AN: SURPRISE! …. even to myself lol I went to write the new story and all I could think of was EJ, so here we are. Sequel to Bursting at the Seams! Mianna Furen (MC in the story I thought I was going to post) is going to have to wait. Hope you enjoy! I've been working on this story for weeks in my head as I watched each episode. Feels good to finally write it down! And omg this season of the Mandalorian is INCREDIBLE!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Mandalorian or Star Wars.

The Three of Us

Not too long ago I was sitting across from a bambling idiot that I called my boyfriend in a small town I never thought I'd leave. Now I'm sitting behind a Mandalorian that I called my boyfriend in a cockpit of a ship that I now call my home. Definitely upgraded.

I could still count the planets I've been to on my hands but I had a feeling that that's about to change. The search for more Mandalorians, for the Jedi, for more of the child's species… I had a feeling it may be a long one, but this kid -and this Mandalorian- had my heart and I would do anything for either of them.

The child was sitting on the floor, rolling around with the tip to the lever on the control panel we now called his ball. I got him a ton of new toys awhile back, but this one has always been his favorite. It was getting late, though, and he was winding down. I'd notice his movements slowing and his wide eyes blinking faster as if to blink away the blur of sleep. However, blinking away sleep was one of those impossible things.

"Hey, kid," I said, in a quiet tone. He looked over at me and I opened my arms. He dropped the ball and toddled over, welcoming the embrace. Baby rubbed his face against my shirt and I nodded to myself. "Yup, Din, time to put Baby to bed."

"I think it's time to put me to bed, too," He commented in response, causing me to smile. I thought he was this big, intense, surly guy, but he's not. Well, maybe he was, but he's definitely not now. He turned around, just in time for my face to perk up.

The only stop we made in the past few days was to get supplies to set up a more private room for me and Din. The single size bunk beds was the least sexy sleeping arrangement I could think of and we both had really enjoyed our first time sharing the bed at my mom's house. And just like at my mom's house, most nights when we go to bed it's just the two of us, but most mornings there's another addition. We can't complain, though. Baby's been through a lot and he's had nightmares since the beginning. I'm just glad we provide him a source of comfort.

This bed is located in the corner of the storage area. We -well, Din put up curtains and a double bed and that's what we call our room. Baby's not too far off, sleeping in one of the bunk beds now, because the crib clearly wasn't a source of keeping him put, and now he gets to stretch all he wants. That's what I tell myself, but the fact we wake up to him in our bed tells us a different story.

I stand up with Baby as Din sets the autopilot. I know getting combat lessons and playing with the child and just staring out into the universe is cool and all, but this has got to be my favorite part of the day. When Din takes off his armor and I pull out my hair from whatever updo I put it in from the day. We've been learning the little things that we like about each other. I like how I feel in his arms and he likes how his hands feel tangled in my hair. I was looking forward to more of that tonight.

"We should be arriving on Byss late tomorrow evening," Din informed me as moved from the control panel. "That's where Gor Koresh should be."

"The first step in getting the little guy home," I put in, giving Baby a little squeeze in my arms. It took a second to realize, but those words came out sadder than I intended. It was suppose to be a positive thing… why did it not exactly feel like it?

Din put his hand at the small of my back, a little gesture of comfort he found out I liked, as we walked out of the cockpit. Four days didn't seem a lot in normal time, but travel time, and when all you have is each other, ends up being a lot.

I think he understands how I feel, but I don't think he was ready to voice it quite yet. That's okay, I'm fine with him taking his time with his feelings.

My back already missed his hand when it fell away so I could go down the ladder. Like a well-oiled machine, he automatically took Baby from me, so I could actually climb down the ladder. Then Din handed him back, so he could join us.

"'Night, kid," he said to Baby, reaching out to fiddle with his ear. This is the part where he goes off to get ready for bed in peace and I put Baby down, so I don't have to wait in an empty bed for Din to come from the washroom. Plus, Din's definition of putting the child to bed and mine are two completely different things. Mine entails cuddles and kisses. His does not.

I like my definition much better.

There was no fuss putting Baby down. Sometimes his nap times during the day changed and sometimes he didn't go down at all. I didn't know what was normal for a fifty-year-old toddler. Two naps a day? One? Was it weird we got any at all? I was figuring this out as we went along.

I sat at the foot of his bed, listening to his soft, slow breaths. There were a lot of moments I wished I lived in and this was one of them. After a couple of minutes, I gently kissed his forehead before going to my bedroom.

Din wasn't out of the washroom yet, but I continued to change into a nightgown and crawled into bed. I hadn't changed in front of him yet. I wasn't opposed to it, but he was always getting ready for bed by himself because I couldn't see him without the helmet. I really felt the barrier his helmet created in what could be intimate moments like this. Sex when he came to bed would be cool, but again, barely two weeks into the relationship and I didn't know what a normal course was for a healthy relationship. Old me would have jumped his bones without a second thought, but I didn't want to be old me.

He came in with his armor cradled in his arms. Carefully, he set it up on the floor and quietly got in bed with me.

"Hey, Din," I said with a grin once he got settled.

"EJ," he replied with my name in a low voice and I nearly swooned with the gravelliness of it. His head turned to me and he reached, dragging a bare finger against my arm. I shivered, goosebumps trailing his touch. His other armed opened and I snuggled in. I positioned my cheek against his chest just so I could feel his heartbeat against my skin, through his dark shirt.

I kissed the place his heart beat, before stretching out, inviting him to continue his exploration of my body. Maybe I didn't need to know what was normal for a healthy relationship, because I could feel what was natural.

This was something we've done every night for the past four nights. We fell in a routine and it just felt right, but 'routine' wasn't us. A pretty little family with a cozy home wasn't what we're going to be. We were a family, but pretty was definitely not the way to describe it. I fell into it here, but I should have known it wouldn't last. Deep down I had to, deep down I was more realistic than this star-eyed girl living with her boyfriend and their child.

Thing's were about to change… some for the better and some for the worst, and this change would begin in about a day's time.

But when you put a Mandalorian, a girl from Tattooine, and a wanted child together, what should you expect?