A/N: This chapter is dedicated to Michael. Thank you!
Hard Goodbyes:
Once the cheering had died down a little, Ezra tugged on Sabine's hand and they wound their way back through the excited, jostling crowd to where he'd last seen Kanan. If he was going to war, he was kriffing well saying goodbye to his Master first.
Kanan hadn't moved. Because he was talking to Hera's hologram. Well, flirting, more like, if the, "I know you'll be happy to have your favourite crewmate back, darling," Ezra overheard as they approached was anything to go by.
Hera raised a teasing eyebrow. "Oh, you mean Chopper? He has been sorely missed."
The droid beeped proudly.
Kanan glowered.
Sabine and Ezra giggled.
"Very funny," Kanan growled at his mate as he shot Ezra a disgusted look and thrust his pile of belongings at him, which Ezra just barely caught, not expecting it. Only the loose knife fell to the ground, which he tucked right into his boot as he picked it up. Sabine helpfully took his belt and jacket so that he could pull his black t-shirt on over his head, ignoring the fact that he was completely filthy with sand sticking to his skin uncomfortably. (It was even down his pants and in his socks! How?!) With a grimace smothered by his T-shirt, Ezra silently vowed to shower at the earliest opportunity.
Hera had only smiled serenely back at Kanan, the conversation continuing as Ezra dressed. "I thought so. Now, if you'd said favorite bed warmer…" Her expression fell into more serious as she turned her focus to Ezra and Sabine as all four Ghosts groaned at her for varying reasons. (Chopper - disgust. Ezra and Sabine - too much info. And Kanan - well, his loud thought of, I'm not just a bed warmer! clearly stated what he thought of the title.) She ignored them all and said instead, "As for you two… I wish you weren't leaving me like this, but I understand that this is something you have to do. But that doesn't mean that you can just leave us hanging without knowing what's going on. I want daily reports and more than that if something's happened that I would be concerned over, you hear me?"
"Yes, Mom," Sabine and Ezra chorused as he shrugged into his orange jacket.
"She has you sooooo trained," Ketsu laughed from nearby, stepping into their circle around Chopper and slinging an arm over Sabine's shoulders as she was handing Ezra his weapon-heavy belt.
Hera narrowed her eyes at the tall young woman. "And you… You're not exempt from that order."
Ketsu sighed and rolled her eyes exaggeratedly, but Ezra could see her lips twitch in a suppressed smile as she repeated, "Yes, Mom," sarcastically.
"Good." Hera nodded, refusing to be baited. "You still have the supplies for Base One on your ship, right?"
"Yes."
"Would you mind bringing them, Kanan, and Chopper back to base before you go to war with the Empire? I'm assuming you're also going to be joining the fight."
"You assume correctly," Ketsu said grimly. "Somebody's gotta watch my little sister's back. And yes, I have time to run your things to you and get back before poodoo starts going down."
"Thank you."
"Should I be offended that I was just called a thing?" Kanan thought privately to Ezra.
Ezra laughed back. "Nah. Not worth getting into it over something so minor."
"You're getting wiser."
"Only cause you beat sense into my head."
"I wouldn't put it exactly that way," Kanan's mental smirk was much more blatant than the one twitching under his mustache. "But I think in the end, we both learned some sense from each other, wouldn't you say?"
"Sure, Master." And then, because he couldn't not, Ezra was hugging Kanan with all his strength, emotions nearly overwhelming as he realized he might never again see the man who meant so much to him. The near future was so uncertain and the Force was being very silent right now, like it was holding its breath.
Things always got interesting when the Force stopped talking.
And not usually in a good way. (Example; like how it had gone silent when they were trying to rescue Minister Tua from Darth Vader.)
It then liked to wake up with warnings only seconds or - if he was lucky - minutes before whatever catastrophe was about to occur. So helpful. Not.
Kanan hugged him back just as tightly. "Hey," he said softly, his breath whispering across the top of Ezra's hair. "I'm proud of you. And I know we'll see each other again."
"How can you be sure?" Ezra mumbled into Kanan's shoulder. "And don't say because we all return to the Force one day."
Kanan huffed out a pathetic laugh and pushed Ezra back by his shoulders, blind eyes meeting his own with a searing intensity that felt like his Master was staring straight into his soul. "I know because you're you, and if there's anything you are a true master at, it's the art of surviving."
"That is so true," Sabine said, and then insinuated herself into Kanan's arms for her own hug. "Can't believe I'm doing this again, but thank you, Kanan."
Kanan kissed the top of her head as he hugged her back. "You're welcome, Sabine. May the Force be with you." He looked at Ezra and Ketsu, and then over to where Alrich and Fenn were talking. "All of you."
Ketsu snorted. "Yeah. Thanks. Don't make me barf. I think we've had enough mushy stuff. What say we all get some grub before it's all gone and then we hit the hyperlanes?"
Sabine pulled away from Kanan and grabbed Ezra's hand. "Sounds good to me."
Ezra stopped her from leaving, turning them back to the holo of their mother-figure.
Sabine breathed a soft, "Oh," and he could feel her instant remorse for almost walking away without saying a proper goodbye to the other half of their parental foundation.
"Hera…" he said, voice breaking a little. "I'm sorry. I wish I could hug you too."
She gave him a sad, but brave little smile. "It's okay, Ezra. Kanan can give it for you when he gets here."
"Definitely," Kanan said from behind him, sounding understandably eager about the idea.
"Then he owes you two hugs," Sabine added, "because you deserve one from me too. Probably more than one, actually," she tacked on ruefully. Everyone instantly thought of when Sabine had suddenly decided to stay on Krownest, with Hera having to hear the news from Kanan later, and the mood of their group dropped a little further.
"You can make it up to me later," Hera said softly, reaching up a hand as if she could reach them across space and time.
Ezra and Sabine both reached back with their free hands until their fingers were bathed in the blue glow of hers. "Love you, Hera," Ezra said softly. "You've been the best mother and teacher. Kanan isn't the only one who shaped me into what I am now, so, thank you. So much."
"Ditto. Thank you, Hera," Sabine said, sounding like she was one hitching breath away from crying. Their bond told him that his new wife was only just barely holding it together. Ezra sent her as much soothing emotion as he could, considering he wasn't any better off.
Hera's eyes welled with visible tears, even through the fuzzy hologram. She held the fisted hand that they'd 'touched' to her heart with her other. "Ezra, Sabine, stars, you mean the galaxy to me too. I'm so very proud of how you've both grown up and become the best possible versions of yourselves. Kanan, hug them for me."
"Done." And even as he said it, Kanan's long arms pulled Ezra and Sabine back into a group hug. If Ezra and Sabine cried a little while hiding their faces against his strong chest, no one needed to know.
Ketsu, thankfully, didn't tease him about it afterward. He wasn't so sure about Sabine, though, considering the way Ketsu earned herself a punch to the arm that looked like it hurt.
Learning Mando'a for real also went on his list of things to do as soon as possible.
But not before the conviction to get clean and then have wild, passionate, slow, crazy, and loving sex with Sabine, though.
(And yes, he did intend to do all of the above before they went to war in just over one rotation.)
(Ambitious little Jedi, isn't he.)