And- the end. Yes yes, this is a short story, but until I get more comfortable with romance, that's how it'll stay. Although this chapter is by no means short... probably because I can't resist torturing Ezra. }:3

And those who haven't read 'A New Dawn', there is mentions in here of a Count Vidian. All you need to know about him is that Kanan and Hera stopped his plot to blow up a moon for it's natural resources, as a result saving the moon and the mining companies on it's planet. Also, go read the book, it's awesome.

Ezrabine fans- your turn is coming soon. Promise. :)

Disclaimer: What's been the overall theme of disclaimers for this romance? That's right- floundering in the corner. And you know why? ...Because I'm super jealous of Disney for owning Rebels, but can't do anything about it. (That and I legit have no idea how to write romance)

"How's your arm doing?" Kanan looked up at her from the Dejarik board in the rec-room, his teal eyes surprisingly clear despite the late hour. Honestly, Hera didn't expect much else; not when he was completely absorbed in the holograms playing above the board-

Holograms of Vader.

He shrugged, giving the fore-mentioned armored limb a quick look-over. She'd made him bandage the lightsaber burn once they'd gotten settled back into the Ghost, something she would like to think he would have done anyways without her prodding- though she had a sneaking suspicion he would have ignored his injury in favor of going over any and all information they had access to on the Sith Lord they'd encountered.

"It's fine. Doesn't hurt any more, if that's what you're asking." Hera raised an eyebrow, and he sighed. "I'll change the dressings on it before I head into bed, you don't have to worry."

"You know I do; you don't worry about yourself nearly as much as you should." His upper lip twitched, but it quickly settled back down into his stoic not-really-a-frown-but-not-happy-either serious face. This time it was Hera's turn to sigh as she moved further into the room.

"You should be heading to your cabin soon, Kanan. It's late." He turned his gaze from the holograms a second, giving her a raised eyebrow.

"You're up as well." She shrugged in response

"I had to do some quick maintenance- apparently, Zeb and Ezra jammed Chop's charging port sometime beforehand, and I had to make some quick repairs so he could charge overnight." Kanan smiled softly at the mention of his Padawan and lasat crew-mate causing their normal shenanigans, but as his gaze slid back over to the large blue Sith floating above the table, it slid off his face rather quickly.

Hera made to sit on the rounded bench, scooting in a bit from the edge to move closer to Kanan. She could tell he had something massive weighing down on his shoulders- and the fact that he wasn't objecting her staying up this late as well meant he needed to share it. And share it was exactly what he did, just in a round-about way that she still understood nonetheless.

"How's Sabine doing?"

So it was worry about the crew that was keeping him up- not the first time it had ever happened.

"Sore, but she's fine. Honestly, I think she's more upset that the blasts scorched her paint job than the actual damage done." Kanan grunted, apparently nonchalant. Hera wasn't fooled for an instant.

"Kanan, looking up on this guy until you're drop-dead tired in the morning won't help anyone. You can always look at this stuff when it's actually a decent hour of the day." Kanan rubbed his eyes, fingers progressively moving to massage his temples as he responded to her.

"I know... I just feel so- powerless. Back there, it was all we could do to get out alive, and even then it was by the skin of our teeth..." He let out a large breath, and it was only because Hera was adept at looking for the signs that she heard it shake. "You saw what happened out there. We were no match for him- and if I had been even a second slower, Ezra-"

He stopped, seemingly unable to finish the thought.

Hera's hand snaked its' way to her partner's, gripping it tightly with the reassurance she knew he needed but refused to ask for. She herself was reassured when he squeezed back slightly, simultaneously indulging in her support and thanking her for it.

"Be that as it may, you still need sleep. The whole fleet- what's left of it, they're all aware of the threat Vader poses. They won't underestimate him, and they're all doing as much research as they can. You don't need to do this alone." Kanan's gaze lowered from the hologram to their combined hands.

"I don't think I'd be able to."

Hera looked away, breathing deeply with a faraway look to her face. "I don't think I'd be able to either." She saw Kanan give her a small half-smile with a raised eyebrow out of the corner of her eyes.

"Really? As I recall, you were doing a pretty good job working solo on Gorse. All I happened to do was bumble in and try to help." Hera smiled at that, though she shook her head.

