Yes, finally, after all this time, it's finally ready. The first chapter of Never let Go, the sequel to Silent, yet Heard! Hope you all enjoy!

"Hera!"

The woman had hardly entered the front door before Ezra flung himself at her, almost knocking the both of them onto the floor. He eagerly dangled a sheet of paper in front of her face.

"Look, I got a B on my math test!"

Kanan, trailing a little bit slower behind the boy, laughed.

"Careful, don't let it go to your head." He teased.

Ezra acted abashed at his words. But as he stepped aside to let Kanan greet his wife with a small peck to the cheek, he stuck his tongue out in the man's direction. Hera bit back a smile at the boy's childish reaction. She pulled away from her spouse.

"So how did the rest of the day go?"

"Pretty good, I guess." Ezra shrugged. "That club meeting wasn't too great, but I did meet another homeschooled kid. His name was Zare, I think." He then perked up.

"Hey, what time is it?"

"Time?" Hera checked her watch. "It's almost two-thirty. Why?"

Ezra hopped impatiently on one foot as he explained. "Sabine promised to teach me how to teach me how to do graffiti painting today after she got back from school. She said she might even help me paint something over my bedpost in my room. If it was alright with you guys." He added quickly at her look.

"It is going to be so much fun. I can't wait!"

Hera gave him a sympathetic look. "You do realize that she has homework to do before anything else, do you? And she might not finish until it's time for dinner?" She pointed out.

Ezra looked disappointed at first, but then shrugged it off.

"That's okay. I can wait.''

"You just said you couldn't." Kanan pointed out, grinning as he ruffled the messy mop of hair. Ezra swatted his hand away and tried to look serious. The small curve of his lips gave away his amusement.

"You know what I meant!"

Kanan chuckled, and even Hera let out a small laugh.

"Zeb should be back from the university any time now. Either of you boys willing to lend a hand and help on supper?"

"I will." Ezra said eagerly. Hera grinned at him.

"What are we waiting for? Let's get started then."

….

It had been almost two months since Ezra's birthday. Two months since they had decided to adopt Ezra. And for the young boy, he could easily say that they had been among the best days of his life.

It didn't take too long for him to settle into a comfortable routine in his new home, and the members inside. Kanan, Hera, and the others had made it as easy as possible for him, welcoming him with open and loving arms, yet at the same time giving him space for adjustment. It was something he appreciated. While he treasured the fact that someone cared for him, it was at times overwhelming, being surrounded by so many people that actually cared for him after so many years on his own.

Knowing that Ezra would be behind his peers, Kanan and Hera decided to homeschool Ezra. Since Hera had recently found a job as a supervisor, Kanan was left in charge of his education. To say the least, it had been…interesting. But despite their struggles with the work, Ezra found that he enjoyed the one on one time with his adoptive parent.

His relationships with both Zeb and Sabine had also grown stronger. Sabine had become the big sister he never had. They spent most of their free time together, drawing, playing card games, and laughing at the other's antics.

Zeb, in his gruff way, had become his partner in crime. Despite trying to pretend that he didn't want him around, Ezra found himself tagging along with Zeb on many occasions. And sometimes, when Zeb wasn't busy, he would take him outside and play ball with him. Even though they constantly fought, Ezra knew that the older boy had his back. He knew they all did.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, Ezra realized he had paused in his task. He hurried to finish setting the table. Hera glanced up at him as she stirred the pot of sauce.

"What, did I do something?" She asked. She checked her face and hair to make sure that there wasn't anything on her.

Ezra hadn't even realized that he was grinning.

"Nope, just thinking." He replied. She raised an eyebrow questionably at that.

"Care to fill me in?"

Ezra hesitated, then shook his head. He wanted to, but he didn't know how to word what tingled in his chest, the feeling of gratitude and warmth and just simply belonging. He didn't know how to tell her how grateful he was. How because of them, he would never have to worry about being abused or living alone ever again. Of course, she most likely already knew that.

Instead, he settled for simply flashing her one of his brightest smiles and continued setting down the silverware.

….

Later that evening, once the two older children had returned from school and the food prepared. The entire family sat down to eat. As she filled her plate, Sabine began to excitedly tell them about her school art project.

"We're supposed to sketch an object from nature." She explained as she stuck a fork of potatoes past her lips. She started to speak through her full mouth, but a stern look from her mother stopped her. She chewed and swallowed before continuing.

"It can be anything. Trees, grass, a rock. The important thing is to add depth and make it look interesting and eye-catching." She frowned, lost in thought.

"The only problem is, I have no idea what to draw. Maybe a leaf?" Her tone clearly revealed her lack of enthusiasm at the thought.

"How about you go to the park?" Hera suggested. "You might find something there." Sabine perked up at that the thought.

"Great idea."

Ezra looked up from his plate at her mention of the park.

"Can I go too?" He asked. His eyes were wide and hopeful, pleading for permission. Hera pursed her lips as though in thought. She looked across the table at Kanan.

"Well, what do you think love?"

Kanan pretended to ponder the question. "Well, I don't know…"

"Pleeease?" The youth looked like a puppy begging for scraps. Kanan finally broke down and chuckled at the almost pitiful sight.

"Alright. But only if Zeb goes with you."

The man in question groaned as Ezra turned and pleaded with him instead, complaining about his weekend plans being cut short(To which Sabine replied that his plans normally involve sleeping, so a trip to the park would actually be good for him).

Finally, after several minutes of constant pleading from the younger boy. Zeb agreed to accompany them. Ezra and Sabine grinned at each other across the table. Hera smiled gently at the sight. Kanan chuckled. Despite the fact that they were not biologically related, there was no doubt that they were siblings. And he was proud to call this family his own.

