.

.

WARNING!

I posted a bonus chapter on Wednesday - do not read these out of order.

.

Also, sorry for the delay in posting...it was a very unexpected and hectic morning here...in a good way.

.

Chapter 32

~X~

"Never forget who or what you fight for. You lose that, and you might as well be dead."

~Canderous Ordo~

Din woke to the sound of someone clearing their throat, his hunter skills causing him to sit up instantly, automatically reaching for his nearby weapons. Unfortunately, he'd forgotten that he'd not been sleeping alone and the sound of another body hitting the floor, followed by a cry of pain, reminded him that Ravana had come in the previous night.

"What's the big idea?" she squawked, sitting up as she rubbed her hip. "If you wanted more room, all you had to do was say so." Ravana might have said more, but just then, her eyes fell upon the third and fourth person in the room, the very same two that Din was now staring at as well.

"Might there be something you wish to tell me?" Kuiil asked, standing in the doorway holding the kid in his arms. The child seemed quite pleased and had a big grin on his adorable face as he stared at his surrogate father and mother. Zax had come along too, and was sitting on his haunches at the Ugnaught's feet, his tail wagging briskly from side to side.

"We're married!" Ravana barked out, scrambling to her feet and holding out her bonding bracelet. "See! It's all legal."

Din could tell she was highly embarrassed to be caught this way and hoped that Kuiil wouldn't say anything to make it worse. Even if he wished to wait until they were wed by the customs of his people, the two of them being caught together this way shouldn't merit any censure. For just as Ravana said, they were legally wed by most of the galaxy's standards.

"Well it's about time you told me," Kuiil grunted, turning around and heading back out the door. "I noticed the bonding bracelets almost immediately."

"Then why did you suggest we take separate rooms?" Din demanded, now rather confused.

"It was apparent that you knew nothing of my species and culture…thus I was not about to assume anything where yours was concerned. For all I knew, your kind regarded marriage bonds differently," he explained with a shrug. "Now come, breakfast is ready. I have spoken." Pushing the curtain aside, Kuiil exited the room, leaving the two of them alone once more.

"Well…that was a rather rude awakening," Ravana grumbled, still rubbing the hip she'd landed on when falling out of the bed. "What happened to you sending me back to my own bed last night?"

"I tried, but you wanted five more minutes," he said in his defense. "And then…well, I guess I fell asleep too."

"At least you were smart enough to put your helmet back on before you did," she mused, gesturing to his covered face. "Otherwise the jig would have been up for sure."

"I doubt Kuiil would have come in if my face had not been covered," he decided, knowing that the Ugnaught respected his code. "Still, at least he knows of our relationship now."

"Yes, but I'd have rather he found out a bit less dramatically," she laughed, walking over and wrapping her arms around Din's neck. "Good morning, husband. I hope you slept well."

"How could I not? Especially with you in my arms." he told her, loving the intimate gestures she gave so freely. It was something he'd not had in a long time, but found he had no trouble acclimating himself to them. "Now, we better get moving. We don't want to keep Kuiil waiting. He has spoken, after all."

"Yes…about that," she muttered, picking up her discarded blindfold and taking a seat on the bed. "Do you think that phrase will work for me if we ever get in an argument and I'm losing? I have spoken…end of discussion!"

"How about we simply don't argue, then we never have to find out?" Din suggested, taking a few more moments to slip his armor back on. He found it rather pleasurable that Ravana watched his every move, her eyes bright and a pleased smile on her face. "Enjoying the view?"

"I'll say," she grinned. "Though, to be honest, I would prefer to see the show in reverse."

It took a moment for Din to understand what she meant, his head whipping around to stare at her.

"That's right, beskar-boy," she nodded, again practically reading his mind. "One day…and one day soon." At that, she hopped off the bed and strutted from the room, giving her hips a flirtatious little swing as she went. "Hurry along, breakfast is waiting."

Yet, suddenly, the hunger that consumed Din had nothing to do with food. Still, with Kuiil just in the other room and the meal being served, there was nothing he could do but give a low moan of frustration and follow his wicked little wife out the door.

This mission ahead couldn't be completed fast enough, in Din's opinion.

.

.

Once again, Kuiil outdid himself, treating them to a meal fit for royalty, followed by a tour of his small moisture farm. Ravana, who'd never seen such things, was intrigued by the devices that would gather the water from the air and store it in containers to be used or sold. On Pessue they'd never lacked the important resource, there being rivers of the stuff within easy reach.

