My blinker clicks on, signaling my intention to turn as I come to the final stop before turning into Kanan and Hera's driveway. Instinctively, I peek in the rearview mirror, where Mira is in her car seat.

Gnawing on something again…

"What?"

I glance at Sabine before turning. "I think Mira's got your Skittles again."

"But I told you the outside wrapper doesn't taste good!" Sabine turns back to the backseat. "Mira…"

I knew I shouldn't have let Sabine get influenced by the marked down price at the register.

Pulling my car in behind one of the Order's fleet of black SUV's, I come to a halt and both Sabine and I pile out, both of us going to the backseat.

"We told you no. You can't have these…" I remind Mira as she freezes, having taken the Skittles out of the shopping bag beside her.

Mira makes her complaints known as I free Mira from her car seat, lift her up then take the candy from her. "I know it says Share Size, but you can't have those!"

"Wrahhhh!" Mira waves her arms in protest as I turn to Sabine as she's grabbing the two grocery bags we just picked up.

"Where do you want these?"

Sabine hesitates, then answers "Uhh…Just bring them in. They'll get all sticky and ruined in here."

Whatever…

Ceding the way to the front door to Sabine, she starts back up as I'm right behind her with Mira in tow only for her to protest again. "They're probably not good anyway. I don't think you'd like them."

You just like the bright colors.

"They're a great candy!" Sabine calls after me before opening the door.

Mira squirms obstinately as I follow Sabine in and close the door behind her. "We're back!"

Hera pops out of the kitchen, a big smile on her face.

"There's my baby…"

Instantaneously, Mira lets out a high pitched squeal and starts reaching for her Mom. Mom meanwhile, takes her right from me and plants a big kiss on Mira's cheek. "I missed you…did you have a good afternoon with Ezra?!"

The Force resonates with love and joy at my probe while following them into the kitchen, where dinner preparation clearly did not wait for us.

"Thank you so much for watching her dear." Hera turns back once we're at the island.

I give Hera a big smile and shake my head. "No problem, I loved it. We had a great nap."

Played a little too when Sabine got back from practice and took a super quick shower.

"We? You fell asleep again?" Cayle fires off at me while stirring the queso inside of the crock-pot.

The room, consisting of Hera, Ahsoka, Cayle, Zeb, Sabine and I all laugh before I shake my head. "No, I checked out the notes from the lecture today."

The lecture in Sociology that I missed.

Not that I'm torn up about it. The notes probably sum up the class pretty well today.

"Drink, Blue?" Zeb asks, getting me to turn and see that he's got—

Ahh, they made margarita's. Salt on the rim and everything.

"Sure, here in a minute." I dismiss the idea before Zeb turns to Sabine.

"Sabine? They're delicious, and you've earned one I think."

"Yeah, I'd love one if you don't mind." Sabine laughs. "Sure. Is that queso ready?"

Ahsoka nods. "Sure is. Cayle."

"On it…" Cayle says before briefly abandoning the crock-pot, only to pull out a serving bowl. "You guys got the chips?"

"We did." I confirm before digging in the bag, setting the shredded cheese, sour cream and guacamole down.

"Oh, and I got guacamole too. We can take it back if you guys don't want it." Sabine smiles as she reaches past her skittles in the other bag and pulls out the bowl shaped tortilla chips.

Hera shakes her head. "No no dear, great idea. Gua—"

The rest of her sentence is shut off by the blender whirring to life, causing Sabine, Zeb and I both to turn. Cayle mouths 'Sorry!' as the blender does its job for about 45 seconds before everything is mixed together.

By the time that's done, Zeb's already prepared a salt-rimmed glass for Sabine, who turns only for it to already be ready and immediately looks taken aback. "Thank you…"

"You're welcome." Zeb warmly smiles at her before turning back and giving me a wink.

Zeb!

Before I can say anything however, there's an scratch at the back door.

Oh. It's Ghost.

"Ahsoka, can you get him?"

