Caer del Cielo - Part One

What should have been a mundane, unexciting flight for Rey Smith turns into far more than she bargained for when superstar actor Poe Dameron ends up sitting next to her.

Part 1 is Rated R for mature themes and descriptions of violent death/human peril. Modern Alternate Universe Damerey.

Rey Smith looked around the small plane as the people around her got settled. The little SAAB 340B propeller plane, or ‘puddle jumper’ as Finn liked to call it, only carried 33 passengers, and it looked as if all the seats were filling up for their hour and thirty-minute flight back to Denver. With two seats on one side of the plane and only one on the other, the older model plane was about as small as they could go for a trip such as this, but they had taken the same type of plane on the flight up to Jackson Hole and had no problems, so Rey tried not to be nervous. She hated flying.

This trip to Jackson had been a last-minute idea of Finn’s. He had wanted to bring Rose to the fancy Western town south of Jackson Hole and the Grand Tetons for a while, and when Rey had commented that she needed to ‘get away,’ he had immediately started making plans for the three of them. They had flown up Friday morning and had an enjoyable weekend playing tourist around the town, renting a car to drive out through the vastness of Jackson Hole and the immense mountain range that guarded it. She may live in ‘mountain high’ Colorado, but Rey could still not get over the magnificence of the Tetons.

Now it was Monday morning and they were heading back home. Finn and Rose sat in front of her, and Rey was sitting at the window seat behind them, hoping upon hope that whoever took the seat next to her wasn’t a chatterbox like the person that had sat next to her on the way up.

After several minutes, Rey looked around to see every seat but the one next to her full, and she hoped that maybe that was it, as no one else was coming on board the plane. The one flight attendant was going through the overhead bins. She glanced at Rey as she passed, and left the bin above her open. Almost immediately after she passed, the pilot’s voice came over the speaker.

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Flight 611 to Denver. We’re going to wait just a brief moment for our last passenger. He was unavoidably delayed in the terminal, but is on his way. Once he gets here, we’ll be heading out.”

Rey looked out the window and saw a man jogging quickly up to the attendant situated at the bottom of the side-hatch stairs. He was dressed casually in jeans and a leather jacket, a ball cap on his head and sunglasses on his face. He had a leather duffle bag over his shoulder and his phone in his hand. He smiled at the attendant, then said something that made the man laugh. He looked just like…

No, she stopped herself. No, you’re just imagining things. You’ve been too obsessed lately. So much so that every dark-haired man you see resembles… him.

The man started moving up the stairs, his face turning toward the plane, and Rey felt her heart start racing. She felt the seat in front of her jerk and she looked up to see Rose peeking over the top, her eyes wide.

“Was that..?”

Oh, my God. Rose thought it was him, too!

Rose sat down again quickly as the man in question stepped onto the plane. The flight attendant came up next to Rey’s seat and motioned toward the new passenger. The man walked down the aisle, nodding at the woman, then pulled his bag off his shoulder and placed it in the bin above Rey. He removed his glasses and slid into the seat next to her.

Her heart racing madly, she made eye contact with him for just a second. He gave her a polite smile, his brown eyes warm and friendly, then he proceeded to tuck his glasses into the collar of his shirt and buckle his seat belt. She felt his hand brush against her thigh briefly and she had to work very hard to keep from jumping out of the seat as if a hot poker had touched her instead. She turned her face toward the window, trying to control her breathing, and as she did so she became aware of the murmurs of several of the people on the plane. Other passengers had recognized him, too.

Her body so tense she felt it might snap in half at any moment, Rey tried to focus on what was going on outside the plane. The ground crew had helped the flight attendant close the hatch and the propellors were roaring as the aircraft began its slow taxi down the relatively short runway. The white-capped peaks of the Tetons became visible as the plane turned away from the terminal, and innocent, white fluffy clouds, harbingers of afternoon summer storms, seemed to be floating on top of the peaks. Rey concentrated on them, trying not to think about who was sitting next to her.

It was impossible. She could feel his body heat, he was so close. She could smell his cologne, a musky scent with a hint of vanilla. She felt him move as he shifted, obviously trying to get comfortable.

“Do you think we’ll run into any storms?”

His voice startled her, and she turned her head to look at him. He had to speak a bit loud to be heard over the engine noise, but he was also leaning toward her a bit, looking past her out the window, so it was obvious he was talking to her.

Rey glanced out the window, then looked back at him. Play it cool, she thought, giving him a slight shrug. “Anything’s possible,” she said, her voice rough.

He made eye contact with her again as he nodded, and she froze for a moment. Were there gold flecks in the brown of his eyes, she wondered? The corner of his mouth curved up a bit, and he leaned back, his eyes seeming to search her face. He nodded slightly, as if he liked what he saw, then he looked away, focusing on the pilot’s voice as it once more came over the speaker. She could barely hear it, and she didn’t know if it was because the plane itself was too loud or if her heartbeat was.

Actor, singer, millionaire, internationally famous, Oscar nominated and Golden Globe winner, not to mention dozens of other awards… the man beside her was one of the most famous men on the planet. He had been part of a huge movie series several years earlier called Galaxy Aflame, and was currently on the ‘hot list’ thanks to Lunar Prince, a science fiction series that had just finished streaming.

Rey had been a fan of Poe Dameron… as in full-on fanatic… for more than five years now. His face was on the lock screen of her computer, as well as her phone. An accomplished musician and singer, his music had been on her playlists for years, and God help her, she even used to write fanfiction for his most popular movie character, Treye Sulvan. She had been toying about writing new stories from the series he was now a part of.

And he was here. On this plane. Sitting next to her for the next two hours!

She was going to be a neurotic mess long before they reached Denver.

******

Poe Dameron tried to relax and get comfortable as the plane taxied to the end of the runway. It wasn’t a horribly long flight back to Denver, and the seat was more than adequate for an older plane, but he was anxious to get back and finalize the deal he had been offered last week. He had come here to Jackson, the place he considered his real home, on Thursday to think the deal through, and now that he had made his decision, he was ready to get going on it. He could have gotten a direct flight to Los Angeles, but his long-time manager and friend Snap was in Denver, and it just made sense to meet up with him first, then they could discuss things together on the flight from Denver to L.A.

He arrived at the airport here in Jackson Hole with more than enough time before the flight, and usually he was able to get in and out without being recognized, but he hadn’t been so fortunate today. And once one person recognized him and reacted, others tended to drift over to see if they, too, could get a picture or autograph. He loved his fans, he really did, but he had bought the small ranch in Jackson Hole specifically to get away from his celebrity life, so while he made an effort to give everyone what they wanted, it was difficult to remain focused on them. It didn’t help that he had a plane to catch.

One of the agents from his airline was notified of his predicament and came to ‘rescue’ him, informing the pilot of his plane via radio that he was on his way. Poe was extremely grateful, giving the husky black woman who was taller than him a kiss on the cheek before he left her at the doorway behind the gate. Her eyes became huge, and he could hear her giggle as he started jogging across the tarmac to the attendants waiting for him at the foot of the staircase to his plane. The two men and one woman had seen what he had done and when he reached them, they were all smiling.

“She’s never gonna wash her cheek, now,” the woman said.

“And she’ll never let us forget it,” one of the men added.

“I always aim to leave good memories,” Poe joked in return as he made his way up the stairs.

A man he guessed was the co-pilot met him at the top of the stairs, smiling at him. “Welcome aboard.” He gestured down the aisle and he saw the flight attendant waiting for him only a few rows down. The plane was obviously full, and the one open seat he could see was right next to the attendant. Poe made his way down, popped his bag into the overhead, then removed his sunglasses as he glanced at the woman sitting at the window. For a split second, he was shocked with immobility.

She was stunning.

Poe had been a part of the Hollywood engine for almost fifteen years now, ever since he had graduated from Juilliard at age twenty-one. He had been around the most beautiful people in the world for all of that time. He had co-starred with women and men who were considered to be the most magnificent, elegant, charming people in the business. This woman, who was wearing minimal make-up, her dark hair pulled back into a simple pony-tail, looking casual and unassuming in a soft green sundress, was exquisite.

He slid into the seat and the woman looked at him. He gave her a small smile, searching for recognition in her gaze. Her eyes were dark, but not really brown, and he wanted to study them longer, but she turned away shyly to look out the window as he tucked his glasses into his collar and grabbed up the seat belt. The plane began to move and he casually glanced around the cabin, not surprised to see several eyes on him, recognition in most of them. He looked past the woman next to him to peek out her window, noticing the cumulous clouds that were floating above the Tetons. He knew from experience that those kinds of clouds often turned into storms.

He glanced at the woman, who had yet to look back in his direction. Shy, he wondered, or introverted? Or both. Odds were good she had not recognized him if she was ignoring him like this, though, and that kind of excited him. It was easier getting to know people if they weren’t fawning all over him asking him about his work or the other famous people he worked with. And he really wanted to get to know her.

He leaned a bit in her direction, not wanting to get in her personal space, but wanting to make sure she knew he was open to conversation. “Do you think we’ll run into any storms?” he asked.

She turned toward him finally, seemingly startled that he had spoken. He was able to focus on her eyes, now. They had green in them, and maybe a bit of gold. Hazel. They were freaking incredible. She glanced back out the window, then looked back at him and shrugged.

“Anything’s possible,” she said. Her voice was husky and deeper than he had expected it to be, and she had an English accent. He leaned away from her, assessing her. She looked back with no fear, but once again, he couldn’t tell if she recognized him or not. He nodded slightly. The ding from the cockpit caught his attention and he looked away from her to focus on what the pilot was saying. Or he tried to.

In reality, he was only half-listening as the pilot informed them of the possibility of running into storms on the flight to Denver, and instead was already planning what he should say to this amazing being next to him in order to get her to talk to him. He really hoped she was single. And he really hoped she didn’t know who he was. Trying to start and maintain a romantic relationship in Hollywood was almost impossible, and Poe wasn’t getting any younger. His one and only long-term relationship, his marriage to his childhood sweetheart Zorii, had ended over ten years ago when Zorii had decided her career was more important than him. Ironically, though she had been the first of the two of them to get a starring role in a major movie, he was the one on top of the celebrity ladder a decade later. But now Poe wanted a family, with a woman he could trust, who wasn’t a part of the Hollywood rat race but who was strong and smart enough to navigate it.

