The Mandalorian's Bounties | Din Djarin

Chapter 16 | The Rescue (Part 3)

Din holds Cordelia tighter, wary of the Jedi.

"Uh, yes. Do I know you?" She asks. The Jedi frowns.

"You don't remember me?" He asks. She shakes her head.

"No. I don't remember my past." She answers. He takes a step forward and Din shifts Cordelia behind him. The Jedi looks between the two of them curiously before turning his attention to Cordelia.

"I may be able to help you remember. Would you like me to?" He asks. She nods, shifting to hold Din's hand as the Jedi approaches. He moves his hand and touches her temple, closing his eyes. Nothing happens for a moment, then suddenly it's like a dam breaks in her mind, all her past memories returning. Cordelia gasps as the Jedi steps back.

"Luke?" She says as she looks at him. He smiles.

"Welcome back, Cory." He says. She laughs and moves forward to hug him. He hugs her back, careful of her wounds. He pulls away, replacing the smile on his face with a serious expression. Cordelia moves back to Din's side.

"I'll explain everything to you later." Cordelia tells Din. She places her hand on his chest and turns to Luke. "This is my husband..." She trails off and looks up at him. He nods and she smiles. "This is my husband, Din." She says. Luke's eyes widen at the word, but he quickly returns back to a neutral expression.

"Congratulations." He says.

Luke's attention shifts to Grogu as he peeks out from behind the chair he sits in. He holds his hand out.

"Come, little one." He says. Din and Cordelia turn to look at Grogu and he looks at them, tilting his head. He coos softly.

"He doesn't want to go with you." Din tells Luke.

"He wants your permission. He is strong with the Force, but talent without training is nothing. I will give my life to protect the Child...but he will not be safe until he masters his abilities." He explains. Din and Cordelia move to stand in front of Grogu. Din lifts him into his arms and holds them between them.

"Hey, go on. That's who you belong with. He's one of your kind." Din says. Cordelia blinks away tears as she looks down at Grogu. He reaches his arms towards both of them and Cordelia smiles at him.

"We'll see you again." She says. Din nods.

"We promise." He adds.

Grogu coos, reaching up to touch his helmet. He leans back and looks between them. Din reaches up with his other hand and removes his helmet. Grogu looks at his face and reaches up, cupping his jaw. He does the same with Cordelia and they both close their eyes, fighting tears.

"All right, pal. It's time to go." Din says, sensing that Cordelia won't be able to hold her tears back much longer. Grogu whines, looking between them. "Don't be afraid." He tells him. Cordelia nods, forcing a smile. Din crouches and sets Grogu down. He stands and wraps his arm around Cordelia, pulling her into his side.

Grogu coos, clutching onto each of their boots. Beeping sounds before R2 rolls into the room, stopping next to Luke. Grogu turns to look at the droid, who beeps as he approaches. Grogu coos at him and he beeps, dancing at him. Din and Luke share a nod before Luke grabs Grogu.

"May the Force be with you." He says before turning and walking down the hallway, Grogu watching them over his shoulder. They enter the elevator and Grogu turns to look at them before the door closes.

As soon as the door closes, Cordelia turns and buries her face in Din's neck, letting her tears fall. He buries his face in her hair and they hold each other tight as they cry.

***

Cordelia sighs, watching the children running around and playing together. Din sits next to her and wraps his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his side. 

"I miss him." She whispers, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"I do too. But he's getting the training he needs." He replies. She nods, shifting to sit in his lap. She wraps her arms around him and rests her head on his chest. 

"Luke's my brother-in-law. His twin sister, Leia, married my brother, Han. I have another brother, Chewie. He's not my biological brother like Han, but he helped raise me and he's always been there when I needed him." She explains. She laughs. "He's a Wookiee." 

"A wookiee?" He asks. She nods.

"I have a nephew. His name is Ben. I think he'd be around five now." She says, softly. She looks up at him and frowns. "When I'm not so..." She trails off, glancing down at her leg and hovering her hand over the bandage on her chest. "Can we visit them?" She asks. 

"Of course, Riduur." He replies, leaning down to rest his helmet against her forehead. A throat clears in front of them and they pull away.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I've brought your dinners." Omera says, smiling at them and holding a tray with two meals. Din stands, setting Cordelia on her feet before taking the tray.

"Thank you. For the meals and for letting us stay here." He says. She nods.

"Stay as long as you need." She replies before leaving to return to Winta. Din balances the tray on his arm and helps Cordelia inside to the bed. They sit, the tray between them, and begin eating. 

"Where do they live?" Din asks as they eat. Cordelia looks at him, confused.

"Who?" She asks. He chuckles.

"Your brother and his family. What planet are they on?" He clarifies.

"Chandrilla, I think." Cordelia says. She pauses to think. "Well, that's where they lived last time I visited."

"How long ago did you see them?" He asks. She sighs and frowns.

"Three years ago. I had been visiting them as much as I could between jobs, but one of Han's friends had told me it was dangerous for them. I told Han that I had a big job and I wasn't sure when the next time I'd be able to visit would be. That was about a year and a half before I woke up with the Nikto. I did jobs for a couple months after that before that same friend approached me." She explains. 

Her voice shakes as she talks, remembering what happened. Din shoves the food aside and pulls her into his lap, cradling her to his chest and running his fingers through her hair.

"He told me that someone had taken Ben and lured me to the camp. He knocked me out and sold me to the Nikto, knowing the Empire had put a bounty on my head. Then, next thing I know, I'm waking up in a strange place with a little baby." She says. Din kisses her forehead before resting his head on hers.

"At least a horrible situation led to something amazing." He says quietly. She leans back to smile up at him, cupping his cheek.

"It really did." Cordelia says. She kisses him before curling up against his chest. "I love you, Din."

"I love you too, Cordelia." He says, kissing the top of her head.

Hey guys! One more chapter before we begin BoBF :)

EDIT: OMG I just realized I uploaded the wrong version when I published this chapter sorry guys lol. It's just a little more at the end of the chapter to finish explaining what happened.