As dawn broke over the empty Nevarro lava flats, the only sound that could be heard was the chirping of the birds as they swooped and swirled in the pale golden sky, happy that the sun had risen once again. Everything around them was calm and quiet, including a small cabin sat amongst the scrub-land. It was far too early for anyone to be up yet, and so the birds flew overhead, paying no mind to those who dwelled inside, fast asleep.

The warm dawn sun filtered gently through the viewport and into Din's room. The first few rays of light, drifting over the sleeping forms of Din Djarin and Lysa Kane.

The two adults, lying on top of rumpled sheets, Din on his back, one hand resting lazily across the beskar plate that covered his chest. And the other gloved appendage, he had snaked around the woman lying beside him, holding her close.

Lysa was still turned into Din, but during the night he had shifted his arm around her, her head coming to rest against his shoulder, hand also resting against the plate on the Mandalorian's chest. Fingers just about grazing one another's in the dawn light.

Din's helmet-covered face was tilted towards Lysa's, his chin almost resting on top of her head as they lay there, both sleeping peacefully. Like they had always belonged here, wrapped up in each other, in the stillness of the morning.

And apart from the birds in the sky outside, there was barely a sound inside the cabin, save for the deep and restful breaths of Din and Lysa as they slept…

…that was apart from a creak that came from just outside the room, and a sudden muffled footstep on the dusty floor on the other side of the door.

Not another soul would have paid any attention to a sound like that…

…but Din Djarin did.

A split second later the door to the sleeper slid open, and Din sat bolt upright, blaster in hand pointing it at the person stood in the doorway.

At his side, Lysa who had been so rudely awoken by Din's disturbance, gave an immediate groan, ruffling her long golden hair and opening one eye.

But the moment she saw that Din was sat there, blaster raised at someone in the doorway, she turned instantly to look.

But to Din and Lysa's relief, their eyes fell to the only person stood there, looking at the two of them utterly confused….

Grogu.

Lysa instantly clutched at her heart in relief, coming to sit up straight beside Din, breathing hard as she did so.

Din lowered his blaster letting out a huff.

"Kid…" he sighed out in an irritated and exasperated tone. Watching as Grogu cocked his head at the two adults, peering up at them curiously.

It was obvious the child had never expected to see Lysa sleeping in a bed beside Din. And in all honesty, it even surprised Din that it had happened.

In the few short seconds between waking and sitting upright, he tried now to think on how she had been lying, merely feeling the weight of her against him. Her body pressed against his.

The pair were of course fully clothed now, but that did not stop Din all of sudden feeling exposed, at the proximity between them.

Their closeness alone saying more now, than Din knew he would ever be able to utter.

He chanced a glance her way, to see her composing herself after her obvious fright, smoothing down her tunic self-consciously.

But as though feeling his eyes on her, she turned. Her soft green eyes meeting with his in the gentle filtered light.

"Morning," Lysa uttered in a sweet voice, offering him a smile that made Din's heart swell as he looked upon her.

"Good morning," he replied in a smooth voice, through his modulator, his dark eyes travelling over her face, over her temples, that frown line that lingered there, down her nose and finally landing on her lips, so plump…and wet…and inviting…

Din felt his body suddenly betray him.

Dank Farrik.

He swallowed harshly, licking at his own lips, trying so hard to control himself.

"Sorry…for waking you," he said, hastily turning to swing his own legs over the side of the bed, his boots hitting the floor.

He slotted his blaster back in its holster at his belt, lingering there for a moment facing away from her.

"If you want to get some more rest, I can take Grogu outside…" he said, staring down at his feet for a moment.

He made to stand, but felt Lysa's sudden hand on his forearm.

Slowly, with his heart hammering a drumbeat inside his beskar, he turned to see Lysa staring back at him.

"I could make us breakfast….if you want?" she asked in a kind voice, her marsh-coloured eyes trying desperately to search his behind his beskar mask. Almost looking now for reassurance that there was nothing wrong.

Din let out a breath, extracting his arm from her grasp.

But just as Lysa's eyes became quietly fearful as their lost contact, he instead caught her hand within his own, his fingers clasping gently around hers.

"I'd like that," he said in a gentle tone, causing Lysa's shoulders to visibly relax and her smile to reappear at her lips.

"Ok," she nodded, giving his fingers a squeeze in return.

"Mi-tah?" uttered Grogu suddenly, as both adults looked his way.

Grogu's gaze was on Lysa now, his large black eyes taking in the proximity between the two adults with great interest.

But Lysa merely gave a wide smile.

"Come on, Din Grogu," she said in a light, happy tone, extracting her hand from Din's finally and slipping from the bed, padding over to the small green child. "Let's go make your Daddy some breakfast."

At her words something stirred inside Din.

An ache, which he knew, nothing but Lysa would ease.

He watched as she picked up Grogu, cuddling him to her. Before she threw Din one last lingering look, before she left the room…

…leaving Din Djarin, with a smile painted over his lips, staring after her longingly as she went.

Knowing there was nothing that could be done now about the way he felt about her.

By the time Din strolled into the lying space, the warm sun had almost fully risen, washing the entire room in a warm and hazy light.

Specks of dust swirled in the air, causing the scene to look like a daydream to him now, as he saw Lysa standing at the stove, with Grogu on the counter beside her.

The smell of sweet hotcakes cooking on the griddle, caused Din to almost salivate as he strolled over, watching Lysa help Grogu to flip the first panna cake with a long metal spatula.

Lysa looked up as he approached and smiled, before nodding to something over Din's shoulder.

"I think you have a message on your terminal," she said gently. "It keeps…beeping."

And as though on cue, as Din swivelled around, he heard the familiar beep of his subspace transceiver, the side button flashing red, letting him know a message was ready to be viewed.