He knew the idea of meeting that woman on an airplane flying from Jackson, Wyoming to Denver, Colorado was crazy, but crazy had been the story of his life for the last several years, so in reality it was perfect.

He had less than two hours to find out, so he sat back in his seat, prepared to do his best to get to know the lovely vision beside him before it was too late.

******

Rey was still counting breaths, trying her best to not hyperventilate, as the plane made its way down to the head of the runway. The man beside her hadn’t said anything else after his inquiry about the clouds, and she kind of hoped he wouldn’t. Though she had answered him well enough, without panicking, she was sure she would make a fool of herself if he continued to try and make conversation.

But as the plane made its turn at the top of the runway, Rey began to wonder if she really wanted silence on this flight. After all, she was sitting next to Poe Fucking Dameron, the hottest actor currently on the face of the earth. How would she explain herself to people when she told them she had been in close contact with the man for almost two hours and yet never spoke to him? How could she turn down this opportunity? How would she be able to live with herself with the regret that would surely follow her if she got off this plane without at least saying more than two words to him?

The plane accelerated suddenly, and a new sense of agitation filled her. She grabbed the armrests on either side of her, holding them in a death grip, totally forgetting that the armrest on her right was being shared by the man she had been so focused on seconds before. Her breathing quickened and her heart started beating so hard she could feel it. She squeezed her eyes shut as she felt the plane pick up impossible speed, thinking not for the first time that humans were not supposed to go this fast. Or fly. There was a slight jolt as the plane’s wheels left the tarmac, and then the horrible grinding noise that indicated the landing gear was being drawn up into the belly of the plane. The roar of the propellors was so loud that Rey worried that the plane was struggling to get into the sky. It was going to fail, she thought. It was going to fall.

“Pretend you’re the pilot,” said a soft but firm voice next to her.

Her eyes popped open. Oh, my God. He was watching her lose it. “What?” she gasped.

“Imagine you’re in charge of this plane,” he continued. “Close your eyes again, and imagine you’re in the cockpit.”

Rey’s mind began to race as she focused on his words. Was he really trying to talk her out of a panic attack? She looked at him, almost as scared of what she might see in his expression as she was of this take-off. He was indeed watching her intently, but there was no amusement in his eyes. They were soft and compassionate. He nodded at her slightly. “Go ahead,” he said. “Close your eyes.”

Rey did as he asked, facing the front once more.

“Okay,” Dameron continued. “These planes have a yoke, usually black,” he told her. “Imagine you’re the one holding it. You’re pulling it back toward you, asking the plane to go up. You control the pitch.”

Rey felt her breathing slow as she imagined she was piloting the plane. She felt the aircraft begin to turn, the left side rising, the right lowering. Another surge of adrenaline hit her as she instinctively felt like she was falling to the side, but Dameron’s voice was right there.

“You’re turning that yoke now,” he said, his low voice soothing. “You’re the one rolling the plane, making it turn. It doesn’t have wheels, you know. You have to physically move the body to make it change direction. Right?”

She nodded, opening her eyes to focus on the back of the seat in front of her. “Right.” She took a deep breath as the plane leveled out. “I’m usually okay when we settle in one direction.” She glanced at him just as the plane dropped suddenly. “Whoop!” she gasped.

“It’s okay,” he said, his voice unchanged. “We just hit an air pocket. No harm. Nothing up here to hit.”

The plane stabilized again and Rey felt her grip on the armrests loosen. “Smooth from here, right?” she mumbled.

He laughed softly. “As smooth as a short flight can be,” he told her. “If it was longer, we could go higher, and it would be smoother, but that’s why short flights are more fun.”

She snorted, but then looked at him. “How do you know so much about planes?”

He looked surprised by her question. “I… I got my pilot’s license when I was eighteen,” he told her. “I haven’t flown in a while, though,” he shrugged. “Too busy with other… things.”

Rey was shocked. She thought she knew everything about this man, but she had never read that he was a pilot. “Well, thank you,” she told him, finally bringing her hands away from the armrests, folding them in her lap. “I’ve never liked flying in general, but it’s the take-offs and landings that really wig me out.” She gave him another embarrassed glance. “And I think you’re right. It’s mostly because I’m not in control.”

He nodded. “Loss of control, especially to someone you don’t even know, can be scary.” He was still focused on her, giving her no indication that he wanted to be left alone now that she didn’t need his help.

Take a chance, Rey, she thought. “I’m Rey,” she told him, nervously offering him her hand.

“Rey,” he repeated softly, as if he was testing the name out in his mouth. Then he brought his own hand up to grasp hers. “Poe.”

She wanted to give him a smart-ass response, something like “I know,” but the feel of his hand squeezing hers gently, his thumb ever so subtly rubbing along the back of her hand, silenced her. All she could manage was a small smile, and her heart started thudding in her chest once again.

She slowly drew her hand away, very aware that he didn’t appear to be in a hurry to let go, either. His eyes were so pretty up close, she thought as she continued to stare into them. The pressure in her ears suddenly increased as the plane settled at cruising speed, and she was pulled out of whatever spell he had put her under. She looked away and sat back in her seat, but then she shifted her body ever so slightly toward him. Say something, idiot, she chastised herself.

“So, what were you doing in Jackson?” she asked. Was he filming something there? Did he have friends there?

He shrugged, also leaning back but keeping his body angled toward her. “I have property there,” he said. “I live in Los Angeles, but I’m a country boy at heart. I need space.”

Another thing she hadn’t known about him, she thought. “Why are you flying to Denver?” she asked. “Jackson has direct flights to L.A., doesn’t it?”

He nodded. “Yeah, but I’m meeting a friend who is currently in Denver. We’ll fly to L.A. together.”

Almost immediately, Rey envisioned that ‘friend’ as a woman. Poe Dameron had been seen dating a handful of actresses through the years, but apparently none of them were ever serious. She had an inkling he would keep anything serious as far away from the press as he could; he had always been very careful with his private life, hence the fact she had not known about him being a pilot or that he had a home in Jackson, Wyoming.

“What about you?” he asked. “Are you from Jackson?”

She shook her head. “I wish,” she breathed. “I love the Tetons.” She nodded her head toward the seats in front of her. “My friends and I just came up for the weekend to play tourist. We toodled around Jackson and drove up to the National Park.”

“No Yellowstone?” Yellowstone National Park was directly north of Grand Teton National Park.

She shook her head. “No, too much to do there, and we just wanted to make a weekend of it.” She shrugged. “Besides, I actually think Grand Teton is prettier. I live only minutes away from some beautiful mountains in Colorado and go hiking regularly, but there’s just something about Jackson Hole and the Tetons. It’s almost… spiritual.”

Poe nodded. “I agree. That’s why I bought property there. I’ve been all over the world, and I’ve never felt the peace I do in Jackson Hole anywhere else.”

There was a brief but comfortable silence. Rey became aware of the seat in front of her jerking a bit, and tilted her head to see Rose’s eyes, big and awe filled, peeking back at her through the gap between her seat and the hull of the plane. The sight made Rey giggle lightly. Due to the loud noise of the props, she was sure neither Rose nor Finn could hear what she and Poe were saying, and she knew she was going to get the third degree from her friends once they were on the ground again.

She looked at Poe who was watching her with one eyebrow raised. She shook her head, not sure she wanted to explain, but then she nodded toward the seats in front of her. “My friend,” she told him. “She’s excited I’m talking to you.”

His eyes narrowed a bit and he tilted his head. “Let me guess?” he responded. “You’re single and she’s trying to set you up?”

Was that hopefulness she heard in his voice or was he teasing her? “She would be over the moon,” Rey told him.

He seemed to study her face for a long moment, as if he was trying to solve some mystery, but then he looked up and past her out the window, and his brows furrowed. As Rey turned to look at what he was seeing, she made note that it had gotten much darker; there was no more sunlight shining in the windows of the plane, and when she saw outside, she realized why.

The white puffy clouds she had seen when they left Jackson had grown. The plane was now flying in the tops of those clouds, only they weren’t all white and fluffy anymore.

“Looks like we’ve hit those storms the pilot was talking about,” Poe said.

******

Poe could see the woman next to him tense up once more at the sight of the storm clouds outside the window, and when the pilot’s voice came over the intercom informing them he was keeping the seat-belt sign on due to the potential rough weather, he knew Rey was about to go into panic mode again.

“So, what do you do in Denver?” he asked. He had distracted her before. He would do it again.

She looked at him, her expression almost grateful. She was no dummy; she knew what he was doing. She licked her lips. “Uhm, I’m not actually in Denver. Fort Collins.” She shifted in her seat. “I’m going to Vet School, but I work as an EMT part-time.”

He nodded. “From people to animals, huh?”

“Animals are easier to get along with.”

He laughed softly. “You’ll get no argument from me.”

“Do you have any animals?” she asked.

“Just my dog, Bee,” Poe told her. “I usually bring him with me when I come to Jackson, but this trip was kind of short-notice, so he’s currently staying with friends.”

“No horses or livestock on your property?” Though he knew she was focusing on the conversation to keep herself from thinking about what was going on with the weather, she truly seemed interested in his answer.

He shook his head. “Not yet,” he told her. “Eventually, I’d like to get a couple of riding horses, maybe some goats and donkeys. Rescues, if possible. But I’ll have to find people I can trust to take care of them when I’m not there.”

A flash of lightning caught his attention, and it was obvious she saw it out of the corner of her eye as well. She looked back out the window. “Can the pilot fly over it?” she asked.

“I think he’s trying,” Poe told her. “We’ve been gaining altitude for a while now.”

She looked startled as she faced him again. “Really? I couldn’t tell.”

