Sorgan

As Rey heals from the events on Exegol, she realizes that there is a lot of life left to live, and she doesn't have to live it alone.

ORIGINALLY POSTED JULY 22, 2020

The party was finally starting to wind down, and Rey was glad. While she had enjoyed herself immensely, being surrounded by so many active, loud, and excited people was exhausting. She looked over at the two people who were responsible for this particular get together and could tell that they were also ready for it to end. While the celebration of the marriage of two of her best friends was beautiful and appreciated, Rey was sure Finn and Rose were more than ready to leave and start their new life in private. She glanced at Temiri and knew the boy, who officially had two parents now that his adopted mother had married, was already settled comfortably with the Morey family for the duration of Finn and Rose’s honeymoon. Since Colt Morey, one of Rey’s other students, was Temiri’s best friend, Rey knew the boy would be fine.

Rey felt her gaze move over the crowd of beings packed in the open sided mess hall, unconsciously searching out her other friends. Chewie was having an intense conversation with a couple of members of the special ops unit, one of which was a Lasat, almost as big as Chewie himself. She continued to scan the crowd, but couldn’t see Poe. She wasn’t really surprised, as he had been on the move constantly ever since he gave the official toast at dinner; being Finn’s Best Man had kept him busy. He was most likely out flirting with one of the many women who had been following after him all evening. She ignored the pang she felt at that thought. It’s just who he was, a tease. He was never serious about it as far as she could tell, never having seen him with any one woman more than once. He also seemed very much the gentleman, never being disrespectful or vulgar, but she couldn’t be sure as he had never, ever flirted with her.

She sighed and moved from the side of the room where she had been for the last several minutes and toward Finn. He saw her coming and his smile widened. She grinned back at him and grasped the hand he held out to her. “You okay?” he asked.

She nodded. “Just tired, as I’m sure you are,” she replied. “I’m going to call it a night,” she told him. “You guys should, too,” she nodded toward Rose, who was talking with another couple. “Before you know it, it’ll be morning and you’ll be too tired to fly to where ever you guys are going.”

Finn looked over at his new wife, and the warmth in his gaze made Rey more than a little envious. While she had never considered Finn as anything other than her best friend, she had to admit that watching his blooming romance with Rose had saddened her as much as it had given her joy. A love like that was not for her, she was sure of it. She had had her chance, but the Emperor had taken that away from her, ensuring that she would never have the opportunity to get to know and love the one man she believed had been meant for her. Finn looked back at her, almost as if he sensed her disquiet. He probably did. She smiled at him, hoping to head off any more concern for her wellbeing. “You guys have a wonderful time, and no worries about Temiri. I’ll make sure he stays busy in class so the Morey’s won’t have any trouble with him.” She grinned at her minor joke. Temiri was a hyper child and needed to be busy all the time, but was not really a trouble maker.

“Just tell him he can’t tend to the fathiers if he gets too uncontrollable,” Finn responded with a grin. “He’ll behave.” Finn and Rose hadn’t just brought back Temiri from Cantonica; they had also brought back three fathiers, large mammals that had been used for racing at the casino on Canto Bite. Temiri had begged him to bring the animals, who were getting too old to run and therefore would be auctioned off to whoever wanted them; he had been sure they would go to people who would not care for them.

“Good plan,” Rey said, and turned to leave. She headed across the room, walking carefully through the crowd, suddenly anxious to get to the quiet of her quarters. Her feet hurt from wearing shoes that she was not accustomed to and had trouble walking in. The heels on the fancy sandals weren’t that high, but they were thin and it took some concentration for her to keep her balance. Had she had some time to practice walking in them, she probably would have been fine, but she hadn’t worn them before tonight. Once she left the hall and the crowd behind her, she picked up her pace, but was dismayed to find the softer ground made walking in the shoes even more difficult. She was rounding the corner of the brand-new dormitory when her right heel sunk into a soft spot. She fought to find her balance as she fell forward, and instinctively called on the Force to help cushion the fall she knew was coming, but it never happened.

Strong hands grabbed her at the waist and her own hands landed firmly on the shoulders of the owner of said hands. She pulled herself upright and found herself face to face with Poe Dameron. The fancy heeled shoes gave her just enough height to match that of the current leader of the Resistance. She took a deep breath. “I am so sorry,” she said in a rush. She moved her right foot to the side and looked down at it. “These stupid shoes. I’m not used to walking in them.”

Poe glanced down at her foot, too. “Well, at least you make them look great.”

Startled, Rey looked at him. Was he flirting? With her?

The small smile on his face wasn’t giving her any answers, but when that smile faded as he continued looking at her, she felt her heart rate increase. His brown eyes were focused on her intently, and she suddenly realized how wonderful he smelled. Good grief, what was she thinking?! She’d never noticed how a man smelled before, unless it was really, really bad. This was as far from bad as could be, though, and she felt herself lean toward him even more. Her movement must have encouraged him and he closed those last few inches between them, bringing his mouth to hers.

What was going on? Rey shouted in her head, but the shout was quickly silenced as she felt herself sink into the kiss. He tasted as good as he smelled, she thought. How did she not know this was possible, she wondered? Yes, she had always acknowledged Poe’s attractiveness. Upon her first meeting with him she remembered how much she loved his eyes, how comfortable she had felt with him, how much she trusted him without even knowing him. However, she had never foreseen this!

She felt him pull back and started shouting in her head again. No! Before he could even back off enough to meet her eyes with his own, she followed him, taking her hands from his shoulders and bringing her arms around his neck, pulling her upper body flush against his chest and kissing him back. She felt his hands leave her hips and his arms wrapped around her waist, bringing her lower body up against his. Yes! She thought. Just like that! Her lips parted and he responded by bringing his tongue out to touch hers. Oh, yeah! She really liked that! She felt her whole body start to burn and a tingling sensation began in a place that she tried not to think about. She had never felt anything like this!

Distant voices worked their way into her consciousness, and they were getting louder. Poe heard them, too. With one accord, they broke apart and stepped back from each other. Breathing hard, Rey stared wide eyed at her friend. She was only mildly relieved to see he was breathing just as hard and was looking at her with his eyes just as wide, proving that what had just happened was as much a surprise to him as to her.

Two men came around the corner. Both she and Poe turned to face them, and Rey would have laughed at how they both tried their best to look innocent if she hadn’t been in so much shock. Todd and Linter both stopped short upon seeing them. “Oh, General,” Linter said. “Finn was looking for you.”

“I was just on my way back there,” Poe said. Rey was impressed by how steady his voice sounded. She was quite sure she would sound like a hydraulic lift that needed oiling if she spoke right now. Poe looked over at her, his eyes unreadable. “Goodnight.”

She nodded, refusing to speak. His eyes narrowed and his expression hardened, but his dark eyes betrayed nothing. Then with a nod to the two men, he left to head back to the mess hall. Rey didn’t even look at the men still standing there. She turned on her spindly heels and headed into the dorm, her whole body shaking.

She had just kissed one of her best friends and the commander of this base. And she had loved it. How in the Force did she handle this?

******

Rey lay on her back staring at the ceiling above her. Without looking at her chrono, she knew it must be close to dawn, and she hadn’t slept a wink. Her mind refused to settle, and her thoughts were a whirlwind. Images of Ben Solo and what might have been flashed through her brain, interspersed with images of Poe grinning at her or saying something to intentionally make her mad. He had done that a lot in the months following Exegol, Rey remembered, and at first, she had just ignored him, refusing to rise to his bait. The day she finally let loose on him, just a little more than a month ago, she remembered his bright smile and laughter. “There she is,” he had exclaimed. “I knew you’d find your way back.” It took a bit for her to understand. She had been fighting off depression for weeks after Exegol, and though she had kept herself busy seeking out potential Jedi students and sites of old temples that could be used for teaching purposes, she knew her demeanor had become much more morose. Poe hadn’t stopped until he broke through the barrier she had put up. She had never thanked him for that.

