Sorry for the delay in updating!

I've been going through some life stuff lately and have not had time to write as much. Add a healthy dose of SAD in there, and it's been a struggle. But hopefully this ties you guys over until I can get out the next chapter. It's a bit of a break before the season finale episodes, so I hope you enjoy.

Again, your favorites/follows/reviews make my day everyday 3

CHAPTER XVI: BETWEEN

"Are you sure?"

Zakia was nose-to-nose with the stout droid behind the medic's small counter. She was a ball of nerves, brain firing on all cylinders as she debated her course of action. The machine she stood near only moved a hand up to her shoulder.

"I can assure you my tests are incredibly accurate. Their accuracy percentage combined with your late cycles indicate a Ninety-nine point three five percent chance that you are indeed with child."

Another patron in the waiting room, a Gungan who was reading the local news, looked up at the blonde. Zakia pointed at the patient.

"You didn't hear any of this."

"Me'sa don't even know you!"

Zakia heaved a sigh and slid a couple credit chips to the droid. "Alright. Thanks."

"Here is our standard pregnancy package. It is included with your care for today." The droid plopped a package of goods onto the counter, and Zakia stuffed it into her small sidebag.

"Thanks."

She hustled out of the building, back into the bazaar streets. Her and the Mandalorian had stopped on the small planet to refuel on their way to Nevarro. After a strange bout of vomiting and fatigue, Zakia had ran into the medic looking for medication and came out with far more important concerns.

How the hell was she supposed to tell Din?

It was not an issue of insecurity- they had been taking part in a romantic relationship for years, and had known each other for far longer. But she was afraid of his reaction. Din thrived as a bounty hunter. He was the best in the parsec, save for her of course, but their score counted as one now. Adhering to Guild rules, they still took bounties out in their own names, but they worked together to bring them in. It was twice the money in half the time.

"Shit, shit, shit." Zakia chanted. Her feet were carrying her back to where the Razor Crest had made port, and she dug her heels into the ground. "What am I doing?"

She rested a hand over her stomach, coming to lean against the side of a small shop. The planet they were on was of a relatively cool atmosphere, with plenty of shady spots to lay low. Zakia took advantage of one, stopping to scrub a hand through her hair. How did this even happen?

They were normally careful, but had become slack in their cautiousness in recent months. There had been plenty of times they got a little too cozy while in hyperspace, or on stakeouts during hunts where there was no time to consider consequences. In fact, there was an incident nearing on a month ago that stuck out in her mind.

It had been on a small moon with thick forests, similar to Endor. Zakia and the Mandalorian had been perched in the highest branches of the massive trees, using his Amban rifle to scope out a small village where their target was supposedly hidden. They had watched him go to bed, and didn't want to draw the whole village out. So they resolved to capturing him when he set out the following morning. Pressed a little too close for a few boring hours, Zakia and Din found other ways to occupy their time.

She slapped a hand to her forehead. "Stupid. Stupid."

But Zakia wasn't one to tiptoe around the truth. They needed to figure out what to do, and needed to figure it out fast. But to do that, she needed to tell Din. Her heart clenched, and she forced her body away from the wall. Zakia steered herself in the direction of the Crest, finding it docked among numerous other ships.

"Afternoon, Ma'am." One of the port workers called as she neared. Zakia forced a smile.

The ramp hissed down as if Mando had been waiting. In all fairness, he probably had been. Zakia hopped up, frowning at the haze of carbonite gas in the air. She swiped her hand in front of her nose to offset the smell, eyes searching the cabin.

"Mando?"

A silver helmet appeared from around a corner. "Here."

She pointed to the carbonite freezer. "Did you… freeze someone?"

"Found a bounty. Some Kubaz couldn't get the job done, so I took over." He answered.

Oh yes. A perfect, child-friendly life they lived.

"Did you get medication?" Din asked, crossing the cabin to where she stood. She would have still been in the doorway had it not shut right behind her.