He nodded, then noticed the flight attendant, who had been getting ready to bring the little snack cart down the aisle, knock and enter the cockpit, closing the door behind her. The flight was getting rougher as they flew further into the storm clouds. He glanced at Rey, whose expression was worried once more. He touched her lightly on the shoulder, getting her attention. “This is a tough old bird,” he said. “We’ll be able to fly through a storm with no problem. These guys do it all the time, especially here on the Front Range.”

Rey nodded, then took a deep breath.

Keep her talking, Poe thought. “Where are you from originally?” he asked. “Your accent sounds a bit… posh? Is that what it’s called?”

Her eyes widened, and then she smiled, and holy hell, her smile! It was gorgeous!

“Central London,” she told him. “Westminster. I guess my accent is more posh than cockney.” She shrugged. “You’ve been to London?” she asked.

He nodded. “A few times,” he told her. Did she really not know who he was? Lord, it felt amazing not being recognized.

Suddenly, the plane began to roll again. Rey jerked her head around to look out the window as the wing dropped down. Rain began to pelt the window at the same time. She looked back at Poe, a question in her fearful eyes.

Poe glanced up toward the front of the plane, noticing that the flight attendant had exited the cockpit and was sitting in the jump seat, buckling her belt instead of continuing with the drink cart. She looked worried, and that did not make Poe happy.

“We’re turning east,” he said, confused.

“Going around it?” Rey asked.

“I guess,” he told her. If they were going to attempt to go around, the storm must be really bad. Or else something else was wrong, and the closest area to land was to the east. Another flash of lightning caught his attention, and both he and Rey looked out the window again. The turbulence got worse and the rain continued to slide against the plane. It dropped suddenly, and Rey gasped. Without even thinking, Poe reached out to grab her hand, lacing her fingers with his as she held on tight. “I got’cha,” he told her.

The pilot’s voice came over the intercom. He was hard to hear over the combined noise of the propellors and the rain (or was it hail?) buffeting the plane, but Poe could almost feel the alarm in the man’s voice. “Ladies and gentlemen, we have a flight control problem up front here that we’re working on. We’ve turned away from our original destination and are heading for a landing field in Atlantic City. That’s Wyoming, not New Jersey.” There was a bit of nervous laughter. “We’re going to keep working to resolve this situation, and once we reach the ground, we’ll make sure you all get a ride to Denver as quick as possible. We should be down in less than fifteen minutes.”

Poe felt his gut clench. While the Captain’s voice was steady and confident sounding, he recognized the phrasing being used. There was a serious problem up front, and they couldn’t fix it, so they were going to the closest airport, as small as it might be, and would be making an emergency landing.

Rey was looking at him, her beautiful eyes huge. She might not be a pilot, but she understood there was a problem. The plane gave another big jolt and her grip on his hand tightened even more.

“We’re crashing, aren’t we?”

Poe shook his head slightly, but then realized that he truthfully couldn’t answer ‘no’ to that question. He wasn’t in the cockpit and he didn’t know exactly what was going on. A professional pilot’s job was to keep everyone calm, no matter how bad the situation. In twenty minutes, they could be on the ground, safe and sound. Or, in twenty minutes, they could be dead.

“I don’t know,” he answered her honestly.

The plane continued to descend, wind and rain lashing it as it bounced and heaved through the air. Rey closed her eyes tight, leaning her head back on the seat. “Finn?” she shouted.

“Hang on, Rey!” Poe heard the man in the seat in front of him call back. “Hang on!”

For the first time in over twenty years, Poe closed his eyes and began to pray.

******

The rising and falling of the plane continued on with little respite as Rey tried to keep it together. Her eyes popped open as the flight attendant’s voice came over the PA. “Please prepare for a rough landing by keeping your seat belts fastened and leaning forward to place your head as close to your knees as possible,” she said. “Captain Ross will have us on the ground momentarily.” Her words were professional, but her voice was sharp and tight. After she put the hand speaker back on its rack, she did as she had asked everyone else to do, leaning forward in her seat and wrapping her arms around her knees.

Rey looked at Poe, both terrified and comforted by the fact that he looked as scared as she felt. Loss of control, she thought. If he was the one in the cockpit, he’d probably be confident and steady, but he was stuck back here with her and the others.

“I’m sorry,” she gasped.

He frowned. “Sorry for what?”

“That you’re stuck comforting me in a crashing plane.”

He huffed a laugh. “I’m not,” he told her. “If I have to be in a crashing plane, I’m glad I’m with you.”

The loud grinding sound of the landing gear extending pulled her attention back to the window. It was hard to see anything with the heavy rain outside, but she thought she saw the tops of trees. “Are we at the airfield in Atlantic City?” she asked, not really expecting an answer.

She looked back at Poe who was shaking his head. “I don’t know if there is an airfield in Atlantic City,” he told her. “If there is, it’s private. It’s an old mining town and not many people live there.”

“Then..?”

“I think he just wants to get us to some open space to land.” His eyes jerked up to the window and Rey turned to look as well. Trees. She could see trees. “I don’t think he succeeded,” Poe whispered. “Mierda.”

Rey could feel the difference as the plane hit the tops of the trees. She and Poe both bent over, laying their heads on their knees, but Rey didn’t let go of his hand, and he didn’t let go of hers.

The jolt came hard, and she felt her body slam into the seat belt. There was another lurch, then another even stronger, and she felt the body of the plane turn. There was screaming and shouting and the horrible sound of metal on metal screeching, then suddenly everything was still. All Rey could hear was sobbing and the sound of heavy rain on the roof of the plane.

She felt Poe let go of her hand and could hear the sound of him unbuckling his seat belt. Slowly, she sat up, and as she did so, she became aware of the smell of smoke. She watched as Poe stood and looked around the plane, and she saw Finn also stand in front of her; there was blood on his arm. Quickly, she unbuckled her seat belt as Poe looked at her, his eyes wide but determined.

“We gotta get everyone off,” he told her and Finn.

Rey nodded and stood, but stopped in shock as she saw the front of the plane. It was… gone. “Poe?” she whispered. All she could see was smoke and what looked like trees and rocks beyond.

“I know,” he answered her, bringing his hand to her shoulder and squeezing it gently. Then he turned to look around him once more as a handful of other people began to stand. “Everybody get off!” he shouted. “There’s a fire somewhere, so we need to get out of the plane! Help those who need it!”

It was no surprise that they listened to him. Not only was she quite sure most of the passengers knew who he was, but his demeanor and voice screamed authority.

The young man who had been sitting next to one of the emergency doors pulled it open and everyone started heading his way. No one seemed inclined to head out the open front of the plane, where there were still sparks flying and what looked to be bodies lying near where the floor had been ripped open.

Rey looked at Rose, who was finally standing on shaky legs, and the two of them hugged tight over the top of the seat. “Are you okay?” Rey asked.

Rose nodded, then they both turned to watch as Finn and Poe directed people past them down the aisle to the open door. The man who had opened it stayed in the doorway and helped people climb down to the wing of the plane. Rey felt water hit her, and she looked up to see cracks in the ceiling with rain water sliding along them and falling to the floor of the plane.

In a matter of seconds, everyone who was able had left the plane except for the four of them. Poe stepped out to let Rey into the aisle to leave, but instead she pushed past him and Finn, heading for the front of the plane and the unmoving people still there. Her EMT training was kicking in; she had to help them if they were still alive.

Five people were visible, three still strapped in their seats. An older man was moving, his eyes barely open. She went to him first, checking his pulse as she unbuckled his belt. He appeared to have a laceration in his abdomen, but as she examined him, he became more alert. “Finn! Rose!” She turned toward her friends. “Can you help him out?”

The young couple nodded, and together they helped the man stand and the three shuffled toward the door. Though they were only feet away from the open front of the plane, flames were now licking along one side of the opening, making it even more unsafe to exit that way. Rey moved to the older woman who had been seated next to the man. His wife, Rey wondered? She wasn’t moving, but her pulse was still strong.

“Poe, do you think you can carry her?” Rey asked as she unbuckled the woman’s belt.

“I got her,” a voice said from behind Poe. The young man who had opened the emergency exit moved forward. Though he looked barely eighteen, his wiry strength allowed him to lift the woman with ease and he quickly made his way to the door.

Rey moved to the next person strapped in the single seat across from the older couple. The middle-aged man was slumped in the seat, and it was no surprise to Rey when she could not find a pulse. She looked at Poe and shook her head. Together, they moved to the two people lying on the floor by the burning tear. One still had the seat belt and part of the chair she had been sitting in around her waist. Her neck was almost severed from her body, and the other person was also missing extremities. Rey knew there was no chance of life in either of them.

She leaned forward, trying to see out the open end, and she felt Poe grab her arm, holding her back. Through the smoke and the rain, she could see what must have been the cockpit, which was engulfed in flames that the pouring rain was having a hard time dousing. Three more bodies were barely visible on the ground, one of which appeared to be the flight attendant. The pilot and copilot’s bodies were most likely still in the cockpit. As burned as the bodies on the ground were, there was no way any of them were still alive.

“Let’s go!” Poe shouted to her, tugging on her arm once more. “We have to take care of the living first!”

Rey turned to him, knowing what he said was true. She nodded, then she turned to head back down the aisle, Poe right behind her with his hand on the small of her back. They reached the door, and Rey looked down at the wing of the plane, which was right underneath the emergency exit. She sat down on the edge of the door and slid onto the wing, then did the same from the wing to the ground. Poe followed right after her. They moved quickly toward the rest of the survivors, who had gathered under the ledge of a rock wall about twenty feet away.

Rey looked around her. There was no sign of civilization. No roads. No power lines. No buildings. There were pine trees and stone cliff faces all around them. The fact that the plane had stayed upright and had only been severely damaged on the very front was a miracle.

A loud crash of thunder caused a few people to make startled sounds, and many were still crying softly as they held on to each other, watching the fire slowly go out and smolder in the rain. Within minutes, the downpour had eased, and eventually it stopped. Rey scanned the area once more as the light became better. She felt Finn’s arm firm around her waist, and Rose was gripping her left hand tight. Without thought, she reached her right hand out and Poe grabbed it. She looked at him, her body starting to shiver with what she knew was shock.

“What now?” she whispered.

