#spacedaughter

Sabine answers with a nod, letting go of Kanan so he can step out of his cabin. The door slides closed behind him, leaving the rebels to sleep in peace. An arm lays back over Sabine’s shoulders as they walk down the hall, Sabine tugging on the back of his shirt out of instinct to guide him around people sitting along the walls.

Tilting his head towards her, he lowers his head and his voice.

“You still have your armor on… have you gotten any rest?”

She doesn’t answer for a few seconds, her shoulders going stiff.

“Not yet… I was talking with Hera… and my mother. I’m fine though, I’ll take a nap soon… Tristian’s using my bunk right now to sleep.”

Kanan straightens up and takes a deep breath, nodding slowly. He can feel how fatigued she really is, wishing for once that she wouldn’t be so stubborn. A small smile appears on his face in the next second, remembering that he and Hera have more than likely been the enablers for the stubbornness over the last few years. Shaking his head and avoiding a laugh at the thought, he steps into the cockpit.

Sabine slips out from under his arm to her regular chair, glancing up at him after he closes the door and takes his seat in front of her.

“So what’s up?”

Swallowing hard, Sabine looks back down to the durasteel plating of the floor and shuffles her hands underneath her legs.

“I’m sorry…”

“Come again?”

The surprise in Kanan’s voice is evident, not having expected the words that came out of her mouth. He shifts forward in his seat as she stares at the ground, placing his forearms on his knees so he’s leaning closer to her, feeling the shift in her signature.

“I’m sorry… I… I apologized to Hera, earlier… for not coming back with you guys, after going to find my mother… Maybe if I had been here, I could have gotten the shields to hold up longer, we could have gotten more back up… So I’m sorry. I left when you guys needed me most, and that’s never been something I’ve wanted to do…”

Kanan immediately shakes his head and puts a hand out, putting it on Sabine’s knee. He shifts it a little so his thumb isn’t just rubbing the guard and lifts his eyes to be level with her lowered forehead.

“Sabine, you have nothing to apologize for. You needed to stay, you have a duty to your family, your home… We all understood that, and Hera did, too – she does. We don’t blame you for that.”

He stops for a moment and his thumb goes still. His eyes widen a second later, a thought dawning on him.

“Bean… Are… You’re feeling guilty for not being at the base…”

There’s a very quiet ‘yes’ from in front of him, just before he gets out of his seat and kneels in front of Sabine. He moves his hands up and finds her face, rubbing his thumbs over her cheeks before lifting her head enough so she’ll look at him. His face softens when she lets out a small breath, knowing that his eyes found their mark again.

“We don’t know what would have happened if you had been at Chopper Base… yes, maybe the shields would have held out longer, but you prepped us as much as you could… but without you, we wouldn’t have been able to make a break for it to hyperspace. As much of smooth talker as he is, I don’t think Ezra would have been able to convince your mother to lend support if you hadn’t been there.”

Kanan smiles and runs his hand up through the shorter side of her hair.

“We got out because you helped us get out… you showed up right when we needed you to, and you did amazing… as always.”

Taking a deep breath in, Sabine smiles and leans into the hand still on her cheek. She lets the breath out in the next moment, her body deflating a little.

“I was so worried when Ezra showed up… and then when we saw the fleet surrounding Atollon… Kanan, I was so worried we were too late.”

“That’s the thing about you, Sabine. You’re always right on time… It’s a little scary, considering how often I’d change the plan on you.”

Sabine breathes out a laugh and shakes her head, bringing a hand out from under her leg to rub her eyes and the bridge of her nose.

“Yeah… that’s not as fun as you think it is.”

Kanan laughs and smiles up at her, his skin wrinkling around his eyes and the scar. Putting a hand out, he sits back on the floor, his smile softening as Sabine takes his hand.

“Gotta keep you on your toes somehow…”

The two sit there in silence for a while, Sabine processing the conversation as Kanan watches her signature, some of the tension leaving and letting it grow brighter again. The colors are still there, but the vibrancy is taking longer to come back, he notes, showing just how much the whole ordeal had taken on a toll on her – despite not being there for the first and second waves.

He tugs on her hand gently. He scoots back until the bottom of his shoulder blades are pressed to the edge of his seat, crossing his legs. Sabine moves down to the floor, hesitating a moment before sitting down in Kanan’s lap. She sighs quietly and rests her head down on his shoulder, relaxing as he hugs her again and puts his chin on her head.

“I meant what I said on Mandalore, Bean…”

“Don’t you dare… I didn’t let you say it then, I won’t now.”

“Bean.”

“Kanan.”

Huffing slightly, Kanan smiles above her. Shifting, he presses a soft kiss to her hair, squeezing her gently.

“I’m proud of you, Sabine – no, hush, let me finish – I’m proud of you, and who you’ve become. Watching you grow up from when we picked you up, it’s been astounding – if not frustrating, but Hera’s had to deal with me all these years, so… you’ve become an amazing warrior, an amazing young woman, and we couldn’t have asked for a better crew member.”

He stops for a moment and smiles as he closes his eyes.

“We couldn’t have asked for a better daughter.”

Sabine stays still for a few minutes after he finishes, her eyes wide now. They start to turn glossy as she turns to hug him, staring out over his shoulder as she starts trying to blink away the tears threatening to come forward. She smiles into his shoulder and shakes her head.

“Yeah well… I guess I was raised right.”

Kanan lets out a short laugh and hugs her, keeping his arms wrapped around her.

“Thank you, Kanan.”

“Anytime, Bean. We love you, don’t forget that.”