Naboo

The New Republic is being invaded by an aggressive and territorial alien race. While the Resistance rushes to help the fledgling government protect its people, Rey and Poe must find a way to overcome the greatest challenge their marriage has ever faced.

ORIGINALLY POSTED OCTOBER 5, 2020

Would it have been too much to wish for at least a decade of peace?

General Poe Dameron asked himself that question as he stood at the foot of the shuttle ramp, taking data pad after data pad from one person after another, perusing the contents, signing off on the ones he approved of, and telling the others to come back with something better. The chaos surrounding him was mostly controlled, but every once and a while he was distracted by a sharp curse word or frustrated shout. This was it. The Resistance was prepping for battle. Odds were good a great many of these people would not be coming back to Yavin IV in the weeks ahead.

He glanced up from time to time, looking across the landing field, scanning the ships and variety of beings that were working their butts off to get going on time. The New Republic Fleet was waiting on them. Just a few short days ago, the combined forces of New Republic ships and a handful of the Resistance’s best fighters had successfully fended off the first wave of the invading alien force that called themselves the Traagmol. However, reconnaissance told them that there was a much larger force waiting in the wings. So, the Resistance, at the request of the still young and inexperienced New Republic, was sending their whole fleet to Naboo. If that wasn’t bad enough, the New Republic had unanimously voted in favor of having General Dameron lead the entire combined fleet.

How the hell had he gotten here? It wasn’t the first time in the last few years that he’d asked himself that. He wasn’t even 40 years old, yet, and he was in command of the Republic’s fleet. Responsible for the protection of billions of innocent souls throughout the galaxy. Things had been going so well after Exegol, too. However, after an Imperial remnant that called themselves Black Star had attempted to assassinate the last Jedi (who just happened to be Poe’s wife), things had gone downhill. While it had been easy enough to root out the traitors and spies Black Star had placed in the senate and other governing bodies of the New Republic, the effort had distracted the sorely understaffed security forces and had allowed this alien species to essentially sneak up on them from Wild Space. There was very little history of the Traagmol in the Old Republic or Imperial archives, but what there was wasn’t very good. They were aggressive and territorial, and apparently, they had decided to expand their territory.

Poe looked up again, but he still couldn’t find what he was looking for. He tried to ignore the anxiety that was beginning to creep in. The coming weeks and maybe months were going to be uncertain, and the last thing he wanted was to leave without saying goodbye to his wife, but his last contact with her had been Rey letting him know one of her students had injured themselves severely on the training course and she was taking him to the infirmary. Poe knew she wouldn’t leave the child until everything was okay, and he didn’t expect her to. But time was running out.

It didn’t help that he was leaving when things were not as comfortable between them as they should be. Rey had been moody and depressed the last couple of weeks. She was her normal self during the day with her students for the most part, though it did seem her patience was a bit strained, but Poe had been witness to a few too many temper tantrums and crying jags at night. He wanted to blame hormones. Rey was currently six months pregnant with their second child, and it wasn’t going as smoothly as the first one. Whenever Poe pushed her to talk to him, she denied that anything was wrong. “It’s nothing,” she would say with a small smile. “I’m fine.” Her exhausted eyes told him otherwise, but with the stress about the Traagmol and war already plaguing him, Poe didn’t push any further. “You don’t need to worry about me right now,” she told him just yesterday, rubbing her baby bump with one hand and holding Shaina’s tiny hand with the other. “We’ll be fine.”

Poe was guessing that a part of her mood was due to the fact she wasn’t coming with them. She had already offered her services to the Republic as a negotiator and advisor, but she was not planning on getting near the front line, not with a baby on the way. Poe would have done his best to prevent that even if she had wanted to come; she may have been a Jedi and more than capable on the battlefield, but she was also his wife and the mother of his children. He knew she would not be happy with his attitude, but he couldn’t help it; it was his nature to protect what was his.

Suddenly, everything was in place. “General?” called a voice behind him. Commander Gokelman stood at the top of the ramp, his anxiety evident in the way he bounced lightly on the balls of his feet. “It’s time to go.”

Poe looked around the landing field one last time, his heart feeling like it was being squeezed a bit. He nodded and turned to head up the ramp. His X-Wing and BB-8 were already on board the Organa, everyone had their assignments and duties, and ships were already taking off, coordinates set for their rendezvous at Naboo. It was indeed time to go.

He would comm her as soon as he got to Naboo, he thought. He would comm her every day that he could, in fact. And he would be back in time for Skyler’s birth, come hell or alien invasion. There was nothing that could keep him away.

His encouraging thoughts didn’t make him feel any better.

******

Rey ran quickly over the rough ground of the landing field, but dodging all the ships that were taking off slowed her down significantly. She could already see the shuttle she was aiming for leaving the ground. Damn it! She was too late! She stopped and immediately opened herself up to the Force. Her connection with her husband had only gotten stronger in the last several weeks, since she had learned how powerful it truly was while she was marooned on the planet Kolbe. She reached for him now and felt his presence, bright and powerful. However, she could tell he was distracted, already focused on the job ahead of him, and he did not recognize her touch. Though sensitive to the Force, he himself could not direct it or use it like she could; he had to be focused on her already in order to complete their connection. She pushed her thoughts at him, anyway, hoping he would hear them, if only subconsciously. “I love you! Stay safe and come home to me!”

She opened her eyes and looked at the shuttle already far above her. She kissed the palm of her hand, closed her fist, and threw it up toward the shuttle, but tears entered her eyes as she acknowledged that this time it would not be ‘caught.’ She took a deep, shuddering breath and looked around her. Almost all the ships were gone. Only a few were remaining to ensure the safety of the base and those that remained behind, including her students and their families. She suddenly felt small and very alone as she stood there; she must look like she had been abandoned, she thought with a bit of humor. But the humor died as she thought of her husband.

She had so wanted to hold him, kiss him, one more time. There hadn’t been enough of that in the last couple of weeks. In fact, Rey couldn’t even remember the last time they had made love. All because of the dream. She should have told him about the dream. She took another deep breath and turned back toward the command center. She would wait there until she heard that the fleet had arrived safely at their destination, then hopefully she could talk to him via the comm. But she couldn’t tell him about the dream, not over an open channel. Even though she had convinced herself that it was simply the result of stress, that there was no way it was a vision, she knew it had been affecting her negatively. She had not wanted Poe to worry, especially with all the other things he had to worry about right now, so she had kept quiet. It didn’t help that the dream was disturbing and frightening in more ways than one and she didn’t know if she could talk about it even if he hadn’t been ready to lead the New Republic into battle. She felt a brief surge of pride, remembering her elation upon hearing about his command, but it quickly turned to fear.

She should have told him about the dream

******

The Resistance fleet exited hyperspace a short distance from the planet Naboo only slightly later than promised. Fortunately, all was well at their destination. Poe immediately contacted both the Chancellor’s office and General Meazumi’s office. Meazumi was the current commander of the New Republic fleet, and he had seemed inordinately pleased that the Council had requested Poe take charge of the combined fleet. He and Chancellor Berreth agreed to meet with Poe in person in an hour’s time at the new Capitol building in Theed. Chancellor-Elect Leeway would also be there; the former president of Lirra, a planet with a tragic and ever evolving history, he had been elected Chancellor of the New Republic just before the invasion of the Traagmol, but had yet to take over the office.

After the communication link to the planet surface closed, Poe heard the distinctive tone of another link connecting. He looked at Lieutenant Gunn, the communications officer currently on duty. The man was listening intently to the incoming comm through his receiver, but he looked at Poe almost immediately, his eyes bright. “Comm from Yavin for you, sir,” he said.

Poe had a feeling every eye on the bridge was on him. “I’ll take it in my stateroom,” he said quietly, and headed off the bridge and toward his quarters, which acted both as an office and as his bedroom. He immediately sat down at his desk and switched on the holo. He took a deep breath as Rey’s figured appeared in front of him, feeling his whole body relax.

“I am so sorry I didn’t get there in time,” she started without preamble. “I saw the shuttle lifting off, but I was too late!”

“It’s all right,” Poe said with a smile. “How’s Colt?”

Rey smiled back, but he could see the fatigue in her eyes despite the rough image of the holo. “He’ll be okay, but he was pretty beat up.” She shrugged. “He lost his concentration on the rope bridge and the Force decided to reintroduce him to gravity.” Poe grinned at her words. “I helped slow his fall, but it was still pretty hard.” Poe didn’t bother to ask why Rey hadn’t healed the boy herself as her abilities were almost magical in that area. She had long ago told her students she would not interfere unless it was a life or death situation; they would not have her around to fix them once they headed out on their own as Jedi, so they needed to learn how to treat and deal with injuries on their own.

“How’s Shaina?” he asked. He had actually been able to say goodbye to his little girl this morning, who had been staying with his father for the day while Rey had taken her students on the training course for what was supposed to have been a brief run.

“She’s still with Kes,” Rey told him. “I came straight here after I missed your departure; I have a feeling I’ll be here a lot.” She meant the command center on base, the only place with a comm system strong enough to communicate via holo with the Organa. “Kes did comm me a short time ago with a message from her to you, though.”

Poe cocked his head. “Oh, yeah? What?”

“She said that when you come home to not forget your hair.”

Poe laughed out loud, and it felt wonderful. He ran his hand over his scalp, which now sported a burr cut. He had felt the need to make himself look older and more serious before heading out on this campaign. His normal thick locks made him look younger than he was, even with the strands of grey that were becoming more and more prolific. “And what do you think?” he asked. Rey hadn’t said anything when he had walked in with the new do yesterday, but she had given him a knowing smile and had managed to give his head a quick rub before they had been interrupted by Finn and Rose, who were bringing over a ‘good-luck’ dinner for him.

“I didn’t get much of a chance to appreciate it,” she told him with a small smile. Even after their best friends had left, Poe had had to make a trip to the command center to finalize his orders before he could settle in for his last night at home. Rey had already been asleep, wrapped around Shaina, when he got back. Shaina had taken to waking up in the middle of the night and climbing into bed with them. Poe thought she may have been having bad dreams. Or she was being awoken by her mother’s bad dreams. He wasn’t sure what disturbed him more. “You know how much I love your curls,” Rey continued with a grin. “But I can’t say I don’t find this look sexy,” she added softly. Though they both knew the crew of the Organa was to be trusted and would not purposefully listen in on their conversation, they also knew the comm wasn’t secure; coded communications were restricted for military use only, not personal.

“Kriff, Rey. I wish you were here,” Poe responded. All the tension from the last couple of weeks had gotten to them, and it was amazing how such a simple conversation such as the one they were having was a balm to his soul.

“I wish I was, too,” she told him. “But we’re both were we belong,” she said. “For now,” she added firmly.

He nodded. “For now.”

They talked a bit more about simple, mundane things. Poe was extra glad the base was on Yavin so Rey could be close to Kes, and he was glad Finn and Rose had also stayed behind, not only to continue helping Rey with the students, as they normally did, but to provide extra protection should the base need it. While the Traagmol seemed to be focusing their attention on Naboo, the capitol of the New Republic, Poe wouldn’t put it past them to attack other worlds they deemed important to the new government.

Eventually, Poe had to end the conversation. “I’ve got a meeting on the surface shortly,” he told her.

She nodded. “You need to focus on why you’re there, now,” she told him. “Don’t worry about us. Just work on ending this thing as soon as possible so you can come home safe to us, okay?”

Poe nodded, not wanting to end the communication. For some reason, he dreaded it. Almost as if he knew it would be a very long time before they had another one. He closed his eyes. He wasn’t the Jedi. He had no experience in prognostication. Besides, Rey had told him even Jedi couldn’t do that very well. Something about the future being always in motion. Opening his eyes again, he kissed his palm and threw her the kiss. She caught it and placed in on her heart. “As soon as possible, Mesh’la,” he told her. “I promise.”

******

Rey’s dream that night started out just like it always did. She had so hoped that her conversation with Poe via the holonet would prevent it, but his actual presence these last two weeks hadn’t, so why she had thought her talk with him today would, she didn’t know. Maybe because for the first time in weeks their exchange had not included any drama, arguing, or other crazy emotions. But, despite her positive attitude before going to bed, the dream came.

Only she might as well call it what is was: A nightmare.

She was on Starkiller Base, restrained in the interrogation chair. She was disoriented and frightened, remembering how the tall man she knew must be Kylo Ren had immobilized her on Takodana and had seemed to pry into her brain. He was there, watching her, from a squatting position on the other side of the room. She took in a deep breath, glancing about her. “Where am I?” Her voice broke.

“You’re my guest,” he replied, in as pleasant a voice as he could muster with the mask on.

“Where are the others?” Finn. Han. Chewie. BB-8. She prayed they were okay.

“You mean the murderers, traitors and thieves you call friends?” She didn’t reply as he paused. “You’ll be relieved to know I have no idea.” He cocked his head slightly. “You still want to kill me,” he said softly.

“That happens when you’re being hunted by a creature in a mask,” she told him, her voice firm now. She would not give in to her fear.

He stood suddenly, and deep-down Rey knew this is where memory changed to nightmare. He did not remove his helmet. He walked slowly toward her and she felt the Force power emanating from him; it was so strong it almost crackled. Her breathing quickened as the fear increased. “Tell me about the droid,” he demanded, his mechanical voice making the already terrifying memory of this interrogation that much more frightening in its difference.

“He’s a BB Unit with a selenium drive and thermal hyperscan vindicator…”

“That’s carrying a section of a navigational chart. We have the rest, recovered from the archives of the Empire, but we need the last piece. And somehow, you convinced the droid to show it to you.” He paused. “You. A scavenger.” He leaned close to her, close enough she could feel the static coming off of the metal on his mask. “You know I can take whatever I want,” he whispered.

Then he was there. In her head. She pushed back, confident in her own Force power now enough to fight, but the memory of the pain was too much. She winced. “I’m not giving you anything!” she told him.

“Leave her alone!” a voice demanded from her right, weak but insistent. Startled, she turned her head, shocked to see Poe in a chair similar to hers, facing them. His face was bloody and bruised. An old Imperial torture droid was visible just behind him and Rey felt the agony rising from him through the Force; it was obvious Ren had already pulled whatever information he could from him. Weakened by the physical beating and the droid, Poe had never stood a chance against Ren’s forceful mind probe.