He looked back at her, his eyes large, his brow furrowed. “We wait until they find us.”

“And if they don’t?”

Poe didn’t answer.

******

The rain stopped and the fire went out, but the sparking coming from the severed cockpit still concerned Poe. He watched as Rey moved over to the older couple that had been carried off the plane, kneeling down on the muddy ground next to them. As he looked around the group of survivors, twenty-eight in all, he realized several people were bleeding, and all of them were wet and shivering, both due to cold and to shock. While it was July and the temps here in the high country were probably in the low seventies normally, it was chilly thanks to the storm, and would probably get much colder after sunset.

Swallowing hard, he made a decision. While he knew he was far from an expert on survival, he also knew these people needed a leader, and it was pretty obvious from their response right after the crash that they were more than happy to put him in that roll. He turned to look at them, and almost all eyes focused on him immediately.

“I need every able-bodied person to come back on board the plane with me,” he told them. “We need to get everything we can off of it. Luggage, food, water, blankets.” He glanced at Rey as he finished, and saw her looking at him with approval. “Who can help me?”

Seven people stepped forward, including Rey’s friends and the young man who had carried out the unconscious woman.

He looked at Rey again, nodding at her. “I’m gonna find you a first aid kit,” he told her.

She nodded back, giving him a soft smile, then she turned her attention back to the older man, who was now awake and reaching for the unconscious woman.

“Let’s do this.” He turned back to the plane, and one by one the little group climbed back up on the wing of the plane and went back inside. “Grab all the luggage out of the top compartments,” he said. “Just throw it all out, gently, for now. Everyone can go through and claim theirs later.” As they started going through the bins, Poe made his way back to the open front of the plane. He reached the closet and was amazed that everything inside was still intact; the jump seat with the flight attendant had been ripped from the wall, but everything next to that was still there.

He went through the closet, breathing a sigh of relief when he saw the emergency medical kit right away. He pulled it out and grabbed up several small but warm blankets that were also stacked inside. He looked over to see the young man who had helped get the injured couple standing close to him. “Hey! What’s your name?”

“Kaz, Mr. Dameron,” the kid said.

Poe handed the pile of blankets and the kit to Kaz. “Take this stuff to Rey, will you?” he told the young man. At Kaz’ confused look, he elaborated. “The pretty brunette that was with me when we checked the injured. She’s an EMT.”

Kaz nodded in understanding, grabbing the supplies and heading back for the side exit. Poe continued to rummage through the closet, finding boxes of bottled water and snacks and cans of cola. He pulled them all out and set them in the aisle. He found more blankets and pillows and added them to the pile.

Rey’s friends, Finn and Rose if he remembered correctly, came up to him. “All the luggage is off,” the black man said.

Poe nodded toward the pile. “Take this stuff, and then see if you can get the cargo door open. It should be just down from that exit,” he nodded toward the door. “Closer to the tail.”

Finn nodded as Rose started grabbing up boxes. Finn followed with more while Poe began to walk around the interior of the plane, looking carefully for anything else that might come in handy in case they were stuck here for a while. The inside of the cabin was drenched, with rain water still dripping from the cracks in the ceiling. It would have been nice if the structural integrity of the plane had remained intact so they could use it as a shelter, but it didn’t look like that was an option.

He finally exited the plane again. He looked over toward the rocks and wasn’t surprised to see Rey, who now had the first aid kit, treating a young woman’s injuries while others waited their turn. There were blankets over the seriously injured couple, and Rey didn’t look like she was going to stray too far from them any time soon. What did surprise him was the handful of people that were roaming around the open area collecting branches and bringing them back to their ‘camp’ by the rocks. When Rey smiled and said ‘thank you’ to a man with his arms full of wood, he knew she had been the one to suggest it.

Well, if he was going to be the impromptu leader, she was going to be his right hand, he thought with both humor and gratitude. While she had obviously been terrified during the crash itself, since then she had been absolutely amazing, he thought. When he had originally hoped to get to know her more, he had not expected to do so in such a dramatic fashion.

With a sigh, he turned back toward the plane, his eyes immediately drawn to the severed cockpit. There were still some sparks coming from an area near the tear, and dark smoke was still creeping out of it, but it wasn’t smoldering so much now, and he really needed to get in there. Determined, he headed for it, trying not to look at the charred bodies of the three people who had been killed, he assumed, when the plane had hit the rocks and had its ‘head’ ripped off.

He moved up to the nose of the plane, which was sitting at a right angle from the rest of the aircraft, and peered inside. He didn’t really want to see the burned bodies of the pilot and copilot, but he needed to see if the radio was intact. He needed to know if the controls were still functioning, if the GPS locater was working. He needed to know if rescue was on the way. He knew the plane had gone off course, and he was pretty sure they had disappeared from any local radar thanks to the storm, but if he could radio for help or if he knew there was a way rescuers could find them…

Taking a deep breath and holding it, he stepped in to the smoke.

******

Rey watched as Poe seemed to bolster himself before stepping into the remains of the cockpit. She held her breath just as she knew he must be doing, worry filling her all over again. He knew what he was doing, she told herself. He may have spent the last few years a spoiled, pampered actor, but it was obvious he had common sense and his experience with planes was a definite plus.

It appeared everyone on this plane knew who he was (or had been told by others) and they were ready to jump at his slightest command. Which was okay with her, because so far, he was proving to be not only a smart leader, but one that was ready and willing to stick his own neck out to make sure everyone was okay. She felt tears form in her eyes as she finished wrapping the lacerated arm from one of the passengers, a middle-aged woman who had also been watching Poe enter the cockpit.

“He certainly seems to know what he’s doing,” she said as Rey finished by securing the wrap with white tape. “You’d think he really was Lucas Bowers.”

Rey smiled at the woman’s words. Lucas Bowers was the character he had played in a movie that had first streamed a few years ago. Bowers was a former military special operative who led a team of fellow former soldiers as they hired themselves out to people in order to right wrongs, a la The A-Team. The movie was silly, but awesomely fun, and he was gorgeous in it.

She saw movement out of the corner of her eye and she looked up to see Poe exit the cockpit empty handed. She didn’t think he had been in there long enough to make a call on the radio, and when his eyes met hers across the clearing and he shook his head solemnly, she knew she was right. Nothing was working. They were on their own.

Taking a deep breath, she again blinked back tears and focused on the other people waiting to have their injuries looked at. Other than a couple of lacerations that could use stitches, there had been nothing major from anyone other than the couple laying behind her on the ground. The front of the plane, which Rey assumed had hit a rocky outcropping after landing, had taken the brunt of the damage, and every passenger from row three back was doing well. She glanced up as Poe arrived back with the group carrying a couple of the bags that had been liberated from the plane. He spoke with Finn, and the two set out to put together several different campfires; it was starting to get dark, Rey realized. And cold. Rose had brought her carry-on to her and Rey had been able to retrieve her jacket from it, but her legs were still bare and she had been sitting on the damp ground for quite a while now. She hoped everyone had found enough dry wood.

By the time she had looked at the last injured person, four fires were burning. Everyone had claimed their bags and were adding layers and snacking on food items they had packed. Bottled water and soft drinks had been distributed and everyone seemed settled, if subdued. Finn had started one of the fires close to Rey and the unconscious couple, and he and Rose settled next to it. Poe joined them as soon as everyone seemed to quiet down. Rey couldn’t help but feel a tingle of pleasure when he sat next to her.

He looked back at the couple. “How are they doing?”

Rey’s pleasure faded quickly. “Not well,” she said softly. “I think she has head trauma. Her pulse has slowed significantly, and I’m not sure she’ll wake up.” She gave him a worried glance. “He was awake for a while. His name’s Harry, and she’s his wife, Linda. He seemed to be doing okay, but his pulse has gotten faster and is weak. His skin is very cold and pale. I’ve examined him and he’s got that laceration, but it’s stopped bleeding. I think he may have internal bleeding.” She shook her head. “There’s nothing I can do for either of them but keep them comfortable.” Her heart clenched as she said the words out loud.

Without any hesitation, Poe wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her gently into him. The action brought tears to her eyes again, and she closed them tightly. She needed to stop wanting to cry! But as she rested her head on his shoulder, she became aware of the sound of sobbing coming from more than one person in their makeshift camp. The cries were soft, but persistent. It was going to be a long night.

Finn cleared his throat and Rey opened her eyes to look at him. He was looking at Poe.

“So, what do we do next, Captain?”

Finn’s expression was serious, and there was no sarcasm in his voice. He meant the title as a sign of respect. Rey glanced up at Poe, and she could tell he was studying Finn, probably wondering if the younger man was being genuine. After a moment, he took a deep breath and looked at Rey.

“You said you hiked, right? You’re comfortable in the wilderness?”

Rey lifted her head and nodded. “Yeah, Finn and I hike a lot. Rose comes with us on the shorter trails.”

“I am not as athletically inclined as they are,” Rose said with a grimace.

Poe gave her a soft smile. “We need to find others that know their way around mountains,” he continued. “Then do some reconnaissance in the morning. For all we know, there’s a town or ranch or something just over the ridge, although I would assume someone would be here investigating if that was true.” He shifted his gaze toward the other fires, knowing some of the others were listening to him. “We need to be on the lookout for power poles, fire towers, even hiking trails. My guess is we’re somewhere in the Wind River Range, so there could be isolated campgrounds or cabins nearby.” He looked at Rey again and scowled. “Or we may be in the middle of nowhere.”

“I’ll need to stay with them,” Rey said, gesturing to the injured couple. “But there was a flare gun in that emergency kit you found me. We should make sure those who know how to shoot know where it is in case a helicopter or plane flies close by.”

The corner of Poe’s mouth curled up. “That’s it. You’re officially my Second in Command,” he told her.

Rey couldn’t stop the smile. Despite her exhaustion, anxiety, and physical discomfort, he still managed to make her smile. She gave him a weak salute. “Yes, sir.”

His eyes crinkled as he smiled back. He nodded and looked around. “In the meantime, let’s try and get some sleep, huh?” He spoke a little louder, insuring everyone heard him. There were some nods and even more grimaces, but everyone tried to settle, using their bags as pillows and jackets or the blankets from the plane to cover themselves with.

