The Haunting of Kenobi House - Part 1

Rey Smith is starting to find success as a best-selling biographer and is hoping to prove that she has overcome her traumatic past. When she suspects her home is haunted, there is only one man she trusts to help her solve the mystery of Kenobi House: her ex-boyfriend, Poe Dameron.

Rey Smith stood in the middle of her living room and looked around her. Packing boxes of various sizes sat waiting to be opened, and the furnishings, which had come with the rental, were sparse, but for the first time in all her twenty-five years, she felt at home.

Her friends Rose and Finn had just left after helping her move all her belongings, what little there were, up the steep wooden staircase that clung to the outside of the old house. While the owner of the one-hundred-plus-year-old residence lived on the ground floor, the upstairs had been renovated years ago as a separate apartment space. To the best of Rey’s knowledge, no one had lived here for more than a few months at a time. Rumor had it the house was haunted, and no one could manage to stay longer than that. If you asked the house’s owner, Maz Kanata, about it being haunted, she would just laugh, her warm brown eyes crinkling up even more in her wrinkled face. Rey didn’t really care if it was haunted; in all honesty, the idea kind of excited her.

She turned to face the back wall. The door that led to the outside staircase was in the right corner, and the small but functional kitchen was next to it, with huge windows over the sink that looked out towards the woodland that bordered the west side of Coruscant. To her left were two bedrooms and a full-sized bath that separated them. One of those bedrooms was destined to become Rey’s writing room, with windows facing both the woods and the prairieland to the south. Rey’s neighbor had cattle and horses, and she knew she would appreciate the relaxing view while writing.

The wall behind her, which was the front of the house, held the solid oak door that when opened led to the main staircase. Maz had given her the key to the door, which was different than the one to the outside door that she would be using to enter her new abode. Maz had been more than okay with Rey going through the house if she ever needed to, but Rey had no intention of using that door outside of an emergency; she wanted to be as unobtrusive as possible while she lived here. Two more smaller bedrooms and a half-bath were to her right; those would be used for guests. If she ever had guests.

With a sigh, Rey moved toward the boxes, intent on getting as much unpacked as she could before she turned in for the night. It was time to get started on her new life. While she could probably afford her own house after having her last book, a biography of a Vietnam War veteran, hit the best sellers list, she really didn’t want to have the responsibility of her own property. Besides, she had been drooling over this house since the day she had moved to Coruscant four years ago. She smiled a bit as she remembered how Poe used to tease her about her obsession with it.

“Stop!”

Her verbal demand to not let her mind go to that place stopped her in her tracks. No thinking about Poe. That only led to depression and regret. It had been almost six months since she broke up with him, but thoughts of him were still a daily occurrence. It didn’t help that Finn still worked with him, her friend an almost constant reminder of what she had purposely thrown away.

With another sigh, she walked toward the boxes again, letting her mind focus on the house this time. Rey had just gotten started on her career as a biographer when she moved to Coruscant after graduating from Jakku University. Her Bachelor of Science degree in literature hadn’t even been necessary, as she had written and published her first book before graduating, but she had still liked the idea of being a college grad, especially after having grown up surrounded by people who had tried to convince her she was nothing and would never amount to anything. Her first two books had done well, but it was her third, the one about Colonel Quinlan Vos, that had helped her finally reach the top ten on the non-fiction best sellers list.

She could still smell the rose and lily bouquet Poe had gotten her to congratulate her that evening before taking her out to dinner to celebrate.

“Stop!” She shook her head and pulled the box labeled ‘kitchen’ off the top of a stack and headed for the bar that separated the kitchen from the living room.

She needed to focus on her next book, the one she had been dreaming of writing since she learned about this house. Just the little bit of history she had gotten then had intrigued her, and she intended to do some digging to pull out as much of the story as she could about the original owner of this old house.

Major Ben Kenobi had been a medical doctor before joining the army during World War II. His grandfather, Christopher, had built this house all the way back in 1881. He was one of the founders of Coruscant, a town built at the foothills of the Naboo Mountains where gold had been discovered the year before. Rather than being a mining town, Coruscant catered to the miners travelling to and from, making sure they had supplies and information before they headed for the hills. Later, ranchers moved in and horses and cattle helped the town grow.