"Sure." She replies before reaching out with one hand and opening the back door for Ghost, who bounds inside right to Mira who is in Hera's arms.

Mira voices her delight at Ghost's arrival, and Mom sets daughter down to play with her dog. Mira immediately latches onto Ghost's collar before petting Ghost's ears as he gives her a loving lick on the cheek—

"For you." I hear before something cold collides with my hand, causing me to look down and see that I've now got a drink too.

Great.

"Ezra luv, can you come help me start setting all this up?" Hera asks, her attention now on the assortment of ingredients for dinner now in front of us.

"Yeah, sure." I nod, setting my new drink aside.

I need to wash my hands.

As I start to the sink, Zeb is right behind me. "I'd love to help too, if that's okay." Sabine volunteers.

"Thank you sweetheart." I glance back and see Hera smile at Sabine's offer. "Not right now though. What you can do though, is tell us all more about this dance class of yours. Ezra's been very cagey about it."

Zeb starts loudly laughing behind me and I catch Ahsoka laughing as well before Sabine blushes, looking embarrassed.

However, before she can say anything, the back door opens to Kanan and Jacen, but mostly Jacen who wastes no time revealing what he's rushing inside for.

"TACO TUESDAYYYYYY!"

(8:00-ish PM)

"Keep your focus." Cayle tells Jacen as he gazes up at the probe droid that he knows is hovering there but cannot see due to the quickly approaching darkness. "Keep your eyes and your blade up. And act on…instinct."

His natural instincts are good.

Granted, a large part of his instincts are being programmed in him now by various Masters around the Temple. But some of your instincts, at least for situations like this are innate from birth.

I'm sure almost all Jedi are like that. I know I was. Dad had me training way above my age level for as long as I can remember.

That's why they have to throw multiple droids at me, set to the 'Master' setting in order for me to break a sweat against them.

I've long mastered a lone probe droid firing shots at me.

Sabine nuzzles closer to me as everybody else is seated across the various seats and the rest of the couch out here on the patio.

"You got this buddy." Zeb calls out to boost Jacen's spirits as Cayle continues talking to Jacen before waving his hand in front of his face.

Yeah, good point.

He wears a visor when he's training with a lightsaber. Just because it's getting dark doesn't really make a difference. The visibility is the same.

And it's not about your eyes.

Really, you block bolts, bullets, all with your feet. You square your feet up to it?

You're going to block it, doesn't matter what it is.

Cayle pats Jacen on the shoulder before sliding behind him and pulling what must be the remote to the droid out of his pocket. Jacen activates Cayle's shoto and exhales loud enough for it to drift to all of us here on the patio.

Relax bubs.

"What's he telling him?" Sabine asks audibly, getting everybody's attention.

"That he can do this." Ahsoka smirks before we all hear the beep of the droid.

One…two…

The first bolt flies out at Jacen and he meets it with his blade, sending it out of sight before it vanishes.

Nice.

I smile to myself, then sip my margarita, which is in the process of melting but the bite of the tequila still reaches me, causing me to suppress a shudder.

I don't think I like tequila.

"You've never seen anything like this, have you Sabine?" Zeb turns and asks Sabine.

Sabine lifts her head off my shoulder. "No, I haven't. Does Ezra do this…" She jerks her head towards Jacen . "Much?"

"Sometimes." Kanan answers her question. "He hasn't since his surgery."

Yeah…

Just been super busy. I haven't meant to. It's like last semester and meditating. I just run out of time to do—

"I'll go get his lightsaber." Zeb volunteers, getting to his feet. "I assume it's in your car?"

"Back seat, under my chair." I tell him. "Although I'm not so sure…"

I've had two and a quarter, maybe a third margaritas.

I'm not drunk…but I do sort of feel it.

"I think it'll be a useful exercise." Ahsoka waves my concern away. "Even if you're rusty, all practice is good practice."

"And Sabine'll get to see you in action." Hera adds. "You haven't seen him, have you Sabine?"

"No." Sabine fully separates from me, leaving a sudden void of cold in her place. "I saw him with those ki—younglings when I was allowed into the Temple."

