Hello there!

Thank you all soooooo much for checking out my story! If you like it, it's very inspiring to me if you let me know in some way, and thank you in advance for every fav, follow, or nice review; they're my own version of caffeine. :D :D :D :D :D

If you have an idea for a story, check out my bio page to find out details on the chance to have a one shot written for you.

I now have a Facebook page where I post sneak peeks for most of the chapters I write. It also has my updating schedule for those wanting to know what I'm working on next. And if you like what you've read and are feeling inspired to show your appreciation, you can find the details on how to do so there. Just search for 'Thelonerebel's Stories' in your Facebook search bar and you should find me. :D

Disclaimer: I don't own any Star Wars characters and any OC's that resemble real people are entirely coincidental.

There is an explanation of how my calendar works and a list of helpful translations for my commonly used Star Wars words in 'Flame of Hope - Everyone' if you're curious.

It would be fairly safe to assume that all conversations between Mandalorians that don't include anyone else are taking place in Mando'a. I am simply not going to write it that way for two reasons: One, you would have to read everything twice unless you actually understood Mando'a. And two, Mando'a is an incomplete language and it looks ridiculous when written out and more than half the words are in English because there is no translation.

A/N: This is the second version of the story, 'Kriff That!' Many of the scenes in this story are also in its predecessor (just updated to my new writing style), but it ended up having a different plot after a few chapters so I'm calling this a brand new story and leaving the original as is.

No Kriffing Way! - Book 1:

Mandalore

In A New Light:

D 2/1 BBY, Mandalore

The day Ezra Bridger saved her father was the day Sabine Wren realized that Ezra was more to her than just a friend. More than her best friend even.

And you know what did it? It was the absolute fear that overtook her as the transport went over the cliff. Sabine wasn't used to being terrified, as there was very little that scared her. But the thought of losing Ezra stopped her heart. Fear for her father was in there too, but Ezra had become her world, and she didn't know when.

Time slowed to a crawl. Her heartbeat became slow and distinct and pounded like a drum in her ears. Her breath stopped. The yell of, "Ezra!" from Kanan was almost inaudible through the white noise that overtook her. The distressed beep from Chopper also barely registered.

Ezra! Shit. Shit. Shit. Don't do this to me. Come on. Come on. Fly up. Fly up. Why didn't I give him proper lessons with the jetpack like he asked?

And then... Then a figure flew up and over the cliff just as the last of the three transports was going over the edge.

It was her father. She hadn't seen him in years, but she'd know him anywhere. Daddy! Thank the Manda. Sabine remembered to breathe again for half a moment as a temporary joy ripped through her for all of one second.

But if Father is wearing the jetpack, that means Ezra is falling. Falling down hundreds of metres to a terrible death. Frag it all to hell and back. But he's a Jedi. He can do that gravity defying landing thing. But what if he's trapped in a transport?

Don't just stand there idiot. Go see. Go rescue him. It's not too late.

Time was still moving one millisecond at a time when Sabine jumped off the ground and flew towards the cliff. Thank the Force I have my own jetpack now. But I thought this thing went faster. Kriff. More speed. More speed. She passed Kanan, who'd already taken off at a sprint for the edge of the cliff. She passed Chopper, who was also flying towards the edge of the cliff.

A hand in a familiar green glove appeared over the edge and then promptly disappeared again. Her breath caught again. EZRA! Sabine literally dove for it, throwing her body almost entirely over the edge and just managing to catch onto his hand at the last second before he wasn't within reach anymore. She didn't breathe until she had a good grip on his hand and helped to pull him up as his feet scrambled for purchase.

"Ezra!" Kanan's voice sounded loudly in the young Jedi's mind as he pushed off the second falling transport, Force leaping with everything he had for the third.

"I'm a little busy right now," Ezra thought back.

"So you're not in trouble, then?" Kanan asked, still sprinting.

Ezra pushed off the third transport, eyes pinned on the cliff face way above him. "Technically yes, but I'm pretty sure I've got this."

Kanan snorted mentally as he slowed to a jog, now seeing Sabine dive for his Padawan. "I'm not sure if it qualifies as 'got this' when assistance is required, but I'll let that slide."

