Hi hello, is this thing on? Yeah so I haven't written in YEARS now but I'm in quarantine so might as well try to finish all my Rebels fics. Hope you enjoy!

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"Kanan?"

"Ezra!" Kanan breathed out, relief flooding his body. "Ezra, you have to come towards me. I can't get up in the vents." The sounds of shuffling against the metal followed, and even though Ezra was close, it took a lot longer than he would have hoped for blue eyes and floppy hair to come into view.

"Kanan," Ezra gasped. Not a good sign.

"I'm here, but you have to drop down. I'll catch you." After seeing the room where Ezra was held by the Inquisitors, and the sheer amount of blood, he knew Ezra wouldn't be in good shape. But frankly he was surprised Ezra was still able to shuffle through the vent more, albeit slowly and clumsily. One at a time arms emerged from the darkened vents and into the dim hallway, dangling in the air, skin fully exposed. He struggled to kick his body forward any further.

Kanan grabbed onto Ezra's limp wrists and then his elbows, trying to offer the kid some support as he not so gracefully let gravity take hold. He grabbed onto Ezra's shoulders, falling onto his knees to soften the blow. A small grunt escaped Ezra's chapped lips.

"Hang in there, kid" he said, taking in the full extend of the damage the Inquisitors inflicted on his padawan. His cheek that didn't have the scars from the Grand Inquisitor had smaller scratches and was bright red with smeared blood. With his coveralls still hanging around his waist, the lightsaber wound – no, wounds, Kanan corrected, wincing – were in full display. The largest one ran diagonal across his entire chest and small traces of blood seeped out with every breath Ezra took. Although lightsaber wounds cauterize, someone had scraped the wound with a sharp object to get it to bleed.

Kanan's blood boiled. There were other, smaller cuts across his chest, and one pant leg was cut open; he had no doubt a lightsaber slash went there too.

"I'm okay, Kanan, really…" Ezra said, his voice betraying his attempt at confidence. He was panting as if he had made the Kessel run on foot. "I… I just…"

"Save your breath, it's okay. I'm getting you out of here."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that." Kanan whipped his head around to where the female inquisitor stood, daggers shooting out of her eyes. "You're not leaving here alive, Jedi. And neither is your padawan."

"Hate to break it to you," Ezra said, the confidence in his voice somehow returning. "But I did it once, and I'll sure as hell do it again." The look in the Inquisitor's eyes enraged even more so. Kanan smirked as he stood up, igniting his blade.

"You Loth-rat!" she spat. "The Emperor may want you alive, but I don't." The words sent a chill through Kanan, but her double-edged red blade pierced through the darkness, and he had to put it aside. Yelling, she leaped towards him, their blades clashing, and Kanan shoved her back, away from Ezra.

The Seventh sister's blades began spinning.

Despite the confidence in his voice earlier, Kanan knew the kid could barely stand on his own. He needed to end this fight quickly.

He just wished he knew how.

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"They should've checked in by now." Hera pursed her lips.

"There was no plan, Sabine. So they technically haven't missed any check in points."

"Yeah, well, we should've heard something by now," she argued back.

"I agree," Zeb chimed in from behind. Hera debated for a few more moments, before reaching and flipping the com on.

"This is Specter 2. Any updates?" she said, not wanting to give too much away. A few ticks went by.

"Specter 2, this is Specter 6."

"Ezra!" Hera said back, unable to contain her worry. "Are you alright? Where's Kanan?"

"No time to explain. Meet us outside docking bay 6. Over and out." Ezra's voice crackled away.

"Uh… did he say outside?" Zeb asked. "He knows outside is open space, right?" Rex chuckled.

"Oh, he knows alright."

Hera couldn't help but give a slight smirk as well as she began flipping switches on the dash. "Zeb, Rex, I need you on the guns. Chopper, prep the docking bay." The Ghost roared to life as Chopper beeped in frustration on his way out of the cockpit.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Sabine said, before grabbing her helmet off the dash and following Chopper.

Hera sighed. "Me too."

