Chapter Text
“Caleb, Master Yoda wants to see you. He has a job for you.” Jedi Master Depa Billaba smiled at her upside-down padawan as he lounged on the couch.
“Master Yoda?” Caleb Dume righted himself and turned off the Anakin Skywalker training holovid he’d been watching. “Do you know what it is?”
He hoped Master Yoda needed him to drop off important data cards at Senator Syndulla’s apartment. He hadn’t seen Hera in over two days.
“You’ll have to ask him. I have no idea if Hera Syndulla is involved.” Depa gave her padawan a knowing wink and he blushed crimson.
They found Yoda in the youngling classroom. He perched on a small chair next to a large hover-buggy full of toddlers. Caleb could tell they were Jedi babies from their bright Force signatures and the way they were cheerfully levitating their toys.
That, and he recognized them from the last time he had to babysit them.
“Hi, Master Yoda.” He tried to smile. Even strapped into a buggy, these four were a lot. Especially if Leia started biting again.
“Hm. Smile or smile not, Padawan Caleb. There is no try.” Yoda rapped his stick on the side of the buggy. “An excellent job of babysitting, you did. Entrust these younglings to your care again, I do.”
Caleb swallowed. “For how long, Master? I mean, will I need to feed them and put them to bed?”
“Watch them for a few hours, you will. But worry not. Help you will have. Meet you at the Mall, she will.” Yoda used his stick to hook a large diaper bag and hand it to Caleb.
“I’ll do my best, Master.” Caleb stuffed the bag in the back pocket of the buggy, toggled it on, and guided it out of the room.
“Vroom, vroom,” Luke cheered as the buggy headed for the turbolift.
“Go, go, go!” Leia yelled, bouncing in her seat.
In the buggy’s front row, Ezra leaned over, grasped one of Grogu’s ears. “Hewwo!”
“Ezra, don’t pull Grogu’s ears!” Caleb tried to remember which floor he needed. The Mall was on the highest of Coruscant’s shopping levels and the sooner he got there, the sooner he’d have Ahsoka’s help.
A little hand shot out and he barely had time to call on the Force to stop Leia from pushing every button in the lift.
“312. That’s the one we want.” Caleb pressed the button, leaned against the wall, already feeling tired. “If you kids be good, me and Ahsoka will get you a treat at the foot court, okay?”
“Num, num!” Grogu clapped, wriggling his ears in Ezra’s face as the other toddler tried to catch them.
Caleb stared. Was it some kind of weird toddler game? At least he didn’t have to babysit Sabine this time. He still didn’t know how one small kid could use all the paint in the youngling supply closet.
“Bine!” Ezra screamed suddenly, struggling to free himself. “Bine! Bine!”
“Whoa, kid. How about you stay out of my head? Sabine’s not here today.”
Caleb wasn’t sure what his blue-haired charge saw in the pint-sized Mandalorian. She had hit him several times, almost bitten him, and then had tried to paint him. Caleb had just managed to rescue him in time. That little Mando was trouble.
Nothing like his sweet, kind, pretty Hera.
The turbolift reached the right level. Caleb tugged the buggy off the lift, down the hall and through the outer door, grateful that Ezra’s screams had faded to softly hiccuped “Bine”s.
“There it is, kids. The Mall. Say ‘goo-goo’ when you see Ahsoka.”
He found a pedbridge and carefully pushed his load across, then brought the buggy to a stop outside the door, under a tree.
“I don’t see her yet.” He stretched out with the Force. Hey, Ahsoka- where are you? I could use some help.
“Caleb!”
His eyes flew open. That was not Ahsoka’s voice. He grinned.
“Hera! What are you doing here? I mean, it’s nice to see you. I was looking for Ahsoka. She’s supposed to help me babysit.”
“Ahsoka?” Hera quirked a lek. “Is that what Master Yoda told you?”
“Um, actually he just said I’d find some help. I guess I just assumed.”
“And are you disappointed?’
“What? No! I was hoping to see you. I’ve missed you.”
“Caleb, we saw each other a couple of days ago.”
