Author's Note: I'm really excited to be releasing this fanfic! I wrote all 20 chapters and 62k in exactly three weeks, so it set something of a record. And since it's done, you'll be getting updates on whatever Tuesdays I'm not releasing something else. :D But updates will be on every fourth Tuesday at least.
Also, this was inspired by MasterQwertster's 'What do you Mean Time Travel?!' Chapter 1. They said anyone can adopt their plots, so I adopted that one. (I'll probably adopt a bunch of the others, but that's neither here nor there, right now. Lol.) The plot is... mostly the same, but not entirely. Just a heads up. Anyways, I hope y'all enjoy this time travel fix-it fic! :D
PS. There is Mando'a in here, and I put all the translations at the end. Let me know if I missed anything! ^-^
~ Amina Gila
The air feels weird, staticky almost, in a way that Din Djarin can't really put into words. Grogu seems to be especially attuned to it if the way he's perked up is any indication. He's alert, far more so than usual. "What –" he begins to say when a strange ripples rushes over him. He blinks, and suddenly, the scene before his eyes shifts. The street doesn't look the same anymore, and there are people in places where they weren't before; they aren't even the same people who were just there a moment ago?
What in the name of Ka'ra is going on?!
"Grogu, are you seeing this too?" Din questions, a bit uncertainly, as he looks down at his child. He had gone to look around the city the morning after he helped Boba – and everyone else – drive the Pyke Syndicate from the planet. He wanted to see how much damage had been done to the city before leaving Tatooine. And now, none of that damage is there anymore.
Grogu's answering coo of acknowledgement is surprisingly serious and apprehensive. Din can't help but fall back into automatic patterns of responding, and after first making sure that his cape is pulled to the side enough to shield his kid from any prying eyes, he takes in their surroundings, taking note of everything. The atmosphere in the crowd seems... excited, almost, but it's a far cry from the relief that everyone was exuding a moment ago in the aftermath of the Pyke Syndicate's defeat.
"I don't like this," Din mutters, slowly walking down the street of the marketplace, finally stopping next to an alley. He scans the crowd, but other than a few curious, interested glances, everyone is ignoring him. Which is good, because Din knows how visible he is in his beskar'gam, and if people are overlooking him, he doesn't need to be on his guard quite as much. At times like this, he really wishes that he and Grogu could communicate better. The kid's inability to speak in any known language really makes it hard for them to figure out together what's going on.
He lets the buzz of conversation sweep over him as he stands there, trying to pick out anything which might help him figure out what's going on. His first thought is that he might have been drugged, but the chances of someone sneaking up at him without him – or Grogu – noticing aren't very high. And then, he hears the name Jabba, so he turns in the general direction of the voice, listening intently.
"– that he invited Gardulla for the Boonta Eve race," a nearby middle-aged human man is avidly saying to a few other individuals.
Okay. There are two – actually three problems with that. One, Jabba is dead; he's been dead for the past five years. Two, Boonta Eve doesn't even occur around this time of year. Third, many people don't celebrate it anymore ever since Jabba was killed; it's a Hutt holiday after all, and Din is well aware of how many were glad to be rid of the despotic Hutt. They celebrated his death. This is – something is very, very wrong.
"We might have a problem, ad'ika," Din murmurs, careful to keep his voice down as he glances down at the baby. He never used to talk much, but all that changed after Grogu came into his life. Din's found it... soothing, in a way, to explain everything that's happening to the kid, and it sometimes helps him sort out his own thoughts on the situation at hand. "It sounds like Jabba is alive, but he's been dead for years."
Grogu babbles incomprehensibly, waving a hand to make a point. The point, however, is completely lost on Din. He suspects that his kid knows more about what's happened than he does, probably because of his Jetii magic. It's still slightly aggravating though, because as much as he would like to make a few inquiries of a passerby, he doesn't even know what to ask. Well, the date perhaps. That's probably the only thing that wouldn't make Din seem like a complete imbecile; walking up to a stranger and trying to clarify if Jabba is dead or not would be... strange, to say the least.
Although asking the date – especially the year – is equally weird, he supposes. He shrugs off any feelings of unease, at least as best he can, before approaching an elderly lady who is the vendor of a fruit stand. "May I ask the date?"
He doesn't care much for the month. Or day. But it's the year that catches his attention. It's 968 ARR. That's – that's –
Dank farrik.
That's a couple years before he was even born (he thinks). He's seen and heard many strange things in his life, but time travel? Not so much. That's a new one, even for him, and it's definitely not something Din has ever heard of before. The woman doesn't say anything or stop him when he wanders off again with a nod of thanks to her.
"We're in the past, buddy. I don't know how that happened or how it's even possible," he tells Grogu, "But here we are." The kid coos, ears twitching.
