*

Hobbie walked closer to the three sitting in the seats. Dr. Anreson was leaning over them, checking Wes’ eyes with a flashlight. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

Anreson looked up. “Wes’ vitals have jumped considerably. I’m afraid of what’s happening inside.”

“Something’s wrong?” Wedge said, coming up behind Hobbie.

Anreson knelt beside Luke and checked his pulse. “I’m not sure. Major Janson’s vitals have skyrocketed, and Mater Skywalker’s pulse is racing.”

Hobbie placed a hand on Wes’ arm, looking down at his friend. “What’s happening in there, Wes?” he whispered.

Suddenly, Hobbie felt a sensation running gently across his mind. He shook away from it, turning to face Luke so quickly that Wedge jumped back. “Hobbie, what’s wrong?”

“Something… I think… it feels like there’s someone in my mind.” Hobbie looked down at the doctor, confused.

Anreson stood up and pressed Hobbie into her seat. “I don’t know much about Jedi healing, but I’m not going to interrupt Master Skywalker. Maybe he needs you to support Wes.”

“But I don’t know what to do!” Hobbie stated.

“Just go with it, Hobbie,” Wedge said. “If anything, you do know Wes better than anyone.”

“Yeah, I know his eating habits, his choice of women… but he doesn’t show even me what’s really inside his head.”

“And any other time I would have made a joke from that, Hobbie, but now is not that time. Please, Hobbie. Do it for Wes.”

Hobbie looked at the doctor, then at Wedge. Finally, he looked down at his best friend, whose head was jerking slightly in the sleep. “I’ll try,” he sighed, then sat back in the chair. He closed his eyes, and let his mind find that gentle tugging he felt before.

*

Luke sat up from where he had been pushed. “Wes, this isn’t going to help. I’m not your enemy here.”

“Of course not!” Wes exclaimed. “No one is my enemy because I’M the enemy! Sure, everyone’s had a hard life. Wedge and Tycho lost their families, you had Vader as a father. I know it all. But no one looks at me. They think I’m the goofball, the one meant to cheer everyone else up. No one sees me past that!”

Wes reached down for his blaster, but Luke kicked out at Wes’ hand to stop him from grabbing it. Wes growled and grabbed Luke’s leg, jerking it around, sending Luke flying along with it. Luke found himself flying across the mindscape, only to stop as a set of hands pressed against his back.

Luke turned to see Hobbie there, looking past Luke at Wes. Hobbie saw the images standing around him, faintly. Luke had been thrown out of the circle, and now the images were getting closer, forming a tight circle.

“What’s happening?” Hobbie asked.

“I think I did something wrong,” Luke said. “Or else it’s worse than we thought. He thinks that he’s the enemy among us.”

“But that’s crazy!” Hobbie said, helping Luke to his feet.

“I know,” Luke said. “He’s trying to kill himself.”

Hobbie gave Luke a double take, then looked off into the crowd. Tycho was standing before Wes, holding out a blaster to him. “Do us a favor, Imp, and get rid of yourself,” he heard Wes’ Tycho state.

“No!” Hobbie shouted. He rushed past Luke and into the mob. Some of the images turned to face him, and gave him fight as he tried to make his way to Wes. “Don’t listen to them, Wes!”

Hobbie watched as Wes took the blaster from Tycho and stared down at it. Images from the psyche ward passed through Hobbie’s mind, and he started to push the images aside faster. He had to make it. He had to…

“This is the only way,” Wes muttered. He closed his eyes and took the blaster to his chin.

*

Wedge looked at Anreson as Hobbie started to jerk in his sleep. “I have a bad feeling about this,” he muttered.

“Me too,” the doctor replied.

*

Wes closed his eyes. This was right. He should have done this months ago, the last time Tycho handed him the blaster. Then he wouldn’t have hurt the others. He wouldn’t have the pain he felt. Siee would be able to live her life without his interfering. It was best if he went.

He let his finger tighten around the trigger. He was a soldier. He was a Rogue. Rogues did not fear death, and he had died a long time ago. Back when the others had left Coruscant, leaving him alone. When Siee and Wedge had died, so had he.