“Poe!” Rey cried, struggling against her bonds even more, now.

Ren drew back a bit, looking back and forth between the two of them. He brought his hand down from its position near her face and carefully touched her neck, running his index finger along the collar of her tunic. Rey shuddered at the feel of the glove on her skin. She heard Poe straining against the chair he was in. “Stop touching her, you bastard!”

Ren paused, and though she couldn’t see it, she sensed that he was smiling. “Maybe there is a way to get the information I need without having to use so much effort,” he said softly. “Who knows, maybe I’ll even get some pleasure out of it.” He dropped his hand down to grab her breast.

“No!” Rey shouted in protest as Poe growled. She tried to wriggle away from his touch, but he held her still with the Force. “Please, no!”

“I think yes,” Ren told her, moving his body in close to hers, his hands already at work on her belt and leggings.

She knew what his intent was, and she turned her head away from Poe, fear and shame consuming her. “Please, stop,” she whispered, knowing it was no use. Tears streamed down her face as she heard Poe cursing and struggling. She didn’t know which was worse: the fact her innocence was about to be destroyed in such a manner, or the fact that Poe was being forced to watch it happen. Then she felt the first touch of gloved hands on bared skin…

Rey jerked awake, sitting up in bed gasping for air, tears streaming down her cheeks. She grabbed a pillow and hugged it tightly to her chest, trying to slow her breathing down. It had changed. The horrible nightmare she had been having almost every night for the last two weeks had changed. The memory of her interrogation was the same, as was the fact that Ren never removed his helmet before his painful questioning of her. Then the terrifying moment when she realized he intended to rape her. The difference tonight made the horrible experience that much worse: Poe was there. He had never been there before.

She felt Skyler move restlessly inside her, and she tried to send positive thoughts his way. While he wasn’t nearly old enough to understand what was going on with his mother, he still felt her anxiety. As did Shaina most nights. The child always seemed to wake after Rey did, feeling her mother’s fear and confusion. Rey looked toward the door of the bedroom, expecting Shaina to be standing there, but she wasn’t. She took a deep breath and reached out unobtrusively through the Force to her daughter, and was pleased to feel the toddler still sleeping soundly in the room next door. Maybe Rey was finally getting those shields up in time when she woke, or maybe Shaina was just getting used to her mother’s night attacks.

And that’s what they were. Attacks. Rey hated that an already horrible memory could become even more vile. She truly felt there was something or someone behind these dreams, but despite all of her meditations and mental journeys, she could not find the source. And now Poe was a part of them. Rey shook her head, praying to the Force that Poe had not shared this dream with her as he had shared others with her in the past. Taking a deep breath, she got up and went to the fresher.

She wondered if she should try and communicate with Ben; maybe he would have answers for her. She knew for certain he had nothing to do with these dreams, despite the fact he was a part of them. Kylo Ren never removed his helmet in the dream, while in her real memory he had done so very early on, humanizing himself to Rey. She had often wondered why he had done that; to put her at ease or make her even more afraid?

Rey climbed back in bed, taking the pillow she had been hugging earlier and curling herself around it as she lay back down on her side. She knew from experience she would not dream again the rest of the night, but that knowledge didn’t make it any easier to get to sleep. Her mind flashed back to the image of Poe in her dream. He had told her about his own interrogation at the hands of Kylo Ren shortly after they had escaped Crait in the Millennium Falcon. He had been beaten, then drugs had been given to him to weaken his mind, and yet he had not told them what he had done with the map; both his Republic military training and Leia’s own guidance had given him an edge on how to stay quiet even during torture. But Ren had finally broken him.

During that quiet conversation while most of the rest of the Resistance survivors slept, Poe had learned that Rey had also been Force tortured by Ren. Poe had labeled them “torture buddies,” doing his best to make light of a situation that both he and Rey would never be able to forget. It was the beginning of their friendship, one that had been almost inevitable thanks to BB-8. It had taken more than a year and the end of the war for that friendship to evolve into romance, but Poe had long ago admitted to Rey that his feelings for her had already begun that day on the Falcon. Rey always felt that if she hadn’t been so focused on her training with Leia, and on her unique connection to Ben, she might have noticed his interest, but she had been oblivious.

Finally, Rey felt herself sink closer to sleep. She should have told Poe about the dream, she thought again. Or somebody. Somebody who could offer her advice. Somebody who could tell her she had nothing to worry about. That they were just dreams.

It didn’t matter that Rey never dreamed unless the Force was involved.

******

Kriff, he hated this already. What he wouldn’t give to be in an X-Wing right now, flying reconnaissance for the fleet rather than stuck here on the bridge of the Organa directing others to do so. He had made arrangements to take his ship out later, wanting to keep sharp and burn off some steam of his own, but he couldn’t until all the others had finished their runs and had returned to the Organa. Keeping an eye on the enemy and trying to forecast their actions took precedence over everything else right now, including his own cabin fever. So far, he thought he had done well in keeping confrontation to a minimum these past two weeks, dealing with only a handful of skirmishes along the Mid Rim. He knew the Traagmol were probing at their defenses, trying to get as much information on their enemy as possible, so Poe made sure to send only enough fighters to succeed in chasing off the enemy vanguard; there was no sense in letting them know just how large of a force the Republic had available.

He took a deep breath and focused on the console in front of him. Fortunately, he wasn’t showing his agitation outwardly. At least, he didn’t think so. He had enough friends on the bridge with him that he would like to think one of them would have called him out if he was displaying un-General-like behavior. In fact, one of them had just walked onto the bridge, her manner efficient and businesslike, as always.

He turned to Kaydel, noticing immediately the unfamiliar woman walking behind her. “General Dameron,” Kaydel said as she reached him. She motioned toward the other woman. “This is Mikaela Dean. She’s the Ambassador from Naboo that Chancellor Berreth mentioned at the last meeting. She’s here to observe for the council.” While her voice was professional, Poe could tell from the tightness in it that she didn’t approve. Poe hadn’t, either, when they had been told of this Ambassador. The last thing they needed was a civilian on board asking questions and poking her nose where it didn’t belong during a battle.

“Thank you, Commander Connix,” Poe told his friend, remaining equally professional. It wasn’t easy when half the people on the bridge were people he had been fighting alongside of since before Starkiller Base. Kaydel nodded, then turned back to her post, giving him a bit of a side-eye while doing so. Poe bit the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling, then held out his hand to the woman, giving her a quick assessment as he did so. “Ambassador.”

She smiled and took his hand. Poe was struck by how beautiful she was. She was small, barely topping five feet he guessed, with outrageously long blonde wavy hair that was held back with an elaborate clip to keep it off of her face. Her eyes were a brilliant blue and her smile was shy. She wore a simple jumpsuit in burgundy that hugged her figure and had a brilliant sapphire colored pendant around her neck that matched her eyes. “Please, call me Mikaela,” she said, her voice surprisingly low in tone. It reminded Poe of another woman whose voice had surprised him the first time he had heard her talk; Rey’s deep tone had never seemed to match her baby face, but she had long ago learned to use it to her advantage in almost every situation she found herself in, whether in a way that commanded respect or in other more intimate ways.

Poe gave the woman a small smile as he released her hand. “I assume you’ve been shown your quarters already, Ambassador?” he continued. “Please let either Lieutenant Dalai or Ensign Vassalg know if you need anything.” He motioned toward his human and Quarren aides as they both stood at attention.

“I have, and thank you, General,” she responded, seemingly unfazed by his continued use of her title. She nodded toward the two aides and gave them a polite smile, but then looked back at Poe. “I would certainly like a tour of the ship when you have time…?”

“Oh, I’m sure both Angelica and Voen have the time right now,” he said brightly. He looked at them. “Right?”

Angelica Dalai and Voen Vassalg looked a bit surprised, but immediately smiled and nodded. “Of course,” Angelica said. “Ambassador, please come with us.” She gestured toward the door that lead to the main corridor.

Dean gave Poe a warm smile, but he could see the look in her eye. She knew exactly what he was doing. “Of course, you shouldn’t have to leave the bridge at a time like this for something as silly as a tour,” she said smoothly. “I’m sure it won’t take too long?” The humor in her gaze caught him off guard. “I would hate to miss anything important.” She turned toward her tour guides. “Lead on,” she told them, flashing Poe another smile as she began to follow Dalai. Poe felt a twinge of contrition as he watched them walk away. It wasn’t her fault she had been assigned here; the council had required it.

He sighed and turned back to look out the main viewport, catching Kaydel’s look as he did so. “Smooth, Dameron,” she said with a smile.

He smiled back and shook his head. He had a feeling keeping the Ambassador occupied and out of his hair wasn’t going to be easy. He was pretty sure she had only given in this time out of politeness.

It was going to be an interesting war.

******

Rey looked at the group of beings sitting in front of her. Several humans and a handful of aliens, both children and adults, looked at her expectantly. She knew most of the adults were aware of what she was about to say, but she was already dreading the reaction she was sure to get from the children.

“Some of you know I’ve been thinking about this for a while, so this won’t come as a shock, but I have decided to close the school temporarily.” She saw, and felt, the dismay that emanated from her students. Some of the adults nodded; she had talked with most of them in private earlier. “It’s only temporary,” she reiterated, trying to soothe the children. “With all the uncertainty in the galaxy right now thanks to the Traagmol, I know many of you are worried about your home worlds and the rest of your families.” She touched her belly with one hand. “And with my baby due soon, I decided it was just best to stop teaching for a while. I promise that as soon as things settle with the Traagmol and the baby has arrived, I’ll recall everyone.” She smiled as she saw a few tears among her young charges. “You are all welcome to stay here on Yavin IV for the time being.” So far, the Traagmol had shown no interest in the gas giant’s moon; their interest lay in Naboo and other planets that held known New Republic bases. “If you do go off-world, please leave information on how I can contact you when the time comes to re-open.”

The adults nodded, but Talia and Isaias, her strongest students, still looked devastated. “Also know that if you stay, you are more than welcome to come to me with any questions at any time. I will still be here to help you; I just won’t be doing any formal training for a while.” She wasn’t about to abandon those that needed her most. She answered a few questions from her students, trying to give them as much support and comfort as possible. This had not been an easy decision for her, but with her lack of decent sleep, her concentration and patience had diminished. It had been over a month now since Poe had left, and she felt she had not been herself since. It didn’t help that she rarely talked to him, and every comm they had seemed shorter than the last, with neither of them seeming to want to say much. Rey knew on her end it was to keep him from worrying, and she suspected it was the same for him.

As the group dispersed, Rey turned to Finn. Temiri and Rose headed off for the mess hall, with Rose giving Finn a nod. Apparently, they had already discussed something and now Finn was responsible for letting Rey know. She sighed. “What?” she asked a bit sharply.

“What’s the real reason?” Finn asked. “I know what you’re telling everyone is a good story, but I don’t buy it."

Rey clenched her teeth. “I’d be taking time off after the baby’s born anyway,” she said. “What’s a few more weeks?”

“You didn’t answer my question.” Finn folded his arms and glared at her.

She mirrored him, glaring right back. “Why do you think there’s any other reason than what I said?”

“Because I know you,” Finn told her softly. “Probably better than anyone currently on this moon.” He frowned. “You’ve changed, Rey. And it’s scaring me.”

Rey stared at him for a while, and she felt tears sting her eyes. She bit her lip. “If I tell you something, will you promise not to tell anyone else? Especially Poe?”

Finn opened his mouth to say something, then stopped. He took a deep breath. “As much as I want to say that I will not keep things from him, I can’t say no to you. Especially when I feel like you need to tell someone, and you won’t if I don’t agree with your request.”

Rey hesitated, glancing around to make sure no one else was near. “I’ve been having bad dreams for the last several weeks,” she told him softly. “I won’t go into them as they’re too personal, but they started before the Traagmol invaded and they’ve been consuming my every thought since then.”

“And you didn’t tell Poe?” The question was rhetorical, as she wouldn’t have asked him not to tell Poe if he already knew. “Why? I thought you guys could read each other’s thoughts, now?”

Rey shook her head. “If I project my thoughts to him, he can read them, but he can’t do it himself, and I refused to let him see these dreams.”

“They’re that bad, huh?”

Rey nodded. “I can’t find what’s causing them,” she whispered. “I don’t feel a dark side influence, but it has to be. There is no way they can be coming from me.” She closed her eyes and shuddered. “Or maybe they are. Maybe what happened to me on Kolbe unlocked some kind of dark side reservoir that was left in me from Exegol and it really is my own demented psyche tormenting me.”

Finn gave her a frown and shook his head. “Don’t you think I would feel something like that?” he asked. “We’ve been connected for longer than you and Poe have been, and I can read you pretty well. You’re still a bright, white glow when I see you in the Force. No shadow. No darkness.”

Rey gave him a grateful glance, but it was still troubled.

“Maybe you should let me in while you’re dreaming…”

“No!” Rey told him. She shook her head vehemently. “Nobody needs to see the things I’m seeing,” she whispered.

“Somebody needs to,” Finn challenged. “If you can’t fix it yourself, you need to let someone help!“

“There is no one else, Finn. Don’t you understand?” She shook her head slightly and grimaced. “It’s just me.”

Finn was silent for a while. “What about your ‘friends’?” he asked. “You know? The ones who helped you on Exegol?” Rey had never gone into full detail of her experience defeating the Emperor on Exegol, but she had told them she had felt the presence of other Jedi that day, had heard their voices supporting and encouraging her. Finn also knew she had communed with both Leia and Ben Solo since.

“I tried,” she whispered. “I haven’t gotten any response.” She shrugged. “They come when they want, not when I want.” Her voice was soft. Sad.

Finn licked his lips. “I still think you should tell Poe. You have a connection that seems to go beyond the Force.”

Not anymore, Rey thought, but didn’t say it out loud. And she made sure Finn hadn’t ‘heard’ her, either. It was true, but she couldn’t admit it to anyone. She had not felt her husband’s presence for at least two weeks now. Though she wasn’t quite practiced enough to communicate with him over the great distance between Naboo and Yavin, she had always been able to find him in the Force whenever she searched for him. The day she realized she couldn’t she had panicked and commed the Organa during what had been their night cycle. The Sargent on duty had immediately contacted Poe, fearing an emergency, and Poe had answered, a panicked look on his own exhausted face. She hadn’t had the heart to tell him why she had commed. She had simply said that she had forgotten the time difference and had just needed to see his face. He had smiled, but she could see irritation in his expression, too. He had asked about the baby and Shaina, then his father, then she had let him go back to bed. It wasn’t until afterwards she realized he hadn’t asked about her own well-being.