Din knows how to fend for himself, and his priorities haven't changed. He still needs to protect Grogu and keep him safe, but at least this time, he doesn't need to worry about the Empire hunting him and his child. No one even knows they're here, and that anonymity is more than welcome, especially right now. Din takes a moment to mourn all the friends he had, the people he'll never see again no doubt. But Grogu. Grogu will always be his first priority. Foundlings are the future. This is the Way.
Grogu will be safe if he stays with Din, so that's not a problem. But he does need to find lodgings – and food – soon. And preferably, he'll have to find some work so he can make credits. They'll need it for a new starship. Somehow, Din doubts that whatever brought them here wasn't considerate enough to bring his modified N-1 starfighter, and even if it did come with them, it'll be in B- Jabba's palace. Which is... well, he can't really get it from there anyways, not alone.
The kid coos suddenly, ears perking up as he points a tiny hand in the direction from which they just came. Din stops, looking down at Grogu before glancing back at the fruit stand. There's a young boy with sandy blonde hair approaching it, and he looks scrawny even to Din's eyes. Grogu points again, insistently, and Din finally realize what he wants. Maybe.
"You want me to go over there?" he asks, just to clarify.
Grogu burbles an agreement, and while Din is very uncertain about the kid's reasoning, he does trust his instincts, so he slowly moves back to the stand, unsure what exactly it is that Grogu wants him to do. The boy looks up at his approach, something fearful and apprehensive flickering through his blue eyes as he watches warily. He's skittish, and Din suspects that he'll run if Din gives him a reason to.
There's an awkward pause of silence before Grogu begins trying to climb out of the satchel. "Hey, no, kid, what are you doing?" Din demands, picking up the child and cradling him in his arms. "Don't do that," he scolds. "You could fall." Grogu actually giggles. "I'm serious," he adds, sternly, feeling a mixture of fondness and exasperation.
Then, to his surprise, Grogu twists around, waving his arms at the boy. "What does he want?" asks the child, eyeing Grogu nervously.
"I'm... not sure," Din admits. "Ad'ika?"
Grogu squirms, and Din finally puts him down on the ground. He watches, disbelieving, as the kid toddles over to the mysterious boy and starts tugging on his pant leg, making a pick-me-up gesture. After another hesitation, the boy obliges, holding Grogu gently. "What's his name?"
Din wavers, unsure how to respond to that question. Normally, Mandalorians don't share their names, but Grogu is still only a foundling. "His name is Grogu," he answers.
"I'm Anakin. Anakin Skywalker."
Grogu practically squeals at that. Okay, something is definitely up with him, and from the way he's acting, Din is beginning to wonder if this is someone that Grogu knew in the past. That... is a rather unsettling prospect, because while Din hasn't even begun to think about the ramifications of time travel, or how that will affect the galaxy, he does know that meeting someone you knew in the past before you actually met them will change things. Does it matter? Probably not. Frankly, he doesn't care. It doesn't matter. First of all, he's going to find a way to get Grogu out of Anakin's arms and back in the satchel where he's safe.
"We should go," Din says. Grogu pouts and pointedly clings to Anakin even tighter. Din sighs. This is not going to be easy. Knowing how stubborn his kid can be when he wants to be, Din turns to Anakin instead. "We are searching for a place to stay. Can you direct us somewhere... inexpensive?" He hasn't looked at his credits yet, but he's pretty sure that he has almost nothing that will buy him anything. Most of his credits are New Republic credits which won't really work in the past. How unfortunate.
"You can stay with Mom and I," Anakin offers. He's relaxing now, seeming more at ease with the child in his arms, who seems quite content to stay there. Oh yes. They are having a talk about this afterwards. Grogu cannot simply keep running off to say hi to all the friends or people he used to know in the past. That's... probably not a good idea, and really, they... have more important things to do? Maybe? Like not associating with –
Wait. How could Grogu know anyone unless they're Jetii? The kid is young, too young probably to remember someone from before he was taken by the Jetii, right? Din doesn't know. He doesn't know how those sorcerers work. He doesn't know anything about them at all really, except for their view on attachments. He didn't even know they were real until he met Ahsoka. And Grogu doesn't count. He's only a child, a foundling, not – not a sorcerer. (Yet.)
Unless, of course, this is someone Grogu met afterwards, after the Empire formed and... whatever happened to the Jetii. Din can, and will, ask him, but there's no guarantee that Grogu will even tell him; he's quite certain that the kid will understand, but sometimes, he likes to be stubborn.
"That is generous of you," Din responds. He withdraws the shiny metal ball – the only thing he has left of the Razor Crest – and holds it out to Grogu. "Do you want this?" It's bribery, but Din doesn't really care. He doesn't like it when someone else is holding Grogu, especially someone he doesn't know, and he doubts Anakin would ever hurt another kid, but this whole time-travelling thing is kind of throwing him off balance.
Grogu grabs for it, but Din keep it out of his reach, taking him from Anakin's arms before letting him take it. He pouts a little, for a moment, before settling with the ball, seeming to decide that he doesn't actually care. With that settled, Din turns to Anakin. "Lead the way."
