Kanan woke the next morning, his head aching. He and Ezra had stayed up until almost three discussing comics. And while he had enjoyed the bonding moment, he seriously regretted going to bed so late. He was no longer in his twenties.

He entered the kitchen, yawning. Blessedly he could smell coffee brewing. He mumbled a good morning to Ezra and Hera and grabbed a mug, waiting for the machine to finish. Hera sat with her tea in one hand and the day's paper in the other. She was reading intently, her mouth in a flat line.

"Anything interesting?"

Hera sighed, folded the newspaper, and put it down on the table for the other two to see.

"Some Wielder they've named 'The Shadow' robbed another bank last night," she explained. "The only witness is apparently in no condition to talk."

Kanan frowned, though it was mostly due to Ezra's peculiar reaction. He was focused on the article, his jaw clenched. Kanan put his hand on the boy's shoulder "What's wrong?"

"I'm fine," he grumbled. His face relaxed a little, but there was still unmistakable tension in the way he held himself.

"This stuff pisses me off too," Kanan said. "Wielders like this only care about themselves. They're just giving people more reasons to hate us."

Ezra didn't respond. He continued to stare at the newspaper, his eyes cold.

"Kid?"

Ezra shrugged him off. "Is Sabine almost ready?"

Kanan and Hera exchanged a glance. He wanted to press the issue, but she shook her head slightly at him.

"I'm not sure," she replied.

Ezra shoveled the rest of his cereal into his mouth, got up from his seat, and left the kitchen without another word.

Kanan raised an eyebrow. "What's with him?"

"He's been in a mood all morning," she answered. "Said he didn't sleep last night."

It was truly remarkable how Ezra could go from eager to sullen in the span of a few hours. There were brief moments, such as last night, when he thought he'd connected to the kid. He wanted Ezra to view him as someone he could trust. Kriff, was this is what it was like to raise a teenager?

Kanan leaned against the counter, rubbing at his eyes. He'd had plans to sit Ezra down this morning and start practicing mediation, but perhaps he should wait for whatever mood Ezra was in to disappear.

The two teenagers entered the kitchen. "Ezra and I are going to hang out in the city a little bit before my bus," Sabine said.

Hera smiled at that, but Kanan didn't share her excitement. The image of the girl's face from last night flickered through his thoughts. The alarming glint in her eyes when she spoke about Ezra was burned into his brain. "Maybe we should all go."

"Uh…no you guys don't have to," she replied hesitantly.

Hera stood up and nudged him gently in his ribs. Hugging Sabine she said, "you guys have fun and we'll see you next weekend, right?"

Kanan and Hera walked the two to the door. A sinking feeling was growing in Kanan's gut, but he tried to ignore it, telling himself to relax. Ezra wouldn't be alone, he'd be with Sabine. Beside he couldn't keep the kid locked in the apartment.

"Let us know when you get there," he said. "And Ezra, come home straight after. I need to talk to you about something"

Ezra's forehead wrinkled in confusion, but he nodded. Kanan waited for the door to close before he put his arm around Hera.

"You want to tell me what's bothering you?" she asked, nestling against his chest.

He grimaced, pulling her closer. "I'm just worried about the kid."

"Kanan, he'll be fine." She paused, giving him a sly grin, "You know this is the first time in the past few weeks we've had the apartment to ourselves."

He returned her smile and lifted her up, her legs wrapping around his waist. Kissing her softly, he carried her into the bedroom.

"So how often do you stay with Hera and Kanan?" Ezra asked. The two of them were sitting at the bus station, the past few hours having gone by too fast for his liking.

Sabine shrugged. "It depends. My mom gets mad if I do it too often." She raised her voice in a mocking tone. "How come you never visit your real family?"

"You don't get along with you parents?"

"I get along fine with my dad and brother, but my mom is just difficult. I'm closer to Hera and Kanan than I am with them." She paused, studying his face. "Be honest, how do you really feel about living with them?"

"It's still a little weird," he said slowly, trying to sort through his own emotions. "I like them, I do. It's just that I've only known them for a few weeks, but they already treat me like…" he trailed off, uncertain of the word he was looking for.

"Like family?" Sabine asked.

He nodded. "Yeah. Isn't that a little strange?"

She smiled at him. "That's just how they are. I've never met two people who care as much as they do."

An announcement came over the speaker about an arrival. "That's me," Sabine said, and the two of them stood up and headed over to her bus. "I had fun today." She leaned forward. Ezra felt his cheeks burn but he quickly realized all she wanted was to hug him. He returned it and she pulled away sooner than he liked.

