Okay, ummm...sorry for not updating for almost two months? But I do have a reason.

So you all know, I have just started college. Because of that, my schedule is swamped with classes and homework, one class in particular I spend a lot of time working on because it's such a struggle. On top of that, I also have work-study, which cuts into most of my free time. Which leads into my next subject...

I have been asked about doing a sequel to this story. Honestly, While I would love to(I even have a idea for one), I do not have much time to work on another multi-chapter story at this time. Maybe I will sit down and work on one at some point, but at this point I do not have time. Sorry :(

Anyhow, enjoy the last chapter of Silent, yet Heard

Zeb ducked the green object that Sabine tossed in his direction. Then he brought his arm back with a laugh and fired his own 'weapon'.

Sabine shrieked when the water balloon hit her shoulder and burst, soaking her already wet t-shirt. She raised a hand to her forehead, letting gravity claim her as she fell dramatically to the ground.

"Avenge me, brother." She gasped in mock agony before sprawling out on the ground.

"No!" Ezra cried as he stood over her 'dead body'. In both hands he held his own balloons.

"You will pay for this, you monster!" He took off after Zeb, throwing his own missile.

Standing on the porch as he nursed his cup of coffee, Kanan chuckled as he watched the three continue to goof off. As he leaned against the banisters, he heard soft footsteps.

"You know, I have a feeling this isn't what you meant when you told them to go cool off."

Hera shook her head, a small grin tugging at the corner of her lips.

"Not really." She admitted as she copied his position, her arm bumping against his. Her eyes were soft, gazing out at them in the yard pummeling each other with balloons.

"I thought they'd just camp out in front of the air conditioner, or something. I didn't consider what they would choose to do instead."

Kanan smiled at that. He finally turned his head to look at her. He lowered his voice, though he doubted that they could be heard over all the noise that the trio was making.

"Did you get all the supplies?"

Hera rolled her eyes. "Yep, got everything we need. The cake mix is on top of the fridge, everything else in the bottom cabinets. Think you and Zeb can handle it on your own?"

"What? Do you doubt our abilities?" Kanan teased. She whacked his arm playfully before raising her voice for the others to hear.

"Ezra, Sabine, come on! We need to get ready to go."

The three paused, the younger two just starting to gain up on Zeb. Confused, Ezra lowered his throwing arm to his side.

"Go? Go where?"

Hera, about to renter the house, paused at his question.

"Well, you both need school supplies, don't you? Hurry up, get some dry clothes on so we can leave." She went inside.

Sabine punched his arm with a grin.

"Come on, last on inside has dish duty tonight." She raced toward the house, Ezra reluctantly trailing along behind her.

…...

Ezra stared moodily out the window. In the front seat, he could hear both females talking about all the supplies they needed to buy. He half wished they would be quiet, give him a chance to ponder on this new dilemma.

Finally, noticing how quiet the teen was, Hera addressed him. Never taking her eyes off the road.

"Ezra, you alright?"

"I'm fine." He replied grumpily, crossing his arms over his chest. Sabine turned in the front seat to see his slumped form. She raised an eyebrow at the sight.

"Uhh, no you're not."

"Yes I am!" Ezra shot back.

"Ezra." Hera broke into the brewing argument. "You know, it might help us all out a lot if you tell us what's going on."

Ashamed of his attitude, Ezra flopped back into his seat. His arms uncrossed and he stared down into his lap.

"I'm sorry Hera. It's just...I'm worried." He blurted out.

"I was seven the last time I stepped into a school. Seven years! I can't even read that well, alone do anything else. All the other kids will just laugh at me."

Hera could hardly blame him for being nervous. Both she and Kanan had known he would be behind in his academic achievements. They had stayed up almost the entirety of the previous evening, discussing different approaches. It was Kanan who had suggested one option, one that they felt would be the best course.

"Alright then." She carefully swung into the next turn. "If you want to Ezra, I have an idea that might possibly help."

Ezra glanced up from his lap, curious, if a tad nervous. "What do you mean?"

Hera smiled at him through the rear view mirror.

"How would you feel about being homeschooled?"

…...

Kanan frowned at the contents of the bowl. He reached for the cake mix box, reading the instructions on the bag. Nope, he had done it right. Then was the batter supposed to be this thin?

He simply sighed and shook his head. He was starting to regret not paying attention to Hera when she would bake. Then maybe he would feel better about the batter.

He poured the batter into the pan on the counter. After putting it in the preheated oven, then setting the timer, he wiped his hands off on his jeans and went to help Zeb.

The younger male was sitting in the living room, trying vainly to untangle the streamers. Kanan was tempted to ask how he had manged to that. He decided against it, coming forward to take them and proceed to gently untangle the fragile material.