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Ezra gasped, letting gravity pull him back down as his back rested against the wall. Amid Kanan and the Seventh Sister's fight he had managed to drag himself from the middle of the hallway and behind some crates, which is when Hera's voice came on.

The world was still rocking back and forth slightly, and he felt like he couldn't get enough oxygen in him no matter how many breathes he took, but he couldn't be useless. Not now. The words echoed in his mind. Since you're the bait, that makes you responsible for their deaths. Ezra wouldn't let that happen. Not if he was still conscious.

Kanan yelled, and before Ezra could react, he landed hard on the ground in front of him, his lightsaber falling and rolling to the side. A disoriented Kanan reached his hand to his head, trying to shake off the confusion.

"Come on, Kanan, I got us a ride out of here. Let's move!" Using what was left of his strength, Ezra stood up and grabbed onto his master's hand. He didn't need his vision to help pull him up – which was good, considering it was all swirling together. The next thing he knew, the world tilted again, but this time it was because Kanan had picked him up and tossed him over his shoulder. Ezra couldn't help but gasp.

"I know, I'm sorry," he said. Every step he took was a jab into Ezra's lower stomach.

"Come back, Jedi! The fun has just begun!" the Inquisitor yelled from far behind them. Ezra looked up to see her racing after them, eyes burning with hate. It sent a cold chill through his body. She was opening herself up to the dark side, letting her emotions control her. There was no telling what she would do.

"Any chance you happened to have my lightsaber?" Ezra asked, pushing down the urge to hurl. Kanan took the hint and unclasped the lightsaber from his belt, fumbling it towards Ezra as he continued to run through the hallways.

Ezra took it, the weight a slight comfort in his hands. Ignoring the pain and blood still seeping through the cuts on his wrist, he took aim and started firing the electric bolts at the Inquisitor. The first one caught her so off guard she stumbled, allowing Ezra to snatch her shoulder. She cried out, and Kanan turned the corner.

"Head for docking bay 6!" Ezra told Kanan.

"You've got a plan?" He asked back.

"Someone has to," he retorted.

"I agree," Ahsoka said, and both heads turned towards her. She came from another hallway and turned to run beside Kanan.

"What happened to your Inquisitor?"

"I slowed him down, but he'll be back any minute." They reached the docking bay and ran to the middle of it before stopping. Kanan gently lowered Ezra off of his shoulder and to his feet, but didn't release his grasp on his shoulders.

"We need to open the doors," Ezra said, not wasting any time. "And check for some masks."

"You can't be serious," Kanan said.

"The Ghost can't land here or else the Inquis—" A cough escaped his lips, and before he could help it, he was doubled over, his chest burning as each cough racked his entire body.

"Easy, easy, Kanan said, lowering him down to the ground. Ezra gasped, breathing heavily, his throat raw. Kanan's hand on his shoulder was cool to the touch.

"Here," Ahsoka said, and before he could register what was happening a mask went around his face. He sucked in a breath of pure air, his thoughts coming back to him. Blast it, every part of his body felt like it was on fire. It ached and burned, and he could barely focus. But he snapped to attention upon hearing the Inquisitors voice again.

"Leaving so soon?"

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All three heads whipped around at the Inquisitor's voice. They stood there, the red glow highlighting their hateful gaze.

"Kanan, get these doors open," Ahsoka said, standing up, grabbing her own lightsabers. She ran at them, and from behind Kanan could hear the blades colliding.

"Come on, Ezra, stay with me just a little longer," he said, looking down at his padawan, but this time it seemed he was out for the count. His eyes were distant and lolling around, unable to focus. "Karabast," Kanan muttered, trying to move Ezra's limp body back into his jumpsuit. Even though it was sliced open, the kid needed all the warmth he could get in open space.

"Kanan!' Ahsoka yelled, her tone urgent. He managed to get Ezra's other arm in before deciding it would have to do. Still crouched on the floor and holding his padawan in one arm, Kanan turned and reached out with the force. He could feel pain radiating from Ezra, worry from Ahsoka, and pure anger surrounding her.

Focusing on the door, he reached out again, and within a few moments the door began opening. Ezra had somehow managed to regain focus in that time, and his voice surprised Kanan.

