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Episode 5

Title: "A Little Help"

Chapter 6

Genre: BoDin, CaraMed, slow burn romance, humor, angst, fluff, father/son, family vibes

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Around the time Cara decided against calling Din so as not to interrupt his rest, the Mandalorian was actually doing anything but sleeping. Din had gone to bed not long after Grogu, both weary after another long mission, but it was interrupted by something else entirely.

In fact, Din was so deeply asleep that when he woke to the sound of alarms going off, he was momentarily disoriented, thinking he was back on the Razor Crest.

Din opened his eyes and felt his armor and helmet missing, suffering a brief moment of panic before remembering he was at home and in his own bed. The next moment, a new anxiety set in when he saw the proximity alert going off. The main screen was in his room, and he turned it on to see a small blip racing toward the cabin.

Cursing himself for becoming too complacent, Din jumped out of bed. What if it had been a ship that dropped on them? Instead of what appeared to be a land speeder or perhaps a speeder bike? Many people still called him an enemy, new ones he met on the missions he did for Captain Teva, old ones from his days as a bounty hunter. Not to mention those who might still want to take Grogu. Even with Moff Gideon dead, there could be others seeking to continue the man's sick experiments.

The cameras Din set up were closer to his property, and it wasn't until the intruder got in range that he finally caught sight of what he could now confirm was a speeder bike. Still dressing while watching the screen, Din wasn't in full armor yet when the figure got close enough to see more clearly. He hit a few buttons to enhance the picture and his eyes opened wide in surprise when he got a better look at the person on the bike. The helmet was unmistakable.

"Bo?"

Din immediately pulled up his comms but didn't see any messages from the Mand'alor. Had something happened on their homeworld?

Two weeks had passed since the heat exhaustion incident. Bo left the following morning after a good night's sleep, insisting she take the couch so Din could have his own room. He fought her on it, but eventually gave up when she refused to back down. Since that morning, they'd both been busy, and Din hadn't spoken to her. They'd passed a few messages here and there to catch up briefly, but that was it.

While Din was still pondering what could possibly bring Bo to his property in the middle of the night on a speeder bike and not her ship, his commlink beeped. He was dressed, though still hadn't gotten into his armor and shoved his helmet on before hitting the switch to answer. Axe's grim visage stared at him through the wavy holo.

"Sorry to disturb you beroya. Uh…nothing to worry about, but we were curious if you happen to have seen…"

"The Mand'alor?"

"Is she there?" Axe's body tensed in hope, visible on the screen as he leaned forward in anticipation of Din's answer.

"Almost. I've got proximity alerts on my property, and I woke up to alarms a few minutes ago. I just spotted her on the cameras. She's on a speeder bike."

Din watched as Bo's second-in-command dropped his shoulders in relief. "She left her ship," he said.

"How did she get here?" Din wanted to know.

Axe sighed, shaking his head. "We've been looking for her all day. We tracked the Gauntlet to another planet, but it hasn't moved, and she was gone by the time one of my teams made it there. Then we found out she may have gotten on public transport, which made her almost untraceable. One thing's for sure, when our Lady wants to disappear, she's quite good at it."

"That explains how she got to Nevarro."

"We didn't know where she was headed, but then the Armorer suggested we check with you. Turns out she was right."

Din chuckled. "She usually is."

"I've definitely learned that about your matriarch."

"Do you know why she took off?" Din relaxed a little, knowing the intruder wasn't anyone coming to harm him or his son. But he was still tense, wondering what would bring Bo to his home this time of night, without contacting him first.

Axe sighed again, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck. The man had obviously had a long day. Din didn't envy anyone whose job was to keep track of the ruler of Mandalore. "Honestly mate, that's probably something she should tell you herself. I think she could really use another friend right now."

Din's head tipped sideways in curiosity, but then he nodded.

"All right. I'll do what I can."

"Thank you, beroya. I'll let the Armorer know that the Mand'alor has been found and is safe with you."

"Does everyone know she's missing?" Din wasn't sure what was going on, but he would bet that Bo wouldn't want it discussed like some new bit of gossip.

"No," Axe reassured. "Only myself, the Armorer, and another advisor. We've told anyone asking to see her that she was on a diplomatic mission."

"Good. I'm sure she'll appreciate that."

"Again, thank you, beroya. I'll sleep better knowing she's there with you and not off who-knows-where after… well, like I said, that's something she should tell you," Axe said before they ended the call.

While he waited for his unexpected visitor, Din peeked into his son's room. Once assured that Grogu was fast asleep and wouldn't wake until morning, he went out to stand on the front porch.

He saw the bike coming fast and a part of him was impressed. He hadn't known Bo could ride a speeder bike at all, let alone at that kind of speed.

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Bo saw the dark desert flying past but hardly paid it any heed. She was in a daze, intent on only one thing – to arrive at her intended destination. At some point after everything had transpired, she decided she needed the calm of Nevarro. She craved the quiet of a little cabin surrounded by desert, with a young child who gave great hugs and a man whose calm presence she knew would ease her heart.

