Chapter 17

Two days after the duel, Sabine was summoned to her mother's quarters while she was having lunch with Ezra. When she arrived, Ursa was standing in front of an armor stand.

"Mother? You wished to see me?" Sabine asked.

"I did," she said. "It's been a couple days and Bridger seems relaxed again, so I figured it's time."

Sabine gave her mother a blank stare, "What do you mean it's time?"

"Sabine," Ursa started. She uncovered the armor and continued to speak. "I wore this armor when I married your father. And I know you wanted to wear this armor during your wedding with Bridger. I believe it's time for you to at least try it on."

Sabine smiled and gave her mother a big hug. "Thank you, mother."

Ursa helped Sabine put on the armor, and once they were finished, Sabine finally looked in a mirror, and gasped.

"It's like... Like I was meant to wear it," Sabine said, inspecting every inch of the armor.

"Well you are my daughter, after all. When's the ceremony?" Ursa asked, glad that her daughter loves the armor.

"Maybe in a couple days... I'll have to ask Ezra," Sabine replied.

Ursa smiled, and Max walked in. "Sabine... Whoa!"

"Max?" Sabine asked, laughing a little.

"That armor fits you perfectly! You look great!" Max said.

"Thank you. But what do you think Ezra would say?" Sabine asked.

"If anything, he would be speechless," Max said, but she was blushing softly.

"Mother, can I talk to Max alone?" Sabine requested. She noticed Max's light blush and wants to know why.

"Of course," Ursa said as she walked out of the room.

"Alright, who is he?" Sabine asked, crossing her arms, her face putting on a teasing grin.

"I-I don't know who you're talking about," Max said.

"Come on, you like somebody... and it's not anybody from our clan," Sabine said matter of factly.

"If I tell you, please don't get mad," Max said.

"I promise I won't," Sabine said.

"I... might have a crush on Ezra..." Max said, trying to control her voice.

Sabine stared at Max, "You like Ezra?"

Max had a fearful look in her eyes. "Y-Yes, I do... I could see why you love him, and I guess I developed an attachment to him too... But I know he's yours and I don't want do get between what you two have."

Sabine's eyes softened, but Max wasn't done, "You don't hate me, do you? I mean, I've heard how you react with Delphine, and I don't want that from you or Ezra."

"Does he know?" Sabine asked.

"I don't think so... but I plan to keep it that way. I don't want to make things awkward between us," Max said.

Sabine was silent for a few moments. She didn't know how to deal with this situation.

"I'm pretty sure there's plenty of other guys out there for you, Max. Whether he's Mandalorian or not," Sabine said, placing a hand on Max's shoulder.

"I couldn't keep hiding it for much longer... I'm glad I could get that off my chest," Max sighed, seemingly relieved she could talk to somebody about it.

"I'm glad you said something to me. As long as you can control yourself..." Sabine said.

"Oh come on, you're talking to me. I have great control," Max said laughing.

"You've always thought first before acting haven't you?" Sabine asked.

"Yeah. By the way, Sabine," Max started. "Considering that Delphine is still confirmed missing, I will help you and Ezra anytime."

"You mean like a bodyguard?" Sabine asked, liking the sound of the idea.

"Something like that. I can keep a close eye on you and Ezra whenever you have a mission," Max said.

"What about the rest of your squad?" Sabine asked then.

"We've talked about it and they'd be more than happy to join," Max said, smiling.

"Alright, well I can talk to mother and see what she has to say about it," Sabine said.

Max gave Sabine a big hug. "Thank you. And thank you for understanding."

"It's no problem, really," Sabine said, returning the hug.

"Did I mention Ezra would about die if he saw you right now?" Max said, laughing.

"I think you said something like that," Sabine replied.

"Hey, Ezra!" a voice called.

Ezra turned around from checking the systems of the Starbird when he heard his name. He saw Jax standing halfway across the hangar.

"Jax, what's up?" Ezra called back.

"You want some help with that?"

"Yes please," Ezra said, only to get a smack in the leg by an annoying astromech droid.

"GAH! Chopper! He can help, too!" Ezra yelled.

The orange-headed droid grumbled, but strolled away when Jax walked up.

"Having trouble with your droid?" he asked.

"Yeah. Chopper's always getting into trouble," Ezra replied, glaring at the droid.