“I can’t tell Poe about this with all that’s going on right now,” she told Finn firmly. “He’s stressed and not sleeping well; I could tell from our last comm. He doesn’t need to add my burdens on top of his own.”

Finn shook his head. “I think you’re wrong,” he told her softly. “Taking care of you is part of who he is. You just rarely let him do it.”

Maybe that’s why she felt like she was losing him, Rey thought. He had finally given up on her and had gone back to taking care of those who appreciated it.

Where had that thought come from? Rey was not one to wallow in self-pity, and that’s exactly what a thought like that was! She wasn’t losing him. He was just… doing what he had to do. What he was good at. He would be back soon, and things would get back to normal. She had to believe that.

******

“What do you mean, you can’t fix him?”

Poe glared at Orian, their one and only droid tech. The young man swallowed at his commander’s angry question, but answered. “I’ve heard this can happen to droids who don’t get their memory wiped often enough,” he said, trying to maintain eye contact with Poe. “Their memory chip malfunctions and they either go haywire or just die.”

“And you can’t fix the chip?” Poe was starting to really get angry. The last thing he needed right now was to lose BB-8. “Recharge it, or something?”

Orian huffed. “It doesn’t work that way. The chip is fried. All we can do is replace it.” He seemed to whither under Poe’s angry glare.

“You are not replacing it!” Poe almost shouted. “That would defeat the purpose of fixing my droid. It would just make him a different droid!”

“Sir, I’m sorry,” Orian continued. “Most droids don’t go more than a year without having a memory wipe done. I don’t really understand why people don’t do it.”

“General Organa’s two droids haven’t had memory wipes in over thirty years,” Poe argued. “They are still functioning fine.”

Orian shrugged. “They don’t make them like they used to,” he quipped, but immediately seemed to regret it as Poe’s brows lowered even further.

“Is there anything that can be done to get my droid back?” he asked, his voice deceptively soft.

Orian swallowed again. “There are a couple of droidsmiths I know that might be able to recalibrate its chip,” he said. “I’ve heard of it, but I’ve never seen it done.”

“And can you get in contact with one of these droidsmiths?” Poe briefly wondered where Babu Frik had gone. Zorii would probably know.

“Yes,” the tech said. “But with all that’s going on right now, I don’t know if I’ll be able to meet with them.”

Poe sighed. He was right. They were currently on course for Tatooine, where one of the largest forces of Traagmol yet were rendezvousing. One of the biggest battles of this war was imminent. He pointed at BB-8. “You keep him safe,” he growled at Orian. Then he pointed at the chip in the tech’s hand. “And you keep that safe until we can get someone to look at it and get it fixed.” He would not give up on his friend. “Lose it, and you’re not only demoted, you’re off this ship.” Giving one last glance at his silent partner, Poe turned and left the lab.

He was moving quickly toward the bridge, his heart beating in time to the rhythmic throb of the Organa’s hyperdrive, when Mikaela came around the corner.

“There you are,” she said with a smile. “Where were you? I thought we were meeting for lunch?”

“I had something come up,” he told her with a grimace. “Sorry.”

She touched his arm lightly. “What’s wrong? You look upset.”

He shrugged, feeling some of his anger ebb. “Something happened to BB-8,” he told her. “He just… died… last night. He had been acting a bit strange for a couple of hours, not really answering my questions, and then he just… died.”

“Oh, Poe,” she said with a frown. “I’m so sorry.” Her voice was calming, her eyes almost hypnotic as they filled with compassion.

“The tech thinks it’s because he’s never had his memory wiped,” Poe told her. “All my life, I’ve been told that it was necessary to do that, but I’ve known so many people who don’t bother. People who like their droids to develop personalities. I know that’s why I couldn’t do that to BB-8.”

He felt Mikaela give his arm a squeeze. “I know you cared for him, but it’s not like he was doing a whole lot around here since you’re not flying. Right?”

Poe gave her a mild glare. “Mik, he was more than an astromech droid, you know that.” He was a friend. The only one who Poe felt he could really count on right now, in fact.

Poe felt the floor shudder and the engine sound change. They had exited hyperspace. “I gotta get to the bridge,” he told her, ducking past her and running. He pulled out his commlink as he ran. “Fighters, prepare to launch!” He didn’t know what awaited them at Tatooine, but he was not going to be caught off guard.

“General,” Connix’s voice came over his commlink. “The Traagmol fleet is on the far side of the planet.”

Poe breathed a sigh of relief. “Keep an eye on them. I’m almost there.”

Time to get back to work. He would have to worry about BB-8 later.

******

“Hey, you! Congratulations!” Finn smiled at his friend’s image in the holo in front of him. It had been weeks since he had talked to Poe, but something had told him he needed to today. He should have done it a month ago, after learning about Rey’s dreams, but getting hold of the General was a bit difficult these days; skirmishes and full on battles with the Traagmol were an almost daily thing, now, and every one on the front line was more than a little occupied. “I heard it was a rout at Falucia!”

“Yeah, that was an easy one. Wish they were all that easy.” Poe’s voice was tired but steady. Finn could tell he was exhausted, but he also felt that his friend’s demeanor was more relaxed and confident than the last time they had talked; Poe was really settling in to his role well as leader of the New Republic’s armed forces. “How goes it on your end?”

Finn smiled. “Well, I thought I should share the good news with you before you heard it from someone else.” His smile turned into a huge grin. “Rose is pregnant!”

Poe smiled. “Hey, buddy! Congratulations! I know you guys have been trying for a while!” He tilted his head. “She doing okay?”

Finn nodded. “Yeah,” he said. “We waited until she passed the first trimester before we told anyone; we didn’t want to take any chances.” Rose had conceived twice before, but had miscarried after only a few weeks. “She’s doing great and everything is going as it should.”

“That’s terrific,” Poe responded. His smile was genuine, but there seemed to be a tension in his expression, too. “And how is my clan? I suppose Rey is giving Rose all sorts of advice, or is she too busy with her students?”

Finn shifted a bit uncomfortably in his seat. “Actually, Rey disbanded the school.”

“What?!” Poe sat up straight in his seat, aghast.

“Only temporarily!” Finn rushed to say. “She knew she would have to take time off after the baby, and since some of the families have been worried about the Traagmol near their worlds, she thought it best to just close for a while.” He shrugged. “Most of them are still here on Yavin; they feel safe here.” He decided to stick to Rey’s public excuse.

He saw Poe look away, his expression turning hard. “Why didn’t she tell me?” he asked, but Finn felt he was talking more to himself than to him. “She didn’t say anything the last time we talked.”

Finn didn’t answer, as he did not have one. He was more concerned than ever that things were not well between his two best friends. They were not communicating the way life partners should. Their excuse was this war, but it wasn’t a good excuse. He continued, trying to lighten the mood a bit, and ran his hand over his own newly shaved head. “Looks like you need to get the razor out, dude.”

Poe focused on him again, and a small smile appeared. He ran his hand over his own head, where his hair was already coming in thick again. “I don’t know,” he told Finn. “I kinda missed it.” He then ran his hand over his jaw. “I might just give up and let this grow out, too. It’s kind of a pain in the ass to shave when I barely have time to eat and sleep these days.”

Finn grinned. “Well, Shaina will be happy to see your hair back.”

Poe’s face lit up. “How is she?” he asked.

“As wild as ever,” Finn told him wryly. “I’ve been teasing Rey that Shaina was the real reason she closed the school, that Shaina is running her ragged and she was too exhausted to teach.” In reality, though Shaina was a very active child, she adored her mother and grandfather and rarely did anything outwardly naughty; she just had a tendency to get herself into situations that required her guardians to come to her rescue a little too often.

Poe’s smile turned a bit sad. “And the baby?”

Finn shrugged. “It’s all good so far. Rey hasn’t had any contractions, yet.” Finn frowned. “Are you gonna make it?” Poe had been absolutely adamant that he be there for the birth.

Poe closed his eyes and rubbed his face with his hands. “I don’t know,” he said softly. “I might be able to slip away for a short time, but it will have to be under the radar; I know for a fact the Traagmol are getting intel that they shouldn’t have. Not only do I not want them to know I’m not here, but I do not want them to know where I go.” Yavin IV was a safe zone right now; he intended to keep it that way.

Finn nodded in response. While he understood, he felt a wave of sorrow at the thought that Poe would most likely not be present for the birth of his son.

They were silent for a while before Poe asked softly, “How is she?”

There was only one thing Finn needed to say. “Missing you.” Again, there was silence. “I can go find her,” Finn said. “She’s probably at the house with your dad.”

Poe shook his head. “No, I’ve gotta get back to the bridge. I’ve already been gone too long.” He sat up straighter. “Besides, I’ll see her in person, soon.” There was determination in his voice, but his eyes held doubt.

Finn nodded. “Then I’ll see you then, too,” he said quietly.

“You got it, buddy,” Poe responded. “Dameron out.”

Finn sat there a long time, staring at the empty space where Poe’s holo had been.

Suddenly, he jerked to attention as a sharp stab of panic shot through him. It wasn’t his. “Rey?”

He got up and ran out of the command center, jumping in the speeder that sat right outside and reaching for his commlink. “Rey?”

There was a nerve-wracking pause before she responded. “Finn, something’s wrong!”

“What?” he demanded, starting the speeder and turning it toward the settlement. Kes Dameron’s farm was about halfway between the base and the village.

“I started to feel contractions,” Rey told him. “But when I checked on the baby… he hasn’t turned, Finn! He’s not ready!”

A breech? “Is Kes with you?” He swung the speeder toward his own house, making a last-minute decision.

“He’s in the house. I’m almost there.” She had probably been with the Force tree, he thought. She spent most of her free time there, now.

“Comm Dr. Lanz.” Lanz was the village doctor and he was a good one, if a bit old fashioned. “I’ll bring Rose.” He paused. “Rey, don’t worry. Breech isn’t a bad thing if we catch it early. He’ll probably be able to turn the baby. You’ll be fine.” He hoped he was convincing both of them.

“He’s too early!” Rey gasped.

“So was Shaina,” Finn argued. “Admit it, Rey. Your babies are always ahead of the rest of us!”

He heard her laugh softly. “Just hurry. I’m at the house.”

“On my way!”

******

Poe checked the chrono one more time. The countdown to reversion from hyperspace to realspace was almost ready to begin. He checked his fuel level and decided he better have the X-Wing filled up before he headed back. He wondered briefly how the other fighters he had launched with were doing, but assumed everything was going as planned. They had been heading out on a minor raid of one of the Traagmol’s bases; harassing them back for once. He had departed the Organa with them, flying an unmarked X-Wing (his was too recognizable), but his hyperspace jump had taken him to different coordinates than theirs.

He was going home.

He was giving himself 12 hours to see his new son. Skyler had been born three weeks ago under some very stressful conditions. Apparently, he had been a breech, but the doctor from the village had managed to give Rey a drug that relaxed her muscles enough that he had been able to physically turn the baby externally, ensuring his head would come out first. Rey’s labor had then taken almost 40 hours before Skyler finally made his appearance, screaming at them all, letting them know exactly how he felt about his undignified entrance to the world. Poe felt himself smile as he recalled Finn’s description of the event. In the end, everyone was okay, if very tired.

Poe had planned his escape right after hearing about the birth, but it had taken this long for him to feel comfortable doing it. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust the rest of his officers, but even they would admit that it had been Poe more than anyone else who had gotten them through some sticky situations of late. As he had told Finn, Poe was convinced at least some battle plans were getting to the enemy. However, Poe always had a Plan B, and so far, all his Plan Bs had won the day. It was to the point that his pilots and crew expected something to go wrong in battle and for Poe to immediately tell them to try this or that maneuver or that tactic and suddenly they were winning again and the Traagmol would slither away back to their lines near the Western Reaches. Word had it they were getting frustrated and angry.

Poe was starting to wish they would just send their whole fleet in at once and get it over with; he was confident the Republic was ready for them.

Within the last couple of weeks, the Traagmol had started taking prisoners. It hadn’t taken long to figure out what they were doing with the prisoners, either; apparently, human flesh had become a delicacy to the Traagmol. Poe was now requesting only his non-human troops to fight on the ground; the Traagmol didn’t take non-human prisoners. Poe had also began begging the Republic and other private organizations for funds to send weapons to planets in the Mid Rim, giving the residents of those planets the ability to defend themselves better. Many of the beings that had come to aid the Resistance at Exegol were also stepping up to help the worlds that were being attacked by the enemy, and a few had even asked permission to officially join the Republic fleet. Poe welcomed every one of them.

Things had been somewhat quiet for the last couple of days, though that was about to change. The raid a dozen of his pilots were now executing against one of the Traagmol’s bases was only the start of what Poe hoped would be the beginning of the end to this war.

Finally, it was time to exit hyperspace. Yavin’s huge orange/red shape appeared in front of him, taking up almost all of his view. He dipped the ship down toward the lush green world beneath him, and almost immediately was hailed. “Unidentified X-Wing, please state your business.”

Poe smiled grimly. He knew it was the wee hours of the morning at the base, but the fact that someone was awake and ready to challenge him made him very happy indeed. The skeleton crew he had left here was doing their job well. He sent his clearance code, keeping quiet.

“General?” It was Shane Mackie speaking; he recognized the voice. Shane’s sister Stevie had been with Rey when their ship had been sabotaged and crashed on Kolbe several months ago. Stevie had not come home from that event, but Shane had remained committed to the Resistance and had become a valuable member.

“Ensign Mackie,” Poe responded. “Are you the only one awake down there?”

“No, sir,” Shane said, and Poe could hear a smile in his voice. “Sargent Innisfree is with me.”

“Permission to land?”

“Granted, sir!” Shane said happily. “Welcome home!”

