Hello friends! I'm afraid it's been a long time since I updated. I ended up needing to take a little time away to get a handle on real life stuff. But I'm back! I hope you are all well and healthy. Enjoy!

Happy Reading!

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Yara woke with a pounding a headache. She blinked and tried to figure out why she was half hanging off her bed. It took her another second to realize Mando was still in her room. He was sitting on the floor with his back up against her bed, one hand up as he held her hand in his sleep. Yara had rolled over onto her side, her body curled around his shoulders to be as close as possible. At some point the kid must have come in, because she didn't remember him being there when she fell asleep, but he was now curled up between her stomach and Mando's shoulders.

There was no way for her to separate herself from the two of them without waking them both. Mando got so little sleep as it was she didn't want to disturb him. She closed her eyes and focused on her own breathing. She could hear the hum of the hyperdrive engine running and she tried to piece together her fractured memories. Images of the night before became foggy after she had returned to the healing baths for the second time. She could only catch flashes and feelings. It reminded her of her powers.

Humiliatingly, the thing she did remember clearly was throwing herself at Mando. Or rather she remembered Mando holding her away from him as she tried to press up against him. She would have groaned aloud if she wasn't so afraid of waking the other two. Her pounding headache hardly seemed like punishment enough for what a fool she had made of herself.

She felt when Mando woke, his fingers tightening around hers a moment before he moved. She pinched her eyes shut, and feigned sleep. She didn't know how she was going to face him after all that had happened, and the ship was too small to avoid him. She might as well vent herself out the airlock.

Mando was incredibly gentle and surprisingly silent as he untangled their fingers and slid away. She breathed for a few moments, thankful for the moment of peace. Then she felt small, cool hands touching her face and a quiet coo. She opened her eyes to see the child staring at her. He chittered excitedly when he saw she was awake and she exhaled.

"All right, Green Bean," she agreed and she sat up. "Go on, I'll be right there." The child jumped down from her bed and scampered out of her room.

She heard the door to the fresher open and Mando walked past her open door. He hesitated for a moment in the doorway, his large frame filling the space as his helmet pointed in Yara's direction. "How are you feeling?" he asked. As usual his voice betrayed nothing and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

Yara pushed herself to her feet and picked up the kid so she had something to focus on other than her humiliation. "I'm okay. I have a bit of a headache," she added sheepishly.

"I'm not surprised," Mando said. "What do you remember?" he asked carefully.

Yara swallowed. "Some," she confessed, then because she wasn't willing to lie to him she pushed on. "Pretty much everything until I went back into the baths," she said. "Then everything else is pretty much gone." The child wiggled in her hands, and she obligingly put him down. He tottled over to a stack of crates and began climbing them.

Mando nodded. "When they realized we were there they turned up the drugs in the steam. I was worried it was too much," he said and he took a step closer to her. His helmet was tipped slightly to the side and she could knew he was looking her over, looking for any evidence she was unwell.

Yara frowned. She hasn't realized how close she had come to overdosing. She had vague memories of Mando carrying her through the city. Then later of him holding her against his slick armor in the fresher as his hands moved over her skin trying to rid it of any remnant of the drug.

A blush heated her cheeks at that particular memory and she looked down at her hands. "Are you okay?" she asked after a moment.

Mando nodded. "I have a filter in the helmet," he said.

Yara breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good. Did you get the information we needed?"

Mando nodded again. "He's being held in one of the Pyke's bases on Batuu. We are about twenty-four hours out still if you want to get some more sleep," he said and he turned to go as though nothing had happened between them.

While Yara was mortified over the snaps of memories she found, she couldn't stand the thought of pretending like it hadn't happened. That just might drive her more crazy than her embarrassment. "Mando," Yara called and he stopped and turned back to face her. His body was so still it was impossible to tell what he was thinking. "I'm sorry," she said in a quiet voice and she looked down at her hands.

Mando took a step towards her but stopped himself. Their physical closeness from the night before had come from the drugs lowering her inhibitions and he wouldn't push himself into her space. "No," he said and his voice held a quiet command.

Yara lifted her chin with a frown. "No?" she asked, a little of her usual fire shining in her eyes.

Mando was almost light headed with relief to see the glimmer of Yara's temper in her eyes. He cleared his throat. "I should never have sent you in there, and once I knew what was happening I should never have let you go back. You could have been killed by the amount of drugs they began pumping into that room. They were trying to kill us and you had already had a large dose."

"You couldn't have known-"

Mando grunted. "I know better than to ignore my instincts. You trusted me to protect you and watch your back. I failed you. I'm sorry."

Yara blinked and then shook her head. Her temples were still pounding and she felt like she wasn't following the conversation. "You have no reason to be sorry. We were on a job and we finished the job...but the way I behaved..." she dragged off and ran a hand through her tangled hair.  "I'm sorry you had to deal with that," she settled on saying.

