Rinaldi's shoes clipping along precede her visual arrival. Nevertheless, Sabine and I, along with all of our classmates get ourselves into our assigned positions.

'In Order to Dance you must arrive in this space both physically and mentally ready to dance! When I walk in, you must be ready to go and in position. Tardiness will not be tolerated for long.'

"Morning class." Rinaldi announces herself just before she walks past me, bag over her shoulder and coffee cup in her hand as always.

"Morning Ms. Rinaldi." I, along with my classmates welcome her.

"You know the drill by now, begin you stretches. And when I'm fully awake and with you, I'll let you know about your final recital for the year."

Final.

Sabine slides in front of me and puts her arms out for me to grab. Doing just that, together we both step to the left while keeping our right foot planted.

"She seems like she's in a good mood this morning." Sabine whispers into my ear. Stifling a laugh, I drop my head onto her shoulder as we both continue stretching.

Gotta make it look natural. She doesn't like us talking or doing anything other than exactly what she asked us to do.

Jointly we begin leaning the other way to stretch out our calves and things, similar to a yoga pose I think while Rinaldi swipes at her phone and drinks her coffee.

Sabine said she has RBF and the personality to match, whatever that means. Every moment we're in here we spend working towards our goal for the day.

To her credit, I've learned a lot. The waltz, quickstep, the tango, foxtrot and the mambo. In addition to a bit about the cultural etymology of all those dance styles.

Dance has a historical eye like the Jedi do funnily enough. Their idea of 'modern' is over a hundred years ago, when the tango was invented and popularized and is now considered to be the most popular modern dance.

Together Sabine and I lean back to our left while Rinaldi keep looking at her phone before about halfway through our next set, she slides her phone into her bag and looks up at the class.

"Now, as I'm sure most of you know the semester is coming to a conclusion which means we'll have to say our goodbyes for now. But before then we'll have our final recital. It's a singular event for each partnership, here in Kaufman in front of myself as well as our entire graduate dance program. You'll be alone on the floor as all of us are watching and grading you from the cheap seats.

There, you'll run through a full thirty minute recital of your choosing. There are two options, both of which are online in an email I'll be sending you at the end of class today. But your options are the two dance styles we've learned this semester: Smooth and Rhythm."

Sabine preferred the Smooth style, so that'll probably be what we'll be doing.

"You and your partner have a few different ways to execute said recital, all of which we've discussed and executed."

Close embrace, Closed position, Open position and Slow dance. All of them were alright, except for slow dance.

I felt like I was in World War Two drifting around to big band music that just took forever and ever.

"Like I stated all of this will be in syllabus format in an email that is scheduled to go out here in a few hours…so you have time. But today in class I would recommend that you and your partner begin putting some thought into what your recital will be. Myself and my graduate students are tough graders and won't hesitate to mark you down. If you are in a precarious position in this class…" She pauses. "I would recommend maybe some more time here in the studio."

And that's why we're not in a precarious position. Sabine and I were the only ones to practice here for the midterm, a fact Rinaldi announced to the class after she walked in on us the day we came in.

Like Sociology, she gave us a perfect test grade for the trouble. Cushioning our fall that never came, since we aced the midterm as well.

So this shouldn't be too bad.

"Now, today we'll be concluding the Vietnamese waltz portion of our course. Resume your positions from last week…"

'This card indicated that the possessor is a frequent guest of Spectre Point with the Syndulla Home, location VCX – 100'

"—like my complex back home does the same thing. But there's no guy, it's a key fob." Sabine continues on her argument as we make our way back to Hera and Kanan's.

"I don't know." I confess, then look back to Sabine apologetically. "I'm sorry."

"It's not a big deal." Sabine drives on as I take the orange card and slide in back in the leather divider between us. "There's just a better way to do it. You know they're coming over regularly, like you and you get them a fob. Don't need a guy there. But that's probably a selling point of the homeowners association…"

Homeowner's Association. I haven't heard of those in…years.

I remember Mom tipping off Dad about a new something. He had to get it changed so that his private lab under one of our neighbor's houses wouldn't get discovered.