"Now that's not true. If you hadn't 'bumbled in,' Count Vidian would never have been stopped. He would have blown up that moon, and thousands of people would have their lives ruined. I never would have been able to stop that on my own." Kanan hummed in response, looking back down at their hands. Hera could tell he wasn't seeing them, though. He was deep in his thoughts, the handhold a mere placeholder for his gaze as his mind spun on.

Hera looked at him, closely. She could always read him like an open book, but this time, there seemed to be something off about him that she just couldn't quite place. He was feeling a little lost and unsure, that much Hera knew, as well as just a bit off-kilter. These things were obvious to her. But there was just... something in those eyes she hadn't yet deciphered, in all the years she'd known him.

"There's something else on your mind." Kanan remained silent for a beat, then nodded, with a slight frown.

"It's... complicated."

"Most of the things you worry yourself over are, dear."

"Yeah." Kanan's gaze broke from their hands, moving back to stare at the slowly revolving holo of Vader and the numerous panels of information and news reports around him. He took a deep breath through his nose, chewing his tongue. Hera remained silent, knowing Kanan would share his thoughts as soon as he knew exactly how to. Which honestly didn't take that long; his mind moved quickly.

"Everything's changed, now. We won't be able to go back to that life, will we?" It wasn't a question, more of a statement, one that made Hera also stare at Vader, contemplating.

"No. We won't be. Is that what's bothering you?" He smiled, but it was tight.

"Not directly. It's just... This sounds odd, but despite the danger... we were safe. And now... we won't ever be safe again."

And now Hera knew exactly what was keeping her partner up.

They were all no longer safe, when before they had been. Not in the sense that they weren't in dangerous situations- in the sense that the force hunting them down had been somewhat manageable. Now that Vader had come and had demonstrated just how outclassed they were, the crew knew- this wasn't just another Inquisitor. This guy was far, far worse. With the bucket-heads, escape was easy, almost routine. With the Inquisitor, escape was challenging, if a little narrow at times. With Vader- if they met him again and had to fight, escape would be impossible.

Kanan was afraid of losing a fight against the Sith- and by extent, them.

"You're scared of losing us."

The sharp, constricted intake of breath, the unconscious tightening of his grip on her hand, and the slight narrowing of his eyes told Hera she was right long before he slowly nodded.

"Out there... we were torn apart. Vader is the Sith that took out some of the strongest Jedi Masters we had... Master Windu, Master Kenobi, Yoda, Skywalker... Hera, I'm nothing compared to the Masters, and Vader was able to take them out. I'm... I can't protect us from him. If he confronts us again, I won't be able to protect any of us from him, including the other members of the fleet."

"Hey- you're not alone in this, you know. You're not our only defense against Vader." Hera tightened her grip on Kanan's hand, drawing his gaze to her face and punctuating her point. "Being part of a fleet doesn't just mean you have more responsibilities- it means you have allies. I don't think Ahsoka would just stand around there if Vader came up against us, nor would the rest of the rebels. We're not alone."

The look on his face was hollow. He stared at her for a few moments, then returned his gaze to their hands once more. "That doesn't stop the fear." He laughed- but it was bitter, his expression pained. "And it's not the kind of fear that I can chase away with meditation, either. This... Hera, I am terrified down to my soul that I'm going to lose any of you."

This man... after everything he's been through, it's still the thought of losing us that scares him the most.

Hera was staring at the side of Kanan's face, voice silent and eyes deliberating.

I have to stop him being afraid- didn't I say that?

Yeah- yeah, that was what she said. And that was the reason that finally let her morals and love co-exist together-

Because she loved Kanan Jarrus.

She loved his cocky battle-banter. She loved his teasing of the crew. She loved his respect for her boundaries. She loved his gentle side. She loved the thoughtful gestures. The jokes. The laughter. The determination. The fire inside of him. She loved everything that made him him. She'd loved him maybe since the start- and then their constant companionship and deepening bond morphed that love into something she could never lose or forget.

And now, that love was finally drawn up to the surface. Because she finally had a reason for it. Anyone who didn't know her would have called it an excuse- but Hera Syndulla had an honest reason to finally let her suppressed feelings loose. And the reason was-

There was practically nothing else that could set Kanan back up on his feet. Her usual comforts and reassurances wouldn't help him battle the fear to a manageable level- it was a deeply-rooted terror, one mere words would not be able to reach. Her normal assurance would only go so far; words were, after all, rather blank and impassive when compared to the expression of a passionate heart.

