A/N: Hi, everyone. Hope you're still enjoying the spin-off nature of this little piece. This chapter sort of elaborates on a comment in Not to Yield about Caleb shattering some of the breakables on the Ghost before he's able to gain some self-control over himself. I think having a toddler with the ability to use the Force would be...incredibly challenging. I don't even know how regular parents live through having a regular toddler (LOL).

Let me know if you liked it! :) I've replied to some of the comments lately, but I've been kinda busy so it's been either...respond to comments or work on a story, so I chose the latter. :) You guys keep me motivated with the kind words.

PS-Can I leave a special thank you for Guest 101? I can't correspond with you because you don't have a login, but I really wish you did. Thanks for all the comments and encouragement. You're awesome.

3.

The next few days were calm. True to his word, Ezra pulled fewer shifts for a while. He stayed close to Sabine, and she dared to hope that he was improving. Then Hera lead a supply run. They'd been hit badly and many of their ships were thought lost, and Hera hadn't returned home yet. She'd been in a fighter; a few of her squadron had arrived back in barely functioning ships several hours earlier, but not Hera. Unable to sit still, Ezra had been up at the flight deck with Zeb for over four hours, leaving Sabine and Alexsandr to watch Caleb.

"Here's dinner, little cub." Sabine said, setting down a bowl in front of the boy. It was one of their ration packs, fodu with green fire sauce. The ration pack version was less spicy, but Sabine was still surprised by the boy's taste in food. Kanan had liked spicy food, and apparently his son was no different. Thank the Force the kid didn't mind the ration packs. They had run out of fresh food two weeks ago and the ration packs were running low as well, hence the need for Hera's run.

"Mama home soon?" Caleb asked, looking up at her with hopeful blue-green eyes.

Sabine didn't want to lie, but she couldn't tell the boy the entire truth. So, she slowly slid into the booth across from him and took one small hand in hers. "Caleb. She's just a bit late, that's all, but I know she wants you to eat your dinner and not worry."

Caleb took up his fork and twirled it through the noodles and green sauce. "I want Mama," he whispered miserably.

Sabine reached out to smooth his hair. "I'm sorry, Spectre Seven. I hope she's home soon too. How about you finish dinner and we'll play a game. Or even better, I'll tell you a story?"

He nodded slowly. "Oh-kay," he took a bite, which Sabine counted as progress, although his lekku were stiff as if he were frustrated. Ezra said that the boy could sense their emotions, and Sabine figured that was what was going on. He probably had picked up on their worry and Ezra's anxiety.

Earlier in the day, Caleb had laid down for a nap, and Sabine suggested they do the same. Neither of them had slept very well the night before. Sabine had been startled out of her light doze when Ezra had suddenly sat up in the dark cabin, looking around him as if unfamiliar with Sabine's quarters.

"Something's wrong." He'd said quietly, his eyes far away.

"What is it?" She'd asked, sitting up and placing a hand between his shoulder blades to steady him.

"Hera. Something's not right." Ezra had muttered, and then he was up, pacing. Finally, he'd turned to her and told her he was going to the blast doors to wait. She hadn't wanted him to leave, but Zeb had offered to go with him. She reminded herself to thank Zeb later, as she looked down at Caleb.

A curl of unruly brown hair had fallen forward over one eye as he frowned and took one miserable bite. "Want my Mama."

She leaned down and kissed him on the top of the head. "I know, kiddo. She'll be back soon. Let me go check with Uncle Alexsandr and see if he knows anything. I'll be right back." She made her way back to Alexsandr in the cockpit. The former agent was scrubbing his face with his hand. "Any news?" she asked.

Alexsandr shook his head. "No." He'd been up for about 36 hours, assisting with monitoring the ops, and it showed on his features.

She nodded sadly. "Okay. Up for storytime after dinner? Spectre seven needs a distraction."

"Of course," Alexsandr said, laying a hand on her arm. "She's gonna be okay, Sabine. It's Hera, after all."

"Yeah." She nodded.

Ezra stood by the blast door, watching the snow fall. The landscape was growing dark, and soon, they'd close the doors to protect against the bitter night on Hoth.

