Dear Lord above I am SO sorry for the delay- I swore I wouldn't go past four days once Deadly Intrigue was done, and by everything that is holy I'm going to stick to that oath. Trust me, I'm writing in school (when I can) and typing it up at home (when I can) and desperately trying to revise... believe me when I say that I am doing everything I can to deliver in a timely fashion. Sorry for making you worry... 'specially you, AzulaBlue92. ;)

I have clarified the blood in Sabine's throat that quite a few people were worrying about last chapter; I honestly didn't intend for anything serious by it. She basically just bit her cheek and it bled a little, but thank you all you wonderful people who pointed it out! I have little to no medical knowledge of my own (funny. with how often I injure my characters you'd think I would :3), so any advice is welcome and gladly taken!

Also, Ezra may or may not share my views about Kanera.

Disclaimer: Dudes, if there was this much delay in Rebels producing their next episode, there would be riots. Be glad I don't own it. Also because cliffies. Although this one's not that bad, I swear!

For the second time that day, the only thought going through his head was 'No no no no no no NO this is not good, this is NOT GOOD.' Except this time it was less derived from personal danger, and more so because his best friend had been impaled.

"Holy- Sabine, are you-" Okay? NOPE. "Did it go all the way through?!" That was important, he knew- his head was screaming at him, his nerves a jumbled mess of NO -, but he knew exit wounds meant a lot of damage. As if there wasn't enough already!

Ezra scrambled over to her, tripping on the various pieces of debry he was now cursing with everything he knew. "The shrapnel- I didn't think about the shrapnel, I didn't think it'd fly so far-" There was a lot of blood- too much blood. Too much. It was staining the soft grays of her under-armor a harsh black, and the tangy smell had never been more present in Ezra's life. His hands hovered, not knowing what he needed to do as his head panicked.

How do I help?! How- Stop the bleeding, that came first. No- he needed to get the metal out of there, then stop the bleeding. But- if he pulled out the shrapnel, wouldn't that only make the bleeding worse!? What- what do I need to do?!

"Sabine- I don't know how to- how to help; you have to-" His voice was shaking. His everything was shaking, was trembling- how- what was he supposed to do!? "You need to tell me what to do- Sabine, I don't know-"

Her hand waved vaguely in his direction, and he was alarmed (even more so) at how sluggish her actions were. "Don't worry-" she murmured, voice soft and half-soothing. "-I know the answer. You don't have to worry now, I know the answer."

Relief crashed through him, and Ezra nodded, his eyes darting towards the blast doors, still shut. Troopers would be there in minutes- but he had to tend to Sabine, or she'd never make it- "What do- what do I need to do, tell me." Because oh god he had no idea what he was doing. He just needed her to tell him how to help and then by the Force, he would help her. He couldn't not.

"No no no, you don't understand- I know the answer." That relief slowed as Ezra grew uncertain.

"Yeah, just- just tell me, I need to know how to help you-"

"But I don't need help, I already figured it out! I know!" And the relief completely stopped in it's tracks, growing cold and making Ezra's stomach curl in on itself unpleasantly.

"Sabine- how do I help you? Please?" She shook her head at him, and he was just able to make out her smiling softly with unfocused and glazed eyes through the helmet's visor. Ezra's heart sunk. She was concussed- majorly. To the point where she couldn't tell him what he needed to know- what he needed to save her and get out.

Don't panic don't panic- not working, already panicked, Desperate, Ezra closed his eyes for just a second and tried to calm himself. Just like Kanan had taught him, he focused on slowing his erratic breathing. While it failed miserably to actually do anything of the sort, the familiar ritual did kick his brain into gear.

They needed to leave. Sabine couldn't travel; the only way Ezra would be able to carry her was binding her on his back. And he wouldn't be able to do that if there was a hunk of metal in her- and if it was sharp, movement would cause it to wiggle around and possibly cause even more damage. It had to come out- and Ezra'd have to bind the wound it left, to stop the major bleeding.