"What are you working on?" Jax asked then.

"Just double checking the systems. Who knows what Derrick could have done to this ship," Ezra said.

"Yeah, Derrick was a jerk and everything, but he wouldn't mess with this masterpiece," Jax said, looking at the Starbird's design. "Who designed it?"

"Sabine," Ezra said, smiling. He remembered that day Sabine started painting the ship. That night was a good night as well, even though she was covered in paint.

"Sabine painted this?" Jax asked, impressed. "She's always been a great artist, but to think she painted this whole ship!"

"She came to me when she was done, though it was in the middle of the night, and passed out on my chest. She was covered in paint," Ezra said.

"That's easy to believe. She's always been the artist around here," Jax said laughing.

"Can you check the shield generator for me, make sure it's not overloading?" Ezra asked.

"Why would the shield generator overload?" Jax replied.

"Just... something Delphine did once," Ezra said.

"Oh... ok, yeah," Jax said. He climbed to the top of the Starbird and opened an external panel to the shield generator. He connected a datapad to the shield's power relays and looked at the results.

"Looks good. Nothing wrong here," Jax said.

"Ok, good..." Ezra went quiet for a moment. "Weapons, shields... Everything looks good."

"I don't see any explosives on the hull either, if that's another thing you're looking for," Jax explained.

"Everything looks just fine. I guess I'm getting paranoid," Ezra said. He doesn't sense anything wrong with the ship either.

"So, what's going on between you and Max?" Jax started, catching Ezra off guard.

"The hell you talking about? Nothing's going on between us," Ezra said.

"Are you sure? She seems to have taken a liking to you," Jax said.

"What do you mean?" Ezra asked, oblivious to the whole thing.

"Come on, she blushes a little when she's near you, she's constantly worrying for you. I know she knows you and Sabine are getting married, but still. What did you do to make her like you so much all of a sudden?" Jax asked.

"I was just doing what I was supposed to do: Finish a mission and protect my friends, well more accurately, soon-to-be family," Ezra explained.

"It's because he puts others before himself. He's willing to sacrifice himself to protect everybody he can," Sabine said, walking up to the two. Max was not far behind.

Sabine already changed back into her normal armor, not wanting Ezra to see her in the other armor until the wedding.

"Wait, you weren't kidding were you, Jax?" Ezra asked.

Max blushed a bit, "He wasn't..."

"She talked to me about it," Sabine began. "She doesn't want to make things awkward between us, so she thought you should know."

"I don't see anything wrong about it," Ezra said, but he quickly added something that made everybody relax a bit. "I mean, there's so many rebels back home that have a crush on me, so you're not the first. I'm not worried about it."

Max sighed, "That's a relief."

Sabine stood next to Ezra then, "So, what are you up to?"

"I was checking the systems on the Starbird, making sure Derrick didn't screw with it. So far, it's all clear," Ezra said.

Sabine smiled, "Good, because it took me hours to paint it."

She planted a kiss on Ezra's lips before staring into his blue eyes, forgetting that Max and Jax were watching the whole thing, smiling.

"So, Master Jetii," Sabine said. "When should we start the wedding?"

"I was thinking a couple days from now, if that's ok with you," Ezra said.

"I thought you would say that," Sabine replied. "Because that's what I was thinking, too."

Ezra tensed and placed a hand on his head, and groaned a bit.

"Ezra? Ezra, what is it?" Sabine asked. Max instantly ran to his other side and pulled out a medical scanner.

"It's nothing... just a memory," Ezra said.

"It's about that duel the other day... isn't it?" Sabine asked, worried.

Ezra slowly nodded.

"Ezra you don't have to worry about that anymore. You're not in any trouble," Sabine said, holding his hands.

"It's not that... I just hate the memory of how I did it. I'm not scared, just..." Ezra couldn't find the right word.

"We all know you didn't want to do it, but you did what you had to do. You said so yourself, you won't kill unless it's necessary. That moment was necessary for your survival, Ezra," Sabine said.

Max put away her medical scanner. "You did what was right."

Ezra frowned, "I never said what I did was wrong. I just..."

Sabine caressed his scarred cheek, running her thumb over the new scar across his nose. "We understand, love. I understand."

She rested her head on his chest, pulling her fiancé into a hug.

