CT-0910 asked if I could do a fluff chapter so here you have it!!

What if Kanan and Hera met Ezra when he was seven?

Enjoy!!!!

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Hera's P.O.V

   About two weeks ago, Kanan and I were assigned to investigate the disappearance of the Voices of Hope. When we entered the house, it was a mess. Things tossed in different places, scorch marks from blaster fire, and some things broken.

   The two of us split up and began to search the area for any information.

   "Hera, over here," I turned to see Kanan pushing a table away from its spot. It revealed a hole with a ladder going down to a secret basement.

   "You think the Empire found it?" He asked me.

   "Please, they wouldn't be able to find a Zillo Beast is it was right in front of them," I said.

   "Good point. Ladies first?" He said gesturing to the hole. I rolled my eyes and scaled the ladder. I turned to see that the room the pitch black with the only light from the top of the hole. I grabbed my torch and flicked it on, then scanned the room while walking past some objects on the floor.

   The sound of Kanan hitting the ground echoed through the room.

   "This must be where they did their broadcasts," I noted and Kanan hummed in agreement.

   "I wonder what else is here that they hide from the galaxy?" He questioned as he turned on a torch. I rummaged through somethings on tables and in boxes but there was nothing very useful.

   "I don't know," I admitted, "Fulcrum said that he barely knew anything about them and that they wanted to keep things a secret."

   "They sound so much alike," he muttered, looking through a box. I couldn't blame him, he couldn't know anything about Fulcrum besides the fact that he is our contact. Fulcrum was more than contact but that information is classified until further noticed.

   "Did Fulcrum say anything about them having a kid?" Kanan asked randomly. I stopped rummaging and looked over my shoulder. "No, why?" I asked.

   He handed me a drawling of terribly drawn lothcats. I paled at the thought of a child being interrogated for information that he or she or they didn't have.

"Why would they put a child in danger like that?" Was the first question that came out of my mouth. Didn't they know the risks? If he or she would of been killed or captured along with them. What if he or she are roaming the streets? How long would they survive?

"I think they did," Kanan answered, bringing me out of my thoughts. I nodded knowing that he was right. They probably did know the risks and took them. They were true rebels.

   A box next to a table fell near us. Kanan and I quickly snatched our blasters and pointed it in the direction where the box fell. Our torches fell to the ground pointing in that direction. There was nothing.

   A small squeak came from under the table behind two other boxes next to the fallen. It sound like it was afraid. I lowered my blaster and squinted my eyes to find anything. I put my blaster back into my holster and walked over.

   "What are you doing?" He asked shouting in a shushed tone and still pointing the blaster. I waved to him to lower his weapon and gestured to be quiet. He raised an eyebrow but did as I told him too. My attention was turned back to the boxes and I knelt down. I stuck my head to look inside and saw a small form huddled in the back corner.

   It was a young boy!

He had dark blue hair and skin was tan with dazzling blue eyes. It seemed like he could see straight into my very soul. He wore an orange jumpsuit and held a stuff lothcats in his arms. His face had red tracks from crying. He was shaking in fear and seemed to get smaller, trying to get away from me.

My heart ached in sadness. Poor kid had probably been through a lot but how did he survive so long. It was said that the Voices of Hope were captured a week ago, at least that's what our sources tell us.

"Hey," I said softly, moving the box out of the way. The boy squeezed his toy in fear and tears started to fill his eyes.

"It's ok, I'm not going to hurt you," I told him gently. The boy just stared at me and waited for my next move. I crawled under the table and sat across from him. I gave a smile and held out my hand slowly. The youngster flinched and tried to back up more but the wall stopped him.

   He just kept staring at me then my hand until finally repositioned himself.

   I kept smiling warmly at the curious mind as the wheels in his head turned. "Not much of a talker are you," I said before realizing that I didn't introduce myself, "I'm Hera, by the way. What's your name?"

He moved his eyes to face the ground and I pulled back since he wasn't going to shake it. I wasn't expecting a small muffled voice.

"Ezra."

I honestly didn't think he would speak but glad he did.

"It's nice to meet you, Ezra," I replied, "How about you come out and get a bite to eat."

"My mommy and daddy told me not to go with strangers," he said so innocently.

"Am I a stranger anymore?" It took awhile until his head shook no.

"Well if I still am then how about we get to know each other," I told him. I could see the boy thinking and hesitating before nodding. I crawled out of the small space to see Kanan with confusion written all over his face. That was until Ezra crawled out from behind me.

"Who's the kid?" He asked. Ezra and I stood up and the boy immediately his behind me.

"Kanan...," I said, picking Ezra up by the armpits and resting him on my hip, "This is Ezra. Ezra this is Kanan." I gestured to my partner, who gave a little wave. Ezra shyly buried his face in my shoulder. His muscles were still tense but I had a feeling that the kid still needs to get used to us.

It was hard for the youth but eventually, we got through to him. He started to talk more and show a very energetic and curious side. Him and Kanan were getting along nicely, sorta.

At times, it was hard when he asked questions like if his parents would come back. It was always hard to answer that question.

When we told Fulcrum of Ezra, he told us to deliver the boy to him. I agreed. Ezra had grown a little bit in my heart. His innocence, bright eyes, and the way he laughed. He was such a cutie. It was hard to imagine or find someone in a galaxy like this.

"Hera, come on!" The little seven year old said excitedly.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," I said, grasping the boys hand in mine. Kanan quietly walked behind us as we made our way into the markets of Lothal. We were on a supply run for some things before heading off to Tarkin Town.