"Thanks." Zeb started working on them again, only to pull too hard. They ripped apart in his grasp. Laughing, Kanan started to work on them again, suggesting that he go get the table cloth instead. He simply received a grunt in reply.

"The kid better appreciate this."

As Kanan pulled out some tape, he twisted around to smile at him.

"Trust me, he will."

…...

If someone had asked Ezra about what he thought of shopping, he would have told you he enjoyed the concept of it( After having to steal everything he needed for so long, it was nice to actually buy it. Or more correctly, let Hera buy it for him). The actual process? Well, it wasn't quite what he expected. Especially with Hera and Sabine.

First of all, while Ezra was not particular about the type of clothing he wore(as long as it was comfortable and allowed easy movement it was fine), Hera and Sabine were picky about the style. They shuffled through the clothing racks, checking for his size. They would hold up certain pieces and ask for his opinion. He simply shrugged. He didn't really notice any of the designs. Until his eye was caught by one Hera had glanced at, then threw to the side.

It was a long sleeved shirt. Orange in color, it had a thick color and patches where it had been purposely made to look faded.

Ezra reached and picked it up, examining it closely. Hera and Sabine paused when they saw holding it, glancing at each other.

"Do you like that one, Ezra?" Hera personally didn't care for the shirt, but this was the first time he had shown a interest in anything they had looked at thus far. Any chance of getting him actively involved needed to be lept upon.

Ezra nodded, absently, running his fingers over the material. It was soft, possibly the softest thing he had ever felt. Besides his bed, of course.

Hera moved so she was in front of him. She took the shirt out of his hands, holding it up against him. She nodded in approval.

"Might be a bit on the large size, but it shouldn't take long for you to grow into it. Alright, put it in the buggy."

"No, you don't have to..." Ezra began.

"But I want too." She cut him off.

"Besides, you need clothes. Come on, just put it in the buggy."

Ezra stared at her for a long moment. Suddenly he threw his arms around her waist in a awkward embrace, startling her. She recovered quickly, however, and returned the impromptu hug.

"What, all this for a shirt?" She said in a light voice.

The youth pulled back enough to shake his head, dark hair flying with the movement.

"No. Well, that too, but...for everything you guys have done. You all didn't have to help me, or take me in, but you did. You didn't have to save me, you could have just walked away."

"Oh Ezra." She brushed back his bangs, smiling even as a lump formed in her throat. This amazing child had been through so much. She mentally shuddered at the thought of what would have happened to him if they hadn't caught the sighs and had left him to his fate.

Sabine, standing awkwardly to the side, cleared her throat. The other two jumped at the sound at turned toward her. Ezra flushed in shame at his open display of affection. Hera simply grinned.

"Sorry, 'Bine." She took hold of the cart again.

"Come on, lets get going."

/

It wasn't until late that afternoon when they finally pulled into the driveway of home, trunk filled with shopping bags full of everything both teens could possibly need for school.

Ezra helped unload the trunk, trailing behind both females as they carried the supplies to the porch. Hera was about to open the door when she paused.

"I almost forgot, I left my purse in the car. Ezra, do you mind going back to get it for me? I think it's in the front seat."

The boy nodded as he set his bags down and raced back to the car. He opened the passenger side door, only to find the front empty.

He frowned. He checked the rest of the vehicle, wondering if he had missed something. He hadn't. The purse simply wasn't there.

Perplexed, he turned around and opened his mouth to inform Hera that it was missing. He stopped short when he realized that no one was on the porch. He sighed and started heading back to the house.

He closed the door as he entered the house, kicking off his shoes to avoid tracking in dirt. The first thing he noticed was that it was dark; the hallway lights were turned off.

Worry flickered through his chest. Years of survival instincts warned him to keep the lights off as he crept forward, trying to stay quiet. It wasn't normal for the house to be this silent and until he knew the reason why, it was best to stay low-key.

As he passed the living room, he noticed the lights were on and cautiously peeked inside. His jaw dropped in surprise when he saw the room was decorated with streamers and balloons. What on earth was going on?

He heard the voices before he noticed the light shining underneath the door. As he silently drew closer, he began to make out what they were saying.

"...exploded in the oven." Hera's tone was exasperated.

"Kanan Jarrus, what am I going to do with you?"

"It wasn't my fault!" The man protested. Ezra made out sniggering at that- Zeb, he thought. Hera's loud sigh over-ceded the laughter.

"Great. This time, I'll do it. You two can find a way to distract him this time. Take him to the park or something."

"Fine." Footsteps approached. Before Ezra could move, the door was flung open. "But..."