*The next day*

"Hey Sabine?" Ezra called from the refresher. They had just woken up after sleeping in for half of the morning.

"Yes dear?" Sabine answered, smiling at her own answer.

"Where's Hera and Kanan?" he asked. "I haven't seen them since I left for that outpost."

Sabine froze, surprised he still doesn't know.

"Wait, you're telling me you don't know?" she asked. She walked into the refresher to see Ezra, naked from the waist up. He had been inspecting his new scar, apparently making faces in the mirror to see how he looked.

"Don't know about what?" Ezra asked, now getting worried.

Sabine grinned, "Ezra Bridger, you are in on one hell of a surprise."

Ezra gave Sabine a blank stare. "Sabine?"

She grabbed his hands and led him to the medical bay. On the way there, they ran into Max.

"Max, give me a hand will you?" Sabine called.

"What do you need help with now?" Max asked, laughing.

"Ezra here will not keep his eyes closed," Sabine explained. "You wouldn't happen to have something to cover them would you?"

Max grinned, "As a matter of fact, I do." She held up a cloth, perfect for a blindfold.

"Is this really necessary?" Ezra asked as Max tied the blindfold over his eyes.

"I don't know, maybe it is a bit much," Max said, though her tone was obviously showing she was still siding with Sabine.

"Alright, you know where we're taking him?" Sabine asked.

"Considering you're headed over... there," she began, pointing to the med center. "I'd say you're going for a visit."

"Right," Sabine said.

"You're scaring me, Sabine," Ezra said.

Sabine giggled, "Don't worry, love. I'm not taking you in for a checkup." She kissed him softly, then continued leading him to the medical center.

"Alright, now..." Sabine took the blindfold off. "Open your eyes!"

Ezra opened his eyes and froze. He saw Hera and Kanan, both smiling at something.

"They've been here this whole time?" Ezra asked.

"Yup. The doctor hasn't cleared Hera to leave and Kanan refuses to leave her side," Sabine explained.

"What's wrong with Hera?" Ezra asked.

"Let's go in and find out," Sabine said, grinning, and giving him a wink.

Sabine walked into the room, with Ezra close behind her.

"Hera!" Sabine said, quietly.

Hera turned around and saw Ezra and Sabine both standing in front of her.

"Sabine, Ezra. What are you two doing here?" she asked, though happy to see them.

"Ezra wanted to know what's going on," Sabine explained, glancing over to him, a smirk on her face.

"Wait, he still doesn't know?" Hera asked. Then she saw the new scar on Ezra's face. "Ezra, what happened to your face?"

"Well uh... While I was on my way back from the mission," Ezra started. "We ran into a problem."

"What kind of problem?"

"An assassin showed up and if it wasn't for Kanan's training, my squad and I wouldn't be here," Ezra said. "The assassin had a lightsaber, but he wasn't Force sensitive. He caught me off guard and... well, assassin with a lightsaber and a new scar... I'm sure you caught my point."

Hera nodded. "Well it's good you're alright. Also, how's your side?"

Ezra grimaced, the pain still fresh in his memory.

"He, uh... doesn't want to talk about that, but his side is doing fine," Sabine answered for him.

"I bet. I heard all about it. It must have been hard on him despite the fact he didn't like the guy," Hera said, referring to the duel between Ezra and the late Mandalorian traitor, Derrick.

"I'm slowly getting over it. It's nothing compared to what Sabine went through just months ago," Ezra said.

It was Sabine's turn to grimace, "Please... don't remind me."

"I'm not trying to, dear," Ezra said, a sly grin on his face.

"But back to the point," Hera started. "Ezra, would you like to meet Dawn?"

Ezra blinked. "Who's Dawn?"

Hera smiled, then turned to Kanan. "Kanan, dear."

Kanan turned around then. He only heard his name being called, the rest of the conversation was unknown to him. In his arms was a small, light green, baby Twi'lek. Ezra's eyes grew wide.

"Is that a baby?" he asked.

Kanan nodded, "It's our baby. Hera's and mine."

"I-I-I didn't know you were..." Ezra stammered.

"Nobody did. She never showed the symptoms either which is rare," Sabine said.

"You... have..." Ezra could barely process it.

"Yes, love. They have a child," Sabine said, trying to stifle a laugh but failing. "But don't forget, in just a few months..." She added, placing her hands on her own swollen belly.

