A/N: Wow, just three new comments. I hope I'm not losing everyone here. To CC, not too many of the same red flags in this update, but we'll get back to that sooner rather than later. As for the guests, we'll find out down the road if Gavyn will turn out to be a double agent. That is definitely something that could happen. Thank you for the kind words, and we will eventually get the air cleared down the road, but these crazy kids still have a way to go before we get there.

Now, onto the next installment, where Ezra is finally permitted to train again with a little help along the way that Sabine isn't going to like.

Chapter 7: Getting Back to Business

Ezra was chomping at the bit. He'd finally received medical clearance to begin training again, and he had been looking for someone who'd be willing to spar with him so that he could start getting back into shape, but everyone he asked politely declined out of concern for injuring him again. Meditation in the seclusion of his own personal quarters just wasn't going to cut it anymore. So if no one was willing to spar with him, then he would just go off base with the Holocron.

Before his clearance, he'd been forced to be patient, and wait until his burly roommate left their room for his various assignments each day before Ezra could even pull out the Holocron. And unfortunately for him, there was only so much to glean from it without being able to do much physically. For it seemed that the Darkside didn't accentuate the necessity of meditation, and after a few days, it stopped giving him any form of instruction. It began to only open up long enough to tell him that he was weak, and he should disregard the medical recommendations for some actual training.

Hearing that the last few days from the Holocron made Ezra become more and more desperate when things still didn't seem to be getting any better between Sabine and him. She'd been around in the mornings for the most part, but just like with Zeb, she had duties to perform requiring her to leave for most of the day, which left Ezra with nothing to do.

With no help from the Holocron and no one from the Ghost crew to hang around with, Ezra quickly became bored with his surroundings. He even began to wonder if being on the Ghost and away from the med bay was any better or not. The only escape he did have was the two bacta tank sessions, and that was anything but enjoyable.

Eventually though, there was one bright spot to his days, and that was when Wini began to come by with lunch. Ezra had to admit that she had good taste in food, and it was nice to see a friendly face too. It became even more enjoyable when he eventually convinced her that she didn't need to keep thanking him for saving her life. She was a part of the crew, and he was done with allowing the Empire to hurt the Rebels if he could help it in any way.

When things became a little more casual and friendly, Ezra also began to notice just how attractive Wini was. While she wasn't Sabine, she was still very easy on the eyes. And he could understand why some of the other guys on base had an eye for her. Besides, she had more to offer than just her looks. Ezra quickly discovered that she was clever too.

They would eat lunch together in the common area of the Ghost, and she provided Ezra with information on what all was happening concerning training sessions or the occasional mission. She also helped him keep everything cleaned and organized once they were finished eating. In fact, the only way anyone would have known she was there in the first place would've been if Ezra had told them, but he did keep quiet about their lunches, not wanting to hear what would surely be jokes from Zeb and Chop about what they were actually doing with no supervision.

Wini was fast becoming a good friend, and Ezra didn't want to jeopardize that with how fast rumors would circulate. Besides, she could get any guy on the base that she wanted, and he didn't think she was interested in him in that way, aside from her appreciation of being saved.

But now that he was officially cleared, Wini was still aboard the Ghost with him, which meant she was keeping him from training. Ezra didn't want to be rude or come off as unappreciative of her company, but since she was one of the many who declined sparring with him, he did want to get on his own and maybe take the Holocron off base for some actual training.

Lunch had been finished and cleaned up for a while, leaving the two with awkward silence for the first time since she began bringing lunch to Ezra. "So, I imagine you're ready to get out of this ship for a while." Wini finally said in an attempt to break that silence.

"Yeah," He answered as he reached up to rub his neck. "I never thought I'd get tired of this place, but I have to admit it'll be nice to finally get off this ship and actually get to do something other than rest."

"Well, with all that spare time you had, have you decided what you want to do with your new freedom?" She asked.

"Well, since I can't convince anyone to spar with me, I'm going to get back to my Jedi training," Ezra responded. "And speaking of…."