That’s what good friends did, right? She thought. Pushed you when you needed to be pushed. Did things that you didn’t like but only for your own good, so things would be better in the end. Despite all their bickering, she had never stopped trusting him. Never stopped believing in his friendship and loyalty. Had he wished for something more? Is that why he kissed her last night? Or was is just a last second decision, possibly emboldened by alcohol? She didn’t remember smelling any alcohol on him. Nope. Which lead to her memory of what she had smelled. And tasted. And felt.

“Argh!” she groaned and sat up. Well, since she wasn’t going to sleep, she might as well get up. She dressed and headed out into the early morning dark. The humidity was high and the ever-present night mist hung low over the ground as she walked across the base on Ajan Kloss, but the air was refreshingly cool. She had no thought of where she was going. She really wanted to talk to Finn, but that wasn’t an option right now. Besides, she thought, would it be a good idea to tell Finn what had happened between her and Poe? Finn loved Poe like a brother, but he was also very protective of her. She shook her head, confusion and lack of sleep making her brain feel fuzzy.

Rey saw a flicker of light out of the corner of her eye and realized there was a campfire burning toward the edge of the base. She could just make out the shape of the Millennium Falcon in the dim light, and she knew the fire must be Chewie’s. When he wasn’t running errands for the Resistance or spending time with relatives on Kashyyyk, Chewie usually just camped out underneath the Falcon here on Ajan Kloss. He was starting to complain about getting old and not wanting too much adventure in his life anymore, and Rey knew the loss of his human family, one by one all within the last year of the war, had been hard on him. He wouldn’t admit it, but he also felt responsible for her, which was why he stayed as much as he did.

A sudden thought came to her. Chewie knew more about human emotion than most humans did. Maybe he could help her. She started toward the Falcon. If he was awake, she would talk to him. If not, she would just keep going. Maybe a long run in the jungle would help.

As she got closer, she saw the Wookiee sitting by the fire, a data pad in his hands that he was reading intently. It wasn’t long before he saw her, lowering the data pad and acknowledging her as she stepped into the firelight. He grunted a greeting.

“I’m surprised to see you awake so early after the party last night,” she said, trying to figure out how to ask him for help. He responded that he had left right after her so he had gotten more than enough sleep. She nodded. “Can I talk to you?” she asked. “I have a problem that I need help figuring out and I don’t know if you can offer any advice, but I don’t know who else to go to.”

Chewie cocked his head to the side and told her to go for it.

Rey didn’t even know where to start. She sat down on one of the chairs that circled the fire. She, Finn and Poe often spent evenings here, with Rose, Beaumont, and Connix joining in from time to time. She looked over at Chewie who was watching her with affection and compassion in his blue eyes. She took a deep breath and blurted out, “I kissed Poe last night!”

Chewie’s eyes widened for a moment, but then he started chortling. Softly at first, but then he really started getting into it. Usually his laughter was contagious, but all Rey could do was stare at him with growing horror. Had she made a complete fool of herself telling him this? Eventually, Chewie’s Wookiee snickers subsided and he growled through his laughter.

Rey’s horror turned to shock. “What do you mean, ‘It’s about time.’?” she demanded.

Chewie continued, telling her how he had watched the two of them interact for months now, both before the Battle of Exegol and after, and was expecting them to eventually figure out their bickering was really just flirting. He had watched Han and Leia do it their whole relationship, and he had never known two humans that had loved each other more. Besides, he added, he had seen how Poe watched her when she wasn’t looking.

Rey sat there, stunned. “Really?” she asked. While she found it hard to believe that last statement, she really wanted to. “Why hasn’t he said anything to me?”

Chewie’s expression turned serious and he looked contemplative for a moment. He then told her it was probably because Poe knew about Rey’s connection to Ben, and was keeping his distance for fear that he could never measure up to that kind of bond. Not to mention he was probably still waiting for Rey to notice him.

“But I have noticed him,” she said softly. “I just never imagined he could think of me that way, so I tried my best not to think of him that way.” She looked at Chewie. “I did love Ben,” she told him. “But I never really got to know Ben. My love for him was illusory, almost spiritual. I loved what I knew he had been, what he could be again. But it wasn’t meant to be. “

Chewie nodded solemnly. He had loved Ben Solo as well, but his hatred for Kylo Ren had eclipsed that love the day he watched the boy he had once known kill his best friend. He understood Rey’s confliction, and while he could never forgive the man for what he had done, he had felt great relief knowing he had died as Ben Solo. The fact that Ben had died saving Rey’s life had made Chewie grateful, too, and allowed him to remember the boy he had once known more than the man he had become.

He told Rey softly that maybe Poe was meant to be.

Rey sat quietly for a while, digesting these words. Unfortunately, the ‘what ifs’ of life interrupted. “What if it doesn’t work out?” she asked. “Not only do I not want to lose him as a friend, but what about Finn? He would be in the middle, forced to choose sides!”

“Do you always go for the worst-case scenario first?” was Chewie’s grumbled response. Rey sighed and looked at him helplessly. “You’ll never know the answer if you don’t try.”

******

You’ll never know if you don’t try. It became Rey’s mantra, running through her head all morning after she left Chewie. She decided against running the training course due to her lack of sleep, but she did head out and update a few things on it that would make it a bit easier for her small band of young students to manage. She stopped for breakfast and enjoyed the quiet that permeated the base; other than the skeleton crew still on duty, most of the members had the morning off to recover from the party the night before. She went back to her quarters to grab one of the Sacred texts to spend some time reading; the books held little help for her in training her students, but they did hold insight on past Jedi temples and training areas, and intriguing stories of the Jedi of old. When mid-day came, she left to get something to eat at the mess hall, and found herself searching for Poe among the people that were finally starting to get back to business.

He was probably still in his quarters on the top floor of the command center, she thought. She didn’t know when Poe had left the gathering last night. He could have been there until the wee hours of the morning. Possibly even invited one of those cute girls that watched him all the time up to his place for a drink. Or more. She shook her head, rolling her eyes at her own jealously. Poe wasn’t like that! He wasn’t into one-night stands. At least, she didn’t think so. What did she really know about him, anyway, other than that he was an awesome pilot and an empathetic leader?

Around mid-afternoon, Hudstall, their Kiffar mechanic, walked by her and noticed she looked a little lost. “No classes today?” he asked her.

She shook her head. “They have the next couple of days off, “ she told him.

“Well, we’re working on trying to replace the hyperdrive motivator on that old VCX-100 of Todd’s if you want to help.”

Rey liked that idea. She hadn’t had anything mechanical to tinker with for a while. Now that the Falcon wasn’t seeing any action, the ship had been behaving herself, and Rey’s X-wing (which had formerly belonged to Luke Skywalker) had been messed with enough lately. She followed Hudstall toward the new hanger on the outskirts of the base.

She was just finishing replacing the caps on the motivator’s intake valve when she heard his voice.

“Hey, I found this sitting on top of Natche’s speeder this morning,” Poe said. Rey straightened up and turned toward him. He was handing Hudstall what looked like a gasket from an engine. Poe glanced at her, but did not acknowledge her.

“Hey, I’ve been looking for that!” Hudstall happily took the gasket.

Poe seemed discomfited as he released the part, still not looking at Rey.

“Hey!” Rey said brightly. Maybe a little too brightly.

Poe just nodded in her general direction, but still would not look at her. He turned and started walking away.

Rey stood in shock for a moment, but that shock quickly turned to anger. “Now wait just a moment!” she told him, setting the tools she had been using down and following him. “Don’t you dare ignore me after what happened last night!”

Immediately, Rey realized the error of her words, as every head from every being working in that hanger suddenly turned her way. She felt her face heat, but kept her eyes on the man in front of her. Poe had stopped in his tracks at her words, his back stiff. She saw him take a deep breath, and his shoulders sank along with his head. He turned and walked toward her, head still down, shaking it slowly, and she thought she saw a bit of color on his cheeks.

