Archive of Our Own

i.

The first time she met him there was definitely some kind of a spark there, a feeling of attraction, which was ridiculous given he was covered head to toe in Mandalorian armor. And because he was one of those Mandalorians. The old fashioned ones who refused to take their helmets off. That stuck by the old ways despite all the evidence that they were out of touch and believed in things that were so obviously fairytales.

So clearly he was an idiot.

But there was still something attractive about him.

Even thought he was irritating her to no end.

As they parted ways and she told him where to find Ahsoka, she couldn’t help but feel like their story wasn’t over yet. Like this was just the first step in some kind of long journey. And while she didn’t really buy into all the beliefs of the Jedi, she couldn’t help but believe that the Force was trying to tell her something.

This man was going to be important.

ii.

She was devastated, realizing Din had no idea what he’d done. Despite all her bravado about not believing in fairytales, the way things had gone for her last time she had been gifted the Darksaber had her well and truly believing that it had to be won.

Distracted by her own inner turmoil it took her a few moments to realise Din had taken his helmet off.

Despite knowing she should probably look away and respect his privacy, she did the opposite, focusing on his face, trying to memorise what it looked like.

To her surprise he was incredibly handsome, but in a soft way. He didn’t have the face she had imagined of a hardened warrior, but instead that of a kind man. No wonder he had gone through all of this just for a kid he had been sent to find for cash.

For the first time she wondered what he was like before he met the kid. What had he wanted from his life? Or had he been as lost and depressed as the rest of them?

Seeing him without his helmet instantly changed her perspective of him. While she was used to seeing Mandalorians in their armor, very practiced at getting a read on them without seeing their faces, there was something about this man that she couldn’t help but be more intrigued by. He continued to surprise her on every level.

As the Jedi left with Grogu in hand, the room fell silence.

Everyone dropped into action, Cara ensuring Gideon was secured ready for transfer to prison, the others discussing what to do with the ship.

But Bo-Katan kept watching Din.

He hadn’t moved, his eyes still on the spot where the Jedi had taken the child, seemingly having forgotten that he’d removed his helmet.

Taking a few steps forward, she pulled her helmet off and stood by his side, hoping that knowing someone was standing there would help him feel less alone. It was always easy to ignore how much it hurt to let go of something. Bo-Katan knew that better than most.

‘What will you do now?’ she asked.

‘Find work,’ he replied without hesitation.

It was clear he was trying very hard to keep it together, and she wondered if he was leaving his helmet off on purpose. If he had to be brave in front of other people he couldn’t allow himself to break down completely.

Her heart going out to him more than she expected it to, she reached out and took his hand, squeezing it tightly.

‘He’ll be safe with the Jedi,’ she assured.

The action seemed to shock him out of his despair, as he turned to look at his hand and then at Bo-Katan.

He pulled his hand away from her and she smiled lightly.

‘Not used to human affection are you?’ she joked.

To her surprise, he smiled in return. ‘No, not particularly.’

He stared at his hand again, for perhaps a moment too long, before he finally realised he was without his helmet.

Reaching down he picked it up and put it back over his face. He seemed to relax a little as he did so, hidden behind his shield again.

‘Thank you for your help, Bo-Katan,’ he was sincere.

‘I’d say any time, but I do have my own stuff going on,’ she returned.

‘Hey, can I get some help with moving this guy?’ Cara called to Bo-Katan.

Pulling her helmet back on she headed over to help Cara lifting up the unconscious Moff Gideon, but her mind was still on the man who wasn’t quite what she had expected.

What was going on?

iii.

Bo-Katan had never cared for love. She didn’t care for it when it had come from her family, she didn’t care for it when it had come from any clan and she definitely hadn’t cared for it when any person had made a move on her.

She had always felt like meeting Obi-Wan was the worst thing to happen to Satine. Sure she was happy for a couple of months and then what? Heartbreak almost ruined her career as ruler of Mandalore, a huge part of what drove Bo-Katan to abandon her sister’s ideals at the time.

So as she sat and watched the unconscious man cloaked in Mandalorian armour in front of her she couldn’t quite identify what the feeling was. Most of the time Din Djarin annoyed the shit out of her, yet the second she saw Grogu arrive on his own she’d panicked.

She glanced at the little guy, he was anxious watching Din unconscious.

