The Artist and the Jedi - Sabezra Oneshots

Holocron

Set between season two finale and season three opening:

Summary – Following the eventful mission to Malachor, Sabine tries to get Ezra to open up to her, and in doing so, causes him to reconsider his actions with the Sith holocron...

The Ghost rushed through hyperspace, the brilliant blue light passing by in a dazzling display. Zeb sat in the co-pilot seat, or rather slouched, his feet planted firmly up on the dashboard. Normally Hera would have chastised him for it, normally she would have ordered him to respect her ship, but not this time. With everything that had happened, the smaller things seemed to fade into insignificance. Malachor was still painfully raw, and everybody was taking it in their own way. Zeb feigned indifference, acting normally, but one look into his eyes confirmed that he was struggling to cope with the blind state of his best friend. Ezra had taken to locking himself in his room, he'd shaven his hair down immensely, and barely spoke to anybody. Ironically, it was Sabine, the most closed off person of all, who managed to get through to him. The Mandalorian understood his pain, and on the rare occasions that he did leave his cabin, it was her who he spent time with. Chopper certainly seemed quieter, and there hadn't been a single prank in sight since that fateful day. And then there was Hera. The Twi-Lek pilot and self-assigned mother of the family had also grown much quieter recently, and took on far more missions to take her mind off the things that had happened. Ever since Malachor, Kanan had stayed on Atollon, spending his days meditating alone. As expected, blindness was a difficult state to accept, he didn't want to make others feel guilty for him, but nor did he know what to do with himself now. In short, this was a difficult time for the crew, probably the most difficult so far.

Ezra sat cross-legged in his cabin, his thoughts deep and focused. The lights were off, and the doors were sealed. No Zeb to disturb him, no Kanan to intrude, the apprentice felt safe enough now. He stretched one arm to his side, and used the force to retrieve a red triangular object from a stand nearby, where it had previously been concealed beneath one of his helmets. The Sith holocron. If Ezra knew one thing, it was that the price they had paid for this bauble had been far too high. He would be betraying Kanan, and Ahsoka, if he didn't try to learn something from it. But that had proven harder than he'd expected, despite his best efforts, nothing Kanan had taught him had allowed him to unlock the holocron. There had been one time, a week ago, he had gotten frustrated with it and it had cracked slightly, whispering to him for half a second. Was that the key? Anger? Was that how he was going to learn how to destroy the Sith? His silent questioning was interrupted by a knock on his cabin door. It was too light to be Zeb, and Hera usually called his name when she wanted him. With a cautious movement, he hid the holocron from sight and moved to the door. He considered for a moment, did he actually want to talk right now? With a shrug, he supposed that no harm could come of it and opened the door, doing his best to smile when Sabine entered.
"Hey Ezra, how...uh how you doing?" she asked curiously, moving into the room and sitting down on the lower bunk.
"So-so" he shrugged "how about you?"
"Not bad, you know how it is. Been focusing on my painting, I'm curious though, you spend a load of time in your cabin like I do, what do you do to pass the time?" Sabine questioned, not out of suspicion, merely out of curiosity.
"Uh...well...mediation mostly. Jedi stuff...helps take my mind off...things" Ezra lied. She nodded in understanding, and a silence ensued.
"Never took you as the meditation type" the Mandalorian commented in jest, Ezra frowned.
"Well...maybe...I am now" the apprentice replied through gritted teeth, clenching his teeth a little. As much as he loved Sabine's presence, she was being frustratingly nosy.
"What's going on Ez? You seem really tense all of a sudden" she asked innocently, happening to lean right on the cupboard where he'd hidden the holocron.
"Stay away from there!" he shouted, rushing forwards and pushing her away in shock. Sabine widened her eyes in surprise, raising her hands in defence.
"Ezra..." she started.
"Just leave me alone" the apprentice said bitterly, completely closing himself off. He looked up and glanced at Sabine's face. Her lips quivered slightly and she looked dejected, somehow she maintained a stony composure, but the fact that she was on the verge of tears did bring a pang of guilt to Ezra's heart. Nonetheless, the Mandalorian backed away, and with a metallic hissing sound, the door closed once again, making Ezra feel more alone than ever. He stood there, breathing heavily for a moment, before punching the wall of his cabin in annoyance. He hadn't meant to hurt her, it was just...just so difficult now. As he turned around, however, he noticed an ominous red glow emanating from the cupboard nearby. The holocron. It had opened even more now, still he could only see a glimpse of the knowledge inside, but there was no doubt that it had changed.
"Anger...pain...that's what I have to do? To protect my friends...I have to lose them?" he monologue quietly, pacing around the room. He felt the hate flowing through him; hate for the Sith, hate for the holocron, but most of all, hate for himself. What was he turning into?