Still without looking at her face, he gently grabbed her wrist and pulled her along with him toward the entrance of the hanger. Every eye in the place followed them. Softly, through his apparently clenched teeth, he muttered, “I can’t believe you just said that.”

She stayed quiet while he led her outside and toward a rolling scaffolding parked next to the hanger. When he stopped and let her go, she moved in front of him and faced him. “I’m sorry,” she said truthfully. “I wasn’t thinking how that would sound or how many people would hear it.”

Again, Poe sighed heavily, his expression dark. Still, he wouldn’t look at her.

“Look,” she started, desperate to get his full attention. “I know I’m not experienced and I’m probably not that good at it, especially with what you’re used to, but I didn’t think it was so horrible that you have to ignore me. If it was that bad, let’s just forget it happened and move on, okay?”

Poe’s eyes had not only lifted to look at her but had widened in stunned disbelief as she spoke. “What did you just say?” he demanded.

“Which part?" Rey said with a bit of a grin.

Poe’s eyes narrowed. “Are you kidding with me?”

“It got you to look at me, didn’t it?” she said. “But no, I’m not kidding. If you are really that upset about what happened last night, let’s just forget it.” Her heart ached to say the words. “I don’t want to lose your friendship over it.”

Poe crossed his arms over his chest and stepped back a bit. “First of all, I don’t care how ‘experienced’ you are, what happened last night was not only good, it was amazing. So amazing, I don’t think I can forget about it. Second, I don’t want to lose your friendship either, which is why I don’t know where to go from here.”

Amazing? He thought it had been amazing? Rey couldn’t help but do a little happy dance inside her head at those words. However, the rest of his explanation had her a bit confused. She reached up to her left and grabbed a bar on the scaffolding next to her. “Well, we could keep going forward and see what happens,” she said tentatively.

“No!” Poe said without hesitation. “That’s not going to happen.”

Chagrin flooded her. “Why not?” she demanded, her grip tightening on the bar. “You said it was amazing. Doesn’t that mean it’s worth seeing if we can build a relationship? Something real?”

Poe shook his head, again not looking at her.

Gritting her teeth, Rey raised her voice and asked again, “Why not?”

“I’m too old for you, first of all,” Poe told her in a rush.

Rey grimaced. She knew exactly how much older Poe was than her, but that wasn’t anything she was worried about. “Poe, my life experience more than makes up for thirteen years age difference,” she told him with confidence. “Try again.”

He frowned at her, but conceded. “Yeah, you’re probably right.” He tried again. “We’re too different. We fight all the time.”

Rey grinned. “You might want to talk to Chewie about his opinion on that matter,” she told him. “He says that we remind him of Han and Leia.”

“Well, that’s not exactly reassuring,” he argued. “They spent the last eight years of their marriage apart, didn’t they?”

“Extenuating circumstances,” Rey argued back. “They never stopped loving each other during that entire time.” This time, Rey folded her arms across her chest. “Try again.”

Poe looked at her, and she was pleased to see a familiar glint in his eye. He was enjoying this as much as she was. “Finn won’t approve,” he said in a firm voice.

“Why do you think that?” Rey asked him. “He loves us both and I think he would be happy to see us happy.”

“And what if we don’t make each other happy?” he countered. “What if we just make each other crazy…”

“We already do,” Rey interrupted.

“… and things don’t work out and then Finn ends up in the middle?”

The fact that his mind had gone exactly where hers had made her heart swell. Maybe it was meant to be. So, she used the phrase she had been repeating to herself all day. “We’ll never know if we don’t try.”

She saw a small smile appear on Poe’s lips, but it was short lived. The teasing glint in his eyes suddenly died and his expression turned serious once again. “What about Ben?”

Rey felt herself pull back. The question was unexpected but not unwarranted. She unfolded her arms and reached up to grab the scaffolding again, as if she needed it for support. “Ben will always be a part of me, “ she told him seriously. “He’s a part of the Force, now, and I can’t deny that I hope to someday connect with him again through the Force.” She leaned toward him. “However, he is gone. He is not a part of my life. I can’t stop living just because he’s not; he would have died for nothing, if I did that.” She let go of the scaffolding and stepped close to Poe, bringing her hands up to touch his chest. “I want to live. I want to be happy. I want to love. Until last night, I didn’t think I could have that last part, but you have made me feel I could have all of that and more. Will you give us a chance?”

Poe stared at her, his dark eyes full of emotion now. “I want to, Rey,” he said softly. “But I’m scared.” He continued at her look of bewilderment. “You make me feel things so powerfully, I’m not sure how to explain it. All I know is that kind of power is frightening, and I really don’t know how I’ll be able to recover if I get too deep only to have it all fall apart.” He shook his head. “I’m not making any sense,” he growled.

“I get it,” Rey told him. “I do.” She toyed with the front of his jacket. “I feel that way, too. I think everyone is afraid to love that much and then lose it.” She looked him in the eye. “I’m scared, too. So scared that I didn’t sleep at all last night thinking about this. About you. But, if it works, it will be so worth it.”

They were both silent for a while, then Poe nodded decisively. “Okay, do you know the meadow next to the creek on the south side, just off base?” He noticed the look of bemusement on her face. “Of course, you do. Everyone does,” he continued. “Meet me there tonight just before sunset. I’ll bring some food and we’ll… have dinner.”

Rey’s eyes brightened. “You mean a date?” she asked. “You’re asking me on a picnic date?”

He shrugged. “Well, we gotta start somewhere,” he told her.

She grinned. “I’ll be there,” she told him. She made a motion to step back, but before she could do so, Poe, who hadn’t touched her once since he had led her out of the hanger, grabbed her hips with both hands.

“Don’t be late,” he said seriously. “I might chicken out if you don’t show up on time.”

She laughed, and as she did so she leaned into him. He mirrored her and met her mouth with his. It was a gentler kiss than the night before, but no less extraordinary. Rey was the first to step back this time, recognizing they were in an open area in daylight. Of course, after what she had said in the hanger, she was sure the rumors were already spreading through the entire base. She could hear it now: ‘Did you know Rey is sleeping with the General?’ She smiled at him. “Before sunset?”

He nodded. “Before sunset.” With a look of happy anticipation on his face, Poe turned and headed back toward the Command Center.

With a grin of her own, Rey headed back into the hanger, not caring what the beings inside might think of her smile.

******

Rey had spent the remainder of the afternoon fiddling around in the hanger, ignoring the questioning expressions on both Hudstall and Todd’s faces. As soon as they left for dinner in the mess hall, after declining their invitation to join them, she headed for her quarters to clean up. She stared at the dress she has worn to the wedding the night before and thought briefly about wearing it again, but quickly decided against it; she wasn’t one to get gussied up even for special occasions, and Poe should learn quickly that while she thought a date with him was special, she wasn’t about to change who she was for it. Or him.

As the sun sat low right over the horizon, Rey headed for the clearing by the creek. It was a moderately popular place among those on the base that enjoyed the outdoors and she had spent a significant portion of her time here on Ajan Kloss meditating in the peaceful locale. She walked through a thick stand of trees with a barely discernable path until she came to it, just as the sun touched the horizon. She saw him kneeling in the clearing, setting out what she assumed was food on a blanket laid out on the ground. A handful of ultrasonic torch devices circled the area, helping to ensure the meal wouldn’t be interrupted by any of the several biting insects that called Ajan Kloss home.

She carefully wiped her suddenly damp hands on her thighs and stepped into the clearing. Poe’s head jerked up to look at her, and relief flooded his face. She had to grin at him. “You’re still here.”

“Yeah,” he responded with a grin of his own. “You got here before I ran.”

She stepped up to the blanket, a pretty patterned one of blue and teal, and kneeled down on it across from him. She surveyed the selection of food that he had acquired from the mess hall. Since the war had ended, their food choices had greatly improved. When you didn’t need to smuggle in food stuffs for several different beings to a secret hideout you could offer a little more variety. Even the limited choices the base had had before Exegol were still amazingly diverse to Rey, of course. “I guess you couldn’t decide on a meal, huh?” she asked jokingly.

