He woke up to bright lights.
But how? He blinked a couple of times, willing his vision to come back. His ears could hear the familiar sounds of a medical bay. Beeps and whooshes were comforting, but he was alone.
Where was Jyn?
Was she alive?
She had to be.
His heart started to race when he realized that there was a tube down his throat and panic started to set in. He couldn't breathe, his hands were heavy and he was unable to lift them.
Footsteps neared him and soon he wasn't alone anymore.
"Captain Andor, you're okay. It's safe!" Said a feminine voice, all he could see was shapeless figures surrounding him. "Hang on one second."
The lights dimmed and the tube that was down his throat was pulled out. He coughed forcefully and he could finally see. He could see that the people who surrounded him were people he didn't recognize. "Jyn." He whispered hoarsely, but he was ignored as they poked and prodded him. "Jyn Erso."
"Captain, you need to calm down." Said the woman firmly. He did recognize her, she was the Chief Medical Officer on Yavin IV, though he couldn't remember her name. "You've been unconscious for about a week, you were in very bad shape."
"Jyn. . ." He whispered, eyes wide as he looked around the room for the small, dark haired woman that had consumed his thoughts and dreams.
The doctor again ignored him. "You've been submerged in bacta for two days." She continued. "Your body is healing excellently, I think you will be back to normal with a little therapy."
She turned and he grabbed her wrist. "Tell me about Jyn Erso." He gasped. "Rogue One?"
The doctor huffed. "Please calm down, Captain." She pulled her hand free from his grip. "I am not at liberty to discuss anything with you."
He quieted, getting angry was going to get him sedated. He couldn't get sedated until he found out about Jyn. Bodhi, Chirrut and Baze. The rest of Rogue One. His heart sunk at the loss of K2S0, he would mourn later, before finding a suitable robot to put his backup in, anything but a KX series droid would be an insult.
He racked his brain for his memories.
"Your father would be proud of you." He whispered and she took his hand in hers, giving it a squeeze.
He remembers getting to his feet and holding her tightly in his arms, he was more than ready to die, to be succumbed to the bright white light with her. Her small body fit his perfectly, she smelled like sweat and desperation, but also something distinctly her that he would lock up forever in his memories. She didn't tremble against him, breathing deeply like he was.
Another set of footsteps echoed through the empty walls. The doctors stopped fretting long enough to salute the new comer. General Draven.
"Good to see that you are awake, Captain." He greeted coming to his side. Out of years of habit, Cassian moved to sit up in a rigid position, only to be pushed back by the doctor. "I'm sure you've got questions. . ."
The captain opened his mouth a couple of times, trying to word a question with discretion. "According to the official reports, you were rescued by Bodhi Rook and barely made it to hyperspace before Scarif was destroyed. . . "
Memories flashed again.
Jyn telling him to move, her small body trying to carry his dead weight. Baze pulling them into the ship and falling onto the floor of the stolen ship with Jyn in his arms.
Bodhi announcing that they had reached atmo.
Jyn pushing herself up to look him over. "Stay with me Cassian."
"Always." He whispered.
She leaned down and pressed her lips to his. It was soft and filled with promise, her kyber crystal resting on his chest.
It was the clearest part of the memory.
"Where is she?" Cassian asked him, but went ignored again.
Draven's face hardened. "What happened to the Death Star plans?" He asked.
The captain looked at him as if he had grown a second head. "What do you mean what happened to them?" He asked breathlessly. "We transmitted them! They said they received them!"
A darkness went over the general's face. "They have been lost." Draven said and suddenly Cassian's ears started to ring as he told him about the Tantive IV, and it was boarded by Darth Vader, Princess Leia was missing. The plans were also missing. "Alderaan is gone."
A sense of blind panic filled him.
The monitor next to him started to scream as his heart race began to speed up. "Where is she?" He asked in a panic.
"We don't know where the princess is. . ." Draven repeated.
"Jyn! Jyn Erso." He roared as he pushed himself to sit up. The room filled with yelling as he was pushed back into bed. One of the doctors injected a needle into his arm. "JYN!"