His research lab, not his experiment lab or his Sith alchemist lab.

"So your house is in a neighborhood with a gate?" I ask to divert her.

Mine wasn't.

"Yeah, Mom and Dad got the house in a…well technically it's not in Chicago. That's not the zip code. But yeah. I'll get you in this summer. You are coming right?"

"Yeah, I…I don't know what my plans are. So I don't see why not."

Sabine turns and frowns at me. "That's not what anybody wants to hear. Do you not have summer plans?"

I don't control my own time. When it comes to things like the summer, I'm at the mercy of the Council.

"I think work will have things for me to do this summer. I'll ask when we talk about that."

Sabine takes the final turn to Hera's house without replying.

She's…not a big fan of that.

"I'll be fine." I reassure her while she is pulling in behind one of the Order's black SUV's.

The garage door is open.

Sabine snaps back "It's not that."

I hit a nerve. Uh oh.

"Sorry." She winces while shifting us into park. "I…"

"I heard a rumor." I throw out there on a whim. "Maybe it'll help?"

My informed guesses have been pretty good.

Sabine leans back in her seat, looking pensive for a moment. "Go."

"I heard that the Mandalorian consulate's office requested me for backup on a potential Mandalore mission."

"Heard." Sabine's tone turns snippy while she closes her eyes.

Yeah yeah…

"To be honest I thought that it had to be your Mom, since it was after you guys came and saw me. And that's really the only Mandalorians that I've met so…"

Apologies to the Duchess Satine…but I can't say that right now.

Sabine's eyes stay closed while her overall body language drops. "Mom's mentioned it to me regularly since like…Spring Break." She begins. "I told you she really liked you."

"Yeah but—"

"Mand'alor sends out these forms at least once a year. More if you're more involved in a combat capacity. She put you down on that form for me."

Oh.

"Is that a you thing or your mom thing?" I reply curiously.

Sabine opens her eyes and turns to me. "It's an us thing. Me, Mom and Dad all got on a FaceTime call and talked about it. You were teaching one day, it was a Thursday."

Okay then. Sounds like it's just a general thing. The Council made it sound a lot more serious.

Lot more legitimate.

I move to get out of the SUV before hearing a loud, metallic grinding sound that stops after a split second. "What the—" I hear Sabine say before we both round the car and towards the garage.

The grinding continue just before a flash of sparks fly into the air, only for Kanan and another—

Whoa. That's—

We picked the wrong day to come for dinner.

Hera invited both of us like it was no big deal—

The man stops the grinder and raises his protective goggles before raising a bicycle chain where both he and Kanan can look at it.

"—what I was thinking but Hera thinks I just need to go out and buy a new chain."

"Nah." The familiar voice says dismissively. "You don't need a new chain. File down the rivets and it should be fine. The bigger worry is that maybe the model of bike is rough on the chain itself—."

Sabine suddenly stiffens before grabbing my arm and pulling me behind Hera's SUV. "Ezra!"

"What?"

"Do you know who that is?!" She hisses at me.

"Yeah?"

It's—

"That's Anakin Skywalker!" Sabine says, excitedly but still in a hush. "He's one of the best Jedi around, he arrested Vader and Sidious—he's, he's famous! You know him?"

"I work with the Jedi?" I tilt my head at Sabine.

"But not all Jedi know each other surely. And you're like, a guy, not Cayle or anything like that—"

My anger flashes before I immediately try and squelch it. "Cayle's Master. Ahsoka. That's her Master." I gesture to the garage and Master Skywalker.

"Really?!" Sabine's tone instantly changes. "Like—seriously?"

Yeah!

I nod for Sabine and she looks astonished for a second before returning to herself. "Holy crap, I, Uhh…I look okay right?"

"You look great." I nod, eying Sabine's outfit of leggings, tennis shoes and a loose but fitted white V-neck I've seen her wear a few times.

She likes it.

Sabine tucks her hair back and looks at herself in the reflection of Hera's SUV. "I shoulda dressed up more for this…"

Lies. You look great.

I slide out from behind the car without replying and start into the garage, where Master Skywalker and Kanan are still talking about Jacen's bike.