Poe looked decidedly embarrassed. “I wasn’t sure what you liked best. You seem to always enjoy it all, not having any favorites. So, I thought it was best just to bring a little bit of a lot.”

“I like it,” she told him simply, changing her position so she could sit more comfortably cross-legged. Poe did the same.

He reached into the bag he had used to bring the food and brought out a small bottle of Namana liquor. “I knew we had to have this, though.” He opened the bottle and poured some of the thick drink into two small glasses. “Not sure how well you hold your liquor,” Poe said with a sly grin, “but this shouldn’t be enough to get either of us toasted. I did think we both might want something to relax us, though.”

Rey bit her lip nervously. “Why do you think we need to relax?” she asked sarcastically. “I’m not nervous. Are you nervous?”

Poe just snorted as he handed her a glass. He took a deep breath and raised his glass. “What do you want to drink to?”

Rey raised hers to meet his. “How about BB-8?” she asked. “If it wasn’t for BB-8, we never would have met.”

Poe looked at her with surprise and then grinned. “Hell, yeah! I’ll drink to that!” They touched their glasses together and took a sip. “Mmmmm…” Poe said.

“Whoa!” was Rey’s response. She and alcohol had only a passing acquaintance.

Poe laughed. “You okay?” he asked her.

“Yeah!” Rey said. “Yeah, I’m okay,” and she took another sip.

“All right, all right!” Poe said, still laughing. “Eat something! I don’t want you drunk!”

“You don’t?” Rey said with a smile of her own, setting the glass down and reaching for some Zeffo fruit, one of her favorites. With that, the two started eating, commenting off and on about what they liked, loved, and only tolerated when it came to food.

“Ration packs were pretty much the extent of my diet on Jakku,” Rey told him. “Every once in a while, someone in Niima would have a get together of some sort for the scavengers and there would be fresh meat and vegetables. You always had to be careful and not eat too much or you’d get sick and not be able to work the next day. It was hard to do that sometimes.”

“I get that,” Poe told her. “Ration packs were pretty much the only thing we ate while on missions for the New Republic,” he told her. “Fighter pilots don’t have a lot of space aboard ship for fresh food. But we were never away for more than a week or two. I can’t imagine that being my only diet.”

“Why did you leave?” she asked him suddenly. “The Republic, I mean.”

“Aw, it was my second rebellion,” he told her with a grin. “My first came right after my mom died, and I had convinced myself I didn’t need my dad, either, since he didn’t seem to need me. It wasn’t until I was older that I realized he was mourning my mom so much it only seemed he didn’t want me around. Anyway, I ran away and he found me camped out in the jungle a few days later. I was really hungry by then, having not thought to pack food, so I didn’t really argue when he brought me home. It was hard for us, those first few years without her.” He looked at her. “I grew up, went on to flight school, even though I was convinced I already knew everything since my mom taught me all she knew, and became an officer in the Republic. I started seeing things when I was on missions in the Outer Rim, and no matter how much I reported my suspicions to the Republic High Command, they never acted.”

“Suspicions?”

“The First Order. How strong they were getting. How much their military was growing.” He shook his head. “The Republic wanted to keep their head buried in the sand and ignore it all. They didn’t believe that ‘fragment of the old Imperial Army’ could do anything to harm them.” He grabbed a piece of Dandoran bread. “I finally gave up and handed in my resignation. I should have just found a way to contact Leia then; she had hinted several times that she would have loved to have me in the Resistance, but I was stupid and just didn’t want to take orders from anyone anymore.” He popped the piece of bread in his mouth.

“So, you started smuggling spice?” Rey asked with a tone of disbelief.

“Well, yeah,” he confirmed. “Thought I was being all cool and tough doing a job that would have had me thrown in a Republic prison had I been caught.” He shook his head. “I think I was in Han Solo envy back then. It didn’t last long.”

“What happened?”

“We came across a village on Falucia that had been completely destroyed. Burned to the ground. We had just been there a few days earlier on a legit supply run and I had been goofing off with a couple of boys while we waited for the ship to get loaded.” He frowned. “I saw what was left of them and their mother lying in front of their burned house.” He looked at her sadly. “The First Order. Apparently, they had come for supplies, too. And that was how they paid. I left to find Leia the next day.”

They were both silent for a moment. When Poe reached for another piece of bread, the glint of metal from around his neck caught her eye. “The ring,” she started. “That was your mother’s, wasn’t it?”

Poe grabbed the gold ring hanging from a chain around his neck. “Yeah,” he said softly. “Dad gave it to me when he found me after I had ‘run away.’ It makes me feel close to both of them.” He looked at her curiously. “Finn tell you about it?”

She nodded. “He said you plan to wear it until you find the right person to share your life with to give it to.” She gave him a small smile. “That’s an awful romantic notion coming from a hot-shot pilot.”

He shrugged. “I may have been mad at my dad for not giving me the attention I thought I deserved after mom died, but when I grew up and thought about why he had been that way… I’ve always wanted that. To love like that.” His eyes were unfocused, as if he was looking backwards in time. “To be loved like that.” He took a sharp breath and focused on Rey again. “But that’s why it’s so scary. To lose someone you love that much is devastating. My dad was never the same.”

They sat in solemn silence for a moment. Rey dared to speak first. “I never knew Leia before Han died, but I often got the sense from the people around her that she was never the same, either.”

“She wasn’t,” Poe confirmed. “She hadn’t seen him in years before he and Chewie met up with her on Takodana, but I think she had people keeping tabs on him so she knew where he was and what he was doing. I think she still felt a part of his life, even while he was gone. But when he died… well, she felt it. You know that. It wasn’t something she had to be told. To have that kind of connection with someone who isn’t Force sensitive… from what I understand, it’s indicative of a very strong bond.” He shook his head. “If she hadn’t had a war to fight, if she hadn’t had hope in you, I think she would have let herself die after being pulled off the Raddus.”

Rey winced at his memory. She hadn’t been aboard the Raddus when the bridge had been destroyed, killing all the senior staff but Leia. She had been on Ach-To trying to get through to Leia’s brother and bring him back to the fight. “I loved hearing her stories about Han. And Ben as a child.” She gave Poe a small smile. “She wouldn’t plan on telling me them, I’m sure. She would just go off on some tangent that had nothing to do with my training, and I would just listen, not daring to interrupt for fear she would stop.” She paused. “She was so amazing.” She paused. “I want to be Leia when I grow up,” she said with a smile.

“Me, too!” Poe agreed, grinning. He reached for his glass of Namana nectar and took a sip. The ring flashed again around his neck, and Rey realized suddenly that she wanted to be the one he gave that ring to. She took a deep breath and took another sip of her nectar as well. The liquor wasn’t as strong now that she had food in her stomach, but it still made her feel a bit giddy.

Rey continued. “One story I clearly remember Leia telling me was the one about her wedding night.”

Poe’s head jerked up to look at her. “Leia talked about her wedding night?!”

“Well, not the details, no, of course not!” Rey blushed. “No, she talked about how they waited to… you know…”

“Have sex?” Poe finished with another grin.

Rey felt her face heat even more. “Yeah. Leia said it was traditional on Alderaan for the couple to wait until the wedding night. That’s how important marriage was to them. Han had known about that tradition and took it very seriously, almost more so than Leia did. She apparently tried to seduce him a couple of times before the wedding, but Han had actually told Chewie to interrupt them often when he knew they were alone together, so her attempts always got thwarted.”

Poe laughed out loud, and Rey giggled with him. Oh, my did he have a wonderful laugh, she thought.

“Anyway, she told me it was worth the wait. That the connection between them seemed that much more special and beautiful after they were married.” Rey smiled sadly. “It made me envious.”