He felt heavy, his arms going limp and he fell back into bed.
Darkness.
/
When he woke again, he wasn't alone. Bodhi Rook was in the chair dozing next to him. He was dressed in a bright orange flight suit. Cassian lifted his hand, running his fingers through his hair. Bodhi jumped awake when the wires that were hooked to Cassian hit the guard rails. "Good to see you awake." The pilot said scooting closer to him. He had a smile on his face.
"Your uniform is different." Cassian slurred as he forced himself to wake up. How long was he asleep for?
Bodhi shrugged. "I was involuntarily enlisted, this is what I wear now." He said, his voice low in case there was prying ears.
That snapped Cassian awake. "What?" He hissed, his voice quiet.
"It was the only way I could stay." He whispered, Cassian tried to comprehend what he was saying. "Jyn worked out a deal so that you would be taken care of and that I would be here for you when you woke up."
"Where is Jyn?" He asked as panic filled him to the brim. "The Guardians?"
Bodhi shook his head. "Gone." He answered. "I don't know where, but they are together."
He sighed heavily. "Is she okay?" He asked.
The pilot shrugged his shoulders. "Physically, yes. They dressed up her injuries before they sent her away. . ."
Cassian sat up in the bed, forcing his feet on to the cold tile. He had to wait a minute, the world was starting to spin. "Tell me what happened!" He ordered softly, his eyes closed forcing the vertigo away.
"You should really lay down." Bodhi said, placing and hand on his shoulder comfortingly. "You're not well."
Cassian placed his hand on Bodhi's, opening his eyes. "What. Happened." He growled.
"Draven was angry when we got back, he arrested us and you were taken to medbay." The pilot explained. "Jyn took a plea deal, she said that she coerced you into going to Scarif, for disobeying orders. All of it was her. . ."
It was like he was punched in the gut, he placed his hands on the side of the bed, his breathing labored. "She was worried that they would imprison you instead of treat you." He said, "You were in bad shape, you went unconscious right after we took off and she was worried about your fall. She made a deal, they would put her on some neutral planet and she would not interfere with Alliance business again. The Guardians were given a choice, we decided that they would be better off looking after her and I would wait until you woke up. . . "
"Where did they send her?"
He shook his head. "I don't know." He answered truthfully. "They haven't told me anything, next thing I knew they were shoved onto a ship and I was dressed like this and flying an X-Wing. General Draven made all the arrangements, Senator Mothma doesn't know anything about this."
Cassian took a deep breath, rage was building inside of him. She should be treated like a hero, not a prisoner. "Bodhi listen to me, I need you to go find a ship and get it ready. . ."
"You're not healed yet, Cassian." Bodhi said as Cassian reached over to turn the monitor off and then pull the wires from his hand.
He looked up at him with a look of determination, the same look when he told Jyn that he was going with her. "If we do not go now, there is a chance we won't find her." He said seriously, he knew Jyn's habits. "Are you going to help me out or not."
"Of course I am! But," Bodhi said, mentally preparing himself to defect from the Alliance.
Cassian pushed himself to his feet. "I'm going to go do something really stupid and I need you to be ready." Cassian said as he padded barefoot to the doorway to gauge his escape. "First I need you to distract the orderlies. I'm going to go back to my quarters and change. Give me fifteen minutes."
Bodhi nodded and found his courage as he stepped out of the room and down the hall where two orderlies sat at a desk. "Captain Andor would like something to eat." He said, trying to hide his nervousness.
/
Escaping the medbay was easy.
Getting from Medbay to his quarters was harder when you look like you escaped from the medbay. He was barefoot and wearing a gown. The only luck he had was that it was about meal time and the halls were nearly deserted.
When he reached the safety of his quarters, he quickly dressed and pocketed K2S0's backup in his jacket. He grabbed a bag and put in some of his personal things, a data pad, a framed picture from his childhood, he was sure that he would never be back on this moon again.
With his blaster at his hip he walked with as much purpose as a man who had just spent a week unconscious could.