Zeb's ears twitched as he leaned against the doorway. He'd been watching the sky, but now he was watching Ezra. The Jedi was shivering, despite being bundled up in a white parka, his head covered with a black knit cap and the hood of his jacket. His face was pale under the dark.

"Ezra. You're getting too cold out here. Go get some caf." Zeb took a hard look at the Jedi.

"I'm good. Five more minutes." He said softly, rubbing at his nose with one gloved hand.

"Five more minutes and you'll have hypothermia and frostbite." Zeb scoffed. "She's been in tighter places than this, Ez," the Lasat reminded him as they searched the night with their eyes. His fur and jacket were keeping him warm, but his own nose was feeling a little cold and numb as well.

The snow swirled with the wind currents, and they both frowned. The storm had been brewing all day, and it was proving to be one of the larger ones that would only get worse as time went on.

"Incoming! It's Phoenix leader! Phoenix leader!" A sudden flurry of activity, and Ezra suddenly sensed her. Hera's Force signature was throbbing with pain and a desperate hope that she could make it, but the storm had taken her off-guard. She thought about ditching in the snow nearby, and he could feel the cry she let out when she realized she wasn't going to be able to do it because the steering system was not working right. That was all there was time for before Ezra saw her streaking toward them through the early evening sky, trailing smoke and fire.

Ezra moved to the middle of the door's opening and waited. As Hera came in hot, Ezra was standing directly in her way, eyes closed, and hands extended. It seemed like everyone on the base paused and held their breath.

"Bridger can't…she's gonna crash into him!"

Zeb caught the shoulder of the young recruit, a kid named Jacen? No, Jaden…that was his name. Jaden was on his way to run out there in the path of Hera's ship.

"He's gonna be okay," Zeb assured him.

"But…"

Hera's ship smashed into the snow and began an uncontrolled skid toward the hangar. She was headed right for Ezra, and would have taken out two or three fighters as well as bystanders, but as everyone watched, her ship slowed up and skidded to a stop in front of the Jedi, just barely bumping his leg.

And then Zeb was already crawling up the side of the flaming X-wing, popping the canopy and grimacing at the smoke and heat that rolled out. He yanked at the straps that held Hera in the seat, but they held fast. He began to use his claws to sever the straps, but she helped him by finding the latch with searching fingers. Zeb was able to haul her out, just as flames began to break out inside the cockpit.

"Ezra!" Zeb handed Hera down to him.

The Jedi wrapped an arm around her to support her as she slid down the skin of her X-wing. "You okay?" He asked gently as she hacked and gasped for breath.

"Kriff, Ezra. That was close," Hera rasped between coughs.

"I had you all the way down," Ezra replied, checking for injuries. When he looked up, Hera hugged him with one arm. He returned it. Neither one of them had to say anything else.

When he let her go, she coughed again, then groaned. "My ribs hurt. It was a pretty bumpy ride. Can you get…Chop? He…" here she began coughing again, "He kept us flying the whole time."

"Yeah…Take her, Zeb." The Lasat slipped a hand around her shoulder and let her lean against him as Ezra turned.

He used the Force to lift Chopper and set him down on the floor of the complex. The droid rolled over, manipulators in the air, beeping and warbling about how he'd saved the day once more. Ezra placed his fingers affectionately on the astromech's dome, then noticed how Hera was rubbing her shoulder, right where the pilot's harness would have strapped her in.

Once they were safely away, the fire team pushed past them to put out the flaming ship.

"Let's get her to the medbay," Ezra said, and Zeb nodded. They began to half-carry her in that direction as she protested.

"No, I'll be fine-I'll just slap some engine tape on it." It had become a running joke between them all since Ezra's infamous visit to the medics.

"Nope. Someone's gonna check you over," Zeb said. "Might not hurt to give you a little oxygen too."

"Is Caleb worried? You didn't tell him…did you? I need to…" She burst into another fit of coughing as she tried to turn and head back to the Ghost.

"He's fine and we didn't tell him. Chopper, comm Sabine and let her know everything's okay." Ezra said as they headed down the hall to the medbay.