Ezra mentally rolled his eyes at his Master and then focused on the girl who'd just saved his ass. I knew she would show up in the nick of time. I can always count on Sabine. Always.

"I was wondering where you were," Ezra quipped, pretending he hadn't had a total panic moment of his own. Somehow, his plan of running and jumping up the falling transports seemed a lot stupider in hindsight even if it did more or less work. But desperate times and all that.

Once they were both standing on the safety of solid ground, Sabine and Ezra stared at each other, both coming to the realization that he'd almost died. Panting for breath now, Sabine tossed her helmet off, pulled off Ezra's so she could see his face, and grabbed Ezra's shirt in her fists, pulling him right into her personal space. She narrowed her eyes at him fiercely. "Don't DO that to me, Ezra!" Sabine growl yelled as she stared into his absolutely stunning electric blue eyes that she'd been pretending for years weren't the most gorgeous eyes in the galaxy ever.

You think I planned all that? Ezra tried to shrug off the tension with a dorky half grin. "I couldn't let your father die, now could I? You'd murder me in my sleep."

Never. But a good ass kicking is still an option. Sabine's eyes narrowed further and a dangerous sounding growl escaped her, making Ezra's eyes widen in trepidation. She pulled him even closer by her grip on his shirt. Much to both of their surprise, Sabine pressed her mouth to his in a quick, hard kiss. As Ezra blinked at her in absolute shock, Sabine let go of his shirt like it was on fire. Holy shit, what did I just do? "That's for saving my father." Then she punched him as hard as she could in the shoulder, almost knocking him right back off the edge of the cliff. "And that's for scaring me to death!" Frag, frag, frag, I kissed him! I kissed Ezra. Why'd I do that? Escape. Before he sees me turning redder than a tomato.

As Ezra regained his balance, barely even noticing the throbbing pain in his shoulder from her not so gentle punch, he watched her in speechless wonder as she bent down and grabbed her helmet, jamming it on her head and then flying off to the next cliff ledge above them. Am I dreaming? I must be dreaming. She kissed me and she only ever kisses me in my dreams. But they're usually a lot sweeter or hotter than that. And dream Sabine doesn't punch me. I must be awake. He had the ridiculous urge to pinch himself anyway, to double check. Force, I never thought this would actually happen. I don't even care that it wasn't a long kiss or even in a loving fashion, because it was real.

And it was his first one. Ezra was going to treasure the memory of that forever.

He was still standing in the same spot, a cheesy grin on his face, staring up at where Sabine had disappeared when Kanan, Alrich, and Chopper joined him.

"So... Just friends, hmmm?" Alrich Wren said teasingly.

Oh shit. I did just babble a bunch of bantha poodoo about us being just friends and that I wasn't WITH with her, didn't I? Ezra turned to look at Sabine's father and he felt himself turning somewhat red. "That's what I thought, I swear."

Alrich and Kanan laughed at him. Even Chopper beeped out his version of laughter.

Ezra flushed darker. Bury me.

Kanan put a comforting arm across Ezra's shoulders. "Try not to overthink it too much or you'll give yourself a headache. Just let her figure herself out, and I'm pretty sure you'll like the results."

Really? You're the expert, I guess. Ezra looked up at his Master / father figure with a raised brow. "So you're cool with it if this actually turns into something?" Ezra asked tentatively.

Kanan shrugged. "Honestly, yes. I'd be a horrible hypocrite if I said otherwise. I AM married, after all. You might want to ask her father the same question though. He might have a different opinion."

Please don't kill me. Please don't kill me. Ezra turned questioning, hopeful eyes back to Alrich. "ARE you okay with Sabine and I... umm. I don't even know what to call it. Dating? I guess? If that wasn't a fluke, that is."

Alrich pretended to look thoughtful, drawing out the suspense for as long as he could without cracking up. He'd only known this boy for maybe two minutes total and he'd already decided he liked him, Jedi or not. When the young man started to fiddle with the hem of his orange jacket and his expression of hope fell to something decidedly resigned, Alrich figured he better put him out of his misery.

Force, he hates me. He's taking too long to answer. Mandos hate Jedi. I'm doomed. Ezra looked up when he felt a hand that wasn't Kanan's grasp his shoulder and met the amber brown eyes that looked a lot like Sabine's. Not as pretty on a man, that's for sure, he thought distractedly, still waiting for a positive answer from the man.

