Always in Motion

by Lady Dawson

Chapter Four: Worth Fighting For

"Rogue One, this is Fulcrum."

Ezra frowned at the unfamiliar voice filtering through the communicator; it sounded modified, like it was being transmitted through something to disguise the person's voice. He couldn't even tell if they were male or female, through the filter, but he saw the relief that flashed through Cassie's eyes at the voice.

"Fulcrum, good to hear from you," she said, adjusting her position on the bed and giving Ezra a reassuring smile. "I tried contacting you but you must've been on one of your missions. Did I miss anything?"

"Just some relief missions to some refugees in the Naboo system," Fulcrum, whoever he or she was, responded. "And it went down without a hitch, which may or may not have something to do with you not being there."

Even through the filter, Ezra could hear the rib directed at Cassie, who grinned slightly, ice-blue eyes filled with mirth.

"How'd things go on your end?"

All mirth was immediately gone from Cassie's eyes and glanced sideways at Ezra, electric and ice blue eyes clashing.

"Everything went fine," she said into the comm. "Yeah, there weren't any problems—oh, except I may have had to steal an Imperial shuttle to escape."

"I hardly think that's a problem; you blew it up, right?"

"Of course," Cassie said with a huff, looking slightly insulted that Fulcrum would even ask that. "What do you take me for?"

Fulcrum made a noise between amusement and exasperation. "And what about the boy? Did you manage to get him out?"

"Yeah," Cassie said, "yeah, I got him out. We're out a small clinic right now, but we should be leaving soon. Are you still planning on meeting us where we discussed?"

Ezra frowned at the mysteriousness but realized that they were probably being cryptic on purpose, just in case anybody was listening. He might only have been seven when the Empire took his parents away, but he still remembered how cryptic they could be, especially when doing their broadcasts or whenever they were discussing things were Tseebo or someone else who knew what they were doing.

"I'm afraid not," Fulcrum said, deep regret evident. "I have some contacts that I need to get in touch with; you probably won't see me as much, Rogue One, but I'll keep in touch." After a pause, they continued, "How's the boy?"

Cassie glanced at Ezra, who suddenly was very interested in the fingernails on his right hand. "I think he's going to be okay. I'm gonna make sure of it," she added.

Ezra looked up at her, startled by the declaration. She gave him a small smile, reaching out to grasp his arm reassuringly; he immediately tensed but the fear that had crippling him every time someone got near didn't rise through him, surprising even him.

"Well, I'm sure with you looking after him, he'll be more than okay," Fulcrum replied. "I'll contact you when I can, but stay safe, alright? Your dad would never forgive me if you got killed on my watch."

Something flashed behind her eyes, but all Cassie said, "I won't, I promise; I'll contact you when we get to the rendezvous."

"I look forward to hearing from you. Fulcrum out."

"Rogue One out."

Barely waiting for her to press the button on the communicator, Ezra blurted out, "Who was that?"

"Friend of mine," Cassie replied, returning the communicator to her belt. "That's about all I can tell you, sorry . . ." Ezra made a face. "And don't think that distracting me is going to get you out of it."

"Out of what?" he asked innocently.

Cassie heaved a sigh, giving him a pointed look. "How's your head? And the truth this time," she added warningly.

He opened his mouth, about to tell her that he was fine and she didn't need to worry—though why she was bothering, he didn't know—but he caught her eyes, seeing the resolved look in them, and it dawned on him that if he kept fighting her, she might give it as good as she got.

Shoulders sagging in defeat, he mumbled, "It still hurts, but it's kind of like a dull headache. Nothing I can't handle."

"Well, you hit your head pretty good; I'd be more concerned if it wasn't hurting," Cassie said, frowning at his last sentence. "Your concussion was worse than I thought it was; you spent five days in the bacta tank before we took you out and even then you were still in and out of consciousness. But Dr. Aakib'japi has been keeping an eye on things and everything's looking pretty good. As long as you take it easy and rest, you should be getting out of here in a day or two. Maybe tomorrow, if you're good," she added dryly, "but somehow, I get the impression being good isn't your strong suit."

He glared at her. "You don't know me."

"No," she agreed lightly, "but I know me and I think you and I are cut from the same kind of cloth, if you know what I mean." Her ice-blue eyes were dancing with laughter as the corners of her mouth turned upwards, like she was fighting a smile. "I'd be surprised if you weren't planning on an escape attempt right now."

