With Rey securely in his arms, he sweeps out the backdoor and hovers under the cover of the awning, taking a quick scan for the cameras before doing his best to zigzag around them, pretending it's a silly dance to entertain his child, and no one pays him much mind as he waltzes his way down the street into the nearby alleyway. "Rey, my little star," he starts, tucking her briefly in such a way that he can look her directly at her, a co-conspirator. "We are going to find Mama and Javi, okay? But I need you to do something for me. We are going to go on this adventure as quietly as we can. Think of it like a surprise, so they will not know when we come."
Her eyes light up and she nods eagerly, happy to be included in a game. "Okay papa!"
"No matter what happens, who or what you might see." He wishes he had hats, or different clothes to change into, but overall it's still not the worst starting point for a potential extraction. Rey nods her assent, and Cassian leans in to kiss her forehead. "And no complaints that papa is carrying you the whole time."
It's something Cassian has done many, many times. Point A to Point B, primary location to safehouse, but he has never done it with a child in tow, much less his own. It brings another level of paranoia to his brain, as though that were even possible. But he and Jyn, over and over since she was born, have remarked on how perceptive their daughter is, and that surprise carries now as he moves dangerously into the streets of Coruscant. She doesn't ask why they took a different door, and for the first twenty minutes after they start moving, Rey is silent, curling her head against her father's chest.
There is a very easy way to reach the safehouse, but Cassian does not take it. He checks for all the usual signs of a tail and finds nothing overt, though he knows there are cameras across the city. He carries only his work bag, trusting that Jyn packed up as much of their life as she could; the only thing he dared to shove inside besides his personal datapad was some of Rey's art hanging at his desk, and even then, he'd left up a handful of pieces to cast off suspicion. Any Stormtrooper sighting is met with a casual turn down another street, and this haphazard path undoubtedly adds at least an hour to his descent, but it stops them from being noticed, from being followed. Coruscant is a maze, one he is taking advantage of.
Rey is fascinated by the lower levels, picking up her head when they descend. She tries her absolute best to stay quiet, going so far as to slap a hand over her mouth like she's caught herself. "Almost there," he whispers in her ear, sensing her tiny body's impatience. She is probably hungry and thirsty and ready to use the bathroom, but Cassian marvels at how well she's handling the trip.
He finally reaches the safehouse, but for a moment he just stands there. He refused to think about the possibility of Jyn and Javi not being inside, but now that he is here it creeps up on him. He doesn't think he could bear it to find an empty room. Sensing his hesitance, Rey reaches up and pats his cheek. "Surprise now?"
"Yes," he says, swallowing nervously but offering her a smile. He sets her on the ground, guiding her to stand beside the door, hiding her from the inside. Just in case. "Your part is the most important. After I say your name, and only then, I want you to pop out and run inside, okay?"
She nods, a soldier on a mission, and he once again drops a kiss to her head before he moves to the lock and carefully, slowly puts in the code to open the door. The number is known only to him, the first code only to Jyn. It beeps with success and slides open, leaving him staring face to face with his wife in the doorway, blaster aimed at his face, but the utter relief that fills his own face, that sinks his shoulders - it's like there's no gun at all.
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Her eyes light up and she nods eagerly, happy to be included in a game. "Okay papa!"
"No matter what happens, who or what you might see." He wishes he had hats, or different clothes to change into, but overall it's still not the worst starting point for a potential extraction. Rey nods her assent, and Cassian leans in to kiss her forehead. "And no complaints that papa is carrying you the whole time."
It's something Cassian has done many, many times. Point A to Point B, primary location to safehouse, but he has never done it with a child in tow, much less his own. It brings another level of paranoia to his brain, as though that were even possible. But he and Jyn, over and over since she was born, have remarked on how perceptive their daughter is, and that surprise carries now as he moves dangerously into the streets of Coruscant. She doesn't ask why they took a different door, and for the first twenty minutes after they start moving, Rey is silent, curling her head against her father's chest.
There is a very easy way to reach the safehouse, but Cassian does not take it. He checks for all the usual signs of a tail and finds nothing overt, though he knows there are cameras across the city. He carries only his work bag, trusting that Jyn packed up as much of their life as she could; the only thing he dared to shove inside besides his personal datapad was some of Rey's art hanging at his desk, and even then, he'd left up a handful of pieces to cast off suspicion. Any Stormtrooper sighting is met with a casual turn down another street, and this haphazard path undoubtedly adds at least an hour to his descent, but it stops them from being noticed, from being followed. Coruscant is a maze, one he is taking advantage of.
Rey is fascinated by the lower levels, picking up her head when they descend. She tries her absolute best to stay quiet, going so far as to slap a hand over her mouth like she's caught herself. "Almost there," he whispers in her ear, sensing her tiny body's impatience. She is probably hungry and thirsty and ready to use the bathroom, but Cassian marvels at how well she's handling the trip.
He finally reaches the safehouse, but for a moment he just stands there. He refused to think about the possibility of Jyn and Javi not being inside, but now that he is here it creeps up on him. He doesn't think he could bear it to find an empty room. Sensing his hesitance, Rey reaches up and pats his cheek. "Surprise now?"
"Yes," he says, swallowing nervously but offering her a smile. He sets her on the ground, guiding her to stand beside the door, hiding her from the inside. Just in case. "Your part is the most important. After I say your name, and only then, I want you to pop out and run inside, okay?"
She nods, a soldier on a mission, and he once again drops a kiss to her head before he moves to the lock and carefully, slowly puts in the code to open the door. The number is known only to him, the first code only to Jyn. It beeps with success and slides open, leaving him staring face to face with his wife in the doorway, blaster aimed at his face, but the utter relief that fills his own face, that sinks his shoulders - it's like there's no gun at all.
"Jyn."