"Off base, I bet." She said, disappointing him a little, as he'd hoped she would take the hint. But it seemed she wasn't ready to go just yet, and then she surprised him with her next words. "I don't suppose…you would mind some company? I've never seen a Jedi train before, and have to admit, I'm curious about how it works."

"So, you're not okay with training with me, but you want to watch me train on my own?" He asked.

He'd never had someone wanting to watch him before aside from Kanan, and that was more because of the need to have instructions provided than actual interest in how Ezra would go about training. In fact, the more he thought about it, Kanan was reluctant to even train him at first, and he wondered if that was partially a lack of interest from his master. Although it was true that Sabine, Zeb, and even Chopper had been with him in his early development, they still weren't there to. Zeb was only looking to be entertained at first, and then he was a helpful participant in saber deflection practice.

"Well yeah," Wini responded. "Plus, how about I make you a deal? After I've seen you train, if everything goes well then I'll agree to sparring with you."

That was an interesting proposition, but the one thing holding Ezra back was that if Wini were to come, he definitely wouldn't be able to bring the Holocron with him. "Are you sure you won't get too bored?" He asked. "Mostly, Jedi training involves focusing the mind and connecting with the Force. I'd bet it's pretty boring for someone to just watch."

"That's alright," Wini responded enthusiastically. "If you don't mind, I'd still like to go. Besides, I think it's your best bet in getting anyone to start sparring with you sooner rather than later."

Ezra nodded to her, not knowing what else to say at that moment and she continued. "Tell you what. How about I go and get us a speeder, and meet you out by the eastern quadrant? You know, where you went last time."

"I don't know," Ezra said. He really wanted to work more with the Holocron, especially considering it had basically shut him out until he could actually train again, but he also figured that the sooner he could get back to all of the physical training, the sooner the Holocron would be willing to work with him.

"C'mon Ezra." Wini practically begged. "It'll be nice to get away from the base, and besides, I think you could use the company. It'll be fun."

"Why not," Ezra finally acquiesced. "I'll grab my stuff and meet you at the east quadrant in five."

"Great!" Wini said, her level of excitement exploding into her voice, but also by how she quickly leapt forward almost into Ezra and placed a brief kiss on his cheek.

Ezra stood there, dumbfounded for a moment. He certainly hadn't been expecting such an act, and honestly didn't quite know how to respond. Fortunately for him, Wini didn't stay there long enough for him to have to react, and instead made her exit to retrieve a speeder bike for the two of them.

It took a minute or two longer after she'd left, but Ezra's higher brain functions eventually began to work again, and allowed him to move back to his room where he grabbed his blaster and lightsaber. Then he turned toward his helmets, briefly looking at the one hiding the Holocron before deciding he would try connecting to it again later on.

Sabine stopped and bent over, her hands on her knees as she focused on taking deep pulls of air to catch her breath. She'd pushed herself pretty hard that morning, running around the base's perimeter multiple times to finish off what had been a grueling workout, and in the heat of the day no less.

Her workout began with some lightweight training followed by some rigorous calisthenics before finally going on her standard long-distance run. She'd pushed herself like always, but unlike her normal schedule, she'd been forced to wait until later on in the morning to get it in.

Typically, when she worked out, it was early enough in the morning that she was rarely seen by others, and that was the reason why she'd never really given much thought to her workout attire before. But because of the late start, she could practically feel the eyes of others on her as she started to make her way through the base, and she knew that it had to do with her sporting compression shorts and sports bra instead of her normal Mandalorian armor.

She tried her best to ignore all of the ogling, but it quickly became extremely difficult. She was never one to want that kind of attention on herself. Her artwork, sure, but never herself. She wasn't a piece of meat or some pretty object for everyone to desire over, she was a warrior, and she needed her bodysuit and armor back on before someone she actually knew spotted her or she'd never live it down. She was certain of it.

Unfortunately for Sabine, luck was not on her side. "That's an interesting look."

It was Wini. She took solace in the fact that least it wasn't some leering boy who would try hitting on her, or worse, a member of the Ghost crew. "Hey Wini," She replied. "It's a little warm for a workout, and I thought I could get it in without being noticed, but I guess not."

