Author's Notes: And that's a wrap, folks! I feel like this is conclusive. And it kind of ends like the movie instead of the melodramatic, angst-fest that I turned this into. Thank you to everyone that has read and commented on this! It's made my week and helped me write this so fast. Now I can get back to all the other projects that I shoved to the side to finish this accidental monster.


A few things flittered through Cassian's mind like half-formed thoughts as he woke up: the quiet and stillness of the room except for a steady beeping sound, the sterile smell that surrounded him, and a gentle pressure on his hand. When he moved to flex his fingers, he found them held in place by something. For a brief moment, panic shot through him - was he being restrained or held somewhere? - but then his eyes blinked open, dazed by the white of the room, and a blurry, dark-haired form came into view.

His heart immediately leaped into his throat. Jyn.

It didn't take him much longer to realize what was going on. He was in a hospital. He could vaguely remember the trip here, bleeding out in the back of Kay's car with his partner forcing him to recite some bullshit information to keep him conscious, but he didn't actually remember arriving. He must have passed out. Judging from the pain and stiffness of his shoulder and his right side, he probably had gone through surgery as well to remove the bullets. He wanted to move to touch her, but thought better of it when he tried to shift.

And somehow Jyn was here with him. He wasn't sure how long he had been out, but he didn't think that it had been too long. He could not imagine her waiting here forever, if only because of Poe. She had more important responsibilities than watching over him while he was unconscious. Who had called her? How had she gotten in here? Stupid question. She'd probably caused a scene until it was just easier to let her in.

But why go through the trouble? The last he'd seen of her, it had been her back facing him as she stared out the kitchen window, arms folded across her chest, refusing to look back at him. She hadn't even told him to be safe this time, just kept her mouth shut and her face turned away, resembling a locked chest filled with all the hopes and dreams that he couldn't have. He had tried not to think about that image while on assignment, but he had struggled to shake the thought of her cutting him out of her life.

Jyn didn't just burn bridges; she blew them to smithereens.

She had a solid grip on his hand even in sleep. Sitting in a chair, her back was stretched at an uncomfortable angle that would have her grimacing when she woke up. Her head was lying on the bed, face turned towards him, her messy hair brushing against his thigh. He grinned at little when he saw that her mouth was open and she was drooling a little. She looked, quite frankly, like a hot mess and he had never seen something more beautiful.

When he shifted again, trying and failing to find a more comfortable position, Jyn began to stir. She closed her mouth and huffed, her grip tightening for a second, before her eyes began to muzzily blink open and she looked at his face.

"Hey," Cassian said as softly as he could. His throat felt raw and his mouth dry from being out for so long.

Like she was struck by lightning, Jyn shot up to her feet and stared at him with blazing eyes. There were too many emotions swirling in them for him to latch on one, as if she couldn't decide whether she was happy, angry, or a few other things. "Cassian."

"Did I make it back in time?" he asked.

She bit her bottom lip the second it started to tremble and furrowed her brow, her entire face going tense like she was trying to stop herself from crying. Without saying anything, she leaned forward to take his face in her hands and pressed her lips against his in the most desperate kiss he had ever experienced in his life. He was having trouble breathing as it was, but this kiss took the air right out of his lungs. Distantly, he was aware of something wet splashing on his face and he realized with a start that they were tears. Her tears.

When she pulled away, Cassian took a hesitant breath, wincing at the pain in his side. Jyn's eyes grazed over his chest. She didn't apologize and he didn't want her to anyways. Instead, she poured him a glass of water and he took it from her gratefully. It was cold enough to bring him back to his senses, making him feel as if a part of him was coming back to life. Hospitals had always made him feel weird and off.

"I'd slap you if I wasn't sure your boss would have me arrested," Jyn told him, probably only half-joking.

Cassian finished the water and sighed. "Don't worry; I'd bail you out."

For a moment, all they could do was look at one another. Out of all the scenarios he'd dreamed of, he had done his best to not be hopeful in any of them. He tried not to think of Jyn welcoming him back with a kiss, much less one as needy as that one. He would've settled for a upward tick of her mouth, an uncharacteristically soft look in her eyes, a hand on his arm with a mere, "Welcome home." But this? A little more than he'd anticipated.

