Sabezra Fics

Flashback

Whew, this is gonna be a long one. Please comment and tell me what you think!

Sabine was missing Ezra. Yes, it was true. And she didn't want to admit it aloud.
He'd been sent on a mission with Kanan, and much to his chagrin, she and Hera were stuck with Lando. Yes, Lando.
When held first met him, Sabine had been impressed with how much he knew about art - until she started to suspect just how much of a scumbag he really was, flirting with her and Hera and ticking off Zeb, Kanan and Ezra. When he pretended, or so he said, to sell Hera, she knew how trustworthy he really was then. And it still shamed her how she practically shunned Ezra that day. As much as she didn't like to admit it, the mischievous Padawan was a hundred times better than the no good halfwit that was Lando. He was extremely funny, always mouthing off or falling over, intentionally or not. And even though he hid it under his wannabe scoundrel nature, he had a lot of heart, and he was easy to be around. Most of the time anyway. But not Lando. This guy wasn't annoying, but he sure was very tricky, conning and scamming people in a very different way than Ezra used to, or so he told her. He was charming - too charming. She knew his game. She wasn't one if those girls who would pretend to scorn him only to let themselves fall all over him. No, Sabine was a strong, independent girl. Oh, she dearly wanted to smack him in the face with blasting jelly. But she couldn't. Not yet, anyway. And she didn't want him taking the credit for any more of her 'lousy Sabine plans'. They were HER plans.
Right now Lando was in the cockpit of the Rebel ship, trying to make passes at Ahsoka, and he obviously didn't know what he was getting into. Sabine chuckled as she heard the snippy Togruta brush him off like a fly. She admired Ahsoka, and knew there was a lot more to her story than she let on.
She sighed and carried on with patrol. Ezra would have been making a joke, or doing something he shouldn't have been right now. He could never stop talking sometimes.
She remembered once in Lothal when they'd gone to the market to get some fruit and a little kid was being chased by troopers. Ezra stepped in and they made an extremely witty distraction - way before he'd gotten his lightsaber, of course. And even if he had, she reckoned he'd have sorted them out the same way, to avoid detection...