"I'm fine with it, if that's what my daughter wants," Alrich reassured, squeezing the boy's shoulder gently. He grinned when the young Jedi's face lit up. "But... I can't speak for my Countess. She's a little more traditional, and I can't see her jumping for joy at the thought of a Jedi in the family."

Ezra went through a variety of emotions in only a couple of sentences. There was excitement at the prospect of maybe dating Sabine in more than his dreams. Then there was trepidation and maybe a little bit of fear at the prospect of dealing with Sabine's mother. That was one seriously scary woman. Then there was shock at Alrich suggesting he'd be a family member. As in... Marriage. Holy nerfherders, I haven't even begun to think about that possibility with Sabine yet. I was still in the wishful thinking stage for a real kiss. The whole shebang with living together, and marriage, and KIDS was just beyond him right now. Then again, this was probably all wishful thinking and planning for naught. There was no way Sabine would ever change her mind about him and see him as something more than an annoying kid who might be her friend when she's in the right mood. The whole brief kiss thing was just her letting her emotions take over again and she'd regret it as soon as she thought about it. Her running away right after was proof of that.

Ezra smiled tightly at Alrich. "Yeah, well. I doubt the Countess will have to worry about that too much. Sabine will probably just brush it off as a heat of the moment thing and nothing will come of it."

Kanan clapped him on the back with a smile and a strong burst of confidence booster through their bond. "Don't be so quick to dismiss what I just saw as nothing. Sabine surprised me with that one. And I doubt you noticed, since you were kind of preoccupied with not falling to your death at the time, but she was terrified for you. It was very clear to feel in the Force. I think she might have feelings for you too." Ezra looked at Kanan with clear surprise and Kanan chuckled. "Don't give me that look. I've always known you liked her, as it's kind of hard not to notice your emotions through the bond."

Ezra scoffed lightly and called his helmet from the ground with an absent gesture of his hand, tucking it under his arm. Like is an understatement. More like adore her very being. I'm so hopelessly gone on her my heart barely beats when we're apart. But no one needs to know that sad fact. He squared his shoulders and faced Sabine's father and held out his free hand to shake. "Sorry, we've done this all backwards, sir," he said apologetically. "But I'm Ezra Bridger and this is my Master, Kanan Jarrus, and we're here to rescue you." Ezra managed to keep a straight face as the older men snorted in amusement at his deadpan humour.

Alrich shook the hand of the young man, liking him even more. "It's nice to meet you, Ezra Bridger.

Ezra and Alrich glanced up at the sky when Kanan (without even moving his masked head) said, "She's coming back. Pretend we weren't just talking about her if you value your life." He was only half joking.

The guys shared a commiserating look before Ezra put his helmet back on to hide his still confused emotions. Alrich shrugged out of Ezra's jetpack and handed it back to him with a, "Thank you, young Jedi. I owe you my life."

As Ezra shrugged into the heavy set of thrusters, he shrugged negligently. "It was nothing. Not succeeding wasn't an option. Sabine would ensure me a life of misery if I failed to rescue you. I had one job, after all."

Kanan barked out a laugh as Alrich Wren stared at Ezra with wide eyes for a moment. He too was laughing when Sabine landed in front of them, and Bo-Katan Kryze and Fenn Rau did the same but off to the side.

The men all sobered instantly.

Sabine was almost shaking as she flew away from Ezra. "What the kriffing hell was that?" she said to herself as she landed far out of sight from the others and kicked a rock in frustration, watching it bounce and skitter across the ground.

Somehow, Sabine had lost her mind and KISSED Ezra. It wasn't even a good kiss. It was a mashing of mouths for a second and a half that didn't really qualify as anything. But it was still a kiss, no matter how you looked at it. I must have lost three quarters of my IQ to do something so incredibly stupid. And in front of Father no less.

Sabine stomped across the ground and kicked another rock, finding immense satisfaction in how far it flew. "Di'kut, di'kut, di'kut," she muttered. She'd worked so hard to groom Ezra into a friends only category where everything was pretty much perfect between them. No awkward flirting. No expectations. It had been so easy to talk to him. Now she'd ruined everything. Ezra would get his hopes up again, and start looking at her with those big royal blue eyes like she was shabla perfect again.