"—I bought it over Christmas though. Did my research after I screwed up the ordering. It was highly rated." Kanan justifies himself, sounding discouraged.

"Do you still have the receipt and warranty?"

Kanan nods as I detect Sabine behind me. "Yeah, that's a good call…"

"What happened?" I announce myself, then point at Jacen's bike, which is sitting upside down on its handlebars and seat on Kanan's workbench.

"The chain on Jacen's bike keeps skipping. I think he's riding it too hard." Kanan turns to me.

"He's not riding it too hard…he can't damage a chain like this." Skywalker shakes his head.

Kanan turns back to him. "You don't see the stunts he and his buddies try. Bouncing off the curb and fire hydrants…he's a daredevil."

"I can't help you with that." Skywalker laughs before turning to me and extending his hand. "Ezra."

"Master." I return the handshake and bow my head.

"And you must be Sabine." Master Skywalker pivots seamlessly to Sabine as she approaches. Sabine instantly stutters in her step, looking visibly nervous.

Huh.

"Ezra's mentioned you a few times. Nice to finally meet you." He moves to shake her hand.

Sabine returns the handshake. "Yeah, uhm, uhh, I already know who you are."

"Figured." He motions like it's nothing new for him. "Still gotta introduce myself."

Kanan helpfully jumps in before things can get awkward. "Everybody should be in the backyard. I think Jacen wants to play soccer with you Sabine."

"Oh yeah." Sabine nods. "We can do that maybe."

He wanted to last time, after he heard that Sabine did really well in Vegas at that tournament. But last time we were here she was banged up. And after Kanan dropped the wine he wasn't really in a good place with Hera.

Bad day for him.

"By the way, before I forget." Sabine returns to herself, pivoting to Kanan. "Where do I go, who do I talk to about him—." She points to me. "—coming to Chicago this summer."

Master Skywalker busies himself with the bike chain, allowing Kanan to reply. "Here's the place you need to go. Why? When were you wanting him to come? Did you have a date in mind?"

"Sort of, but he said that his summer wasn't figured out yet." She counters.

"It's not, but I don't see why he can't come to see you." Skywalker says while shifting back to face the group. "Pick a date, and I'm sure we can figure something out."

Sabine smiles before replying "Okay. Great. Thanks."

"No problem." Kanan returns the smile before Sabine starts pulling me towards the door to the rest of the house.

We squeak thru the door before Sabine's almost on top of me. "—told you it wouldn't be that difficult!"

You said no such thing—but okay!

"I just said my summer wasn't mine to decide most times."

"Didn't exactly fight for it either." Sabine quips before starting into the kitchen. I catch a peek at a filled back yard. "By the way, that's two!"

"Two?"

"Summer, and Skywalker!" Sabine jabs out at the garage.

"I didn't know he was here." I tell her honestly.

Sabine gives me a skeptical look, one hand on the fridge. "Really?"

"I don't know everybody's schedules. I barely know my own."

I can barely keep up with my own.

"Has he been here before? For dinner, is this like a normal thing?"

"Sort of." I admit, unsure of the tone I should take. "Hera has open invitations out for dinner. Lots of people are welcome."

Like our open invitation for dinner.

Usually he only comes when Padmé's here but—

"What?" I ask at Sabine as she's gone still again. "Sabine?" I ask before turning back.

Who is it now—oh.

Senator Amidala is motioning in the backyard for Mira to stand up as Mira is hanging onto her Mom's hand, Ghost in the background lounging in a sunbeam.

"She called you, you know her right?"

Oh crap my story's that I've only seen her a couple of times.

"Yeah." I answer weakly as Mira latches onto Padmé's hand and starts scampering towards the back door, looking joyously at us.

She knows we're here.

"—I'm hurrying I'm hurrying…" Padmé calls after Mira as she shuffles to keep up, a laugh in her voice. "Now watch the door—"

Mira ignores the directive, maneuvering around the door as it opens with ease, cruses the back door before falling into a crawl and makes a beeline right for us, giggling happily the whole way.