“I know. It’s been so long.” He took her hand. “So, you’re a babysitter now?”
“Yoda mentioned needing some help, so my dad set me up with the job. I’m saving up for my own ship.”
“Wait, Master Yoda’s paying you to”-
A mechanical shriek cut off the rest of Caleb’s sentence and teens turned quickly towards the sound.
Laughing wildly, Ezra waved his hands as leaves spun around Hera’s droid, Chopper.
“Ezra, stop that!” Caleb grabbed handfuls of leaves. “Put the leaves down and leave Chopper alone!”
Ezra squealed louder, his arms and legs flailing while the leaves rose higher.
“Ezra!” Caleb looked helplessly at Hera. “He won’t stop.”
Hera squatted down in front of the stroller. “Ezra, put the leaves down now, please.”
With a final giggle, Ezra clapped his hands and the leaves scattered over the walkway.
“Now put them back under the tree, please, so no one gets hurt.”
Caleb’s mouth fell open as Ezra obeyed, guiding the leaves to the base of the tree. “How did you do that?”
Hera smirked. “Maybe I’ll tell you- if you buy me a Meiloorun smoothie.” She grabbed the buggy. “Come on!”
Caleb followed her to the food court and dutifully ordered the treats.
“Two smoothies, four juice boxes, six baskets of Loth fries.” He put the tray down on the table, feeling slightly proud of himself. “Eat up kids, then we’ll go play.”
“Padawan Dume, how nice to see you again.”
Caleb blinked as he registered the presence of two more people at the table.
“Um, hi, Count Wren. Good to see you, too.”
“My Ezi-wa!” Sabine struggled in her father’s arms. “Down! Down!”
“Sabine and I were shopping for art supplies, and now I’m supposed to join Ursa at a meeting.”
“He wants to hire us to baby-sit, Caleb.” Hera’s lekku danced. “Isn’t that great?”
Caleb opened his mouth to protest, stopped. Hera was so excited. He couldn’t tell her no.
“Yeah, sure, of course.”
“Bine! Bine! Bine!” Ezra chorused, clapping his hands.
Count Wren handed the little girl to Caleb. “Thanks, kids. I’ll pick her up at the Jedi Temple later.”
Caleb watched his retreating form with a sinking heart.
“Ezi-wa!” Sabine launched herself out of Caleb’s arms and climbed onto the front of the buggy before he could stop her.
With a triumphant whoop, she released Ezra’s straps and they both tumbled into the floor. Caleb reached out with the Force, and Hera jumped up to grab them, but they were both too slow. Chopper got to them first. Both toddlers howled indignantly as the droid hoisted them up, one suspended from each arm. He spun them around his dome, eliciting more shrieks.
“Chopper, that’s enough.” Hera fisted her hands on her hips. “Give them to me and Caleb, and don’t even think about shocking them.”
Grumbling, Chopper handed the babies back and Caleb quickly refastened Ezra.
“Are you hungry, Sabine?” Hera offered the little girl a Loth fry.
Sabine stared at it. She grabbed it and held it out to Ezra, who promptly ate it.
“Bine feed Ezi-wa,” she explained. “Ezi-wa bery hungy.”
“That’s a great idea.” Hera nodded. “You feed Ezra.”
“Just don’t let him out.” Caleb passed fries and juices to the other babies. “He might run away.”
Sabine’s eyes went wide. “No, no, Ezi-wa! No run away!”
“He can’t run away if you don’t let him out. Grogu, no! Eat the fries, not the basket.” Caleb grabbed the basket just as Grogu shoved it in his mouth, only to fall back against his chair. “Hey, no using the Force on your babysitter.”
In the back of the buggy, Luke was crying softly. Sighing, Caleb got up to check on him. “What’s wrong, little guy?”
Luke slowly pointed a trembling hand at Leia. An empty basket lay at her feet, while a half-full one sat in her lap.
“Leia, did you take Luke’s fries? Give those back right now.” He took the basket from her and returned it to Luke.
Leia stared at him. Her little face turned bright red, her mouth puckered with rage, her little hands and feet beat on the buggy, and every head in the food court turned to look as she screamed.