He reached out for her face and she leaned into his touch as she lowered herself back into the chair. She scooted it closer to the bed so that he wouldn't have to strain. He brushed the streaks of her tears away and then just held her, taking in the warmth of her skin, the silky feel of her hair over his fingertips. She was here. She was real. This couldn't be one of his dreams that his subconscious sent to torture him. Jyn had come to him.

"You came back," she said in a tiny voice.

"I told you," Cassian replied, as strong as he could, "I'm not going to leave you."

She closed her eyes, her breathing steady and the tears gone. He was shocked that she had allowed him to see them at all. She was fully capable of bottling her feelings to her deathbed. "I wanted to believe you, but-" She opened her eyes and looked down at the blanket draped over him. "I'm not used to people sticking around when things get tough."

"I'm not used to anyone wanting me to stick around," Cassian said.

"Yeah, well," Jyn huffed as she picked at a loose thread, "Poe would've missed you."

"Only Poe?" Cassian teased.

Jyn's eyes flickered to his and he gave her a half grin. She didn't need to say anything for him to know the answer. The look in her eyes spoke volumes enough. And really, they didn't need any words between them to know. He couldn't begin to say what exactly it was, just that it was important and a part of his life. Neither one of them was good at talking about their feelings anyways.


"You really do care about him, don't you?" Bodhi asked, looking a little awestruck as he stared at her.

Jyn glowered and looked away from him. When she had invited Bodhi over for a celebratory beer once Poe had been put to bed, she had not planned on getting the third degree from him. That was more of Cassian's specialty. She did not like it coming from Bodhi; normally he was pretty good at staying out of her business and waiting for her to tell him if there was something going on.

The fact that he was bringing up something very personal now meant that it must've been showing on her face. She was getting rusty. While not nearly as good as playing her cards close to her vest as Cassian, whose life depended on it sometimes, she was excellent at making sure no one wanted to dare try to break into her thoughts or question her. Having known her for years, Bodhi knew that better than anyone.

How far had she fallen?

"Oh, c'mon, Jyn, don't be so stubborn," Bodhi continued. "It's not that difficult to see."

Pulling her knees up to her chest in her chair, Jyn mulled over her beer. "I don't like admitting to things when I don't know the other side for sure."

"The other side-? Cassian?" Bodhi laughed. "He might be more tight-lipped than you, but I think it's pretty damn obvious what he thinks of you."

Jyn rolled her eyes, but took a swig of her drink instead of replying or snapping at him. It wasn't obvious to her, even after the hospital visit. She'd thought, maybe, that she had an understanding, but the idea that she could convey all her feelings with just a look and touch was something new. She didn't know how Cassian was able to read her like an open book, but he did it when everyone else had struggled.

"You two haven't even had sex yet," Bodhi gushed, "because he wants to take things slow with you, be tender when no other guy has tried, intimate , honest -"

"Okay, I get it!" Jyn's cheeks were so red that they felt like they were on fire. "Shut up!"

Bodhi folded his arms across his chest. "How many more clues do you need to see that he's really into you?"

Thirty and a handwritten confession sounded good to her. She drank her beer silently again, willing her cheeks to go back to normal, but now she couldn't stop thinking about all the times he had been just like that with her. He was careful with her in a way that no one else had been before. Attentive and there for her whenever he could be. Even when his job had forced him to leave, he had made sure to be upfront with her and talk with her first. And when she saw him with Poe…

Her grip tightened around the glass bottle. "I'm just glad that he's alive and safe."

"Uh huh, sure," Bodhi said in a very unconvincing tone. "I saw the look on your face before you ran off to the hospital. You looked like you were either going to hunt down the guys who shot him and throttle them with your bare hands or burst into tears." He shook his head. "I don't know which one would be scarier."

She threw her bottle cap at him, but all he did was guffaw when it hit him in the chest.


It turned out that he had made it back in time for Poe's birthday, just not back home. He couldn't get discharged for at least another day. Cassian had tried to hide his disappointment and not argue with the doctors and Draven, but it had been difficult. He was more than exhausted; he'd been shot; and he just wanted to go home . He couldn't remember the last time he had wanted to do that. Before Jyn, before Poe, he would've been fighting to return to work, but for the first time, both his body and his mind felt like it needed a vacation.