She could see Din standing on the porch, waiting for her like a quiet sentinel. He must've been alerted to her arrival by the proximity sensors she was aware he'd installed. There was something about him that looked different, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

Once Bo got closer, she figured it out. While the helmet was present, the rest of Din's armor was not. Unlike during the nano-droid poisoning, he wasn't wearing most of the layers he typically did under the beskar. Gone was the jacket and vest that held the armor in place on his upper body. He only had on a long-sleeved fitted shirt, probably worn to protect his skin from the rough leathers. His arms were crossed, and she spotted that he wasn't wearing his gloves or gauntlets.

Bo also noticed somewhere in the back of her mind that Din was wearing suspenders. It made sense, the thick pants were heavy and would undoubtedly fall off his (trim, she also noticed) waist when fully armored. Right now, the suspenders weren't on his shoulders but hanging down from his hips. She wondered if he'd intended to get into full armor, which he probably had, when he'd seen her coming in fast.

Before Life Day, she had told Din to consider wearing different clothes and boy, was he ever. The helmet and skintight undershirt, without the armor and most of the heavy underclothing, made for an unusual ensemble to be sure, but definitely not an unpleasant one. In fact, in Bo's overly exhausted and emotional state, she couldn't help but appreciate how it gave her an unencumbered view of his body. Specifically, some of those muscles she had felt the night during the nano-droid poisoning, and when they had sparred.

Bo was torn between berating herself for thinking such things about her good friend (if not her best friend) and just going with it. They were definitely inappropriate thoughts, but Bo didn't particularly care at the moment. Didn't she deserve to have some pleasant thoughts after the past few days, weeks, even months that she'd had?

As she drew up to the cabin, Bo was glad she hadn't completely lost all her faculties, or she might have made some entirely inappropriate suggestions to go along with the inappropriate thoughts. Suggestions she was sure would end in nothing but awkwardness.

"Nice ride," Din said by way of greeting when Bo stepped off the speeder bike and removed her helmet. He was trying to gauge where her attitude was. Axe hinted that something bad had happened, but she didn't seem to be all that perturbed when she got off the bike. If anything, she seemed to be just… staring at him.

A lot.

"Don't worry, I didn't steal it if that's what you're thinking," Bo said.

"Good," Din nodded. "I'd hate to end up hunting you as a fugitive."

She cocked her head sideways with a grin. "Hmm… but wouldn't that be fun?"

Din's eyebrows shot up at her remark. She didn't see his response, but she must have sensed his shock because her teasing grin vanished. Her reaction gave Din his first clue about how she was really doing. Already, he recognized the behavior pattern reminiscent of she'd gotten overheated – when lack of food, water and adequate rest had muddled her mind and heightened her emotions. Din had a sneaking suspicion he was dealing with something very similar.

Bo sighed and suddenly looked worn out, dropping her gaze to the ground.

"Come inside," Din said kindly.

He saw guilt in her eyes when she peered up at him. "I'm sorry I woke you up. Is Grogu…?"

"He's asleep," Din assured. "Come on," he gestured to the door, stepping aside to let her go in first.

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A little while later, Din was no closer to figuring out what happened with Bo. He hadn't known what to expect when she arrived, but of all the scenarios he pictured, he couldn't say the current one had come to mind.

From the moment he'd gotten her inside, Bo's attitude seemed to vacillate every few minutes, sometimes every few seconds. It was nearly impossible for him to get a single coherent thought out of her, let alone narrow down what brought her to his doorstep in the first place.

Currently, the Mand'alor was pacing from his small kitchen to the equally small living area and back again. She kept doing it over and over, mumbling to herself.

On one of her many passes, Bo unhooked her double holsters and tossed them, blasters and all, onto the couch.

"Fools. Absolute fools."

"Who are fools? Bo, tell me what's going on." Din had already asked similar questions a few times and she'd yet to answer a single one. But one of the many things that made him the best bounty hunter in multiple parsecs was his tenacity, and he wasn't going to give up easily.

"What happened? You want to know what happened?" Bo rounded on Din, striding right up into his personal space. She was at least a head shorter than he was and still he found himself taking a step back. He, the fully trained beroya. But right now, he didn't see Bo, the woman who was his friend, who Grogu loved and demanded cuddles from. Right now, she was the Mand'alor.

And she was pissed.

Din was just happy it wasn't aimed at him. At least he hoped not.

"Idiots. That's what happened." She turned away again, stomping to the window in the kitchen and looking out at the stars.

"I'm just so tired of it," she whispered to herself. As suddenly as the anger came, it was gone again, leaving hopelessness in its place. Din could see it on her face and read it in her body language as she continued to stare at the night sky outside.

"Tired of what? Come on, Bo, tell me what happened." Din kept his voice low as he approached, careful not to get too close and set off her anger again. As much as he hated seeing Bo upset, he felt it might be easier to get her to talk when she wasn't in full-on angry Mand'alor mode.