About an hour later, we had all of our supplies. Ezra had gotten tired of walking so Kanan let him ride on his back...after I ordered him to that is. We walked for awhile before pausing for a moment when Ezra lifted Kanan's hood on top of his head.

"Are you a Jawa?" Ezra asked curiously. I held a hand over my mouth to cover my giggling as Kanan struggled to get the hood off.

"H-He's not a Jawa..." I told him laughed a little.

"But he's got a brown hood! See!" The boy replied, extending the word 'see.' As Kanan struggled he finally said something from being silent this whole time. He was very frustrated when saying, "GAH! The sooner we get this kid to Fulcrum, the better!"

My smile turned into a frown and Ezra froze. This was bad.

"W-what do you mean?" Ezra asked. Kanan immediately closed his mouth. We didn't tell Ezra that he was being given to Fulcrum. I didn't have the heart to tell him and obviously Kanan and Chopper didn't either. Although, I'm surprised Kanan didn't before now.

"Ezra," I started, taking the young boy off the Jedi's back.

"Are you going to give me to someone?" The youngling asked with tears pooling in his eyes. I knelt down to his level, "You need to understand-"

"So it's true," the boy said, cutting me off. Hurt and betrayal lurked in those once bright eyes now filled with sadness. Ezra was not a normal seven year old, he was very smart for his age but doesn't act like it.

I was completely speechless and wanted to wrap my arms around him. Tell him that it wasn't true. But, it was and now the damage has been done for waiting to tell him.

"W-Why didn't you t-tell me?" He asked backing away a little.

"Ezra, let me explain," I said, but it was to late. He made a mad dash off into the crowds of people. I wanted to chase after him but instead, turned to Kanan and punched him in the shoulder.

"Of all things," I yelled, "you just had to tell him that!"

"Why is this my fault?" He asked, "You should of told him in the first place." I gritted my teeth then calmed down , "We need to find him." He nodded and we split up. I was worried out of my mind. If anything happened to Ezra, I'm not sure what I would do besides make the Empire pay. They did this to the poor child, now it's time for some revenge.

My instincts told me that there was one place to find him. The one place he truly felt safe. His home.

I stood outside the abandoned house with a now freshly painted warning symbol on it. I ignored the symbol and walked through the open door. The place was the same as it was left the last time we were here except the table. We moved it back to cover the hole up so imperials wouldn't find it.

Now the hole was revealed and the table pushed to the side. I walked over and scaled the ladder. I grabbed my torch and scanned the area until the light hit the table with two stacked boxes near.

I made my way over and got on all fours, peeking into the small area to see the youth. His back faced me and knees were pulled to his chest. There was some quiet sniffling.

"Ezra," I said quietly, not to scare the boy but he still jumped.

"What are you doing here?" He mumbled.

"To get you," I said crawling in and sat like I did the first time I met him.

"Why would you do that when you were going to get rid of me?" He said angrily but the sadness was clear.

"I don't want to," I admitted, looking at the floor, "it wasn't even my choice."

"Then whose choice was it. If you really wanted to keep me then why didn't you fight back," he asked, voice cracking. I had no words because there was nothing that could be thought of.

"I-I don't know. At the moment, it seemed like a good idea," I stuttered, "I think my reasoning was to...to keep you safe." When the last phrase came out, I realized what my reasoning was for agreeing. My heart strings tugged to protect and keep him safe.

I felt a small hand wrap around mine. I didn't even realize that I was crying until a tear fell down my face. I still looked up to see Ezra with tears running down his cheeks. He gasped before a quiet sob left his mouth and soon started to cry.

I let go of his hand and pulled his small frame onto my lap. I wrapped my arms around him and rocked us back and forth. Ezra buried his face into my shirt trying to seek comfort. I rested my chin on top of his head and silently cried as well. We both stayed their for awhile, soaking in each other's warmth.

   My com link whistled to life a familiar voice of a Jedi came.

   "Hera, did you find the kid?" He asked.

   I cleared my throat a little before replying, "Yes, I found him. We'll meet you back at the Ghost in a little bit."

   "Got it. See you soon," he said, before I put my com back.

   "Are you ready?" I asked him and hoped he didn't change his mind to stay here. I smiled when he nodded.

   "Let's go and we'll disguise things tomorrow about keeping you," I said.

   "O-okay," he said. I put him on my back and gave him a ride all the way back home. When we arrived, I heard soft snoring on my left shoulder. I'm surprised that he is still hanging on to me. Kanan stood on the ramp with Chopper next to him.

   "What did you do? Kid looks worn out," Kanan whispered.

   "We need to talk but I need to get him to bed first," I replied before heading to the ladder and heading to a cabin. The door slid open and I walked over to the bottom bunk, laying Ezra down on the bed. I tucked the boy in and combed some of his hair from his face.

   "I won't give you up without a fight," I whispered then leaned down and kissed his forehead. I stood up and walked to the door. I turned my head to see him one more time, "Goodnight, Ezra."

   I turned to leave but not before hearing, "Night mama." The door closed and I froze in surprise. A smile formed on my face as I thought, 'He's so cute.'

The next day, I told Fulcrum that Ezra was staying with us. I wasn't expecting his reaction. He chuckled and granted me permission to keep the young boy. The transmission ended but I was still frozen in shock that soon turned into pure joy.

I told the rest of the crew and Ezra excitedly ran over. He hugged me around my waist but I repositioned myself to pull him into my arms. Kanan and Chopper seemed to not like the idea but a glint of relief flashed in Kanan's eyes.

We all grew and add on to our small crew and continued to mess with the Empire ever since. We may seem like a team, a group of rebels but we were a family.

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Stay tuned and adios!!!!😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