Rey regretfully pulled away from Poe to check on her patients, then she tried to make herself comfortable lying close to them, watching as her friends curled up with each other on the other side of the fire. Poe stayed sitting, and showed no indication that he was going to sleep anytime soon. Rey didn’t think she would be able to sleep, but at some point, she realized someone was adding wood to the fire. She sat up and saw that it was Finn. Poe was doing the same thing to another fire.

Since she was awake, she turned to her patients. Harry was still breathing, but his breaths were shallow and coming too fast. Linda…

Poe squatted down next to her, a questioning expression on his face. Rey looked at him, tears once more filling her eyes.

“She’s gone.”

******

Sometime before dawn, Harry followed his wife.

Eyes red but dry, Rey covered both bodies with blankets, then lay facing the fire, staring at it with a look of desolation on her face. Poe got up to add wood to all the fires once more; Finn had gotten up and helped him that last time, but the man seemed to be sleeping soundly now. He could tell the temperature was still above freezing, but even temps in the forties could cause hypothermia, especially for people that were already suffering from shock. As he headed back to his fire, he noticed Rey watching him. Without saying anything, he moved to lay down behind her. Also without saying a word, she turned and moved her body close to his, laying her head on his shoulder.

He wrapped his arm around her and closed his eyes. He couldn’t believe he had just met this woman today. Or yesterday, he corrected himself, his watch telling him it was close to three in the morning. It felt like he had known her forever. It had nothing to do with the crash, he knew; he had been feeling that way before the plane had run into problems. And he didn’t even know her last name.

He closed his eyes and tried his best to relax, but his mind kept going over all that needed to be done to help keep all the survivors alive. There were twenty-six people now, with Linda and Harry gone. There was not enough food to feed them all for too long. If tomorrow’s recon didn’t find any help, then they would need to find a water source. Some way to find or catch food. Poe didn’t hunt. In fact, he rarely ate meat. But it would probably be better to try and kill something rather than guess what non-toxic plants there were to eat.

Somehow, he slept. He didn’t know how long, but when he opened his eyes, the sun was already appearing over the large rock formation to their east. The warmth it brought was more than physical. He sat up carefully, trying not to disturb Rey too much, and watched as a handful of others began to stir. Eventually, more people began to get up. Bags were opened, snacks were being eaten, water drunk. There was no coffee, but some chose soda to get their morning caffeine. Rey sat up and pulled out the can of Coke she had tucked away the night before, giving Poe a shy smile when he smirked at her. Poe let everyone get up and move, letting them disappear behind rocks or trees to go to the bathroom or change clothing if they desired. But then it was time to get down to business.

He had Finn and Kaz help him move Harry and Linda’s bodies to the plane with the others who had not survived. It would be better to keep them out of sight of the survivors, but also it was a way to keep the bodies all together so that when rescue came, they could be recovered easier. Then he asked for volunteers to do the reconnaissance of the area. A young couple, Ezra and Sabine, stepped forward, while Finn and Kaz decided to partner up. Poe wanted them to stay in pairs and to make sure they would not stray so far as to not be able to find their way back to the crash site.

He looked among the group for someone to partner with him, but no one else seemed confident enough to head out into unknown wilderness. Until Rey, who had changed out of her cute little sundress into jeans, t-shirt, and hiking boots, stepped forward.

“I’ll go with you, if you want to look around,” she said softly. “There’s no reason for me to stay here anymore.”

Poe looked at her carefully. While she looked as exhausted as he felt, he could also see hopefulness in her gaze. She needed to keep busy, he thought. And if she wanted to keep busy with him, so much the better. “I’d like that,” he responded with a gentle nod. “Take some water,” he said to his recon group. “You get dehydrated easier at high elevations. And don’t be gone for more than two hours. Once we get to know the area, we can go out farther next time. But let’s not get anyone lost right now, okay?”

Kaz and Finn both chuckled and Ezra and Sabine smiled. He sent one pair off toward the south and the other northwest. He determined that he and Rey would go east. He looked at the rest of the survivors. “I ask that you all stay close to the crash site,” he told them. “If you want to move around, don’t go alone, and keep the camp in sight. This is wilderness, which means there are predators around. Bear, mountain lions, wolves. They won’t bother a group, so stay close.” He looked at Rey, then back at the others. “We’ll be back, hopefully with good news.”

“Be careful!” an older black man called out to them. Poe nodded, then he turned east, Rey at his side.

They walked quietly across the meadow, heading toward one of the many rock formations scattered around them, but then Rey spoke.

“You’re good at that.”

Poe glanced at her. “What? Being bossy?”

She laughed softly. “Being a leader.”

He shrugged. “I’ve had plenty of practice faking it.”

“You mean acting?”

“That’s what acting is, isn’t it? The big fake?” He couldn’t help the sarcasm. He loved what he did, and he took great pride in it, but in a situation like this his job seemed a frivolous, egocentric thing.

“If it helps you to help these people keep their hopes up and remain strong through this ordeal, then it’s not fake, is it?”

He looked at her again, surprised and strangely comforted by her words. “You know, I realized last night that I don’t even know your last name.”

She smiled, but there was sadness in her eyes. “Smith,” she said softly. “Rey Smith.”

“That’ll be easy to remember,” he said with a grin.

As he hoped, she laughed softly at his comment. “It was given to me,” she added, looking away.

“Given to you?”

“I’m an orphan,” she explained. “I was abandoned at a homeless shelter in London when I was about five months old with a card that simply said ‘Rey’ on it. I was raised in a children’s home. When I turned eighteen, I was offered a scholarship to attend Wheaton College in Illinois through an International foster program; I guess they thought I had potential. That’s where I met Finn.” She shrugged. “I had no desire to go back to England, so I applied for citizenship and got a degree in Health Services. Finn became a firefighter and I became an EMT. When I decided to go to vet school, Finn decided to follow, and it’s a good thing he did, because he met Rose within a week of us moving to Fort Collins.”

“So, you two weren’t a couple when you came here?” he asked. She and Finn seemed so close, but it was obvious Finn and Rose were the couple.

She shook her head. “It’s hard to explain my relationship with Finn,” she said. “He’s an orphan, too, so we connected right away, but there’s never been any sexual attraction between us. As soon as we were able to leave the dorms, we moved in together and have been roommates ever since. He’s my best friend.”

Poe nodded. “Having a best friend is the best kind of relationship,” he said. “Don’t ever take it for granted.”

“Do you have a best friend?” she asked, her eyes curious.

He gave her a one-shoulder shrug. “Kind of, though I rarely see him these days. Din Djarin and I used to do plays together back in the day, and we’ve stayed in touch through the years, but we’re both so busy doing our own thing we have a hard time getting together.”

“Isn’t he..?” Rey started.

“Yeah, he’s got his own show now. He’s getting to be quite the superstar.” He grinned. Din was older than him and it had taken him longer to hit his stride in the industry, but Poe was so happy he had finally made it. “We worked together on Shadowmen,” he added. “But we were so busy there, we hardly had time to be social together. He’s married now, too, with a baby on the way, so…” he shrugged. “Life’s been a little lonely for a while.”

“I know what you mean,” Rey nodded. “I love Rose to death, but since she’s come into Finn’s life, we don’t spend nearly as much time together as we used to.” She stopped suddenly, looking ahead of them.

Poe stopped too, and felt a smile take over his face as he saw the pretty little creek flowing along in front of them. “Well, there’s a water source, at least.”

One problem solved, he thought, as he and Rey found a way across the water. Now, to find food, or better yet, signs of civilization.

******

Meadows, bare rocky ground, huge stone formations, hillsides full of evergreen trees… the terrain was varied and daunting, and there was absolutely no sign of human civilization anywhere.

Rey had her sights set on a bare ridge straight in front of them when Poe stopped suddenly, looking at his watch.

“It’s been just over an hour since we left,” he said. “We should head back.”

Rey turned and looked at him, then gestured toward the ridge. “Let’s get on top of that and see what we can see first,” she said. “Then we can go back.”

Poe looked up the hill, frowning. It would be a bit of a climb, but it wasn’t too far. He grimaced and nodded. “Okay.”

Together, they started up the hill, carefully picking their way around the loose shale that was scattered about. Rey felt her foot slip and Poe grabbed her hand immediately, helping her regain her balance. She gave him a smile of thanks and they continued on. Both were huffing and puffing when they reached the top.

“Oh, wow,” Rey gasped.

A valley of trees lay before them, with a bright blue lake in the middle, and beyond them another range of bare granite mountains. Rey used her hand to shade her eyes, searching the beautiful view before her for anything that might indicate there were people nearby. She wished she had a pair of binoculars. As it was, she could see nothing. No power poles, no roads, nothing manmade.

Poe took out his cell phone. Rey knew he hoped they were high enough to catch a signal, but she could tell from his expression that he was unsuccessful.

Rey pulled two water bottles out of her Loungefly bag, handing one to Poe, and they both took a drink. As she put the bottles back, she felt a moment of relief that the bag she had brought was a generic Disney one, and not the one made specifically for the Galaxy Aflame character Treye Sulvan. Even though she was sure that Poe knew she knew who he was now, she did not need him to know she was a ‘crazed fan.’ Or had been. She couldn’t imagine writing fanfiction about any character this man portrayed after this. It would feel too strange, too personal. She had literally faced death with this man. She no longer looked at him and saw Treye Sulvan or Lucas Bowers. She just saw Poe, a normal guy who, while admittedly handsome, was just as exhausted, just as worried, just as scared as she was.

But he was also determined and confident, and while she knew a lot of that was according to him an ‘act,’ it gave her confidence and reduced her fear. They were gonna get out of this.

She realized he was looking at her, his expression contemplative, a small smile on his face. She felt her face heat; never had a man looked at her with such intensity. It was both nerve-wracking and thrilling. She took a deep breath and continued to look about the valley in front of them, hoping one last time that she would see sunlight flash on something that would indicate civilization. “I wish we were here because we wanted to be,” she said softly.