"How many more have to…." Bo shook her head before turning away to walk to the kitchen table, collapsing into a chair and staring straight ahead. She didn't speak or move for a while, which told Din she was close to the end of whatever rope she'd been hanging onto. The one she'd used to keep herself awake and moving for however long she'd been on the run.

Seeing her in the kitchen, Din was reminded again of his suspicions, the feeling that whatever happened was being further complicated by lack of basic necessities her body needed. Food, water, sleep.

There was no point in trying to talk to her anymore, that much he was certain of now. She hadn't responded rationally to anything he'd said to her since the moment she'd arrived. Her eyes might be open, and she might be moving around, but Din got the impression that Bo was nearly unconscious.

Din recognized the signs because he had experienced them before. He'd had similar reactions after certain injuries and during particularly serious fevers. He never remembered the things he said or did during those times. Med would tell him later, making fun once the danger was over and they could laugh about it.

Din had observed it in Med, too. It only occurred a few times, but enough for them to figure out that somehow, despite their lack of blood relation, his brother shared his reaction to fevers. Like Din, Med was known for not making sense, walking, talking and doing things he wouldn't remember once it was over.

Attacking the easiest issue first, Din filled a glass with water and brought it to Bo. He put it on the table in front of her and waited. When he saw she had no intention of picking it up, he gently wrapped her fingers around it. Once she felt the cool glass, her gaze moved down, but she didn't seem to understand what to do with it.

"Drink, Bo."

His voice was soft yet commanding, and he relaxed as she raised the glass to her lips. Her body took over as soon as the water went past her tongue, and she began gulping the vital liquid. When she drank it all down, he filled the glass again. They repeated the process three times, until he put a refilled glass in front of her and she only sipped a little before putting it down.

All right, now onto step two.

Din went to the refrigeration unit and pulled out a few things, simple foods for someone who may not have eaten in a while. He put everything on a plate and set it in front of Bo, watching as her eyes slid down to it. Again, she didn't seem to know what to do, so with the same tone he'd used to get her to drink, Din spoke.

"Eat, Bo."

Like the water, once a small bit of food was ingested, Bo's body took over and she began to eat in earnest. She never said anything, operating almost like a machine. It made Din wonder how long she'd been in that state. Simply moving, walking, talking, even flying her ship and riding a speeder bike, but not being aware of much.

When she finished, Din chose not to refill her plate as he had with the glass of water. He didn't want to make her sick and he knew there was something else she needed first.

Sleep.

"Bo, I think you should sleep now."

Din put a gentle hand on her elbow and helped her stand. She followed him when he guided her from the chair and started walking her down the hallway. He was glad she wasn't cognizant enough to fight him on the sleeping arrangements this time. There was no way he was going to put her on the couch and sleep in his room. He'd be terrified of her wandering back out into the night in her almost sleepwalking state. He was putting her in his bed, and he would take the couch. That way, he'd be alerted if she tried anything funny.

As he guided Bo to sit on his bed, she smiled up at him, swaying drunkenly.

"I'm glad you took my advice."

"What advice?"

"About changing up your look and getting new clothes."

"These are my usual clothes; I'm just not wearing the armor."

"Hmm… that's right. I see it now," her eyes perused up and down Din's body without a hint of embarrassment. "This is almost what you were wearing when we were in bed together. Actually, you had more on then, because you had your jacket and the vest."

Din nodded. "True."

"We…slept together." She giggled, actually giggled.

This is even worse than I thought.

"You remember?" Bo asked.

"I do. And I'm very grateful for your help that night."

"The view is better now. No blankets, also no armor like usual. I like this," she waved a shaky hand at him, gesturing up and down, her eyebrows going up suggestively.

Din sighed.

"Bo, how about you get some sleep, okay? Before you say anything else you might regret in the morning."

She just looked at him with a dazed smile.

"Though if we're lucky you won't remember any of this," he said softly as he started pulling off her leg armor and boots. It reminded him of the day she'd gotten heat exhaustion. In a way, he was grateful for that experience with her. It gave him a baseline of what to expect, an explanation of her unusual behavior.

Once he got off the leg armor and boots, Din stood up again. "Bo, do you want to take off the rest of the beskar?"

He hadn't really expected a reply, but he was trying to communicate with her as much as possible to let her know what was happening. She didn't say anything, just kept looking at him with a soft smile.

"You're so nice to me. Not like… them." She frowned again, looking down at her hands. "Why can't everyone be nice like you?"

"Not everyone thinks I'm nice," Din said, starting to remove her pauldrons.

Somewhere in her muddled thoughts, Bo noted how gentle he was. The mighty warrior was helping her with the same tenderness he used with his own son.

"They're wrong," she whispered, looking up at him with serious eyes as he lifted her arm to pull off a glove and then unclasp the vambrace. "Anyone who thinks you're not nice is wrong. You are nice. Very nice."

"Thank you, I'll tell my next quarry that when they're cursing me out in a few different languages."

Din took off her other glove and vambrace, briefly debating whether to leave on her cuirass. But even if he was sure she'd likely slept in it before, she'd be more comfortable without it. And since she was sitting up, it was easy enough to get off. He undid the fastener near her shoulders and pulled the chest piece and back piece over her head. He left on her jacket and vest, knowing they wouldn't cause any discomfort, and not wanting to take off too much more… especially with her current mood.