"Ugh, how much fruit do we need to get this time? Because I've lived around these parts my whole life, and there is always so much fruit! Tell me, why does a planet need to have to much dang fruit?" Ezra groaned as they walked to the market cautiously, but there were less bucket heads on patrol for some reason that day.
Sabine smirked from inside her helmet. "Maybe all that fruit is the reason why you fart so much."
Ezra gave her a mischievous  grin. He was a master at those.
"Better out than in, they say." He replied, and Sabine fake gagged.
"Only you could make a comeback with that one," she said, and he looked smug, until he tripped over a rock. She guffawed.
"I'm a special boy," he said, and she gave a "Ha!" In return.
When they had finished bartering for fruit - some of the stall owners knew Ezra well and even gave him some joguns for free - they turned into an alley, and it was there they saw a young boy, around seven or eight with dark, unruly hair flying around his face, brown and burnt skin with threadbare clothes and piercing grey eyes that made him look wild, even for a little kid. He was panting for breath, and they stopped. He looked around, scanning the buildings, and then he saw them, and prepared to make a run for it. He looked worn out, and very thin.
Something in her heart melted. She took off her helmet and approached him. Ezra followed. For some reason he was very, very quiet.
The little boy looked up at her and shrank back, then pulled out a stormtrooper blaster, but Sabine stopped him.
"Who are you running from?" She asked, and Ezra and the little boy both gaped at her. How could she know?
He hesitated, then spoke in a rush. "Three idiot troopers. Wanted my ID. So I stole some fruit from one of their crates. Bad move. They've got it in for me."
She wanted to speak, but Ezra stopped her, grabbing a fruit from their bag.
"Maybe not such a good thing, to steal fruit from bucket head crates. But you're very sneaky. Want some joguns? I got them free." He told the boy, who looked suspicious and doubting, but also awed and envious at the word 'free'
Sabine stepped back, wondering what had gotten into him.
Then the boy took the fruit, and munched on it hungrily, coating his face. He almost stopped shivering.
There was a change in Ezra, too. He wasn't looking devilish anymore. Instead, there seemed to be sadness, and pity, and kindness in his eyes. Plus something else. He offered the kid some more joguns and they started talking, but it was a guarded, cautious conversation that eased out.
"When'd you start living on your own?" He asked the boy, and at first the boy wouldn't meet his eyes, but then said, "A few weeks ago."
Ezra nodded, and suddenly, Sabine understood. "Empire?" She asked, and knew the answer already.
The boy looked so miserable, but also grateful that somebody understood, somebody knew. And she felt so angry, so furious at the empire for making another child lose his parents, to become alone, for his world to turn into a nightmare.
"Yeah. Can I... Do you think I could have some more?" He asked hungrily, his stomach giving a pitiful growl.
Ezra's eyebrows furrowed in sadness and he nodded, then gave the kid a small smile.
"I could call in a few favours for you. Does the little 'loth-rat' have a name?" He asked, and the kid gave him a gappy toothed grin. "Skippy. Loth Rats are hard for imperials to catch, you know."
Ezra's eyes sparkled. "Yeah. We're major trouble for the Emperor's Snowmen."
Skippy laughed, and Ezra looked suddenly to Sabine much older.
She walked behind, and was touched. She wanted to see more of what Ezra would do, and she saw the bond between them grow, slowly but unsteadily. She knew exactly why Ezra was affected in such a way: in Ezra's eyes, Skippy was a mirror image of the way he was before, little, alone, and abandoned. Ezra knew how it felt. The thing that was in his eyes was recognition.
At the market, Ezra talked to the fruit sellers and persuaded them to watch out for the kid, and for some more free food. He was very charismatic when he wanted to be, Sabine thought.
Ezra turned to her, speaking jokingly but also a little protectively, "Hey. Kid's gotta eat."
He hadn't spoken to her much or flirted since they found Skippy, and that was unusual, but Sabine got it. They were delving into his past.
Suddenly, there were shouts and three stormtroopers started yelling, "We've found him - step aside!"
Skippy hid behind Sabine and she was about to go for them when Ezra stepped in and winked at them. "Don't worry. Loth-Rat senior has got this."
Then he ran up to the stormtroopers and they backed up a little bit.
He held his hands up and said, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, you don't want to do that! He's not edible! I mean look at him, all stringy and skinny - not good to cook at ALL."
Sabine got the hint and put on her helmet, then spoke to Skippy in a low voice,
"When we tell you to run, you go hide up that building. Got it? We'll get you away from here."
Skippy nodded, both gratefully and shocked that someone would help him.
Then Sabine went up to the stormtroopers, who were acting confused.
"Are you an idiot? That boy has taken Imperial property!" The tallest one yelled.
Ezra shook his head in dismay, "But officer, don't you know? If you eat skinny little kids raw, you get so big that your 'Imperial Property' blows up - everywhere."