Zakia's heart rate soared as the Mandalorian drew closer. She froze in place, feet glued to the ground beneath them. Mando's head tipped in a clear sign of curiosity before a hand came to rest on her shoulder.

"Zakia?"

She forced her eyes to look into his viewfinder. Zakia wished for anything that she could see his eyes instead of the cold steel of his mask. Her mind drifted to many nights spent in the darkness of their bed, and tried to puzzle his face together in her mind. It sounded like an easy task given the amount of times her fingers had traversed the plains of bare skin, but in that moment it seemed impossible.

"...Zakia?" Din shook her gently, hands traveling from her shoulders to her wrist. "You're trembling."

"I'm pregnant."

The words fell out of her mouth in a jumbled stream. Tears stung her eyes, and they were falling before her mind even caught up to her mouth. She squinted through the water works to see Din before her. He was motionless, still gripping her wrists in his gloved hands. No sounds were audible through the modulator.

"I-I don't know what happened, Din. I-"

"You're pregnant?"

A sob shook her body. "Yes."

Much to her shock, the Mandalorian lowered himself to one knee. "Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum, ner adiik."

Zakia woke slowly, mind doing everything in its power to remain in the warm clutches of sleep. The flashback was fresh on her mind, lingering in the fuzzy corners that were reluctant to peel away from slumber. Zakia was warm and comfortable, a reassuring weight draped over her torso to keep her in place. One hand was brave enough to emerge from the comforts of their blanket, fingers twisting into the hair of her bedmate.

Din and her had shifted, but maintained the comforting position in which they'd fallen asleep. Zakia was on her back, head resting sideways on the pillow. Din had remained on her chest, nuzzled into her collarbone where his cheek rested and legs tangled with hers. His arms were wrapped around her tightly, and Zakia was beginning to equate him to a vine. She ran gentle fingers down his face, tucking hair behind his ears with hopes it might stay in place.

Drifting back into thoughts of her dream, Zakia tried to piece his face together in her mind. Square jaw, long nose, wavy hair. But so many things were left out. What color were his eyes? His hair? His skin? All things that prevented her from creating a mental pictures.

"Mmhmm… that tickles…"

She laughed softly, and the Mandalorian wrapped around her grumbled at the movement as it jostled his head. His grip tightened momentarily before growing slack again, and Zakia lifted her head best she could in the dark cabin. She tucked her chin, taking a moment to locate his forehead and place a soft kiss upon it.

"Are you already awake?" Din mumbled into her skin, nuzzling into her neck. "I don't wanna be."

Zakia was about to reply when a soft scratching noise drew her attention. She furrowed her brow, hand stilling in Din's hair. "Did you hear that?"

He was uncharacteristically silent before exhaling against her jugular. "It's the kid."

"Baby?" Zakia called out in the dark cabin. "Where are you?"

A squeak from the foot of the bed was indication enough, and a soft tug on the blanket only confirmed the suspicion. It only took a few moments for a whole body to crawl into the warmth of their bed. The kid cooed, pawing at Zakia's leg.

"Come up here. I'm not moving, It's too cold." Zakia told it. She was aware that speaking was not one of the Child's championed capabilities, but he seemed to get the jist of most things. Tiny grunts of effort from a tiny creature echoed through the space until Zakia no longer felt the Child on her body. Din had stayed quiet the whole time, attesting to how exhausted he was.

"Baby?" She whispered.

"Womp rat." Din corrected grumpily. The arm wrapped around her top reached out showed her to the Child's new location.

The tiny green bean had climbed all the way up into their nest of blankets, pushing himself underneath the Mandalorian's arm and into his ribs. His long ears brushed Zakia's fingers as she chuckled, stretching two fingers to the Child.

"I think he likes you."

Din answered only by closing his eyes against the darkness and laying down where he felt most secure.

A few hours had trickled by before anyone emerged from the cabin.