Kanan's voice trailed off when he noticed who was in front of him. Sabine, standing behind him, also noticed the boy. Her eyes widened with surprise.

"Ummm...Mom?"

The woman turned from her examination of the stove at Sabine's half-whisper. She startled at the sight of Ezra, but soon recovered and smiled thinly.

"Hey love. Did you find my purse?"

Ezra wordlessly shook his head. He looked up at the man, putting a voice to his curiosity.

"What's going on? And why is the living room different.

Kanan's shoulders slumped. He looked behind him at his wife for guidance. She met his eyes and sighed.

"Might as well tell him."

Ezra glanced back and forth between the pair.

"What're you talking about? Tell me what?"

"Well..you see...we had planned to..." Kanan gave up and sighed.

"Happy birthday Ezra."

Ezra stared at him a moment, trying to comprehend what his guardian just said. It soon clicked what he was saying.

"Wait, you're saying..." He trailed off into silence. Hera picked up the explanation after that.

"We were looking through your file and found your birth date. And we figured that we would just have a small party. Nothing elaborate or anything, just cake, maybe a game or two. It was going to be a surprise." She laughed at the expression on his face.

"And judging by the evidence I would say we succeeded."

Ezra continued to gape at the group. The smile on Kanan's face slowly faded when the boy didn't react. He laid a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Ezra, what is it?"

After another long moment, the teen raised his gaze to meet the green eyes. He swallowed hard before speaking in a rough voice.

"You guys...are doing all of this...for me? Really?"

Sabine couldn't resist rolling her eyes at that. "No, it's for the other Ezra in the room. Of course you!" Zeb guffawed at that.

Ezra studied a moment longer. Then a smile began to tug at the corner of his lips.

"Thank you. I...I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to." Kanan knelt down in front of him. He smiled gently, holding his arms out to the youth.

Ezra didn't hesitate to step into them, hugging the man's neck as he sunk into his embrace. No words were exchanged, nor did any need to be.

After a bit Ezra removed himself from Kanan's hold. He then proceeded to hug the others, even Zeb. Awkwardly, the older male patted teen's shoulder.

When he turned to Hera, she pulled him in before he could make the first move, holding him tightly against her. He didn't hesitate to return it, burying his face into her shirt.

After a long moment, Hera stepped back. Gripping his arms gently, she bent slightly to kiss his forehead.

"Now, how about we get this mess cleaned up and get ready for a celebration?"

…...

"Won again!" Ezra crowed, dropping his cards to the table as he raised his hands victoriously.

"Just got lucky, kid." Zeb growled, though there was a hint of a smile on his lips. "I'll get you yet."

"Just got lucky?" Kanan laughed. "That's the third time that he's beaten you. Face it Zeb, you stink at this game."

Chopper, curled up on the couch in the space between Kanan and Ezra, meowed as if in agreement. Though still tedious, the relationship Kanan and the cat had improved greatly. The animals relationship with Zeb, however, not so much.

"Ha!" Ezra let out one more triumphant cry before flopping back against Kanan, mindful not to hit Chopper.

Kanan smiled down at him, a mysterious smile on his lips. "I'm not sure if you want to be near me right now Ezra."

"Oh?" The boy quirked an eyebrow as he squirmed his way into a more comfortable position.

"How come?"

"Well, for starters..."As he spoke, Kanan move his hand to 'casually' rest it on the boy's side. Ezra noticed the warning signs, and with a shriek, tried to scramble away. But it was too late. Kanan grabbed the boy and started tickling his ribcage.

Ezra laughed helplessly, trying in vain to push away the dangerous hands. He spoke between giggles.

"No..ha...stop! Zeb, help me!"

"Aww, and miss out on the show?" Zeb leaned back, hands behind his head. A mischievous grin grew as he chuckled at the sight.

"Come on Kanan, it's payback time for you kid."

Ezra wriggled out of the man's arms, trying to stand and flee. He still wasn't quick enough to escape as Kanan simply pulled him back into his lap, relentless in his attack. Everyone paused at a new voice.

"Hey guys." Sabine leaned against the doorframe. She couldn't help grinning at the scene before her.

"I know you all are busy, but Mom has something ready in the kitchen for you all."

Ezra took advantage of Sabine's distraction to yank himself away from Kanan's grip. He took off, passing the older girl in the doorway. Laughing, the others trailed after him.

Hera looked up with a laugh as Ezra skidded into the kitchen. She met her husband's gaze as he followed not too far behind. With a wink, she tilted her head toward the table. Kanan got the message, pressing the boy down into a seat.

"Well, now that everyone's here..." She finally turned around. In her hands was a cake, covered in chocolate icing, it had exactly fifteen candles and happy birthday piped onto it in orange icing.