"See? Told you I had a plan." Looking back out into space he saw the Ghost, it's loading bay open with Sabine floating, one hand holding onto the ship, the other gesturing them on. Kanan couldn't help but smile. When Ezra had time to contact the crew was beyond him.

"Alright kid, I need you to hang on." Putting on his own mask, he picked Ezra up in his arms. "Ahsoka, now!" he shouted, and began running towards the opening. He could sense Ahsoka right on his tail, and a little further off, the Inquisitors running towards them too.

Reaching out to the force, he jumped right through the blue shield of the hanger.

The cold hit him first, chilling him right to the core. Gasping in shock, he was thankful for the masks, and held Ezra tighter, trying to warm him as they slowly drifted towards the Ghost.

It was peaceful, in a way. The star closest to them shone brightly, illuminating the ship as they drifted. The only sound Kanan could hear was his own breathing in his ears. Looking down at Ezra, he could see the puff of condensation on his mask too. Beside him, he looked to Ahsoka, who smiled at him.

Upon reaching the Ghost, Sabine grabbed Ahsoka and pulled her further into the ship. Chopper shot out a line and Kanan latched onto it, the droid reeling them in.

"Hera, now!" Sabine said through the coms, and the door began closing. Kanan looked back to see the Inquisitors standing behind the transparent blue wall, watching.

The door sealed shut, and gravity returned. Kanan landed on his feet, but fell to his knees, still clutching onto Ezra. Taking a closer look at him, he was relieved to see electric blue eyes staring up at him.

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"He lost a lot of blood," Hera said, walking into the common room where everyone had waited. "But he'll be okay." A collective breath was released from everyone there. "I did what I could about the marks, but there'll probably be scarring."

"There… there were so many," Sabine said, her voice small.

"The important thing is that he's going to be okay," Hera said, walking over to her and resting a hand on her shoulder. "We got him back."

Kanan stood. "I'll take the first shift watching him," he offered.

"No need," Hera replied. "He's already awake."

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Kanan entered the med bay, smiling at seeing Ezra sitting slightly up and coherent.

"Hey Kanan," he said, his voice raspy, but strong.

"Hey kid," he replied, taking a seat right next to him. "You gave us quite the scare."

"Please," he replied. "The only thing you should be scared of is your ability to think ahead."

"Hey, like you're one to talk."

"At least I was able to follow my plan through without any need to improvise," Ezra said again.

"Alright, alright, you got me," Kanan said, chuckling. He leaned forward in his seat, his face stiffening. "Ezra… are you alright?"

"Of course I am," he replied, a little too quickly.

"Ezra, they… they tortured you. I saw the room they held you in…" Ezra winced at that, and his face fell. "Please, talk to me."

"Um…" Ezra said, fiddling with his hands, which were now mostly bandage at this point. "They… well, not really they, mostly the Seventh Sister. She did… most of it."

"'It' being the lightsaber gashes?" Ezra nodded. "But that's not how you lost so much blood, is it?" Ezra bit his lip.

"Why is this so important? I'm here and I'll be fine, Hera said so."

"It's important," Kanan said, "that you talk about it. You went through something that can break and kill people much older than you. And for those who do make it out, it can still haunt them for years later." A beat passed.

"Does it still haunt you?" Kanan sighed.

"Yes, it does."

"I'm sorry."

"Me getting captured by the Inquisitor wasn't your fault. And neither was this. But you need to know that what you feel, is normal. And that you can talk to me about it, or Hera, or anyone."

Ezra nodded, and Kanan noticed the tear running down his cheek. "It's going to be okay," he said, placing his hand over Ezra's as he sniffed.

"She uh… she would use the lightsaber… and… and then she… she has these razor-sharp claws for fingers or something, I don't know, but she would… scratch right down the center of the wound. And she would do it so slowly and smile and just touch everywhere I…"

"Hey, hey, it's okay." Kanan got up and sat on the edge of the bed, and put his arm around Ezra. "I've got you." Ezra buried his face into Kanan's chest, and for the rest of the night they sat there.

Together.