Slight canon-divergent/AU in which Galen Erso agrees to go back and work on the Death Star with Director Orson Krennic, taking his family with him. Krennic watches Jyn grow from a child into a young woman.

Krennic portrays the facade of friendship between him & Galen, but is only really using him for his talents on the Death Star. Krennic is not a nice man or good person and would secretly love to get one up on Galen Erso. When such an opportunity arises, Krennic cannot control himself.

Jyn knows nothing of their relationship, she just sees them as good friends and colleagues. She has always found the older man intriguing, perhaps even developing a slight crush.

Chapter 1 - Catching Up

Jyn pressed the cool glass to her lips. The temperature was somewhat high that night, or so she felt. Or maybe it was the alcohol? She tipped the glass up as she opened her mouth. The ice-cold liquid that flowed onto her tongue and down her throat was soothing.

She placed her glass down; its rim now stained with her dark pink lipstick. She winced at the taste of the alcohol but relished in the feeling that it provided.

Jyn wasn't used to drinking straight rum. In all honesty, she wasn't used to drinking alcohol at all. It was the eve of her 18th birthday. The eve before she would finally come of age. She sat on a high bar stool within one of the local cantinas, surrounded by a couple of her peers - fellow cadets, and some junior officers of the Empire, who had joined her for birthday celebrations.

"Another round, please, barkeep?" one of the officers piped up.

"How can you keep drinking that stuff?" Jyn marvelled, "It's horrible!"

"You get used to the taste," he winked.

Her expression was one of repulsion. Despite that, though, she accepted another round. Peer pressure at its finest.

"Go on, it's your birthday!" her companions egged her on.

"It's not my birthday until tomorrow, though!"

"Shhh!" one of her friends flapped a dismissive hand at her. "It's a bit of luck we all managed to get in here. Don't go and blow it for us now, Erso."

She made a face and stuck her tongue out. Legally, on this planet, one couldn't drink until they were 18, but a lot of the cantinas and bars seemed to overlook this. Most of them just wanted the business, and as long as the teens weren't making too much of a scene or causing trouble, they tended to turn a blind eye.

Jyn had no guilt - she would be turning 18 in a few hours, and only one or two of her friends were still 17. Besides, she was far more grown up than her age reflected. In any case, her friends did not want to draw too much attention to their ages, so she went along and played the good sport.

As the night wore on, Jyn found herself loosening up and actually enjoying herself. She found herself in the midst of the dance floor, her feet shuffling to the music from the house band as she boogied with her friends. She danced, and sang, and laughed, and forgot all about her duties and responsibilities for one night. The heavy weight of future decisions and career plans lifted temporarily from her shoulders.

The band's song came to an end, which was awarded a round of applause and more laughter from the audience, mostly from Jyn and her friends.

"I need a rest," Jyn announced as she made her way back to the bar and to the same stool as before. No-one cared to join her; all of her friends chose to remain as they were, feet still shuffling. Some of the young men and women casually drifting closer to one another as the alcohol loosened them up. Some began grinding up against one another on the dancefloor; for other couples, hands began to wander.

As Jyn climbed onto her previous seat, she raised her hand to the barman.

"Water please?" she asked, flashing the barman a comfortable smile.

"A little mild for a birthday drink, Erso."

A man's voice came from behind her. Jyn spun around on her stool, only to lay eyes on a tall man with short, silver hair. She didn't recognise him at first without his Imperial uniform and trademark white cloak. Tonight, he wore only a dark grey tunic and simple black trousers.

"Director Krennic!" Jyn's mouth formed into a wide smile at the sight of her old family friend.

She got up, took a step towards him, and then threw her arms around him in a tight hug. They embraced so closely, that her bosom moved against him. Her heart thudded in her chest as she pressed into the older man.

For a moment, she lost herself. The hug felt nice. She hadn't seen her "uncle" Orson for some time, as he'd been away on some mission or another, from which he must have only recently returned. He was of no blood relation, but her father had worked beside the Director for most of Jyn's life. Her family had lived in close quarters for just as much time, so she had always seen the Imperial commander as a makeshift uncle, of a sort. A dear family friend, in any case.