Din approached the terminal and pressed the large flat button on the front, watching suddenly as the familiar figure of Greef Karga popped up in a small hologram just above the transceiver.

"Mando, I hope this message finds you well," came the formal voice of Karga as he stood hands on hips. "Since we last spoke, I have heard news from the Marshal overnight that Crix Val'shif has been sighted on Corulag in the early hours of this morning. I know what you're thinking, but I've already spoken to the authorities there who have said they will be on the lookout for him. It's no good barging on in thinking that you can-"

Din immediately pressed the button again, cutting Karga off and the hologram disappeared into the ether.

After all the Marshal and his men had done in their search, and yet Crix had still somehow found a way to sneak off planet.

Just the thought of him out there, free, after all he had done to Lysa, made Din's blood boil.

The same man who had turned his gun on the woman he had convinced and blackmailed to stay with him, the moment he had the chance.

Din turned to look at Lysa now, who was standing there pale-faced, with lips parted, having very obviously heard every word Karga had uttered.

Din knew what he needed to do now for both their sakes.

And as though reading his mind, Lysa, after a long moment nodded.

Agreeing with him wordlessly now that he should go.

Go to Corulag and find Crix, once and for all.

Din stared at Lysa. Beautiful Lysa. Knowing that he had spent long enough looking after her know, keeping her safe. Now it was time for Din to do what he did best.

Suddenly there was a loud chirp from Grogu, as Lysa looked down.

"Dank!" she said, swearing loudly, as she saw that one of the hotcakes on the griddle was burning.

And without quite realising what she was doing, Lysa grasped for the handle of the griddle pan with her bare hand.

But with no time to stop her, Din could only watch as Lysa gave an excruciating yelp of pain, dropping the griddle pan to the floor in shock, where it landed with a loud clatter.

Her face contorted into a look of agony, as painful tears pricked at her eyes.

And in an instant Din was at her side, taking control of the situation. One hand on her waist guiding her over to the basin, while his other hand tenderly held her wrist, holding it under the faucet and allowing the cool water to run over the now red and painful burn.

"Ow," he heard her gasp out, through a sob, as Din held her wrist steady, feeling her trembling within his grasp.

He could feel now, the raw emotion pouring from her, all those pent up feelings slipping from her with each tear that slid from her eyes.

Din's body was pressed around her slender form, as he heard her sob again, suddenly reaching up with his other hand and cupping at her cheek and turning her gently to face him.

Her sad and tearful eyes met with his now, and from here Din could see all of the fear and worry etched across her perfect features.

"I get that you want to go," she said through falling tears, giving a shake of her head and reaching up, placing her hand over Din's gloved one at her cheek. "But I just don't want you getting hurt…"

She gave a sniff as yet more tears slid down her face, the cold water still pouring out of the faucet and onto Lysa's hand beside them.

For the last day or so she had done so well to keep her fear and emotions at bay and yet here they were now, revealed once more by the doings of Crix.

Once again, him having an impact on her life, despite having left the quadrant now.

But that was the point. He was out there, allowed to be free, after all that had happened, after all he had put her through.

Din parted his lips to speak, wanting to do nothing more than to hold Lysa tight and never let go.

"Grogu and I can take care of ourselves," he uttered now in a serious tone. "And then we'll be back here…with you…"

Lysa gave another sniff, tilting her head a little and peering up at him now.

"...just….just stay here, while we're gone," asked Din in a sudden firm tone. "Please."

Lysa stared at him for another long moment before she nodded.

A moment passing between the two of them now as Din gazed into her green eyes.

Their closeness saying more than either of them ever could, at a time like this.

As Din let his hand slip from Lysa's cheek, and she let her own drop in unison.

She was so perfect to him now.

The most beautiful thing Din had ever seen, despite the tears that still lingered on her cheeks.

And in that moment Din Djarin knew that, given the chance. Were there no beskar between them, that this would be the moment he would choose to kiss her.

In the stillness of everything now.

With the morning sun, golden and shimmering around her like a gorgeous halo of light.

But Din, knowing that his chance would slip from his fingers like sand in the desert, as it had done time and time again before, dragged his eyes from hers now…

…instead looking back at her hand, pulling her wrist gently from the cool flow of water.

Lysa audibly winced as she flexed her palm, the red and shiny mark looking painful against her smooth skin.

"And I call myself a professional," she tutted suddenly, in an attempted playful voice, making eye contact with Din for a moment and giving a smiling laugh.

She lifted her other hand, quickly swiping the tears from her cheeks, before looking back to Din.

"Just be careful, ok?" she said in a gentle tone.

Din nodded. "I will."

But before the two adults could say another word, Lysa and in turn Din's attention was drawn suddenly by Grogu, who was stood now beside the basin, his little hand stretched out and positioned over Lysa's palm.

The pair watched as he closed his eyes for a moment, his tiny body almost thrumming with an unseen energy.

And before they knew it, Grogu had dropped down into a sitting position, exhausted, having removed his hand…

…to reveal Lysa's palm now clear. As it had been just ten minutes before.

Lysa looked shocked for a moment, turning her hand over once and then once again in disbelief, before looking from Grogu to Din and back again.

She shook her head, letting out a sigh of what could only be described now as utter awe.

"You both honestly…you take my breath away every day…" she said in a voice filled with adoration for Din and Grogu, her gaze suddenly returning to Din's.

And the way Lysa looked at Din now, made Din feel like he had never felt before.

A look that told him that there was someone out there that wanted him as much as he wanted her in return.

And Din Djarin knew that no matter what happened from here on in, he was hers.

And there was nothing out there that would change that now.

Not ever.

Thanks so much to HipCheckChick, J-James, MsRosePetal and GraysonGirl1 for reviewing the last chapter.

What did you think of this one? I hope it was ok?

Please review! :)