Summary: Kanan and Hera face an only somewhat unexpected obstacle to their relationship's development and make some future plans. Plus Ezra and Sabine need a last minute mood lift.

Kinda a warning for a genuinely concerned father being a serious jerk.

"Message coming in for you General."

Hera stifled a yawn, shifting uncomfortably. "Patch it up here Rex."

The holofeed warped to life revealing an anxious Twi'lek visage.

She sat bolt upright, exhaustion forgotten. "Father!"

"Hera, my daughter!" Cham's face instantly brightened. "I've been trying to reach you for days now. My heart is glad to see that you are safe. The news from Lothal was most disturbing. They say you were taken hostage in a failed assault on the Tie Defender factory. But also that you're responsible for the destruction of the same."

"The factory was destroyed, yes."

"Hera."

"I'm fine Father. They held me for less than 48 hours before Kanan got me out."

"Yes that too. The reports state that your Jedi..friend is dead. Killed in the attack."

"Dead is a tiny bit of an exaggeration I'm happy to say." Kanan piped up.

Hera glared at him. "Not funny Love."

Cham cleared his throat. "Where are you? Your clone friend wouldn't say."

"On a mission. A personal one. In fact we shouldn't stay on much longer, it'll put us both at risk."

"Daughter I have not fought for my freedom for twenty years and not learned how to guarantee a secure transmission."

"Right. Well since we're talking to you, you might as well know."

"Hera!"

She quickly squeezed her partner's hand.

"I want you to do me a favor."

"Anything you need. Just ask for it."

"I need a copy of the traditional Jasshi'rr vows. It's been too long since I've heard them for me to remember how they go."

The silence in the cockpit was deafening on both sides.

"You're serious." The elder Twi'lek finally choked out. He turned to look at Kanan who looked equally stunned. "What…? How have you..?"

"Kanan's done nothing, Father. This is my choice." Hera smiled faintly. "I've made up my mind to be his and he has made up his mind to mine. We're getting married on Lothal the minute the empire is off it. And nothing you say will change that. Cooperate and I might just give you the com channel to observe the ceremony."

It might have been a trick of the holo's light but she swore her father was turning purple. "Hera, he's a human and a Jedi. They do not commit as we do. If you do this you will be bound to him for the rest of your life. No matter when his ends. Others will not accept this easily. Inter-species factor aside, this union will fly in the face of all Twi'lek tradition."

"What tradition would that be? We've been living together for almost a decade and we've been 'One Mind, One Body, One Soul' for at least half that time."

"I know what I'm getting into, General," Kanan interjected calmly, "I don't know how much my word means to you at the moment, but I give it freely. I will never leave Hera for any reason, and should I be taken from her…well, Jedi don't believe death to be permanent separation. I will look after her and out for her. No matter what."

Only very slightly mollified Cham jerked a nod. "I lost you once Hera, I'm not willing to do so again. But don't expect me to be happy about this anytime soon."

Good thing I don't need you to be happy about it. Hera thought. Still this had gone surprisingly well so she mustered up a smile in return.

"Then next time we land on Ryloth expect to be receiving a daughter and a son in law."

"Should I be expecting to receive a grandchild as well?"

"Two actually," Hera answered. Far too calmly in Kanan's opinion. He strained to listen while simultaneously shoving his heart out back down into his chest.

"Two?" Cham sputtered. "Daughter what-?"

"Well that's assuming they both want to come. They are adults after all."

Her father's shoulders dropped in relief. "You are speaking of your two young companions. I had not realized you'd formalized their adoption. You have documentation of it of course? For the clan. Not that it'll help their chances of being absorbed into it."

Struggling to keep her cool, she shrugged one shoulder. "Documentation is unnecessary with Sabine. Mandalorian adoption consists of one sentence spoken with intent. Ezra on the other hand…" She turned to Kanan, who somehow found his voice.

"Legal adoption is kind of a taboo subject on Lothal. We're still trying to find something we're all comfortable with."