And Cassian Andor of before did not do vacations.

So he was stuck at the hospital, trying not to lose his patience. Watching television had never done anything for him, but he kept it on for background noise as he attempted to read a novel that Kay had brought to distract him from the monotony of the day. The only problem was that the book had to be at least from a hundred years ago and was just as dry as Kay. It had been a good try.

Normally, he would've occupied himself with casefiles, but he wasn't allowed to do that and he had strict orders to keep his nose out of any official business. Cassian had done what he could to needle information out of Kay about the conclusion of the assignment he'd been on, but bar any major arrests, Kay was keeping a closed mouth, most likely under the threat of suspension. He hadn't seemed pleased to keep Cassian relatively in the dark, but with Draven looming over both of them, it was best to just ride the waves and not make a splash.

A timid knock on the door to his room took Cassian's attention away from the book. When it cracked open, he had to look down in order to see who was peeking inside. A wide smile split across his face.

"Cassian!" Poe exclaimed before shoving the door open the rest of the way and rushing towards him.

Jyn was quick to follow in after, balancing a tinfoil-covered plate in one hand and a bag slung over her other shoulder. "Careful, Poe, careful!" she cautioned, hurrying forward as Poe attempted to climb up the hospital bed to catch him before he clambered on top and did some serious damage to Cassian. Right before the boy could plop down on him, Jyn looped an arm around his middle and swooped him back, setting him on the chair. It didn't seem to faze Poe, who was beaming brightly. "Remember what I told you? Cassian's hurt, so you've gotta be..."

Poe pressed a finger to his lips. "Gentle."

"That's right," Jyn replied with a decisive nod.

Taking a breath, Poe looked back to him and asked, "Can I sit in the bed?"

Cassian would like nothing more. "Of course, bud." He would've liked if Jyn could crawl in next to him to - she was petite enough - but the bed didn't offer a lot of room and three people, even if one was as small as Poe would have been pushing it considering his limited movement.

Setting the plate down, Jyn lifted Poe and carefully set him down in the bed beside Cassian. He grimaced only a little as he moved to the side. The pain was there, but the meds helped. It could've been much worse. Recovery would take some time, mostly because of the gunshot to his side, but he was alive and conscious. He lifted his good arm, doing his best to ignore the strain on his other shoulder, so that Poe could wiggle in against him, and then dropped it around him.

"What are you two doing here?" Cassian asked. Not that he wasn't happy to see them. It was just that a visit to the hospital wasn't exactly the most excited thing to do on a birthday. "I thought there was a party to attend."

"We decided to cancel it," Jyn explained as she sat down in her customary seat. An alarmed look crossed Cassian's face, but before he could say anything, she continued, "Well, not cancel, so much as move the date. Poe didn't want to have the party unless you were there, so I figured we could just do it next week." She smirked at him. "Unless you're busy?"

Cassian snorted. "Hardly." He awkwardly ruffled Poe's hair. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

When he had explained to Jyn what was going on, she hadn't been...displeased. In fact, he thought she might have even been happy or relieved with the turnout, though she never said anything along the lines. He wasn't suspended, per say, so much as on leave. Medical leave was the term Draven had used, but Cassian knew that there was more to it than that. His line of work tended to do that. Kay might not have told him much, but he had complained about all the extra paperwork to be done. Things were complicated right now and it was best for everyone involved that Cassian just stay out of it.

"And he wanted to see you for his birthday," Jyn added in a softer voice.

The sound of her voice and the look on Poe's face panged Cassian's heart, but not in the painful way that it once did. He was reminded of how much Poe had lost already. All he'd wanted for his birthday was to see Cassian again, to know that he hadn't lost someone else. Of course, Poe was too young to understand that now, but that didn't mean Cassian couldn't recognize it. After all, he could remember his first birthday after his parents' death, the day he turned seven. He had been desperate to see his mother and father too or anyone that might have loved him. The orphanage had not provided such comforts.

"But it's not a birthday without cake," Jyn declared as she reached over to grab the plate and unwrap it. There were three vanilla cupcakes with shockingly orange icing on them lying on the plate.

"We made them!" Poe said excitedly.

Jyn made a face. "I haven't baked in years, so don't judge me too harshly. Bodhi was the cook." She dug around in the back until she found three candles and a lighter, placing one in each cupcake.