And Anakin does.
The home he takes him to is, Din notes, in the more rundown part of the city, the part where slaves and the poorest live. That alone makes him a bit uncomfortable because he doesn't want to take advantage of these people's generosity. It's a small home lit by small windows and ceiling fixtures. The main room has a table surrounded by chairs, clearly the dining room, of sorts, while the kitchen-area is along one wall, partially, but not really, closed off. Another wall has a work space of some sort, and an opening leads to what Din assumes are sleeping rooms. It's... different, but he's been in worse places.
"Mom!" Anakin yells when he enters, a tension that Din didn't realize was there seeming to mostly disappear. "I'm home! And I brought some people."
An older woman appears, her dark brown hair – which is graying in places – pulled back. Her clothes are worn, and she's visibly startled when she sees them. Din definitely doesn't miss the wariness in her dark brown eyes. She, like her son, seem uneasy around him. Or maybe it's just that they're uneasy around strangers, in general, which begs the question of why Anakin even invited them over. From the way they're both acting, Din suspects that they've been mistreated, probably for a long time. He knows, already, that if he can help him, that if they ask him to help him, he'll do it.
"The kid and I needed somewhere to stay," Din tells her. "I hope we're not intruding."
"No, it's okay," she assures him, relaxing somewhat. There's curiosity in her eyes now. "You're welcome to stay here with us as long as you need to. Have you been around here before?"
Awkward question. Yes, he's been here decades in the future, but he knows how Tatooine operates. He knows how to navigate his way through the city. "Yes, but I don't have any credits right now," he answers. What kind of credits are in use at this point in time? He doesn't know, but it shouldn't be hard to find out. "I'm looking for work."
Her eyebrows rise at that. "Bounty hunter or mercenary?"
"Bounty hunter," Din confirms.
"With a child?"
There's a pause as all eyes turn to Grogu, who twitches an ear, pulling the metal ball away from his mouth as he coos. "He chose to stay with me," Din replies. He doesn't know how to explain his culture and way of life to these people, how to make them understand that children are important. "He is in my care. He is my foundling. I – This is the Way."
Grogu squeals, waving a hand, the ball slipping from his grasp and hitting the floor. Din bends down to pick it up, giving it back to him. He's quite certain that the move was deliberate. Maybe the kid is getting bored of being held and wants to wander, but Din doesn't want to put him down until he's certain it's safe. It's not that he distrusts these people – they are very kind to let him stay with them while he's searching for a job – but it's just the principal of it. He lost Grogu to the Imperial remnants for a short time and was separated from him for a couple months after that when he was with the Jetii. It was hard, harder than Din wants to admit.
He missed the kid, missed him so much that he had wondered how he would be able to continue on as he did before Grogu had come into his life. And then, they were reunited only yesterday, in his mind; he doesn't want to let the kid out of his sight, not yet. In a way, it hardly seems real that they're back together.
"Oh, I apologize. I am Shmi."
"People call me Mando," he says in lieu of giving his own name. He has never shared his name willingly with another for a long time, and he isn't going to change that now.
"Mando?" Anakin echoes, looking him up and down as his eyes widen with a childish excitement. "You're a Mandalorian?"
Din is... more than a little taken aback by that. This wasn't really the reaction he'd expected. Anakin looks as if a dream of his just came true. "Yes, I am."
"Wizard," breathes the child in awe. "I've heard stories, rumors mainly, but I always wondered what you guys were like."
It's... endearing, but the attention is quickly making Din a bit uncomfortable. He dislikes talking or engaging in extended conversations. Grogu is different; he is his child. He's always been different once Din got used to his presence. The kid, thank the Ka'ra, seems to sense Din's discomfort because he makes a demanding noise. Din obliges, kneeling to put him on the floor. And he toddles off on a seemingly self-imposed mission to look around their dwelling.
"Stay close to me, ad'ika," Din reminds.
He watches Grogu for another few moments before looking back at their hosts. Shmi is speaking to Anakin quietly, but he can't help but overhear. "– let you go early? He doesn't usually do that."
Anakin shrugs. "He did. I think he wanted to go do something else. Probably something to do with the Boonta Eve podrace."
Shmi visibly tenses at the mention. "He can't have you race in it though."
The child shakes his head, seeming unhappy. "He hasn't gotten a new pod yet, and I don't think I can fix the old one."
"Well, stay with our guests. I'll work on preparing something for the meal this evening."
Din glances at the window for a moment, and he realizes that it's actually far later than he had initially thought. There are only a few hours left until sunset. That's fine though because he doesn't plan to go out searching for jobs tonight anyways. It's something he can worry about tomorrow, in the morning.
Mando'a Translations:
Ka'ra - stars (ancient Mandalorian myth - ruling council of fallen kings)
beskar'gam - armor
ad'ika - little one
Jetii - Jedi
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