The command room was as busy as it ever was, they were dealing with the destruction of Alderaan and they were still in a panic. He made his way towards General Draven like a mad man. Draven stood at a floating map pointing to something, Cassian didn't care. He was surrounded by advisors, people that he knew personally, but it wasn't going to stop him.
The man had just a moment to make eye contact with him before a blaster was pointed in his direction. "You will tell me where you sent her." He growled. Rampage. This was going to turn into a rampage and Cassian didn't care. He wanted to know where Jyn was, he wanted to know that she was safe.
The room went silent, all unsure what was happening. The normally grounded captain was flying off the deep end. "Jyn Erso is gone." He answered, not bothering to put his hands up in surrender.
"Captain Andor!" Mon Mothma exclaimed surprised, she stood to full height. "What is the meaning of this?"
His glare darkened. "Where is she! Where did you send her!" He yelled.
Mon Mothma took a step towards him, carefully and deliberately. "She left on her own, Captain." She said softly trying to diffuse the situation. Draven had lied to her.
"No, she didn't." He growled, taking a step closer to Draven. "Tell her the truth. Tell her what happened."
Draven stood up taller, his look hardened. "Jyn Erso admitted to her crimes. Stealing from the Alliance, coercion of an officer, mutiny, espionage, starting a war among other things." He started. "Instead of locking her up in our prisons or better yet handing her over to the Empire, I gave her the option of leaving with the promise to not to interfere with Alliance business again."
Cassian took a step closer, his blaster just inches away from Draven's chest. "Jyn Erso is a hero." He growled between his teeth. "We gave you the Death Star plans and you lost them, you made her the bad guy. You made her believe that you were going to withhold my care if she didn't agree to your terms."
Draven shrugged. "I did not give her those ideas, she came up with them on her own." He all but sneered. He looked the crazed man up and down before he scoffed.
Rage overfilled Cassian. "We would all be dead if it weren't for her." He yelled. "We would still be hiding if she didn't step up. War is already upon us and you've let our greatest weapon go."
It was the General's turn to step into his space. "You're an idiot, Captain." He growled. "You have always followed orders without being told until the first pretty face comes along. . ."
Cassian shot the blaster right between his feet. "Where is she?"
He didn't flinch. "You were the best, Captain." He whispered to him. "What did she do to you? She's a thief and a liar. She lied to you Cassian, she's not worth this. Jyn Erso is not worth throwing twenty years of service down the drain."
The Captain tightened his grip on the blaster, but didn't say anything. Jyn didn't need him to defend her. She was the best person in the galaxy and saw them for what they were. Yes. Jyn was worth this, she deserved someone to come back to her. "I don't believe you're going to shoot me, you couldn't shoot Galen Erso. . ." He taunted, Cassian could see red and he pressed the plaster into the General's arm and pulled the trigger, grazing him without a blink of his eye.
"Galen Erso didn't deserve the death he received." Growled Cassian.
The man doubled over as he yelped in pain. Mon Mothma jumped in startled. "For Force sake, Davits just tell him where that transport went." She cried out, that was good news that she had no idea what the general had done to Jyn.
"Jakku." Draven said from the floor. "I sent her and the Guardians to the Refugee Mission on Jakku."
Cassian's glare hardened. "I hope for your sake that the Death Star plans are found." He said before turning on his heels and walking out of the command center.
He hoped that nobody would follow him. He didn't want to kill anybody.
Bodhi waited by a transport as Cassian limped over to him. His energy spent. "Come on, we've got to go now." Cassian said. Bodhi helped him into the co-pilot's seat and immediately started the takeoff process before they started shooting at him for stealing the ship.
/
The flight to Jakku was long.
"We can't go back, can we?" Bodhi asked after a while. He didn't ask Cassian what had happened before he boarded the ship. But judging by his exhaustion and by how they tried to stop his ship, he realized it was bad.
Cassian sighed heavily. "No." He answered.
"Was it worth it?" Bodhi asked timidly. Cassian glared at him.
"Yes." He answered.