That was a version of love she’d definitely never felt before.

‘He’s okay,’ Bo-Katan assured him. ‘His armor would alert me if there was an issue.’

Grogu responded with a little whine. It was cute, in an annoying way. These two had always made sense to her as a pair because they were both a little bit irritating in an endearing way. Not that she’d ever admit that to either of them.

‘Are you hungry? I can make us soup.’

Glancing back at Din, he made a small squeak noise before making his way over to her and sitting down to watch.

As she set up a fire to warm some soup on, she watched the little guy, his eyes still contiously looking back at Din.

‘You really love him don’t you?’ she asked.

The squeak and the head tilt she got in response was enough for her to understand it as a yes.

She wanted to ask why, but there was no chance she would know what he said in response. So instead she settled for doing the talking.

‘I’ve never felt that – absolute devotion to another person, knowing that they would do anything for me and I would do anything for them. Even my sister and I were often in conflict with each other,’ she admitted. ‘It must be nice.’

A few more squeaks and a few steps towards Din then back towards Bo-Katan had her confused.

‘Sorry, I don’t…’

Then she clicked what he was saying.

‘Well I rescue lots of people,’ she was aware how defensive her voice sounded.

A long slow noise from Grogu answered her.

‘And I owed him.’

The inquisitive squeak was easy enough for her to ignore.

She didn’t really owe him anymore, she had already paid him back more than once for the favour he had done her when they first met.

So then what was it?

Why was she so drawn to this man?

iv.

‘I don’t want to be part of your cult, Din,’ she whispered.

‘Then at least pretend until we move on,’ he responded calmly.

‘These people stand for everything I am against.’

She spoke quickly, without thinking.

‘These are my people,’ he sounded hurt.

Realising she had put her foot in it she fell quiet. They were standing out by the water’s edge, away from the prying ears of the Children of the Watch. Although she could have sworn she saw Paz Vizsla watching them before.

She couldn’t see him now though.

‘Are they, Din? Do you trust them?’

He hesitated long enough to answer her question, ‘Of course.’

But that was a lie, she knew it was. At least they were on the same page about that.

Surprising her, he reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. ‘Are you sure everything is all right? You’ve been through a lot in the last couple of days.’

She had been trying to not think about it all – her home being destroyed, accidentally joining a cult she was against, seeing the Mythosaur.

For a moment she considered telling him, but she wasn’t ready to. Not yet. The time would come when she would ask for his help but she needed time to process it all first.

Or perhaps she’d rather forget about it all together.

‘How do you date?’

He removed his hand from her shoulder as though she had bitten him.

‘What?’

Indicating the cave, ‘There are kids here. That means your people have relationships. Do you leave your helmets on?’

She could picture him staring at her blankly through the helmet and then it clicked.

‘You’ve never thought about it, have you?’

‘I just wasn’t expecting the question,’ he was still hesitant as he spoke.

Neither was she. Trying to act as though it meant nothing she shrugged.

‘If I’m going to be in your cult I’m going to need some more details.’

No longer keen to be part of this conversation, she started to head back towards the cave. But as she felt his eyes bore into the back of her head, trying to read her mind, she worried that perhaps she had accidentally let him see a side of her she wasn’t ready to.

v.

‘I cannot believe that you didn’t mention the Mythosaur was alive until now!’

‘Surprise!’

If helmets could express emotion, she was pretty sure exasperation was written all over his. The two of them stood at the water’s edge in the Mines of Mandalore, waves lapping at their feet as the Mythosaur had disappeared back down into the Living Waters.

‘We could have been killed,’ he continued, angry.

‘Yeah well I didn’t ask you to follow me down here, did I?’

He took a few steps closer and she thought he was going to attack her for a moment. Jumping into a defensive stance, she was surprised as he reached forward and touched the base of her helmet at the back of her head.

‘You’re bleeding.’

His voice was softer now.

Realising it did really hurt at the back of her head she pulled her helmet off, reaching back to touch it herself.

‘Ow,’ she muttered.

‘Let’s get away from the water’s edge.’

She had to agree that was probably good advice right now, and she didn’t hate the way he placed a protective hand on her back to guide her to a safe distance.

She took a seat and he sat down behind her, his hands softly dancing over the back of her head, parting her hair to check for injury.