Caleb was sitting on the floor, building something with his blocks as Sabine read him a story. He looked around suddenly and stood, knocking down his creation as he turned toward the doorway that led out to the cargo bay.

"What is it, sweetheart?" Sabine asked, watching as Cale looked expectantly at the door.

"Mama," Caleb said.

"She's coming home soon." Sabine said.

"No. Home now. Mama home now." Caleb shook his head, frowning. He started for the door immediately, but Alexsandr was too quick for him.

"Sorry buddy. Where do you think you're going?" Alexsandr caught him under the arms and held on.

"Nooo…Mama home now!" Caleb's lekku were stiff with frustration as he struggled to get away. Kallus set him gently on the floor between them, but kept a restraining hand on his shoulder. He and Sabine exchanged looks. Cale was usually so well behaved; it was almost like he wasn't even a kid, sometimes, but just a pint-sized version of Kanan with a Jedi's usual serenity.

"I know you want her to come home…" Sabine began, "But we need you to stay here." She knelt beside him, reaching out to him. "You gotta understand, Cale…"

"No!" Caleb shook his head, and looked at the door, then back at Sabine. Frustrated because he couldn't communicate what he wanted, he clenched his fists.

And everything on the Ghost trembled. Dishes rattled in the cupboards and there was a rumble and upset of everything on the counter. They could hear the sounds of things breaking from the galley to the cockpit. Caleb's blocks flew up in the air, and one of them struck him on the cheek before they all fell to the ground.

Sabine reached out for Caleb, whose bottom lip was trembling as his eyes filled with frightened tears. He wasn't bleeding, but there was an obvious red mark under his eye. She captured him in her arms and hugged him tightly as he let out a miserable cry. "It's okay," she soothed. "It's okay now."

Sabine and Alexsandr locked eyes over the child's head. While holding Caleb, they got a comm from Chopper. She hit it, still holding Caleb against her while he cried. Chopper told them that Ezra and Zeb were taking Hera to the medbay. She was walking, and Chopper said there was an 86% chance that she would be just fine.

"Thank the Force." Sabine breathed. "Chopper? Don't bother them yet, but once she's settled, can you get Ezra to come back to the Ghost? I think we…need him here."

Chopper said he would.

They entered the medbay. There were injured pilots in almost every bed, which almost made Hera turn back as soon as they entered.

"There are people here who need…" here she had a coughing fit that doubled her over, "medical attention more than me."

"Hera." Zeb said, a bit like Kanan would have, while guiding her into the medbay with a firm grip.

Her mouth tightened into a firm line, but she didn't fight him anymore.

As they entered, several pilots who were awake gave out a little shout. "General Syndulla!" As she was waiting for a doctor, she came around to them, taking their hands and talking to each of them. Ezra watched her, feeling the Force signatures of the pilots brighten when she spoke to them. He could sense how she inspired the soldiers that had been under her command and how much it meant to them that she'd returned alive.

"General…" The medic came over and took her arm and moved her to an examination table. Ezra and Zeb waited outside the curtained area, taking two seats nearby.

"That was a bit close." Zeb murmured.

"Yeah." Ezra looked around and could feel the pain and suffering of the men and women around them. For a moment, it overwhelmed him, until he closed his eyes, took a few deep breaths and worked to calm himself and release the anxiety into the Force. It helped marginally.

Chopper rolled over to him and played part of Sabine's message: "Can you get Ezra to come back to the Ghost? I think we…need him here."

"Go." Zeb said. "I got it here."

Ezra nodded. "Thanks, Zeb."

When he got outside, Ezra commed Sabine immediately.

"Sabine? He asked, keeping his voice calm. "What's wrong?" He could hear the sound of Caleb crying.

"He's got more of his father's abilities than we first thought, if you know what I mean." She obviously didn't want to elaborate in front of Caleb. "A little reassurance from you, right now, would probably go a long way to helping him calm down. You know you have a way with him, cyare."

Ezra was already moving toward the hangar. "I'm on my way."