“Hera, I think it’s time to take them to the play area, don’t you?” Caleb asked weakly.
“Good idea. Here, take Sabine.”
A bundle of squirming Mandalorian toddler landed in Caleb’s arms. Sabine waved a juice pouch, shrieking, “ Ezi-wa firsty! Ezi-wa firsty!”
Hera skillfully navigated the buggy with the screaming Leia through the food court and across a crowded walkway to the indoor playground, where she slid the buggy to a halt beside a safety fence. Grumbling to himself, Chopper rolled off to a nearby charging station.
“Put Sabine inside the fence and I’ll hand you the others.” Hera unfastened Luke’s buckle as Caleb obeyed. The little boy had curled into the side of the buggy, as far away from his sister’s wrath as possible. Hera passed him to Caleb, then removed a still-stormy Leia. She managed to pull the rest of the basket away from Grogu before handing him over the fence.
“One more.” Hera pressed the button to release Ezra.
“No!” Sabine flung herself against the transparisteel gate.
Caleb picked her up. “Sabine, you’re going to hurt yourself. What’s the matter?”
“No, no!” Sabine pointed. “Ezi-wa wun away!”
“He can’t run away in here. See, there’s a wall.” Caleb gave the fence a gentle shake.
“My Ezi-wa,” Sabine sniffed.
“And here he comes to play with you.” Hera stretched over the fence to put Ezra on the floor.
Caleb plopped Sabine down beside him. Instantly, she tackled him, pinning him to the soft mat.
“Mine’s!”
Hera slipped through the gate. “Puppy love,” she chuckled.
“I don’t think that’s puppy love.” Caleb led Hera to a bench where they could sit and watch their charges. “She’s too rough, and he’s too crazy. I think we should call it… Rancor cub love.”
Hera pulled a face. “That doesn’t sound very sweet.”
“Love isn’t always soft and sweet, you know.”
“Sounds like someone’s been paying attention in Jedi class. Or are you speaking from personal experience?”
“I happen to know a lot about love.” I love you, you know.
Wait, maybe she didn’t know. He thought back to everything he had said each time they had met. The first time he met Hera, he had managed to introduce himself without grinning too stupidly. At least, he hoped he had. The next time he had seen her, he had given her flowers picked from the Jedi Temple gardens. Later he had taken her for a walk in the park and joined her and her father at the Senate building.
But had he told her how he felt? He turned, reaching for her hand.
“Grogu, no!” Hera jumped up and dashed for the ball pit. “Balls out of mouth!”
Caleb followed her, not because she needed his help, but because he needed to be near her.
Grogu squealed as Hera snatched a ball from his mouth and plucked him from the ball pit.
“There must be something around here that he can’t eat.” Caleb surveyed the play area. “What about a swing?”
“Good thinking.” Hera twitched her lekku out of Grogu’s reach, followed Caleb to the row of swings. She snugged Grogu inside a baby swing. Caleb gently pushed him from behind. Hera caught him and carefully sent him back the other way.
As Grogu swung back and forth, Caleb watched Hera, enraptured. How could she be so absolutely perfect? He swallowed.
“Hera, I”-
“Cay-wub!” A shriek split the air. “Cay-wub!”
Caleb broke off, racing towards the sound of Ezra’s frantic cries. He found the little boy sprawled on his back inside a play tunnel, with Sabine perched on top of him.
“Tickle, tickle,” she giggled, her fingers digging into Ezra’s sides.
“Cay-wub, hep Ezwa!” Ezra squirmed in her grasp.
“A tickle battle? You seriously called me over here for a tickle battle? Kid, you have the Force- use it.”
Ezra’s face scrunched. “Wub Bine.”
“Well, if you don’t want to fight back, you’ll just have to get tickled.”
“Caleb?” Hera called. “Is everything all right, Love?”
For a moment, he couldn’t speak. Love . Did she really mean it?
“Everything’s just fine,” he managed at last.
Sabine stopped her tickling and plopped down beside Ezra in the tunnel.