"Well, I'd hurry it up then, because you're definitely going to turn some heads looking like that," Wini said with a smile on her face. "If I were into girls, I'd have a hard time looking away. I knew being a Mandalorian that you'd be in great shape, but I never would've guessed you'd be this ripped. You look amazing."

Sabine appreciated the compliment, but she still felt incredibly uncomfortable about receiving praise for her physical appearance. She needed to end the conversation quickly so she could escape before someone else she knew…"Wow, Sabine." Came Ezra's voice from behind her as he approached the two of them.

Sabine visibly winced. Ezra was the absolute last person she wanted to see her in such a state of undress. She felt naked as it was without her armor on, and this just made it so much worse. Surely Ezra was going to drop some dumb pick-up line or spout off some lame attempt at flirting.

"She just finished her workout." Wini offered when she realized that Sabine had no intention of saying anything.

"Huh," was Ezra's only response externally. On the inside, he was struggling to keep from staring. He knew Sabine would hate it, even as beautiful as she was, and he also had to fight himself to keep from saying something she'd obviously think was dumb too. But the only thing he could come up with was to try and change the subject. "Did you get us a speeder, Wini?"

"Yep," she confirmed. "We're all set if you're ready."

"Wait, you're both going out somewhere?" Sabine asked. A part of her was surprised that Ezra seemed to completely disregard the skimpy outfit she was in, and she was only further surprised by realizing how much that actually hurt her pride. After all the years of Ezra chasing after her, she figured he would be practically drooling at getting to see more of her skin, and in reality, he wasn't even giving her the time of day.

"Well, since I'm allowed to train again and no one's willing to spar with me yet, Wini asked if she could come and watch some Jedi training," Ezra answered.

"I've never gotten to see a Jedi train before, and I thought it'd be interesting," Wini added.

Sabine frowned a bit. While she too had caught herself admiring some early times when Kanan first began training Ezra, there was this feeling deep in the pit of her stomach that told her watching a Jedi train wasn't the only reason Wini wanted to tag along.

"I'm ready," Ezra said. "We should probably get going."

"I'll be right behind you," Wini said, as she pointed out the speeder just a few paces away from them. She waited until Ezra was just out of earshot before turning fully to the other female. "You know, I was beginning to think the other girls were right about getting Ezra's attention."

"What do you mean?" Sabine asked. Other girls? Why were there seemingly multiple girls who craved attention from Ezra? When did this start happening?

"Oh, come on Sabine," Wini chuckled in disbelief. "All of the girls on base think he's cute, and they've all said the same things."

"What things?"

"You seriously don't know?" Wini asked in surprise, to which Sabine nodded in confirmation. She had no idea what Wini was referring to.

"That you're the only one he's ever had eyes for," Wini explained. "But from what I've seen, you haven't even tried making a move, and if you're not interested, then he should be fair game. Wish me luck."

Sabine was instantly angered. She wanted to say something, but Wini ran off to the speeder before she could think of what to say. While she believed that Wini was a good person, Sabine didn't think Ezra and Wini would be a good fit. Ezra took too many risks, and he needed someone strong who could always have his back. That just wasn't Wini.

"I'll see you later Sabine." He said as he briefly stopped the speeder in front of her. Wini seemed comfortable sitting behind him, with her arms securely around his waist, and that managed to infuriate her more. However, once again she didn't get a word in as Ezra offered a two-fingered salute before they took off, heading outside of the base perimeter to only Ezra knew where.

Before they were even out of sight, Sabine was absolutely fuming. She was hurt, angry, confused. Sabine was so distracted by the emotions rolling through her that she didn't even notice the male Rebels who continued to ogle her as she stormed off toward the Ghost, and a few of them weren't even trying to be subtle about their enjoying of the view. There were even a couple of other unfortunate Rebels who went as far as trying to get her attention, hoping at the very least for a few more moments of viewing pleasure, but she wasn't having any of that either.