I blocked a couple of bolts there. Unsheathed my lightsaber a few times, to demonstrate to them all what I wanted them to do.

"Is that why you've been going and working out so early?" Sabine turns and asks me. "You could have said something."

I—

Kanan suddenly snorts before Hera says "Kanan!"

"He's been working out early?" Ahsoka ignores the Syndulla's, instead looking at Sabine.

Sabine nods, her eyes darting over to Kanan and Hera, who are having a hushed conversation with Mira in between gnawing on a chewy toy. "I—we usually do breakfast together before class when I'm at his apartment. My roommates—"

"He's told us. They suck." Hera helps her out. "We know you're there a fair bit."

"That's no good." Ahsoka sympathizes with her. "We're sorry."

"Yeah." Sabine gulps visibly, at least to me. "Well, we usually do breakfast together before class. Except somebody—" She turns at glares at me. "—has been leaving me high and dry the last week plus! Basically since the break ended!"

"I—" I start before feeling Ahsoka, Hera and Kanan all look at me.

Not fair…I was going to talk to Dooku about it. But he's still gone.

"I heard a lecture at work." I start with a shrug before I hear the back door open again. "Basically, nothing is better than hard work. And the best person is the one who decides nobody is going to work harder than them. That's all I've really been doing, trying to stay in shape and work hard."

"Harder than everybody else." Kanan insightfully interprets the situation.

Zeb slides around the end of the couch, my lightsaber in hand before setting in my lap and returning to his seat. "Well, it looks like you have been."

Thanks.

I do my best to restrain an eye roll before Hera asks "How does your knee feel?"

"Fine." I look to my lightsaber and fiddle with the grip. "No pain, setbacks or anything like that. I feel great."

Never have really even thought about it since I got the go ahead to start running and working out again.

Sabine gently reassures me with a nudge before Ahsoka adds "So the no lightsaber training is a time commitment, not a willful thing?"

"Yeah." I nod. "I know it's a cliché, but there's not enough hours in the day."

"There never is." Zeb wisely salutes me with my drink, encouraging me to sip my own.

Actually, bad idea. I'm about to wield a deadly weapon, or at least a tuned down one. Maybe let's not actively consume alcohol.

The Force suddenly rings with a call from Kanan out towards Cayle and Jacen. Within a couple of seconds, Cayle steps forward and shuts the probe droid off for Jacen, adding "That's enough for tonight. Good job Jacen."

"—tried my best, I hope it was enough." Jacen says as I pop up out of my seat and start towards them.

"Your best is always enough." I call out to him, and Jacen whips around in time to see me smirk at him.

"Ezra!"

He rushes into a hug meant for me, and I give him a squeeze. "Good job buddy."

"Thank you Ezra." He says, hugging me back tightly. "Are you going to be able to teach us again this Thursday?"

"Yeah, that's the plan." I answer with a laugh in my voice.

"You looking forward to it?" Cayle adds, approaching with the probe droid in hand.

Jacen fervently nods. "Yeah! Ezra's one of my favorite teachers!"

—

My stomach does a little somersault before I nervously swallow a lump in my throat. "Thanks bubs. I appreciate that."

Jacen…

"You're welcome." He turns back and earnestly smiles at me. Without thinking, I pull him into another hug, which he gladly reciprocates.

"Okay okay, enough hugging…" Ahsoka calls out, her voice giving off the appearance like she's on her feet and heading our way.

Jacen laughs before scurrying back towards his parents. I give the patio a quick glance and see that everyone has shifted over two or three seats to allow Jacen to sit next to his parents.

Sabine and Zeb are on the other end.

"Now here's what we're going to do—" Ahsoka dictates firmly, pulling both Cayle and I's attention back to her. "He's—" Ahsoka gestures to me while eying Cayle. "—got to get back into the rhythm of things. You know he hasn't dueled since he got hurt."

"Don't take it easy on me." I butt in and receive both of their ire via glare.