No- he'd have to cauterize the wound, to make sure she wouldn't bleed out... oh Force. He was going to have to cauterize the wound. With his lightsaber. On Sabine. On his friend. He had a vague inkling on just how painful that would be- and he'd have to do it. He'd either have to watch her bleed to death, or inflict massive amounts of pain on her. And he didn't have the time to steel himself- he had to do this now.

Calm down- if you don't everything's gonna go to hell REAL quick. That, at least, he knew.

"Ok- Sabine, I-I'm gonna have to- have to take out this shrapnel, I-"

"I trust you."

Those three words slapped him right in the face, and Ezra looked at Sabine with wide eyes.

"Do what you gotta do- you won't do me wrong. You never will- I trust you."

She-

"Sabine, I'm literally playing with your life here-"

"And I trust you with it."

She was completely serious. Even concussed to the point of deliriousness, Ezra could hear the familiar edge in her voice that she only got when she was dead serious. And she was- Ezra doubted she was even able to string together the facts that she was in fatal danger, but even in that state of mind, she was completely and undoubtedly certain...

She trusted him with her life.

That was far, far more than Ezra would ever ask her to trust him with... but he sure as hell wouldn't let her down.

Nodding vigorously to clear his head, Ezra looked back at the shrapnel and the blood- and his rationality kicked into gear. He had to act fast, and he had to act now. But he couldn't mess up. They'd have to take the sewers still; it was the only safe way out- but to do so would mean that Sabine's wounds would have to be bound extra securely after he was done, in order to prevent any infections or sickness.

She trusts me to do this.

"Okay- okay. This is really, really gonna hurt, though, just... just warning you." Sabine hummed, her hands waving vaguely around in what Ezra could only interpret as an invitation to continue.

He took a deep breath, letting the familiar start of meditation try to calm his nerves. Sabine trusted him to do this. He could do it- he would. He had to.

For her.

Ezra grunted, pain from his ribs very nearly making him black out. He knew the proper medical treatment for broken ribs was most definitely not to lug around someone very nearly his own weight while hunched over; it was the only safe way for Sabine to travel, though.

He huffed, eyes blurring slightly. Or maybe they didn't- there wasn't any lighting in the sewers except for Ezra's lightsaber, he couldn't really be sure about his vision, or lack thereof.

I'm just glad they have minimal waste today- otherwise this entire trip would be a lot more interesting. And disgusting.

The water levels in the tunnels were only up to Ezra's calves, for which he was thankful. Not only because it was sewer water, but also... any higher and he'd be risking the choppy waters splashing up onto Sabine. And that was the last thing she needed: the wound in and of itself was already serious, she didn't need an infection on top of it.

Sabine was laying backwards on his spine, her back on his, legs trailing below and behind his own with her feet just under the water. He'd wrapped her wound tightly in his jacket after... after he'd done what he could, and then proceeded to tie the sleeves around his waist so there was an extra tether connecting her to him. Well, the only tether, actually... other than that, the only thing keeping her from splashing down into the disgusting water below was Ezra, and the angle he'd bent down in order to make sure she didn't slip. He was, once again, hunched over, bent at nearly ninety degrees just to keep her stable.

For once, his back was the last thing on his mind.

Did I wrap it tight enough? Is she bleeding again- There wasn't really a way he could check that, but based on her even breathing and the lack of warm liquid spilling onto his back, Ezra would just have to trust it wasn't. At least until he found the end of these tunnels- and then he'd have to make another check and try to help her the best he could with his limited knowledge of medical procedures. He knew bleeding was bad, and infections were worse... he knew absolutely nothing about internal injuries.

Except that his own were hurting like hell. His cracked ribs were strongly protesting his unorthodox way of carrying Sabine, but considering that it was the only way... he really didn't have much choice. He was by no means strong enough to simply carry her in his arms (much as a little part inside of him desperately wanted), and he wouldn't trust himself to do so even if he could. Her wound needed a flat surface, he felt, and the only way to get that during travel was by keeping her herself flat.