"Okay, lay down." Din pushed Bo's shoulders gently and she laid onto her side, resting her face on her hands on top of the pillow, still staring at him quietly.

"So nice…," she whispered, her eyes closing as her body responded to the soft bed and prone position the same way it had to the water and food. Instinct took over, bringing much-needed rest to the princess.

"Just sleep, Bo. It's okay, you can rest now." Din reached for the blanket he'd moved to the bottom of the bed before sitting her down, pulling it up to her shoulders.

Bo was only slightly aware when she drifted off, but one thing she knew was that she felt safe, just as she had the day she'd been overcome by the desert heat. Maybe that's why she sought out Din when she reached her breaking point. Some part of her had known that no matter what happened, she would be safe with him. That she could let down her guard, the one she'd had to put up out of necessity during recent events.

Once his friend was settled, Din left the room. Before stepping out, he had grabbed a spare pillow and blanket from the trunk near the window and took them with him to the couch, setting up his own bed for the night.

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Bo slowly became aware again and her eyes cracked opened, noting sunlight slipping in through the curtains.

Curtains?

There were no curtains in her quarters. They were unnecessary as all of the living spaces were currently underground on Mandalore.

Where am I?

She sat up looking around the small room and soon recognized the location. She was in Din's bed, completely dressed except for her armor and boots. But she didn't remember all the details of how she'd gotten to Nevarro, or specifically to Din's cabin. Though clips of memories played in her mind, and she blushed at some of them, recalling her behavior.

Bo truly hadn't meant to ignore her own needs and do without enough water, food, or sleep, thereby making the entire situation worse. She'd just been so stressed, more stressed than she'd been in a very long while – if not ever. Bo was aware of her propensity for pushing herself too far but hadn't done it in so long she'd gotten complacent. The overheating incident should've been a warning.

Not smart, Mand'alor, she chastised herself.

Deciding she couldn't put off seeing Din any longer and facing her embarrassment for what she only half-remembered, Bo got up and walked out of the room. The sun was up but it was still very early judging by the angle of the light. She didn't hear a sound as she walked bare footed down the hallway. On her way to the fresher, she stopped to quietly peek into Grogu's room, finding him passed out with his tiny fists curled up in a blanket.

A few minutes later she walked into the living area and found Din. He was armored, but even with the helmet, she could tell he was deeply asleep. His chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm, his breath cycling evenly through the modulator. He was on the couch, though his long frame didn't quite fit. His ankles were crossed on one of the arms, his head propped up on pillows on the other side.

Med's right, I guess he really does need a bigger couch, Bo thought with a small smile.

Ensuring all was well, Bo went to the kitchen and started making some tea. She was careful to be quiet, barely making a sound, but it didn't surprise her when Din stirred. His head shifted and she imagined him blinking sleepy eyes at her.

Bo kept on moving around the kitchen, watching Din out of the corner of her eye as he sat up. She saw him move his head around a bit, not easy to do in the helmet, obviously trying to work out the stiffness in his neck.

"You didn't have to do that, you know."

She said it softly as he got up and walked into the kitchen.

"Do what?"

"Sleep on the couch. Med's right, that thing is much too small for you."

"It's fine. I don't usually sleep on it, and it fits the living area." He shrugged.

Bo shook her head as she continued making her tea. She rummaged through Din's kitchen with the familiarity she'd gained from so many visits, not to mention her stay during the nano-droid poisoning. Something about Din felt different but she was having a hard time figuring out what it was. She kept tossing him surreptitious glances as Din sat down at the kitchen table. She swore she heard a yawn come from beneath the helmet, though he fought to hide it.

"What's wrong?" he asked, noticing her look.

"I'm not sure. I feel like you look… different."

Din looked down at himself. "Nope, nothing different."

"Hmm…" she went back to pouring hot water into two cups. Din hadn't realized she was also making caf until she came to the table and put the mug in front of him.

"I'll turn away if you want to drink it here, or you can take it into your bedroom. It just felt wrong not to make something for you since it's your kitchen."

"Thanks," Din said, holding the mug but not drinking it yet.

Bo sat across from him, studying his hands on the mug.

Gloved hands.

Her head snapped up. "That's it."

"What's it?"

"I figured out what's different. Were you not wearing your gloves last night? Or your other armor?"

"That's right," he nodded, not offering any additional information, waiting to see what else she remembered.

"That's what I thought. I can't quite remember what it looked like, but I just feel like some of…that was missing." She waved a hand at him, and it looked so much like her gesture from the night before that Din felt his spine stiffen.

"Wait." Bo frowned, her eyebrows furrowing together. Din tensed; certain she was remembering the embarrassing things she had said.

"What?" he said carefully.

"I thought you were out of your armor when I arrived, but I just saw you sleeping in full armor. Am I remembering wrong?"

"No, you're remembering correctly."

"But then…. did you put your armor back on before you went to sleep?"

