UPDATE: If you've read this chapter before, don't be alarmed if it sounds different. I wasn't happy with my last rewrite and decided to make some additional edits. I'm much more pleased this time around, so hopefully you like it as much as I do. :)


After what seemed like an eternity of running through intersecting corridors, Jyn saw the infirmary entrance a few feet away. Her smile faded as her mind suddenly caught up to her feet. Wobani, Jedha, Eadu, Scarif - it was almost too much to handle.

Slowing to a halt mid-stride, Jyn put her hands on her hips and took a long, steadying breath. On the exhale, her shoulders curved slightly inward. Tucking her chin toward her chest, she looked down, eyes tracing the well-worn creases on her boots. The soft leather bore surprisingly few remnants of her travels, save for a few deep scuff marks around each toe. She often found herself studying the scuff marks when she was agitated or pensive. Focusing on how the leather broke and bristled around the point of contact helped settle her thoughts.

Looking closer, she eyed the few pieces of glinting sand she noticed earlier as she sat in her quarters, pondering stars as they appeared in the night sky. Some of the pieces looked like tiny shards of glass, cleverly ingrained into the leather for adornment. In reality, they were probably melted during the heat blast.

We were lucky, Jyn thought, reflecting on the brilliant, fast-moving horizon. When she closed her eyes, it was all she could see.

Except for Cassian.

Taking another deep breath, Jyn pulled herself upright and squared her shoulders. Hopefully I look more put together than I feel, she prayed, desperately trying to organize her thoughts as she walked toward the entrance. She had been mulling over the same information for most of Cassian's bacta treatment, but there was little to tell.

Jyn started with the basic facts: Yes, the transmission was successful. It was received by General Raddus's fleet (see, I told you someone was listening). Princess Leia was supposed to be the courier. No...we don't have them.

The last part would be difficult to swallow. Please don't let him ask, Jyn pleaded with the Force, or whatever mythical entities controlled the universe. She hoped they were listening.

Rounding the corner of the open doorway, Jyn was stopped short by a 2-1B surgical unit. "May I help you?" it asked in a clipped, professional tone.

So much for bedside manner, Jyn thought, coming to an abrupt halt in front of the droid. "I'm here to see Capt. Andor," she asserted with as much authority as she could muster.

"Of course, Sgt. Erso. Bed C, to the left." Turning slightly, the droid pointed to an alcove just over its left shoulder, beyond the bank of biomonitors and computer screens. Following the narrow reach of the droid's arm, Jyn was relieved to find a warm light emanating from the small alcove. It was a welcome change to the eerie cerulean blue of the bacta tank, although Jyn could still spy the bacta chamber out of the corner of her eye. Shuddering at the memory, Jyn squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head in a quick jerk.

As the image of Cassian floating, almost lifeless, faded into black, she opened her eyes and trained them on the wall behind the droid. Her vision blurred slightly, before snapping back into focus as the droid faced forward. Retracting its arm, the droid delivered a brief set of instructions. "Please allow time for the patient to rest. He is still undergoing treatment."

"How is he?" Jyn asked, eager to hear a positive report.

"His internal injuries have healed," the droid monotoned, "however, he still requires injections every four hours for his ribs and leg."

"Were they broken?" Jyn probed, her question laced with concerned. She knew Cassian was badly injured, but there was no time to assess his injuries or perform first aid. Her primary concern was getting to the bottom of the tower. From there, she hoped to reconnect with any remaining squad members, but that hope was quickly dashed when she saw the vanishing horizon...

Jyn swallowed the lump in her throat, remembering Cassian's awkward, stumbling gait and the way he clutched his side. She shook her head again, chasing away another memory.

The droid looked straight at Jyn, its gaze hollow and unaffected by the sound of her voice. Turning back around, the droid accessed one of the computers behind it. Bringing up a file, the droid listed off a series of injuries: "Severe concussion. Six broken ribs. Collapsed right lung." Scrolling down. "Right hip fractured, knee hyperextended. All injuries healing at an accelerated rate due to bacta treatment. Full recovery expected in less than a week." Pause. "Is that all, Sgt. Erso? I must return to my other duties," the droid asked in its tinny voice. Jyn nodded and the droid turned to another set of monitors, pushing buttons and scrolling through the text.

Jyn breathed a sigh of relief as she proceeded through the infirmary toward bed C. Some of the other beds were occupied, but Jyn didn't recognize any of the patients. No Bodhi, no Baze, no Chirrut. Her heart dropped a little further into her stomach, but she tried not to let it show. Any hope she had of finding other Rogue One survivors was dwindling, but as long as ships continued to return from General Raddus's fleet, there was still a chance, if only a glimmer.