To her surprise she heard the distinct sound of him removing his helmet as he did so.

‘What are you doing?’ she tried to turn to look but he held her head facing away from his.

‘I need to see more clearly,’ he responded. ‘I think there’s something lodged in your skin.’

Suddenly the light from his helmet was illuminating the wall in front of her.

‘Ah, there it is,’ he spoke to himself.

She felt the tug as he pulled out whatever it was, and then felt his hand press hard against the wound.

‘I don’t suppose you have any bandages on you?’ he asked.

‘Mandalorian armor usually does the protecting for me,’ she responded.

Slowly she turned to face him, his hand still applying pressure.

The light of his helmet bounced off the walls enough that she could clearly see his face. And it surprised her how concerned he looked.

‘Why did you take your helmet off?’ she asked, quietly.

‘I told you, I needed to see,’ he whispered.

There was no reason to remain quiet, the Mythosaur was well underwater, away from earshot, and no one else even knew they were down there. But there was an intimacy to the moment, the two of them, having barely escaped the Mythosaur with their lives, sitting alone in the corner of a mine tunnel, his hand pressed firmly against the back of her head.

‘If you can’t see in your helmet you need an upgrade,’ she joked.

But her laughter was cut off as he reached out with his other hand and pushed a strand of hair away from her face.

‘Why would you come down here to face the Mythosaur on your own?’ he asked softly.

It was protective, caring, things she wasn’t used to hearing when someone spoke to her. Not even her parents or Satine had ever spoken to her that way.

‘To prove myself,’ she spoke carefully.

‘To who?’

‘Everyone. All Mandalorians. The peacekeepers, the Children of the Watch, you…’

‘Why?’

‘Because I failed Mandalore and this is my one chance to redeem myself. If I can kill the Mythosaur maybe everyone can return home and restore Mandalore to its former glory. Then my life will have been worth living.’

‘Why didn’t you ask for help?’

She looked up and met his eyes, something she wasn’t used to being able to do, and wasn’t quite ready to deal with what she saw there.

Instantly she knew the only way she was getting out of this conversation was with the truth.

‘I didn’t think anyone would come,’ she admitted.

She didn’t even realise there were tears in her eyes until he wiped one off her cheek with his thumb. Reaching up she placed a hand over his against her face, realising that not only had he removed his helmet, but his glove, and for the first time she was actually feeling his hand against her skin.

‘I think you and I owe each other more than a few favours by now,’ he smiled gently as he spoke. ‘Although we might be even on pulling each other out of the Living Waters.’

‘Look I don’t want to make assumptions, but if you’re going to want your cult to accept you back, we may have to do that one more time…’

‘First we need to formulate a plan.’

He finally removed his hand from the back of her head and she couldn’t help but feel the cold rush of air that replaced it. The overly intimate moment was over, but as he stood up and reached back down to give her a hand she didn’t need, she wonder if maybe this was the beginning of something more.

vi.

They returned to the Tribe, but were greeted by an angry Paz Vizsla.

‘You have removed your helmet,’ he accused Bo-Katan. ‘And you have lied to us.’

But she felt Din stiffen beside her.

‘How would you even know that?’ she asked, suspicious. ‘Unless you followed us to Mandalore.’

Paz’s silence was enough for her.

‘Come on, Din, we don’t need these people,’ she turned to storm off but was surprised as Din grabbed her hand, pulling her back.

‘Is there not rules allowing for helmets to be removed in a romantic partnership?’ Din questioned.

Paz seemed surprised, taking in the two standing in front of him.

‘It is acceptable to remove your helmet in front of a romantic partner, but you have not performed the ceremony,’ the Armorer stepped out of the cave towards them, as though realising she would be needed for this conversation. ‘Is that something that you wish to do now?’

‘I…’

Bo could tell Din was hesitating now, clearly not thinking through this cover story before he had brought it up.

‘I am ready,’ she said clearly, squeezing his hand.

For her the ceremony held little meaning, she didn’t believe in the teachings of the Children of the Watch, but if it meant she could have her helmet off around Din even a few minutes a day, it would make this whole situation a lot easier for her.

He looked at her through his helmet, clearly surprised. ‘Can we talk about this?’