"That's illegal, you know," Cassian told her. "I could arrest you."

But Jyn stuck her tongue out at him. "You're not on duty." She winked at him as she lit the candles and Cassian bit his lip to keep himself from chuckling. Likely, if Poe hadn't been in the room, she would've said something else, something decidedly much more adult and having to do with handcuffs.

Once the candles were lit, the little fires glowing brightly in Poe's wide, dark eyes, both Cassian and Jyn sang him happy birthday. They sounded kind of awful, neither one of them good singers, but that didn't seem to bother Poe in the slightest. Gripping Cassian's hand, Poe leaned forward, took a deep breath, and blew out the candles. They cheered for him as he clapped. While Jyn handed Poe the first cupcake, Cassian leaned over to kiss the top of his head.

When she handed him a cupcake, their fingers brushed against one another's and he held them there despite the strain. He connected eyes with her and held her gaze. There was fire in her eyes, not the furious kind that burned people up from the inside out, but the kind of fire that warmed a person and kept them alive. Maybe he was still in the hospital, but this felt like home to him.


Jyn spent the entire day that Cassian was due back in a flurry trying to clean the house. Untouched dishes had to be washed and put away, dirty clothes picked up from around the house and thrown into the wash, mail sorted and random trash taken out. Who knew how messy a place could get? She couldn't remember doing much, but a toddler and a mess of a woman were a terrible combination. She vacuumed, found the duster in a closet, and put up all of Poe's toys except for the ones he was playing with.

All the while, Poe watched her blow through the house like a cleaning tornado with a curious, almost startled look on his face. Jyn knew for a fact that she had never cleaned so much in her life. By the time it was nearing the time Cassian was due to be dropped off by Kay, she realized that she hadn't cleaned herself up. Yoga pants, an old tank top, and her hair put up in the messiest bun imaginable, she did not want to be Cassian's first look at her when he got back, and so she put in a movie for Poe and jumped in the shower.

There wasn't any time to do much of anything else but dry her hair and put on some clean clothes. She thought of Bodhi's words about her outfit the night that she and Cassian had gone out - "like you're trying to look like you're not trying" - and then realized that she didn't even know what that meant. She gave up and just dressed in something she would normally wear, jeans and a loose-fitting blouse, She was checking in on Poe when the door clicked and began to open.

Poe jumped up from the couch to greet Cassian as he walked inside. The little boy wrapped his arms around Cassian's legs, squeezing tightly, as Cassian laughed and ruffled his hair. They walked in together with Poe not wanting to let go and Kay following in behind them to shut the door.

"Shot twice three days ago, and he's insisting on doing everything himself," Kay grumped.

Jyn shrewdly eyed Cassian, who dodged her glance by focusing on Poe as he eased himself down on the couch, and then turned to Kay. "You didn't let him drive, did you?"

"On those painkillers?" Kay scoffed. "I think not." He set the car keys in a bowl on a table near the door, something that neither Jyn nor Cassian had ever done. Well, that was one mystery solved. "I just thought I'd warn you in case he tries to do something strenuous that will tear his stitches."

"That is not going to happen," Jyn determined, setting her hands on her hips. For his part, Cassian kept his mouth shut and gave them both a small, sheepish grin. She thanked Kay for his help, but he brushed it off, told Cassian to stay out of trouble, and then left them, citing all the work that Cassian had forced him to do in his absence.

Once Kay was gone, Jyn hesitated and peered back at Cassian. "I was planning on making dinner before you got here, but…"

"It's fine," Cassian said with a chuckle. He wiggled his fingers at her and she slunk over to him, squeezing in next to him on the couch and tucking her legs underneath her. She had to remind herself to be mindful of his injuries because she doubted he would say anything until it was too much. "How about take out and a movie? You pick the food; Poe picks the movie."

"I want to pick the food!" Poe exclaimed.

Cassian hummed thoughtfully. "And leave Jyn to pick the movie? You know she has bad taste."

She had to be really mindful of his injuries.


There wasn't a question of where Cassian was sleeping tonight. He took care of the nightly rituals, even though helping Poe with his bath made him grimace in pain more than a few times. Once Poe was soundly asleep, Cassian finished getting ready for bed, going very slow with changing. It wasn't that late, but he was tired and blamed the meds. Besides, all he wanted to do right now was lay in bed with Jyn curled up next to him. He wanted to be able to hold her after restraining himself for the past few days.