"See you next week, Bridger."

He watched her through the window until she was seated and gave her an awkward wave.

When he exited the station, he considered not heading back right away. It still irked him how sometimes Kanan tried to act like a parent. But then he thought back to what Sabine had said and decided to listen. He hadn't been trying to be too difficult with curfew and the like, but he also knew he could be better. After all Hera and Kanan had done for him so far, the least he could do would be to show his gratitude more.

He was about halfway to the apartment when a girl slipped her arm around his. He tried to jerk away, but she tightened her grasp. "Vii?" he asked, recognizing her.

"Play along," she whispered. "There's a man following you."

Ezra twisted his head slightly to peer over his shoulder.

"Don't," she hissed. "Just pretend we're together." She laid her head against his shoulder, the scent of her hair wafting through his nose. It was sharp and unpleasant, but he couldn't quite place why. Almost like how the air smelled right before a lightning strike. He squirmed, but she insisted on holding on to him. "This way," she said, suddenly leading him down an alley to their right.

Ezra felt his heart begin to race. The street was empty and silent with towering buildings blocking out the rest of the city. Vii's grip in his arm strengthened to the point of almost pain. They walked until they came to a high fence. Ezra pulled away, his instincts screaming at him.

"He didn't follow us," Vii said, her words coming out breathlessly. She eyed him. "Hey, a little bit of gratitude would be nice."

"Thanks," he mumbled. Now that they weren't moving, he had time to study her. The whole homeless costume he had first met her in was gone. She wore nice black jeans and an expensive looking leather jacket. What he had first mistaken for a dirty complexion, was rather a dusting of freckles across her nose. Her amber eyes were embellished with smoky red eyeshadow, making her appear significantly older than he had originally believed.

She noticed his stare and smiled. "Like what you see?"

"I—I should get going." He turned to leave, but she grabbed him by the wrist, her fingers wrapping around the small amount of skin exposed between his glove and sleeve. Electricity sparked from her touch and he yelped. Her grip loosened and he fell, landing hard. His entire left arm was numb.

Her gaze shifted to something past him, her mouth twisted in a triumphant sneer. "Told you that would work."

The man from before, the one Kanan had pointed out to him a few weeks ago, stood at the opening of the alley. As he strode toward forward Ezra clambered to his feet. The man reached his hand out toward him.

An invisible force slammed into Ezra, sending him flying backwards. His vision swam as his head made contact with the ground. Everything spun. He tried to sit up, but a foot kicked him in the chest, holding him down. Vii loomed above him, her expression hungry.

"For one so pretty, you aren't very smart." She laughed and held her palm open. The man handed her something small and long. Kneeling down beside Ezra, she grabbed him by his shirt and hoisted his head up.

Before he could realize what was happening, she plunged a syringe into the crook of his neck. A choking sound escaped his lips as he thrashed in a fruitless attempt to escape. Numbing warmth rapidly spread through him. His thoughts grew sluggish, his limbs no longer felt connected to his body. A flash of panic surged through him, clearing his head. For a brief instant, he held on to the foolish hope he would be able to fight whatever she had given him.

Vii laughed, a high melodic sound. It was the last thing he remembered.

Kanan reached out his hand, searching for Hera only to find her side of the bed empty. Groggily opening his eyes, he sat up. The light streaming through the window was low. Kriff, how long had he been asleep?

Slipping on a pair of sweatpants he made his way to the kitchen. As he passed the bathroom, he could hear Hera's faint singing mixed with the noise of the shower running. Her voice was terrible, but it still made him smile.

The living room and kitchen were dark and quiet. He was surprised he hadn't heard Ezra come in. For a kid relatively thin, he sure made a lot of noise moving around. The clock on the microwave read that it was late enough to start cooking dinner. He filled up a pot of water and turned on the stove to let it boil. Ezra would probably wrinkle his nose at pasta for the fourth night in a row, but Kanan knew he wouldn't complain too much. Honestly, he himself wasn't thrilled about it, but money was tight, and spaghetti was cheap.

The water was almost ready when Hera came in, drying her hair with a towel. "Hey, love, your phone was vibrating."

"Eh, I'll check it later. Probably Jho wanting me to come in tonight."

"You don't want to?" she asked.

"I still need to talk to Ezra. Show him some mediation techniques." Raising his voice, he yelled, "hey, Ezra come help make dinner."

A few minutes passed with no response. "Ezra?" he called again.

"Maybe he's sleeping?" Hera said.

Kanan went and knocked lightly on the kid's door. "Ezra, food." He knocked again. Nothing. Sighing, he opened the door. The room was empty.