A few moments later found the two of them on Bo-Katan’s ship. She removed her helmet immediately once they were alone and was oddly annoyed that he didn’t. Maybe she was getting spoiled at the idea of him with his helmet off.

Or perhaps she just liked seeing his face.

‘I was not suggesting we go through the ceremony.’

She realised now that he was panicking, worried that she thought he was suggesting they genuinely got married.

At least she assumed that’s what he was panicking about.

‘It’s the perfect way for us to be allowed time alone, I can take my helmet off, so can you…’

He stiffened at the suggestion.

‘You don’t have to,’ she clarified, ‘But I feel suffocated wearing this all the time. I am thankful to your tribe for taking me in, it’s been a long time since any Mandalorian accepted me as worthy. I’ve lost my home. But I am not one of you. I love my armor, but at the end of the day I like to sleep without it on.’

‘Then you wish to perform the ceremony for selfish reasons,’ he observed.

Irritated, Bo-Katan stopped still, looking over at Din.

‘You’re the one who suggested we were together,’ she reminded him.

‘To protect your status in the clan,’ he responded.

‘And why do you want me so badly to be in your clan, Din? Why did you follow me to Mandalore and rescue me from the Mythosaur? You are such a confusing, frustrating man sometimes…’

‘Because I care about you.’

That stopped her in her tracks.

She hadn’t actually expected him to say those words. She had sort of expected him to just continue arguing and then agree to go through the ceremony with her anyway. That’s what they tended to do. Argue and then do what the other needed.

Almost like they cared about each other.

Was this it? Was this what Satine had felt with Obi-Wan? It was so frustrating and infuriating and it was really, really getting in the way of her plans to save Mandalore.

Oh yeah.

This was exactly what Satine had felt.

And suddenly the idea of performing the ceremony with Din had a whole new meaning. It wasn’t just a way for her to be able to take her helmet off, it would be a permanent bond between them. They would become a family.

She wondered how Satine would have dealt with this situation.

But she didn’t have to wonder long.

She knew exactly how Satine had handled this situation.

Looking directly at Din Djarin’s helmet Bo-Katan forced a smile.

‘Then perhaps it’s best if we part ways, Din Djarin,’ she said simply.

Trying to walk past him towards the controls of the ship, he pulled his helmet off, and stood in her path.

‘I won’t let you try to fight the Mythosaur on your own again,’ he said sternly.

‘That choice isn’t yours to make,’ she refused to make eye contact with him.

There was no way she was going to let his charming, handsome, dark eyes pull her into whatever this emotional turmoil was. The only way she knew how to handle this situation was by running away from it.

‘I don’t want anything to happen to you…’ he was using his damn soft caring voice again and she wanted to hit him.

Finally looking up at him she clenched her jaw, determined not to let him win this one.

‘Din. Grogu needs you more than I do.’

‘Why are you running away from this?’ he whispered.

And there it was, the thing she was trying so hard not to fall for. The same look he’d had in his eyes when he watched the Jedi carry Grogu out of Moff Gideon’s ship. But this time it was aimed at her. And she didn’t want to hurt him like that, she really didn’t, but she couldn’t bear the responsibility of him dying because of some silly crush he had on her.

And there was only one way out of that.

‘Because you and I clearly don’t feel the same way about each other.’

Shoving her helmet back on to avoid anymore unnecessary eye contact, she made her way towards the controls, hoping he would leave. She could sense him there for a moment, but when she turned back around to check a few minutes later he was gone.

Punching in coordinates she got out of there as quick as possible. Away from Din and his cult.

vii.

Bo could feel Korkie’s eyes on her as she ate.

‘When is the last time you had an actual meal?’

If she was honest, she didn’t really know the answer to that question, but she wasn’t about to tell her nephew that.

‘You’re just a very good chef,’ she answered instead.

‘I know you’re avoiding telling me something,’ Korkie pointed out.

For a long time she had assumed that her nephew had died in Night of a Thousand Tears, but she had been pleasantly surprised to find a message from him when she first returned to Kalevala. He had met a girl from Naboo and settled down there after the war. So that was where she had fled to after leaving Din and his tribe.

‘The Mythosaur in the Living Waters of the Mines of Mandalore is still alive,’ she said bluntly.

There was no reason to hide that fact anymore, she was sure Din had told his people and it was spreading throughout the Mandalorian community quickly.

