The late afternoon sun was slowly getting lower and lower in the sky.

Done with their dinner of bone broth, and what remained of the fruit Din had picked up from the market earlier that day, Din and Grogu were sat around the scrubbed wooden table in their cabin.

Grogu was using his powers to roll his favourite metal ball across the table away from himself, and then back again. And Din, who had a number of blasters and weapons laid out on the other side of the table, was busy taking apart each one and cleaning them one by one. It was a slow and laborious job, but taking care of his equipment just came with the territory. One faulty blaster and that could be the difference between life and death for him or Grogu.

The pair were happy to sit in comfortable silence, as they often were, allowing Din's thoughts to wander.

All afternoon his mind had been on Lysa.

Seeing her again, after days apart, had truly put things in perspective for Din.

He knew now that it just wouldn't be that easy to let go. To take a step back. To try and pretend that she didn't exist.

Din knew exactly how he felt about her - that desperation he felt whenever he was near her.

A longing like nothing else he had ever experienced.

There had been women, brief fleeting flights of fancy, through the years. The armour and the credits he earned meant that he was always popular in any cantina or tavern throughout the Outer Rim. But these meetings or flirtations were always short-lived, and there was never an ounce of romance or love present. Sex had forever just been a necessary act to help with relaxation and relief. In his twenties and thirties it had been regular, as frequent as he could get it. But these days, Din was tired of one night engagements. Tired of pretending that that was all he wanted. He couldn't even remember the last time he had had sex. Had it been years? He struggled to remember.

But with Lysa now, it was like a heat had been re-ignited in him.

He craved her. His body and his heart aching for her.

And despite her making her choices, Din still could not help the way he felt.

And so, frustrated and lonely, despite the welcome company of his son, Din couldn't help but wish she was here with them.

He still had her cloak, hanging beside the door, from where she had handed it to him soaking wet, when she had sheltered from the storm.

And as badly as that night had ended, Din had not been able to stop himself from daydreaming about what might have happened if she had stayed. What might have happened if the storm hadn't ended and they hadn't argued.

Would he have offered her his bed to sleep in? Or would they have stayed up talking?

Would she have stayed for breakfast the next morning? Din could have used the powdered eggs he still had in the bottom of the refresher.

It was a foolish dream, Din knew that, but it didn't stop him thinking about it whenever the moments were quiet.

And they more than often were these days.

But it was the nights when his mind would grow wild with visions of what they could have done together, while the storm raged overhead.

Din imagining what her lips would feel like beneath his.

What she would taste like, as his tongue swirled over the hot skin of her neck.

How her hips would rock against his, in desperation for him to bury himself inside her.

It had been hard to control himself this week, while he had spent his nights camped with the other Mandalorians. The urge to touch himself to relieve some of the pressure, overwhelming him. A slick of sweat beading at his chest as he had stared up into the starlit sky, trying to restrain these carnal urges.

But he needed to keep reminding himself that Lysa was not his. That she had elected to choose another.

Din gave an audible sigh now, causing Grogu to look up at him with interest.

"Patu?" croaked his green son.

But Din merely pursed his lips beneath his beskar, shaking his head.

"I'm fine, buddy," he replied. Even though it was a lie.

But suddenly, far in the distance, a sudden noise caught Din's attention. A low humming, that at first he thought may have been coming from the generator outside.

But a moment later, the noise grew louder, coming closer. And Din recognised it at once, pushing back his chair with a loud screech and getting quickly to his feet.

Grogu croaked again, looking up at his father. But Din's attention was on the noise and the noise alone, as he made for the door, exiting the cabin...

...to see Lysa's speeder racing across the lava flats towards him.

Din gave a frown beneath his helmet as he stepped down from the porch.

As pleased as he was to see her, he wondered why she would be coming here now.

He had only seen her a few hours ago. What could have happened since then to cause her to travel all the way out here?

Was she hurt? Had Crix laid his hands on her again?

The landspeeder was travelling faster than it normally did. And by the time it reached the end of the path that led down towards Din's cabin, the engine was already off, and Lysa had already flung off her helmet and jumped out.

And in a second the helmet was on the ground, and there she was, running towards him, her flowing skirts catching around her legs as she went.

Din breathed hard as he watched her.

Something was wrong, he could tell by her face.