She also found the Blurgs that Kuiil kept fascinating. She said they reminded her of large pollywogs with legs, likening them to baby frogs that would swim around in the small ponds on her planet.

"Now that one's really big! And you ride them?" she asked, pointing to the largest one in the pen.

"I do," Kuiil nodded proudly. "And that's a female."

"Oh," she laughed. "My apologies, Ma'am," Ravana called out to the creature.

"Apparently the males are all eaten during mating," Din informed her, recalling what Kuiil had told him the last time he'd made the same erroneous assumption about the animals.

"Wow…male Blurgs must really be bad at foreplay," Ravana joked. She then looked up at Din, giving him a wink. "Let that be a lesson." Her last remark earned an amused snort from the Ugnaught, as he led her away to show her yet another interesting feature of his home, leaving Din once more standing there in shock over what his wife had said. He looked down at the child, whom he'd been packing around on their tour.

"Did you hear that, Kid?" Din asked, once everyone else was out of earshot. "If you did, I hope you didn't understand any of it."

The String-bean only gurgled and cooed, wiggling his little fingers as he waved at the grazing Blurgs. This led the Mandalorian to assume the remark had gone over his adorable little head…maybe.

.

.

It was late in the day, and after Kuiil had once again insisted they take the afternoon meal with him, that they decided to depart. Ravana could tell that Din was slightly reluctant to do so, still rather shocked and elated over the Ugnaught actually being alive. However, they had a mission ahead of them and the sooner they began, the sooner it would be accomplished.

"I won't allow you to risk your life by coming with us, but I would beg a favor of you," Din requested as he said his farewells.

"Ask it," Kuiil insisted, eager to be of some help.

"Where we're going, I don't know what to expect, and some assistance would be greatly appreciated," he began, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small info-chip. "Here is how to get ahold of both Cara Dune on Navaro, and a Mandalorian named Paz Vizsla on Anoah. If you could contact both and give them these coordinates, it would be very helpful. Both of them are closer to the planet we are heading to, and if they get the message fast enough, they should arrive around the same time we do."

"I will need to go into town to send out a sub-space message, but I will see it is done immediately," the Ugnaught promised, taking the device and placing it securely in his pocket. "Is there anything else I can do to aid you?"

"Just wish us luck," Ravana answered for Din, reaching out and wrapping the small creature in a warm hug. "We promise to come back and visit when this is all over."

"I would appreciate that very much," Kuiil agreed. "Like I said, things are a bit quiet around her without IG-ll. A visit would be nice."

"Take care," Din told him, reaching out to shake his hand. "I'm very happy that you're still alive."

"The same can be said for you, Mandalorian," Kuiil nodded, accepting his hand and gripping it tightly.

"Din. My name is Din Djarin," he revealed, wondering why he hadn't trusted him with it before now.

"Then safe journey to you, Din Djarin," Kuiil nodded, obviously touched that the man would feel comfortable enough to divulge such personal information. "Safe journey to you all."

He stood there and waited until they were on board, raising his hand in a final gesture of farewell as they took off, flying out of his sight. Then, heading for the pen where he kept his Blurgs, he made ready to ride into town to deliver Din's messages.

.

.

Ravana had wondered if Din would act sad or upset to have left his suddenly alive friend, but instead, to her it seemed that her Mandalorian now had a new spring in his step. Perhaps things were finally turning around for them, what with this new lead and finding out that Kuiil was not dead. Now if only their encounter with Gideon would go as smoothly. Sadly…Ravana feared that would not be the case.

It would take them at least a day to get where they were heading, and she made sure to use that time to the fullest. She played with the kid, marveling at how his powers were growing, and how he seemed to be able to control them better as well. His favorite game was to roll a ball around the floor, watching as Zax chased after it, the kid squealing with glee as he outmaneuvered the zaktan time and time again. Thankfully, his furry friend didn't seem to lose interest or become upset by his constant failure to catch the ball.

"Hey, Din!" Ravana called when he had at last made his way down the ladder from the cockpit. "Watch this." Here she took a small rod, something that probably belonged to a part of the ship, but was no longer needed, and tossed it up in the air. Instantly it froze in place, before it began to spin around in circles, all the while the child watched it with wide eyes and a big grin. His little hand was held up in the air, his fingers twitching just a little as he manipulated the object with ease. "See…he's doing that all on his own."

"Impressive," Din agreed, sitting down next to Ravana on the bench and placing his arm around her shoulder. "At least we now know how he manages to get out of his cubical every time."