...

Sabine scanned the park once more before collapsing onto the bench. She sat her backpack next to her. Opening it, she pulled out her sketchbook and pencil case. She pulled her feet onto the seat so her thighs worked as a support for her book. Her pencil scratched against the paper.

Zeb, plopped down next to her. She yelped as the bench shook. She twisted to glare at him.

"Careful Zeb, You almost messed me up." She growled.

He ignored her scolding. He propped his arms on the back rest of his seat and leaned back, yawning.

Ezra remained standing, eyes darting around the sunlit scenery. He looked in the direction of the pond to see several ducks, swimming lazily in the water. His eyes lit up. He tugged at Zeb's arm and pointed.

"I'm going over there, okay?" He then took off before his adoptive brother could reply.

"Hey...wait, kid!" The boy was already too far away to hear. Zeb growled.

"I swear, he..." He started to raise himself up.

"Oh, let him go." Sabine said, not even bothering to raise her eyes from her sketchbook.

"It's not like you can't see him from here. The kid'll be fine."

He huffed, setting back down into his seat. "Better be. Don't want to explain to Kanan and Hera how we managed to lose him once we get back."

Ezra, meanwhile, had reached the pond. He settled down onto the grass next to the water. He propped his elbows on his knees, watching the small animals. The ducks all ignored him as they swam around in their small pool. All except one. A female, judging by the coloring of her feathers, swam up to the edge closest to him. She gazed at him expectantly.

Ezra grinned. He knew what she wanted. He shrugged off his pack and sat it on his lap. He reached in and pulled out the bagged lunch Hera had made him. He unwrapped the sandwich and pulled off the crust, then threw it to the small creature. It didn't even take a moment for the bread to disappear, and the duck to eye him pitifully. He shrugged and held out both hands in surrender.

"Look, I can't give you anymore, alright?" He said with a laugh.

The duck watched him a bit longer. Then, possibly deciding that he wasn't worth the effort, swam back over to her companions.

Ezra's smile grew wider. The scene reminded him of when he had first met Kanan and the others. After their first meeting with the lawyer Morad Sumer, they had come to this park to eat lunch. Ezra, like he was doing now, had fed the same ducks. Kanan had then joined in, throwing some fries in their direction.

He propped his chin in the palm of his hand. He gazed out across the pond, smiling as he thought of the last few months.

He became so lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice someone approaching him from behind, or that they had come to a complete stop near him. It wasn't until he heard the low, steep breath exhale his name did he realize that he wasn't alone.

He jumped, startled. He turned around to see who it was. His jaw dropped.

"You?"

...

Sabine added one more line before casting an critical eye over the sketch. Satisfied with her efforts, she closed the book and turned to Zeb just as he started to raise out of his seat. She took one look at the murderous expression on his face, and she knew something was up.

"Zeb?" She grabbed his arm. "What is it?"

He growled. "The kid."

She immediately looked in the younger boy's direction. She relaxed at the sight. She shrugged.

"So what, he's just talking to some guy. It's not a big deal." She said.

"But look at the kid." Zeb insisted. "Something's not right."

Sabine sighed, but took a closer look. At first she couldn't see anything out of the ordinary, but she knew Zeb wasn't overly paranoid. If he said something wasn't right, then it must be true. It was then she saw it.

To a stranger, there was nothing in the scene that indicated something was off. But even from this distance, Sabine could see that Ezra's arms were crossed and his body ram rod straight. The younger teen only took this pose when he was upset or angry. And he never took it up without a reason.

Zeb was right. Something was very wrong.

Sabine was about to jump up and race over to the duo when Ezra turned. His back faced the man as he started over to their position.

The man shouted something at the youth. Sabine strained her ears, but couldn't make out a single word. Ezra apparently chose to ignore it.

When he reached the two, he cut them off before they could even began to question them.

"Can we go home now, please?" His hands were in his pockets, sneakers scuffing the ground. He refused to make eye contact.

"Kid, who was that guy?"

Ezra irritably ducked under Zeb's hand.

"No one, okay! Look, how about we just go home. We've been out long enough. Kanan and Hera will be wondering where we went." He scurried off toward the car.

"Zeb." The girl hissed as they trailed along after him.

"We told mom and dad that we wouldn't be back until three." She checked her watch. "It's not even one-thirty yet."

Zeb sighed. "I know. But I think it might be a good idea to head back anyhow. Whatever happened just then, I have a feeling that it can't be good.

And as much as she wished it wasn't so, Sabine agreed.

A/N To just get this off my chest, I have no clue how often I will be able to update this story. I tried to prewrite as much of this as possible, but I am in college. I do not have a major lot of time to spare to type this up. However, when I do update I will try to make up for it with extra long chapters :). Hope that makes up for it.

Also, since I know most of you will be wondering why Ezra doesn't call Kanan and Hera mom and dad, I have a reason for that. Even though they are legally his parents now and he is close to them, he's only known them for, like, three months at the point this story takes place. Now, it might just be me, but if I was in Ezra's shoes, I most likely would not feel comfortable with that. It would probably feel like he was trying to completely replace his parents if he just instantly started calling them that. Not to mention, his relationship with Kanan and Hera are just really in the beginning stages. But remember, this is just how I feel. Everyone has a different viewpoint on this ;). And I do not know much about adoption and foster care except what I read online and what several of my friends, who were adopted, told me.

Anyhow, let me know what you guys think of this chapter. Constructive criticism is always appreciated!