She pulled away from him with a small flush in her cheeks - she told herself that the heat was from the alcohol.

"Jyn, how many times have I told you to address me as Orson?"

She just laughed in response.

"Here alone?" he changed tactics and looked down at her.

Jyn was at least a good six inches shorter than Krennic, so she had to look up at him. Her expression was shy, her mouth twitched, and her cheeks turned rosy as she realised that her mouth had gone dry. She tentatively flicked her tongue out to lick her lips, to bring some moisture back to them.

"Um… my friends are over there," she pointed.

He glanced over and recognised some of the junior officers. She continued to lick her lips. Krennic's eyes subtly followed the movements of Jyn's tongue.

Where is the damn barman? she wondered, suddenly desperate for that water she had ordered.

She continued smiling up at him.

"It's great to see you. It's been a while."

"Yes, it has. Great to be home, finally."

The corners of his mouth jerked up into a smirk as his eyes travelled slowly over her form. It had been some months indeed - perhaps closer to a year - since he had last seen the young Erso girl. And oh, how a lot could change in a year, especially in teenage girls.

He couldn't help but admire how her body now curved in a way that it had not the last time he'd seen her. She suddenly had a delicate femininity about her, which was all the more noticeable since she had always been a tomboy. Even now, she still dressed in trousers. That nascent femininity showed through, however, in a new choice of style. She wore a smart pair of dress trousers, accompanied by a flowing silky cream coloured blouse with small, dark buttons. It was a much softer look than what Krennic was used to seeing on Jyn.

And why had he taken the time to notice such a small detail like buttons, he wondered.

Her hair was styled in wispy, dainty waves, and a light dusting of make-up finished off with a pink lipstick pout. Yep, Jyn Erso had definitely grown up in the last year. A lot. However, she still had an air of innocence about her. She wasn't quite a woman… yet. But damn close.

His eyes settled on her lips as she spoke and watched the way her mouth moved. He swallowed hard as his thoughts began to take him to somewhere he knew they didn't belong.

She's your best friend's daughter, he reminded himself sternly, and still only 17.

He indulged himself for just a second longer, though, just to admire the shape of those lips. How full they were and how the pink stain of her lipstick enhanced their shape.

A small tingle ran down Krennic's spine. He hadn't even realised that he'd been staring at Jyn for quite as long as he had. He shook his head in an effort to bring himself back to a state of actuality.

"Are you okay, Director?" she eyed the serious expression on his face with concern.

He quickly broke into another smile, in a vain attempt to hide his leering.

"It's Orson, Jyn!" he pulled a nearby bar stool over and placed it next to hers before making himself comfortable. "Now… what are you drinking?"

She broke into a grin as Krennic ordered another round.

Jyn enjoyed catching up with her old friend. She laughed with him, perhaps a bit harder than she'd laughed in a long time. She enjoyed looking at him when he laughed or smiled the way he did. There was just something so unique about him, about the way he looked when he was amused, or happy. And she would never admit it, but she found his smile to be rather… cute?

Cute Jyn, really? What are you doing looking at him like that?

She wished she could silence her conscience, but his smile just did something to her. Something she couldn't explain. A warm feeling rushed through her. Maybe it was just nice to have someone bestow some attention on her for once. Galen and Lyra had been so busy…

They spoke about her time at the Academy, her plans for the future, and her family home life. Jyn knew Krennic kept in touch with Galen via commlinks as they worked together on their project - the new superweapon she'd heard so much about all these years. A project her father, Galen, had put a lot of work into, as well as the Director.

When it was his turn to talk, she enjoyed hearing all about Krennic's mission and about the work he had done on Scarif to prepare for the weapon's maiden launch. Jyn noticed the way his eyes lit up whenever he spoke about the project. His project. His weapon. She found it quite a thrill to listen to him be so passionate about it. For a man to know what he wanted, to work so damn hard for it, and to make it happen.