He faced the valley as well. “You mean so we could just enjoy the hike and not worry about actual survival?”

She nodded. “Yeah.” She elaborated. “It’s so beautiful here. So peaceful. Exactly the kind of place I love to be.” She looked at him. “But not when I know there are more than two dozen people who just want to go home waiting for us.”

He frowned. “We better get back to them,” he said, his glance looking remorseful. “Hopefully one of the other teams had better luck than we did.”

They turned and carefully made their way down the steep, slippery slope. Rey kept her eyes on where the sun was and looked for recognizable formations in the rock that she had made note of on the hike out here, and in less than an hour they could see the bright white shape of the plane glaring obviously in the sunlight. The other teams had already made it back, and Rey could tell from their expressions that they had not found anything, either.

“Just planes way too far in the sky to be searching for us,” Finn grumbled.

“There’s a creek not even a quarter mile east with fresh water,” Poe told them. “So, we’ll be fine there, but we need to talk about food. I’m going to ask if any of you have experience hunting.”

Rey watched as most of the group shook their heads. An older grey-haired man raised his hand slightly. “I used to,” he said. “But I haven’t in years, and I have no weapon.”

“I might be able to rig together a snare trap,” Ezra said. “I learned how to do it, but I’ve never actually set one up to catch something.”

Poe shrugged. “It’s better than nothing.”

Rose stepped forward. “Kay and I found a few tarps in the luggage hold of the plane,” she said, motioning toward a young woman standing behind her. “We were thinking about setting up a shelter here by the cliff, using the trees. You know, in case it storms again.”

“That’s a great idea,” Poe said, smiling.

A curvy middle-age woman gave a soft laugh. “This is kind of like ‘Survivor,’ isn’t it?”

A brawny older man laughed along with her. “Let’s not vote anyone out, though, okay?”

A few more people laughed, and Rey felt a sense of relief flow through the group. Though they had just learned they were nowhere near civilization, and rescue was still up in the air, there was a growing feeling of positivity. Giving people something to do to help the whole group was always a great way to combat despair and hopelessness.

Rey looked at Poe and smiled. He grinned and winked back at her.

“Tomorrow,” Poe began. “We’ll send out our teams again and go a little farther. I’m still not giving up on the idea that there is some kind of tourist facility near.” He paused. “This is provided we don’t get rescued before then, of course.” A few of the people nodded and smiled at his words. “In the meantime, let’s get that tarp up.”

“You rest,” Rose said. “You guys already did enough work today. Let us do this.”

“Thanks, Rose,” Poe said softly. He looked at Rey. “You heard her.”

Rey felt exhaustion roar through her. Their hike hadn’t been that far, but with the minimal food and sleep she had had, it had taken its toll. She followed Poe back over to where they had slept the night before. Finn joined them, smiling at Rose as she took charge of a small group of people and they set out to make a tarp shelter.

“She’s amazing, isn’t she?” he asked as he sat down, a goofy grin on his face.

“Yeah, she is,” Poe agreed. “I think we’re surrounded by amazing people,” he added. He looked at Rey as he lay back, putting his head on his duffle.

Feeling a bit self-conscious, Rey sat next to him. She glanced at Finn as she lay down next to him, noting her friend’s goofy grin was directed at her now. He winked, and Rey felt her face heat. But it didn’t prevent her from shifting closer to the man beside her. She glanced at him, only to find him watching her through half-lidded eyes. He smiled as she settled on her side facing him, her bag as her pillow, then he closed his eyes fully.

Within minutes, Rey was asleep, feeling safe and strangely content.

******

The next day was as bright and warm as the day before, and the three teams set out shortly after sunrise. At Poe’s suggestion, they went the same direction as the day before, but they would go further, at least another hour’s hike. Unfortunately, all three teams came back without any good news.

That evening, a small storm rolled in, dropping the temperature dramatically along with hard rain and small hail. Everyone huddled close together under the tarp, waiting it out as patiently as possible, and finally the storm passed. Fires were restarted, and Caleb and Bill, two of the older gentlemen, headed for the creek, determined to catch some fish. “They like the rain,” Caleb said with a grin. Poe didn’t expect much, but shortly before sunset the two men came back with four small fish. It wasn’t much, but it brought everyone’s spirits up. The two men were determined to work harder the next day to get more fish, and Ezra would set up two snares before heading out with Sabine for more recon.

Poe was more than a little hungry when he and Rey set out the next morning. If they didn’t find anything today… Poe didn’t want to think about it. These hikes were taking their toll on the six people doing them, with no results. But the idea of just sitting at the crash site, waiting…

Rey seemed to sense his dour mood and didn’t try to converse with him like she usually did. He appreciated it, finding the silence between them comfortable, and by the time they reached the point where they had turned around the day before, his attitude was much improved.

“You know,” he started as they climbed over a large fallen tree. “I’ve never told you how grateful I am that I sat next to you on that plane,” he told Rey.

She smiled and shook her head. “And why is that?”

“Well, it’s really hard being myself anymore, when I’m recognized everywhere I go,” he continued. “Right away I could tell you either didn’t recognize me or you didn’t care, and that made me more comfortable with you. And then this happened.” He waved his hand, gesturing around them. “I can’t imagine being stuck out here in a life and death situation with a rabid fan.”

Rey laughed, but it was a short, almost choked sound. He glanced over at her, but she was focused on the rocky ground in front of her. She seemed embarrassed, but Poe pushed on.

“I guess what I’m getting at, is that I hope that when we make it out of this, we can still… I can still…” Shit. It had been a long time since he’d been at a loss for words.

She was looking at him now, her eyes huge and beautiful, and… hopeful? Or was he just seeing his own hope in her eyes?

He stopped and she stopped as well, tilting her head as she waited patiently for him to continue.

“I hope we can still keep in touch,” he said in a rush. “Still… be friends.”

She blinked a couple of times. “I’d like that,” she said softly.

“It’s not gonna be easy,” he said. “Being a celebrity is…” he winced. “I try to keep my personal life as private as possible, but there’s always someone watching. Someone waiting for anything that will be fodder for great gossip. It’s hard to maintain any kind of relationship with people who aren’t already in the business and used to that.” Why was he trying to talk her out of this? “Are you sure you want anything to do with that?”

She gave him a soft smile. “I really don’t know,” she said with a shrug. “But I’d like to try.” She looked down, a soft blush on her cheeks. “I really like you, Poe. You’ve been such a compassionate leader for us all during this time, and I would be very proud to be considered your friend, whether you’re famous or not.” Her smile grew as she huffed a laugh.

Poe smiled back at her.

“But, you should probably know-“

A sharp rattle of branches behind him made her stop and she gasped as he spun around to see what made the noise. Two elk were crashing through the trees, apparently having been spooked by the two of them in their path.

“Wow,” Poe said softly as he watched the large herbivores speed away into the brush, their antlers like magical crowns on their heads.

“Poe! Look!” Rey moved past him toward where the elk had been. “They were following a trail.” She pushed aside a bush and stepped onto bare earth. She looked up and down the trail, her expression excited.

“Yeah, but is it elk-made or man-made?” Poe asked as he followed her.

She walked up the trail a bit. “It’s hard to tell after the rain yesterday,” she said, but then she stopped suddenly and kneeled down. “Look!”

Poe kneeled down next to her. Right next to a bush that covered part of the trail was an obvious tread mark from a hiking boot.

“It looks like part of it was rubbed out in the rain,” Rey said. “So, it can’t be from today.” She looked up at him. “But it can’t be that old, either.”

They both stood and looked up and down the trail. Poe felt the sudden urge to start running along it, not stopping until he found help. But which direction?

“Should we follow it?” he asked.

“We’re already so far away from the camp,” Rey said. “We’d never get back before nightfall. Then they would worry about us.”

Poe thought about the others waiting for them at the crash site. “A lot of those people won’t be able to hike this far out,” he said solemnly. More than half the survivors were either overweight or elderly or both. A hike through this wilderness at this altitude would be impossible for most of them. He focused on Rey, who was nodding sadly. “They’re safe where they are,” he told her. “We can go back tonight, let them know what we found, then come back out tomorrow, and follow this thing until we find help.”

Rey nodded again, her expression worried but determined.

Poe looked at his watch, then up and down the trail once more, a part of him hoping upon hope that someone would be coming along while they stood there. “If it’s a backpacking trail, we could still be days away from civilization.”

“Or the trailhead could be just over the next ridge,” Rey countered.

Poe smiled at her. “Yeah.” He took a deep breath. “Let’s get back.”

Three hours later, they walked back into camp. Sabine met them.

“No luck for us,” she said, indicating not only Ezra, but Finn and Kaz. “You guys?”

Poe couldn’t help but grin. “We found a trail,” he said, speaking loudly enough the others could hear. As everyone started talking excitedly, he soothed them. “Now hold on. We don’t know how long it is, and it’s a good eight miles or so from here, so we’re not all going to be able to follow it.” He explained his plan. “You all are doing wonderful here, and you’re safe.” He nodded toward their two resident fishermen, who had managed to collect a dozen good sized fish while he and Rey had been gone. “I want you all to stay here. Either someone will find you in a day or so, or Rey and I will find help and direct them here.”

Most of the group looked relieved, if a bit disappointed. The mention that the trail was so far away was enough to douse their excitement, but not their hope.

“But should you-“ one of the older ladies, Carmen, started.

“If anyone says that I shouldn’t be the one to go because I’m too ‘valuable’,” Poe interrupted her. “I’m going to go dunk you in that ice cold creek over yonder.”

Everyone laughed.

That night, Rey and Poe dined on fresh fish roasted over a fire. They had several empty water bottles ready to be filled at the creek in the morning, and the last of the snacks provided by the airline were packed along with clothing and other necessities in two backpacks that had been carry-ons belonging to a couple of the survivors. Poe saw both Finn and Rose take Rey aside and talk to her, worry on their faces, but Rey answered them with an expression full of confidence.

Poe lay in his normal spot, staring at the fire, and soon Rey joined him, lying on her side facing him.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Poe asked her. “I could ask Finn or Kaz to go with me.”