In 1943, Christopher’s grandson Ben left his young wife Padmè to help the Allied Forces. Being a devout Catholic, Ben was able to join as a conscientious objector and was immediately sent to help with the medical services. He spent over a year as a medic before being listed as missing in action in late-1944. Both his wife and mother, his only living family, assumed he was dead, and his mother passed only a few months later, leaving Padmè alone in the big house. However, news soon arrived after the war was officially over that Ben Kenobi had been found, alive, in a German prison camp. It was reported that after being captured, Kenobi had vigorously protested the segregation of American Jews from the rest of the POWs, and his captors had retaliated by sending him with the Jewish prisoners to a forced labor camp. Conditions had been harsh and their treatment even harsher. Kenobi had come home emaciated and his spirit broken.

Within a year, he had committed suicide.

His wife, suddenly left alone once more, left town immediately afterward, never to be seen again. The house sat empty for several years until finally Maz and her husband Daniel bought it in 1959. They raised a half dozen kids before Daniel passed just under a decade ago. Maz had the upstairs of the house redecorated and began renting it out, as none of her children had any interest in taking over the old building to raise their own families in.

Rey turned to grab the can opener she had just removed from the box and stopped short as she noticed it on the far side of the counter. She was sure she had set it down right next to the box. She glanced around the room, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up slightly. Though she didn’t know for sure (and hoped to learn in her research), she was convinced Ben Kenobi’s suicide had taken place here on the second floor of the house, and if it was indeed haunted, he was the most likely culprit. Grasping the can opener slowly, she spoke into the room. “Major Kenobi, are you here?” Remembering everything she had ever learned from watching paranormal shows on TV, Rey continued. “My name is Rey, and I’m going to be living here for a while. I hope you don’t mind.” She lifted the can opener. “Little pranks like this are okay, by the way, just don’t make me dance to Day-O.”

She laughed softly at her own joke, remembering the Ghost Hunters marathon she had watched with Poe Halloween night, in lieu of going to a party. They had been determined to quit their jobs and start investigating the paranormal full-time afterwards. They could be the next Steve and Tango.

A tear slowly worked its way down her cheek.

“Stop,” she whispered.

Quickly wiping away the moisture, Rey started unpacking the box in earnest. It was time to settle in to Kenobi House.

******

Detective Poe Dameron pulled the file he had just acquired from the basement storage room closer to him, taking a deep breath before he opened it. He often wondered after a day like today why he had ever wanted to become a detective with the Coruscant Police Department; he had been happy as a beat cop, and the anxiety of responsibility hadn’t hung over him half as much as it did now. But he was the one who had volunteered to take over the Cold Case Department. He was already a member of the three-person team that made up the Violent Crime Department, but since violent crime wasn’t too horrible in Coruscant since Raymond Snoke had been forced to resign as Police Chief, Poe had taken on the role as the sole member of the Cold Case Department as well. He joked that it kept him from getting bored, but in reality, it just made him frustrated.

There were so many cold cases from Snoke’s time as Police Chief, it wasn’t even slightly humorous.

With a sigh, he opened the file folder. A reporter had called last week inquiring about this particular case. While Poe usually just chose one at random to look into, when someone from the ‘outside’ made in inquiry, that case was immediately brought to the fore. This one wasn’t going to be easy. A young woman, a tourist from Alabama, had disappeared while vacationing with family seven years ago. A hunter had found her remains over two years later well off any major hiking trails or roads. Cause of death had been hard to determine, as predation had mangled what was left of the corpse, but the coroner at the time had ruled it a suspicious death due to the location of the body. Poe was ready to delve into the file and hope it led him in the right direction.

“Hey!”

Poe looked up at the exclamation from his doorway. Finn Collier stood leaning against the frame, a smile on his face. “You still coming over for dinner tonight?”

Poe smiled back, happy to be reminded about something to look forward to. “You think I would miss out on Rose’s Pho Bo?” Finn and Poe had been partners when Finn had met Rose, and Poe would never let him forget that it was he who had pushed Finn into asking the pretty Civil engineer out for the first time. Of course, Finn used to remind Poe all the time about how he was responsible for his asking Rey out for the first time, too. That, of course, didn’t happen anymore. “I’ll be there at seven with bells on!”

