours ago.

His relief quickly turned to anger as he registered the beat up shuttle on the top of the freighter, glaringly obvious against the new paint of the bigger ship. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Hera must have acquired the shuttle while he was gone and had picked it up just now from wherever she had stashed it.

Ohhhhhh, she is in so much trouble now!

Cham stormed out of the house and down the hill to where the new ship rested, meeting the teenagers as they walked off the ramp, holding hands and looking ridiculously happy with themselves. The sight of his daughter looking so content gave Cham a moment's pause, but it wasn't enough to calm him down. "Hera Syndulla, you know you're not supposed to leave without permission, and where did you get that shuttle!?"

His daughter came to an abrupt stop and set her shoulders and jaw, setting off alarm bells in his head at the stubborn look he knew too well. "Father. We need to talk." At the words no father ever wants to hear, especially in that tone, Cham opened his mouth to cut her off, but she talked faster, knowing him too well. "I refuse to be treated like a little girl anymore! I am not the small child you could once order around! I am a grown woman, and I'm going to be making my own decisions from now on!"

Cham growled deep in his chest, pinning her in his orange gaze and grudgingly giving his respect when she didn't avert her eyes from his. Not that he let her see it. "You are still my little girl, and it's obvious that you have been disobeying my orders for who knows how long! This will not be tolerated!" Cham stepped forward to grab her wrist and drag her back to the house, where he intended to make her stay, by locking her in her room if he had to, but he only took one step before he felt an invisible wall slam into him. What the hell?!

Cham switched his focus to Kanan, who was holding his hand towards him and had a very cold look in his teal eyes that actually sent a chill down his spine. Cham tried to push forward through the Force barrier, but found himself frozen to the spot.

The boy glared at Cham as he held him still. "You need to listen to me now, Cham Syndulla. Hera is MY fiancé. YOU said so yourself. That means that I, not you, am the one who says what she can and can't do. And I say that Hera can do whatever makes her happy. Locking her in her room as you were just thinking about doing is not going to happen."

Hera gasped and glared at him even more, pain filling her gaze and making him flinch.

Cham stared at the boy - No, young man. There's nothing boyish about him now. - in shock. "How did you know that's what I intended? I didn't know the Jedi were mind readers."

"I'm not. Some of the older Masters may have had the skill, but that's not what this is about. You were screaming your intentions into the Force, and the Force let me see them. I will not allow anyone to hurt Hera in any way, not even her father. And so far, the only thing you've done to your daughter for the last two years is hurt her by trapping her in your house. I know you think it was for her own good, but I don't understand how you couldn't see that you were slowly killing her spirit." Cham opened his mouth to speak, but Kanan cut him off. "I'm not done. Hera wants to fight the war against the Empire too, and since you are so set on her not doing so on this planet, we are going to leave and fight them elsewhere."

Cham slumped in agonized defeat. Instead of protecting my daughter, all I've actually managed to do is push her away into worse danger. And… And I've lost the respect of the Jedi boy. I'm sure of it.

As all the fight went out of him, he was released from the invisible hold. Cham turned his eyes back to his daughter. "I am sorry, Hera. I did not realize that your freedom meant so much to you. Your mother would be so disappointed in me for not seeing how truly unhappy you were. I was just trying to keep you safe. The Empire and other scavengers have stolen more than a quarter of the girls from this planet already. I couldn't stand to lose you as well. And now I have anyway. At least I will be comforted in the knowledge that you have a good man at your side."

Hera stepped forward, closer to him, making him hope that all was not lost. Her next words confirmed it, both healing the sudden hole in his heart and making new ones that hurt even worse. "I understand your reasons, Father. And despite everything, I still love you, and you will always be my father. But I need to be free. Kanan has always understood that, and you never have. I'm packing my things and we will be leaving in the morning. I am sorry it has come to this. This is not how I thought our lives would end up. If you ever truly need anything, you can always call me and I will come back. But not to stay. Never again will I live on this planet. There is nothing here for me anymore."

Cham felt like his whole world had just been torn out from under his feet. Again.

For the third time in the last ten years, he had lost another person that he loved. And every single time, he could blame a war of some sort. An illness not native to their planet had taken his young son, brought by invaders. The war with the Separatists had taken his mate. And now the war with the Empire had taken his daughter away. And all because I loved her too much.

Cham's eyes filled with tears as he looked at his beloved daughter's determined face. "Will you do one thing for me before you leave?"

Hera nodded, a question in her glistening eyes.

He took a deep breath and then blurted, "I know it's a year early, but will you marry him before you go? It would make it easier to bear, and I would rest easier knowing that you will always have a Jedi protecting you."

Hera sobbed and flung herself in his arms. "Father!"

Cham wrapped his arms around his crying daughter, a lone tear falling on her cap as he looked down at her. After a few moments, he looked over her head at a rather stunned looking Kanan. "I hope that is all right with you, son?"

A slow grin split the young man's face. "That's more than all right with me, sir. I would have married her last year if I could have. I've known for a long time that Hera was my destiny."

What a perfect answer. He really is the best son-in-law I could hope for.

Cham smiled sadly and opened an arm. Kanan walked forward and joined the family hug. He wasn't a Twi'lek, but the boy was the closest thing to a second son that Cham would ever get.

And he was mighty proud of both of the young people in his arms.

A/N: So I have some news.

I'm now unemployed. Because in 2 days, I'm moving. I have another job lined up, but it doesn't start until April at the earliest, which means I'll have lots and lots of time to write for you guys. That's the good news. The bad news is that after cleaning stalls and taking care of horses for 26 years, I feel it's time to try and do something a little more meaningful with my life before I kick the bucket and my headstone says, 'Here Lies the Worlds Best Stall Cleaner'.

What I really want to be is a full-time writer. I'd prefer to write fanfics for you all, but it's already been proven to me that that just isn't possible. (I didn't even receive a single 'thank you' virtual coffee for Christmas from my 'adoring' readers.) So I'm going to spend till the end of February saying goodbye to all my fanfics with a final chapter or two, and then I'm going to start converting as many of my stories as I can into original works and setting up a website where you all can continue reading your favourite stories in a somewhat different version (and maybe some entirely new ones) for a small fee. (50 cents a chapter or $5 for an entire finished story is what I'm currently thinking. Anyone agree with me that this sounds fair?)

If there's anyone out there who'd prefer that I write your fanfics as they are instead full-time, well... you know what to do. And if you don't, pm me. My Facebook page will have updates and new information as it becomes available.

A/N 2: More of this story in its nonupdated format is still available for reading on Ao3.