"Are we in trouble?" I ask, peering down just as she reaches Sabine and I's feet and pulls herself into a standing position. "Why are you laughing so much?"

Sabine laughs while Mira says something to us before reaching up. I scoop her right up and smile, only for Mira to babble at me then turn to Sabine and do the same.

"Yeah hi!" Sabine beams at Mira. "It's us!"

"So many fun people today." Padmé smiles widely at Mira. "And we're excitable too."

"Excitable?" I ask.

She nods while moving to smile at me. "She's all over the place today. Climbing all over her Mom, and Ghost and everyone."

"Sounds fun to me." Sabine grabs Mira's hand and wiggles it, causing her to squeal excitedly.

Padmé, Sabine and I all laugh before Padmé turns to Sabine. "I'm Padmé by the way. Hera and Kanan have mentioned you. Sabine right?"

"Yes ma'am." Sabine nods back at her. "Uhm, Senator. Sorry."

Padmé only smiles more at Sabine. "It's okay. I'm Padmé here sweetheart. It's fine."

"You sure?" Sabine follows up. "I mean you are—"

"I'm on a three day vacation." Padmé informs us. "Campaign stop in San Diego tomorrow, which I need to talk to you—" Padmé pokes at me. "—about. But yeah, come outside. It's beautiful."

It is nice outside today.

"I'll grab drinks." Sabine volunteers herself. "I'll meet you out there."

"Okay!" Padmé replies before she smiles at me again and leads me out into the backyard.

Once outside, I blindly follow Padmé while turning to Mira. "Why are you so excitable today?"

"Because I'm a baby and there's lots of fun people and there's so much to do man! Let's go let's go let's go!" Padmé stops next to Hera and moves to sit down, but not before playing with Mira, getting her to babble in response.

Mira reaches for her Mom, and I pass her back over before sitting down myself. "Hey dear." Hera welcomes me.

"Hi. Thanks for the heads up." I say sarcastically.

Both Padmé and Hera laugh. "It was meant to be a surprise." Hera smiles.

"Yeah, we were supposed to meet her when you got your surgery but…" Padmé trails off. "But I flew in today for the stop tomorrow and Anakin mentioned that you were coming for dinner tonight. So here we are."

She's here for me. To see Jacen and Mira too. But she's here for Sabine and I.

Mira maneuvers her way out of her Mom's clutches and moves towards me as Sabine approaches, drinks in hand. "I made it."

"Hi Sabine dear." Hera welcomes her.

"Hi. Thank you for inviting us." Sabine replies while handing me an iced tea before moving to crouch down and—

"Sabine!" Jacen calls out.

"Yeah?"

"Can you come play soccer with me?" He asks nicely, before smiling at her.

He really wants to play soccer with her.

Sabine smiles back at him. "Yeah, sure I can. Excuse me…"

"No problem." Padmé calls after her as Jacen dashes over to where he's got his soccer ball and goal all set up.

The three of us look on as Mira latches onto my shoulder and continues cruising with me as her guide. "I like the look…" Padmé teases me.

I haven't shaved…

"I was lazy this weekend." I confess. "After the banquet I didn't, and this week not yet…"

Plus Sabine likes it.

"It looks good." Hera tells me as Padmé reaches out and strokes my jawline before I lean out of reach, getting her to laugh.

"That's a mom move." I call it out.

"Then that's my job, c'mere—" Hera leans over to touch my face before I lean out of her way. My leaning gets Mira to squawk and clutch my head before telling her Mom something.

"Yeah, what she said. Stop!" I laugh.

Padmé just laughs as Mira adjusts her hold on me again and Hera shakes her head. "Fine, fine…"

(The Next Morning)

The idle idling of my car in the Concierge Center of the Intercontinental Los Angeles continues on as the two iced drinks stare at me.

It was just on the menu.

Vanilla Bean Frappuccino. Sabine's gone to Starbucks enough in the underground with me in tow that I'd picked what I'd order in a 911 situation.

That in order to maintain my cover, I had to be normal and order something.

It's ice, milk, vanilla flavoring. And who knows what else. I'll be fine.

But this also could begin a debilitating Starbucks addiction. Just look at Master Elsbeth.

