Looking from Sabine to her father, I nod to him. "Yeah, if you guys want to take that to the car, I'll start straightening up here."

"I can help you with that." Sabine volunteers. "I know how I stacked things, not having a roommate and all—"

"I think Ezra's got it, adika." Her father says reasonably.

"I got it." I smile once again at Sabine.

Sabine pauses, then looks to the final collection of things from her dorm room. "I—don't hurt yourself. Wait for us to get back to move the bed."

Mr. Wren's eyes glint in my direction behind her. "I'll be fine." I give her a small wave while toeing a small chest a few inches.

Huh. Thought that was bolted to the floor…I guess all the furniture in here can move.

"I can grab the tote Dad. The boxes will be easier for you." Sabine turns her gaze to her only other target.

"Sab'ika."

Sabine and her father lightly debate about who is carrying what to the elevator.

Yeah, this won't be too bad. I'll just close the door to the hall and use the Force to move everything back to where it's supposed to be. Her old roommates' room is a good model. And they helpfully moved out before today so…

The exterior door to the hallway opens, allowing the tumult of the hall outside to float to us. "Hey!" Sabine exclaims before rushing him. "You made it!"

"I told you I would. Had to find an open door, mine no longer works." Matt cracks while giving Sabine a side-hug.

"Really?" I ask. "You moved out this week."

"Guess they clear out students' ID badges rather quickly as opposed to over the summer." Mr. Wren comments, causing Matt to turn and extend his hand.

"You must be Sabine's Dad. Matt Saracen sir."

One returns the other's handshake. "Nice to meet you Matt. Sabine's mentioned you."

Matt instantly cracks "I hope it's mostly good."

I can't help but laugh along with Matt and Sabine's father before he answers "Nothing but good things, son."

Matt appears relieved before peering at the collection of boxes and totes. "Well I'm glad I came when I did. Is this it?"

"Yeah." I nod.

"That's all that's left." Mr. Wren confirms.

Sabine turns to Matt and my absent Probe reveals her excitement before she speaks up. "Actually, can you help us?"

"Yeah, sure." Matt replies before cracking a joke. "As long as you can get me back into the building."

"You won't need to leave. Can you stay here and watch over the room? Ezra, Dad and I are going to take all this down to my SUV."

"I can do that, but is check-out all you've got left?" Matt inquires.

Mr. Wren speaks up. "Yes. Ezra's letting Sabine keep some of her things at his apartment so that'll be our final stop before we head out."

"Head out? Are you driving?"

The Force rings with Sabine's emotion before Mr. Wren replies to Matt. "—need her car over the summer, so it's cheaper to fly out and drive back. And we're swinging by some sights along the way."

"Like?" Matt asks while drifting back towards the pile of stuff.

"We're seeing Yellowstone and Mount Rushmore." Sabine sidles back up to me.

It's starting to get to her.

We need to keep moving.

"Well how about this? Ezra, you can stay here and watch the room. Sabine, I can help you and your Dad take all this downstairs so you guys can get on the road. That's a really long drive."

Sabine's father gives Matt a smile. "We'd really appreciate the help."

"Does your Dad have a way to get into Ezra's…?" Matt asks Sabine while moving to start grabbing the biggest tote of the bunch.

"Matt—." Sabine mutters quietly before hustling over. "Yeah, I loaned him my key. I can grab that."

Matt response is to heave the tote up and begin stacking things on top of the tote. "I got the door!" Mr. Wren calls out.

"Thank you!" Matt answers before all in one motion he gets moving and starts right through the door. Sabine's father, already with a couple of boxes, follows right behind.

There's really just Sabine's backpack and a folder. That's it.

Sabine seems to be coming to the same conclusion before I pipe up. "I got this up here. You can catch up."

Conflict passes on her face and a moment passes before she replies, "Meet you back here?"

Yeah.

"I'll be here." I turn back and smile at Sabine.

Sabine gathers up the last of her things, then follows after Matt and her father.

Okay…

Giving the exterior steel door a quick check that it's closed, I lock it with a wave of my hand before taking a step back.