She'd passed out just as Ezra had started wrapping her injury, and honestly he didn't blame her. Getting stabbed hurt. And pulling weapons out hurt too. And cauterization... Ezra swore, when he was old and had even forgotten his name, he'd never forget how much pain he'd caused her. But she'd surprised him once again after everything was done.

Her convulsions and screams of pain had shaken him to the core, yes, but that hadn't been what'd taken over his mind. She'd been on the verge of unconsciousness, and his face had been white as snow even as he'd been shedding his jacket to wrap her abdomen in. And then...

"Okay, okay- hard part's over, just stay with me- Sabine, stay with me Sabine! I gotta wrap everything up, please stay here...!"

"I'm not- I'm not gonna go anywhere, 'Zra. I'm- Not when I got the answer."

"Yeah yeah, just, keep on holding onto that answer, stay here-"

"It's really important, Ezra- really, really important."

"Okay, almost got it..."

"Ezra, I really like you."

She hadn't been fully conscious at the time, he knew- even then she'd been slipping, her breathing slowing down. At first that had been what scared him, as she appeared to just... stop. But she'd kept breathing, her heart kept pumping...

And then Ezra got what she'd just said.

That had almost thrown him completely off track, just as her saying she trusted him had. Except... not necessarily to a larger degree, but to a different one. Not only because he wasn't entirely sure if she'd meant it or not (he'd been absolutely certain when she'd said she trusted him), but also... because if she did, that meant...

'Ezra, I really like you.'

Why did that even come up? Does she really...? No no no, she's concussed- she must have just meant I'm a good friend to her.

Did she though?

Ezra had the utmost respect for Sabine, he really did. Sure, in the beginning he'd been an upright obnoxious little snot, but pretty much only on the basis that she was the only girl his age that didn't curl her nose in disgust at the sight of him on the streets. He'd had no idea how to react to that, and had immediately fallen on the cheap romance holos he'd only ever caught glimpses of.

But Sabine was worth so much more to Ezra than cheap holos. As he'd come to terms with that, the stupid flirts had gone straight out the window. Not because he didn't like her- but because he realized how much he did. How she meant so, so much more to him than weak pick-up lines.

He may or may not have taken a little inspiration from Kanan and Hera... who obviously loved each other, no matter what they said.

Whether he did or didn't, though, there was no doubt in his mind that he'd made the right choices. Only blind idiots with no respect for women viewed them as beings existing only to woo and carry off(and if either Sabine or Hera ever met any such person, they'd walk away with a broken nose. Well, probably anyone on the Ghost crew, really). What was the point of having an intimate relationship with someone if you didn't even know them?

No, Ezra knew he wouldn't give up his platonic relationship with Sabine for the worlds. Any of them. She was his best friend, and nothing would or could change that.

It was just... the bare possibility that she might like him like he did...

No- no, you can't... assume anything, Bridger. She was barely conscious when she said that- it's not fair to her to just... blindly go with anything that comes out of her mouth. I'm not going to take advantage of her like this- what kind of, of respecting person would? I have to... get all the facts before- before assuming anything...

His head was slowing down. And his eyes really were blurring. His chest was constricting painfully, hurt radiating every second, not just every breath. Ezra blinked, and was alarmed when it took him a second long than usual to open his eyes again. And despite his pain and their bleak circumstances, Ezra found himself smiling like an idiot, laughing in all but actuality.

I'm stuck down here, in the- in the sewers injured, with my injured partner, desperately trying to get out before the stormtroopers figure out which way we went... and I'm completely preoccupied with whether or not she likes me. I really need to se-set my priorities straight.

And his ribs. Though that would come later.

Just focus- on moving. If they didn't move, Ezra had no doubt that they'd be stuck in these sewers forever. If he let himself stop, the pain would overwhelm him and he'd black out- and then there wouldn't be any hope for either of them.

Keep moving. Don't drop the lightsaber.