Poe brought the X-Wing down at the edge of the landing field. Both Mackie and Innisfree were there to meet him when he popped the canopy, Innisfree bringing a service ladder. Poe hopped out and climbed down, already breathing in deep the fresh, moist air of Yavin IV. He had spent very little time planet-side since this war began, and that mostly on Naboo, so the healthy dose of fresh, cool oxygen made him almost lightheaded. He faced the two men as his feet hit the ground. “Gentlemen,” he told them. “I am officially NOT here. Please have the ship fueled up and ready ASAP.” He noticed Shane looking at the astromech droid in the socket of the X-Wing with confusion. “Yeah, it’s from the droid pool. No conversational skills whatsoever. It was a really boring trip.” He started walking off the field. “Is Rey at home or at my dad’s?”

Shane, who had grinned at Poe’s words about the droid, answered. “She’s at your house,” he said. “Rose was staying with her for a while after the baby came, but I think it’s just her and the kids, now.”

“Thanks!” Poe acknowledged without slowing down. The walk in the dark invigorated him, and before long he was there. He moved carefully and quietly, but not surreptitiously; sneaking up on a Jedi was a bad idea. D-O, the little droid they had acquired on Pasaana, was in the living room, alert and focused on him. Poe was a bit surprised, as the little guy always seemed more comfortable in the command center. He raised his index finger to his lips, and D-O recognized him and respected his request to stay quiet. Poe moved toward Shaina’s bedroom first.

The door was cracked and Poe opened it just enough to peer inside. His daughter lay sprawled on her belly, her thick hair spread about her head and face, deep in sleep. He smiled and moved to the other bedroom door. It was also cracked, and Poe opened it with care. He glanced at the bed and Rey’s sleeping form before moving to the crib near the foot. Skyler, unlike his sister, was curled in on himself, his mouth moving in sleep as if he was nursing. Poe smiled as he took note of the head full of dark curls. Dameron hair. He almost touched the baby, but stopped himself. Dawn would be here soon enough, and who knew when the baby, and the others in the household, had actually fallen asleep? He could wait.

He sat in the lone chair in the small bedroom, his eyes roaming the space. Nothing much had changed since he had been gone, at least nothing that he could make out in the dark. He focused on his wife. She looked so small and vulnerable in sleep. He could see dark circles under her eyes, and like the baby, she was curled in a fetal position. Remembering Shaina when she was a newborn, he could imagine Rey wasn’t getting too much sleep right now, especially since he wasn’t here to help out. Of course, his dad was probably over every day, feeding her and Shaina. He took a deep breath, remembering the dreams that had been plaguing him during his short hours of sleep lately. They had not been shared dreams like he used to have with Rey. In fact, even now he couldn’t ‘feel’ Rey like he used to. A part of him felt bereft upon realizing this, but another part felt happy. After all, the dreams he had been having had brought about a revelation; once free of the influence of Rey’s Force energy, he felt like he was becoming himself again. And he hadn’t even realized he had lost himself.

He had had Rey as part of his life for over four years now. He had always been drawn to the Force energy he could feel from her, and he had never questioned why. When she had finally started reciprocating his attraction, he had felt like the luckiest guy in the galaxy. The last Jedi wanted him! Everything had happened so fast after that, it was almost a blur. Marriage, a baby, moving to Yavin IV, another baby on the way, the war… He never really stopped to wonder. Why him? Why had she chosen him?

He knew she had been attracted to Ben Solo (he refused to say that other name). The idea disgusted him, but he had tried his best to ignore the thought of Rey with Solo; she claimed it was a connection in the Force, something that had not been her doing. That their connection had been so strong and so unique that they had actually been able to not only talk over great distances, but touch. Solo had died, but Poe knew for a fact that he had made contact with Rey through the Force at least twice, now. Maybe more?

Poe shifted in his seat, thoughts he didn’t want to think about running through his head. Had Solo come here, to this house, since the war started? Had he made contact with Poe’s children? They were both extremely powerful in the Force, just like their mother. It was something that made him equally proud and frightened. What if Solo was reaching them somehow? Teaching them?

What would have happened if Solo hadn’t died?

Poe had often asked himself that question early on in his relationship with Rey, but he had never let it bother him too much. Rey had done a masterful job in making sure Poe felt special. Felt loved. But had it all been an act? Rey hadn’t expected Solo to come to her rescue that day on Exegol. She hadn’t planned on him giving his life for hers. What had she planned? A future with him? Children with him? Once dead and gone, had she set out to find the next best man? Had Poe, who had been smitten with Rey almost from day one, been duped into believing that Rey would love him forever, when all she really wanted was someone to father her Force powerful children? Was that all he was? A stud?

His brain ran wild with thoughts like these, and his logical side tried its best to shut them down, but it wasn’t working. The longer he sat there looking at his sleeping wife, the more images of her and Solo popped in his head. He felt rage boiling up inside him. Had he really been that blind? Had him leaving for this long a time finally freed him enough from her Force bond that he was able to see clearly?

He shook his head, trying to get rid of the unwanted images, only to see Rey stir in her sleep. She was having a dream, he thought. And not a good one.

But Rey didn’t dream, his logical side reminded him. She had visions. Was she with him?

Rey suddenly woke, her eyes full of fear and pain. She sat up and looked at him, and he could see in the grey light of the room when the emotion in her eyes turned to shock. “Poe?” she whispered.

He sat looking at her, still feeling the anger that had built up during his vigil.

She took a couple of deep breaths, then threw off the sheet covering her and rushed to him. She fell onto him and he couldn’t do anything but catch her. Her arms were wrapped tight around his neck as she settled on his lap, and he could feel the wetness of her tears on his neck. He wrapped his own arms around her, almost involuntarily, then turned his face into her neck and breathed her in. Suddenly, all the anger and frustration and jealously faded away, as if it had never existed. He squeezed her harder. She had gained more weight during her pregnancy with Skyler than she had with Shaina, and she had yet to lose it. He appreciated the softness, knowing it wouldn’t last long.

“Oh, kriff. You’re really here,” Rey whispered into his neck.

“I’m really here,” he responded, stroking her back through her nightshirt. He closed his eyes and just held her.

******

Rey couldn’t help but wonder if she was still dreaming. But if this was a dream, it was one she didn’t want to wake from.

She had been having the nightmare. It had changed again. Instead of Ren using the Force to torture her, she was forced to watch as Poe was tortured. As he was beaten and drugged and questioned. As he remained defiant. And then Ren started to drill into his head with the Force. Rey could feel it. She could feel his agony. She screamed for Ren to stop. So, he did. He turned back to her, and once again, she faced the realization that he intended to rape her.

She jerked awake only to find her husband sitting across from her, his eyes intent and angry as they watched her. “Poe?” It couldn’t be him. She couldn’t ‘feel’ him. She searched for him, finally finding his essence in the Force, only it was different. Darker. She didn’t care. It was him. She launched herself out of the bed and onto his lap, tears of joy flowing freely. She felt his arms wrap around her, and his body relaxed. “Oh, Kriff,” she swore. “You’re really here.”

“I’m really here.”

For a long time, they just sat holding each other, Poe stroking her back softly. She breathed in his familiar scent, feeling her whole body relax in a way it hadn’t in months. She never wanted to move. But Skyler had other ideas. She heard her baby give a weak, half-awake cry from his bed. She pulled back a bit and looked at her husband, who was looking over her shoulder at the crib. Then Shaina walked in the open door to the bedroom, rubbing her eyes. “Mama?” she said softly. Rey smiled at her, then at Poe. Poe was now staring at his daughter, his eyes suspiciously bright. Shaina suddenly realized he was there. A grin lit up her little face. “Papa?”

“Hey, Sweetpea,” Poe said softly.

Shaina ran to him and tried to join her mother on his lap. Rey laughed and stood. “I need to feed the baby, anyway,” she said with a smile as Shaina took her place. Poe hugged his daughter as Rey moved over to Skyler, who was getting louder by the second. “All right, little man,” she said as she picked him up. “I’m here.”

She sat on the bed facing Poe and Shaina and moved the wide neck of her night shirt down her shoulder to bare her breast. Skyler latched on almost immediately. She glanced up at her husband, only to find him staring at her breast with a hunger of a different kind in his gaze. She shivered. Poe had often teased her sexually when she had been breast feeding Shaina, but he had done it partly to help make her more comfortable in her role as a new mother. The look he was giving her now was not a teasing one. She took a deep breath. It only made sense, she thought. It had been literally months since either of them had had sex. “Don’t get your hopes up, flyboy,” she said softly. “I’m still not quite healed. Give me a week or two.” She regretted her last statement as his eyes flashed to hers. He would be back on the battlefield in a week or two.

She stared at him a moment, wondering why she couldn’t feel him without working at it. Was he intentionally blocking her? “Shaina,” she told her little girl, who was contentedly leaning against her father’s chest. “Why don’t you take your father into your room and have him help you get dressed? Your grandfather should be here soon.” Kes always arrived right after sunrise, which judging from the light coming in the window was now.

Shaina nodded exuberantly, sliding off her father’s lap and grasping his hand, pulling him toward the door. He followed without hesitation, but he looked back at Rey, his eyes dark. Angry. Why was he angry? It must be her imagination. Rey continued nursing Skyler as she listened to her daughter’s indecipherable chatter coming from next door. Occasionally, she could hear Poe respond, but he was having a hard time getting a word in edgewise. She got up to close the door when Skyler was finished, then she changed him and let him lay briefly so she could pull on some leggings and a tunic. She brushed her hair but left it down, and she didn’t bother with her boots; more often than not she went around barefoot when she didn’t have work to do.

“Rey, who belongs to that X-Wing in the landing field?” Kes Dameron’s voice called from the front entrance to the house. Rey didn’t need to answer, as she could tell Poe had exited Shaina’s room. “Poe!” Rey smiled as she heard the sounds of father and son hugging, and Shaina giggling along with them. As most Force sensitive children did, she fed off of the emotions of those around her. As she heard the Dameron men talk and laugh together, Rey relaxed a bit. She picked up the baby and exited the room.

Poe was sitting at the table, Shaina once more in his lap, while Kes was already at work at the stove, preparing to fix breakfast. Poe’s eyes immediately moved to watch her, and she walked over to him. He extended his free arm and Rey carefully helped him settle the baby in the crook of his arm and up against his chest. Skyler just stared up at his father. Poe just stared back. Shaina looked at them both, her head resting on Poe’s opposite shoulder. Rey felt tears in her eyes again, and she wiped them away quickly as she glanced at Kes. He was smiling at her.

The rest of the day went by far too quickly. Kes, as usual, made a wonderful breakfast (Rey was convinced he was the reason she wasn’t losing her baby weight as quickly as she would have liked). They talked about mundane things, never straying to the subject of war. Around mid-morning, Finn and Rose showed up. They had learned of Poe’s arrival earlier, of course, but had waited to let the Dameron family have their time together first. Poe’s response had been exactly what Rey was thinking. “You guys are a part of this family, too. You didn’t need to wait!”

They all settled outside for lunch, and several people from the base stopped by to say hello to Poe and congratulate him on his victories so far in the war. His response was always the same. “It’s not won, yet.” He rarely let go of either of his children, even taking the time to change Skyler when he needed it. He let go of the baby only when Rey needed to feed him, and then he stayed close to Rey’s side. She couldn’t say she was sorry about that, as she rested her head on his shoulder at one point, exhausted but happy.

By late afternoon, talk had finally settled on the war.

“Do you still feel the Traagmol are getting information they shouldn’t be?” Finn asked Poe.

“A spy?” Rose gasped.

Poe nodded. “I’m sure of it.”

“Someone on the Organa?” Rey asked.

Poe shrugged. “It has to be,” he told her. “I don’t transmit my battle plans to anyone. They’re all given verbally before I send everyone out. I trust everyone there that is from this base,” he said firmly. “But there are plenty of New Republic personnel on board right now, even some civilians.”

Rey suddenly realized why she had been feeling something was missing. “Where’s BB-8?”

Poe looked crestfallen as he shrugged. “I don’t know what happened to him. He died on me almost two months ago. I’ve been told his memory chip is done for, but I just can’t believe it. I’ve got him in storage in the droid lab, hoping to find someone who can fix him.“ He shook his head. “I can’t even begin to explain how lost I am without him following me around.”

Rey knew he didn’t need to explain anything. That droid meant so much to him. To them all. “Have someone bring him here,” she said. “I’ll look at him. I’m not an expert, obviously, but maybe I can do something, if only keep him safe until we can get a droidsmith in.”

Poe looked at her, and once more she saw a flash of anger in his eyes. She wasn’t imagining it, she thought. But he nodded. “I’ll see if I can do that.” He sat up a bit straighter, shifting the sleeping baby to his lap; Shaina was sitting next to him, leaning on him. She reached over to pet her brother’s head. “But I don’t know when that might be. Things are going to be heating up even more if I have anything to say about it.”

“What do you mean?” Finn asked.

“I want this war over with,” Poe said firmly. “I’m starting to send out small parties of fighters to do hit-and-runs on known Traagmol bases in the Mid Rim.”

“What are small hit-and-runs going to do?” Kes asked.

“Piss them off,” Finn responded with a wry smile.

“Yep,” Poe nodded. “I want them to come at us. All of ‘em.”

Rey stared at him. “You’re that sure they don’t know how large your fleet really is?”

“Positive,” Poe told her. “My fleet doesn’t even know how big it is,” he said with a sly grin. “I’ve made sure of that. Only a handful of my bridge crew knows where they are all at, and most of them don’t know about each other.”

“Exegol,” Rey whispered. “You’ve drafted craft and fighters that came to Exegol.”

He shook his head. “Didn’t have to draft,” he corrected. “They volunteered.”

Dinner was a somber affair, as everyone knew Poe would be leaving right afterward. He hugged and kissed a very sleepy Shaina, then let Kes carry her in the house as he brought in the baby. He helped put both of them to bed, then hugged his father for a long time. Kes nodded to Rey, letting her know he would stay with the children so Rey could see him off, and Poe exited the house to say farewell to Rose and Finn. “I still wish I had you at my right hand,” he told Finn as they hugged.

“I think you’re doing just fine on your own,” Finn grinned.

Poe glanced at Rey and started walking into the dark toward the landing field. Rey followed quietly.

They were almost to the X-Wing when Rey could keep silent no longer. “I could come to BB-8,” she said softly.

“No!” Poe said firmly. “I don’t want you anywhere near the Front!”

“I wouldn’t be there long,” she argued.

Poe shook his head angrily. “You stay here with the kids. I don’t want you there.”

