Aboard the lightspeeding Phantom, their bed was rocking and rollicking; she was kicking the downy blankets off herself so her legs could beat and thrash more wildly. Her shouts and screams flooded their quarters. Sabine yelled, "Look out! Look out! Don't let go! Ezra-don't let go!" Then she cried out louder than any piercing shriek he'd ever heard in his life. "Th-this can't be-No! No!" Many more terrified screams ripped through their chambers. "Ezra, watch out, watch out! Ezra!"

"Sabine-Sabine-Sabine!" He caught her flailing arms, pulling her writhing body to his. "It's all right! You're safe. You're safe. You're dreaming. You're dreaming. It's really bad, but you're not in danger. I'm here-Sabine!" He hugged her tightly, pressing his lips into her sweaty forehead. "Wake up, Sabine. Please wake up," he said in an urgent, yet hushed, soothing voice.

Pouring everything he had into mollifying her, Ezra was relieved, seeing Sabine open her eyes and gasp in relief. She stilled as he resolutely cradled her. Disoriented, then recognizing where she was, she quieted, sinking into his embrace. Her fright subsiding.

Continuing to speak to her gently, he said, "Another really bad one, huh?"

"Y-yes it was. Really bad," Sabine acknowledged, shivering in his strong, protective arms, grateful that they were sheltering her. She had doll eyes when she explained, "You fell into the canyon this time. Gone. You were gone. I couldn't save you!"

He searched her voice, looking worried. His hand found her cheek.

Grateful that Ezra was here, doing all he could to comfort her, Sabine went very still. He was getting so good at helping her bounce back. What was happening with her lately? She, so filled with fear when missions were desperately close calls that her subconscious reenacted these ordeals, torturing her. Her nightmares, ever since the recon mission on Concord Dawn, were getting worse. Sadly, there was little Sabine could do to prevent them. Even her favorite warm herbal nightcap fell short of tranquilizing her. Did she need something stronger?

So often now, once she would fall asleep, these bad dreams took over her subconscious, holding her prisoner. Always in these consuming nightmares, she'd be on the verge of losing Ezra, or actually losing him to Gar Saxon. It was like a looping holograph that wouldn't stop repeating. Just the thought of the bullying, wannabe ruler of Mandalore made her shudder. He, in his blood red and white uniform with matching helmet, sickened her. And to think that delusional man was a member of House Vizsla, as she was. What a disgrace to the heritage Saxon was! Thankfully, she was Clan Wren. Gar Saxon, the Super Commando, a renegade.

Her heartbeat resonated within Ezra, the beating accelerated. He closed his eyes, concentrating on slowing the ragged beats of Sabine's heart down. Ezra thumb-caressed the soft cheek that didn't nestle against his chest and whispered, "I can help you with your bad dreams if you'll let me. Make you not have the ones that are plaguing you."

That would be nice, she thought, but she was fearful too. Ezra had come a long way with the Force, but allowing him to tamper with her mind? She wasn't all that comfortable with that. She trusted him with her life; did that include her mind as well? Sabine hesitated, regretting how she felt, but wary nevertheless. "Help me how?" Mostly, she'd give anything to have the anguish cease.

"I can plant a suggestion. One that will cancel out what you went through with Saxon and his grunts."

"And the Force will suppress the ugly memories, and reinforce the positive outcome instead of how we almost lost each other."

He failed to mention that Chopper had nearly bought it too, but leaving the droid out seemed fitting in this setting. Nodding, Ezra admired Sabine for grasping the basics of what he wanted to do. "So...want to give it a shot?"

She tried to disguise her trepidation with a faint quivering smile. She trusted Ezra, but she couldn't deny she had reservations. What if, although hoping to relieve her trauma, he made it worse? "You won't, uh...make a mista... Maybe Kanan should be in on this?"

"Kanan, why?" Ezra looked hurt. "He taught me how to do it. He's done it with me lots of times, and when he let me try, finally, I didn't have any trouble with the procedure."

Before he could question her on what she was reading into his expression, Sabine insisted, "It's not that I don't trust you. I do! It's just...just..."

"No, Sab, it's okay. I understand. I promise, though, I know what I'm doing," he reassured, taking her hand, bringing it to his lips for a kiss of each finger. Then he started on the pads of those delectable fingers that could wield a blaster, or bombs not missing a beat.