Honestly, what was the point of her being completely focused when her partner was not? This was the only way she could get him back on track- and that was what finally broke the dam. That was what finally let Hera feel what she had forbidden herself to feel for all these years. And so she acted on the newly released flood of emotions.

"You won't. You won't lose any of us." Kanan turned a raised eyebrow to look at her, but there must have been an untold amount of conviction in her face, because he refrained from a sarcastic response. He blinked at her, looking honestly surprised, and then his eyebrows contracted slightly.

"You're... actually convinced of that." That must have come as a shock to him, but not to her. Then again, she wasn't the one plagued with so many doubts that she stayed up until late researching on their enemies. She still had her fears for her crew, but they were tempered by this new determination that had been unlocked- by the fire she now had burning inside. Nothing would happen- and if it did, they would deal with it. Like how right now she needed to deal with the Jedi next to her.

She nodded, and scooted a few inches closer to Kanan, who's eyes were still searching and unblinking as he tried to comprehend her conviction that they would be alright.

"How are you so... sure?" Hera moved closer, staring directly into his teal eyes.

"Because, love, when I took you in I swore you wouldn't ever be alone again, and I'm not about to let all my hard work go to waste."

And she kissed him.

She felt him tense- and then relax. Hera brought up her other hand, holding his cheek as she broke away. She smiled softly in response to Kanan's wide-eyed look of shock- the good kind.

"Everything will be okay. Trust me- I'm always right."

"I- I..." Her smile grew as Kanan opened and closed his mouth, seemingly unable to work it properly.

"Am suddenly very glad you happened to bumble your way into my life? Me too."

Kanan shook his head like he was trying to clear his jumbled mess of thoughts, and Hera had to resist the urge to chuckle. Sometimes he was so suave and charming, and others, just so... adorable.

"Hera?" She cocked her head, teasing, still smiling. "I love you."

Yes, sometimes he could be suave and charming or adorable... and others he just made her heart melt.

"I know."

It was a good thing the both of them usually woke up long before any other members of the crew, because neither one of them had fallen asleep in their cabins. As it was, they had managed to sneak off to their rooms and prepare themselves for the day in private, before the other Spectres were up and about.

Hera was happy. And, as a matter of fact, so was Kanan. Oh yes, they both still had innumerable doubts and fears, but they would both work together- in anything and everything they did -to make sure those fears were never grounded.

But of course, they weren't in any fairytale. They didn't wake up to blazing determination and a fully refreshed and energized crew. Instead, they woke up to each other, still tangled on the bench- and with a very, very oddly behaving crew.

When everyone had woken, they'd seemingly congregated in the eating galley. Both Zeb and Sabine were casting anxious and somewhat concerned glances at Ezra, who was eating out of a bowl and seemingly refusing to ever look away from it.

Kanan frowned, raising an eyebrow at Zeb while Hera moved to make herself a morning meal and start on some caf. The lasat came over to the Jedi, speaking softly. "Something's up with the kid. He hasn't said a word since he woke up, and, well..." Another look at Ezra's bowl-stare was all that was needed to confirm something was up.

"Ezra? You okay kid?"

It was somewhat concerning that Ezra tensed up as soon as Kanan said his name, then turned his head slowly to face his Master. He took a deep breath, opened his mouth, and seemed to lose his nerve, because he just nodded vigorously instead of replying, looking back down into his bowl and chewing with a vengeance.

Hera's eyes narrowed, hands making her meal on their own accord as she observed the silent teen. His cheeks were slowly heating under an angry blush.

"Are you sure?" Kanan crossed over to his apprentice, placing a cautious hand on his shoulder and tilting his head to take a closer look at his Padawan. Ezra choked on his meal, and the concern on Kanan's face doubled even as Ezra nodded his head in earnest.

"No you're not! What's bothering you?" Kanan was genuinely looking the kid up and down for an obvious sign of something wrong, while Ezra shook his hands in front of him with a passion.

"Nothing! I'm fine! I swear!" His voice was an octave higher than normal.

Hera slowly lowered her hand from the caf brewer, splaying them flat on the counter as she realized the obvious. She turned around to look fully at the teen, interrupting Kanan before he even had a chance to ask another question.

"Ezra, dear?" Her voice was soft, but the kid still had impossibly wide eyes when he he turned slowly to face her. He hummed in response, though it sounded a lot more like a squeak. A very, very embarrassed squeak.