As soon as the door closed, Sabine rushed into her own cabin, sealing the door behind her. She tapped a few controls, deadlocking it so that nobody could disturb her, before slumping down on her bunk. Her head fell into her hands, and a deep sigh left her mouth. She hated everything that the crew had been through, both Ahsoka and Kanan, their mentors, were gone now in one way or another. Ahsoka had...passed on, and Kanan was so changed that he avoided just about everyone now. Ezra was the most affected, him and Hera. All Sabine wanted to do was help, she'd never gotten frustrated at Ezra, never given up. But this last outburst of his...she was beginning to wonder if he'd be better off without her efforts. Another sigh. The Mandalorian slowly reached across to a nearby desk, retrieving a holo-image recently taken of the entire crew. Hera had proposed a group photo be taken on Atollon, just before the mission to Malachor. It was only a few weeks ago, but looking back, it seemed like years.

At that moment, a set of timid knocks emanated from Sabine's cabin door, causing her to glance upwards. She frowned in suspicion, there was no way this could be Ezra, he never left his own room, so who was it?
"Hey Sabine...I need to talk" a voice said quietly from the other side. It was recognisable at once, and the Mandalorian's heart stopped when she realised. What was he doing here?
"Why should I open the door to you Ezra? All I've tried to do is help you, and all I've gotten in return is abuse. We're all suffering...but you can't just shout at me like that...it isn't fair" she answered. Silence ensued.
"Look at me" the apprentice said quietly, almost in an ashamed voice, and Sabine curiously opened the door. The sight she revealed caused her to gasp in shock. Ezra stood there, head hung low, holding the Sith holocron in one hand. The holocron had been opened, partially, and the look on Ezra's face proved his guilt. Sabine stepped backwards and let him in, closing the door behind him, he probably wasn't ready for others to know yet. The apprentice took a seat on her bunk, still refusing to look her in the eye. He cradled the holocron in his fingers, holding onto it with a tight grip as if he feared to lose it.
"What have you done?" Sabine asked softly, kneeling down in front of him and forcing him to look back.
"The holocron...it...I..." he began, but then just broke down. Anybody who knew Ezra knew that it was quite rare for him to lower his cocky attitude, even rarer for him to cry like this. That damn holocron had really gotten to him. In a swift movement, Sabine stole the artefact from his grasp and threw it to the other side of the room, not caring in the slightest if it got scratched. She then pulled the boy into a hug, he clearly needed it. She forced him to stand, and held him in a tight embrace, allowing him to let out his emotions.
"I'm sorry...I just wanted to protect everyone...don't want to lose anyone else...don't want to lose you" he mumbled, sniffing between each word. His breaths were ragged and short, and in an attempt to calm him down, Sabine rubbed his back comfortingly.
"Shh, it's okay. Everything is okay now Ez...everyone's safe" she said slowly, and eventually he began to calm. The boy moved back slightly, thinking that they'd hugged long enough, but to his surprise Sabine kept her arms wrapped firmly around him. It seemed like the position comforted them both. The Mandalorian was just happy to have him back.

When they did finally separate, a silence followed, and Ezra found himself stood in the middle of the room awkwardly. Sabine, too, couldn't help but feel a little awkward, now that it was all over.
"What...what do I do now?" Ezra asked. He'd admitted his use of the holocron to somebody, gotten something huge off his chest, but he still wanted to protect his friends. Sabine stayed silent, strolling over to the holocron. In a quick movement, she scooped it up and locked it in a little safe beneath her bunk.
"Out of sight, out of mind. There's no way it can tempt you now, because believe me...if you try to get into my cabin when I don't want you to...the force won't be able to protect you" she stated in a light-hearted tone. He could tell she was joking, but still pulled a nervous smile.
"Thank you...for everything" he started "do you think I should talk to Kanan?".
"Definitely, but I'm not finished with you yet" Sabine answered, punching him lightly in the arm. He yelped out in slight pain.
"Hey! What was that for?!" he asked.
"For being a jerk earlier..." she said simply. But then something even more out of the blue happened. The Mandalorian grabbed him by his shoulders, pulling him towards her, and quickly pecked him on the lips before pushing him back again. As he stood there, mouth open in shock, she smiled sweetly.
"And...and that?" he asked again.
"For opening up...now you can go" Sabine said with a smile. He hadn't noticed, but he'd been slowly pushed outside of her cabin, and with that line the door closed again, leaving him stood outside with a look of complete confusion on his face. He backed away, slowly moving into his own cabin, still shocked. His mouth was still open in surprise, and he couldn't bring himself to comprehend what had just happened. By the time he was able to speak properly again, he only said one simple statement.
"Damn...Mandalorians are weird".