“Nigh-nigh, Ezi-wa,” she yawned.
With a chuckle, Caleb tiptoed away from the resting toddlers. Maybe Ezra had used the Force after all. Caleb slowly made his way back to Hera.
Love. She had called him Love.
Grogu clapped and babbled as Hera pushed his swing. Caleb reached for the Force, centering and calming himself. He could do this.
“Hey there. Can I interest you in a snack or a drink? Babysitting is sure hard work.” A brunet boy of about eight grinned roughishly at Hera.
“I think we’re good,” Hera smiled back at the boy.
“How about for the kids, then?” the boy persisted, still grinning. “I hear they get cranky when they’re hungry.”
“We just fed them.” Caleb fought a scowl. This kid needed to leave so he could talk to Hera privately.
“Rahr ohr cawr rohr,” a deep voice growled.
Caleb jumped, spun towards the sound. “Chewbacca?” he dropped the hand that had been inching towards his lightsaber. “What are you doing here?”
The big Wookie roared again.
“This kid belongs to you?” Caleb laughed nervously. “I hope you’re not looking for a babysitter. We’re kind of busy already.”
“I don’t need babysitting,” the boy huffed. “Don’t see why I can’t earn a few credits, Chewie.”
“Ahror raw ah roah ah roo, Ahn.” Chewbacca took the boy’s hand in his big furry paw.
“I know.” The boy- Han, if Caleb understood Chewie correctly- sighed theatrically. “You think I should just be a kid and not worry about making money yet. But I like working at the Mall.”
Chewbacca growled something about it being time to go home and they would talk about it later. He roared goodbye and led Han away, still holding his adopted child tightly by the hand.
Caleb took a moment to recenter himself- again- then slipped up next to Hera. He swallowed. “You… you called me… ‘Love’... a little while ago.”
“I did.” Hera tickled Grogu’s ear, looked at Caleb out of the corner of her eye.
“I was just wondering”-
“No, no, Wuke! No, no, no!” Leia’s scream shook against his eardrums.
Not again . “I guess I’ll be right back?” If the Twins were having a tickle battle, he was going to scream.
At the far side of the play area, Luke and Leia squatted on a wide foam step. A little bundle lay between them.
“Mine’s,” Luke asserted, “Wuke Baby.” Wrapping his chubby arms around the bundle, he hoisted it off the floor.
“A baby?” Caleb grabbed the bundle before Luke could drop it. A tiny infant stared at him with wide green eyes. A note pinned to her blanket read, “My name is Mara Jade. Please take me to the Jedi Temple.”
She was strong in the Force. Caleb could feel it easily. Poor baby. Why would someone abandon her at the Mall? His love confession would have to wait. Right now, they needed to get this baby to Master Yoda.
“Mine’s,” Luke whined, tugging on Caleb’s pant leg.
“I don’t think you’re quite ready for this responsibility, Kid.” Caleb carried Baby Mara back to Hera.
“You’ll never guess what I found.”
Hera blinked. “A baby?”
“Yeah. We need to take her to Master Yoda. There’s a note. Will you help me attach the infant seat?”
He showed her the compartment in the back of the buggy. She popped the seat open, fastened it securely behind the other seats. They loaded Mara and Grogu, then rounded up their other charges.
Luke sat on the foam step, pouting. “Mine’s. Mine’s baby.”
“Come on, buddy. You get to ride in the buggy with your new friend.”
“Baby!” Luke clapped as Caleb boosted him into his seat.
Leia darted after her Twin. “Wuke!”
“It’s okay,” Hera soothed, “you can ride next to your brother.” She tucked Leia into her seat and fastened her straps.
“Four down, two to go.” Caleb rubbed his chin. “We’ve picked up two extras now.”
Hera elbowed him. “Just be glad Chewie didn’t ask us to watch Han.”
“Han?” Leia asked, perking up. “I have Han?”
“I… don’t think you need a Han right now, Honey.” Hera eyed the play structure. “Right now, we need to find Ezra and Sabine.”
“They’re right over here.” Caleb gestured to the tunnel.