As she carefully set down the cake in front of Ezra, she began to sing softly. "happy birthday to you..." She was soon joined by the others.

"Make a wish." Sabine sing songed. Ezra bit the inside of his cheek, thinking. He could think of a lot of things to wish for. That Trevor would never hurt him or anyone else again, that his parents were still around. Impossible dreams, he knew.

He then looked up at the faces of everyone around him, at Hera's motherly smile and Kanan's grin of encouragement, of Zeb's eye roll when he looked in his direction, and Sabine motioning at him to go on. He smiled. No, there was only one thing he wanted above anything else. He took a deep breath and blew out the candles.

His friends-no, his family-clapped, and Zeb patted his back, almost knocking Ezra face first into the cake.

Kanan cut the cake and placed the slices into colorful paper plates, passing the first one to Ezra. The youth took it, but didn't immediantly eat. He held the plate almost revently. Hera noticed instantly.

"What's wrong?"

Ezra shook his head. "Nothing. It's just been so long since I've had cake. I've forgotten what it taste like."

Zeb, about to stick his fork into his mouth, paused long enough to laugh.

"Well, why don't you find out? Don't just guawk at it kid, eat it!"

Ezra grinned. He picked up his fork and took a bite. His face lit up as the rich flavor coated his tongue, and he eagerly took another mouthful.

"Careful, don't choke yourself." Hera laughed as she nibbled at her own portion. Ezra swallowed and replied.

"I can't help it. It just tastes so amazing! I've never tasted anything so good in my life!"

Hera's smile grew even wider at that. "Well, I'm certainly glad you approve."

They had just finished eating when Zeb started and nudged Sabine. " 'Bine, the gift." He hissed.

Sabine groaned and slapped her forehead. "I forgot. Hang on, I'll be right back." She hurried out of the room, only to return not even a minute later. She clutched something in her hand. Sheepishly, she handed it to the boy.

"This is from me and Zeb. He bought the hat. I painted it myself." She added quickly, as Ezra turned it over in his hands.

The hat was a white baseball cap. Now with Sabine's handiwork, it now had red streaks all over it in a wild yet planned design. He swallowed the lump in his throat at the unexpected gift.

"Thanks guys. I love it." He pulled it over his mess of hair, tucking in a few strands of hair. It was then he noticed Kanan open a nearby drawer, pulling out a folder.

Coming over, the man knelt in front of Ezra's chair. He took a deep breath before staring into the youth's bright blue depths.

"Ezra, I speak for all of us when I say that if we could change the past- if we could have kept you from all the suffering you've went through, from being on your own for so long- we would give everything to do so. You understand that, don't you?"

Confused, Ezra met his gaze with a nod. He wasn't completely sure where this was going.

"We may not be able to change what has already happened." Kanan continued. "And Hera and I know we could never replace the influence of your parents. But during these past few weeks, we have come to see you as part of this family." He opened the folder and pulled out several sheets of paper. He handed them to the boy, who took them with trembling hands.

"And if would like to, we want to make that official."

Ezra stared down at the sheets. He couldn't read well, but he knew enough to read a few word. He began to sound out one unfamilier word slowly.

"A..dopt..." He clapped his hand over his mouth. Tears glistened in his eyes and threatened to fall down his face. Worried, Kanan reached to cup his cheek.

"Ezra, what's wrong?"

The teen gasped, shaking in disbelief as he laughed with joy.

"Nothing's wrong. Yes, Yes!" He practically fell out of the chair as he wrapped his arms around Kanan's neck, almost knocking him to the floor.

"I love you." He whispered as he buried his face into the man's shoulder. He felt strong arms encircle him, heard the same words echoed back into his own ear.

There was a rustle of cloth, then Hera was on the floor with them, hugging them both, kissing the head of the youngest. Sabine joined the embrace, soon followed by Zeb. Chopper simply rubbed against them, purring like he knew what was going on. And maybe in a way he did.

Curled up in Kanan and Hera's arms, surrounded by those who he had grown to love, Ezra smiled. For the first time in eight years, he felt at peace.

He had found family.

He had found home.

First of all, I want to thank BelieveInYourDreams4Life, for letting me run with their amazing idea. And for all of those who read, favorite, and followed this story. And thanks to all the guest for their reviews and encouragement(Because we never brag on them enough ;)) And also, thanks to those to took the time to give me the constructive criticism I needed. I am grateful that you took the time to point out where I needed to improve, and in the process help me become a better writer.

I can never thank you all enough. I am grateful that you all took a chance on this story. Thanks again y'all.

Until next time, may God bless you and keep you safe.