Wrest Pin | The Mandalorian

Chapter Sixteen: The Interlude III

It was so quiet.

A painful and awkward quiet aboard the cruiser. Gideon's unconscious body only feet away as they flew to Nevarro with the intention to rendezvous with New Republic personnel that would take him in, and everyone she supposed would go their separate ways. Evangeline sat tucked at one of the desks, Grogu hugged close to her in her lap, his eyes closed as he slept. Maybe finally feeling safe enough to do so restfully. Her head turned slightly, trying to listen to the conversation Mando and Bo-Katan were having...A deep argument about the sword...About Mandalore. About Bo-Katan believing Mando should be the one to rally their people since he had been the one to win the sword and she just wouldn't take it from him – no matter how many times he offered it to her.

Finally she peeked over her shoulder in the chair, peering around the back to see them all standing there. Cara and the other two were a few feet away – clearly giving them space to debate over what they were doing. Evangeline was mostly relieved Bo-Katan didn't seem to want to kill Mando for the sword. But...if they had been oppressed by the Empire, and then Mando had won the sword from one of the lead imperials, it may not look good for Bo-Katan to snatch it from him and murder him. At least that was what she thought...Her eyes drifted to Gideon's motionless form. It was almost funny...If what had happened, hadn't.

Mando must have finished arguing because he whirled around and walked towards Evangeline. Evangeline sat there staring as he drew closer to her and she was struggling greatly with what had transpired. Everything, everything felt like it was crashing down around her. Like that secret she had spent so long trying to hide had come to the surface at the most inopportune time – as secrets always seemed to do. She wished she could take it back, she wished she could have been the one to tell him the truth instead of either Gideon or whoever since it had appeared they already knew before they had arrived. And then Gideon had made them say those vows...Words she didn't even know. She had no idea what she had said – but somehow it was a 'wedding' coated in terror at the prospect of having the Child's head cut off.

Mando grabbed the chair she was slouched in, the baby still tucked safely to her chest, snoring as he always did. Mando questioned, "Is he alright?"

"He's tired," Evangeline whispered as not to disturb him, her heart racing at him having approached her...At him speaking to her...Being so close, "I think they...Y'know took a lot of blood from him."

She paused, then tried to begin in a croak...

"Din – "

He interrupted, causing her to jump, "I told you, we're not talking about it here."

"Then where?" Evangeline replied, voice shaky. Then the words poured out like she was on the verge of breaking down like she had done when she had pointed the blaster at Gideon, "I-I don't even know what I said, or what we just did...I don't understand, and – "

He snapped, voice modulated and low so the others couldn't hear, she supposed, or maybe not to wake Grogu's heavy sleep, "You know what I don't understand? The fact that you're apparently carrying my child and that you've known about it for a while, and yet here I am, being told about it by Imperials."

Guilt mumbled. She deserved it. She had refused for so long to say anything about it – to spit it out and just admit it. But it felt like the hardest thing she had ever done. The most difficult thing in the world, and now in retrospect, it would have been better to tell him herself. It must have been painful for him to hear it from someone else. Evangeline squeezed Grogu closer, and Mando turned, walking away without another word to her. She couldn't blame him, but another part of her was terribly frightened. She felt so alone there, on the ship, and she turned back around in the chair, only staring down at Grogu's sleeping face. It calmed her...Because if nothing else – Grogu was safe.