Korkie’s response however was to laugh.

‘Mythosaurs aren’t real. You don’t believe in that stuff,’ he replied.

The serious look on her face must have alerted him to face that she did in fact believe in this.

‘Okay,’ he accepted I with a grain of salt. ‘So what? No one lives on Mandalore anymore, the planet is poisoned.’

‘The planet is fine,’ she responded. ‘I was there recently. I tried to fight the Mythosaur but the most infuritating member of the Children of the Watch saved me.’

She looked up at Korkie’s face of disbelief.

‘Are you okay?’ he asked, seriously. ‘It sounds like you’ve hit your head.’

Reaching for the back of her head and touching he wound there.

‘I have actually hit my head, but Din saved me,’ she explained.

Maybe it was the involuntary smile that crossed her face as she thought about that moment, or maybe it was the way she said his name – but Korkie very loudly placed his fork back on the table.

‘Okay well who’s Din? And why isn’t he here with you? Clearly there’s a story there…’

‘The story is that he cares about me so I left,’ she said simply, taking another bite of food, although she was now losing her appetite.

‘You…left?’ he sighed as he spoke. ‘So you tried to fight the Mythosaur on your own, and then the guy who saved you told you that he cared about you and you came here for dinner?’

She didn’t have a response.

It was clear to her she had made the wrong choice, but she didn’t know now if it was too late.

And that wasn’t why she had come here.

‘Korkie, I need you to gather any Mandalorians that you still have contact with. We need to take our planet back.’

A smile crossed her nephews face.

‘Well, when you put it like that – I’m in.’

viii.

Ahsoka and Sabine seemed genuinely happy to see her, although Bo-Katan was a little thrown when Ahsoka brought the Jedi to their meeting. Apparently he was picking up his own nephew to begin Jedi training with him.

‘I just hope Ben is a more committed student than Grogu,’ Luke laughed. ‘I mean he tried, but his mind was never focused on it. I should have known earlier that his heart lay with the Mandalorian.’

The bar was dark with fluro lighting. Coruscant wasn’t really Bo-Katan’s thing, but it was nice to be back in a large city. Some parts of it reminded her of Concordia before it was destroyed, just a whole lot less peaceful than Concordia had been.

‘How is he anyway?’

Bo-Katan looked at Luke in surprise. ‘Grogu?’

‘The Mandalorian…you were with him that day on the Imperial ship were you not?’

‘I was,’ she spoke carefully.

She felt Ahsoka judging her as she spoke. That was one thing she had never liked about spending time with the Jedi – they used their Force tricks to see right through you.

‘But you’re not friends…?’ Luke deduced from her silence.

‘We are acquaintances,’ Bo-Katan responded calmly.

There was a bit more chit chat between the group, until Sabine and Luke went to get the next round of drinks. Ahsoka turned her attention to Bo-Katan.

‘Okay well I don’t know what happened between you and Din but you need to fix it,’ she said bluntly.

‘There’s nothing to fix,’ Bo-Katan denied. ‘We have had a few adventures, I accidentally joined his cult briefly and then I left. That’s all.’

‘That is not the energy you are giving off,’ Ahsoka observed. ‘The energy you’re giving me right now says you have a broken heart.’

Bo-Katan glared at her friend as the others returned to the table. This time Sabine sat next to her.

‘So, you said you needed my help with something Mandalorian related?’

ix.

She had gathered all the clans she could find. Sabine and her family, Korkie had found as many contact as he knew, and she had sent a message to Din. His response had been short but she expected nothing else given the way they had left things.

The agreement was to meet above the ruins of Concordia.

As she dropped into the atmosphere of Mandalore she spotted his outdated N-1 Starfighter. It brought a smile to her face, both excited and nervous at the idea of seeing him again. She had so much she wanted to say – sorry for running away, for hurting his feelings, she was just overwhelmed at the idea that somebody could care about her and she didn’t know what to do so she left.

She knew there was no way she would be able to say even half the words she wanted to say to him, but she hoped she would at least be able to muster an apology.

As she brought her ship in for landing she saw Paz Vizsla standing alone. The last person she wanted to deal with.

Keeping her helmet on for safety she approached the giant man.

‘I am here to see Din Djarin,’ she explained calmly.

Threateningly, Paz lit up the Darksaber, scowling at the mention of Din.