Bodhi turned back to the window, watching the white stars fly past him. "Okay." He answered, not judging. After the past few weeks, he'd follow Cassian into a sun if he asked him to. "What if she wasn't there?"
Cassian folded his arms tightly across his chest. "Then we will check every single planet until we do find her." He answered softly. He would kill Draven first, for lying and then search for her. At this point he'd probably dismantle the Alliance and the Empire piece by piece until he found her.
He didn't care.
He looked over at his companion, glad that he had Bodhi with him because the flight to Jakku was going to be a long painful one. "Thanks Bodhi." He said honestly and the pilot smiled at him.
Bodhi nodded. "She said she'd wait for three months before moving." He said, turning to look at the captain and he raised his brow. "We weren't sure when you would wake up, she said that no matter where she ended up she would wait. She had a plan."
She had a plan that included him in it.
Jakku was so far away.
/
When they arrived on the desert planet, it took them a day or two to procure a speeder and a map to the refugee mission that was nowhere near the city that they had landed in. They traded stolen supplies and parked the ship before setting off on the trek to find Jyn, Baze and Chirrut.
They entered a large wooden gate that had the flag of the Rebellion waving in the wind.
It was filled with people of all ages and was like a small city, Bodhi went to the right and he went to the left. Voices of kids filled the air with levity, old people sat against the wall resting their tired bones. They looked like Alderaanian's. Maybe a few Jedhan's. Overall filled with displaced people.
He weaved through the crowds that stood in line for food and clothing.
Nurses moved through the crowd looking for people who needed help.
There were sick people laying on stretchers near a building with a priest standing over them.
It was chaotic.
Then the crowd split and he saw her. Jyn sat on a chair, helping a small child wash her hair. She poured a pitcher of water and suds fell back into the basin. She was talking animatedly to the girl and giggles surrounded her.
His breath caught in his throat.
She looked surreal. She had a scarf over her head, like she did on Jedha, her clothes were too big for her and her eyes had dark bags underneath, from exhaustion probably. It was like he forgot how to walk as he watched her talk excitedly to the little girl. She took a towel from her side and draped it over her face, wildly towel drying her hair and gaining a fit of giggles from her. When she put the towel down next to her, she looked up and finally saw him.
Her face fell as she jumped to her feet. He stopped breathing.
They closed the distance, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck and her face buried into his shoulder, his own hands splayed across her back. She had lost weight since the last time he had done this and he had missed her so much.
Her shoulders shook as silent sobs escaped her lips. "You came back to me." She cried, he pulled back enough to rest his forehead against hers.
"I will always come back for you." He admitted, his lips replacing his forehead against her forehead. " When I couldn't find you. . ."
She bit her lip, looking down at her toes. "I had to protect you." She whispered, tears trailed down her cheek and he wiped them with the calloused pad of his thumb. "You wouldn't wake up and I was worried that they would use your recovery as collateral. I didn't know who I could trust, they wouldn't let me talk to Mon Mothma."
He kissed her cheek this time, where the tears streaked her face. "If you were with them, you would recover. They put me here to see the damage that my father has done, people have been coming for days since Alderaan. . ." Her breathing hitched.
Draven sent her here as penance for her father's work.
He should have killed him when he had the chance.
She sensed his thoughts and finally looked up at him, her nose rested against his. "None of that matters now, you're okay." She whispered.
He couldn't wait any longer, he pressed his lips to hers. He moved slowly, in no hurry to move, even though they were in the middle of the street. The moment his lips touched hers, he forgot everything that led them to this moment. Her lips were soft and warm, slightly chapped, and her lips parted ever so slightly and he just felt the tip of her tongue lightly skimming the seam of his lips and his own parted automatically, his own tongue venturing out to meet hers.
He pulled back when it was necessary to breathe again. His forehead rested on hers, a smile on his face for the first time in what felt like forever. "No more self-sacrificing yourself." He whispered.
She nodded and sealed her lips to his again.
There were a few whoops from across the street and they didn't bother to break apart. Bodhi, Chirrut and Baze stood across from them with beaming smiles on their faces.
They were back together again.
Forever.