Sabine nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, you can't just put them in the pot like that, you know? Some stuff just has to go out with a bang!"
At the word bang, Sabine threw a smoke bomb at them, and Sabine yelled, "Skippy, RUN!"
They ran on, but not before Sabine fired a stun bolt at them.
Finally, they caught up with Skippy and Ezra led them to his old tower. Panting for breath, they walked on, and Skippy stared at the place in wonder.
"You - you used to live here?" He asked, and Ezra nodded with a small grin. "It's where I lived for about 8 years."
He went into the lift and they followed.
It was the first time Sabine had actually been in the tower, and the place sure was homely. There was a sort of climbing course set all around it, and a bed and some crates of dried food. There was plenty of other stuff too. Skippy looked around in amazement.
Suddenly, he swallowed. Tears started forming in his eyes, and he said, "You don't live here anymore, do you? You've gone somewhere else... and... My parents... I don't have anyone anymore."
Ezra's face creased with pain. He looked at Sabine, and Sabine looked back. She felt awful, but Ezra probably felt worse.
Then Ezra kneeled down and said to the kid, " Skippy, listen. No kid should ever be alone. I mean, I don't know whether you'd like to leave the planet but..."
At this, Skippy shook his head violently. "I can't leave them or my home. It hurts, but I'm okay here. At least some people know me."
Ezra's brow furrowed again, until Sabine got an idea.
"Ezra - that farmer you saved... Mr Sumar? Maybe he'll take in Skippy?"
Skippy looked up with sudden realisation, "My parents knew Mr Sumar - he used to give us lunch before he got his farm blasted."
Ezra looked brighter too."Well, me and my friend Zeb saved him and his family, and he definitely owes me. I know he'll take you in. He's always wanted a grandson, and in the meantime you can stay here all you want. You ever get into any trouble, this is your safe zone. Okay?"
Skippy looked happier than they'd ever seen him, and he said, "Okay."
Ezra spoke again slowly, "I know it won't be the same. But at least you'll be safe. And you'll have all the fruit you'd ever want - he sells it! He's on the other side of the city, but we can definitely give you a lift."
Sabine smiled and called Hera. "Spectre 2, we need a lift, pronto. We got a mini-Ezra to save. Spectre 5 out."
Skippy hugged Ezra and toppled him over, shocking the boy. Sabine laughed, and Ezra did too. "Down, kid, down! Am I your cuddly toy now?"
Skippy said through tears, his street kid act gone, "Thank you, thank you..."
Ezra patted his back, looking happy and sad at the same time, if that were possible.
Skippy got his first ride in a spaceship - the Phantom - and was in utter bliss. Mr Sumar was completely happy to accept him, and Ezra saving his life had a part to play too.
When it came to goodbyes, Sabine gave him a hug and said, "Take care, kid. Don't run into anymore troopers."
Skippy grinned. "I'll try."
Ezra jumped in, "Cause them enough trouble without getting caught, mind you."
Skippy looked up at him, and he didn't need to say anything for them to know how grateful he was. Ezra raise his hand for a high-five, and Skippy slapped it. He ran off waving with Mr Sumar, who had asked him to call him Uncle.
Sabine watched on, and knew that Ezra had brought happiness to another child's life, a happiness that should have been given to him, and now had.
They flew back, Hera smiling and Ezra looking more content than she'd seen him since their run in with the Fyrnocks. "What a day, huh?" She asked him, and he gave her a crooked grin.
"I think Mini-Ezra is going to be okay."
She put a hand his shoulder and said with a smile, "You did good, Ezra Number 2"
He almost fell over with that movement, and then said, "Nuh-uh! There is only one Ezra. The Master of All Ezra's"
"Big Boss Ezra?" She offered with a chuckle, going over to the food bag, and he shot her a pointed look,
"Exactly! Anyway, we still have those waffles, right?"
She froze while stuffing one into her mouth, speaking while eating, "We may have had them while ago..."
She screamed, mouth full as he tackled her, and they ended the day with silliness.

"Sabine? Sabine!" Hera called from the front of the ship, and Sabine was jolted out of the memory. She sighed and ran over to the cockpit. Sure enough, Lando was still bothering Hera. Ack. "Ah. Sabine, could you help Lando over here assemble this unit? He's having a few problems."
She groaned internally and scowled at the pigheaded man that was Lando, who just chuckled at her. She ignored him and started fixing the unit that Lando seemed to be 'struggling' with, and the only other person helping was Chopper. Zeb was sulking in his quarters.
"So you're a mechanic as well as an artist? Impressive!" Lando turned on the charm but Sabine was not falling for it.
"And I see you're incompetent as well as smooth talking so that's no surprise."
Lando simply laughed, while Hera gave her a warning look but seemed to completely understand. This guy was impossible. She did miss Ezra, more than she should. Every memory of him came back to her, and they flooded her brain. She missed his smile. She missed his laugh. She missed that devilish grin and that mouth of his, always cracking jokes and being a sarcastic butthole. She knew he'd be back, though. He always came back. Always.

Yeah, that was long! And I couldn't abandon Skippy. The kid grew on me!