That was putting it delicately, Hera thought. The offer had only been made once - with admittedly very poor timing - simply as a way of smoothing out some logistical entanglements. She had never seen her boy so livid. Phrases such as 'my parents don't deserve to be erased from my life no matter what anyone thinks' and 'are you really incapable of loving me if there isn't ownership involved?' still burned her memory even two years later.

"Anyway," she said, "you don't have to shower them with affection, or gifts, or any of those other grandparent things. But understand this fact, they are my children as truly as you are my father. If you mistreat or upset them in any way I will take it personally. And I don't have to remind you what the wrath of a Twi'lek mother looks like."

Kanan grinned at her. Hera hadn't spoken of her mother often but in his mind the woman was a legend. He deeply regretted never having met her.

A few petulant statements later and Cham signed off. Hera instantly collapsed back in her seat rubbing her forehead.

"I'm sorry."

She waved off the apology. "Telling him was never going to be easy. I'm just glad you were here."

"You didn't mention the baby," he observed quietly.

"He doesn't deserve to be the first person we tell."

"When do you want to start telling people?"

She shook her head with a sigh. "I'm torn. I don't think I'm ready for a lot of people to know, yet if we wait too much longer they won't need to be told. Sabine's already figured it out."

"Ah. Ezra might have too."

"Ezra guessed?"

Kanan made a displeased noise. "He's a lot shrewder than people give him credit for."

"No, no of course he is. He's scary smart, and he knows how to get people to pay attention. I just meant, he wasn't there for the whole crying over caf debacle."

Her soon to be husband chuckled. "I doubt it'd have made a difference. You know how easily he latches onto any extra life in the room. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if he forms a connection to the baby before I do."

Hera reached over and put a hand on his arm. "He'd never try to take your place."

"Oh I know. I'm not worried about any of that right now. Junior might not even be Force sensitive, and even if they are, training will be a ways off. If teaching Ezra has taught me anything it's that learning the ways of the Force doesn't have to begin at birth. We can take things at their own pace. I'm content to just be a father for a few years."

"I understand. Just being parents will probably be more than enough to keep us busy."

"True."

The comfortable silence soon grew pensive.

"What is it?"

Kanan looked at her seriously. "I know it isn't the best time just now, but soon we're going to need to decide if 'just parents' is all we're going to be."

Her stomach flip flopped and it had nothing to do with the pregnancy. He had a point. Her entire argument with her father had always been about living a life that she chose. Up until this moment she'd thought that's what she'd been doing. Leaving Ryloth practically the day she legally could, the years spent intelligence gathering, finally gaining a role in an organized rebellion. Had that all been the life she chose? On the face of it, the answer was yes undoubtedly but the deeper she dug…How many times had she not taken the course she felt was right because someone told her she wasn't allowed to? How many times had it cost her something important? How many times had it almost cost her the person she loved the most?

"Hera?"

"There's so much good we could still accomplish with the alliance, and there's not a great deal I regret from this past decade. But in the future?" She sighed softly. "This next victory against the empire, and it will be a victory, I have no doubt about that. It'll be a victory because of our son's love and devotion for his home. And the devotion he's able to inspire in others. The rebellion didn't teach him that, that's just him. One thing I do regret is how many childhoods are sacrificed to this fight."

"He joined us of his own volition Hera."

"We tell ourselves that Love, but how much of it is really true? Growing up I always swore I would support my child in whatever life they choose to live. But Jedi, or pilot, or whatever it is, how much of a choice is it if underneath it all their only choice is soldier? If we mold a person from infancy to believe fighting our battles is the only right way to live their lives, how are we better than the tyranny we're seeking to end."

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"What I think I'm saying is that I will fight for as long as I can squeeze this stomach behind any sort of steering yoke. And that over the course of his or her life I may continue to fight - only when absolutely necessary," she quickly added, seeing the protest rise on her Jedi's lips. "But the baby doesn't get involved in the fight until they are old enough that their decisions are beyond our legal control. Do you agree?"