“Pat a take, pat a take, Bater Man,” Sabine chanted, attempting to clap hands with Ezra.
Ezra’s face was screwed up in concentration as he tried to keep up with Sabine’s “pat-a-caking”. Caleb couldn’t help laughing out loud, and Hera joined in. Ezra and Sabine looked up, startled. Ezra began to sob.
“No scare Ezi-wa!” Sabine scolded, throwing her arms around her friend.
“A couple of Someones didn’t get their naps out, apparently,” Caleb muttered to Hera.
“Sorry, you two.” Hera leaned into the tunnel, stroking Ezra’s hair. “Come on, Baby. It’s time to go.”
“I come, too?” Sabine asked.
“Yeah, we have to give you back to your daddy.” Caleb peeled Sabine off of Ezra and scooped her up.
Hera picked Ezra up, settling him on her hip as her lekku tickled his face.
Ezra giggled. “Wub you, Hera,” he cooed.
“Aww, I love you too, Sweet Boy.” Hera kissed his round cheek and squeezed him gently.
I love you . Caleb wanted to hear Hera say those words to him more than anything.
Hera strapped Ezra in his seat and called Chopper away from his charging station. The droid joined them, grumbling loudly. With Hera guiding the buggy, and Caleb carrying Sabine, they left the Mall.
Caleb was sure the sun was shining just a little brighter than it had when he left the Jedi Temple earlier. In the buggy, the babies nodded drowsily. Even Sabine’s eyes drifted shut as she leaned on Caleb’s shoulder.
Master Yoda was waiting for them when they stepped out of the turbolift. “Gained more Younglings, have you?” he teased. “Here for his little one, the Mandalorian Count is.”
“Master Yoda, we found a baby.” Caleb gave Sabine to Hera, took Mara out of her seat and handed her to Yoda. “See the note?”
“Hmm,” Yoda rumbled. “Another evil scheme of Palpatine’s, this was. To twist young minds to the dark side, he had planned. Gone he is, and safe with us, little Mara will be.”
Caleb pushed the buggy into the Nursery, where Padme, Count Wren, and the Bridgers waited.
Sabine climbed sleepily into her father’s arms as the Bridgers claimed Ezra. Padme settled the Twins in her jewel-studded Nabooean pram. Yoda tucked Grogu and Mara into cribs in the adjoining nap room.
“An excellent job have you both done.” Yoda handed a pouch of credits to Hera, another to Caleb.
Caleb’s mouth fell open. “Thanks, Master!”
“Thank you, Master,” Hera echoed. “See you later, Caleb. I love you!”
She bounced out the door with Chopper, leaving Caleb doing his best fish impression. A sharp poke roused him from his stupor.
“Talk to her now, you must.” Yoda banged his stick on the floor, almost waking the babies. “Go through that again, I will not.” He winked at Padme.
“Yes, Master.” Caleb bolted out the door and down the hall.
“Hera! Hera, wait!”
Hera stood in front of the lift. The doors were just sliding open. Caleb gasped for breath.
He was wrong. The thing he wanted most in the world was to say those wonderful words to Hera, to tell her how he truly felt.
“Hera, I love you. I love you so, so much.”
“I know.”
He blinked. “You know? How?”
“Well,” she tapped her chin, “the first time we met, you couldn’t stop telling me how glad you were to meet me. Then you brought that huge, gorgeous bouquet of flowers with the sweet poem.”
Caleb blushed. He’d gotten the poem from Master Skywalker, and he’d really hoped Hera would like it.
“And that time in the park,” Hera continued, “you kept saying how special I am. Then you sat beside me through my dad’s longest, most boring speech ever.”
They both laughed at the memory.
“But I knew for sure how you felt today.” She stepped closer and took his hands. “You thought Master Yoda was only paying me. You could’ve been angry, resentful, made me do all the work. But you didn’t.”
“I was just glad to be with you.” Caleb squeezed her hands. “That’s way better than credits.”
“I was glad to be with you, too.” Stretching up, she kissed his cheek while Chopper beeped in disgust. “I love you, too, fellow babysitter.”