Sabine didn't even respond to Hera as she marched into the Ghost, but Hera could easily see that Sabine was upset and followed after her. "What's wrong, Sabine," she asked as the young Mandalorian headed straight into her quarters.

"Nothing," Sabine muttered as she began to pace back and forth before punching a wall. "Why would I need to be angry? He can do whatever he damn well pleases."

"Who?"

"And so what if she's interested in him." Sabine continued, ignoring Hera's question. "It's not like I wanted anything more than friendship with him."

At that, Hera stepped into Sabine's path and grabbed her attention by placing both hands on Sabine's shoulders. "What is going on?"

"Wini is interested in Ezra." Sabine reluctantly answered. "And apparently there are other girls who are interested too, but were all too scared of me to try. As if I would be the reason for them to stay away from him."

"Well Sabine, Ezra hasn't exactly made it a secret that he was been interested in you," Hera said, a smile beginning to grow on her face. "And you two do work well together, so it isn't surprising that they would think something was going on between the two of you."

"But I've never even done anything to show that I was interested," Sabine said. "I didn't even want him to be interested in me in the first place!"

"I know it's not your fault, Sabine," Hera said, trying to calm the young woman's emotions. "You just have to put yourself in their position is all I'm saying. You're a Mandalorian woman who caught Ezra's eye very early on. Your warrior heritage is most likely the reason why others think you wouldn't appreciate public displays of affection, not to mention I'd think something was wrong if another girl wasn't intimidated by you if they had any reason to believe you two might be together."

"That certainly isn't stopping Wini," Sabine grumbled.

"Well, Wini has been coming around ever since we rescued Ezra from the mission they were both injured on." Hera explained.

"She's been coming around here, spending time with Ezra?" Sabine asked.

"You didn't know?" Hera answered with another question, and Sabine shook her head in response. "At first it was to thank him for saving her life, but I think she's still been coming around. But if she is interested, what's there to be upset about? Maybe she can make him happy. Besides, you did say that you aren't interested in him in that way. Unless you didn't actually mean that."

"No, no," Sabine said. "I meant it."

Hera was right. She wasn't interested in Ezra like that and she had no reason to be angry. If Wini was interested in Ezra and he felt the same toward her, then who was Sabine to be angry about it. It made complete sense, but then why was she still so angry about it? Why was she so hurt that Ezra didn't even really look at her when she was so exposed physically?

Wini marveled as Ezra continued to hold himself upside down by one hand. He'd been at it for quite some time, and with it being his first day of physical training since his injury, she found herself wondering just how much better shape he'd been in before. She was also impressed by the sight of him simultaneously floating some heavy boulders around him too.

She subconsciously licked her lips as she continued to watch, the muscles in Ezra's bare arms on full display for her viewing pleasure. While his powers with the Force were certainly impressive, that was definitely not the reason she was there with him.

Wini had become completely smitten with Ezra ever since she was told about how he saved her from almost certain death. She'd heard from some of the other girls about how attractive they all thought he was, and she had to agree. But like the others, she also initially believed the rumors that there was something going on between Ezra and Sabine.

However, she wasn't simply one to just take someone's word over what she could see for herself, and what she saw was that if there had been something going on between Sabine and Ezra, it either ended or at the very least had soured incredibly. And that was the only opening she needed. Plus, if Ezra's initial response to a little kiss on the cheek was any indication, then things seemed to be going the direction she was hoping for.

She continued to watch him as Ezra slowly transitioned over to his other hand before rising back up on his fingertips. Only this time there was a slight quivering she could make out as he began to struggle, but she was still quite impressed.

"What you're doing is amazing," she said. "Especially if you take into account all the time you haven't been able to train."

"I've got some ground to make up," he responded as he began to lose his grip on the boulders floating around him. He held on for as long as he could, but eventually, everything including him dropped to the ground. Ezra couldn't believe how much weaker he'd become over just a few short weeks. He was winded even from the amount of effort he'd been putting into the workout, and needed to catch his breath as he continued to sit on the ground.