Poe frowned, opened his mouth to say something, then stopped.

“What?” Rey asked him. When he stayed silent, she added, “Come on. You’ve never been shy. Don’t be now.”

He shook his head. “It’s not that I’m shy,” he told her. “It’s just a sensitive subject.”

Rey looked at him expectantly.

“I don’t know all about what all you may or may not have… experienced… when you were on Jakku.”

“You mean about sex?” she asked, trying to keep her embarrassment in check.

Poe nodded, his eyes serious. “Not just sex,” he continued. “Were you ever… forced?”

Rey realized what he was asking and knew it was a legit question. If they were going to make this relationship work, he had a right to know.

She took a deep breath. “When I was about 12 or so, I left the group of scavengers I had been living with. It was what happened on Jakku. The kids without families tended to band together until they became confident on their own, then it was everyone for themselves.” She paused, remembering how she had not felt even one moment of sadness leaving the small gang, as none of them had treated her with any semblance of friendship, but she had felt fear. “It wasn’t long for the predators to find out I was on my own and that I was maturing. The first time I was attacked, I didn’t really have a weapon of any kind, but there was a short metal pipe on the ground near me that I managed to grab. Somehow, I used it hard enough to cause one of my attackers to bleed badly, and I was able to get away and hide. Looking back, I’m sure the Force had something to do with it, too, but at the time I just considered myself lucky. I was pretty beat up after that attack, but alive. That pipe ended up being the first part of my staff.” She smiled at that, but then turned serious again. “There were various packs of mostly human males, and they made attempts at me more than once those first couple of years. I could usually avoid them, staying in the presence of others, slipping around buildings and tents without anyone seeing me. But sometimes I got caught. And I fought. And got better and better. Eventually, I became known as one of the ‘untouchables,’ women who were too much trouble to try and assault.” She looked Poe in the eye. “So, to answer your question, no, I was never raped.” She glanced down. “I’m still a virgin.”

Poe was silent for a while. When he spoke, his voice was softer than she had ever heard it. “I’m glad, Rey. That kind of trauma isn’t easy to live with, and I’m very happy you didn’t have to face it. But it wouldn’t change the way I feel about you, had it happened. You know that, right?”

She looked at him again, and felt tears in her eyes. “I do now.”

They gazed at each other for a while, the illumination from the torches the only light now visible since complete darkness had fallen. Both of them seemed to realize that at the same time. Poe glanced at his chrono. “Geez! How did it get so late? I have a meeting in the morning.” He looked at her apologetically.

“And I didn’t get any sleep last night,” Rey reminded him. “I’m exhausted and this nectar is not helping.”

Poe started throwing the containers and napkins and cups back into the bag he had brought them in. Rey helped, and soon they both stood. “Where does the blanket go?” she asked.

“It’s mine,” he told her. “Just something I picked up on Selonia a while back. The cooling system in the Control Tower can be a little too cold for me.” Poe had grown up on Yavin IV, a planet almost as hot and humid as Ajan Kloss.

“Didn’t you used to live on Kijimi?” Rey asked with a smile.

“Hey, I never said I liked it!” he argued. He folded the blanket and laid it over his arm, picking up the bag with his other hand. He stood still and looked at Rey. “Thank you,” he told her.

“For what?” Rey asked with humor. “Making sure you followed through with this date?”

“Yes,” he responded. “This night has been the most illuminating, most fascinating night of my life.” The corner of his mouth went up. “Up to now, anyway. I have a feeling it won’t be the last if we keep this up.”

“Do you want to?” Rey asked. “Keep this up?”

“Getting to know you better?” he asked. “Absolutely.”

Rey smiled. “Me, too.”

He nodded. “Good. Then we’ll plan to do something like this again, soon.” He shifted, almost as if he was getting nervous. “I’ll walk you to the dorms.”

She nodded, and they turned back toward the dark forest around them. She let him lead, confident he could find his way the short distance from the meadow to the base, even in the dark. Soon, they were back among the well-lit structures of the Resistances base, and she moved up to walk next to him as they headed for her quarters. It was quiet, and Rey was reminded how late it was; time had flown while she had been with Poe, but she was truly very tired.

He stopped at the door and faced her. “Thank you, Poe,” she told him softly.

“For feeding you?” he smiled.

“Yes, that. And for making me feel like I’m something other than the ‘last hope for the Jedi.’ Making me feel like, well, me again.”

His smile was soft. “You’re welcome,” he whispered.

Because his hands were full, Rey leaned in to him, wanting more than anything to kiss him again. He complied, quickly deepening the kiss, making her whole body heat up. She found herself fingering the ring around his neck as they kissed. Poe pulled back first. “You know, this isn’t gonna go any farther than kissing.”

Rey froze. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, if this is real, and we want to make it special, then we’re gonna have to do what Han and Leia did.”

Rey glanced down at the ring she was still holding, then back up at him. “You mean...?”

“I mean that I’m not taking you to bed until you’re wearing that.” He looked down at the ring in her fingers.

“Do you think we’ll make it that far?” she whispered.

“Damn, I hope so,” he responded fervently. “Goodnight, Rey.” Stepping back from her, he turned and walked away.

******

Unfortunately, another date did not come right away. Poe was stuck in long distance meetings with representatives of the New Republic most of the next day, and Rey was back to teaching the day after that. Since her two assistants, Finn and Rose, were both still gone on their honeymoon, that left Rey to keep all 7 children, all at different levels of learning, occupied during the day. That evening, she and Poe met in the mess hall for dinner. Neither had planned it in advance, but they somehow knew the other would be there. They sat together to eat, willfully ignoring the curious looks from the others.

“They’re wondering why I didn’t spend the night in your quarters the night before last,” she whispered to him.

“Should we tell them it’s because we were at it the whole time we were in the meadow and we were too tired for anything more the rest of the night?” Poe asked with an evil glint in his eye.

“Don’t talk so loud,” Rey told him, trying to ignore the heat that his words had caused. “They don’t need any ideas.”

“I’m sure someone has already thought it,” Poe told her.

Rey rolled her eyes at him and continued eating. She noticed how Poe’s expression changed from joking to serious. “What is it?” she asked.

He looked up at her in surprise. “Why do you ask that? You can’t read my mind, can you?”

Rey shook her head slowly, giving him a ‘are you serious?’ look. “I can read your face, though.”

He sighed. “Chancellor Berreth has asked me to come to Naboo for a special meeting of the Republic High Command.” Berreth had been one of the few surviving senior senators after the destruction of Hosnian Prime, the former seat of the New Republic. A human female from Naboo, Viannie Berreth had been chosen by the other senatorial survivors as Interim Chancellor, and just last month had won the first official election for the position.

“Do you know why?” Rey asked. Poe had purposefully stayed out of any of the decision making regarding the reformation of the New Republic. He was not a politician and had no interest in their military, but as the official commander of the victorious Resistance after the Battle of Exegol, he had been asked to be a part of an external group that was overseeing the growth of the new government and had been allowed to offer advice and suggestions when needed.

He shrugged. “Not sure,” he told her. “They know I’m not interested in rejoining their fleet, such as it is. My best guess is they want to hire me in some advisory position.”

“Would you take a job with them?” Rey asked, feeling a bit chilled by the prospect of not seeing this man every day, especially after the other night.

“Depends,” Poe told her.

“On what?” she demanded.

“What the job is, how much they’re gonna offer me for it, and just how long they want me to do it.” He leaned over the table toward her. “I certainly don’t want to leave, but the Resistance will need financing if we’re going to keep it alive, and I don’t exactly have the savings that Leia had, nor her connections.” He looked around the hall. “Most everyone here is most likely going to have to eventually head out and find positions elsewhere to make a living. I can only hope they all stay with us, even if it’s as an on-call militia.”