"Let's just hope he isn't a willful teen," Ravana said with a roll of her eyes. "Can you imagine how easy it would be for him to slip out after curfew?"

"Not a chance," Din said with a shake of his head. "He'll be far too well behaved for that."

"Oh, really?" she questioned, turning her head to stare up at his helmet. "And just how well did you listen when you were his age…or older?"

"I've yet to reach the ripe old age of fifty," he pointed out. When he saw her open her mouth to protest, he held up his hand. "No, I get it. And while I wasn't exactly a model child, I was hardly willful. He won't be either."

"If you say so," she said with a shrug of her shoulders, watching as the kid eased the rod down to the floor. It was then that she seemed to notice Din's arm around her and stiffened up. "Wait…are we doing this in front of the kid now?"

"Why not, he saw us in the same bed at Kuiil's," Din reasoned. "I think the Loth-cat is officially out of the supply bag."

"Then…your cabin or mine tonight?" she asked with a wicked grin. "Shall I bring the blindfold…or will you be hitting the lights?"

"I'll handle the darkness…but if you want to bring the blindfold, by all means," he informed her, his tone turning deep and husky.

"Din Djarin! I do believe you have a fetish!" she accused, slapping his arm playfully.

"I do," he agreed. "And it's you. All you."

"Hmmm, first you call me beautiful, and now I'm a fetish," she mused. "My oh, my…what will I become next?"

"My wife," Din stated firmly, now encasing her in his arms and pulling her against his beskar clad chest. "And all mine."

"Now we can add possessiveness to your list of quirks," she giggled, loving how protected she felt when he held her that way. "I can't wait to find out what other secrets your hiding."

"Just as I can't wait to learn all of yours," he replied. "Like…where you're ticklish." At this he began to wiggle his gloved fingers gently in her side, quickly rewarded by her shrieks of laughter as she attempted to slip out of his grasp. "Oh, no, I think I've discovered a secret!"

"Stop! Oh, you horrible man, stop!" she squealed, though her laughter and constant smile told him she meant none of it. "I'll get you for that, you mischievous Mandalorian! Revenge will be mine!"

"I do love it when you become vindictive," he laughed, releasing her at last as she slipped off the bench and plopped onto the floor.

The kid promptly raced over to her, hugging her around the middle as he looked up at her and smiled.

"Oh, no, don't you even try it," she warned, scooping him up and cuddling him in her arms. "I fear with your abilities, you would become a master tickler in no time, and I can't fight you both."

"Then don't even try," Din whispered, leaning over until his helmet was right next to her ear. "Just give in and surrender. I promise you'll never regret it."

"Surrender is not an option," she contended, handing the kid over to Din's waiting arms. "Besides, I still have Zax on my side. So, it's an even battle…two against two."

"But Zax is starting to warm up to me," he reminded her. "So before long, it will be three against one. We males tend to stick together."

"Fine…gang up on me," she said with a shrug of indifference. "I'll simply fight fire with fire." When Din cocked his head to the side in confusion, she elaborated. "No hugs, no kisses, no snuggles…and no food!" she warned, standing up and ticking off each threat on her fingers with a smug grin.

"Oh!" Din moaned, placing his free hand over his heart in mock pain. "You sure know how to hit a guy where it hurts, don't you?"

"And don't you forget it," she teased, leaning in and placing a kiss on the top of Din's helmet. "Now, if you can manage to put the String-bean to bed…what say we rendezvous in your cabin tonight? Yes?"

"Yes indeed!" Din agreed, hefting the kid as he rose to his feet. "Bedtime, little one." And off they went, with Zax following along closely behind.

"He's right," Ravana said with an amused shake of her head, once they were out of earshot. "My zaktan is starting to show signs of mutiny. So much for loyalty, I guess." But as she watched Din putting the kid to bed, tucking him in and perhaps even telling him some sort of story to make him sleepy, Ravana couldn't find herself blaming Zax one little bit. For she too was now hopelessly devoted to her Mandalorian.

.

.

The next day, Mando and Ravana watched out the window of the cockpit as the planet Sadar came into view. Yet, unlike Leban, this place was anything but hospitable. From orbit the place resembled a dark marble floating in a sea of more black.

"That's where the Nikto were supposed to take the kid when they got him?" Ravana asked, a shiver running down her spine at the idea. "What in the galaxy could be there? The place looks dead."