Din woke to a bed lacking its normal female tennant, though a small presence under his arm told him he wasn't alone. The quarters were still dark, but it took Din little to no time to dress and exit. He carried the Child in the crook of his right arm, bouncing gently when the creature stirred. It seemed to doze off as he scaled the ladder, tapping at the cockpit door until it creaked open.

Making a mental note to oil the locking mechanism, he clambered onto the top floor. Zakia was in her usual spot when he was absent, hands folded in her lap as she gazed at the stars. She sat in the pilot's seat with her feet propped on the console, just to the left of the steering component.

"Good morning, sweetheart." She called to him.

Din was happy to hear her voice had returned to its normal tone. Sugary sweet, but a clear twinge of sarcasm wrapped around each word.

"Is it morning?" He inquired, and took a step forward to deposit the Child in the passenger chair.

Zakia shrugged. "Not sure. Anyway, I was plotting points on the Navicomputer for possible stops, but I figured your opinion is gonna be worth more than mine."

The Mandalorian's eyes swept across the dash and out through the passing stars. He paused at the telecom indicator- it was flashing bright blue against the console. "A message?"

"Oh, I didn't even realize. Hold on a second, let me change screens." Zakia set down the holopad she held, leaning into press play on the prompter. A hologram flickered to life, and Din felt his stomach lurch.

"My friends! If you are receiving this transmission, that means you both are alive… and you might be surprised to hear this, but I am alive too."

Greef Karga's tiny hologram stood with his hands on his hips, and Zakia mimicked the posture as she spun to Mando.

"I thought you said you shot him?"

Din turned his helmet to her, resisting the urge to roll his eyes despite the fact she couldn't see them. "I did."

"I guess we can call it even. A lot has happened since we've all spoken. The man who hired you, Mando, is still here and his ranks of ex-Imperial guards has grown. They have imposed despotic rule upon my city-"

Zakia snorted. "His city?"

"Hush." Din ordered, placing a glove over her mouth.

"-which has impeded the livelihood of the Guild. We consider him an enemy, but we cannot get close enough to take him out. If you would consider one last commission- both of you- I can make it very much worth your time."

The blonde tried to open her mouth, but Din only clasped his hand tighter. There was no malice behind their actions, only a sense of humor that neither could explain. Zakia narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms, acting as a child as long as he treated her like one.

"You have been successful in staving off their hunters so far, but they will not stop until they have their prize. And if the rumors here are true- they have their eyes on two."

Zakia took that moment to bite down on Mando's finger, and he sighed. "Din, they know."

"Let's listen before we panic." He tried to keep his voice level, but let his hand drop down onto Zakia's shoulder instead.

"So here is my proposition. Return to Nevarro. Bring the Child as bait. I will arrange an exchange and provide loyal Guild members as protection. Once we get near the client, you kill him, and we all get what we want." Karga readjusted, tipping his head as if someone was directing him out of view. "If you succeed, you keep the Child and Zakia's identity remains anonymous. I will have both of your names cleared with the Guild, for honorable hunters should not be forced to live in exile. I await your arrival with optimism."

The hologram disappeared, and Zakia spun the chair around until her knees were on either side of the Mandalorian's. "Karga didn't sell me out."

"Doesn't sound like it. But somehow they know." Din tapped a boot on the floor as he considered their options.

"You think we should go?" Zakia asked, fingers drumming along her knee. Her eyes flicked to the child who was still snoozing in the co-pilot seat.

"I think that Karga's right. We'll never be off of their radar until they're dealt with." He answered. "But we can't go alone. That's a fool's errand, and I don't trust him."

"Glad we're on the same page." Zakia nodded, "I've never seen Greef change his mind, and especially not after a shootout like the one we had. Maybe the Imps offered him enough to turn us in?"

"That would be my guess. But if we can get in and get Karga and the Imps off our back…" Din looked to Zakia to confirm her understanding.