"Well, if that is what you call being behind, then I can't wait to see what you can do when you're back to full strength," Wini replied.

"How about you help me with one last thing before I call it a day?" Ezra asked.

"Sure," Wini excitedly said as she jumped to her feet. "Just tell me what you want me to do."

"Take out your blaster and shoot at me," He answered quickly.

"What?" Wini asked in disbelief. That was something she hadn't expected him to say.

"It's part of my training," Ezra answered as if it was no big deal. "You shoot at me, and I'll deflect the blasts with my lightsaber. The goal is to direct the blasts where I want to, but for today I'll settle for sending them all up into the sky."

"Are you sure?" She asked in concern.

"Definitely," Ezra answered confidently. " I need the practice, but don't worry, I'll be fine."

Wini was still unsure but complied with his request as she pulled out her blaster, took aim, and squeezed the trigger. The result only added to her entertainment and admiration, as Ezra's lightsaber came to life, and with an upward swing, he sent her blaster bolt into the sky above him.

She knew that during missions with Ezra, it was very likely that he did this regularly and she would've had to seen him doing this, but that was in the heat of the moment, preventing her from truly appreciating this specific talent of his.

She assumed being a Jedi had to help with his reflexes or else he'd be like anyone else, and be either too early or too late to deflect the bolt. But he was a Jedi and because of that, he could send the blaster bolts away from him, and so she squeezed the trigger again and again, and enjoyed the display Ezra put on.

After her brief conversation with Hera, Sabine tried to keep her focus on completing her assigned duties around the base. She found that it was a little easier to do this once she had changed into her armor, but still, every once in a while, she would catch herself looking out to the base perimeter in the hopes of spotting a returning speeder.

And each time, Sabine wanted to slap herself silly because she knew the real reason behind it. She wasn't looking out there out of concern for Ezra's well-being. No, her problem was about the company he was keeping. She just couldn't quite work past the emotions that she wasn't used to dealing with.

Ezra hadn't ever shown an interest in another girl before aside from Sabine, and he'd never asked anyone aside from members of the Ghost crew to help him with any of his training before either. That caused Sabine to assume Wini was getting close to Ezra, and in Sabine's opinion, a little too close.

But thinking like that allowed Sabine's mind to start wandering again. At first, she wandered just how Ezra might've been like before he joined the Ghost crew. For the first time, she pondered on if perhaps he used those lame pickup lines or his attempts at flirting on girls before her? Had they worked? Or did he even need to resort to that before he'd met Sabine? Perhaps he used them on her because she was the first girl who didn't show a romantic interest in him and that was why he tried them on her.

Did he perhaps use those same tactics on Wini? No, she quickly decided with a shake of her head. That wasn't the type of person she knew Ezra to be. If he'd been some type of player or womanizer, surely she would've seen it quite some time ago. Besides, the pickup lines he did try on her were completely corny at best and atrocious at worst, which meant he couldn't have that much experience or success with them.

Also, as she'd gotten to know him better, she came to realize that he wasn't just some loth-rat who only looked out for himself, but rather he was a compassionate soul who'd been given the rough end of it for a large chunk of his life. Without having his parents around, there'd been no one else to step up and protect him until he'd already more than doubled in age. It understandably took him some time to move out of his natural instinct to do what he needed just to survive, but when he did, that was when she saw who he really was.

Before she realized it, AP-5 had managed to sneak up on her while she was still reflecting. "Is this the type of work ethic I can expect from all of the Rebels?" He whined, which was what she needed to be snapped back to reality.

"No AP," She responded with a frustrated sigh. "I've just got some things on my mind right now. So, where were we?"

"We were about to inventory all of the remaining munitions after the previous mission's completion." He answered. "As the so-called weapons expert, you were supposed to review and confirm what will need to be replenished."

"Alright then. Let's get started." Sabine replied while giving one last look to the base perimeter before following the droid.

What Sabine didn't know was that if she'd kept looking for just a few more seconds, she would have spotted Ezra and Wini's speeder popping into view as they returned to base.