Desk across the room, unstack the drawers then move the large organizer back across to the other side of the room. Not that bad.

Giving myself a deep breath, I focus in on the desk that is added onto Sabine's rightful desk.

Kind of funny that Sabine made both of her spaces similar.

Granted, she was never here very much. But both here and at my apartment she has her study space, her artistic area…

Now I didn't really know about her bed. Sabine had big sheets and a huge comforter and piled onto her bed.

It looked like you could fall right thru the thing.

I wonder if my plain old, simple setup ever bothered her. She never said anything to me about it. And I know she felt like my apartment was a home for her. But all I have is the two pillows, one on each side with a middle sheet and then the comforter.

She probably thinks it's boring. She did call by kitchen spartan. And after looking it up, my bedroom is too.

I don't want or need a lot of extra stuff.

Setting the chest of drawers next to the desk, I turn my attention to the large, wooden square that's meant to be an organizer.

It's just a wooden frame though. Taking minimalism to the next level.

Exhaling, I levitate the organizer across the room and set it on top of the chest of drawers to create a mirror image on both sides of the room.

Just like it's out of Day 1, Freshman year.

I can't believe it's over.

My last final was yesterday. Most everything was either Monday or Tuesday, including Dance.

Rinaldi went out on a low note for her, slipping what I can only assume is her personal phone number into the folder she gave to me on our way out afterward.

Should be an A in there though. Everything should be an A.

Between the study guides, knowing a little more of what I'm doing this time and keeping on top of things, Finals Week wasn't nearly as bad as it was in the winter.

Taking a slide-step, I position myself in between the two, identically furnished rooms for a moment.

…

I think we're good.

Unlocking the door with a flick of my wrist, I absently drift into Sabine's room before spotting a bottle of glass cleaner.

Sabine thought it'd be a good idea to clean her mirrors. All she really did was wear out her shoulders before I stepped in and finished it for her.

I'll carry this back to my place. The University or the building isn't looking for a half-used bottle of cleaner. And I'll use it.

Sliding the bottle's lever onto my finger, I start twirling it around as I peer around Sabine's room.

It's a nice room. The furniture is a little prefab for me but it has a nice feel. The only negative is the polished concrete floors.

My footsteps echo around me before the door to the hall opens again. "Made it back. Sorry it took so long. Plans kind of changed."

"How so this time?" I turn to Sabine as the door closes behind her.

"Daddy and Matt decided that I should check out here then we could walk back to your apartment. They're taking my stuff to your apartment." Sabine says shortly.

"Oh." I say blankly. "That's…nice of them."

Sabine's eyes freeze me in a glare. "It's machismo and it's stupid. It's my crap."

"It's not crap. You didn't bring crap halfway across the country."

"I didn't use a lot of it!" She counters.

I quickly eye at Sabine before smiling "But when you come back in the summer, you'll know what and what not to bring."

We know what we're doing now.

"Kind of." Sabine's posture droops a bit. "I still could use a lot of it."

"Then keep it at my apartment." I offer.

Sabine exhales before slipping past me to peer inside of the room. "Yeah…well the reason Matt dropped by was to say that JJ cleaned out room for me at his house if I needed it. So, it doesn't all have to be at your apartment. I'm sure you don't want to be navigating around my junk. Are we good? I think we're good."

"I think we're good."

Sabine slides right past me before giving her roommates room a last glance. "I'm not checking in there, that's a bio—OH! That reminds me! Did I tell you about that?"

"No."

Sabine's devious, dark smile slowly appears on her face. "They broke up."

They—

"Seriously?"

"I bumped into her Monday during your Sociology final, and she was basically already moved out. They broke up last week." Sabine reports.

"My faith in love is shaken to its very core." I joke, getting a rare snort laugh out of Sabine which gets me to laugh before Sabine shoves me in the arm.

"I hate you."

Yup. That's why I'm here.

Sabine arrives at the elevator first and hits the button, only for it to open up right away. "That's a first."