“You don’t really have a say, do you?” she picked. More than once she had reminded him that she wasn’t a part of the Resistance. Not really.

“Are you saying you would disobey me?” Poe demanded.

“Disobey you?” Rey exclaimed. “When have I ever obeyed you?”

They were almost to the X-Wing. Hedges and March, the two on duty at the field, were watching them warily.

Poe snorted. “Good point. You’ve never obeyed me. You’ve always been the lone Jedi, a law unto herself.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means you’ve never taken anything I say or do seriously, unless it was already something you wanted me to do.” They had reached the ship and he turned on her, the anger in his eyes unhidden.

“That’s not true!” she argued back. “I’ve always let you do your thing, supporting you through all of it.”

“My thing? How do I even know if it was ‘my’ thing?” He stepped in close to her. “You were always in my head. How do I even know my thoughts were really mine?”

Rey was appalled. “You really think that I..?” Was he really accusing her of controlling him? Using the Force to make him do what she wanted? “Poe, I would never do that to you! Or anybody.”

“I’ve seen you do it before,” he growled.

“On stormtroopers!” Rey asserted. “Poe, your mind is far too complex for me to even think about manipulating. And trust me, I’ve never thought about it!”

“Trust you?” He stepped back. “Well, that about sums this up, doesn’t it?” He moved back more and grabbed the service ladder. “It all comes down to trust.” He paused. “Take care of my kids, Rey.” He turned and climbed up into the cockpit.

Rey felt her heart break. She had heard that expression her whole life, but had never thought she’d experience it. She had come close, that day on the Supremacy, when Ben had tried to talk her into joining him and the First Order. But even that had felt nothing like this. This was worse than betrayal. This was absolute heartbreak.

“Poe?” she whispered as she watched him settle into the cockpit and put his helmet on. She felt Hedges slide past her to grab the ladder, trying her best to be unobtrusive. Then she and March left the vicinity as quickly as they could. Rey didn’t blame them. She stared up at the cockpit, watching as the canopy lowered while Poe put on his gloves. He glanced at her. Or glared at her, more like it. So, she did the only thing she could do. “I love you,” she cried over the engine noise.

He stared at her for a long time, but then turned his attention back to the controls, and the X-Wing began to lift off. Rey moved back to a safe distance, but her eyes never left her husband. What was happening? How was this happening? She felt her chest squeeze and her throat became tight. A sob threatened, but she pushed it down. She stared up, watching the night sky long after the X-Wing disappeared from view.

It was a very long time before she finally headed home.

******

Poe looked around at the handful of officers in his stateroom. Every one of them he had known since before Exegol; they all had come with him from the Resistance. Every one of them was trusted. Every one of them was needed to win this war.

“Caleb came back with the recon of Malestare and it’s not good news in more ways than one,” he began. “They are using the old malsarr factory to build fighters. Now, we don’t know how many pilots they may have, and it doesn’t matter if they have no fighters to fly. So, how are we going to prevent them from getting more ships?”

“Hit and run,” Haakon said with a grin. “Blow the factory to bits.”

Poe nodded. “Right, only one problem, and it’s a big one.” He paused. “Recon also found out that at least three hundred human prisoners are being kept right next door to said factory.” He watched as every face in the room fell. “So, what are we gonna do?”

Everyone was silent. Poe walked a path in front of his friends, arms folded. “Syver’cho?” he looked at the Mirialan. “How good are your commandos?”

Syver’cho raised his head. “Good enough to rescue three hundred humans. If we have the right intel.”

“Would a layout of the plant and the surrounding area work?” Poe asked.

“That would be a start,” Syver’cho responded.

“You get the prisoners out as covertly as possible, then both Sabre and Matrix Squadrons will go in and blast that factory to hell.” Poe took a deep breath. “Timing will be everything. They’ll be on the alert as soon as they realize what’s going on with the prisoners, but we need to make sure those people are out of harm’s way before we strike.” He cocked his head at the small group. “What do you think? Is it doable?”

“I think it’s not only doable,” replied Sharla Gareth, one of Syver’cho’s best commandos. “It’s gonna be awesome. They’re not gonna know what hit ‘em!”

Her comment resulted in several head nods and smiles.

Poe gave a firm nod of his own and looked at Syver’cho. “I need you and Kip and Hvel to meet me back here in an hour to finalize this thing.” Kip and Hvel were the squadron leaders. “Beaumont, if you could get a hard copy of those plans you found and bring them, I want you here, too.” He took a deep breath. “Okay, guys. Nobody that’s not in this room needs to know anything about this. You’ll brief your squads immediately beforehand, no sooner. Got it?”

“Yes, sir!”

Everyone dispersed, and for a moment Poe was alone. He sat down at his desk and rubbed his eyes. This had to work. It would be a major victory for them, and would send the Traagmol into a tailspin.

There was a soft knock on the frame of his open door. He opened his eyes and looked over at Mikaela Dean.

“Hey, can I come in?” she asked, smiling at him, her blue eyes bright.

“Of course, Mik,” he told her. “What can I do for you?”

“It’s what I can do for you,” she countered. “I know you haven’t been yourself since you disappeared a couple of weeks ago.” She paused. “I’m guessing you slipped away to see your new baby?” she asked quietly. “Anyway, I wanted to know if you needed to talk.”

Poe narrowed his eyes at her, but he wasn’t really angry. Mik had been nothing but a friend since she came on board, not even close to being the nuisance that he thought she would be. “Talk? Really?”

She shrugged. “I suspect you never visit the councilors on this ship,” she frowned.

“We don’t have enough of them to go around,” he told her. “They don’t need to waste their time on me when I have soldiers out there that face death every day.”

“It would not be a waste of time,” she argued. “You may be safer on this ship than those that go out in fighters or face the enemy on the ground, but you’re still facing death every day. Their deaths.”

He stood. “Mik, I know what you’re saying, and I appreciate it.” He walked over to her and grasped her lightly by her shoulders. “Thank you for your concern, but I’m doing okay.” She was so small, he thought. He wasn’t used to women so much shorter than him. “I did see my son. He’s beautiful and healthy and safe.” He cocked his head at her. “If I’m ‘not myself,’ it’s only because I’m even more anxious than ever to end this war so I can go home.” He wasn’t exactly lying, but he wasn’t telling her the whole truth, either.

She smiled again, and brought her hands up to his chest. “I know,” she agreed. “I am very anxious to end this war, too.” She looked up at him, her eyes moist. “But I’ll miss seeing you every day,” she whispered.

Poe felt like he was falling, only in a good way. Her eyes were so blue. And she smelled so wonderful, especially considering he had been surrounded by pilots and commandos most of the day. He leaned down, wanting so desperately to see if she tasted as good as she smelled. She met him halfway, wrapping her arms around his neck, pushing her chest into his.

She did taste as good, he thought. And then some. He felt her breasts pressing against his chest; they were large for her small frame, and he itched to touch them. He slid his hands along her sides in order to do so while her tongue tangled with his. That’s when he felt it. The chain on the back of his neck. Subtle weight pressing it down. The almost burning heat of metal against his chest. It had been almost three years since he had worn it, but he could still feel it.

Shara Bey’s ring around his neck.

He jerked back, breathing hard, staring at the woman in front of him. Her eyes were startled open by his movement, but they were still full of passion, her lips swollen and wet from his mouth. He stared at her in panic, not seeing her blue eyes, but a pair of hazel ones instead. Big and beautiful. Honest and caring. And the last time he had seen them, despondent and grief-stricken. He brought his hand up to his chest, knowing the ring was no longer there, but still feeling it. “I’m sorry,” he said, his voice cracking. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

Mikaela licked her lips and blinked at him. “Poe?” She stepped toward him again. “Why?” she asked, her voice soft. Enticing. “If it makes you feel better, then why not?”

He shook his head and stepped back another step. “But it doesn’t,” he told her. “It would be like putting Maridun oil on an open wound. It may feel cooling and bring relief for a moment, but it will only cause the wound to fester and get worse.” He swallowed. “I love my wife, Mik. I made promises to her that I will never break.”

Mikaela pursed her lips, and he thought he saw a brief flash of anger in her eyes. He had never seen Mikaela angry. But then she blinked and it was gone. She smiled. “I understand,” she told him. “You’re an honorable man, Poe Dameron. Too bad your wife doesn’t recognize how lucky she is.” She gave him another sad smile, then turned and left the stateroom.

Poe rubbed his hands over his face and groaned. Kriff, what had he almost done? And why? Since the day he had been standing next to Leia watching Rey practicing with a lightsaber in the jungle of Ajan Kloss, Poe had never desired another woman. Rey had been like a dancer, graceful and practiced, every move controlled but fluid. They had been on Ajan Kloss for a few months, and Poe had already admitted his attraction to the Jedi-in-training to himself, but it was the first time he had been completely turned on by her. It had been so powerful he had to leave, worried Leia would sense it. For the next several months leading up to Exegol and beyond, he had continued to flirt and dance and spend time with other women, but it had never gone beyond that; they just didn’t compare to her.

Rey.

He sank down on the edge of his bed, holding his head in his hands. How could he have said those things to her? Did he really believe that she controlled him through the Force? It was ridiculous. It was insulting, to both him and her. Why had he felt such rage, such jealousy? Was it this war? Was it messing with his head? And if so, why was he still so clear headed and logical when it came to battle tactics and plans? He was so confused.

He should comm her, he thought. Apologize. Over the comm? Yeah, that would go over well. Nobody on Yavin probably wanted anything to do with him right now. For days after he returned, he learned of messages left for him. From Finn. From his dad. Even Rose.

None of them had been from Rey.

He took a deep breath and stood. The others would be here soon, and plans for the rescue/raid on Malestare would commence. He needed to focus on that. The only thing he could do now to make things right was to win this damn war so he could go home. Then he could spend the rest of his life apologizing to his wife.

******

Rey leaned over Sal’s neck and chirped to him. He responded by picking up speed, racing along the smooth shoreline of Lake Stearnes. There were very few areas near the Massassi Temple region that allowed for this, as the terrain was mostly jungle, so Rey liked to bring the triss here from time to time to stretch out. She could feel his joy through the Force, and she allowed it to seep into her senses; she needed all the joy she could get, right now.

It had been about three weeks since Poe had visited. Rey had fallen into a deep depression and barely spoke to anyone after that night, and she remained like that for… about three days. After that, she became determined to stop with the self-pity-party and got back to business. She began working out again, pushing her body to the limit, only then realizing just how out of shape she was. She kept the babies near through most of it, Skyler napping in a home-made carrier and Shaina playing her own games always in sight of her mother. Rey only left them to stay with their grandfather when she took Sal out for a ride, like she was doing today. The triss had been neglected since the war had started. Well, not really. Temiri and several of the other children continued to spoil him rotten, but he refused to let anyone but Rey ride him, so he was thrilled when Rey started taking long rides on him once more.

These rides had become even more important since the dream had changed. She was no longer being tortured or raped, Poe was no longer being forced to watch or in agony. No, these dreams started with her walking through the corridors of the Organa, heading for Poe’s stateroom. She walked in, only to find a couple having sex in the dimly lit cabin. The woman’s long blonde hair was spread about her on the bed as she moaned in pleasure, the man on top of her thrusting almost violently into her. The woman looked at her, a flash of triumph in her blue eyes as she dug her fingernails into the man’s muscled back. In shock, Rey muttered, “Poe?” He turned his head to face her, his eyes angry. They suddenly flashed a bright, glowing red. Rey would wake then, trembling.

Rey finally sat back and Sal slowed down. He was breathing heavily but happy, and she turned him back toward the base. They walked calmly through the jungle, and Rey allowed herself to meditate as she let her body swing with her mount’s motions; she trusted him to get her safely home. Once back at the barn and paddock where Sal lived, not too far from her little house, Rey slid off of his back and let him go, and he happily trotted off to join his fathier friends. She started walking slowly toward the house, deciding she would wait a bit longer to retrieve the children; it would be nice to continue meditating without interruption, which was a given with her little ones.

She kneeled down in the shade of her second favorite tree (nothing could top the Force tree in Kes’ yard) and closed her eyes. As usual, her thoughts turned to her husband. Just last week, they had received word of a major victory for the New Republic against the Traagmol; not only had a team infiltrated a Traagmol prison camp (which the Republic military called ‘feed lots,' )and liberated over three hundred humans, mostly women and children, but then two fighter squadrons had followed up the shocking recue by destroying not only the camp, but the factory next door. Poe, who had come up with the plan, was being lauded as a hero.

Despite the way they had parted, Rey still felt tremendous pride in her husband.

She took a deep breath and felt a familiar presence appear. Without opening her eyes, she said with more than a little humor, “It’s about time.”

She opened her eyes to see Luke Skywalker standing before her, a grin barely visible behind his beard.

“What?” she asked him. “Did you finally get bored enough that you thought, ‘I’m going to go visit Rey today!’?”

He chuckled. “I’m actually still convinced you’re going to figure this problem out on your own,” he told her. “But I thought maybe you could use someone to bounce ideas off of.” He shrugged. “It’s time to end this war.”

Rey frowned. “You think my problem and the war are connected?”

“You don’t?”

Rey considered a moment. “I guess I never thought about it.” She sat back on her butt in the grass, looking up at him. “What I don’t want is a lecture about attachments and the Jedi Code.”

Luke walked over to one of the chairs that sat around the firepit and sat down, smiling. “What Jedi Code? I thought you weren’t including that in your teaching?”

“Maybe I should,” Rey groused.

Luke sighed. “You know, Rey. I’m going to pass along some advice, something I learned from one of the strongest people I have ever known.” He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. “She suffered more loss in her lifetime than any one person should ever have to face. Her husband, her son, her brother, friends through two wars, her entire planet…”

“Leia,” Rey said softly.

“She loved and lost so many people in her life, yet she never, ever stopped loving.” He paused. “And she never, ever felt the pull of the dark side.” He stared at her intently. “So, after you ‘lost’ your husband, did you feel the sudden urge to go into the village and burn it down?”

Rey huffed out a laugh. “Of course not.”

“And on Exegol, when you were about to do Palpatine’s bidding, all to save the people you love, do you really believe you could have taken his place? Become as evil as he was?”

“I… I don’t know.”