Rey had never really thought about the future of the Resistance. Leia had begun it as a response to the New Republic’s unwillingness to risk open conflict with the First Order, but she had received financial backing from many in the Republic nonetheless. With her gone, and the New Republic not quite capable of supporting anyone but themselves right now, the Resistance would need to find other sources for support. Rey knew that Poe, and most of the others that claimed membership in the Resistance, had no desire to let it die; especially not when there were still, to this day, Imperial and First Order sympathizers out there.

“I know you’ll do what you think is best,” Rey said, and hated that her voice sounded small.

“I will,” Poe told her firmly. “And not just for the Resistance. But for you and you trainees, too.”

Rey gave him a small smile and nodded. Last night, she had been excited about her future. Now, she felt uncertainty build inside her again. She guessed she would just have to take a deep breath and go with the flow.

*****

The following days seemed to run into each other, as Rey pushed through them with something akin to tunnel vision. She remembered seeing Poe’s X-Wing take off the morning after their conversation in the mess hall, with one of their shuttles, the Shaman Trance, following. Inside that ship had been D’Acy and Aftab “Junior” Ackbar, who had also been invited to this meeting on Naboo. Poe had been confident they would not agree to being reinstated to the New Republic, either, but he wasn’t about to tell them what to do.

Rey continued with her routine, such as it was. Up early to run the training course, shower, breakfast, then the rest of the day devoted to her students. A quick dinner before settling down to read through the texts or write up a plan for the children in the days ahead, another shower, and bed.

Shortly after her class had ended on the fourth day, she saw the Trance coming in for a landing. She hurried toward the landing field, searching the skies for the X-Wing she really wanted to see. She met D’Acy as the older woman was making her way back to the base. “How did it go?” she asked, trying to sound casual.

“Well, as we expected, Berreth offered both Junior and I high ranking positions in the New Republic fleet,” D’Acy told her. “We both refused, of course, but the good news is that we both made some contacts while we were on Naboo that may just give us the backing we need to keep the Resistance strong for a long while.”

Rey smiled. “That’s wonderful!” she exclaimed. “And I’m glad both of you are staying. Not just because you’re irreplaceable, but because I would miss you if you were gone.”

D’Acy reached out and gave Rey a quick hug. “Thank you, Rey! The same goes for you and your students!” She paused. “We were all thinking that the reason they didn’t ask you to come to this meeting was because they want to make sure you’re successful in raising and training new Jedi first. Then they’ll probably ask you to make your ‘temple’ an official New Republic entity.” She cocked her head questioningly.

“That’s not going to happen,” Rey told her firmly. “Luke understood the faults of the Jedi of the past, and he made sure I recognized them, too. It’s my hope this new generation of Jedi will be under their own control and not be beholden to any government.”

“I like that answer,” D’Acy said with a smile. She glanced behind her as Junior had finished locking up the shuttle and was heading their way. She looked back at Rey, saying, “Poe was planning on leaving right after us, so he should be here soon.” The roar of a ship entering atmosphere startled them both. “Never mind, “ D’Acy said. “There he is.”

Rey nodded and moved on past her and Junior, heading toward where she could see the X-Wing setting down. She was half-way there when BB-8 rushed toward her, chirping happily. She grinned at him, always delighted by the good-natured droid who had essentially adopted her as his ‘mother’ after her rescue of him on Jakku. “I’m glad you’re home, too!” Rey answered him. “I was missing you both terribly,” she told him as she squatted down in front of him, unconsciously checking his antennae and sensors. BB-8 bubbled more at her, and she frowned. “He didn’t tell you anything?” she asked. BB-8 replied in the negative. She looked up and toward the X-Wing, surprised to see that Poe had yet to disembark. “I’ll talk to him,” she reassured the droid. He beeped in relief and rolled on past her, toward the base.

Rey stood and started walking toward the X-Wing, trying not to let worry take over. Her steps got faster the closer she got. She could see his canopy was up, his helmet and gloves off, but he was staring down at the control panel without really seeing it. He must have caught sight of her out of the corner of his eye, because his head jerked up and a huge smile lit up his face. Her racing pulse settled a bit. If just seeing her could cause that much joy, then whatever had happened couldn’t have been too serious, right?

Poe got up and pulled himself from the cockpit. There was no scaffolding for him to climb on to get down, but he was used to that. He swung over the side and using an indentation on the body of the ship to step onto, he let himself jump gracefully to the ground when both feet were clear. He turned toward her and without hesitation gathered her up into a full-on hug. Rey wrapped her arms around him tightly, letting her chin rest on his shoulder. “Miss me?” she heard him mumble softly with just a hint of sarcasm.

She just nodded, knowing he could feel the movement easily as they embraced. They stood like this for quite some time, neither really caring to move. Finally, Poe pulled back just enough to look at her. His expression was worried. “Everything go okay while I was gone?”

“Shouldn’t that be my question?” Rey countered. “What happened? You seemed down when I first saw you.”

He shook his head. “Not down, really. Just thinking.” He let go of her with one arm and started walking toward the base, keeping his other arm around her shoulders. She followed, leaving her arm around his waist as she walked with him. She waited for him to continue.

“They didn’t bother asking me back,” he told her. “They knew I had no desire to become a simple pilot in their new fleet when I controlled my own, now.”

“Did they offer you a job like you thought?” Rey asked.

He nodded. “Yep,” he told her with a smug look on his handsome face. “Apparently, they have no one in their new fleet that has any experience in battle,” he told her. “They’re all either kids just getting their feet wet in a cockpit or older pilots that haven’t done anything but dodge First Order fire.”

Rey lifted her head in understanding. “So, they want you to train them, am I right?”

“That’s right,” Poe answered.

They were silent for a while as they walked along, leaving the landing field and entering the main part of the base.

“When do you leave?” Rey asked softly.

“I have a couple of weeks before I have to report,” he told her. “The pay will be very good, and better yet, I’ll have a few days off every two to three weeks to come home.” He stopped and turned toward her. “And it’s only temporary. I only signed up for six months for now. I can renew the contract after that or not.”

Rey nodded. “That’s a good deal. They must have really wanted you.” It was a good arrangement, and she couldn’t have asked for anything better from the situation. Then why did she feel so unsettled by the news?

Poe seemed to sense her disquiet. “It might be good to not be in each other’s pockets right now, don’t you think?” he asked gently. “Absence makes the heart grow fonder and all that?”

She gave him a glare. “Yeah, right.”

“It’ll be fine, Rey.” He moved in closer to her, caressing her hips in a way that was becoming happily familiar. “I’m not ready to give up on us now that we’ve just begun. It just might take a little longer to confirm what I think we both know.”

“And what’s that?” Rey asked quietly.

“That you want my ring as much as I want to give it to you.”

Rey sighed, still glaring at him, but not really meaning it. “You sound awful sure of yourself, Dameron.”

He shrugged. “Overconfidence is my specialty,” he said with a grin.

She grinned back, unable to help herself.

He turned again, keeping one arm around her waist this time, and continued walking. As he did so, it started to rain. Not hard, yet, but they both knew that was coming. Ajan Kloss was a tropical rainforest, after all.

“So, I was thinking,” Poe continued, walking faster toward the mess hall, where they would find protection from the coming downpour. “Since I won’t be getting any ‘vacation’ time for a while, we should go some place fun together before I leave.”

Rey looked over at him. “What do you mean?”

“They have this huge annual festival on Sorgan,” he continued. “I remember how much you enjoyed the one on Pasaana, even though we weren’t there for fun, so I thought maybe you’d like to experience something like that without being pursued by the First Order or looking for some obscure Imperial artifact.”

Rey smiled at him. “Yeah, I think I’d like that,” she said. Then the two began to run as the skies opened up above them.

******

Sorgan was a beautiful planet, filled with temperate forests, grassy plains, and lush swampland. The humans that had settled the planet survived mostly by farming, and they had done a fair job of keeping themselves out of conflicts with both the Empire and the First Order, allowing themselves to be controlled but not beaten by the dictatorships. Because of this, their economy, which had suffered under both regimes, had bounced back quickly once the tariffs and embargos had been lifted.

