Y/N's P.O.V.

"I don't like this. What does the empire want with a baby?" I muttered as the creature's carrier followed us through the desert.

I silently wished we had made more of an effort to tie up the Blurrgs, to stop them from escaping, but at the time, it didn't even cross my mind and the blaster fire from the fight must have scared them off.

"I don't know. But I don't like it either." Mando admitted. We walked in silence for a while, the child occasionally letting out small noises, making me look at him.

Mando froze suddenly, making me stop and look at him as he put his hand over his blaster. I did the same, seconds before we were attacked. A bounty hunter jumped from the cliffs above and Mando pushed the child out of harms way, whilst he fought off the intruder.

I stayed by the kid, just as another 3 men jumped down and attacked. One of them came directly towards me, but he deflected my blaster fire, swinging his weapon at me. I moved out of the way, before shooting him again, but missing. He charged at me and I pulled the dagger from my belt, using it to slit his throat. I saw one of the attackers moving towards the child and I ran towards them, pulling the carrier out of the way as Mando blasted the intruder into dust. A fob tracker, the same one both me and Mando had, lay on the floor and I took a few breaths, leading the child forward.

Bounty hunters were still after him and they would be until we made it back to Nevarro.

"You're hurt." I muttered, moving towards Mando, but he turned away.

"It's nothing." He sighed stubbornly and continued walking. The child babbled as we walked, my attention drawn to his small figure.

The client was ex-Imperial. What did they want with a kid?

It soon began to get dark and I knew that we had to rest. Mando was hurt and without the Blurrgs, it was going to be a long walk back to the ship.

"Let's stop for a while. I'm exhausted and you're hurt. We're not going to get very far if we don't." Mando didn't argue, he just sat down in the sand as I gathered anything that could be used to build a fire. It was surprisingly cold in the desert at night.

"You wanna do the honours?" I asked and Mando raised his arm, activating his flamethrower and lighting the fire.

He pulled something from his belt, before turning his attention to the cut on his arm. He attempted to close the wound by cauterising it, but he was clearly struggling.

"Here." I held my hand out and he hesitated.

"You don't have to." He mumbled and I rolled my eyes, taking the small device. I sat next to him and a grunt left his throat as I continued to cauterise the cut. It wasn't big, or even that deep, but cauterising was a painful process. Besides, it was better than getting an infection. He took shaky breaths and I adjusted my hold on the tool, placing one of my hands on his arm.

"Almost done." I sighed and the child appeared next to me, making me freeze. It looked even smaller when it was free and it just reminded me that he was a literal baby, making me feel more guilty about the job.

He held up his hands and closed his eyes and I handed Mando back his tool, before picking the infant up.

"Hey, buddy. What are you up to?" I asked softly, placing him back down in his carrier. He giggled slightly and I couldn't stop the smile that settled on my lips.

"I think we earned the Beskar, don't you?" Mando sighed.

"Yeah, I suppose." I shrugged, covering my mouth as I yawned.

"Not that it matters."

"What do you mean?" He seemed genuinely confused and I reached into my pocket, pulling out the block of precious metal I was given as a down payment.

"It doesn't belong to me." I offered it him and although I couldn't see his face, I could tell he was confused.

"Beskar belongs to the Mandalorians. Take it. You can have my share of the Bounty too."

"You're serious?" He asked, taking it from me.

"I have no use for Beskar. I could sell it, make a lot of money, but why bother? No one can weld it properly, only the Mandalorian blacksmiths know the secrets to Beskar and I have a feeling you're in need of some new armour." He laughed slightly.

"Think of it as a 'thank you'. You've saved my life more than once, Mando. You deserve it."

"Thank you, Y/N." He replied sincerely and I gave him a tired smile.

"You should rest. I'll stay up and keep watch for a few hours and then we'll swap."

"Thanks, Mando." I sighed, lying down and getting as comfortable as possible on the ground.

It wasn't easy, considering the ground was made of sand, but I was tired and I didn't complain.

I closed my eyes and barely a second later, there was a small tug on my arm. I opened my eyes, looking at the child.

"Leave her alone, come on." Mando scooped him up and placed him back down in his carrier and I knew that I could relax around Mando.

Unlike most Bounty Hunters, the Mandalorian was loyal to his friends and I knew I could trust him not to stab me in the back as I slept.