Truthfully, Ezra hadn't; he didn't have the energy to so much as try and sit up, let alone come up with an escape attempt. But that didn't mean he liked being here; other than the few trips to the infirmary on the Destroyer he'd taken, he hadn't been to a clinic like this since . . . well, probably since his parents were taken.

"Kid," Cassie said gently, "I know it's no fun being stuck in a medbay, but we need to make sure you're going to be okay. I promise, as soon as Dr. Aakib'japi gives the all clear, I'll get you out of here." Ezra nodded silently, but was having a hard time concentrating on what she was saying, something she must have noticed, because she said, "But you should probably get some sleep."

"I just woke up," Ezra mumbled as some form of protest, but it was mostly just a front. He really was exhausted.

"You just woke up from a coma," Cassie corrected, stressing the word. "And a coma isn't as good for you as actual sleep. Just go to sleep, Ez. When you wake up, I'll get you something to eat; we're gonna need to get you back on solid foods before the doc's gonna even think about releasing you. And . . . well, we'll talk about everything else later."

Ezra wanted to argue—even though he knew she was right—but ultimately, he was too tired to even try to fight her, because he reluctantly let his drooping eyes flutter close, but opened them back up when he felt her climb off the bed, seeing her adjusting the blankets, drawing them over him.

"You're not going anywhere, right?"

She didn't laugh at him, but her mouth curved upwards into a bright smile. "Don't worry, kid," she reassured him. "I won't be going anywhere. You're stuck with me."

And Ezra realized, he didn't mind that so much.

"Good," he mumbled as he curled into the blankets, relaxing against her hand resting on his forehead. "That's good . . ."

And before he was really aware that he was drifting off, he was fast asleep.

As promised, when next he woke, Cassie was waiting for him was a hot bowl of Lothal stew, which he hadn't had in years but the mere scent of it brought back warm memories that he had nearly forgotten about.

Ignoring the dull throbbing in his head, Ezra pushed himself into a sitting position so that he could dig into the stew, shoveling it into his mouth.

"Slowly," Cassie advised him, though she was grinning. "You don't want to eat too fast; you might make yourself sick."

Ezra hadn't considered that; after all, he hadn't eaten much during his . . . however long it had been imprisonment and then add on a week in a coma and it was a wonder that he wasn't starving. Swallowing much more slowly than he had been, he continued to eat at a quicker pace, but still more gradual than he was.

Dr. Aakib'japi came in while he was eating and he swallowed, looking up at the blue Twi'lek as she approached him, a smile in place.

"Good evening, Ezra," she greeted, her blue eyes kind but the Imperial accent sent a wave of uneasiness through him. "It's good to see you awake; you've been asleep every time that I've come in." But her eyes twinkled, suggesting that she knew he had been awake when she'd come in before. "Are you in any pain? Blurry vision, headache?"

Briefly, Ezra considered not answering her and just going with his usual 'I'm fine' answer, but almost as soon as that thought crossed his mind, Cassie cleared her throat and he looked over at her, immediately spotting the pointed look she fixed him with, and decided that it really wasn't worth it.

"A little headache, but not bad," he said quietly, wishing that she would just leave it alone.

The Twi'lek hummed expectedly. "Where's it originating from? Right here?" she asked, pointing at a particular place. "Well, that's where you had the concussion, so it's going to be hurting for a little while. I can give you some bacta for the pain, but it should start fading in a day or so. Anything else hurt? How about your ribs?"

"No, they're okay."

Nodding once, Dr. Aakib'japi said, "Well, all things considered, you seem like you're doing well enough that I think we can let you out of here a little bit early; how does that sound?"

Honestly, it sounded great to Ezra; the last thing that he wanted was to be stuck in this place for an indefinite amount of time. It felt too much like a prison and he'd had enough of prisons to last him a lifetime.

Cassie, on the other hand, frowned at the Twi'lek. "Do you think that's a good idea?" she asked slowly. "He barely woke up twenty-four hours ago; shouldn't you keep him for observation or something?"

Dr. Aakib'japi hesitated, then glanced between them. "What do you know about a shuttle explosion that happened last week?"

Ezra stiffened, glancing quickly over at Cassie, whose expression was suddenly a mask.

Nodding once as though she had expected this, Dr. Aakib'japi said flatly, "The stormtroopers had been upping their patrols in the area, looking for anyone suspicious and asking if anyone saw anything. You need to get out of here before someone remembers seeing you the night of the explosion. I had a speeder in the back; take it and get out of here while you still can. I can't keep them from finding you forever," she added, "and it's better for both of us is you're not here when they start searching the clinics."