She knew he meant well, but she thought better of saying that. Instead, she consented, "Okay. I'm in your hands..." Brightly, she tacked on, "May the Force help you get it right."

"Oh, yeah. Always that." Tenderly, he fitted his hands around her head, shut his eyes, hardly breathed, as he wordlessly muttered something Sabine could not understand. Like a soft nudge, the inducement to shut her eyes too pushed her as her breathing synced with Ezra's.

Early the next morning, she awoke first, giving her time to study Ezra in sweet repose. Those scars of his were melting into his skin, still visible, but more like two slight scratch marks by this time. She'd fallen back to sleep, a dreamless sleep. Not once did a nightmare disrupt her slumber. She snuggled against him, thinking about what Saxon had said about her mother, looking for her. That her mother was one of his allies. Sabine rankled. She refused to believe that her mom was siding with the enemy. Once maybe, but surely not now. The name Rook Kast, shivering in Sabine's mind, shrank away.

"Your own mother stands with me and the Empire now," Saxon had taunted. Why hadn't he said her name? Was Rook Kast her mother? Who was her father? Who?

"Get out of my head, Gar! Just because she did what she did then, doesn't mean she's hasn't changed her mind!" Sabine croaked, sighing into Ezra's neck as she burrowed deeper into it, in time rousing him.

He stifled a gentle yawn, glimpsing her troubled face. "Morning, Sab, how did you sleep?" he asked. "Didn't what I did help?" Ezra murmured, thinking he'd failed.

"No bad dreams," she tersely told him, the pang of irritability not lost on him.

"But, something's not good. What is it?" he pressed, wrapping his arms around her rigid form.

Her divulgence readily came as she relaxed into him. Her sigh deep, she admitted, "What Saxon said about my mother. I can't believe after all that's happened, she sides with the Empire."

Ezra brushed that off. "So he says. That guy was playing with your mind, Sab. To throw you off balance."

"When I fled the Academy, what I did prompted her to join the Imperials. I'd shamed my family," Sabine confessed, groaning. "That seems so long ago. Saxon said she's searching for me."

"Yeah, I heard him," Ezra belittled, and added, "like I said, he would have said anything to get you to play into his hands."

"What if he's telling the truth? My mother needs to see me. What if she isn't on the Empire's side anymore. Fenn Rau has joined us. If she's forgiven me, maybe she'll be on our side too. I should see her."

Skimming his fingers through her short, silky hair, Ezra obliged, "Then, you should."

"I should?" Sabine parroted as though that was easier said than done. "What if she's Imperial, and she hates me after what I've done and become?"

"That's a lot of 'ifs.' It's up to you, but you ask me, I'm all for you going to her. No matter what, you're still her daughter. She has to love you. I'm guessing she'll be so happy to see you. And I'd love to meet her, Sab, to tell her what a great woman she brought into this galaxy."

"What if she tells me to go straight to Hoth, and you with me, because I married Rebel scum?"

"Then we say, 'Bye,' and never look back," Ezra summed up. "But, she won't say that. I feel it; she loves you unconditionally, Sab. She's your mother. Normal mothers love their kids, no matter what."

"Who says my mom's normal?" Sabine rolled herself atop Ezra, kissing his mouth until he begged for breath and mercy.

"I do, that's who." Running his hands along her sides, he said, "You like my ideas then."

"They're aw'right," Sabine teased, homing in to get at his mouth again. "I'd like to see her. I really would. We were close before all the fighting began."

Before she properly zeroed in on his mouth again, Ezra asked, "Where is she?"

His query stole some of her mirth and zeal in addition to the deep scowl robbing her face of so much beauty.

"What?" Ezra asked, annoyance coloring his tone.

"I have no idea where she is. So much time has passed, not knowing what was going on with her. I doubt she's where she was last time I saw her."

In his best 'buck up' tone he assured, "Hey, we'll find her, wherever she is." He met her halfway for the kiss, his lips stretching for hers. "Trust me."

"You know I do," Sabine confirmed, wrapping him up in her abiding love, and arms that aggressively squeezed him with all her might.

"And the Force," Ezra breathed, against her lips.

"Where would we be without it?" Sabine groaned into his mouth, and Ezra duly noted:

"You don't need me to tell you that, 'cause if the Force weren't on our side, we'd be nowhere, as in no longer...breathing."