Once they were within the perimeter, Ezra parked the speeder in its designated location before offering his hand to help Wini dismount the bike. While she didn't need the assistance, she still appreciated the gesture, and graciously took his offered hand as she climbed off. For a split second, she considered trying to lace their fingers together, but didn't want to ruin all the progress she'd made with Ezra by getting greedy.

Her plan was to play the slow game. She knew how crushes worked, and assumed Ezra may bulk at anyone if they were too aggressive in pursuing Ezra. He needed to see that there were options as good as, if not better than Sabine for him to be open about dating someone else.

So somewhat reluctantly, when Ezra's hand began to loosen around hers, she released her hold as well. "Thank you for letting me come with you," she said to him with a friendly smile. "It was a really interesting experience, and I hope we can do that again sometime. I had fun."

"Me too," he responded with a friendly smile. "It was nice having someone out there to talk to."

"If I'd known that you were on your own out there or that you'd say yes, I would've asked to come a long time ago. I just always thought that you and the older Jedi, Kanan I think his name is, were always out there together."

"It is Kanan," Ezra confirmed, disappointment laced in his voice. "And we used to go train together a lot, but it hasn't been like that since he lost his sight."

Wini saw and heard the distinct change in Ezra's demeanor. It was almost palpable. He'd been in such a good mood up until Kanan's name was brought up, and she instantly wanted to kick herself for it. "I'm sorry," She said. "I didn't know that he wasn't going anymore, and that it was a sore subject for you."

"It's alright," Ezra responded, managing to plaster a fake smile on his face even though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "I know you didn't mean anything by it, and besides, maybe it's actually a blessing in disguise, having to training alone. Without Kanan there, I had to learn how to become stronger on my own, and I didn't have anything or anyone to fall back on as a crutch or to have as an excuse."

"Well, from what I saw just now, I'd say that you've done an excellent job." Wini offered in encouragement. "I know that I was impressed by what you can do, and not just from seeing you train today. You were impressive out in the field too."

"Speaking of," Ezra said. "We should probably see what's left to do for today. I don't know about you, but I don't want to have any daily tasks assigned to me be the reason I'm not allowed to be a part of the next mission."

Wini was hesitant to agree, not wanting their time together to end, but she knew Ezra was right. She also knew just how driven he was to be involved with any mission, his belief that his abilities were an asset the Rebels had been missing for the past few weeks already. She had to remind herself internally again that the correct play was to take things slowly. She wanted to make sure she had a solid plan in place too, and wanted to talk to someone about the next steps to take in advancing things to something with more intimacy between herself and the younger Jedi.

So, after saying their farewells, Wini departed in what didn't seem to be anything other than a random, general direction to Ezra as he stood there watching her leave. Once she was out of sight, he started to make his way toward the Ghost and the Holocron.

He didn't even make it five steps before a "Hey kid!" shout came from behind him, informing him that Zeb was approaching. When he was within reach, the Lasat slapped Ezra on the shoulder. "You know kid, that moment right there with the girl," he said. "If you were looking for the right time to kiss the girl, that was it."

"What?" Ezra asked in confusion and a little surprise as well. "What are you talking about?"

"She wanted you to kiss her." Zeb pointed out as though it should've been the most obvious thing in the galaxy for anyone to notice.

"No," Ezra denied. "She could get anyone she wants. She's just still being thankful because she thinks I saved her life."

"For once kid, you and I agree on something," Zeb responded with a wicked grin on his face. "She can get anyone she wants, but what you're missing is that you fall into that group. And who she wants right now, flawed as her logic must be, is you kid."

A/N: Wow. I have to admit, this chapter was a bit of a struggle. I planned to have it published by the end of last week, but ended up basically rewriting it because I didn't like the flow of it when I was proofreading it. I'm sure I missed some stuff here with all the new material, so I'm preemptively apologizing for the glaring grammatical errors I'm sure are in here. I hope I haven't lost all of those of you who read and were kind enough to review in the first few chapters.

Up next, Ezra is back in action, and the jealousy bug continues to grow for both Sabine and Ezra.