"Seriously?" he muttered, reentering the kitchen. "I told him to come straight home. Force, sometimes he can be such a teenager."

Hera chuckled. "He is seventeen, dear. If I recall you acted like a teenager long into your twenties."

Kanan rolled his eyes but returned her smile. "I'm going to call him."

It took him a few minutes to find his phone. When he finally did, there were three missed calls from Ezra. His body grew tense, a stab of anxiety striking him. Just as he was about to return the calls, the phone began to vibrate.

"Ezra?"

"Kanan." The kid's voice came out slow and slurred. "Don't come—" He broke off with a sharp yelp.

"Ezra!"

"Kanan Jarrus," a familiar voice purred.

Fury, cold and pure, coursed through him. "Who is this?" he asked, his tone surprisingly level.

"I think you already know. I suggest you listened to what I have to say, or things will get unpleasant for the boy."

"Kanan?" Hera appeared beside him, her eyes searching his face. He shook his head at her.

"I'm going to send you his location," the voice spoke again. "Come alone. Oh, and don't bother calling the police. They've already been informed of official E.M.P.I.R.E. business and will not interfere. See you soon."

His hands trembled as the phone call ended.

"Kanan, you're scaring me." Hera reached out and gently touched his arm.

He swallowed hard, his mouth refusing to cooperate. The phone buzzed again, this time a text with an address. "The Inquisitors, they—they took him."

"Now we wait," Vii said, tossing the phone aside.

The male Inquisitor crossed his arms. "I don't see why we don't just take the kid in," he grumbled.

Vii pursed her lips. "This is why I'm in charge." She spoke slowly as if explaining something to a petulant child. "We need Jarrus to help break the boy. Besides his ability could prove to be useful as well. Go wait for him outside."

The male Inquisitor scowled but did as he was told.

Ezra breathed heavily. His head throbbed, but the dizziness was gone. The fog in his brain lessened as the numbness in his body slowly wore off. While he welcomed it, it also meant the faint ebbing pain in his shoulders from his hands being tied behind his back was growing stronger. The ropes dug into his wrists. Fortunately, they hadn't removed his gloves.

Vii knelt down next to him and grabbed him by the chin. "The longer he takes, the more time I get to spend with you." She sent another painful shock through him.

"He's not going to come for me," he snapped, jerking away from her touch. Quieter, almost to himself, he mumbled, "people don't do that."

While Kanan had saved him before, this was in a completely different league. It was one thing to chase off street teens or appease a security office. These were kriffin' Inquisitors. Kanan was in just as much danger from them as Ezra was.

Despite this, there was still a small part of Ezra that kept expecting Kanan to walk through the door any second. He shook his head. No, he was on his own. Fantasizing about being rescued wasn't going to help him survive this.

"Just hurry up and kill me," he said, braver than he actually felt.

"Kill you?" She leaned in until there was only a breath of space between their faces. Her lips curled into a menacing smile. "I have no plans to kill you."

Ezra shuddered. He believed her words, though it only terrified him more. There was too much amusement in her tone. Whatever she was planning, maybe death would be preferable.

"Why are you doing this?" Ezra asked, his voice strangled. "After everything they've done to us, how can you work for them?"

She tilted her head at him, a pitying expression on her face. "You really don't know?"

"Know what?"

Her eyes narrowed, examining his face. "It seems Jarrus doesn't care for you as much as I thought. Or perhaps he didn't think you could handle the truth."

"What are you talking about?" Ezra demanded. The pain in his shoulders was immense now, but he embraced it, thankful for the fire it gave him.

"Poor child, E.M.P.I.R.E. doesn't want to kill you. They want to make you stronger. You're going to join us."

"You're lying," he spat. His heart was pounding now, the taste of metal on his tongue. He could feel himself trembling, unable to stop.

"Your gift is valuable, young one. The ability to know everything about a person with a simple touch. A powerful asset. With a little motivation—" she paused, trailing a finger down his face, shocking him, "—you can become one of E.M.P.I.R.E.'s greatest weapons."

"You're delusional if you think I'd become like you, you sick freak."

Vii pulled away from him, her face softening. It made her look younger, more like how she had when they first met. "I thought the same thing once. We aren't so different." For a brief moment she seemed to shrink into herself, all her bravado evaporated.

"Vii," he said gently. It was slim, but maybe there was a possibility he could talk his way out of this. Or at the very least trick her into letting him go. He'd worry about the other Inquisitor later.

She blinked, her face hardening once more. "That's not my name. Just a private joke. Now, why don't I show you a taste of all the fun you and I are going to have."