‘He is not needed here, I am now the owner of the Darksaber, and the one who shall bring Mandalore back to it’s former glory, under the rules of the Children of the Watch.’

Taken aback, Bo-Katan stepped away from him. ‘Mandalore should be a home for all Mandalorians, whatever their beliefs. That includes the Children of the Watch but it is not exclusive to you.’

‘Those who do not walk the way are not Mandalorian, and they will serve to corrupt those of us who do, just like you have with Din Djarin,’ he sneered.

Concerned, Bo-Katan glanced around for any sign of Din or Grogu.

‘Where is he?’

‘By now I assume he’s made for a tasty snack,’ Paz sneered, glancing towards the entrance to Concordia’s ruins and the mines.

Panic set in as Bo-Katan realised the insinuating he was making.

‘No,’ she spoke quietly, but her voice was clearly shaking with anger. ‘What did you do to him?’

‘I won my prize fair and square. This Darksaber belongs to Clan Vizsla. It has always belonged to Clan Vizsla.’

It was enough for Bo-Katan to launch herself at him, rage taking over as she swiftly outmanoeuvred the giant Mandalorian. In a fair fight there was no way he could beat her, but with the Darksaber she knew he had a chance.

As she ducked and jabbed and tried to trip him, she struggled to get her mind off Din. Where was he? Was he alive? Had Paz Vizsla killed him for the Darksaber? What about Grogu?

With every clash of the Darksaber against her armor, Bo-Katan only grew more angry.

‘The Darksaber is meant to unite our people, not divide them further,’ she yelled at him.

She hadn’t realised there were tears streaming down her face under her helmet until she tasted them through her words.

‘That depends on your definition of who our people are, and you, Bo-Katan Kryze, are no longer a Mandalorian,’ Paz Vizsla returned, striking down on her shoulder as he did so.

She buckled under the weight of the Darksaber.

The way he handle it was slow, heavy, as though he was carrying a block of concrete.

‘Even the Darksaber doesn’t like you,’ she returned, lassoing his legs and pulling until he fell.

To her surprise the Darksaber fell from his grip and skitted across the rocks.

She started to run towards it, only for him to grab her ankle and pull her down. Her head slammed on the ground.

‘You are not worthy,’ Paz yelled, pulling her back towards him.

Here was where Bo-Katan wished she had Jedi skills. Being able to call the Darksaber to her with the Force right now would be a miracle.

Reaching out she tried anyway, even as the distance between her and the Darksaber widened.

‘No,’ she whispered to herself, trying to hold her place.

Suddenly the Darksaber did the unexpected.

It flew across the rocks into her hand.

Blinking a few times, she didn’t understand what had just happened. But a loud noise from behind her alerted her to the fact that Paz Vizsla was standing over her. Rolling over she jumped onto her feet, launched herself into the air with her jetpack and then propelled herself, Darksaber first, into Paz Vizsla’s back.

The blade cut through a weak spot in his armor and he collapsed on the ground.

A squeal of delight alerted her to the Jedi who had helped her.

‘Grogu,’ she said with relief, running to him, picking him out of his pod and hugging him. ‘Am I glad to see you alive.’

Her relief was quickly replaced with panic.

‘Take me to Din,’ she said.

Grogu nodded, and as she placed him back in his pod quickly led her away.

x.

He was lying on the edge of the Living Waters, not moving. The weird buzzing noise that Grogu was making only put Bo-Katan more on edge.

‘Din,’ she whispered, kneeling by his side. ‘Wake up. Come on. You are not allowed to die before I get my chance to apologise for leaving you.’

She turned to Grogu.

‘What happened?’

Grogu pointed at the Darksaber.

Understanding, Bo-Katan rolled Din over to see blood coming from under his helmet.

‘I think we’re past you caring if I see you with your helmet off, right?’ she said confidently, removing it.

Checking over the wound she could see how bad it was. The burns from the Darksaber went from the base of his skull down to his right shoulder.

‘We need to get him to medical help,’ she said to Grogu, not sure what such a small creature could do to help.

But he reached out, lifting Din up into the air.

Surprised, Bo-Katan jumped to her feet, just in time to catch Din as Grogu’s concentration wavered. He made an anxious noise and Bo-Katan nodded at him reassuringly.