"Not completely," Din corrected, pointing at the screen in front of him. "There's high levels of power emanating from this point on the planet's surface. I'd say this is where we are meant to go."

"All right," Ravana agreed, her brow furrowing when she saw Din angle the ship away from the spot he'd just indicated. "But why are we not heading for it then?"

"I don't want them to know we're coming," he explained, gaining another nod of understanding from his companion. "Best to land a fair distance away and walk in. The last thing we need is to announce our presence. No telling what…or who might be there."

"Is it wrong to just hope that Gideon already died from choking on some blue Bantha milk or something?" Ravana asked, still not liking the looks of the planet below.

"One can hope…but I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you," Din said with a sigh.

.

.

Once the Razor Crest had touched down and Din had lowered the ramp, he began strapping on his weapons, saving his jetpack for last. He'd been hoping to find Cara or Paz – or perhaps even both – waiting for them when they arrived, but so far there was no sign of his friends. Waiting for them would have been ideal, but without knowing if they even got his message, he couldn't afford to delay. No, they needed to end this once and for all.

As soon as he was fully armed, Din turned to stare at Ravana. This was going to be difficult.

"I want you to stay here," he told her, flinching slightly as he saw the look of anger cross her face.

"Oh no! I'm going," she insisted, holstering her own blaster then crossing her arms over her chest stubbornly. "I have spoken!"

"That is not the way you win an argument," he huffed.

"Works for Kuiil," she reminded him.

"You are not Kuiil," he pointed out, quite glad of the fact. "And someone has to stay here and protect the kid."

"Oh, and that automatically has to be me?" she grumbled.

"Would you rather go check out this unknown facility and possibly face Gideon while I remain behind?" he demanded.

"Well…no, but I don't want you to go alone either. Maybe if Paz and Cara were here to help, I might agree. But they're not. Thus, I think we should both go," Ravana stated firmly. "And wouldn't it be dangerous to leave just me and the String-bean here alone? Anything could happen while you're gone."

"Or anything could happen out there," he said, pointing towards the open door.

"All the more reason we should go together, there's safety in numbers," she stated logically.

Din knew he was fighting a losing battle, and she did have one valid point. If anyone came after them, and found her alone with the kid, he wouldn't be able to protect either of them if he was gone. Still, he hated the idea of any of his new family, odd though it might be, being put in danger. However, it was just then that he noticed something…or in this case, the lack of it.

"Hey, where's the kid and Zax?" Din demanded, his head whipping around as he searched for any sign of them.

"I…umm, they were right here!" Ravana said in a panicked voice, also spinning in circles.

It only took a moment for Din to figure out exactly where they'd went, the small figure of the kid and Zax easily seen against the black ground of the planet. The stealthy pair having left the ship and were now heading for the mysterious facility.

Giving one of his signature sighs, Din grabbed his incinerator rifle and ushered Ravana out of the ship, hitting the lockdown button on his vambrace as they went.

"Looks like they made the decision for us," he muttered, the two of them catching up with the kid and Zax rather easily. Picking up his green charge, Din settled him in the carrying bag he had slung over his shoulder, knowing they wouldn't get far if they had to wait for him to walk the distance. "But if everyone's coming, you all have to agree to do as I say, exactly when I say to do it. Understood?"

"Yes, Din," Ravana answered in a far too sweet tone. "Whatever you say, Din."

"Don't patronize me," he grumbled. "Just try and stay out of harm's way, and if I say get down, you hit the floor…got it?"

"I promise," she replied, this time taking his words very seriously.

"Then let's go find out what this place is, and why Gideon would want the kid taken here," he instructed. He only hoped that what they discovered wouldn't be as bad as he was currently imagining it was.

Sadly, Din couldn't recall the last time his hunter instincts had failed him.

Well, here they go...into the lion's den!

So, did you all enjoy their happy little time at Kuiil's house? And here some of you thought I was going to do something mean and ruin it somehow. I'm not that vicious of a writer. ha ha.

Well, it looks like Ravana is ticklish, the kid's powers are improving, and Din has a fetish. ha ha. Oh, and Zax can't catch Force driven balls.

Yeah, Ravana...using "I have spoken" only works for Kuiil. Sorry.

Guest Reviews:

Lilais: You are welcome. Your song did work indeed! I'm glad you approve of Kuiil being alive. More to come! Thanks

Phantom Guest: Yep, it sure was. Me too, they need to know each other are alive. More snuggles. And you guessed right, he found them. Thanks