While Jyn finished putting away their leftovers, he eased himself into the bed and let out a sigh. It felt so much better than the hospital bed he'd been stuck in. She slipped in not longer after and began to change into a pair of shorts and t-shirt, ignoring the fact that he was in the room. He watched in the dark, somewhat entranced, as she peeled off her clothes, the soft curves of her body teasing him. When she finally crawled into bed, he pulled her towards him and took a deep breath. The cheap coconut shampoo that she used had never smelled better.

"I missed this," Cassian confessed.

"What? Me hogging the bed and laying on top of you?"

Deflecting, as per usual when she was nervous. It almost made him smile. They'd shared a bed plenty of times and she hadn't been as nervous then. He put a finger under her chin and lifted it so that he could look her in the eyes.

"You," he told her, "I missed you."

The smile on Jyn's face was a ghost in the dark, barely visible but there if you looked hard enough. She scooted up further so that she could kiss him. It was soft at first until he deepened it, his tongue sliding into her mouth, and a little, needy sound tumbled out of her mouth. She reached up to dig her fingers in his hair the same time that he moved to put his hand on the back of her neck. One of her legs fell over his as she fought to get closer to him, pressing the front of her body against his side.

Slowly, he slid his hand down until it rested on the small of her back where her shirt had raised. As he drew delicate circles into her skin with his fingertips, she moved to kiss down his neck, tugging on his hair to get better access, and he groaned at the way she nipped at his skin. When one of her hands slid down his chest, he kissed her harder, biting her lip, and his fingers dug into her. Only when he went to move to gain more leverage over her did his body finally protest, a sharp twang of pain shooting through him, to remind him that he'd been kind of shot.

This time, when he groaned, it was not a happy one. His head flopped back on the pillow. "This might be one of those strenuous somethings that I'm not supposed to do." Which was really unfortunate since what he wanted to do right now was taste and touch every inch of her. Here she was, lying in his arms, very willing and eager, and it physically pained him to do more than kiss.

"It's okay," Jyn told him as a sneaky smile worked its way onto her face. "I can be gentle."

He took a sharp intake of breath when she kissed his neck again and slid her hand under his shirt, She deftly avoided the bandage on his side as she touched him. He desperately wanted to do more than just lay there as her lips and fingers toyed with him, but she didn't seem to mind. Instead, he touched her where he could, his hand coming back up her side, brushing over one of her breasts, and enjoyed the way she pressed her center against his thigh in reaction.

"When you're ready," she whispered into his ear, her breath hot and tingling, "I expect full repayment."

He screwed his eyes shut as she nibbled on his earlobe and slipped her hand under the band of his pants. "Jyn," he breathed, barely able to get her name out. He could feel her grin as she pressed her lips against his before she gripped him through his boxers. His hips jerked instinctively as his muscles tightened. He wanted to repay her right now. He wanted to roll over top of her and take her in any way she wanted. Of course, the moment his body was very ready for her, it would also not be ready.

She continued to kiss him wherever she could as she stroked him. Even without her directly touching him, it felt like it was too much. He was already hard to the point where it almost hurt, if only because he knew that she was toying with him. Gentle be damned, he wanted her, but he knew that she would go so far as to hold him down if he tried anything.

And then, when she finally slipped her hand under to grip him, his body jerked and he grimaced in pain again, causing Jyn to still immediately.

"Too much?" she asked.

Cassian didn't think that he'd ever looked or felt so pitiful in his life, but nodded his head, gritting his teeth to keep himself from hissing as a dull throbbing sensation pulsed out from the wound in his side. Even worse, he was still hard, but she let go and pulled away from him. This was torture. He growled low in his throat, angry with himself and his body and the men that had shot him, but she merely dragged his fingers across his chest in lazy circles, seemingly unconcerned.

"Of course," Cassian muttered, "of course this would happen." Even when he tried to breathe to calm himself down, the aches returned to him, now in his shoulder as well. How long before this wouldn't be a problem? "You have no idea how much I want you right now."