‘How about we work together, I carry him, and you lighten my load?’ she suggested.

He seemed to understand because Din’s weight lifted in her arms a moment later.

They worked together to carry him to the surface, in time for a whole collection of ships to arrive. Korkie’s pacifist Mandalorians, Sabine’s clan of warriors, and the Children of the Watch.

The Armorer took it all in at once. Bo-Katan with the Darksaber, Paz Vizsla’s body, Din without his helmet. She seemed to put the pieces together quickly.

Sabine stepped forward, ‘We have a Bacta tank onboard. Ahsoka?’

Ahsoka nodded, taking Din from Bo-Katan’s arms. ‘He’ll be okay, I promise.’

Bo-Katan nodded, anxiously watching as Ahsoka carried him away, Din’s helmet still in her hand. She turned to the Armorer.

‘I’m sorry I took his helmet off, I’ll take him back to the Living Waters to bathe again, but it was more important to save his life,’ Bo-Katan spoke bluntly.

The Armorer nodded in response. ‘I understand.’

She glances at Paz Vizsla.

‘I see his path was not a righteous one…’

‘He tried to kill Din to take the Darksaber,’ Bo-Katan couldn’t help the anger that was in her voice.

‘And you have killed him and taken it instead,’ the Armorer spoke calmly, as always. ‘You now have the power to reunite Mandalore.’

Letting this sink in for the first time, Bo-Katan detached the Darksaber from her belt. ‘I’m not sure this belongs with me.’

‘Before perhaps not, but now you have won it in battle – and even before you did so, you brought all these Mandalorians back to our planet.’

She indicates the increasingly large number of Mandalorians landing on the surface.

‘No one has done this in centuries, not even your sister,’ the Armorer continued. ‘Perhaps Bo-Katan, this was always your destiny. This is the way.’

‘This is the way,’ she repeated.

The phrase began to echo around the different groups – for some it having daily meaning and for others a phrase they had never spoken in their lives.

‘What about the Mythosaur?’

‘Perhaps that is just another Mandalorian we need to learn to live with in peace,’ she commented. ‘For now it is far below our surface, we are protected from it.’

xi.

She wasn’t quite asleep when Din came to, but she was close enough that him quietly saying her name caused her to jump in her seat.

‘I don’t think my helmet makes for the most comfortable of pillows,’ he smiled at her.

She glanced down at the helmet she still held in her lap, echoing his smile. ‘I just wanted to stay here with it in case you needed it straight away when you woke up. The medical droid wouldn’t let me put it on any sooner.’

‘Thank you,’ he said quietly.

‘You should thank Grogu, he’s the one who saved my ass and yours,’ she clarified.

Reaching out and taking his hand she squeezed it.

‘I’m sorry,’ she said quickly, eager to get it out before she overthought things again.

‘For saving my life or…?’

‘For running away from my feelings,’ she clarified.

He squeezed her hand in return. ‘I’m sorry for being too forward, I will be honest, I don’t really know how this works,’ he laughed at he said it.

An adorable laugh that filled his whole face and reached his eyes, even if it ended in him wincing from the pain he was in.

‘I don’t really know how it works either,’ she clarified. ‘Clearly. Since I’m the one who ran off.’

‘I feel like you ran off to reunite the people of Mandalore or something equally as important, while all I did was sulk in a cave for a couple of weeks,’ Din smiled.

Not knowing how to fight the urge to get closer to him, Bo-Katan stood up and reached out to touch his face.

‘I don’t really want to give you your helmet back to be honest,’ she joked. ‘But I feel like some other people might want to visit you.’

‘I’m not sure I want to put it back on just yet either,’ he put his hand against hers on his cheek, the same way she had in the Mines of Mandalore.

Overwhelmed with emotion she leaned forward, placing her lips lightly against his. Worried for a moment that she’d overstepped she hesitated, until she felt him kiss her back. Then she allowed herself to get lost in the kiss until --

They were interrupted by a familiar loud squeal from the doorway.

Bursting into laughter they parted ways to both see Grogu hovering there.

Handing over his helmet, Bo-Katan stood up. ‘I’ll give you two some space.’

And as she left the room she turned back to look again as Din gave Grogu a big hug, warmed by the love between the two of them, and hopeful that somehow she was now going to be a part of their little family.