When Ezra entered the cargo bay, he saw things were a mess. A stack of supply crates had fallen over, their contents spilling out all over the deck plating. He climbed the ladder from the cargo bay two rungs at a time, and found Sabine and Alexsandr sitting in the middle of the chaos with Caleb. Sabine still had the toddler held in her arms and tears streaked down Caleb's face as he sucked on his thumb, eyes squeezed shut. The child seemed inconsolable.

There were broken dishes on the floor in the kitchen. All the doors on the cabinets were open. Caleb's set of blocks, which he usually cared for so carefully, were scattered from one end of the common room to the other. A glass of milk, which had been left on the table was overturned, and one of the chairs was upside down.

He came over and knelt beside Sabine. "He did…all of that?" Ezra asked, even though he knew the answer.

Sabine nodded. When Ezra held out his arms, she transferred the child to them.

"Shh. It's okay, Caleb." Ezra murmured as the kid clung to him with both hands. The Jedi sent calming waves through the Force, and Caleb began to respond. Slowly his hitching sobs became sniffles and then the boy just laid against Ezra's shoulder, exhausted. Caleb had never shown this much ability with the Force before. Ezra had the thought that he probably could sense their emotions, and he knew the bright way that he shone with the Force, but he hadn't known how or if the ability would manifest itself. Apparently, this was it.

As he sensed the boy's tangled emotions, he realized that the sudden flow of the Force must have scared him. "You okay, Cale?" he asked as the little boy picked his head up and looked up into his eyes.

Kanan's son nodded slowly.

"Do you know what happened?" Ezra asked as he gently brushed a chunk of the kid's hair out of his eyes.

Caleb shook his head. "I was scared." He looked over at Sabine, who patted him soothingly. "Mama came home. She okay?"

Ezra slowly put it together, through the intuitive connection they had. "You wanted to see Hera. You knew she was back, right?"

Caleb nodded, his big eyes taking them all in. "Mama got hurt."

"I didn't realize." Sabine said. "Little cub, I didn't know that she was home. I'm sorry." She glanced up at Ezra. "I think we made it worse. We tried to keep him here and all he was worried about was his mama."

"I did bad." Caleb said, looking around at the mess with wide eyes. Tears trembled and spilled over.

Ezra shook his head and took a deep breath. "No, Caleb. No one's mad at you. We all love you. Me, Sabine, and Uncle Alexsandr, okay?" He brushed the child's tears away and waited until he got a nod. "Good. You didn't do anything bad. I saw your mama, and she's fine. She had a big bump in her ship, but I made sure she was okay before I came back here."

"Mama's okay?"

"Yep. She'll be home in a few hours, I'm sure." Caleb hugged Ezra, who hugged him back. After a moment, Caleb tucked his head up under Ezra's chin, and Ezra could feel the child beginning to relax.

"You, sir, have a talent." Alexsandr said softly.

Ezra smiled. "Explaining about all this will be the tougher job." They sat quietly until they could see the slow sleepy movements of the child's lekku, and knew he was exhausted. "Gonna put you to bed, kit," he whispered, standing up, while still holding Caleb close.

"Noooo…." Caleb stirred.

"I'll wake you up when your mama comes in." Ezra said, slowly walking towards Kanan's old room.

"Promise?" Sabine and Alexander heard the child ask.

"I promise, Spectre Seven. Team business, promise."

"M'kay." The door swished open and shut as they went in.

"Wow." Sabine said, scrubbing her face with her hands. "That was…something." She and Alexsandr stood up. "I don't know how Hera's gonna take it that he…might be like Kanan."

"Oh." Kallus nodded. He turned his head and looked toward Kanan's room. "You can tell they have this…this…"

"…bond?" Sabine finished for him. "Yeah. Somedays I think being strong for Caleb is the only thing that keeps him going."

Alexsandr placed a hand on her shoulder in silent sympathy.

"Look—go. I know you have a million things to do. I'll clean up here." Sabine said, looking around and trying to decide what to clean up first.

Kallus nodded, then caught her up in a hug that took both of them by surprise. "If you need anything…anything at all, just comm me."

"Yeah." She nodded as he let her go. "Thank you Alexsandr."

He nodded as he headed toward the door leading to the cargo bay. "Of course, Sabine."