That was his light- that was the only way he could see the incoming twists and turns the tunnels made as they curved under the land, avoiding pockets of ores and weak spots in the crust in order to have the safest route for possible tons of water and waste. Lightsabers were apparently also very useful as flashlights.

Keep moving... don't drop the light... DON'T DROP SABINE... Keep moving...

Why was he so insistent on keeping his lightsaber? There was another small light right over there, he didn't need the blade-

Light!

Relief swept over his aching bones and muscles. That dim light at the end of the sewers signified... well, the end of the sewers. Another hundred feet or so and they'd be out-

Ezra fell down to his knees, panting as the water sloshed angrily around his legs. He might just black out now, actually. His chest was on fire- focus focus focus! We're almost out- keep... keep moving!

The soft breathing on his back gave him something to focus on, and Ezra spent a moment just listening to her.

Sabine trusted him. He might not have any idea about her liking him, but when she'd said she'd trusted him, she had been one-hundred percent serious. She trusted him, and he wasn't going to let her down, no matter what. Ezra staggered up, still bent over to allow Sabine a somewhat stable resting place. He didn't care how much it hurt- he wasn't gonna let her down. She trusted him, and he wasn't going to make her regret it.

Come on Bridger, move!

Slowly, painfully, Ezra stood up and kept putting one foot in front of the other. It was agonizing, time-consuming... and he didn't care one bit. Well, maybe a little. But this was Sabine, and nothing was more important than her right now. Not pain, not injuries, distance... nothing.

There was a grate covering the exit, only big enough to allow water to pass through. That wasn't right... this was a sewers tunnel. There had to be controls somewhere that opened the hatch, to allow the waste free access to wherever the dumping point was.

Of course, that control panel was most likely back inside the tower, and would take time to get back to...

What am I thinking? I have... a lightsaber.

Picking his arm up, Ezra plunged the ignited blade into the meshed metal, cutting a sloppy circle in the grate and tiredly pushing it down- to reveal a beautiful lake, hundreds of meters wide, lit up by nothing more than the moon and stars- well, it was mostly beautiful, except for the immediate area around the sewer's exit. That wasn't reflecting anything, completely covered with trash as it was.

Water sloshing down gently into the lake in a dirty stream, Ezra braced himself as well he could and hopped through the hole, making sure neither he nor Sabine hit anything on the way out.

The landing, though, was more than he could handle. Dropping straight down into soft mud from less then ten feet wouldn't ever be a problem for him on a regular day- injured, tired, half unconscious and carrying nearly twice his own weight, however, did not count for a normal day.

Ezra dropped straight to his knees, the jar of his landing sending waves of angry pain shooting through his limbs. He gasped, vision going entirely black for a second, and he very nearly face-planted in the mud. That was not a smart move.

Holy hells-!

Ezra keeled over, his forehead diving straight forewords and making an impression in the mud as he lay there, praying for the pain to pass. When it didn't Ezra realized that he'd have to continue on like this...

I can barely move- how am I gonna...!?

He'd have to.

But he couldn't...

Civilization was most likely miles away, and Ezra didn't even know what direction to turn to start heading towards anyone. Much less anyone who had the proper medical supplies to help Sabine...

...Kanan? Hera? Now would be a really great time to show up like miracles... But they wouldn't. They had no idea where he and Sabine were- they didn't even know how much trouble they were in, how much they were needed-

I have... to get- out... Sabine...

Ezra groaned, not even going to try standing up all the way. He crawled, pants getting hopelessly stained as he dragged himself and Sabine through the muck. He had to get them both out of there... but where?!

Anywhere- just... somewhere safe.

Just... somewhere...

Ezra took in a shuddering breath, lungs punishing him for simply existing.

...safe...

Ezra pushed his burning arms to the dry land, pulling him and Sabine away from the mud... and that was as far as he could go. That was as far as he could go before he collapsed again, breathing harshly and trembling violently. He wasn't... he wasn't going to be able to... get them out of there...

Sabine...

And then Ezra blacked out, mere feet from the sewers.

See, not that bad!

I love you all for putting up with me. Seriously, thank you.