Cressida wastes no time in rushing towards the Sarlacc pit and peering anxiousness down inside, praying that Din hasn't passed through yet.

Her heart jumps as she spots Din clinging to the slimy tentacles of the Sarlacc's mouth.

She starts blasting at it, hoping that Din will be able to climb up and out, to safety.

"Here's a rope!" Boba roughly shoves it into Cressida's hands, as he grabs his own blaster and continues to fire at the Sarlacc pit.

Cressida's hands are shaking and she wills them to stop. Din needs her help now.

Cressida tosses the rope down, angling it in Din's direction. His hands are slick with the Sarlacc's saliva and it takes him a few tries to grab ahold of the rope.

Cressida pulls with all her might and suddenly, there's a woman behind her, helping her.

Boba is still firing at the Sarlacc and after a few good heaves, Din is up on the sandy ground, panting and gasping.

Cressida drops her hold on the rope and throws herself down beside Din, putting her arms around him and holding him, despite the fact that he's covered from head to toe in saliva.

Cressida's eyes fill with tears, as she presses her face against Din's slimy helmet.

"I'm sorry, Din. This is my fault. I'm so sorry."

"Hey, I don't blame you. It wasn't your idea to toss me into the Sarlacc pit."

Cressida chuckles, even though she's still crying. She just holds Din in her arms, thankful that he's still alive.

"Looks like we arrived none too soon," Boba says. Din sits up, but Cressida keeps her hands on him.

"Yes," Din replies. "And it's greatly appreciated."

Din moves to stand, Cressida helping him, making certain he doesn't immediately topple back over.

"This is your new partner?" Boba gestures at Cressida.

"You might say that." Din turns his head, looking at the woman with Boba Fett.

Cressida can't help but think the woman looks vaguely familiar, although she doubts that she's met her before.

"And you found a new partner, I see?"

"Fennec Shard."

"I know who you are," Din says. "One of the best assassins out there."

Fennec smirks, looking amused.

"Well. At least you're not stupid."

"If I were, I wouldn't have lived this long," Din remarks dryly.

"What are you doing here?" Cressida asks.

"I should be asking you that." Boba gives Cressida a look.

"We were drugged and brought here. Din was meant to die, obviously. And me?" Cressida shrugs. "Who knows?"

"You work for the Empire?" Fennec narrows her eyes at Cressida.

"No," Din replies before Cressida can answer. "Not anymore she doesn't. She's my partner. And...more."

"You should probably be on your way," Boba says. "Or else those stormtroopers might return, with reinforcements."

"We'd like to," Din says. "Except my ship is about an hour's ride from this spot."

Boba sighs heavily and gestures for Din and Cressida to get on board his ship.

"I had something important to do. However, I think it can wait a while longer."

......

Once Din and Cressida return to the Crest, they waste no time in getting themselves cleaned up.

They're clothing was stiff with the drying saliva and Din was concerned that his armor might begin to rust if it wasn't properly cleaned right away.

Cressida realizes that she doesn't have much to choose from to wear, even though she had picked out some clothes for herself not that long ago.

Din is currently in the refresher, taking a shower, as Cressida peels off her own saliva soaked clothing, dropping it in a small pile on the floor.

Cressida looks over at Din's armor, strewn across the floor, leaning towards the refresher.

She listens to the sounds of the water running through the pipes and Din moving around in there, as he scrubs himself clean.

The water shuts off and Cressida knows that he's finishing up and she'll be next.

Din had wanted Cressida to get cleaned up first, but she argued that he was the one who'd been pushed into Sarlacc pit.

So Din relented and got into the refresher, while Cressida started wiping off his armor.

Din appears in the doorway of his quarters a few moments later, a towel wrapped around his middle.

Cressida immediately looks away, suddenly embarrassed and uncomfortable by seeing Din this way.

"You can get in the refresher now." Din's voice is low and causes Cressida to get tingles inside her stomach.

She stands, reaching over to snatch up another towel and without looking at Din, hurries towards the refresher and slips inside, firmly closing the door.

She strips the rest of her clothing off and steps inside, fiddling with the controls to turn on the water.

Cressida scrubs herself all over with the soap that's in here, massaging some of it into her crusty hair.

Cressida had seen Sarlacc pits before, although she'd never cared to get too close to one.

She thinks of that stormtrooper shoving Din in there and anger bubbles up inside her chest.

She's so tired of running! Why can't she just have a normal life? What's it going to take to be rid of Pallas Vega and the Empire?

Will she always be hunted, until he catches her for good and does whatever he pleases with her?

Cressida finishes cleaning herself and turns off the water, stepping out and reaching to wrap the towel around her.

She exits the refresher and makes her way back to Din's sleeping quarters, where he's mostly dressed, including having his helmet back on.

"I'll leave so you can dress in peace." Din eases himself to a standing position and heads for the door.

"Din," Cressida begins, but stops because her voice is shaking.

Din comes back to her, reaching up and gently caressing her cheek.

"Don't apologize. You didn't do anything wrong." Cressida nods, feeling the tears at the back of her throat.

"You should get dressed before you catch cold. Once you're ready, we'll be heading back to Navarro."

Din does leave the room this time and Cressida fights back her tears as she slowly dresses herself.

.......

Within an hour, Din has the Razor Crest heading towards Navarro. Neither he nor Cressida speak much, each one occupied with their own private thoughts.

Cressida is silently berating herself, as Din is.

Each one angry at themselves for allowing that crap to happen in the first place.

Cressida is beginning to realize that maybe it's for the best if she just...leaves Din.

The very thought causes her actual physical pain. She's in love with Din and she doesn't want to hurt him or for him to be alone.

However, Cressida also doesn't want him to have to live his life, looking over his shoulder because of...her.

Cressida watches as Din prepares to land. She feels a lump forming in her throat.

He's been everything for her these last several weeks and it made Cressida feel something she hasn't felt in years.

Loved.

Din might have his problems, but deep down inside, she knows he's a good man.

Which is only going to make it harder to leave him.