The Child's Keeper: A Mandalorian FanFiction

Episode 4, Part 2: A New Home

Before long, as the shuttle continued, Mando had fallen asleep. He looked comfortable, confident in their safety, but Lys did not feel the same.

She barely slept on their ride out to the village. Lys was still wary of the shock trooper, but she kept her mouth shut and averted her eyes as much as possible throughout the journey.

She already had her hands full with the child anyway. She would have to leave their safety up to Mando, and he seemed to find the woman to not be a threat.

As her mind drifted to Mando, she noticed that he had fallen asleep, with the child sitting beside him, curled up against his leg. The rise and fall of their chests were in synch, and she allowed herself a soft smile for a little moment.

"So you do smile," Cara's voice spoke quietly, bringing Lys' attention away from Din and the child. The woman's face was barely visible from the glow of the heat lamp.

Lys nodded her head slightly, eyeing the woman with caution.

"I get the feeling you don't like me," Cara said.

Lys shook her head. It wasn't that she didn't like her, it was just that she didn't trust her. Not in the same way that she had come to trust Din these past few weeks.

"You just don't trust me yet," Cara said, looking to Lys for confirmation. Once she had nodded, Cara sighed. "And you don't speak either?"

Lys shook her head, looking down at her feet for a second before Cara continued.

"That's fine by me. I appreciate the company anyway," Cara said. "Been a long time since I've had people around me that don't annoy me. And so far, you and Mando don't annoy me," she trailed off for a second. "The kid's pretty cute too."

As if being summoned, the child sat up and opened his eyes, stretching for a second before getting up and waddling over to where Lys sat, holding his arms up to her. She scooped him up, almost cradling him in the sling as he made himself comfortable and cooed against her chest.

"He likes you," Cara commented, noting the way he had grabbed her shirt slightly as he fell back asleep. "Is he yours?"

Lys looked down at him for a moment, thinking to herself, but she looked back up and gave Cara a half-smile. She found herself warming up to the woman, and she finally decided to test the waters.

"Yes and no."

Cara seemed shocked to hear the voice that came out of her mouth. The 's' wasn't very pronounced, with Cara noticing in the glimmer of the lamp light that the tip of Lys' tongue was clipped, making it difficult for her to speak perfectly, but Cara didn't care.

"She does speak," she said, raising an eyebrow. "I thought you might not be able to."

"I can, but I don't like to," Lys admitted. "It's easier to stay silent."

"Do you speak to him?" Cara nodded towards Mando.

"No," she said almost wistfully. "He understands me, though, I feel. He is kind, and he protects both me and the child."

"You like him?"

Lys was silent, she admired him, yes, and was beyond grateful that he had returned to get her from the Imperialists' safe house back on Nevarro. Her eyes turned and watched as his breath rose and fell slowly, the beskar reflecting the dim light of the heat lamps dangling from the little shuttle.

She thought of the way he had allowed her to touch his skin the first day they had met, the way he had taken on a dangerous road just to protect a child from a life of pain, and the way he had turned to her when she had laughed, his body reflecting his surprise. She thought of the way they had argued with each other silently, and the way he had placed his hand on her waist, trying to gently guide her back onto the ship, away from the villagers only a few hours earlier.