"We'd be set."

Ignoring the fact that it was much more difficult than either were willing to admit, Din was optimistic about their odds. He knew it would be stupid to go in alone, which was their only admitted problem at the time. They had faced the whole Nevarro Guild once before- with the help of the Mandalorians- but he wouldn't doubt their force had been weakened considerably by Imperial presence. Stormtroopers were easy enough to deal with, but Din knew they would be outnumbered, outgunned, and most likely captured alone.

Hence the reason he was putting the Razor Crest down on Sorgan, landing gear making a soft impact on the grassy planet. Cara Dune was one of the only people they felt they could trust while in their current predicament, though Zakia warned that Cara didn't seem like someone eager to hop back into the war.

"Oh, how I missed the grass…" Zakia leaped down the Crest's ramp when they landed.

The Mandalorian carried the Child in one arm and Zakia's scarf in another. His helmet was quirked to the side as he watched his partner lay in the grass and soak up the evening sun.

"You done?"

Zakia curled her lip at him. "Don't be a grouch. I'm just appreciating grass in case I never get to see it again."

"Zak, it will be fine." Din set the child onto the ground as it squirmed relentlessly against his hold. "If we get there and it's not right, we'll leave."

She propped herself up on her elbows as the Child ran towards her as fast as its tiny legs could carry it. When it made it all the way to her, Zakia rolled away and smiled back at the kid. It squealed at her movement, excited for the chase. Mando chuckled as Zakia scrambled across the grass on hands and knees, stopping abruptly a few feet from him.

"What?"

Din had been looking onto the small screen of his vambrace when Zakia's squeaky tone filled his ears. His head snapped up, eyes watching the Child walk across the clearing. It had one hand held out in the blonde's direction, and a smile on its face. Determination aside, the creature was obviously growing more tired as it moved.

"Mando." Zakia forced out between her teeth. "Mando? Help."

It took Din a moment to realize what was happening. The Child was holding her in place, and Zakia was putting all her effort into staying calm. He rushed forward once his limbs began working, picking up the Child by its coat. Zakia instantly relaxed, and her eyes softened.

"What were you doing?" Din didn't expect an answer from the Child, but the scene had him worried.

The baby stared into his viewfinder before whining pitifully, eyes filling with tears that spilled over onto his gloved hands. His whines morphed into full-out wails, sending birds flying from the trees and animals skittering across the forest floor. Din let out an exasperated sigh, looking to Zakia for help. She was watching the exchange with interest, eyes on the baby.

"You made him cry, don't look at me for help." She offered no help, as sarcastic was her default.

"I was trying to help you!" Din snapped back, holding the Child in the crook of his arm and rocking back and forth. His words to her only made the Child cry harder.

"He wasn't hurting me." Zakia rubbed at her shoulder. "Just scared me."

Din winced as the kid's volume began to increase. "Wanna help me out, then?"

She smirked, eyes cutting down to the kid. "I don't think he's worried about me."

He looked to the Child in his arms. The beast had been struggling about, but that was far from unusual. Though taking the time to look at him, Din realized exactly why he was so upset. The Child was straining up towards his helmet, little arms making grabbing motions at his cowl. He hid his face when Din's visor pointed towards him, and Zakia laughed.

"I think he wants to say sorry to Papa." She smiled, nodding at the kid.

Cheeks red- totally from the heat of his helmet, nothing else- Din lifted the Child until he was laying on his chestplate. The tiny claws scrabbled for purchase against his beskar, eventually twisting into his cowl until Din could feel the tips against his collarbone. The weeping halted almost immediately, and Din breathed a sigh of relief. BIg eyes peered up at him, still puffy from crying so hard. Din tipped his helmet down until the cool metal met the Child's head, spurred on by an instinct that had been long dormant in his body.

The Mandalorian knew, at that moment, that there was no way they would lose the fight on Nevarro.