“You know,” Luke argued. “My father returned to the Light because of his love for me. Ben returned because of his love for his mother… and you. Real love cannot live in tandem with the dark side. It’s impossible.” He smiled again. “You would have made a horrible Sith.”

Rey smiled, but then sighed and frowned at him once more. “And what about a broken heart?” she asked. “What does a Jedi do about that?”

“Well,” he told her. “I can only speak from experience…”

“Wait! What?”

He grinned again. “Yes, Rey. I was once in love. And I stupidly gave it up thanks to that shortsighted Jedi Code you mentioned.”

“When was this?”

“Long ago,” he said softly. “She was a pilot for the Rebellion. One of the few women we had back then. We worked together several times after the Battle of Endor, and she made me feel so alive. Leia, of course, pushed me to make it ‘official,’ but I just couldn’t find the courage to make that commitment.” He paused. “She waited as long as she could, but even Leia didn’t blame her when she moved on. I often thought about finding her in the months and years afterward, but then it was too late.”

“What happened?” Rey asked, scared to hear the answer.

“She was on a simple training mission with another pilot when one of the torpedo launchers on her A-Wing sparked and blew. It was a fluke. An accident. She lost control and crashed into her partner, taking her down, too. They both crashed planet-side, but neither survived.” He sighed. “Imagine, two talented fighter pilots who lived through the war with the Empire, only to die accidentally years later.” Luke had been staring off at nothing, but then focused on her. “My biggest regret was never letting her know how I felt.”

Rey was silent for a while, but then Luke spoke again. “You have a connection to that story, Rey,” he said softly. “The pilot she died with was Shara Bey.”

Rey gasped and touched the ring on her hand. “I never knew how she died,” she whispered. “He never told me, and I never asked. He and Kes always seem to shut down when someone mentions her death.”

Luke was silent for a moment. “I don’t know your husband, but I knew his parents very well. Whatever is keeping you apart, other than this war, has an explanation, Rey.”

“The dark side,” she whispered. “But I can’t find the source.”

“What do you teach your students about the dark side?”

“That it’s easy. Seductive. Addictive.”

“Easy to spot?”

“Not always,” she said. “It can be very subtle. Almost invisible when used carefully.”

“Always in a person?”

Rey shook her head. “No. Objects can carry it, too.” She stopped and looked at Luke with shock. “The Guapa!” She jumped up and ran for the house. Once inside, she moved quickly to her bedroom. The room all her nightmares took place in. The room Poe had been in when she first felt his anger, anger that only dissipated the longer she touched him. Feeding him her Light. She moved over to the dresser and picked up the small stone statue of a guapa. She saw Luke appear out of the corner of her eye and turned to him. “This was given to us as a gift from a group of people on Kef Bir the last time Finn was there,” she said. “He was told it was once part of a long-destroyed Jedi Temple.” She hefted the artifact. “It wasn’t a Jedi Temple. It was Sith. I can feel it now. She’s been using it to control my dreams.”

“She?” Luke raised his eyebrows. “How do you know it’s a ‘she’?”

“I know,” she told him firmly.

“Well, what are you going to do about it?” Luke asked her, his look sly.

Rey gave him an impish grin. “I’m going to get my husband back.”

******

When Poe heard about the shuttle asking for permission to dock with the Organa, he thought it must be another one coming from Naboo. He had told them to stop the comings and goings for the time being; things were getting too tense right now for his staff to have to pay attention to civilian ships flying in and out of their docking bay. But for some reason, his crew had let this one through.

He had been on his way to the mess when he got word, so he changed his course and headed for the bay; he was already pissed, so he might as well take it out on someone. When he stepped through the doors, he saw that a small crowd had formed near the shuttle that had just set down, and he realized with a start that it was one of his shuttles. Well, one of the Resistance’s. He felt a surge of anxiety go through him at the realization of who was most likely on it. And joy? Yeah, he felt that, too. But he was going to ignore that. Nope, he was gonna stay pissed.

The ramp lowered and there she was. She had lost her baby weight in the four weeks since he had seen her and looked fit and lean. She was wearing a pair of tall leather boots with grey leggings and her typical white sleeveless blouse with dark grey wraps that floated about her, giving her masculine attire a feminine boost. She wore no arm wraps, a habit from Jakku that she had finally given up for the most part after Exegol, but she had still donned the leather armband and cuff; the cuff was another remnant of her scavenger past, the armband her own quiet acknowledgement of her loyalty to the Resistance. Her hair was swept up in one elegant pile on top of her head, making her look much older than she was; he himself often forgot how young she really was, not even 25 yet. She wore no blaster, but her lightsaber was prominent on her left hip.

Hot damn, if she wasn’t the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.

Her eyes found him immediately, but then the small crowd waiting for her grabbed her attention. Every one of them was a friend from the Resistance. She smiled at them as she walked down the ramp, reaching Beaumont first. He was the current Deck Officer on duty. “Permission to come aboard?” she asked.

He smiled broadly at her. “Permission granted!” Then he moved forward to embrace her. One by one, the rest of the group welcomed her. Poe stayed back, his arms folded, wishing he could share their joy at seeing their Jedi again. His anger, however, was still too strong.

Finally, they all left her alone, with Beaumont giving him a glance and herding everyone in the other direction. Rey walked over to him. He glanced at the shuttle. “Where’s the Falcon?”

“Chewie has her on Kashyyyk,” she told him.

He nodded. Of course. The Traagmol hadn’t gotten there, yet, but they were getting closer. It made sense that Chewie would be there to help protect his people.

Rey looked at him for a while, then she started to walk past him, heading out of the docking bay. He turned and followed, knowing exactly where she was going.

“Where’s the baby?” She should still be breast feeding him.

“With his sister and your father,” she said softly, not slowing down. “I weaned him to a bottle earlier this week.”

“You picked a hell of time to come,” he told her, his voice low. Angry.

She glanced at him. “Why?”

He ran a hand through his hair, and couldn’t help but notice that she followed his movement with her eyes before looking ahead of her once more. “The Traagmol have abandoned all of the bases they have set up these last few weeks and are gathering in one location near Hypori. Either they’re going back to where they came from, or they’re coming for us.”

Rey didn’t ask which option he believed. “So, you’re going to get your wish?” she asked.

“And you’re going to be stuck here for the duration,” he grumbled.

“I only have two things I need to do. I should be out of here in a heartbeat.” She spoke lightly, with a certain amount of humor. He suddenly wished he could ‘feel’ her again; it had been handy being able to read her moods.

“Two things?” he asked. He had assumed she was here for BB-8.

She nodded. “Yep. I intend to fix BB-8,” she told him. “And find your spy.”

Poe stopped short. She continued walking for a few steps, but then stopped and turned to face him. He stared at her. “You think they’re connected?”

“I think BB-8 was sabotaged and if we get him working again, he’ll be able to tell us who did it.” With that, she turned and continued on to the droid lab.

Poe considered her statement and wondered why he hadn’t thought of it himself. It made perfect sense. Except… “Why?” he asked her, running a bit to catch up.

“Because BB-8 is the only being on board this ship that you trust that can’t be influenced by the Force.”

Poe’s anger surged again. “Are you serious?” he demanded. “You think our spy can use the Force?”

“To a small extent,” she told him. “Else I would have known a lot sooner than this what was going on.” They had reached the lab and Rey opened the door and entered. Orian was not present, so Rey looked at Poe expectantly.

Giving her a glare, he walked over to one of the lockers and punched in a code. He brought out BB-8’s head and set it on the desk, then rolled out his torso. Finally, he brought out the small case that held his memory chip. He gave it to Rey and stepped back, folding his arms in front of him again.

He watched as she carefully removed the chip from the case and brought it to the microscope. She placed it under the viewer and turned on the monitor. She focused on every little bit of the delicate piece of equipment, which was essentially the brain of one of his best friends. She licked her lips as she concentrated, and he felt a surge of desire go through him, which just angered him more. She reached up and pointed at a spot on the monitor. “See this?” she asked him. “How it’s ever so slightly off center?”

He tried his best to focus on the screen. “Barely,” he told her. “Are you sure that’s not normal?”

“No,” she told him. “Everything should be aligned perfectly for it to function. But how it got like this, I have no idea. I don’t know of any machine that could do it, and even a being as tiny and accurate as Babu Frik would have to be a magician to do this without damaging the chip.”

“Or a Force user,” Poe said without thought.

Rey turned to look at him, her eyes wide. “Of course!” she said, smiling. “Poe, you’re a genius! I can be totally blind to what’s right in front of me and you point it out as if everyone should be able to see it.” He frowned at her, but her compliment was genuine and natural. She looked back at the screen. “If a Force user can do this, then maybe a Force user can fix it.” She looked back at him. “Do you want me to try? I can’t guarantee I can do it.”

He sighed, looking at the droid’s head on the table. “I have a feeling this is the only thing we can try. It’s this or nothing.” He looked back at her. Trust. Didn’t he tell her it all came down to trust? “Do it.”

She took a deep breath and turned back to the microscope, her focus on the chip itself rather than its image. But Poe kept an eye on the monitor, glancing at her now and then as she stood with her eyes closed, her breathing deep. He thought he felt a surge, like he used to when she used the Force, but he wasn’t certain. He was looking at the monitor at the right time, and saw the slightest of movements on the screen. Rey breathed in and opened her eyes. She seemed uncertain when she glanced at him again. “I think I did it.” Taking another deep breath, she removed the chip from the microscope. “Let’s find out.”

He watched as she carefully opened the appropriate compartment in BB-8’s head and gingerly replaced the chip. She closed the droid up and placed his head onto his torso, then glancing at Poe, she turned his power on. Immediately, Poe heard the magnets that connected his head to his body turn on, his lights started blinking, and then the beeps started, and oh, were they beautiful! BB-8 immediately started chattering away in binary so fast Poe couldn’t keep up. “Hey, buddy! Slow down!” The droid responded with something he did understand. “Hey! Watch your language!” Poe started laughing and he looked at Rey who was also grinning from ear to ear.

“I don’t know if you know it, buddy, but you’ve been out of commission for almost three months!” Poe told his droid. BB-8 squealed in dismay. He looked back and forth between him and Rey, asking why.

“You tell us, BB-8,” Rey told him. “Do you know who manipulated your memory chip?”

BB-8 nodded.

“Who, buddy?” Poe asked, his voice soft.

“Mikaela Dean.”

Poe caught his breath, everything suddenly making sense. His dreams. His anger. His attraction to Mik. He had accused Rey of manipulating him, when in reality it had been Mikaela all along. He looked at Rey, not even sure what to say. She wasn’t looking at him, but was still staring down at BB-8, a contemplative look on her face.

Finally, she spoke. “Mikaela Dean wouldn’t happen to be blonde, would she?” She looked up at Poe, her expression blank. “Long hair? Petite?”

Poe didn’t answer. He knew Rey wasn’t really expecting one.

Rey looked back at the droid. “BB-8, could you go and find Miss Dean? Don’t let her see you, just let us know where she’s at. I would really like to talk to her.”

Poe didn’t miss the venom in his wife’s voice. He once told her, jokingly, that he didn’t ever want her to talk to him like that, that it was frightening. He knew he was about to find out just how frightening.

BB-8 rolled out of the room, moving and acting like he hadn’t been stuffed in a locker for three months. Poe watched him, then looked at Rey, who was staring at him with just a hint of anger.

“Did she try and seduce you?” she asked, her voice soft, but the venom still there.

Poe felt guilt rise to the surface and he looked away.

“I know she did,” Rey answered for him. “What I don’t know is if she succeeded.” The hardness in her voice had died. Sorrow had replaced it.

He looked at her then, his own anger surging to the fore. How dare she accuse him of cheating on her! Her chin rose as she read his expression. “She didn’t,” Rey said, her voice cracking. “And I’m a fool for thinking she could.”

Poe stepped into her. “Yes, you are,” he growled. He reached up with his right hand and grabbed the back of her head, pulling her to him and kissing her hard, finally allowing his anger loose, knowing she could easily throw him across the room if she wanted.

She didn’t.

******

Rey not only let him kiss her, but was immediately and embarrassingly turned on by his forcefulness. Poe had never been a shy man when it came to sex, which was a good thing, as he was her first and only lover, but he had never been overly aggressive with her, either. It wasn’t his nature. However, his anger, which she had felt simmering underneath his calm demeanor since she had gotten off the shuttle, was pushing him to act out of character.

And she couldn’t say she didn’t like it.

She brought her arms up around his neck, pressing herself against him, matching his passion with her own anger and frustration. Of course, he hadn’t had sex with this Mikaela, she thought. He would never be unfaithful to her; once his loyalty was given, it was forever. She had known this about him before she had even admitted she was attracted to him. Which meant he had been without for all these long months, just as she had.

His mouth left her lips and moved to her neck, nuzzling her behind her ear and then moving downward. He lightly bit the tendon in her neck and she gasped. He proceeded to work that spot with his mouth, and she knew he was marking her. She grabbed the back of his head with one hand and held him there, throwing her own head back, wanting more than anything to carry visible proof that she still belonged to him. He brought his mouth back to hers and pushed her backwards. She felt her butt hit the desk behind her, and he brought up his hands along her sides and up under her arms, lifting her just enough for her to be able to sit on the edge of the desk. She immediately opened her legs and he stepped in between them, grinding himself against her core. His hands moved to her front and cupped her breasts. She groaned through his kiss, both in pleasure and in pain. He realized how tender her breasts were and left them, instead wrapping his arms around her, one hand firmly holding her steady at the small of her back as he began to thrust into her. He pulled back to look at her, his eyes heavy lidded and almost black with his pupils dilated with passion.

She leaned her forehead against his, keeping eye contact with him as he continued to drive his hips into her, his thrusts getting faster and faster, his hardness rubbing her in all the right places even through their clothing. She felt her body start to spasm and could no longer keep her eyes open, throwing her head back and crying out as she came hard. She fell against him, holding him tight as his hips slowed and she felt herself gradually come back to her senses. He stepped back just a bit, breathing hard, and she lifted her head to look at him. His eyes no longer held any anger, but only wonder and amazement. She felt herself shudder with emotion.

“I felt that,” he whispered. “I felt you.”

Rey swallowed. “Somehow, she’s been blocking our connection,” Rey told him softly. “I had to work to feel you.” She swallowed. “The longer I touch you, the more I…”

“The more you push her out with your light,” he finished. “Kriff, Rey. How could I have been so blind?”