"H-How old is she?" Ezra asked.

"Around 4 days," Hera answered, now taking the newborn Twi'lek in her arms. "Very early morning. Same day you and your squad returned."

"How did I not hear about this?" Ezra asked.

"It's you we're talking about, dear," Sabine teased, interlacing her fingers with his.

"It gets better," Kanan said.

"How so?" Ezra asked.

"Dawn is also Force sensitive," Kanan said, obviously excited about it.

"So she can be trained as a Jedi?" Ezra asked, also excited.

"Exactly. Which reminds me, A Jedi cannot have two Padawans," Kanan said.

Ezra didn't get it for a second, but then it clicked.

"You don't mean..." he started.

"Yes, eventually you will have to pass some trials to become a Knight... how we'll get you to actually do those Trials I don't know yet," Kanan said.

Ezra thought for a moment, then he had an idea. "Remember that day when you were promoted to Jedi Knight?"

Kanan stared at his padawan... or at least, as much as he could since he's blind. "Yes, actually I do. What's your point?"

"We were in a temple when that happened. Maybe if we find another one the same thing could happen for me," Ezra said.

Kanan placed a hand on his chin, thinking. "Well, I have run out of things to teach you. I believe you could be ready in a few years at best."

"A few years?" Ezra asked.

"We'll see what we can do in... maybe 2 years?" Kanan said.

Ezra shrugged, "I'm alright with that."

"Besides, lover boy, you have me to think about, too," Sabine said, a playful tone in her voice.

Ezra chuckled, "Yes dear."

Later that day, Ezra and Sabine were enjoying a walk... or trying to. It was a lot colder that day than usual, but that's also because it was about winter on Krownest. (And yes I mean seasonal)

"Is your suit helping?" Sabine asked Ezra.

"A lot, but my face feels frozen," he replied.

"Well, mine isn't working too well," Sabine lied. She just wanted an excuse to be close to Ezra, not that she needed one or anything.

Ezra stared at his fiancé, and smiled. She was holding his arm, her head on his shoulder, her hand in his. He knew she was lying, but he didn't care.

"I still can't believe we're about to get married," he said.

Sabine was smiling, her eyes closed, enjoying the closeness. "And to think just a few years ago you wouldn't stop flirting with me."

"Hey I didn't know what I was doing back then... or how to do it," Ezra said.

Sabine adjusted her head so her chin was in his shoulder so she was looking at him.

"Well after a while, you certainly got the hang of it, and won me over," she said.

"I thought I won you over when I almost died," Ezra said. Sabine didn't wince this time, since mentioning the incident barely bothered her anymore.

"No you started winning me over ever since I accidentally slept with you that night we were sorting files," Sabine said.

Ezra blinked, "Wait you started realizing you had feelings that night?"

"No, I was too tired to even get to my room, and I wasn't thinking right. But that was the best choice I ever made," Sabine said, giggling. "Besides, everything started getting wild for me when you helped me train."

"You mean when..." Ezra began.

Sabine nodded, "Yes when you helped me with my stance."

Ezra looked like he was going to apologize, but Sabine didn't let him. "Don't you dare apologize. If anything I would've loved it if you did that more often."

Ezra started to blush, not quite sure how to respond to that.

Sabine stepped in front of him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She stared into his blue eyes and he into her golden brown eyes.

"The real thing you should be not believing, is the fact it's not me and you getting married, but the fact that a Jedi and a Mandalorian are getting married, with the full approval of the Mandalorian's family," Sabine said, smiling. Her eyes seemed to be sparkling.

"That's true," Ezra said, nodding.

Sabine placed her hands on the back of Ezra's head and slowly pulled him down into a kiss.

Hera, Kanan, and Ezra's Mandalorian squad were watching from a distance.

"So you getting jealous yet?" Coren asked Max, teasingly.

"Not really," she replied truthfully. "He's not really my type anyway."

Hera elbowed Kanan in the chest, "Why didn't you do this with me as often as those two?"

Kanan shrugged, "You were busy most of the time."

"That's no excuse, Master Jedi," Hera said.

"Hey you two already have a child so that alone should make up for it," Max pointed out.

Kanan gave Hera a grin, "She does have a point."

Hera sighed, but leaned into Kanan a bit more, "I guess you're right."