Din didn't answer at first, picking up his mug and walking to the sink. With his back to Bo, he slipped his helmet above his chin and took a sip. Though she couldn't see anything, Bo still turned her head away until he'd finished, put his helmet in place again and spun back around to face her.

"Yes, I did."

"Why?"

Din would never mention the things she said the night before if she didn't remember them. But though they had made him somewhat uncomfortable, that wasn't why he'd gotten fully dressed and armored before laying out on his couch.

Well, not the only reason.

"When you came here last night, you were… confused."

She sighed. "I know. I don't remember much of it, but I know that much. And I'm sorry, I…"

He held up his hand. "It's okay, I wasn't looking for any sort of apology, I just wanted you to know so I could explain."

"All right."

"I got dressed and armored because I was afraid you might try to leave during the night. And if that happened, I wanted to be ready to…"

"Hunt me?"

"If it came to that, yes. I wasn't going to let you out of my sight."

Bo heard something in Din's voice. Something harsh, nearly growling. Not angry, not at her, but definitely… protective.

"Oh," she said softly. "I'm glad it didn't come to that."

"Me, too."

"What would you have done with Grogu if that happened?"

"Snatched him out of bed, bundled him up and taken him with me. It wouldn't be the first time it happened."

"Oh. Well, again, I'm glad it didn't come to that."

Looking for a way to change the subject, Bo took another sip and raised her mug at Din. "Thanks for having my tea on hand, by the way. I forgot to mention that when I noticed it around Life Day."

"I happened to see it at the bazaar not long after I moved here and bought it when I stocked the kitchen. I remembered you drinking it when we traveled together and thought you might like it if you came to visit."

"I appreciate it, that was very thoughtful."

Din turned back to the sink and pulled his helmet up again, finishing his caf in a few gulps, more than used to knocking back the hot liquid quickly when he needed to. Bo averted her gaze until he finished and returned to the table to sit across from her.

"I have to admit it surprised me," Din announced when he was sitting again.

"What did?"

"That a soldier, a Mandalorian drank tea. I guess I figured you'd be a caf drinker, too."

"I grew up drinking tea and I never broke the habit. Plus, I like simpler tastes. Tea is lighter, sweeter. Not as bitter as caf."

"You don't find you need the kick of energy?"

"Not usually. I don't need stimulants; I've always had plenty of excitement in my life. I prefer some calmness to start my day."

"Sadly, I have needed the kick from caf many times," Din admitted quietly.

"That's understandable, with the life you've led. I'd hate to think of all the times you've been on watch, on guard, hunting, staying up for days at a time."

She could feel his surprise when the helmet tipped sideways.

"Most people don't assume such things about a bounty hunter. So many who I caught, before I put them in carbon, would remark that it looked like I led a quiet life. They saw my ship, noticed I didn't speak much, and made assumptions."

"Sometimes people see what they want to see, rather than the truth."

"But I don't always need or want the help from caf now. When I wake up with Grogu on our days off, I usually want to relax, not jump into action."

"Well then, you should try my tea." With that, Bo got up to make another cup. Once it was done steeping, she brought it over to Din. She took her own mug and walked to the window, peering outside to give him some privacy. When she heard him finish taking a drink and return his helmet, she turned back with eyebrows raised.

"Well, beroya? What do you think?"

"I like it a lot," he admitted. The tea reminded him of Bo somehow. Light, sweet but with a touch of warmth in the spices. He'd never be able to drink it without thinking of her.

She turned back to the window, and they lapsed into silence for several minutes.

"I suppose I owe you an explanation," Bo said quietly, still studying the desert outside.

"You don't owe me anything, but I'm here if you want to talk. If I'm able to help, I'd be happy to offer whatever assistance I can."

"How much did Axe tell you?" She turned around, crossing her arms.

"How do you know I spoke to Axe?"

"I know that either he or the Armorer would've eventually figured out where I was headed. Even though I didn't know I was headed here at first."

"The Armorer figured it out and yes, Axe did contact me, right after my proximity alerts went off. But he didn't say anything specific. And you don't have to tell me anything you don't want to."

Bo gave Din's words some thought, then left the window and sat down across from him at the small table.

"Not everyone is happy Mandalore is being revived, or that I've returned to reclaim my throne as the new Mand'alor."

"I can imagine there are a lot of people in the galaxy not happy about that. Not the least of which those who tried to annihilate our race in the first place."

"I don't mean other people. I mean our own. Mandalorians."

"What?" Din was shocked. "Who would ever want to fight Mandalore being brought back to life? Or her people being able to come home? Which clan are they part of? I haven't seen any hints of unrest when I've been on Mandalore."

"They aren't on Mandalore. There was a group who escaped during the Purge and managed to hide out on a small moon."

"Which moon?" Din's voice was tense, worried for the place where he and Med were raised after being rescued from their home planet.

"Not Concordia," she reassured quickly, noticing his distress.