Willing herself to ignore any such thoughts, Jyn rounded the corner of Cassian's room and caught him trying to fluff his pillows nonchalantly. She gave him a bemused half-smile when she caught his eye, arms folding across her chest as she leaned against the doorway. Crossing one leg over the other, she looked at Cassian as if to say, "Gotcha!" His cheeks flushed pink, and for a moment, he looked like a little boy caught stealing sweets. It was completely disarming.

Kicking herself away from the doorway, Jyn's smile broadened. Cassian returned it with a shy half-smile of his own. "Old habit," he shrugged, settling back against the pillows. "I like to know what's going on around me."

"I know what you mean," Jyn said, coming to stand alongside Cassian's bed. "Saw used to tell me I had to sleep with one finger on the trigger and another hand on my knife. When you sleep like that...you can't help hearing all the noises around you."

Cassian frowned slightly, trying to imagine Jyn's childhood. "Doesn't sound like much of a way to grow-up."

Jyn shifted the weight on her feet and looked down. Lifting one hand, she placed her fingers along the edge of Cassian's blanket and started moving it back and forth, smoothing out tiny wrinkles as they appeared in her wake. Raising her other hand to join the first, she moved them in opposite directions. After a moment, she shrugged and let the words tumble out in a quiet, matter-of-fact tone: "It was all I had."

Looking toward some unseen spot at end of Cassian's bed, her face hidden behind long, chestnut brown fringe, she added, "For all I knew, both my parents were dead. Saw was the only one offering to feed me and put a roof over my head. The best I could do was act like a good little soldier. You know, earn my keep."

The last part was uttered almost as a question, the memory of Saw's abandonment newly revived.


Cassian nodded in understanding. Memories from his own childhood flooded through his mind - running down impoverished streets, stealing scraps of food, throwing rocks at stormtroopers. After his mother died during an Imperial raid, Cassian's father threw all his energy into working with the insurgents on Fest. Even though Cassian was often left to fend for himself, he still chased after his father's disappearing footsteps, sneaking into storage facilities to steal supplies; distracting Imperial troops with his impish behavior. His ability to lie, steal, and sneak in and out of places with ease eventually brought him to the attention of General Draven. The General was hard, blunt, and uncompromising, but it felt good to belong to something more than a disjointed group of militants. Among his fellow spies, Cassian found a brotherhood of sorts. They were contemptible and unscrupulous men, yet they worked in the shadows to serve the Rebellion. It bound them by a certain code of honor - Alliance above all.

It was the first family Cassian had known since the death of his father, yet, in many ways, he had been an orphan since the day his mother died. Without any sort of love or affection - even camaraderie - he quickly learned to push his feelings aside and focus on the task at hand. It served him well for many years, until Jyn came along and challenged him with her strength and compassion. She, too, had been a child soldier, yet she remained unhardened by war. Her feelings hovered near the surface, carefully hidden behind a haughty, independent facade. Looking at her now, Cassian instantly recognized the feelings of loneliness and abandonment etched into graceful features.

Reaching out to still one of Jyn's hands, Cassian murmured, "I know exactly what you mean."

Slowly, Jyn tore her gaze from the foot of the bed and looked into Cassian's piercing brown orbs. In Cassian, she saw a kindred spirit - an orphan of war that knew little more than conflict and lies - yet she also felt a sudden ripple of warmth and affection radiating between them. It was pleasant but...slightly alarming.

Sensing her panic, Cassian gently rubbed of her hand with his thumb. Slowly, he sat up in bed and reached out with his other hand. Cautiously, he let his fingertips settle along the smooth skin of Jyn's cheek, watching for any sign of sudden movement. Just like approaching a frightened bantha calf, he thought.

When Jyn didn't flinch or move away, Cassian exhaled a nervous breath, then his fingers trace the delicate curve of her jaw. He had never been so gentle and intimate with a woman before. It was startling, yet he found pleasure in the way Jyn leaned into his touch. He started to drop his hand as the tip of his index finger skimmed the bottom of her chin, but Jyn grabbed it and cradled it against her cheek. Her eyes fluttered shut and she sighed contentedly into the sensation. Cassian felt an indescribable urge to kiss her then, but he quickly remind himself where he was and how he got there in the first place. Almost against his better judgement, Cassian whispered, "Do we have the plans?"

Jyn's expression told him all he needed know.