"You really are dedicated to the cause aren't you?"

"I know what I want, Jyn," his eyes searched hers. "And I know how to make something happen when I want it bad enough."

She found herself getting drawn into those large pools of darkness, as she stared at him. Somehow their seats had shifted closer and closer over the course of the evening,

"This weapon will be the making of the Empire for us. We will rule the Galaxy."

He looked down to where her hands were, to where her fingertips circled her glass. He saw her hands trembling somewhat. He had begun to feel the effects of the alcohol, too; his mind beginning to swirl as blood pumped hotter through his veins.

He suddenly felt brave and in a bold move, he tentatively moved his hand towards hers until he could place his fingers gently on top her hers. Her skin was warm and soft. So soft.

His eyes trailed back up to meet hers, as he kept his hand over hers. She didn't pull away. Something told him that he shouldn't be making such close contact, but… he couldn't help himself. And...she wasn't pulling away.

Jyn looked deep into his eyes with a profound and careful expression. Her body went numb when his thumb began to slowly caress her hand. Her breath hitched as her heart skipped a beat.

"You've changed so much since I last saw you, Jyn."

She swallowed hard.

"In a bad way?" she wondered.

Now it was Orson's turn to lick his lips. His forefinger glided over each one of her knuckles in turn, before he took his bottom lip between his teeth. He was fascinated by her hands. He wasn't sure why.

"In a good way… a really good way," his gaze met hers; all he could do was look at her and watch the way she breathed. "Such a beautiful young woman you've turned into," he complimented.

Her cheeks were most definitely burning now.

"Th-thank you," she stammered.

His words left her speechless. She looked away embarrassed, totally overwhelmed by the Director. Her eyes settled back to where their hands were, and she watched as his finger explored the expanse of her hands even further.

They were both now fully aware of their close contact - which shouldn't be happening the way it was, but which neither of them intended to stop. In fact, they both refused to openly acknowledge what was going on.

Jyn looked nervously over to her friends, who seemed to be engrossed in dancing and pairing off with one another. She was terrified of someone seeing her so close to the Director. She withdrew her hands, desperate to keep them occupied with something other than his hands. One of her hands brushed through her hair and fiddled nervously with a few wispy strands; the other hand she settled on top of her left thigh. She was too nervous to look at Krennic without knowing what he thought or felt.

For his part, Krennic couldn't stop staring at her, couldn't stop taking in her beauty.

Jyn felt his eyes on her. She parted her lips and let out a breath that she hadn't realised she'd been holding.

He leaned in close to her and brought his lips to her ear. Jyn trembled. One of his hands hovered over the one on her thigh and the other moved to her back, to slowly close his grip around her.

"My shuttle is outside," he whispered, "I'm sure your friends won't notice if you slip away."

She looked up at him to find that he looked absolutely serious. She turned to look at her friends and then slowly turned back to him.

"I'm going to go outside and get into the shuttle…" he told her.

She swallowed hard and waited for what he had to say next.

"I'll wait 5 minutes and then I'm leaving, Jyn," he stood up and walked away without looking back.

Jyn's heart pounded in her chest. She knew she wanted to go with him. She wanted to be alone with him.

Just a friend, she told herself, just a ride home.

She thought it wouldn't do well to simply abandon her friends. She stood up, straightened herself out and made her way to the dancefloor where she informed her friends that she was turning in for the night. She had subconsciously made the decision, without even giving it its proper consideration. Time was ticking.

"Aw, Erso, come on! It's still early. And it's your birthday!"

"You haven't even noticed my absence for the last hour!" she joked. "I'm really tired; I'll catch up later. I'm getting a ride with a friend."

"Suit yourself."

Her friends weren't in a persuasive sort of mood; they were having a good time. Jyn felt no guilt about leaving them behind to enjoy the rest of the night as they saw fit.

Before exiting the cantina, Jyn made a quick visit to the fresher, tousling her hair and reapplying her lipstick. Satisfied with her appearance, she swiftly left the bar, her eyes immediately searching for Krennic's ship.