Din was about to ask another question when they both heard tiny footsteps coming down the hall. They looked over as Grogu came around the corner, dressed in his light sleeping tunic and rubbing his eyes with a yawn. He squeaked happily when he saw Bo, running to her and jumping up into her lap. The Mand'alor gave the boy a hug and Din watched her eyes go soft when his son purred happily in her arms.

The child's appearance eased the building tension and gave the adults a chance to take a break from the serious conversation. Bo headed to Din's room to put on her armor while Din started breakfast. Once the meal was ready, Din took a plate in his room while Bo ate with Grogu in the kitchen.

When Din finished eating, he headed into the fresher briefly. He looked in the mirror after washing his face, reminding himself to stay calm about the unknown group of rebellious Mandalorians. The mention of it had sparked a surprising flare of hot anger, though he couldn't name its source.

After everyone ate and Grogu was occupied in the living area with a few toys, Din sat across from Bo and asked the question he'd been about to when the child woke up.

"How did you find out about them? The mutineers?" Din kept his voice low, and they both snuck a glance at the child to ensure that Grogu wasn't paying attention.

"I sent out scouting missions to all the planets and moons in the Mandalorian system to make sure there wasn't anyone left who needed rescue to come home. Little did I know I'd find a faction of Mandalorians who were perfectly happy with their situation and had no desire to join the rest of us… or acknowledge a new leader."

"What happened?"

"I sent messengers at first, not wanting to rile them up. I figured we could communicate, and they would find out Mandalore is different than before. That there aren't any more warring groups tearing our people apart."

"And what was their response?"

"It turns out they're one of those factions who liked the civil wars. Their self-proclaimed leader is power-hungry and has made his own little kingdom there. He's not at all pleased at the idea of giving that up."

"But it's your birthright, he can't just declare he's a leader and that's that. Not on a moon that belongs to your family, to you. You have every right to take what is yours."

Bo sighed. "I know, but I'm trying to lead more peacefully, to not follow in the footsteps of those who went before me and made mistakes. I'm so tired of Mandalorians spilling our own blood. It needs to stop."

"I take it they didn't agree."

"Not at all. I finally went there myself and… let's just say it didn't go well."

"Did they threaten you?" Din's need to protect Bo reared up again, animalistic and strong, making his fists clench unconsciously as his anger began to burn.

Bo didn't notice his reaction, answering with a shrug. "You know how people like that are. They say things they don't mean."

She was hedging and not directly answering his question, which told Din all he needed to know – that they had threatened her.

"But sometimes they do mean it. These people sound dangerous, Bo. I don't like it. Maybe I should go there, show them how a beroya handles threats to our Mand'alor." Din lost a bit of the control he'd been holding onto tightly and his voice rose a touch, just enough for Grogu's ears to go up in the living room. The little one turned to look at them with curious eyes.

Seeing Grogu's reaction, Bo put a hand on Din's arm, tipping her head at the child. Din forced himself to relax and take a deep breath, closing his eyes under the helmet until he was back in control.

Grogu stared a few more seconds, but detecting nothing amiss with his father, went back to his puzzle. It was one that Din couldn't even figure out, a carving of metal and wood that was meant to be pulled apart and put back together, but the pieces were a jumbled mess to the father. The child, however, resolved it easily and loved entangling it in ways that Din was sure the original creator hadn't imagined, finding solutions to the new puzzles he created. It sometimes kept the kid occupied for hours and Din was glad his son had the distraction now. He didn't know why the anger spouted so quickly and fiercely when Bo mentioned the rebel faction.

"You're not ever going there alone…" Din declared softly, then cleared his throat when he caught himself basically giving an order to his Mand'alor. "….are you?" He amended, his voice rough. It was the closest thing to a growl that Din had ever heard come out of himself. It caught him by surprise and Bo as well, judging by her raised eyebrows when she heard it.

"No," Bo reassured, only then noticing that her hand was still on Din's arm. She pulled it away as she continued. "While I have no trouble going to Plazir-15 or Nevarro alone, I don't make it a habit to visit either a new territory or one that I don't fully trust without Axe and those I've named as my Royal Guard."

Din nodded, taking a steadying breath and reminding himself that she had a team, good people, to keep her safe. If she asked, he'd be by her side instantly but if she didn't, he needed to back off and let her people do their jobs. He was a beroya, not part of her Royal Guard or a member of her permanent military.

"Good. If I can't be there then… I mean, I'm glad you've got someone you trust going with you."

"Thank you." She was quiet again, lost in thought.

"Is there something else?" Din asked.

She looked up. "What? No….no, that's all."

Din's gut told him there was more. That gut had gotten him out of trouble more times than he could remember so he went with it, pushing gently.

"Bo?"

She sighed, debating whether she should tell Din anything else. He must be curious. What she'd said so far wouldn't explain her behavior the previous night. Wouldn't explain why she took off, ditched her people and sought out the one place she knew would bring her peace and safety.

Bo could trust Din and, more than that, he was also a great listener. She couldn't see his face, but she still felt his undivided attention. Barring the recent show of anger and protectiveness, his soft voice, even through the modulator, was usually kind.