"Hey guys, they're breaking apart!" Jax called.

Everybody turned back to the couple in the distance.

"Ezra? What is it?" Sabine asked when he broke the kiss.

"We're being watched," he said.

"By who?" Sabine asked, getting annoyed.

"By Kanan, Hera... and my squad," Ezra said. He looked right at them, even though Sabine couldn't see them.

"Uh oh..." Jax said.

"Uh oh is right," Kanan said. "He's onto us."

"We should go... they deserve their privacy," Hera said.

They all retreat to the mess hall to get something to eat.

"Alright, they're gone," Ezra said.

Sabine placed a hand on Ezra's scarred cheek, "It's about time... Now, where were we?"

Ezra grinned as he pulled Sabine's face up to his, continuing their passionate kiss.

After about 2 minutes of kissing, Sabine pulls back to take a breath.

"We should get inside. It's only going to get colder from here," Sabine said.

"Not arguing against that," Ezra said, chuckling.

Sabine laughed with him, and then felt a kick.

"Ezra!" she said, grabbing his hands and placing them on her belly. He felt a kick on his palm then, making him smile.

"Sabine..." he said, smiling.

"Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum, Ezra Bridger," she said.

He grinned, "Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum, Sabine Wren..." He then quickly added, "Bridger."

Sabine giggled. She's never heard her name like that before, but she loved the sound of it.

"Well," she began, a playful tone in her voice. "What shall we do today, dear?"

"I was thinking some lunch first. I'm starving!" Ezra answered.

"You and me, both," she said then. "Actually I think all three of us are hungry."

After they had some lunch, Sabine felt a bit tired so Ezra and Sabine went to sleep early. Everything else went on as normal and before anybody knew it... it was wedding day.

"Whoa calm down, Commander," Wedge said. Ezra was wearing formal clothing (No details considering I have no kriffing idea what he would be wearing) and started getting very nervous.

"Enough with the formality, Wedge!" Ezra said, pacing. "We're off duty, remember?"

"I know, but it's fun getting on your nerves sometimes," Wedge said.

"Really now?" Ezra started, but then he had an idea. He started grinning, "So... how's things with... Katherine?"

Wedge blushed, but instantly started glaring at Ezra, "What is that supposed to mean?"

Ezra shrugged, "Oh I don't know. I mean, everybody knows what you two do at night."

Wedge stared at his friend, clueless. "What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb, Wedge. You and her almost flip over a ship because you make it rock so hard!" Ezra said, trying not to laugh.

Wedge and Katherine blushed.

"I'll um... go check on Sabine," Katherine said, quickly running out of the room.

"Come on man, you're just making us feel uncomfortable!" Wedge exclaimed.

"Welcome to my world," Ezra said with outstretched arms.

Wedge sighed, "Why do I still hang out with you?"

Ezra grinned as he slapped his shoulder, "Come on, Wedge. Seriously, you don't feel anything for Katherine?"

Wedge had a sudden interest in his shoes, but he was rubbing the back of his neck. "Well I..."

Ezra stared at Wedge, waiting for a response.

"She's nice and all... but I don't know if she likes me in that way," he finally said.

"Go for it, man," Ezra said. "I may not be an expert on this, but I've been around Sabine long enough to figure things out. She's definitely into you."

Wedge sighed, "I don't know man..."

Ezra placed a hand on Wedge's shoulder, "Try it. There's been so many more nights I could have had with Sabine if I asked her out sooner than I did. Trust me, Katherine feels the same for you as you do for her."

Wedge smiled softly, "Alright, I'll give it a shot."

"There we go, now you're getting it," Ezra said.

"Yeah yeah, but don't get your hopes up. Besides you also have a wedding to get ready for," Wedge said.

Meanwhile, Katherine was checking up with Sabine. She entered the room and stopped, seeing her in the new armor.

"Sabine, you look beautiful," Katherine said.

Sabine blushed, "Thank you. I hope Ezra likes it."

"Are you kidding? Ezra will love it!" Max said. She was also there, helping Sabine get ready.

"I agree. I mean he wouldn't care what you wear," Katherine said.

Sabine only blushed a bit more, "Thanks you guys."