I don't want their pity.

"Oh, and give her a good show." Ahsoka gestures toward the patio. "You like to think you're the bad boy—"

Hey!

"—Prove it." Ahsoka jabs at her apprentice. "Be the bad guy. Ruin his parade."

Oh.

She's not talking to—WHOA!

Cayle suddenly lashes out at me, forcing me to dodge and roll away before I activate my own lightsaber. "I wasn't ready!"

For all you know it might not be on its training setting!

"Don't care, I'm not going to take it easy—" Cayle takes a massive hack at me, which I duck underneath. "—on you because your girlfriend's here. You guys seem to be better by the way."

"Not my girlfriend!" I banter back with him before Cayle stops talking and starts using his blade, slicing down at me.

Blocking the move with two hands, I divert the energy aside and force Cayle to sidestep and alter his angle of attack.

I need to be the aggressor.

Quickly, I take three quick steps before rotating my blade and chopping swiftly to Cayle's right. The move is blocked, but I transition to a jab which Cayle bats down before pulling out his shoto.

"I thought we weren't ready!"

"Oh shut up." I roll my eyes before closing the gap and force him back towards the back gate with a heavy downward chop, then another. Cayle fends off the assault before clearing his immediate airspace with a wild swing of his shoto that I lazily sidestep.

No…

Lazily, I roll my wrists again then try once again to remove Cayle's operating space with a heavy chop. When that is blocked with both blades, I send a cut his way that bounces off the shoto and almost connects with the growing trees near the back fence.

Cayle retreats away from the corner I was working him towards, then stoops lower in his stance. "Feet are still fast."

I answer with a quick slice to his left ,then spin and am met with an almost half-hearted uppercut from Cayle's primary blade. Riposting the effort, I kick out at Cayle which gets him to duck underneath it and exhale heavily.

"You're not tired are you?"

"No." Cayle shakes his head. "I just—"

I silence his words with a lefty cut towards his abdomen, only for him to divert it and send me past him. Sensing an opening, he moves to cut the distance between us and hacks down toward me as I find myself retreating.

"—Am recalibrating." He quips while sending me a duel planed assault. Dancing away from the low blow, I block high then spin away. "But you look beat."

"I'm fine."

Cayle shakes his head, then takes a step back and halts his advances. "You sure?"

"I—"

Whoa.

Catching myself, I take a moment and see that I am indeed breathing a little heavy. "I'm fine." I wave him away.

"I know that." He shakes his head while deactivating—

"No, don't—!" I start before he deactivates the other one.

I don't want to be done yet!

"Cayle…" I groan at him before rolling my neck to look at the sky.

"You're drenched in sweat." He comments. "Look at your shirt."

I give my shirt a quick glance, only to see that indeed my shirt is sticking to my chest.

I've never…

Well, except for the four months hiatus I took after I surrendered. And I did have some rust then.

I do know I was out of shape then. But then again that was sort of the point, I wasn't meant to be in shape.

Prisoners don't get to be in fighting shape.

"I've been running." I cut off his next line of questioning while moving to straighten up fully.

Don't even look like you're tired.

I could do this all night.

"You and I both know that there's a difference between in shape and fighting shape—" Cayle says before Kanan appears beside me, holding a sports drink. "Don't feel bad."

"I'm fine." I bite off at him.

Kanan moves to mediate. "It's probably mostly the alcohol. I think you moved quite well." He gives me a glance.

Didn't feel anything.

"Let's revisit this Thursday, before his time with the younglings." Kanan suggests before steering me towards the porch.

"Sure." I nod.

I'd love to do that.

Prove Cayle wrong.

"Relax…" Cayle's tone changes slightly to be more amenable. "Besides, she doesn't know I just beat you—"

I immediately move to get my hands on Cayle before Kanan puts himself between us "Hey hey hey hey hey…"

Fine…

Allowing myself to be pushed away from Cayle by Kanan, I probe out and immediately notice that Cayle's right.

Sabine has no clue.

She's actually super impressed.