Her mouth hardened but Cassie nodded. "I understand," she said quietly. Ezra looked at her, surprised. "Believe me, I know how hard Imperials are making it; you've done enough without being found harboring fugitives."

"You'd best leaving after dusk," Dr. Aakib'japi told her. "It'll be harder for anyone to spot you then." She made to leave. "I'll get you some oral bacta and some medical supplies, just in case you need it."

As soon as the bay doors closed, Cassie heaved a sigh. "Well, so much for keeping things under wraps. Guess I should have known that we wouldn't be able to hide out here forever," she said dryly.

"So, I guess this is the part where you're gonna ditch me, right?" Ezra said quietly, looking away from her. She was probably already thinking about it; she'd done her good dead already, so her next move was undoubtedly sticking him wherever she could and taking off before he had a chance to blink.

Cassie frowned at him. "Not a chance," she countered to his surprise. "The Empire's going to be looking for you now, kid. They're especially going to be looking for you here, since it's your home planet. It's not safe for you here."

Ezra folded his arms over his chest. "So then, what are you planning on doing with me?" he wanted to know, not at all sure what she was planning.

Standing up, Cassie moved to a satchel that he hadn't noticed, pulling out some clean clothes that looked like they might be his size. "I got these for you a few days ago; figured you wouldn't want to wear those Imperial prison uniforms," she replied, not answering his question. "If they don't fit, then we'll get you some new ones, but they should do well enough for now."

Staring at them, Ezra eyed her. "What exactly is this? Trying to butter me up before dropping the bomb on me that you're ditching me?"

Exasperatedly, Cassie said, "Kid, I'm not planning on ditching you anywhere. True, there are places that you might be safe from the Empire; I could easily find someone that would be willing to take you in, even with the risk. But the truth is, the safest place that you'd be is on the move. And I never stop moving," she added lightly.

Ezra didn't move; he'd heard her, but he didn't fully comprehend what it was that she was saying. Surely she didn't mean what he thought she was saying, but why would she. . .?

"I . . . I don't understand."

"I'm saying that we get off Lothal, both of us," she said gently, "and we go get my ship on Naboo and we just keep flying."

Disbelief rippled through him and he openly gaped at her, not exactly sure what he wanted to say, but apparently, his mind and his mouth weren't agreeing, because his mouth opened and he blurted out, "Why?"

Cassie raised an eyebrow. "Why, what?"

"Why would you want to take me in?" he demanded, curling up into himself. "You said it yourself; I'm a risk. If the Empire's gonna be hunting me, like you're so sure that they are, then why take the risk at all?"

"Because," she said seriously, "some people are worth fighting for."

Years of abandonment, loneliness, and depending on no one but himself crashed down onto him, mixed in with everything that had happened whilst in Imperial custody, and he shook his head in denial.

"No, it's not," he croaked.

"What's not?"

"It's not worth it," he replied, not meeting her eyes but he sensed anger rising through her and, before he could stop himself, he looked up, immediately seeing the anger that he had sensed flashing through her ice-blue eyes. But that anger, he realized, was not directed at him.

"Ezra," she said gently and sat down on the bed. Instinctively, he moved back and she sighed deeply, obviously disappointed, but didn't comment on it. Instead, she just looked at him and said, "Listen to me. I can't imagine what you've gone through—not just the Imperial prison, but also all those years alone. And I know you're not going to believe me, but you are worth it. You didn't deserve what happened to you and I'm going to keep telling you that, every day, until you trust me enough to believe it."

"I . . ." Ezra swallowed, looking away. "The last people that I trusted left me in that place . . . they never even looked back."

Another flash of anger sparked through her glittering eyes, but once again, it wasn't directed at him.

"It's their loss," she said calmly. "If they walked out on you, Ezra, then it's their loss. I mean it," she said sternly when he looked down at his hands. "Look, you don't have to make a decision right now; why don't you just come with me for a little while and you can decide if you want to stay? And if not, then . . ." She took a deep breath, "well, then I can find someplace that would be safe, somewhere the Empire can't find you."

He swallowed, forcing himself to look at her earnest eyes. And he realized that while he might not trust her yet, he did believe her.

"Okay," he agreed.

AN: Hey, guys! Hope you're enjoying the story so far. Also, to the guest who asked about Ezra getting angry when he meets the Ghost crew again, don't worry, I already have that worked into my plans. Believe me, can't wait to write that chapter.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed and please review!

Lady Dawson