Kanan smiled slowly. "Just when I think I can't fall any deeper for you." He reached over and took her hand. Gently tugging off her glove, he raised her bare knuckles to his lips. "We have 6 more hours until our next jump point."

"I love you Kanan but all this thinking has sapped the energy I didn't have to begin with."

His smile widened. "Good. That means I should have no trouble putting you down for a nap."

"That's not-" she cut off with a squeak as he scooped her up in his arms. Too tired to protest - not that she wouldn't let him have it later - she relaxed against his shoulder while he made his way to their cabin.

Next thing she knew she was settled in her bunk, boots and flight cap replaced with thermal socks and a soft headwrap. Quickly enveloping her in blankets, he turned off the lights and started to leave only to return to the bedside when she let out a whine.

"What is it my love?

Hera hummed. "The least you could do is snuggle with me until I'm asleep."

"Ah, well, never let it be said I don't do the least I can do." Wrapping her in his arms he smiled warmly as she shifted closer, settling her head over his heart. "We're really getting married?"

"Hmm yes. Soon. I promise." She yawned. "I love you."

"I love you too. Sleep mon etoile. I'll be here."

"Are you alright? You've been out here for hours."

Ezra slowly blinked his eyes open.

"I think so. At least, I feel better than I did."

Sabine knelt beside him. "You know, hiding things from the rest of us isn't gonna help you keep a clear head."

Wasn't that the truth. Ezra had played his promise over and over again in his head. And every time he hated himself just a little bit more.

"We have a plan then."

"The beginning of one anyway. It'd all be easier if you were with us."

"Not yet. If what we saw is true our best chance is if I'm here waiting. Don't worry, when the time is right, I'll return to our world. We'll see one another again. But until then I must ask you to keep my survival a secret. From everyone, even your family."

"But-"

"Hello? Lothal to Ezra."

Ezra leaned away from her snapping fingers. "I know why you're upset," he finally said. "I would be in your place. But some of this isn't my secret. And for the rest…Kanan's always said visions are tricky. I need to know if what I've seen has really happened. Too much is riding on this for me to get it wrong."

"So you're choosing now to listen to him?"

Ezra laughed, but it sounded hollow.

"Promise you won't tell."

She snorted. "Right."

He got to his feet and they walked back to the base under lengthening shadows. Sabine hadn't been exaggerating when she said it'd been hours. The sun had been high in the sky when he'd settled down in that field.

"Do we know if Kanan and the others made it to Seelos yet?"

"Ezra, they just left this morning. Even with Hera's skills they'll be in hyperspace for at least another 12 hours. What's the rush?"

"I don't know. I just feel like our timetable could change at any moment."

She stopped walking and put a hand on his shoulder. "If it does, we'll adjust. Everyone here is behind you a hundred percent. Have a little faith."

"I have faith in all of you. It's your faith in me I worry about. I don't want to let you down."

"Hey now, if it was me saying that what would you do?" She leaned forward, making him look her in the eye. "We are here because we choose to be. We believe in the mission as much as we believe in you. Risk or reward we're going to see it through because we want to. Okay?"

Knowing any answer but yes would lead to consequences more painful than even the empire could dish out he nodded, breathing deeply to let go of the last of his anxiety.

"Kanan and Hera will be fine. There's nothing the two of them can't handle."

"You mean the three of them right?"

Sabine snorted a laugh. "Right. That's exactly what I mean."

Ezra grinned at her, his dark mood evaporating. "Come on. There's just one more thing I have to arrange."

In the distance a Loth-Wolf howled.

Jacen is the worst kept secret of the family. :D

Jasshi'rr is the Twi'lek word for Wedding/Marriage. "Mon etoile" is Twi'lek *cough*French*cough* for "My star". No canon reference, I just thought it sounded sweet.

Comments are loved. :)