Sabine's armor was a bit whiter than anything, and it had some fabrics between the gaps in the armor. The white fabric also fell freely around her legs, almost like a normal dress, but not quite. The fabrics were translucent: not all see through, but not a solid white either.

"By the way, Katherine," Sabine started. "How's things between you and Wedge? I hear you two have been really lovey dovey lately.

Katherine blushed, "I-It's not like that..."

"Really?" Sabine continued. "I mean; I've seen how you two look at each other. And you are pretty close, too."

"Y-Yeah but... weren't you and Ezra that close?" Katherine asked, trying to counter everything Sabine threw at her.

"As close as you and Wedge are? Not until just before me and Ezra started dating," Sabine answered.

Katherine looked down at her shoes, her hands behind her back and feet crossed. She was obviously nervous about this particular subject.

"Well? Do you feel something for Wedge or not?" Sabine asked then.

"I uh… I don't know. He's a good guy and all but…" Katherine said.

Sabine crossed her arms, a grin growing. "Go for it, Katherine. If you wait to ask him out, then you'll be missing out. Trust me, it took a while for both me and Ezra to confess anything."

"Who confessed first?" Max asked Sabine.

"I did. It was… during Ezra's recovery," Sabine said.

"Recovery from what?" Max asked.

Sabine's expression turned a bit sad. Katherine spoke up first.

"It's a very touchy topic for her, actually," she said.

"Oh… I'm sorry," Max said.

"No it's alright," Sabine said. She took a deep breath and began talking.

"We were on an OP to find some data from an Imperial TIE Factory. If anything went wrong, we had it rigged to blow." She paused for a moment before continuing. "Ezra ran back to the building, thinking he could get the data in time. But the timer on my explosives hit their limit…" She choked up a bit. The memory still hurt her, but she didn't panic about it anymore. But there were still nightmares.

Max rested her hand on Sabine's shoulder, "I'm so sorry for asking. You shouldn't feel sad on your wedding day."

Sabine gave Max a sad smile, "You don't have to apologize. The past is the past, and I should focus on today… and the future." Her smile brightened at the thought of raising a family with Ezra. That thought was closer than it seemed. In just 5 more months, she will have a daughter.

Jill walked into the room then, "Hey guys, it's almost time."

Sabine straightened up, "Already?"

Jill grinned, "Yup. Everybody's getting settled in and last I saw; Ezra was rushing down the halls."

Sabine giggled, "He's probably very nervous about this."

"Who wouldn't?" Max asked. "I mean, everybody's nervous on their wedding day!"

"True," Sabine said. "I think I'm ready to go."

Jill smiled, "I'll let everyone know."

Ezra was standing in the front of the crowded room, very nervous. Wedge had to practically bolt his mouth shut because he wouldn't stop talking.

"Damn it Ezra are you really THAT nervous?" Wedge asked.

"You'd be the same way if you were marrying Katherine!" Ezra shot back.

"Whoa buddy, calm down. Take deep breaths," Wedge said.

"I'm sorry, Wedge," Ezra started, but Wedge interrupted.

"Chill, Ezra. I understand," he said.

Pretty soon, the room fell quiet. All the people in the room turned to the back and Sabine was standing in the open doorway. When Ezra saw her, his face turned red, and looked like he was going to pass out. It took everything he had to not run over to her.

Sabine also started blushing as she walked up to the front.

(In all honesty I have no kriffing idea how Mandalorian weddings work so I sincerely apologize for any lack of accuracy… or details for that matter)

After they said their vows, obviously speaking Mando'a, Ezra finally kissed Sabine. Her back was arched back a little as Ezra held her, keeping her from falling while they kissed. The entire room exploded with applause, whistles, and cheers.

Ezra broke the kiss and the newlyweds stared into each other's eyes, smiling brightly and also blushing as hard as they could at that moment.

Here's the 17th chapter of LITR. Sorry if the dialogue was a bit… cheesy. First time writing this in Word documents before the FanFiction site. Normally I copy/paste the finished FanFiction product to a Word document, but since I was without Internet for a few days, due to Christmas traveling, I was forced to write it this way, so it made things more difficult for me, but I managed.

I also wrote a few chapters during my time offline for the very first crossover: Conflicted Galaxies. A Halo/SWR story. I'll have the first chapter uploaded, and for ODST Ezra B., if the storyline is alright with you, I will upload the rest of the finished chapters.