If he aimed right, he could do it without pain. Force knows he’s felt enough. Quick and easy. That was the way to do it. He adjusted the blaster against his chin, pointing his head up high. If he was going to die, he would do it with his head held high. He may be an Imp, but he would always be a Rogue.

He pressed the trigger, waiting to feel the heat of release. Yet, at the final moment, Wes felt his hand pulled away, sharply, until he was jerked forward along with it. He opened his eyes to stare up at Hobbie, his face flushed in anger.

“It’s always about you, isn’t it?” Hobbie growled, his hand wrapped firmly around the blaster hilt. He had wedged his finger behind the trigger to keep it from firing.

“You want me dead, don’t you?” Wes stated. “Why are you stopping me now? You want to continue torturing me?!”

“No Wes, but I want you to open your damn eyes and look at me and tell me that you really want to die.”

“You want me to die,” Wes stated.

Hobbie shook his head. “Where would you get that idea, Wes?”

“You left me to die.”

Hobbie blinked. He looked down at Wes, who had lowered his head. His hand was still grasping the blaster firmly, but Hobbie ignored the pain in his finger. This was more important. “What are you talking about, Wes?”

“You left me behind, Hobbie. You, Tycho… you all left me behind to die. You knew I couldn’t go with you, but you left me just the same.”

Luke approached them. The images started to dissipate at his approach. Wes knelt down onto the ground, and Hobbie knelt down beside him. Luke stood a ways back, letting the two best friends work this out alone. He had other things to do now.

“We wanted you to come, Wes. But you choose to stay because of Siee,” Hobbie stated. “And someone had to take care of Wedge.”

Wes snorted. “Some care I took of them. They both died.”

“No, they didn’t. They escaped.”

“Leaving me to die alone…”

“No!” Hobbie reached out and slapped Wes across the face. “Sithspit, we didn’t leave you to die! We tried to get you so many times, Wes, but you were too good and kept escaping our traps.”

Wes blinked. Luke placed a hand on Hobbie’s shoulder. Keep talking, Luke said in Hobbie’s mind.

“Wes, you don’t know what happened while you were away. The Rogues, we weren’t the same without you. We needed you! Remember that time you disabled the Y-Wing? That group was sent as a ploy just to get you! That pilot died just so we could get you to come back home.”

“That pilot died because of me,” Wes said, and Hobbie felt the blaster move in his hands.

“No, damnit! That pilot died trying to rescue you! Instead of mourning their loss, you should be thanking them for the courage they showed to try and save you!”

“They shouldn’t have tried,” Wes muttered. “I wasn’t worth it.”

“Wes, if you weren’t worth it, would my finger be crushed right now in your blaster?”

Wes looked over at the blaster where Hobbie’s finger was still wedged in the trigger. He dropped the blaster, and Hobbie sighed as his finger slipped free as well. Luke picked the gun up and waved it away.

“Why didn’t you guys tell me that?” Wes asked after a length of silence.

“Tell you what?”

“That those pilots were trying to rescue me.” The youthful Rogue looked up at his blonde wingman. “No one ever told me that.”

“We thought you knew,” Hobbie said. “We would never leave you in that situation without trying to get you back.”

Wes lowered his head. Then he started to do something that Hobbie had never seen before. Wes started to cry. Wes Janson, the killer… the goofball… was sitting on the floor crying. For a moment, Hobbie just bit his lip, not knowing what to do. Finally, he reached out and grabbed his best friend, pulling him to his chest. He could feel Wes crying against his shoulder, and just held him tighter.

“We never meant to hurt you, Wes,” Hobbie stated. “This is our fault, not yours.”

“I’m sorry,” Wes said, his voice half muffled from Hobbie’s shoulder.

“Same here,” Hobbie replied. “Please don’t ever do this again, Wes? I don’t think I can take this kind of thing anymore.”

Wes looked up, and tried to bring a smile to his face. “Getting too old for it?”

Hobbie turned to Wes and gave him a shocked look. From behind them, Luke started to laugh loudly. Wes wiped a tear away from his cheek and winked. Hobbie just chuckled and shook his head.

Luke knelt down and placed a hand on both their shoulders. “Let’s clear up this mess now, Wes, and go back home.”