"Just how much of Kanan's feelings filter in through your bond with him?"

The galley had never been so silent before. Kanan, to his credit was keeping a very neutral expression on his face, though he'd kind of frozen as the implications of what Hera had said sunk in. On the other hand, if Ezra had been lightly blushing before, now he was practically burning up, with his eyes as wide as the caf cups behind her. After a pregnant pause, he managed to squeak out,

"E-enough."

Hera nodded slowly, suspicions confirmed, and moved back to making her caf without so much as a blush. Kanan, on the other hand, was stuck right next to his fidgeting apprentice, and his diction had apparently run off without him, because his mouth wasn't working again. Eventually he just sat down, looking quite flummoxed.

"Ah."

Zeb narrowed his eyes, looking between Kanan and Ezra suspiciously. "What? What am I missing here?" Kanan's tongue was in his cheek, and Ezra was back to staring at his bowl.

"Well, uh... nothing. It's nothing." Was apparently all Kanan needed to say to make Sabine gasp.

She looked at Hera, her mouth opened widely into a gaping, grinning 'o', and she looked between her and Kanan. "You didn't..." When Hera smiled softly and took a sip of her now-prepared caf, Sabine broke into one of the biggest and goofiest grins Hera had ever seen. "You did!"

"What?! What did she do?" Sabine only slapped her hands over her mouth in answer to Zeb's prodding, giggling profusely and seemingly having a very hard time controlling them. Hera only drank her caf as the severely confused lasat turned to her and then to Ezra, who'd buried his head in his hands, forgoing the half-eaten meal in front of him. Kanan was nodding his head, still trying to find the words to communicate to his Padawan.

"Oh my gosh Hera! It took you two long enough!" Sabine was still wearing that shameless grin, and Hera smiled behind her cup. She shrugged as Kanan spluttered.

"Well, we were busy. But, I can see your point. Besides, it was fun-"

Ezra yelped and was out of the room so fast he was nothing more than an orange blur in Hera's vision.

Sabine very nearly collapsed with laughter, while Kanan groaned and put his hands into his head. Zeb looked between him and Hera, eyes narrowing and ears twitching as she brought the Jedi his cup of caf and sat down in the seat across him. She raised an eyebrow at Zeb, who finally asked, "What did Kanan do to make the kid run away?"

Ominous giggles drifted from the out-of-commission Mandalorian on the floor, and Hera kept her face neutral. "I don't know, Zeb. Why don't you go ask Ezra?"

"Don't you dare!" Hera smirked at the teenager's panicky yell, and she knew he probably wouldn't make an appearance to any of them until the next day.

"You know..." Kanan had looked up finally, "Maybe... I should... talk... to him..."

"Kanan, love, I don't think he's gonna be able to talk until he manages to think without a blush." Kanan sighed, drinking from his caf with a small smile nonetheless, and then looked over to Zeb with the most serious look he could muster.

"We're going to be ready for whatever Ahsoka needs us to be able to do, so if you wouldn't mind un-plugging Chop from his charging port and telling him to start repair work?" Zeb stared at Kanan for a second, still apparently trying to figure out what had spooked his bunkmate so, and then shook his head.

"You Jedi-folk are so weird." He took a look at Sabine, who was still trying to recover from her bout of laughter. "Never mind- you're all weird." And he walked out of the room, muttering about his strange crew-members.

Hera sighed contentedly, smiling at Kanan brightly. "We should probably get going on repairs as well. Fulcrum said she wanted us to head out and recruit some old allies, so we should be getting started soon."

Kanan hummed and nodded, standing up and looking at the door with a sympathetic smile. "Poor kid..."

"He'll be okay, Kanan." Hera smiled up at her Jedi, and thinking- not for the first time -how lucky she was to have met him.

"We'll all be okay."

"Yeah... especially when Chopper realizes what went on and gets all defensive over Hera." Sabine's devilish smirk and comment made Kanan pause, contemplate for a second or two with an open mouth, and then head out the door quickly.

"Hey, Zeb? Maybe hold off on activating Chop for a minute or two..." Both she and Sabine burst into laughter, Hera finally letting her amusement at the entire situation out as Kanan tried to prolong the amount of time he spent pain-free.

Oh yeah, they would be alright. Whatever the Empire threw at them- both she and Kanan would fight it together, with their family, and make absolutely sure that they would all come out in the end.