Movement to my right catches my eye and I see Padmé walking towards me, bag in her hand and a backpack over her shoulder. In her other hand is a cell phone she's speaking into. Instinctively I pop up, out of the car and move to help her.

"Nah I got it—" She informs me within two steps before continuing her conversation.

Alrighty then.

I drop back into my seat seconds before Padmé does the same across from me. "—the emphasis should be on the targeted funding to local departments that needs the help. The polling didn't lie, we did it three times remember?"

The voice on the other end replies as I pull out into traffic. "—then contact Mina Bonteri's office. She'll have the right wording for you. She was my mentor when I was a junior senator locally in Naboo. Alright? You got this."

She's giving a pep talk.

Whatever the other ends says, Padmé laughs at it. "I believe in you, Senator Organa."

Leia.

"Gotta go. Love you." She says, then pauses to listen to her daughter's reply. "Bye."

I-5 is right here in the right lane…

Los Angeles might have bad traffic…but you can cheat it because if not for anything it's designed north and south.

It has a point. A defined direction of traffic flow. Their problem with the traffic was also the draw:

The ocean.

But it goes north and south and flows just as so.

"Morning. Sorry about that. She's co-authoring a bill for the first time." Padmé fills me in. "It's a tiny bill, but an important one to a lot of people. So she's all that right now." She concludes by saying "Thank you for the coffee. Hope the line wasn't long."

"Three cars, not bad."

"Sounds awful." Padmé replies as she takes off the tiny straw piece covering up her straw.

"It's actually not." I counter her. "Whenever Sabine and I go out and go get something late and easy, if it's three cars it's a win. Usually it's more."

"Do you guys use any of the food delivery services?"

I nod as the flow of traffic in front of us stops. "All of them. In fairness, it's mostly her. I only have two."

Padmé laughs at me as I take my right onto the onramp for I-5. "That's one more than me. But when I do it's usually when I'm at the office. And it's an intern's order I'm piling onto."

Poor intern.

"Oh don't gimme that look." She tells me, tempering it with a smile. "You look like Ani did when I told him that. I paid for it. I do it a few times a month."

"Isn't that what they all say?"

"The Sith in you's a cynic." Padmé waggles her drink at me before sipping it. "I actually do all those things you say you do but don't follow through on outside of tokens. I love buying my office food and just…talking about stuff. And it works. Where were we? I know I'm off track."

"Lines." I help her.

Padmé snaps her fingers once. "Yes. Lines for fast food. All I had in college was pizza and Chinese food when I wanted to order in. You are so damn lucky. I wouldn't go out for food at all. I'd stay in."

"Somethings you can't get delivered. Breakfast." I counter argue.

"Now I never said I ordered in breakfast…" She giggles at the idea. "I don't think you would, Sabine did?"

"It's really hard to get the eggs right. The rest of its pretty good."

"But she was over for a ordered in breakfast. She didn't want to go out." Padmé reads right past the story, her smile getting wider all the time.

"Her roommates suck. Loud all the time and when she's there she wants her downtime."

"A moment of peace and quiet." She nods, keeping up. "And she didn't have that place, and now it's at your apartment…that's so sweet of you."

Sweet?

I flash my eyes down to the speedometer as I find my groove at 77 miles an hour, keeping up with the flow of traffic and flip on the cruise control. "You know she trusts you if she paints around you. I would imagine that's a really private time for her. Her stuff is amazing. You think she would do it if I commissioned something for her?"

"I don't see why not, you heard she's doing something for Kanan and Hera."

Padmé slurps her drink and I return my eyes to the road. "You excited for your day off?"

…

"Is it bad if I say yes?" I ask her.

This is all I'm gonna do today. Padmé successfully talked her husband, Hera and Kanan into allowing me to drive Padmé down and back from San Diego for Organa's event today.

In the meantime after I get to San Diego, all I do is wait. The campaign can't know I'm a Jedi, or adjacent so I can't hang around.

I'm just the Jedi liaison between Master Skywalker and Senator Amidala.

"Not at all." She tilts her head at me. "When's the last time you had so little on your plate in a day."