“I am very sure,” she told him, her eyes on his. “We already know each other and the terrain. We can make better time than anyone else.”

“And if we get eaten by a bear?”

She snorted. “Well, I hope it’s a mama bear, and she feeds us to her cubs.”

Poe laughed. “How about a wolf?”

“I would love to see a wolf,” Rey responded. “I’m kind of bummed we haven’t heard any, yet. Goodnight, Poe.” She closed her eyes.

“Goodnight, Rey,” he responded, terrified but excited about the adventure awaiting them tomorrow.

******

It was dawn.

Caleb found a small plastic cooler, filled it with cold water from the creek, then put in four of the fish he and Bill had caught the day before inside. He sealed it up tight and managed to fit it in Poe’s backpack. “You’re gonna need more than just pretzels and almonds,” he told them.

Poe had shaken the man’s hand, then he had focused on the rest of the survivors. Everyone had risen early to see them off, and more than a few tears were being shed. “Take care of each other,” Poe had demanded. He looked at Finn and Rose. “Finn, the bridge is yours.”

Finn laughed at Treye Sulvan’s iconic phrase and gave Poe a perfect military salute. “Aye, aye, Captain!”

Rey gave Rose and Finn one last hug, then she and Poe turned toward the rising sun and started walking.

Though stiff and sore from these past days of long hikes and sleeping on the ground, Rey found that the hot meal full of protein from the night before seemed to have given her more energy. Poe also seemed to have gotten his second wind, and for the first two hours of the hike they moved much more quickly than normal. Rey knew he was just as anxious as she was to get back to the trail they had found the day before. Rey scanned her surroundings often, making sure they were going in the right direction. It would be so easy to get lost in this vast wilderness, where steep and slippery rock formations competed with hillsides full of evergreen trees.

It was mid-morning when Rey recognized the rock formations she had memorized that were in the vicinity of the trail, and within thirty minutes they were there, stepping onto the narrow but very obvious path. Though most likely man-made, it was probably used frequently by wildlife, too, which kept it looking well-used. In reality, they had no idea how often hikers actually used it.

They stopped to drink and eat some of the salty snacks they had brought; the sun was hot and though the temperature was probably only in the low 70s, it felt much warmer thanks to the exercise. After several minutes of quiet conversation, Poe stood up and stretched, looking up and down the trail.

“Which way?” he asked.

Rey, who was trying not to be distracted by the sliver of skin on his waist that had appeared when Poe had reached upward with his arms, cleared her throat. “Well, we’ve been heading east this entire time, so I think we should keep going in that general direction.”

“Any reason why?”

She shrugged. “I’m trying to envision a map of this area in my head. I’m not sure I know where Atlantic City is, but you thought we might be in the Wind River Range, right?”

He nodded. “The plane turned east to get to Atlantic City, so we must have been over… maybe Popo Agie. It’s a wilderness area, which would explain why we’re in the proverbial ‘middle of nowhere’.”

“So, if we keep going east, we’re more likely to find a visitor’s center or base camp for backpackers, right? They would be located just outside the wilderness area, closer to a town. Like Atlantic City.”

“Or Lander,” he added. “That’s the larger town in that area.” He nodded and looked down the trail to their right. “It looks like we’ve got north or south options here, though.” He looked back at Rey. “South?”

She nodded. “Let’s go,” Rey said, and together they headed down the trail, Poe in the lead.

The going was moderately easier thanks to the path they followed, but there was still plenty of rough ground and steep terrain to navigate. When they weren’t trying to pick over and around boulders or huffing and puffing up arduous hillsides, they talked, and Rey found herself musing about how amazing it was that he talked to her so freely. He told stories about funny or scary incidents he had had on sets. He mentioned actors he had worked with by their first name only, as if they weren’t all well-known around the world. He spoke of his job as if it was just a regular, though mostly fun, career. He was open and honest and spoke to her as a friend.

It's because he thinks you’re not a fan, Rey reminded herself. He’s like this because he trusts you to not spout off about any of it once you get home, telling the press all the juicy facts he was detailing about other famous people. He trusts you.

And Rey knew she would never betray that trust. If anything, she was extremely honored that he was confiding in her with his stories, but it made her feel guilty at the same time. She needed to tell him. She needed to let him know just how much of a fan she really was. A few of the stories he was telling her she already knew, as he had told them in interviews on late night television. She had tried saying something yesterday, but now she was scared to. Would he really want to continue to see her after they got home safe? If so, would telling him she was one of those ‘rabid fans’ change his mind?

She tried to keep her thoughts away from the future by telling him stories about her own life. The struggles she had faced living in a group children’s home, how she had mostly fended for herself because she had a hard time making friends. How Finn had become her first real friend and Rose, her first real ‘girlie’ friend. She briefly mentioned Ben, a fellow vet student who she had dated for a short time last year, and he seemed to tense up. But when she made sure to add that Ben was ‘just a friend’ now, he relaxed. Or maybe it was her imagination.

Her stupid, hopeful, why-can’t-it-be-real-love imagination.

The trail turned toward the west, but they agreed that it was too late to turn back now, and kept on going. It was late afternoon when a small thunderstorm grumbled at them, but it passed on without doing anything more than that. They were pushing themselves up a steep slope, griping about the rise in humidity the storm had caused, when they started taking notice of a change in their surroundings. Quietly, they reached the top of the rise and stared out in awe.

They had seen a lot of beautiful scenery since this adventure had begun, but this went far beyond beautiful.

Huge granite peaks stood before them, with rocky bluffs spread out at their base and thick spruce, fir, and lodgepole pine trees adding contrast to the almost silver rock. In between Rey and Poe and the ridge of mountains lay a beautifully still lake. A meadow of green grass with colorful wildflowers dotting it lay between them and the lake. It was almost as awesome as the Tetons, Rey thought.

“I’ve seen this place before,” Poe said softly.

“In a dream?” Rey responded, only joking a little.

He shook his head. “In pictures.” She could see his dark, expressive brows furrow as he concentrated, and he reached up to scratch the beard that was quickly growing; he could have kept up with shaving, she knew, but he hadn’t bothered. His eyes suddenly widened and his head came up. “Cirque of the Towers,” he said. He looked at her. “We are in Popo Agie. And this is a pretty famous spot. I’m surprised we haven’t run into other hikers.”

“So, we’re close to civilization?” Rey asked.

“I think it’s at least a day’s hike to get here,” he told her. “But I’d be really shocked if we don’t run into someone before then.” He pulled out his phone, checking to see if there was a signal. “Nothing, yet,” he frowned.

Rey looked around her, the momentary excitement of Poe’s recognizing their location fizzling as exhaustion took over. “It’s late enough. Should we just make camp here for the night?”

Poe nodded, staring off at the towers of granite before them. “Yeah. Let’s.”

Withing minutes, they had a small fire going and the fish Caleb had given them were getting roasted over the top of it. Rey had never been a huge seafood fan, but she would forever think trout cooked over an open fire as one of the best meals ever. As the sun set and the night moved in, the temps dropped. They slipped on their jackets and sat shoulder to shoulder, watching as the fire slowly died out. They had brought blankets, so there was no reason to keep the fire going now that they had eaten.

Poe had just slipped his arm around Rey’s shoulders as if it was the most natural thing in the world when the yipping started. At first, Rey thought it was coyotes, but then the yipping leveled off and full-blown howling began. Several different voices were raised, the sound echoing all around them.

“There are your wolves,” Poe said softly.

Rey smiled, then closed her eyes, listening intently to the wild chorus around them. The sound sent chills up her spine, but not of fear. It was a good feeling, a feeling of euphoria and welcome. The literal call of the wild.

She heard Poe utter a strange noise and she opened her eyes, turning to look at him. He was staring at her, his eyes wide, the waning firelight flickering in them.

“What’s wrong?” she whispered.

He shook his head slightly, blinking rapidly. “Nothing,” he whispered back. “You are just so beautiful.”

Rey felt her heart thump hard, and her breath caught. As she stared into his eyes, he moved closer, and her heart seemed to stop for a moment. Was he really going to kiss her?

Then he did just that.

******

Poe had told himself over and over again that his feelings for this woman were due to their situation, and that he needed to take things slow. Asking her yesterday if she was okay with continuing to get to know each other even after they made it safely home had been as far as he was planning on taking this relationship for now, but the hike today and all the talking they had been doing had changed his mind. They were here and they were alone and tomorrow they would most likely find the help needed to get the others to safety. The end was near, and he couldn’t help but wish for more than just a potential friendship with this woman before everything went back to ‘normal.’

Watching her listening to the howling wolves, seeing the pure joy and euphoria on her face, had made him realize just how much he really wanted this woman. And not as just a friend. She was beautiful, she was sexy, she was smart, and she accepted him as Poe the man, not the celebrity. He wanted her in his life.

And he wanted her in his bed.

He hadn’t been able to stop the soft growl as his mind conjured images of a naked Rey. He had to stop thinking that way. There was no guarantee she felt the same. She was so much younger than him, and probably had dozens of men, and maybe women, lining up waiting to ask her out back home. Why would she want the hassle of being hounded by paparazzi once word got out she was seeing him?

At his unconscious noise, she had opened her eyes and looked at him. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he had tried to lie. But he couldn’t do it. He had to know. “You are just so beautiful,” he told her.

As her eyes grew large, he leaned in, glancing down at her mouth. Her eyes widened even more, but then she raised her chin and parted her lips slightly. He took her subtle movement as affirmation, and he completed his action.

Her lips were as soft as they looked, as was her cheek when he brought up his hand to cup it gently. He increased the pressure of his mouth slightly, and she responded eagerly, shifting her body so that she was turned more toward him. With growing excitement, he brought his tongue into play. She emitted a breathy moan as she opened her mouth in acceptance. He moved the hand touching her cheek to cup the back of her head, holding her steady as he began to taste her in earnest. He felt her hands on his chest, one of them gripping the front of his jacket tightly.