Sabine didn't want him to think of her as perfect. She liked it the way it was. She liked that Ezra just saw her for who she was and didn't really judge her. She liked that they could count on each other for anything, as FRIENDS. She liked him as he was too. She liked how they could spend hours talking about everything and nothing. She liked how he had dedicated himself to being a Jedi and taking care of his family and the galaxy as best as he could. She liked him more every day, it seemed.

Sabine came to a dead halt and her eyes widened behind her helmet. Bloody hell. I LIKE like him! When had that happened? She hadn't seen him in months, but had missed him like crazy. Of course, Sabine had just written that off as not feeling like Krownest was her home anymore, so she was longing for people who did. Then he appeared in the Wren stronghold asking for help and her heart had skipped a beat or two to see him again, looking a fraction taller and more filled out, but she hadn't actually noticed that, not in the forefront of her mind. Now though, it was all she could think about as she replayed the scene on the edge of the cliff. She'd had to stand on her toes to kiss him, since he had no idea it was coming and hadn't bent down at all.

Ezra was growing up in more ways than one. And somewhere in the last few days, she'd noticed, at least subconsciously. He still cracked jokes, and couldn't seem to figure out a sense of decorum to save his life, but beneath that, he was definitely more mature in his attitude towards everything. There was a calmness to him now that reminded her more and more of how Kanan carried himself. Which is not a bad thing by any stretch of the imagination. Hera sure hit the jackpot when she found that one.

There had been a time when Sabine had had a crush on Kanan; he was so handsome and caring and wise. He wasn't too much terribly older than her either. Twelve years is not an insurmountable age difference. But he'd clearly belonged to Hera right from the start, so she'd never let her teenage crush go further than a few nighttime fantasies.

I wonder when I stopped fantasizing about Kanan? A couple years ago, maybe? My current imaginary lover is quite faceless right now. I wonder if that was my subconscious subtly not letting me pick another crush to dream about because it knew the person I really wanted was right in front of me as well, just not old enough yet to qualify?

Sabine sighed as a new internal battle raged within her. What did she do about Ezra now? Because she needed to make a choice sooner than later. Her mother had been hinting at finding her a husband, which had only filled Sabine with dread. But now, as she realized that perhaps Ezra might be the one for her, the thought of marrying him didn't make her want to run to the furthest possible planet away from him. That alone should have been enough of a deciding factor.

But it wasn't. Not just yet.

Sabine started pacing back and forth as her mind whirled. If she was going to choose Ezra, she needed to make sure it was one hundred percent what her heart wanted and not just a passing thing. Because once she picked a husband, there was no undoing it. Not for the rest of her life. And she couldn't play with him and then toss him away if it didn't feel right anymore. She couldn't do that to him. Sabine could never hurt him like that. Ever.

Okay, that's a good first step. I can't hurt Ezra emotionally. That definitely means something. (Physically, she could still kick his ass if he deserved it or if they were sparring. That was a given.)

Could she picture herself living with Ezra for the rest of her life? She snorted to herself and smiled just a little as the quick answer of YES! flew through her mind. He might be goofy, messy, and occasionally annoying, but he was also incredibly sweet, kind, determined, humble (most of the time), strong (both physically and mentally), smart (when he tried), easy to talk to, great at listening, and (this was the hardest to admit) hotter than most movie stars. So yes, she could picture living with him for the rest of her life.

Next, (and she blushed to think it), could she actually picture herself kissing Ezra for real? Yes. Could she picture herself touching him? Yes. Could she picture herself in a bed with him, sleeping together and... other things? Ooooo, yes! Sabine bit her lip as a little thrill of desire shot through her as pictures formed in her mind. I wonder what he looks like naked? I know his tushy is pretty much perfect and his package looks big enough under his shorts... Uhhhh… When did I check out his shorts? Stars, my subconscious has been doing all of this without me! Sabine flushed as her pulse thumped rapidly through her veins. She felt a little pervy for thinking all this, but then she remembered how Ezra used to check her out and all but beg for attention when he first met her. Guilt gone, a tooka-like smile crossed her lips. I bet he has incredible stamina. Hera said Kanan could go for hours because of his connection to the Force. By the Mando, I want some of that. My toys can't possibly compare to the real thing.