She never planned to let any of it out and had put up walls that were stronger than her beskar armor to keep everything inside. Perhaps because saying it out loud would give the situation more strength. Yet something about Din's soft-spoken replies and gentle questions made her feel safe enough to lower her defenses and share some of the things she'd been keeping bottled up inside.

Unexpectedly, tears formed in Bo's eyes, blurring her vision. Din saw them and spoke softly.

"Bo, tell me… please."

Her breath stuttered at that quiet plea. It made the tears fall more freely but also gave her the strength to continue.

"I'm a failure," she whispered. "As a Mand'alor."

"What? How can you say that? Look at all you've done."

"What I've done is not accomplish the goals I set out to achieve. I wanted our people to be reunited, to stop fighting, yet I can't even wrangle a small group of mutineers on a remote moon. Some leader I am. My father…"

"Would be proud," Din cut in softly.

She opened her mouth to protest, but he continued. "Bo, you brought our people back home."

"No, you did that."

Din sighed. They'd had this conversation before, and he already knew it was a losing battle to try and argue the fact.

"Fine, I helped but that was the easy part. I just gave you a boost, you're the one who's taken complete control of the entire Mandalorian system. While I've been off training my son, doing jobs for the New Republic, relaxing here at my cabin, you're the one who's been putting Mandalore back together again."

She shook her head. "It's not enough, not when there are Mandalorians still willing to fight against their own people. You didn't see it before, Din. What it was like. Even a small group like this can turn into a larger one. Then one group of mutineers turns into another, and then another. Until it's civil war all over again."

As the memories unfolded, as Bo relived the losses she and her people had suffered, the tears came harder, and she couldn't stop them. The grief was subtle but still more than she had shown anyone else in years, if not decades.

Din felt useless right then. Another person would probably reach out, put an arm around her, or offer a shoulder to cry on. But what good would a beskar pauldron do for someone in the kind of pain Bo was in at that moment?

At some point in his life, Din might have known how to offer her comfort. When he was a young boy, he often hugged his parents, friends, and other family members. But then his life changed. He changed. That soft, gentle boy was forged like the beskar he wore. Into a fierce warrior, a loner, a highly trained beroya.

It was fitting that another small child brought back some of the softness Din feared was gone forever. But even though he'd learned to be gentle with his son, he still didn't feel qualified to offer any comforting gestures to the woman in front of him.

Fortunately, it appeared that all Bo needed was someone to listen, to let her express her fears and frustrations. To simply be heard.

There were many things Din could have said. He could let her know he was confident she'd never allow history to repeat itself. That she was stronger than she thought she was. That she was the leader they needed and had already proven it to him, to all of them. That one small group of mutineers was not going to change any of that.

But somehow, he understood she didn't need to hear all of that, because deep down she already knew it was true. She just needed to remember it.

After another long silence, Bo wiped her eyes and gave him a wan smile.

"I'm sorry you had to see that."

"Please don't apologize for having feelings about something that is understandably upsetting."

"No, not that," she waved her hands to indicate her drying tears. "Well, at least not just that. I also mean showing up here last night in the condition I was in. I don't remember a lot of it, but I remember enough to know that I probably said some embarrassing things. Normally if I feel myself getting that way, I can manage to lock myself away and not subject anyone to it."

"Again, there is nothing to apologize for and I'm not sorry you came here. No one should have to deal with something like that alone. I'm glad you felt like you could come here for help and I'm here for whatever you need."

Bo nodded. "Thank you."

She gave him a slight smile and though she couldn't see it, she felt him give one back under the beskar when he nodded at her.

Bo wasn't embarrassed by Din having seen her small breakdown just then, or the bigger one the night before. Probably because she had already seen him in some of his most vulnerable moments, when he'd been drugged by the cyborg, nearly drowned, then almost killed by the nano-droids. It gave her glimpses into Din's humanity, the man under the beskar. She didn't mind that he got to see glimpses into her humanity as well, though there weren't many she would allow to see it.

Din's communicator beeped and they both looked at the comm unit blinking on the kitchen counter. Din had brought it out of his room to ensure he didn't miss any calls.

"Saved by the bell," Bo joked.

Din got up and answered the comm, not surprised to find it was Axe asking about their Mand'alor. Din handed her the commlink and went to sit with Grogu to give Bo some privacy. She walked into the living area a few minutes later and sat next to him on the couch.

"Axe left Mandalore a while ago and is flying the Gauntlet here to get me. He should be here shortly."

Din nodded. "Sorry I couldn't take you back myself, but I don't think we'd all fit in the N-1."

She laughed at the joking tone of his voice. "Yeah, that's not a ship made for large groups of people, or small groups of people for that matter."

"True. It's times like these where I really miss my old Razor Crest. She may not have looked like much, but she was a good ship."

Bo nodded, remembering the old ship.

"Oh," Bo suddenly sat up and looked out the window.

"What?"

She chuckled. "I just remembered I'm now the proud owner of a speeder bike. I guess I'll just take it back on the Gauntlet with me. Not that there's much use for it on Mandalore."

"Why don't you leave it here?"

"Here?"