She shook her head. “Because, I was pushing you away even before the war started,” she told him. “She was manipulating my dreams. She had a dark side connection with that guapa statue Finn got on Kef Bir. She had this all planned, pulling both our strings from the beginning.” Rey shook her head. “What better way to destroy the last Jedi than destroy her happiness? Ruin her marriage? Take everything good and pure and right away from her?” Rey felt a tear slide down her cheek.

Poe moved in and kissed it away. “Well, she didn’t succeed,” he whispered. “I love you, Rey. What I said, what I did, back on Yavin…” He lowered his head. “I’m so sorry.”

She shook her head at him. “You weren’t yourself. I know that, now. I should have known it then and fought for you sooner.” She smiled. “But I was right in the fact that your mind is too complex for someone to control completely; she could make you jealous and angry, but you’re still winning this war and you still found your way back to me.”

He moved forward again to kiss her, but before he reached her lips, BB-8 sailed back into the room. Rey was a bit startled to realize they had been making out in the droid lab with the door wide open; anyone could have seen them! Then she realized she didn’t care.

BB-8 stopped short upon seeing them and managed his own version of a raspberry, taught to him by none other than R2-D2. Rey and Poe both laughed at the droid. “Hey!” Poe argued. “It’s been a while for us, okay?”

BB-8 argued that it didn’t matter, Dean had spotted him and was coming this way.

Poe stepped back and Rey hopped down off the desk, unconsciously smoothing her clothing and hair. Poe also had to adjust some things. Rey couldn’t help but giggle, and Poe grinned at her. “You owe me,” he told her.

“I’ll pay you back,” she told him smoothly.

“Promises, promises.”

Then they both turned to face Mikaela Dean as she entered the room.

Rey tried not to let herself feel envy when she saw the woman for the first time face to face. She was beautiful and tiny and feminine to the extreme. But Poe had refused her, she thought with a small smile.

“Poe!” Dean said upon entering the room, glancing at her and then BB-8. “Your droid! He’s fixed!”

“Yep,” Poe said with a smile. “Thanks to my wife.” He looked at Rey.

Dean looked at her, a smile on her face. At first glance, it looked genuine, but Rey could see the anger in the woman’s eyes. “So, you’re Rey?” she asked. “I’ve heard so much about you, from several of the Resistance crew members.” But not Poe, was the unspoken comment.

“And I had never heard your name until today,” Rey told her, knowing her own smile was less than pleasant. “But I’ve known of you for a long time, now. I’m very sad it’s taken me this long to meet you in person.”

“Of me?” Dean asked. “What do you mean?”

“How are you connected to the Sith?” Rey asked conversationally. “You’re not at all strong with the Force, just enough that you can use objects already imbued with the dark side to help you do what you want to do.” Rey’s eyes spotted the necklace Dean wore. She reached out and using the Force grabbed the necklace and pulled in easily off of Dean’s neck. “Like this,” she said as Dean gasped. “Another Sith artifact. Just like the guapa figurine that’s been in my,” she glanced at Poe. “In our bedroom these last few months.”

Dean was starting to look panicked. “I… I don’t know what you mean!”

“How long have you been giving the Traagmol information, Mik?” Poe asked her. “Since you came on board? Or did you wait until you were sure everyone here liked you? Trusted you?”

Dean shook her head, but her eyes were beginning to show her anger. “Poe?” she breathed. “It’s not like that! They like you! They respect you! You could have a place of honor among them!”

Poe laughed, but there was no humor in it. “I’d die first,” he told her.

Dean stood straight and lifted her chin in defiance. “That would be too easy,” she said with a growl. Suddenly, she reached forward and pulled the necklace out of Rey’s hand, then brought her other hand up toward Poe’s head. Immediately, Poe fell to his knees, grabbing his head and screaming in agony.

“No!” Rey shouted, shoving Dean back with the Force, throwing her hard against the back wall, knocking her out. BB-8 screamed as both he and Rey rushed to Poe’s side. “What did she do to you?” Rey cried, bringing her hands up to his as they cradled his head. He was still in horrible pain. Rey grabbed her commlink from her belt. “Medical to the droid lab, immediately!” she shouted into it. “The General is down! Bring security!”

She felt tears trail down her cheeks as she tried to get Poe to look at her. “Please,” she begged him. “Let me see you.” She pushed his hands away so she was touching his head directly with her hands. She closed her eyes, trying to ignore the waves of pain coming from him. It was too much like some of her nightmares. She focused on him, sinking her energy into his head. Into his brain. Pushing past where his natural barriers were supposed to be but weren’t because they were no longer working, into his memories, which were jumbled up and unrecognizable. Neural pathways were broken. Brain matter was inflamed. Dean had tried to destroy him without actually killing him. She began to push as much Force energy as she could into his brain, activating the healing that she had been gifted with. Praying it would be enough.

Rey heard people rush in the door behind her. She heard BB-8 chitter and beep, explaining to them as much as he could understand, but Rey doubted many could understand him. She kept pushing, letting her energy flow into every nook and cranny she could find, trying to undo damage she might not be seeing. Everything around her turned bright. Even with her eyes closed, she could see the glow. She felt more power flowing through her than she had ever felt before. She remembered Luke’s words about love and the Force, and she realized with joy where her power was coming from. It wasn’t just hers. It was Poe’s as well.

Suddenly, strong hands grabbed her wrists firmly. “Rey?”

She pulled back and opened her eyes, finding Poe’s beautiful brown eyes looking back at her, full of that same love she had been feeling. “Hi,” she whispered, letting her hands slide down off of his head.

He let his own hands slide down from her wrists until they were grasping her hands. “Hi,” he smiled. “That was kind of scary,” he told her. “The first part, anyway. That last part was kinda beautiful.”

Rey smiled back.

“General?” D'Acy spoke from behind Rey. Poe looked up and past her, then he looked off to the side, where medical was already seeing to Dean, who was still unconscious, not realizing it had been Poe Rey had called them for.

“Security,” Poe said. “Arrest Mikaela Dean.”

“What?” D'Acy asked.

“Arrest her for treason,” Poe continued. “She’s our spy.” He looked at Rey. “Among other things.”

Rey looked at them. “And watch her. She has limited Force powers.” She stood suddenly, moving over to the woman’s prone form and grabbing up the necklace. “As long as she doesn’t have a conduit to the dark side, I don’t think she can do much, but best be cautious, anyway.”

“She’s the real reason you came, isn’t she?” D'Acy asked.

Rey smiled and shook her head. “No. Poe was the reason I came,” she said, looking at her husband, who was standing from his kneeling position. “BB-8 and this spy were only icing on the cake,” she said with a smile.

Poe snorted in humor.

“General!”

Connix’s shout suddenly came over his comm.

With a grimace, Poe took it from his belt. “Yes, Commander?”

“The Traagmol are on the move. They’re heading for Naboo!”

“Kriff,” Poe mumbled. “Are Rapier and Rogue squadrons back, yet?”

“No, sir,” Kaydel told him, her voice stressed. “They’re at least thirty minutes out.”

Poe looked at Rey. “That’s more than half of our fighters,” he groused. “I really wasn’t expecting them to come at us this quick.”

Rey glanced at Dean, who was being moved onto a stretcher. “How much you want to bet she contacted them as soon as she realized I was on board?”

“Damn it,” Poe swore. “I should be out there in my X-Wing,” he told her.

“General!” Da’cy began to argue.

Rey stepped up to him and put her hand on his arm. “You can’t,” she told him. “You’re needed here.” She paused. “But I can.”

Poe stared at her, and she stared right back, trying her best to give him reassurance through the Force. “Let me help, Poe.”

There was another long pause as his jaw hardened, but at last he spoke. “You know where she is,” he told her, speaking of his X-Wing. “Take BB-8.”

Rey smiled and grabbed the back of his head, giving him a quick kiss. She turned immediately to run out of the lab and toward the hanger bay. “Come on, BB-8!”

The little droid rushed after her as she heard Poe’s voice on the ship’s speaker. “All hands to battle stations! All pilots to your ships! This is the real deal, people! Let’s end this today!”

Rey made it to the pilot’s ready room and found Poe’s locker, quickly removing her wraps so she could slip into his flight suit. Though she and Poe were of similar height, he was much broader than her, and her lean form was swallowed in the suit, but she didn’t care. She pulled her hair out of its bun and swept it under her collar, knowing the helmet wouldn’t fit over the up-do.

She rushed out to Poe’s X-Wing, quickly climbing the service ladder where Coleman, one of the mechanics, was grinning at her. “’bout time we got you in one of these!”

“Hey, I’ve got an X-Wing of my own, you know.”

“Not like this one,” he told her. “I have a feeling you’ll handle her just fine.”

Rey hopped into the cockpit, glancing back at BB-8, who was already in his socket, beeping at her happily. He apparently loved the idea of flying with her. She grinned and settled down into the seat, pulling on the helmet. Suddenly, memories of the last time she was in this very cockpit overwhelmed her, and she felt desire shoot through her. The night she had helped one of Poe’s fantasies come true was a night to remember.

“Uh, Rey?” Poe’s voice suddenly came through the headset inside her helmet. “Please focus.” His voice sounded strained, and she suddenly realized that she was inadvertently sharing her memory with him.

“Oops,” she said without real remorse. “Sorry.” She laughed.

“No, you’re not,” he told her, and she could hear the grin in his voice. “Just come back safe, Sandstorm One,” giving her a callsign.

She liked it. “I will, General. I owe you, and I always pay my debts.”

******

Poe settled in the command chair on the bridge of the Organa, his nerves tighter than they had ever been yet this war. His eyes focused on the HUD in front of him that allowed him to see every ship in his fleet and their location. He quickly tapped in a change in ID for his X-Wing. She wouldn’t be part of any squadron, but he knew every squad leader out there was ready to claim her as theirs.

He looked up and out the viewport; he could see them, the whole Traagmol fleet. At least five capitol ships, twelve smaller cruisers, and dozens of fighters. “Connix, can you send a transmission to Rapier and Rogue Squadrons. Tell them to drop out of hyperspace early, then do a micro jump to Section 15.”

Kaydel nodded, looking at the tactical screen as she did so. He knew she was already figuring out that his order would put the two squadrons behind the Traagmol once they got here.

He watched as his fighters engaged with the first wave of enemy fighters. His screen was a jumble of movement, but he was pleased to see several of the enemy fighters disappearing off of it almost immediately. He listened to the chatter over the comm, not saying anything as the squad leaders knew more than he did right now and could direct them better. “Sandstorm One, you’ve got four on your tail!” Sweeton called out.

He looked at the HUD, watching as the one fighter he was most interested in seemed to suddenly reverse its position and end up behind the fighters tailing it. One by one, the enemy ships blinked out. He knew exactly what maneuver she had pulled, as he had done it several times himself.

“Hey, Sandstorm One, that was a smooth move!” Sweeton acknowledged. “Wonder who taught you that?” he added sarcastically.

“He might just teach you cool stuff like that, too, if you’d keep your trap shut long enough to listen, Sabre Four,” was Rey’s response.

“Oooh!” Jess shouted. “Score one for the Jedi!”

Poe bit the inside of his cheek, but when he saw Kaydel grinning at him out of the corner of his eye, he allowed the smile to happen. He shook his head. “Commander, I think it’s time to invite our friends to this party.”

“On it,” she told him with another grin. Immediately, she was sending out several coded transmissions that she and Poe had already set up in anticipation for this event. It was time to bring the full New Republic Fleet into play.

Suddenly, his HUD showed 24 new ships situated behind the Traagmol fleet. Rapier and Rogue Squadrons had arrived. “Nice of you to join us,” Poe told them. “Why don’t you guys hit those capitol ships as you make your way over here? Look for any weakness in their shields, but don’t stay around long enough to become targets.”

“On it, boss!” Rogue Leader replied.

“You know, I’ve never seen these buggers from the back before,” announced Rapier Leader. “They have the ugliest ships ever, from any direction!”

Poe would have told Kaye to can it, but he knew for a fact the man could have three conversations at one time and still shoot a blaster and hit the bullseye at the same time. He was the king of multitasking. The fact that Poe had trained almost all of these pilots during his year-long stint as Flight Instructor for the New Republic went a long way in helping him judge what they could and could not do.

He glanced at the HUD again, briefly watching as Sandstorm One continued to remove more and more enemy ships from his screen. Some of the Traagmol fighters had reached the Organa and had started blasting away at her, but his gunners were on them in flash, their accuracy far better than the enemy; after all, both Rogue and Rapier arrived to the main part of the battle without losing any of their fighters to the Traagmol ships.

Once more, his HUD suddenly came alive with even more ships, dozens of them converging on the battle from at least five different directions.

“Hey!” A familiar female voice said over the comm. “We heard you guys were having a party. Are we still invited?”

Poe grinned. “Absolutely, General Syndulla,” he told her. “Welcome!” This felt almost as good as when he had first heard Lando’s voice at the Battle of Exegol, announcing the arrival of hundreds of ships. Almost.

Legendary Rebellion hero Hera Syndulla and her equally famous ship the Ghost appeared off the port side of the Organa, and next to her was the even more legendary Millennium Falcon. “Chewie!” Poe shouted. “You made it!”

Chewbacca growled over the comm, and Poe could hear other similar voices in the background. Apparently, he and his crew of Wookiees wouldn’t have missed this for the worlds.

“Okay, listen up everybody,” Poe called over the comm. “As horrible as it sounds, I want you all to wipe these guys out. I know for a fact they will not back down easy, and we want them out of here. Today. They show no mercy, so neither can we. Let’s make them regret ever coming here!”

“You got it, General!”

“Understood, General!”

“Let’s do this!”

Poe looked at his HUD again. It was harder to find the fighter he wanted to see in the midst of all the craft now on his screen, but he found her. She was silent, but still picking off enemy ships one by one. Then he focused on the view outside.

It was time to end this war.

******

In the end, it was determined that at least 80% of the Traagmol fleet had been destroyed before they finally retreated. Even after all the Republic fighters had been recalled, Poe and his senior officers had to brief Chancellor Leeway and the council, shuttling down to Naboo to do so. Rey debriefed with the other pilots, grabbed something to eat from the mess, then she and BB-8 made their way back to Poe’s stateroom, where she settled in for what would probably be a long wait. BB-8 eventually made his way to the droid pool to charge; there were no droid charging stations in the staterooms.