Every year they held a festival in the only large city on the planet, called Dyer, where they spent a week selling foodstuffs and wares, making music and performing stage productions, showcasing their art, and in general having a grand old time. Spotchka flowed freely the entire week.

Poe had been there once but it had been on business for Leia a few years ago so he had not spent any time taking in the entertainment. This year was expected to be a super big event as the last one had been subdued thanks to the First Order’s presence. He knew Rey was desperate to see other worlds and explore other cultures, but her commitment to the Resistance and to her new Jedi students had put most travel on hold. Fortunately, she was more than willing the give Poe a few days to enjoy the party on Sorgan.

They flew separately in their own X-Wings, landing at the tiny airfield in Dyer and making their way by public ground speeder to a modest resort called Sun and Shade. Poe had reserved two separate rooms for them for the next three nights, and after getting settled in those rooms the two of them went down to the city center where the festival was in high gear.

Though run by the native humans of the planet, the streets were full of various species. Rey had met and befriended many different species in her years on Jakku, so she was perfectly comfortable among the crowd, and Poe enjoyed watching her expressions as they moved through the various booths and tents, stopping often to listen to musical groups or a particular variety act. They sampled food from various vendors until they both complained about getting sick from eating too much. Twice, Poe had purchased gifts for Rey, though she had repeatedly asked him not to. The muunyak wool scarf in a brilliant shade of turquoise and the necklace made of azurite had both caught Rey’s eye, and Poe was convinced she needed them. At his insistence, she finally accepted them with a shy “Thank you.”

As darkness fell and the entertainments started closing up for the night, they walked side by side, shoulders bumping, back toward their lodgings.

“So, what is Naboo like?” Rey asked him.

“Naboo is beautiful,” Poe answered. “Mountains and huge rivers with amazing waterfalls. Lakes and valleys. Even the architecture of the city Theed is spectacular.” He glanced at her. “The people are pretty spectacular, too, both the Naboo and the Gungans. But as wonderful as it is, I’m glad I don’t live there.”

“Why?” Rey asked.

“Too sedate. Too orderly. Too unblemished.” He shrugged. “I guess to each their own, but I like a little chaos in my life.”

Rey smiled at that. “Yeah, me too.”

“Luke and Leia’s birth mother came from there, you know,” he told her.

She had known that. And not just that. “So did my grandfather,” she said softly.

Poe stopped suddenly. “Damn. That’s right. I forgot about that.” He shook his head and wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they continued to walk. “Of course, I’ll never think of him as your grandfather,” he continued. “He created you, however accidentally, for his own purposes, “ Poe said. “That doesn’t make him family.”

Rey felt a smile grow on her face. He really did get it. “Yep,” she responded. “My family lives on Ajan Kloss.”

Poe grinned at her and they continued their walk in comfortable silence.

The goodnight kiss Poe gave her at her door was a tad frustrating in its simplicity. Oh, how she wanted more. But she wanted more of everything, not just the physical things. So, she would do her best to be patient. She fell asleep that night with a smile on her face.

******

The next day was more of the same only better. More food, more music, and a wonderful theatric production that had kept her enthralled for almost two hours. By mid-afternoon that second day, Rey wondered if she would have enough energy to do this again tomorrow. It was while she was snacking on a piece of rich Cavaellin Spiced Creamcake when a commotion over by one of the vendors caught her eye.

An older looking Vella female stumbled out from behind her booth, crying out in her own language and holding a hand to her temple where a stream of orangish blood flowed. Rey didn’t understand what the woman was saying, but got the gist of it and looked quickly toward where the Vella was looking. Four human males were moving quickly away from the booth, carrying more goods than they had a right to. Thieves!

She dropped her cake and moved toward the men. “Hey, stop! Thief!” Some in the crowd looked at her, then at the Vella, who was still screaming. “Those men! They’re thieves!” Rey continued, pointing toward the crooks. “Poe!” she called, looking back toward him. He was moving quickly toward her, his hand on his blaster. Though he had not seen what she had, he understood quickly what was going on.

Fortunately for the robbers in question, there was no one in authority anywhere near, and the majority of the people in the area did not want to involve themselves in any trouble. Rey looked at the Vella. “Call for security!” she told her, hoping the woman, who still hadn’t said anything in Basic, understood her. With that, she followed Poe, who was now dodging through the crowd toward the thieves.

She saw him halt and draw his weapon. “Stop!” he shouted at them. The beings in the crowd gasped and dropped down upon seeing the blaster. Two of the men stopped and dropped their stolen booty, raising their hands, but the third kept running and the fourth was nowhere to be seen. Poe angled the blaster up a bit and shot it above the third man’s head. It was enough to make him stop short and drop his loot, too. Poe made his way over toward the men, keeping his blaster trained on them. He turned his head quickly, looking back from where they had come. Looking for the authorities.

Rey, who had her hand in her sling bag, where she had kept her lightsaber for the duration of this vacation with Poe, caught sight of something out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head to see the fourth robber, who had his own blaster up and trained on Poe.

“Poe!” she called in warning, running forward to get between him and the shooter. She pulled out her lightsaber and ignited the golden blade. She came between them just as the man fired, blocking the bolts with ease. She saw the man’s eyes widen, but he continued to fire. Rey had been deflecting the bolts up into the sky, where they dissipated harmlessly, but when she realized he wasn’t about to give up easily, she changed the angle of her blade and sent one of the bolts back toward him, where it slammed into his gun hand, knocking the blaster out of it and taking a couple of fingers with it. He fell to his knees, cradling his hand.

Noise off to her left caused her to look over her shoulder. The Vella was running toward them, several security officers behind her. Rey was pleased to see that either she had started talking in Basic finally or the officers understood her language, because they immediately moved on the thieves with cuffs. One headed her way, passing her with a look of respect on his face as he went toward the injured crook. Rey began to hear the whispered word ‘Jedi’ all around her, as the onlookers began to stand from their crouched positions, staring at her. Rey deactivated her saber and hung it on her belt, where it normally stayed. No sense in hiding it now. She started walking toward Poe, who had holstered his blaster.

He looked around them at the people, who seemed to be getting more and more excited. “Well, I guess that secret’s out,” he said in amusement.

Rey sighed and looked at him apologetically. “Sorry.”

Poe snorted. “Nothing to be sorry for. We both did what comes natural for us. It’s what makes us a good team.”

She smiled at him. “Yeah, we are, aren’t we?”

The security officers had all the robbers in cuffs now, and a couple more Vella had showed up to help the vendor pick up her stolen goods, most of which looked to be metal jewelry. One of the officers looked at them. “We’d appreciate it if you could come to the security cubicle and make a statement about this incident,” she said.

“Of course,” Rey told her.

“Lead the way,” Poe added, and they began to walk.

Rey glanced back at the Vella, and the older woman with the head injury looked back at her and said in heavily accented Basic, “Thank you, Jedi!”

******

The rest of their ‘vacation’ after that wasn’t as pleasant, and it wasn’t because the people had suddenly become rude or unwelcoming to them. It was the exact opposite. The city officials, now knowing who Rey was and also learning that her companion was the leader of the Resistance, turned themselves inside out trying to please them. They scheduled a tour of their ancient government building, which was more a museum, and they insisted on guides through the festival. There was no blending into the crowd, and because of that, they received a lot of attention from the other festival goers. Rey and Poe were being treated like celebrities, and they didn’t like it.

By mid-afternoon, Poe asked that they return to the Sun and Shade, claiming exhaustion, and Rey didn’t argue. Once alone at the resort, they retired to the small garden that sat in a central courtyard and managed to sit down for a couple of hours, grateful the other occupants of the facility were all still at the festival. They quietly talked and joked about their visit, happy they had come but more than ready to go home in the morning. When evening came, they went to the small restaurant that was located within the resort, content to not leave their accommodations until it was time to head home.