*

Some Days Later *

Hobbie walked past the med ward, looking down at the bacta patch on his arm. While working on the engines of his ship, some hot oil had leaked out and burned his skin. The patch would only have to be on for a few hours, but he could still hear the taunts he would get from the rest of the Rogues for his new injury.

“Major Klivian, can I speak with you for a moment?”

Hobbie turned and saw Dr. Anreson approaching him. He stopped and smiled at the female doctor. “Evening, Doctor.”

“I just wanted to ask you about how Wes was doing,” the doctor stated. “I’m ready to give him my final evaluation, but I want to know how he’s working with the rest of the Rogues?”

“He’s up and about,” Hobbie stated. “His sister is on assignment, so he hasn’t yet had a chance to talk and make amends with her. Fel usually keeps a distance from him, so there hasn’t been any problems there.”

“I heard about Colonel Celchu’s departure,” the doctor stated. “How is that affecting him?”

Hobbie bit his lip. “We’re all a bit sore on that topic. Wes feels guilty, of course, but Wedge says that it was Tycho’s choice, and we just have to accept it.”

Dr. Anreson nodded. “That’s good. Anymore nightmares?”

Hobbie shook his head. “Nope, not that I’m aware of. That first night he had a hard time sleeping, but now he’s snoring like he used to. I’m the one having the trouble sleeping now.”

The doctor laughed. Hobbie smiled at her, and was surprised that the doctor looked away, blushing. “Well, I’m going to send a report over to General Antilles that clears Major Janson from psyche evaluation. That’ll make him able to go back on duty.”

“What about flying?” Hobbie asked.

“I’m clearing him as fit to simulate,” the doctor stated, “And leaving it to the Major and the General as to when Wes should be fit to fly. But I’m sure with all the work Master Skywalker was able to help with after you finally got to the real Wes inside, Major Janson should soon be back on your wing.”

“Thank the Force,” Hobbie stated. “I was getting tired of flying on Wedge’s wing. Corellians don’t take good care of wingmates. Always trying to pull off these stunts. No wonder I’m always ending up in bacta.”

Anreson laughed. “Well, Major Klivian…”

“Hobbie,” Hobbie said, smiling.

“Hobbie… You have no need to worry. Everything is finally coming back together again.”

“It sure is, Doctor Anreson.”

“Amanda.”

Hobbie grinned devilishly. “Amanda. And we have you to thank for it.”

“I only did my job, Hobbie,” Dr. Anreson stated. “You and Wes did all the work.”

She looked over Hobbie’s shoulder and smiled. “Speaking of the devil, I’ll leave you two alone. But if you ever need anything, don’t be afraid to ask.”

Hobbie nodded, and Dr. Anreson walked away. A few moments later, Hobbie felt the familiar weight of Wes’ arm drape along his shoulder. He turned to look at Wes, who was finally starting to look like himself again. His hair was back to a normal length, and the youthfulness was back in his face and eyes.

“So when’s the wedding?” Wes quipped.

“What?”

“The wedding. Oh, don’t tell me you didn’t see the way she was looking at you?”

Hobbie sighed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh Thank you Amanda,” Wes said, changing his pitch to a high tenor. “We have you to thank for it all. Now will you come over to my room tonight and you can help treat my little burn?”

Hobbie pushed Wes aside. “Get off it.”

“It’s good to see that while your best friend is in mental danger that you have enough sense to go after his doctor. You make me proud.”

“I only got her because I’m sure that you already blew it somehow.”

Wes’ face got serious. “That’s besides the point.”

Hobbie burst out laughing. “Come on, psycho, let me buy you a drink. I think the others are in Downtime, plotting a way to get Tycho and Gavin back.”

“Are you sure you don’t want Amanda along?”

Hobbie reached out and pinched Janson on the arm. The smaller pilot yelped, then danced a few steps away. “If you want, I can give you the keys to my padded room,” Wes stated. “That way you can bounce all you want and no one can hear you!”

“Janson!” Hobbie shouted. Wes laughed and took off running, and Hobbie followed behind him. As they turned the corner, Hobbie fought hard to keep the smile off his face. He couldn’t let Wes know just how much he actually enjoyed this moment.

Otherwise he might never live it down. I’m glad you’re back, Wes.