He shifted his own body slowly, and in doing so realized just how uncomfortably tight his jeans were getting. Okay, this was getting out of hand. Kissing her was one thing, but he was not going to fuck her out here in the wilderness. He pulled back, huffing out a soft laugh as she tried to follow him.

“Rey,” he gasped softly, getting her attention.

She opened her eyes, and even in the dim light from the remaining fire he could see the dazed look on her face. He closed his eyes and licked his lips, trying to control his physical reaction. “We should get some sleep,” he ground out.

When he opened his eyes again, she was sitting up straight once more, nodding. “Yeah,” she breathed.

“Can we…” he paused. “Can we continue this when we get back to civilization?”

She looked at him, her expression surprised. Then she smiled. “Yeah,” she nodded. “Yeah, we can continue this later.”

Poe smiled back at her. “Okay,” he said, then he stood. “I’m gonna…” He motioned back toward the bushes behind them, indicating his intent to go to the bathroom. And readjust himself, but he wasn’t going to say that, either.

She nodded and looked away, biting her lower lip to keep herself from laughing. Yeah, she got it.

When he came back, she was already lying down on one of the larger blankets they had brought, a smaller one over her, and the other small one behind her, waiting for him. He settled down at her back, covering himself and resting his head on his pack, then he reached forward, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her back into him. She helped him, scooching over until her back was flush against his front. Within minutes he could feel her breathing even out. Just before he drifted off to sleep, he gave a thought that they should have been sleeping like this every night.

Morning came quickly, and with it the excitement of hopefully finally finding help. They each stole off into the bushes to take care of business, then they ate the last of their ‘plane snacks.’ Finally, they were good to go.

Poe led them in the general direction he thought the trail would continue, which was along the lakeshore heading southwest, and soon a very worn looking wooden sign post appeared with an arrow pointing slightly away from the lake and the amazing peaks behind it. They walked steadily for another fifteen minutes or so before the trail became visible once more, the rocky ground around the lake having prevented any such path from being seen. The sun rose higher in the sky and Poe was starting to get frustrated by the lack of other hikers. It was a popular trail. It was summer. Where was everyone?

They climbed up another rocky slope, panting as they reached the top. More beautiful scenery lay before them. Beautiful scenery with no people in sight.

He looked at Rey and she looked back at him, sighing. She looked as exhausted as he felt. They continued on, too tired to converse. One foot in front of the other, he thought.

At mid-morning, Rey stopped, staring at something on the ground. Poe moved next to her, looking down at the dried mud they stood on. A large paw print was embedded in the soil.

“That’s as big as my hand,” Rey whispered.

“Wolf or mountain lion?”

“There are no claw marks,” Rey answered. “So, I’m assuming cat.” She looked around them. “I don’t think it’s too recent. The mud has already dried.”

“Yeah, but they’re around,” Poe grumbled. “Probably watching us, waiting for us to stumble.”

Rey sighed. “That’s not very encouraging.”

“Yeah, it is,” he grinned. “It’s reminding us to keep moving.”

So, they did.

It was early afternoon when they entered what appeared to be a small canyon. A lovely creek was flowing and the plant life was green and verdant, much different from the scrub-like bushes and evergreens from the rocky parts of the trail. The water was clear and running cold, so he decided this would be a good place to refill their water bottles and take a break.

Rey didn’t argue, and she immediately found a shady spot and sat down, leaning back against a tree trunk.

“You okay?” he asked, concerned. Even tired, she usually maintained a certain level of energy that invigorated him.

She nodded, then rubbed at her cheek. He realized with a start the she was wiping away a tear. He moved toward her quickly, reaching for her.

“Hey, hey, hey!” he said as he grabbed her gently by the wrists, pulling her back on her feet. “None of that,” he whispered as he pulled her into his arms. “We’re almost there.”

She wrapped her arms tight around him, burying her face in his neck. “You don’t know that,” she mumbled. “We could be days away.”

He shook his head. “I don’t think this trail is that long.”

“Then why haven’t we seen anybody else?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted, bringing a hand up to smooth along her scalp, whispering into her hair.

He felt her sigh heavily, then she pulled back just enough to look at him. “I’m sorry. I’m just so tired.”

“I know,” he nodded, reaching up to tuck a stray lock of hair back behind her ear. “You’ve been so strong,” he told her, his voice shaking. “You’ve kept me strong. You have every right to gripe.” He brought his lips up to her forehead and kissed her gently. “Just don’t stop.”

She nodded slightly as he let his forehead drop to touch hers. They stood like this for a moment, then she brought her face up, nuzzling her nose against his. She looked at him, her expression pleading, and he couldn’t resist. Like the night before, he brought his lips to hers, and she met him without hesitation.

As the sun shone hot upon them and the creek babbled happily beside them, they kissed once more.

******

Her feet had blisters, her right knee was aching bad and it kept locking up, she was hungry and hot and dead on her feet.

But none of that mattered as Poe kissed her.

For a brief moment, she remembered how she and her internet friends used to joke about how Poe Dameron ‘kissed like a whore,’ and how they had all dreamed of being kissed like that someday. Well, now she knew what it was like, and it was far better than anything her imagination could conjure. His tongue, his lips, the way he held her head, directing her with subtle but slightly demanding motions. The best part was, she knew he wasn’t acting. He was as exhausted and stressed and achy as she was. There was no pretense left in either of them.

This was real.

One of his hands had drifted down her side, sliding between her back and the pack she wore, then moving down to cup her ass. His mouth left hers and he started kissing along her cheek, making his way down along her jawbone. She lifted her chin, letting her head fall back, and he accepted her invitation, sucking and licking down her neck.

“Poe,” she gasped, bringing her hand up to run her fingers through his hair. She had to be dreaming. There was no possible way this was really happening.

“I want to make love to you, Rey,” he whispered against her neck. He lifted his face back up so he could look at her. His eyes were almost black and she felt a surge of moisture between her legs as her body responded to his obvious arousal. “I want to get you to a real bed with lots of pillows and I want to lay you down naked and do wicked things to you.”

“Oh, God,” she breathed in response.

“Please tell me you want to do that, too,” he said, his voice raspy.

She nodded vigorously, but then she remembered who exactly she was dealing with. She took a deep breath and pulled away from him slightly. “I do,” she said, and her voice caught. She cleared her throat. “But…” She paused.

“Fuck!” he said sharply, and stepped back. She suddenly felt cold without his touch, even with the warm sun still shining on her. “I knew there would be a ‘but’,” he groaned. “You’ve got a boyfriend, don’t you?” he asked. “Or are in love with someone else.”

She laughed softly as she turned away from him. “It’s not…” She stopped and faced him again. “Remember how you said that from the first time you saw me that you knew I wasn’t a fan? That you were comfortable with me because I didn’t know who you were?”

He tilted his head, then nodded. “Yeah.”

Rey took a deep breath. “It’s the exact opposite,” she admitted. “I recognized you before you even got on the plane. The reason I acted so… distant… was because I was freaking out inside, so afraid I would embarrass myself in front of you, that I didn’t even want to look at you.”

She ran a hand over her face, then met his eyes with her own. “The truth is, I’ve been a fan of the Galaxy Aflame movies since I was a kid, and when Treye Sulvan became a part of the franchise, I became obsessed. I am totally in love with that character, so much so that I actually wrote fanfiction about him. And the more I got to know him, the more obsessed I became with the man who played him.” She licked her lips, unsure how to react to Poe’s stony expression.

“I’ve watched every movie you have ever made. Every guest appearance in a TV show. I’ve downloaded all your music, both your original stuff and your covers. I’ve watched every interview I could find on Youtube, and made sure to catch anything I could that was new when it aired.” She shrugged, looking at him helplessly. “I am that rabid fan you were joking about.”

He stood watching her silently, assessing her.

“And now I’ve gotten to know you,” she continued. “The real you. Seeing how kind and capable you are, just like I imagined. But also seeing how unsure and tentative you are. You know how to take charge, but you’re happy to have help and to take advice from others. There’s no grand ego in you, despite the fact that I know you know how good an actor you are. I’ve seen the fear in your eyes, the fatigue, and it comforts me. Because it tells me you’re real. And that my feelings now aren’t because of what you do in front of a camera, but because of what you’ve done since I’ve met you. And…” she stopped, knowing she was just rambling now. “And I thought you should know,” she finished lamely.

He continued to look at her, his expression almost contemplative now. Then he spoke.

“You wrote fanfiction about me?” One eyebrow was raised.

Rey couldn’t meet his gaze anymore. “I used to. About Treye. Yes.”

“Did you write smut?”

Her face heated. “Yes.”

“Vanilla or gross kinky stuff?”

Rey couldn’t stop the laugh that came out, but she still couldn’t meet his eyes. “It’s pretty vanilla, but there’s a bit of kink in some.”

“Can I read it?”

Startled, Rey finally looked at him. “You want to read my smut?”

He nodded. “Yeah.”

“Why?” she breathed.

Poe closed the gap between them, the corner of his mouth curling up. He stopped directly in front of her, close enough she could feel the heat of his body. “Because,” he said softly. “I want to reenact every scene with you in real life.”

Rey’s heart started racing. He was dead serious. “Oh, God,” she repeated.

Before she could utter anything else, his mouth was on hers once more, his tongue already exhibiting some of the wicked things he said he wanted to do to her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, holding on for dear life. His hand cupped her ass, pulling her tight into him, and she felt the unmistakable bulge of his erection. The knowledge that he was that turned on shot adrenaline into her system. She wanted him. Now.

“Poe, please,” she gasped, pulling back just enough to speak. “Let’s not wait for that bed.”

“Shit,” he hissed sharply before he nudged her chin up with his nose and started licking and sucking on her neck again. One of his hands slid down her thigh, coaxing her leg up, propping it on his hip.

Rey almost shouted as his hardness rubbed against her center, the friction of the jeans they both still wore giving her more stimulation while at the same time frustrating her. A buzzing began in her head as she instinctively began rocking against him. He moaned in reaction. The buzzing increased.

That wasn’t in her head, she thought suddenly.

She jerked back just as he also pulled back. They looked at each other wide-eyed, then spoke the same word at the same time.

“Airplane!”

******

Part Two