Okay. Time for a new line of thought. Things are getting seriously overheated in my bodysuit. And I didn't even let myself think of Ezra as a desirable person until a minute ago, so maybe we should turn off the mental porno.

Too bad her mind wasn't cooperating as a new image of a naked Ezra popped into her mind. He was poised over her and lavishing attention to her breasts. Eeep! Bad Sabine! Bad! And then her traitorous mind started imagining what he'd look like with his head buried between her legs. And then she started wondering what it would be like to kiss him with the taste of their desire on their tongues. And then she wondered if the very large imaginary phallus she gave him would feel different (hopefully better) from her favourite masturbatory aid.

Her now molten core pulsed with eager enthusiasm at exploring all of her ideas, making Sabine stumble slightly in her pacing.

"Argghh," she muttered and marched back to edge of the upper cliff. This is ridiculous. I'm going to come in a puddle from my imagination alone. The only way to get these images to stop was to give herself something else real to think about. And thinking of her father was the biggest mood killer she could think of. So she flew back to where he was, standing with Ezra, Kanan, Chopper, and Bo-Katan and Fenn, who were just joining the little group.

Sabine landed in front of them and took off her helmet and addressed the man she hadn't seen for almost five years, very carefully not looking at Ezra or the front of his trousers. "Father."

Her apparently touch deprived female parts gave up clamouring for attention as soon as she was in the vicinity of more people, including the two father figures in her life.

Excellent.

But that didn't help the damp state of her undershorts.

Oh well.

Ezra watched the reunion between father and daughter with a smile in his heart and gracing his lips. Force, she's gorgeous when she's talking about her art in that animated fashion. And she really is a lot like her father. Kind of like a blend between both her parents, actually. It was so good to see her reunited with him in a way that was almost the exact opposite of her reunion with her mother. Ursa Wren really is a scary woman. Instead of threats and disapproval, there were hugs and teasing. Sabine just felt so happy in the Force in that moment. I wish I could keep her in this happy state for the rest of our lives.

Ezra exchanged pleased blind glances with Kanan, communicating through their bond how nice this was to see. Ezra closed his eyes and pictured the scene the way Kanan saw it, using his Force senses only.

Sabine and her father glowed warmly in the Force, contentment and joy radiating from both of them and reaching towards each other within their Force signatures in a way that told Ezra they used to have a very close bond once upon a time. Being separated from her father must have devastated Sabine greatly. At least everything was right again now.

Ezra took off his helmet and smiled at Sabine, letting her see how happy he was for her. She flicked a glance at him, and a tiny smile quirked her mouth in return in the midst of her banter with her father about her art skills. Yay, she looked at me. She's not completely pissed off about the whole kissing and falling thing.

Hoping to catch more of her attention, Ezra made some inane comment about now understanding where Sabine had gotten her artistic side from, and not expecting her father to be an artist too. Definitely a good thing. He'd been imagining Alrich as a warrior type who didn't want any boys to get within a hundred metres of his daughter and had been dreading the first meeting. Turns out he had nothing to worry about and easily liked the father better than the mother. Somehow, Sabine's warrior side just excited him, whereas her mother's warrior side (which was all of her, she had no other sides as far as he could tell), just flat out intimidated him. Which was pathetic, if you thought about it, considering he was a Jedi and could theoretically take care of himself against the Countess if she ever decided to kill him. But then again, he could never hurt Sabine's mother, because, well, she was Sabine's mother. Annnnnddd that leaves me back where I started; petrified of Ursa Wren for various reasons.

Grow a pair, Ezra. Sabine will never respect you if you can't stand up to her mother.

Yeah. Yeah. I'm working on it, he told himself.

Sabine, on the other hand, had so many sides to her that he adored. Besides her warrior personality (which she depended on more often than not), there was her artistic side, her playful side, her genius side, her (very) occasional girly side, and best of all, her caring side. She cared more than she let on. She cared what people thought. She cared about her family (both of them). She cared about people in need. She cared that the galaxy wasn't as perfect as it should be. He'd thought it a million times before, and he would continue to think it until the end of time; Sabine is perfect.

And there was nothing she could do to make him think otherwise.