"Of course on the last day there's not a wait for the elevator." Sabine muses.

"I'm kind of surprised how fast everything cleared out." I admit.

JJ made it sound like there's a pretty consistent presence here on campus. But starting yesterday about 2 PM, everything's starting to feel a bit deserted.

It's weird.

Sabine makes an affirmative sound before she leaves my side and strides up to the front desk. Without hesitation, my feet lead me to the bench beside the front door and I sit down.

Okay.

"—S-a-b. I-n-e. Wren." Sabine phoneticizes her name for the student behind the desk.

"Can I get your ID from you?"

"Sure." Sabine pleasantly replies before handing over her ID. Behind the lady at the computer, another student-aged worker walks up and extends something to Sabine.

"This is your contract from the beginning of the fall…just need a couple of signatures and initials."

I didn't have to do any of this with my apartments. The first time I was just given the keys, the second time Hera did a lot of the legwork.

Absently, I play with my phone as Sabine's checkout continues as she signs what she needs to, initials before passing over her two dorm keys and a mail key.

She had a mail key?

"That's it! Have a great summer!" The brunette at the computer smiles at Sabine.

"Thank you, you too." Sabine echoes the sentiment before I rise to my feet and let Sabine lead us outside.

As soon as the door clicks shut behind us, I say "You did it."

Sabine dips her head down and laughs. "Somehow. I'm so bad at that sort of thing. Paperwork."

"You seemed alright there." I motion towards her dorm.

Her old dorm now.

"Because I had to do it in January when I came back, and at Christmas, et cetera, all that. Every big break. You put me in a doctor's office like for when I had to get a physical on my own?"

Uh oh.

"It couldn't have gone that badly."

Sabine only shakes her head. "It did. Somebody's ba'buir had to help me fill out the paperwork. And I had the wrong insurance card out."

"Ba-what?" I ask Sabine.

"Ba'buir. It's Mando'a for grandparent. Grandmother, grandfather. Like Count Dooku is to Mira. You know how sweet Mira is towards him."

Mira does get him very…I don't know. Mira's sweet and does stuff with him. And Dooku plays along and makes Mira laugh and she loves him.

Gave him a big head hug at her birthday party.

"Thanks again for coming." I smile at her.

Sabine reflects it back to me. "I loved it, I'm so glad I went. I'm gonna miss them both so much over the summer." Her shoulders slump a bit. "So you'd better give them an extra hug for me."

"I will."

I'm gonna miss them too.

I don't even leave for another week.

"Even though you won't be able to either, with you going off to chase political ambition—"

Political ambition?!

NO!

"Sabine, no, that's not it." I try to say gently while trying to ignore my stomach.

She…that's a coincidence.

Sabine stops in her tracks on the sidewalk we're on that leads back to my apartment. "Then why'd you and Senator Amidala go off and schedule up half your summer without telling me about it."

I—

…

"I didn't know it bothered you Sabine." I tell her honestly.

That conversation happened on Saturday and—

"It was Finals Week!" Sabine frowns at me.

I don't know if now's the time for this Sabine. You're about to leave and—

"—not going to bother you with it when you're trying to study for finals. But…why didn't you tell me?" Sabine asks.

"Because I'm not supposed to talk to anybody about it." I say, then spot Sabine's wounded expression.

Hug.

"I'm sorry that I didn't tell you." I apologize as I pull her into a hug she falls into.

Oh.

Sabine doesn't do anything but hug me for a second before asking "When am I going to get past the 'anybody' stage of this?"

"What?"

Huh?

"You said that you were told you couldn't talk to anybody about this." Sabine says basically into my pectoral. "When…how do I get past being 'anybody'? How do I get you to trust me?"

Oh.

"I trust you Sabine. I—"

This is too out in the open.

Wordlessly, I spot a large tree that sits on top of a hill and impulsively pull Sabine in that direction. "What the hell—"

"Five second detour." I reason with Sabine.

"Okay…" She goes with it before I settle up against the tree and pull her back into a tight hug.