Mando made a noise in his throat and moved towards her. When there were only inches between them he dropped his chin so he was looking straight down into her face. It was at times like this he wished he could feel her heat, but the armor kept him from feeling that too.

Yara sucked in a surprised breath but couldn't seem to drag her eyes off the inky black T of his helmet as Mando stepped into her space. His eyes had to be on her face, she could feel it like a feather light caress. There was no avoiding him when he was this close. With the drugs still in her system her powers were at their peak and she could feel his energy all around her. It was just as intense as usual but now it felt strangely focused. She shivered as his energy seemed to reach out and touch her.

Mando noticed her shiver and he cocked his helmet to the side once. "Are you sorry?" He asked and his voice was more husky than usual as it growled through the vocoder.

Yara's eyes were locked on his helmet and she licked her lips nervously. Mando's muscles seemed to lock down even more as though he were restraining himself.

"I-" she started to stammer. Her heart was pounding so loudly in her ears she would be surprised if he couldn't hear it. She let out a shuddering breath.

"Because I'm not," he said and his voice was low and husky. He moved then, lifting his hand incredibly slowly as though he were trying not to spook her. His hands came together and Yara watched in fascination as he pulled on the fingers of one of the gloves. With a final tug he freed his hand.

Yara felt her eyes widen as she saw his naked skin. She felt somehow scandalized. Although she had been all but naked the night before, seeing his bare hand felt somehow more intimate. His skin was honey colored, a couple shades darker than her own. Still moving painfully slowly he raised his hand and his warm fingers glided, feather light against her cheekbone.

"I would never see you hurt," he told her honestly. "And I'm sorry I betrayed your trust," he said and she could hear the deep remorse in his tone. He would blame himself for this for a long time. She had been around him long enough to know she would have forgiven him long before he would ever be able to forgive himself.

"But I'm not sorry about this," he said, his voice low and husky. The backs of his bare fingers glided down the line of her jaw in a feather light touch. She shivered as his warm hand traced her face. He moved so slowly and carefully, as though he were afraid of breaking her.

Well, she was tougher than that. Her heart racing she lifted her hand and covered the back of his, forcing him into more contact and to cup her cheek. She could feel the contained strength of him and it made her shivery. "I'm not sorry either," she told him resolutely, lifting her eyes to gaze straight into her own reflection in his helmet.

Mando leaned forward and rested his helmet against her forehead.

Yara let her eyes drift closed and just enjoyed the closeness. She knew it had some sort of significance among Mandalorians, but she didn't want to spoil this quiet moment between them by asking. She felt it then. Like a key turning a lock, or the shift of the hand of some giant clock. Something in motion had settled.

With the weight of that certainty in her chest she closed her eyes. Brand new flashes lit the backs of her eyelids. There were almost too many to count, too many to remember. Blaster fights, the child sleeping, the Razor Crest covered in frost, a black battle droid, Mando's hand cupping her cheek, Mando reaching his hands up and lifting his helmet. In her mind's eye she could see first his neck, then his jaw...Yara's eyes snapped open in shock and she jerked back. Somehow even in her mind it felt like an invasion of his privacy.

"Are you all right?" Mando asked, tipping his helmet to the side. He immediately dropped his hand from her skin and moved as though he would put space between them.

Yara snatched his hand with her own and laced her fingers with his before he could think to pull away.  The weight of certainty had come from just this small contact between the two of them. She didn't know how to explain what she felt and saw to him, or how to explain that they had somehow sealed their fates. It sounded crazy even in her own head.

"I just saw..." she shook her head and her temples began pounding. She winced and reached up to cup her forehead.

"What did you see?" Mando asked. He reached up with his other hand and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Too much," she said and she winced again.

"You need to get some rest," Mando said firmly and he turned her back to the bed.

Yara nodded, even though she wanted to argue she knew that she wouldn't be free of the flashes or the accompanying migraine until the last of the drugs were flushed out of her system. Yara laid back down obediently and Mando pulled her blanket back up around her.

"Get some rest," he told her. "Let's get this di'kut, get him back to his family, and then we can get out of this system," he said.

Yara nodded and rolled onto her side. Mando dimmed the lights, but left the door open. Outside, she could hear him speaking softly to the child. She smiled contentedly.

She blinked and between one heartbeat and another she saw Mando running across a desert screaming for the kid. Cold griped her like a fist closing inside her chest. Yara shivered and snapped her eyes back open. She was seeing things she didn't want to see. She pulled the blankets more tightly around her shoulders. She fought the urge to blink until her eyes watered.

When she couldn't resist it anymore in the blackness she heard her own voice, frantically calling for someone to dim...or something...she couldn't make it out. It didn't make any sense. That was the worst part of the flashes. She never knew what they meant and had never been able to do anything to change them even if she did understand. She hated it.

She rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling of her quarters. The power had taken away all of the happy warmth that had filled her literally in the blink of an eye. She didn't want to know what was coming. The Imps had called it a gift, but it wasn't a gift. It was a curse.