It was indeed several hours before she sensed his presence outside the door. She stood quickly from where she had been sitting cross-legged on the bed. He walked in and she could see his exhaustion in the way he moved. His eyes, however, lit up when they saw her, almost as if he hadn’t expected her to be here waiting for him. As if she would just leave after all that had happened.

He stopped just inside the door, and as it automatically slid shut behind him, he deliberately reached over to the control panel and locked it. She felt the corner of her mouth lift in response, recognizing his act for what it was; he was not going to let anything or anyone disturb them. Her expression became serious again as he started walking toward her. Stalking toward her, actually, his eyes dark and dangerous looking. She felt no fear, though, because the man coming towards her was emitting a familiar brilliant white-blue light through the Force. This was her husband, and his expression was one she welcomed.

He stopped inches in front of her. She actually had to look up a bit, as she was barefoot and he was still in uniform, and that small fact made her feel vulnerable, a feeling she had felt far too often these past few months. But there was a difference this time. This time, she knew Poe would take care of her.

Slowly, she reached up to his chest and began to push his uniform jacket, which was already unbuttoned and unbelted, off of his shoulders. He helped by shrugging a bit and soon it slid off and fell to the floor behind him. Before it even hit the ground, Rey was unbuttoning his shirt. She could hear his heartbeat. It matched her own, and it was getting faster. Pounding harder. Her knuckles grazed his bared abdomen as she pulled open his shirt, pulling the tail from his pants, and he sucked in a sharp breath. She reached up to push that off his shoulders, too.

As soon as his hands were free of his shirt sleeves, he reached for the hem of her tunic. Rey had already removed her lightsaber, belt, and wraps along with her boots earlier, so when Poe pulled off her top, she also became naked from the waist up. His hands immediately went to her breasts, which were still tender; it had been less than a week since she had quit feeding Skyler. He seemed to remember her discomfort during their earlier encounter and so was very careful as he cupped her and gently brushed his thumbs over her. She couldn’t stop the moan that escaped, and it wasn’t from pain.

He lowered his mouth to hers and she greedily accepted his kiss, her tongue tangling with his in a dance she had been craving for months. She felt him gently push into her and backed up willingly, knowing exactly where they were headed. When she felt the bed behind her knees, she let herself drop back on to it. He brought his hand to her back, easing her down, but once she was there, he lost no time in undoing the clasp to her leggings and pulling them and her underwear off. She scooted back on the bed, watching avidly as he removed his holster, then his boots. He shucked off his trousers and underwear with much less grace than he had removed hers, speed more important to him now than style.

He moved forward, his eyes glued to hers, the intensity in his gaze exciting and arousing. As he kneeled on the bed, she expected him to lower himself down upon her, or perhaps next to her, and she reached for him. But he didn’t come to her. At least, not all the way. Instead, he stayed at the foot of the bunk and settled between her legs, carefully spreading her thighs apart. He was still looking her in the eye when he began kissing her stomach, right at her belly button, and she knew where he was going to go next.

“You don’t have to do that,” she told him, her voice shaky. She was ready for him. She didn’t need any preparation.

“You don’t seem to realize how much I missed this,” he told her, his voice rough. “How much I love this.” He continued kissing her, moving downward. “Your smell,” he whispered between kisses. “Your taste.”

Rey’s back bowed as he reached his destination and she bit her lip, trying not to scream. She couldn’t, however, prevent any noise.

“And the sounds you make,” Poe said, and she could feel his smile, as well as the roughness of his day-old beard rubbing against her inner thighs. She knew her skin would be red there now, and that only excited her more. She burrowed her fingers in his thick hair, watching him through half-lidded eyes, her moans only getting louder, her breathing harder.

She was too close! “Poe!” she breathed, tugging on his hair now. “Stop! I’m not doing this alone again! Not this time!”

He understood her desperation and respected her demands, quickly moving up her body and pushing himself into her with barely any effort. Rey threw her head back on the pillow, reveling in the familiar feel of him and the way he filled her. She wrapped her legs tight around him, locking her ankles behind his back. “Mine!” she told him. He responded by kissing her, first on the lips, then on her neck. She felt his tongue lave the mark he had left on her earlier, and she felt the apology in the act. She brought her hand up to again run her fingers through the silken strands of his hair, briefly thinking how happy she was it had grown out from the almost shaved clip he had had when he left to fight this war four long months ago.

“Yours,” he whispered as he began to move, slowly but with steady deliberateness, and then continued kissing her neck and collarbone with wet, open-mouthed kisses. She shivered at the coarseness of his beard. He felt her reaction. “I should have shaved,” he mumbled.

She smiled. Their connection was back. He was feeling what she was feeling. “I don’t mind,” she told him. “I’ll have to interrogate Dean tomorrow, anyway,” she told him wryly.

He stopped moving, making her whimper, and leaned up and away from her a bit to look at her. “Why you little minx,” he told her, laughter in his eyes. “I never knew you were so vindictive.”

Rey looked him in the eyes, her face serious, now. “She will go to prison knowing you are mine,” she told him. “And only mine.” She tightened her legs, and he groaned. She felt his desire spike both at her words and her actions.

He held her gaze and began moving again, and as he did so she opened herself up completely to him through the Force. His eyes widened and he quickened his pace. She matched him, her hands gripping his shoulders, nails digging in. “Rey?” he groaned, panting. “There’s something you should know.”

“Hmmm?” She could feel it coming. So good. So powerful. She felt her eyes drifting shut.

“You’re mine, Mesh-la!” he told her, sharply. “Just as much as I’m yours.”

“Yes!” she smiled. It was the first time he had called her by that name since the day he left Yavin. “Always!” Then she gasped as the first wave hit them. She had no idea if it emanated from him or her, and it didn’t matter as the second one hit them shortly after. She felt another scream bubble up inside her, but tried her best to stifle it; the walls on this ship were not soundproof. When she felt a third wave, even more powerful than the first two, she was startled and couldn’t stop the scream. Poe’s own cry joined hers.

That wave seemed to go on forever, ebbing and flowing and slowly bringing them back down to the bed. And Rey suddenly realized that that was exactly what was happening. Somewhere along this erotic journey together, she had begun levitating a few inches off of the bed, taking Poe with her. “Kriff!” she heard Poe gasp in her ear as he realized the same thing. She gasped herself when the aftershocks hit. Again, she didn’t know if they came from him or her, and she didn’t care. She just held on tight, and let them come.

Finally, she began to feel the softness of the bed under her and the weight of the man on top of her. Still, she was slow to unlock her arms and legs from him as he slowly pulled away from her and rolled to his side. He kept an arm around her abdomen, one leg entwined with hers, his rough chin resting on her shoulder. “Well, that never happened before,” he said, his voice dry.

Rey started laughing and she could feel his body shake as he joined her. “That was crazy!” she told him. “I don’t know what that was!”

He lifted his head and looked at her. “I know what it was,” he told her, his smile fading. “It was us being separate for four months, not just in body but in spirit.” He brought his hand up to move sweaty strands of hair out of her face. “It’s not our natural state of being,” he told her softly. “It was killing us.”

Rey looked at him, her eyes welling with unshed tears. “I was beginning to worry that the old Jedi Code was right, and forming attachments should be forbidden,” she told him. “I’ve never felt so weak as when I thought I lost you.” Poe opened his mouth, but she put a finger up to his lips to stop him. “It’s not true, though,” she told him. “It hurt. Horribly. But I could have carried on if I had to. Without you.” She paused. “But having you by my side, knowing you love me, knowing you support me… that has made me a better Jedi, a better person, than I could have ever become alone.” She brought her forehead in to touch his. “I am so sorry for pushing you away when I needed you the most,” she told him. “If I had let you in, told you about my dreams and insecurities, this might never have happened.”

“She might have gone after someone else, then,” Poe told her. “And that someone else wouldn’t have had you coming to fight for him.” He sighed. “Sometimes, even bad things happen for a good reason.” He shifted his body closer to hers. “But let’s not keep things from each other ever again, okay? As embarrassing or annoying or degrading as it might be, no more secrets. Deal?”

“Deal,” she whispered. Then she frowned.

Poe lifted his head again. “What?” he demanded.

“I, uh,” she started. “I haven’t had a depo shot since before I got pregnant,” she told him. “And I stopped feeding Skyler almost a week ago.”

Poe was quiet for a moment, and she could see him put things together in his head. “So, we could have conceived with this little Force act?”

“Little?!” Rey exclaimed.

He grinned. “Okay, not so little.” Then he looked at her seriously. “How do you feel about that?”

She sighed. “I actually don’t think I would mind,” she told him. It wasn’t something she would have chosen, becoming pregnant so soon after having Skyler, but it wasn’t something that upset her, either.

“Me, either,” Poe whispered. “We must be nuts.”

Rey giggled. “I guess we’ll just have to wait and see,” she told him. “We’ll let the Force decide this time.”

He gazed at her, his brown eyes soft. “I am so ready to leave this place, Rey,” he told her, his exhaustion once again creeping to the fore. “I think maybe you and I and the babies need to head to Kennera for a while.”

Rey nodded. “Most definitely.” Kennera, the place where Rey felt the Light shined brighter than any other place in the galaxy, would help them heal. “In the meantime,” she whispered, turning to face away from him, but scooting her body back so it was flush against his front, “we need to sleep.”

He wrapped an arm and a leg around her, locking her against him as she had done to him during their coupling, burying his face in her hair. “And not dream,” he added.

“Unless it’s one we share,” she said with a soft smile.

She felt him nod. “Yeah,” he whispered. “I like those.” With that, he drifted off to sleep and she quickly followed.

******

Rey sat next to the firepit behind the little house on Yavin IV watching her ‘family’ as they ate and drank and laughed. Finn, Rose, Temiri, Kes, and Chewie had all joined her for dinner tonight, and their presence was a balm to her soul. The babies had both worn themselves out with all the excitement this evening and were both asleep inside the house, and Rey felt her own exhaustion seeping in.

It had been a little over two weeks since the war with the Traagmol had officially ended. Reconnaissance had made sure the remaining alien invaders had gone all the way back to Wild Space where they had come from, but the Resistance volunteers were still at Naboo, ensuring the New Republic fleet was good to go on without them; then they would be resigning themselves from the New Republic and coming home.

Rey had observed New Republic Intelligence officers interrogate Mikaela Dean the morning before she left to go back to Yavin. When the woman refused to talk to them, Rey had stepped in. As she had predicted, the ever so subtle redness to Rey’s skin on her neck and face, not to mention the hickey that was still very much visible, sparked the woman’s anger, and she began to curse Rey and call her a ‘Jedi whore.’ Rey had felt Poe’s anger growing in the room next door, but she had made her husband promise to not interfere, and he kept that promise. Soon, Dean was talking about her beloved uncle, who had been a member of the Sith Eternal and a liaison between the Sith and the Traagmol. Rey didn’t need to ask to know that the man had died on Exegol. She had walked out then, knowing the woman had said enough to warrant a lifetime in prison.

Earlier today, Rey had sent messages out to her students that classes would resume in a week’s time. She knew that when Poe and the others finally made it home that he would not be wanting to go anywhere for a long while; their trip to Kennera could wait a few weeks. In the meantime, she had been happy to realize she could connect with him through the Force even more easily than before this whole shitshow had started. She often ‘touched’ him throughout the day. Sometimes she felt his acknowledgement, which told her he had been thinking about her and therefore recognized her touch. Other times she was just happy to feel his emotions as he continued to work on finalizing his time as the leader of the Republic military. Occasionally, when they managed to find themselves asleep at the same time, they shared some rather interesting dreams. The one she had liked best had started out as an obvious memory: she was practicing with Luke’s lightsaber on Ajan Kloss under Leia’s watchful eye when she noticed Poe standing next to her mentor, watching her intently. That’s when the memory changed course. Leia had noticed Poe’s focus and smiling, had turned and walked away. Rey, panting and sweaty, had watched as Poe walked to her, took her hand, and led her into the forest. A far different kind of exercise had commenced.

Rey smiled as she recalled that dream. It had been pleasant, for sure, but not as good as the real thing.

Suddenly, the Force tugged at her and she stood up quickly. Everyone else around the fire stopped what they were doing and looked at her. She smiled and started walking toward the base. She heard Finn say behind her, “I’m guessing I know what the means!” and she heard everyone else get up to follow, Rose staying behind to keep an eye on the babies.

They were about half way to the landing field when dozens of lights flashed in the night sky above them as ships dropped out of lightspeed. By the time the small group had reached the landing field, they had been joined by the rest of the Resistance crew that had stayed behind. One by one, the ships came in, finding their familiar landing berths that had sat empty for so long. Even the Organa herself came down, landing in a spot that had been specially cleared for her just off the main field. But Rey ignored the Resistance’s flagship, because she knew the person she wanted to see wasn’t on her.

The familiar orange and white X-Wing settled itself towards the back of the field, right next to Red Five, and Rey headed for it.

BB-8 reached her first, as usual, and she dropped down on her knees to give the droid a full-on hug. His beeps expressed his joy that the war was over and his excitement about being home. She listened to him with a delighted smile; he was her first ‘child,’ after all. Finally, he slowed down and turned his head to look behind him. Rey looked up to see what he was looking at.

Poe Dameron was walking toward them, looking far more comfortable in his flight suit than he ever did in uniform. A small smile played on his lips as he casually strode in their direction. BB-8 beeped a simple, “I’ll see you at the house,” and then proceeded to roll happily along toward home. Rey stayed on her knees for a moment, looking up at her husband as he stopped in front of her.

“I just thought you should know I had my monthly last week,” she said with a small smile of her own.

“I know,” he told her, his smile smug.

She rolled her eyes and jumped up gracefully, moving to stand in front of him. “Of course, you do,” she grumbled. Somehow, she must have conveyed that bit of information to him in a dream.

“Number three can wait,” he told her with a wink. Then he glanced behind her toward where BB-8 had disappeared. “Or would it be number four?”

Rey laughed, then stepped forward, reaching up to wrap her arms around her husband’s shoulders as he proceeded to wrap his arms around her back. “Welcome home, General,” she whispered, and then they kissed.

“When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.”

- Jimi Hendrix

The End