"Oh." She whispers after a moment. "I like this more. Yeah. Good idea."

I can't help but laugh and turn my head away, only for Sabine to giggle right back at me. "Stop making me laugh."

"Stop being so cute." Sabine orders me, then pokes me in the chest before I move to get away from her a touch.

"It's…not that I don't trust you Sabine. I was under orders from the Jedi not to say anything. Padmé shouldn't have said that."

Let alone over cake.

"I figured that by how Kanan reacted." Sabine replies. "I…just be careful. No UCLA stuff."

"No, no, no no. I'm just going to run copies and get coffee. I'm a volunteer."

Sabine leans away from be under this tree. "That's it?"

"One of the Jedi's biggest jobs is election integrity and security. I think they're testing me."

Sabine's expression says it all before she goes. "Oooohhh…so it's a good thing. Even going back to all that. They trust you enough to do this."

"I'm not important." I chuckle to Sabine. "As it was explained to me, it's to let me see some of the country. Everybody's pretty happy with how my Freshman year went."

"So, it's a reward…more work." Sabine makes a face. I nod in response before her expression falls again.

I motion to Probe out before—"Just…don't let them corrupt you and bring them in Ezra. You're way too good for all the political crap. You can make a difference once you find where you belong."

"You think so?"

Really?

Sabine leans in closer and whispers "I know so." Before planting a kiss on my lips, leaving me with no choice but to kiss her back.

—

—

…

"You'd better hold onto that for a while. I don't know when you'll get then next one of those." Sabine's tone changes, getting softer.

"'Bout a month." I smirk at her. "You won't miss me for that long."

Sabine shakes her head before stepping back from me. "I missed you all Spring Break and that was a week."

"You survived."

"Barely." Sabine disagrees before we start back down the sidewalk once again.

Sparse pockets of students are visible here and there as we walk down the increasingly shady sidewalk.

Odd how as you leave campus, there are more trees, bushes, etc. but not near as much near the buildings.

"I know that concert you want me to go to is in the first week of June." I restart the conversation after the silence. "What else are you doing this summer?"

"Painting, doing a few commissions. The ones for Senator Amidala and her husband, Kanan and Hera's of course…" Sabine elaborates. "I'm doing a couple of camps for USA Soccer with kids in Chicago."

"USA Soccer?" I parrot her.

Sabine nods, expression even. "Yeah, I've been on their U-18 and U-21 teams for years now as an alternate. Stuff I gotta do and I get paid for it."

"You sound more excited about the art than the soccer." I confess to her.

…

Sabine heavily exhales before quietly saying "Soccer isn't nearly as important to me today as it was before the fall. It's…fun but…there's a lot of great players too. And none of them can see what I see or do what I can do with an empty canvas."

"That's a fact." I pump up her confidence, only for Sabine to smile at me.

"I don't know Ezra…I'm probably just a little burnt out. I still love it but…long year."

She did have a long year.

"Long year. But you made it." I remind her as off in the horizon my apartment building comes into view.

"Wouldn't have made it without you."

My legs suddenly go a touch wobbly before I peer back over to Sabine. "That's not true."

"Yeah it is! I would have gone crazy if not for you! You were the foundation I could always come back to. Which is why you're the greatest and why this next month's going to suck!" Sabine wraps her arms around me and sets her head on my shoulder as best she can.

"You can always text me." I point out before Probing out—

…

That's weird.

"—yeah I can text you Ezra, but it's not the same as having you right here, right now—"

I silently Probe out again, only for Sabine's Force Signature to feel ever so slightly different.

That's peculiar.

"Ezra?"

"Yeah?" I blurt out.

Did I screw up something?

Sabine moves to say something before a trunk closes loudly and we both turn to see Matt backing up holding half of Sabine's tote. "Oh hey, there you are." Matt greets us.

"This is the last of it." Mr. Wren informs us on the other end of the tote, causing both Sabine and I to turn as they walk past us towards the stairs. "Everything else is in Ezra's apartment."

Sabine goes a little pale before looking over at me.

Almost time.