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Yara set her jacket aside and shook her hair out of its long braid. The loose curls fell in waves down her back and she tousled them to give it a more wild, sexy look. Satisfied with her appearance she stepped out of the fresher and nearly collided with Mando.

"You aren't ready," he said looking her up and down.

"Sure I am," she said flashing him a bright smile. They had landed on Batuu five hours ago and Mando had managed to find the location of the Pyke's establishment. Now they just needed to find their way in.

"We are going to a bar to try and gather information and earn a way into their good graces," she said and she gestured to herself. "This might be easier than shooting our way in."

"I wasn't going to shoot our way in," Mando grumbled.

"Look," Yara said shrugging her satchel over her head and tucking her blaster inside. "The Pyke's are known for running a Sabacc table. We'll go a few times, I'll flirt a little, and eventually I'll get an invite to the game. We don't always have to kill everyone."

"I wasn't going to kill everyone," Mando grumbled defensively.

Yara's eyebrows lifted challengingly, a smirking twisted her lips, but she didn't say anything.

"Where's your jacket and your blaster?" Mando asked looking around. Yara was wearing only the small one shouldered crop top that left the smooth expanse of her stomach exposed. She had also left her bandolier and thigh holster behind, leaving her unarmed. Neither option was acceptable to him. After what happened in the steam baths he was feeling particularly protective.

Yara smiled at him placatingly. "It's hard to earn trust with a blaster on your hip. I've got it in my bag. Now, I'm just little old non-threatening me. Trust me, they'll invite me to their game and they will open the door for us to get into their backroom."

"And if they don't?" Mando challenged. He didn't like the idea of dangling her out like bait for the first high level Pyker who took a fancy to her.

Yara shot him an impish look over her shoulder as she strode down the ramp. "Then we can kill everyone," she said and she winked at him.

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Yara and Mando headed into the canteen. The two of them took a table and sat across from one another. Yara ordered a drink and they watched the band as it played. The barkeep came and set the beverage down in front of her but his eyes never wavered from the Mandalorian. It was obvious, looking around that Mando was the most dangerous person in the room. It didn't surprise Yara at all when the barkeep slipped back behind the bar and pulled out a small communicator. No doubt he was warning the Pykes that a Mandalorian had ventured onto their territory.

"You know," Yara said teasingly once they were alone. "I'm not sure anyone is going to buy that you are here for a good time," she said with a smile.

Mando sat back in his chair and continued to look imposing. "I'm obviously here are your bodyguard," he said.

Yara nodded and laughed as she took a sip of her beverage.

Mando didn't miss how many of the men glanced Yara's way when she laughed. It was low and husky and made a man stand up and take notice. Some moved as though they would come over to talk to her, but when they saw him they quickly turned and hustled away. He tried not to be too pleased about that. He crossed his arms over his chest and sat beside her. He had never been jealous or possessive of a woman before, but for some reason he wanted to shield Yara from all these people.

He hadn't initially agreed with her plan, but now that they were sitting here, he couldn't deny it was a good one. It would have been tough to fight their way in here. They were going to have to finess it a little. He refused to let her out of his sight however after what had happened. She still seemed tired and although she hadn't said anything he knew she hadn't slept much since. He wasn't willing to risk her. The job just wasn't worth it.

A young man approach. "Hello darlin," he greeted. "What's your poison?" he asked nodding to her cup.

Yara looked down at the glass with a bored expression on her face. A slow smirk stretched her face as she looked the man up and down as though she were impressed with what she saw. Yara could actually feel Mando's tension ratchet up one more notch  as she flirted, but she kept her eyes glued on the young man across from her. She shoved her glass back as though it held no interest.

"Sabacc, actually," she said. "I was hoping to find a game, but it doesn't look promising," she said glancing around at the tables filled with drinkers but no games.

The young man glanced towards Mando. Yara hadn't felt Mando move but the young man stiffed as though Mando had threatened him. It seemed the young man had good instincts. It would make him harder to manipulate.

"Don't mind him," Yara said dismissively with a flip of her fingers. "My bodyguard."

The young man snorted, suddenly feeling very confident. He dropped into the seat across from Yara. "Does you body need guarding?" he asked, his voice dropping an octave.

Yara resisted the incredible desire to roll her eyes at his poor attempt at flirting. She wondered if any of the other women on this planet actually fell for lines like these.

Mando's energy was like a living thing beside her. A live wire trembling with unspent potential. She was going to need to direct this conversation before Mando lost his normally impenetrable self control.

"Father's idea," Yara said, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "Won't let me go anywhere without it."

The young man glanced back at Mando as though he were a specimen to be studied. "Is it really a Mandalorian?"

"Only the best," Yara said with a wink. She waved at the barkeep, who came and refilled her cup. She took a sip and turned to flirt with the young man again. She laid her hand on his forearm and batted her eyelashes as him. "So about that game..."

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Hello all I hope you enjoyed the update! Sorry again about the break. Thank you for your continued support!