The frown line that ran between her brows was deep, and she was breathing hard. Her green eyes upset-looking and fixed to his.

She was dressed in the same long cream tunic dress that she had been earlier today, and Din couldn't help but take a few short steps towards her, hastily closing the gap between them.

A moment later she reached him, her chest rising and falling hard.

"I'm sorry..." she exclaimed in a panicked voice, her hands flattening themselves against his beskar covered chest suddenly, as she pressed herself close, shaking her head. "I'm so so sorry, Din!"

Din's gloved hands moved immediately to her waist protectively, as his eyes searched her face. He could instantly feel that she was trembling, her waterline filling with anxious tears.

"What's wrong?" Din uttered in a low, hurried voice through his modulator. "What's happened?"

Din felt a wave of possessiveness wash over him now as he held her close.

He felt like a wolf now wanting to protect his pack. Willing to rip out the throat of whoever wronged the woman stood before him.

But Lysa gave another quick shake of her head, her eyes darting fearfully over his helmeted face at this close proximity.

Din could feel the heat radiating off her, the pure energy emanating off her frightened form.

"You were right and I should have listened to you," she said in an apologetic voice, the words tumbling from her mouth. Her face was a picture of pure worry, and regret. "I-I've been so stupid, Din!"

Tears sloshed down her pretty face. And without realising what he was doing, Din had lifted one of his hands from her waist and cupped her cheek. Using his gloved thumb to swipe away the tears as fast as they came.

"Lysa-" he began, but she cut across him, pressing herself even further into him suddenly, their bodies as flush as you could get, as though desperate for him to understand her.

"He told me he'd hurt Grogu if I didn't stay with him" she said quickly, as though fretfully trying to rationalise her actions, her lip trembling and her breath hitching in her throat as she gave a sob. "I-I didn't know what else to do, Din. I was scared he'd hurt him and I-..."

She sobbed again, trailing off.

Din searched her face, her honest, tearful eyes staring back at him.

That was why she'd stayed? Blackmail?

Din felt his heart thudding in his chest.

All that pain and hurt Lysa had been willing to go through, for the sake of protecting Grogu.

Dank farrik.

Din felt like he could take no more of this. All along she could have been safe with them, but Crix had beaten her down, quite literally. Convinced her that his wrath was terrible. Not an impossible thing given the violence he'd imparted upon her through the years.

Crix deserved the sorriest of ends for this.

For what he had put Lysa through.

And it seemed that for the first time now, she could see that.

Din swallowed hard as he looked down at her now, but Lysa mouthed at the air for a moment before speaking again.

"He's coming." she said quickly, with another shake of her head. "Crix is coming here. A-At nightfall. Him, and his friends. I don't know what they're going to do but-"

She took in a shaky breath, her eyes wide and desperate.

"You and Grogu," she continued, her eyes shifting to a point over Din's shoulder. He looked to where her gaze had landed and saw his son now standing on the top step of the porch, watching the pair. "You have to get out of here. You have to go!"

Her words were urgent, pleading with him now.

He could see in her eyes just how scared she was. Just how dangerous she believed Crix to be.

All those years of abuse and violence inflicted upon her by the thug, taking its toll.

But Din's panic had now disintegrated.

For no matter how barbaric Crix was....Din knew that he was far worse.

Din Djarin was a bounty hunter. Paid to hurt and hunt people his entire adult life.

And he was very, very good at his job.

Infamous.

Revered.

And there was no way that a small group of thugs was going to hurt either him or Grogu. It was laughable really. But he still needed to prepare, he knew that.

For out here, with his cabin easily able to be surrounded, they were a target.

Din merely let his thumb trace across Lysa's cheek once more reassuringly, causing her to look at him, her breathing settling slightly.

There was no way Din was going to let anything happen to Lysa again. Not now that she was safe with him. And so he would take down Crix, if that's what it took.

He checked the position of the now-low sun.

They'd have two hours if they were lucky.

For Din Djarin- Mandalorian and Bounty Hunter - already had a plan forming in his head. Precise. Clean. Just as he liked it.

"Listen to me..." he uttered in a calm yet firm tone, gazing into Lysa's eyes as he spoke.

"...I need you to take me to the Jawas."

..................................................

What did you think?

Thinking of extending this fic (it was originally supposed to be around 25 chapters) but I have some interesting ideas.

I'd love to know what you think?