“Well, this wasn’t what I was picturing when I made these plans,” Poe told her as they ate.

“I know,” Rey told him. “But this is our life now. We better get used to being recognized when we’re out in public in most places. At least we had almost two full days of being anonymous.”

Poe tilted his head and looked at her with wonder. “Do you ever not look on the bright side?”

Rey laughed. “I’ve actually been accused of the opposite more than once!” She looked down at her plate. “I guess it depends on my mood.” She looked back at him with a small smile. “I happen to be in a good mood tonight.”

“And why is that?” Poe asked with a smile of his own.

She shook her head. “I try not to analyze happiness,” she told him. “I just enjoy it while I can, because you never know when something will change.”

They talked more as they finished their meal, then he once again walked her to her door and kissed her goodnight. She grabbed his jacket this time and pushed for a little more than usual, and he didn’t argue at first, but he eventually pulled back with a gasp. “You’re not gonna make this easy, are you?”

She shook her head and smiled. “Goodnight, Poe.” She turned and went through her door, closing it firmly behind her.

She could hear him sigh on the other side. “Goodnight, Rey.”

******

The trip home to Ajan Kloss was uneventful, and the following week was also quiet. Both Poe and Rey were kept busy with their individual responsibilities, but they managed to meet every evening in the mess hall for dinner. Though they didn’t have the privacy a picnic in the meadow would give them, they were still able to talk quietly in private. Here, they weren’t celebrities. They were among friends, even if they were called the General and the Jedi.

Just as Rey was about to release her class about six days after their return from Sorgan, an unfamiliar ship flew overhead, heading for the landing field. Rey and her students watched it curiously, knowing it wouldn’t have gotten this far if it hadn’t checked in with flight control, so that it must be friendly. Suddenly, Temiri’s face lit up, and Rey felt the same thing the boy had that had caused his joy. Finn was home, which meant Rose was, too. “Go,” she told the boy with a smile, and he ran off toward the field. “I’ll see everyone else tomorrow morning,” she told the rest of the class, then as they dispersed, she followed after Temiri.

The ship, an older but well-kept Corellian YT-2400, was now sitting next to its cousin, the Millennium Falcon, and both Finn and Rose stood at the base of its ramp with Temiri. Chewie was also there, but his attention was more on the ship than the reunited family. She smiled and headed toward them. She really wanted to talk to Finn alone before he starting mingling with the rest of the residents. He didn’t need to hear about her and Poe second hand.

Finn saw her coming and grinned. He walked toward her and waved his arm toward the ship. “What do you think?”

“Yours?” she asked in surprise.

He nodded, and his smug look reminded her of when she first met him on Jakku, when he had been pretending to be a Resistance fighter to impress her. She laughed but looked at the ship with interest. “I like it.”

“It’s going to need some work, but nothing Rose and I, with Temiri’s help, can’t handle,” he told her.

Rose had come over to them and gave Rey a quick hug. “You have no idea how much I missed this place and these people,” she told Rey.

Rey frowned. “You guys didn’t have fun?”

“No, no!” Rose told her. “We did! It’s just that,” she paused and looked at Finn. He nodded and Rose continued. “We got homesick. Can you believe it? Living on one planet for more than a year has spoiled us.”

Rey laughed. “I get it. This place has definitely become home.” She looked at Finn. “Can I talk to you in private?” She looked at Rose. “If your wife doesn’t mind?”

“Of course not,” Rose said. “Temiri can help me get our stuff to the house.” Rose and Temiri had been living in a small but comfortable dwelling located just off base where most of Rey’s students lived with their families. Finn was of course moving in with them now.

Finn and Rey started walking together toward the base and Rey could feel his concern. “Should I be worried?” he finally asked.

“No!” Rey told him firmly. “I hope you’re happy with what I’m going to tell you, actually. But I didn’t want you to hear it from someone on base.”

“Okay,” Finn said, but he still sounded a bit wary.

Rey took a deep breath. “I’ve been seeing someone since you and Rose have been gone.”

“Seeing someone?” Finn started. “Like dating?!” he yelped.

Rey couldn’t help but give a small laugh at his reaction. “I guess you can call it that, even though we’ve only had one real ‘date’.”

Finn stopped and looked at her, and she saw the protectiveness she expected in his expression. “Who?” he demanded

Rey bit her bottom lip and took another deep breath. “Poe.”

Finn stared at her, almost as if she hadn’t said anything. His brows furrowed after a moment and then he looked away, his face confused. When he looked back at her, he asked, “What did you say?”

“I know very well you heard me,” Rey responded, getting just a tad nervous.

He opened his mouth, then shut it. “Yeah, no,” he told her. “I thought I heard ‘Poe,’ but that can’t be right. I must have misheard you.”

She shook her head slowly, amusement fighting with anxiety in her mind.

“Poe?” he asked in astonishment.

Rey nodded.

“How?” he asked in amazement. “The last time I saw you guys together, you were arguing. Like always. About some stupid thing regarding the color of our wedding cake topper.”

Rey laughed out loud. “Oh, yeah. That was great! I loved that one.”

“You loved it?” Finn asked, aghast. “You love arguing with Poe?”

With a smile, Rey nodded again. “Finn, I love Poe.” There. She said it. “Everything about Poe. Laughing with him, talking with him, flying with him, and yes, even fighting with him. I just didn’t recognize it for what it was until your wedding night.”

Finn stepped back and looked at her with his head tilted. “And does he love you?” he asked.

Right for the jugular, Rey thought. “I hope so. I think so.” She sighed. “He hasn’t said the words, but then I haven’t said them to him, yet, either. I think I just admitted it to you before I even admitted it to myself.” She looked at him seriously. “You just needed to know what was really going on before you heard the rumors going around the base,” she told him.

“Rumors?” Finn cocked his head at her, still digesting what she was telling him. His two best friends? Lovers?

“A lot of people on base are under the impression that Poe and I are sleeping together,” she said. “And have been since your wedding night.”

Finn’s eyes narrowed. “And are you?”

“No,” Rey said simply. Just as Finn seemed to relax at her answer, she added, “No yet.”

“Argh!” Finn ran his hand over his face in frustration. “Are you trying to make me feel good about this or not?”

“Hey, I didn’t get upset when I found out you and Rose were… hooking up. “ She winced. Her inexperience was showing.

“Rose and I were already engaged,” Finn argued.

“Well, if it makes you feel any better, Poe wants to wait until we’re married.”

Finn perked up. “He does?”

Rey frowned at him. “So why was sex before marriage okay with you and Rose but not for me and Poe?”

“Because you’re my…”

Rey’s expression was sarcastically expectant. “I’m your what?”

“You’re my baby sister,” he told her softly, and Rey’s expression softened as well. “And he’s my best friend.” He looked down. “That just means we’ll all be family now,” he said in wonder. “Wouldn’t it? If you two do marry.”

Rey smiled. “Yeah. I like that thought.”

Finn took another breath. “Okay, I can handle this.” He looked her intently. “But if he breaks your heart…”

Rey smiled. “I think he already knows the risk,” she told him. They continued on, heading toward the mess hall, Rey’s arm through Finn’s. Rey noticed Poe waiting for them a few yards from the tent, BB-8 at his feet. Her heart thumped hard a couple of times as she looked at him, standing strong and imposing as he watched them come. Leia would be so proud of him, she thought. She would be proud of all of them, not only because they won the war and defeated evil, but because they were moving forward, living their best life, not taking one moment of their hard-won freedom for granted.

As they reached Poe, Finn stepped away from Rey and moved to stand in front of his friend, a hard expression on his face. “Something you want to tell me?” he said darkly.

“Yeah,” Poe said. “Welcome home, Brother.”

With that, they embraced. Rey’s heart swelled.

Life was going to be a challenge in the weeks ahead, but it would all be worth it. And no matter what happened, nothing would ever change how she felt about these men, about Chewie, BB-8, and almost everyone on this base. This was her family and she was home.

The End