"Oh, I've got an idea," Jyn murmured, kissing his shoulder. More than an idea. She'd had her hand full. Even just thinking about it was enough to stir him again, but no, he had to cut that line of thinking before he was hurting in another part of his body. "It's okay though, really. I wasn't expecting you to ravish me after getting shot twice a few days ago."

"But I want to," Cassian grumbled, sounding so petulant and weak.

Jyn chuckled. "And you said I'm impatient." She lifted a hand and brushed his hair out of his face. It was getting long. He'd have to cut it soon unless he wanted it to get out of control. Maybe he'd just let it do its own thing while he was on leave. "You should get some rest anyways."

He was very tired and he was hurting, but he still wanted her too. All he could do though was sigh and kiss her on the crown of her head. She snuggled up against him, not upset in the slightest, and closed her eyes. He was certain that he'd be awake for hours, just thinking of how good her body felt against his and in his arm, but it wasn't long before he was out. Medicine always won in the end.


"-Happy birthday to you!"

Everyone in the room cheered as Poe took a deep breath, pressed his hands on the edge of the table, and blew out the candles as hard as he could. Of course there were only three, but he acted like there were at least twenty. Claps and cheers took over the room while Poe stood proudly in his chair and beamed at all of them. The dining room was filled to the brim with family friends, other children, and multiple animals.

Cassian quickly maneuvered so that he could start cutting the cake and passing pieces out while Jyn picked up Poe and sat him down on the ground. It sucked, but Cassian was still having trouble picking up Poe. She knew that his limitations were beginning to grate on his nerves, especially after a week, but she also knew that he wasn't going to be top notch right away. The healing process would take time, especially since Cassian was stubborn enough to aggravate his injuries further.

"When do I get to open presents?" Poe asked, bouncing on his feet.

"After cake and ice cream," Jyn reminded him for a fourth time.

Poe groaned dramatically, but then ran off with the piece of cake that Cassian handed to him. They were lucky that he was easily distracted by desserts.

With his job done, Cassian slipped his arms around her waist and propped his chin on her shoulder. Months ago, she would've balked at such a public show of affection and someone presuming that they could touch her, but now, she leaned back into his embrace. Also, since he'd been given permission not to use a sling, he was taking full advantage of it. Not that he had used it as much as he should have before. Stubborn bastard.

"He looks happy," Cassian murmured. There were people chatting around them, but the only person she focused on was him. For a moment, she didn't care that she was in a room full of people. He and Poe were the only ones that mattered.

"He does," Jyn agreed.

When she looked at Poe now, she didn't see the sullen, silent boy from that bathtub or the whimpering, shaking boy curled up in her bed. She saw him laughing and smiling brightly, playing with the other children and talking about birds probably. He was glowing in a way that she hadn't thought possible again after the deaths of his parents. There would be dark times ahead of them, sure, and days where he was sad, but at least he would never be alone. She would never be alone either.

Cassian's weight against her was comfortable and she realized that she had never felt him so at ease before. He was a naturally tense person, waiting for the next blow, but at the moment, he was utterly relaxed.

"Did you ever think for a second that it would end up like this?" Cassian asked her.

Jyn laughed. "Not before hell froze over."

He wasn't mad at her answer. She could tell by the way he grinned as he lightly brushed his lips against her neck. "I thought for sure that you'd try to smother me in my sleep."

"And I thought you'd run away."

"At best, I figured we'd tolerate each other and go on with our separate lives," Cassian surmised. That made sense. No matter how much they'd once hated each other and later learned to deal with one another, she knew that they would have come to some sort of compromise for Poe's sake. All of this though? Completely unexpected and totally uncharted territory.

This is a family, Jyn thought. A little broken and nowhere near perfect, but together through thick and thin.

She thought she might love Cassian Andor and for once the thought didn't terrify her. Even stranger, she thought that he might love her in return. Now wasn't that just a kicker? She gazed at a family photo of Shara and Kes with a baby Poe, remembering their cheerful smiles and carefree demeanor. It wasn't them, but it wasn't as far off as it once had been. Jyn had been furious with Shara for setting her up on a terrible blind date with Cassian. Maybe both Shara and Kes had known something that neither she nor Cassian had.

Maybe they had seen two wayward people and had known that Jyn and Cassian would finally find a home in one another. Stranger things had happened.