"Oh I don't know…" I shrug.

I had to still be in a cell 24 hours out of the day though.

"I was thinking of finding a local lunch spot."

Padmé nods along, continuing to drink her coffee. "You can probably find some good seafood. "

Probably.

A blue car slips in front of me as we continue driving. "I just can't believe you persuaded everybody. Plus the Council."

"You needed a break." Padmé points out. "You've got straight A's this semester. And from what Anakin said, it sounds like we're just down to the finals. Five single tests? And we all know how you do with challenges."

I beat them.

"There's a lot of people that are very proud of you and what you're doing. Especially me." She tell me, sounding proud of me. "You're sticking to your word as best you can."

"Trying."

"You've made it through your first full year of college. Give or take three weeks. You did it. You deserve a day off."

Three weeks is all I've got left.

"Flew by."

She makes a slight sound of agreement above her straw. "Then the summer will come and all you'll want to do is go back to it, see your people, having fun…that's the dream. That's how it was for me."

"At…" I lead her on.

I forget where she went to school.

"Harvard." Padmé fills me in. "Did some work on a couple of campaigns during the summer time, mostly early on when I was in school. The older I got the more I got into my own campaigning and activism. Spotlight found me. You know the rest."

She stirred up such a hornet's nest whereas the Jedi dispatched young Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker to be her body man.

"Speaking of campaigns…that reminds me." She says, then moves to start digging into her backpack. "Anakin said that your summer is completely open right now?"

"More like it hasn't been decided yet. We haven't had that meeting."

I was only just about to start researching next year's class schedule and setting an appointment with Dr. Renee.

She sent an email saying she missed me and wanted to do lunch. I'm sure it can be a working one.

"Well then I'll just throw my foot in the door." Padmé declares while pulling out a folder.

Oh no. She prepared.

"I know how you work." She cuts me off at the source. "You want as much information as possible before making a big decision. So…that lead me to this." She finishes by setting something in my lap.

"I can't read that right now…" I frown at her.

I'm driving!

"You should come be an intern on Bail's campaign for a few weeks."

WHAT?

"—it'll get you out of the Temples for a few weeks. You'll see parts of the country you haven't yet. It's a lot of work, but you'll learn so much more Ezra. I know you don't want anything to do with power—"

"Yeah—"

"But you need to know how it works…" Padmé overrules me. "You need to know how to grease the wheels. And I know I can get you in the door, under an assumed persona. I can get all of it going with one phone call."

"Leia?" I assume.

Padmé shakes her head. "No, she's too busy doing the actual job. Cordé, one of my personal assistants. I've trusted her with my life and wouldn't let me down. You can trust her Ezra. I promise."

…

…

"Get you out of the road a bit. Seeing the world a bit, on your own. You deserve that. Plus it's only for a few weeks and then it'll be back here to the monotony of life for the rest of the summer. You'll love it." She continues selling me on the idea. "We could probably swing it thru Chicago, I know there are events there so you could see Sabine."

Why'd she have to go forcing that idea on everybody.

It was just…our idea.

"Maybe." I cave to the idea in theory.

"Yes!" Padmé celebrates with a fist pump. "I knew if I brought her in, you'd say yes."

"It's not that…" I dismiss the idea.

All I get is a smile sent my way before she replies "If that's how you want to sell it, then I'll sell it with you. But don't you think for a second that I'm blind."

"Never said you were?" I say in confusion.

"Anakin said that Kanan's reported night after night of dinner's. Just like that. Normal, fun, family dinners. You and Sabine and all the others. Like last night. And that's what you need!"

What?

"Now I'm just confused."

"You're building a normal college life. A normal…life." Padmé beams at me. "And nobody knows it, least of all you, because you're just…you. You've got to trust yourself. And her. Because she was awesome last night Ezra. She's great."

"She's…got her reasons. I don't wanna go into it."

A devilish smirk erupts onto her face. "I've heard a theory. Involving a plane ticket and lots of takeout."

"I'm not getting into it." I declare.

I'm not.

"Oh we're getting into it." Padmé counters, not willing to let the issue die.