"I'll store it with mine and keep it maintained so it will be ready for you anytime you want. We can take them out the next time you visit. Grogu loves riding on the speeder bike, don't you kid?"

Grogu looked up at his name and nodded his head. Yes! Race!

"What's he saying?" Bo asked, not recognizing the sign.

"He wants us to race. My son has a serious love of speed."

Bo chuckled. "Okay, kid. We can race. Though you might want to ride with me if you want to win." She shot a challenging glance at Din, who huffed a laugh.

Grogu made a sign, asking his father something. Bo thought she recognized the sign for "ride" but missed the second part.

"What did he say?"

"He said he wants to ride with you on the speeder bike."

There was amusement in his voice, and she dipped her head curiously.

"What was the other sign?"

"That, uh, is one he just made up recently. It's your name sign."

"My name sign?"

"People who speak with signs will sometimes create name signs for others. It's usually based on a feature the person has or maybe a personality trait."

"Oh. I never realized that. What does mine mean?"

"Well, he learned some colors recently. Grogu, show Bo the sign for red."

The boy showed Bo.

"That's great, Grogu," she said.

"Now show Bo her name sign."

Bo gave a short laugh when Grogu repeated the sign.

"Red… hair?"

"Basically, but also not exactly. He modified it a bit so it's specific for you. That's your name sign, not just the sign for red hair."

Bo looked down at the little one who had jumped up on the couch next to her.

"Thanks, Grogu. I'm very honored to have my own name sign."

Grogu looked up at her.

Bo.

"Yes buddy?"

Love.

Bo's eyes flew open, and she looked at Din in wonder. She'd seen the boy use that sign with his dad, even with his uncle Med, but she still wasn't sure if she believed her eyes.

"Did he just…?"

Din nodded silently, confirming she'd understood the child correctly.

Love Bo. Grogu repeated.

Bo felt her chin tremble. It had been a very long time since anyone had told her they loved her. She knew children were more open with their feelings but that didn't diminish her emotional response one single bit.

"I love you too, Grogu." She pulled the child to her shoulder for a hug, kissing him on his soft furry head. "You have no idea how much I needed to hear that right now."

Din stayed quiet, letting his son offer Bo more comfort than he could possibly give her, happy that she and his boy had such a strong bond.

Within minutes they all heard a ship approaching and Din looked out the window to see the Gaunlet landing. Bo shook Din's hand, thanking him again for his help. She gave Grogu another hug, looking down to find the child teary-eyed.

"Oh buddy, it's okay. I'll be back for another visit soon. Or you guys will come visit me on Mandalore soon, I promise."

She passed the child to his father, surprised at her own reluctance to hand him over, and at the way her feet felt heavy as she walked to the Gauntlet. When she got to the ship, she turned and waved, the ramp closing behind her.

Din waved back, holding Grogu and they both watched as the Gauntlet flew out of sight. Grogu whined, looking up at his dad, which surprised Din. The child had never had that reaction to Bo leaving before.

"It's all right, kid. You'll see her again soon. I…I'm sure it won't be long."

Din almost said "I miss her, too" but stopped himself before the words left his lips, though not completely certain why he had. Maybe because he was confused by his own reaction to Bo's departure.

He could understand the child being upset. Grogu had grown close with their leader and children were more likely to express that sort of thing. As for Din, goodbyes were part of his life. For decades he'd moved from place to place, saying goodbye to the few friends he'd made along the way. He always had to believe he'd see them again, even with the dangerous life they all lived. But when Bo got on her ship this time, Din felt… something else.

On the Gauntlet, Bo took over piloting and let Axe get some rest, knowing her second-in-command probably hadn't had much after she'd gone "missing". She sat alone in the cockpit, pondering again how hard it had been, harder than ever before to leave the atmosphere of Nevarro. Though she couldn't understand why. She loved her homeworld and had fought to get it back. She was also feeling much better after talking things over with Din. She was confident she could handle the Mandalorian mutineers. But still, this time when she'd left, she had felt… something else.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Hi folks! Well, that's it for this story. All of these "episodes" have become longer than I intended and I'm thinking about tightening up some of the timelines I set up for this series. I've always had very specific milestones I wanted to reach, especially with Din and Bo in their romance. And now that I've added Cara and Med – and made their romance a bigger part of the overall story – I've created milestones for them, too.

The addition of Cara and Med has definitely lengthened each story and the series itself – not that I mind, of course! It just means that if I don't make any changes, we may not see these couples being romantic or get married until sometime in 2025 (and that's no exaggeration). So, I'm going to look over my timeline and see how I can combine some episodes together, so as to deliver all the same milestones, but without it taking forever.

That being said, the next episode is already in progress, and you can expect things to kick up a notch in the feelings department for both couples. In fact, I'll give you all a quick teaser and say that in the next episode, one couple is going to have a bit of a spat or maybe a "lover's quarrel" if you want to call it that. While the other couple is going to have a full-on blow-up and fight. Care to guess which will be which?

Thanks again for following along with this series and reviewing, commenting, etc. Every single one makes my day.

-Moki