Finn laughed and waved a goodbye as he turned to leave. Poe looked back down at the file. Finn being a part of the CPD was something that would never have happened if Snoke hadn’t been booted off of the force; he had been notoriously bigoted. Poe had only been with the CPD for three years when the State’s investigation of the long-time police chief had begun. Almost immediately, Poe had taken it upon himself to find as much information as he could to pass on to the State to insure Snoke and all the other corrupt cops that supported him were blacklisted. While Poe himself had been hired without problem, his Hispanic decent had irked many on the force, including Snoke. It hadn’t been a hard decision to help the State find all the evidence they needed to clean up the Department.

It was really not a shock when the number of major crimes in the city had reduced significantly with Snoke’s removal. The CPD was no longer looking the other way.

Poe reached down to the drawer in his desk and opened it, intent on grabbing a notepad to write on, something he still did despite the advanced technology surrounding him. His eye caught on the small velvet box shoved in the back corner and his heart clenched. Why he hadn’t gotten rid of that damn thing, he didn’t know.

Just over six months ago, Poe had entered one of the local jewelry shops and with the help of one of the jewelers had custom designed an engagement ring. Made with gold mined from the Naboo Mountains, the diamond solitaire was simple but beautiful, classy without being ostentatious, modest but distinctive. Just like the woman he had had it made for.

Then one cold winter’s night, Poe’s world came crashing down. Rey had put an end to their relationship without any warning. Her reason had been simple: she didn’t love him. She had tried, she said. She had wanted to. But he was just not what her heart was looking for. Poe had attempted to argue with her, but how could he claim she was lying? Who would do that to the woman they loved? The day he had met Rey, shortly after she had followed her friend and fellow orphan to Coruscant after her college graduation, Poe had been smitten. But it had taken over two years before she had even deigned to go out to dinner with him, and she had made sure she had paid her own way. Poe had worked hard for the next few months to earn her trust, to win her over, taking his time with her and never pushing or demanding anything of her. It had been hard to overcome her lack of trust, but he felt she was worth it. Finn had encouraged him, telling him, “Once she gives you her heart, you’ll have it forever, buddy.” Poe had been determined to win that heart.

He thought he had it won, when suddenly he found out he had lost. Everything. Their fight that night had been loud enough a police car had arrived. The shock on Finn’s face had turned into devastation as he realized his two best friends could no longer even speak to each other in a civil manner. Poe had gone home in a daze and in bed that night lay awake going over every bit of his relationship with Rey that he could remember, trying to determine where exactly things had gone wrong. Around three AM, he had started crying, which had only made him angry. He hadn’t cried for twenty years, not since he was thirteen and his old dog Joker had died. That was when he had let the anger take over. It was so much easier to be pissed at Rey than to mourn their relationship.

Poe had completely forgotten about the ring until, less than a week after the break-up, the jeweler called informing him it was ready. He had already paid for it, so he picked it up on his lunch break, throwing it in the drawer where it had remained since that day almost six months ago. He should just sell it, he thought again. Lord knows he deserved to buy something nice for himself with the money.

Grabbing the notebook, he dropped it on top of his desk next to the open file, then grabbed a pen from the coffee cup next to the computer monitor. He gave one last glare at the ring box, then shoved the drawer shut with far more force than was necessary.

******

The first couple of weeks after Rey moved into Kenobi house went extremely well. After one or two restless nights getting used to the noises the house made, Rey began to enjoy her new home as much as she had hoped. She was up early every morning so she could take a long walk through the outskirts of Coruscant where the house was located, then home for breakfast and a couple hours of research, either on-line or at the local library, before settling down to write until lunch. Three days a week in the afternoon she headed to the local airport, where she still worked part-time as a mechanic. Though she had plenty of income thanks to her book sales, she loved working on aircraft, and many of the private plane owners whose planes she serviced loved her right back. When she wasn’t working, she oftentimes found herself taking long drives through the Naboo Mountains, sometimes stopping at a particularly enticing trail head for a short hike. In the evening, she settled in to hang out in her on-line chat groups or watch a movie or read.

Since the incident with the can opener, Rey had not seen any indication that there was a ghost sharing her abode, but she still felt that tingling feeling from time to time, as if she was being watched. Probably just an overabundance of EMF waves, she thought. She should probably have the wiring checked.

Overall, Rey could not complain about how things were going. The only incident that had even remotely upset her in the last few weeks had taken place the other day at the airfield. Since the January night she had pushed Poe out of her life, she had avoided one specific area of the large hanger where most of the planes she worked on were housed; the front left corner where Poe kept his own Cesna Skycatcher. She had worked on that plane both before and during her relationship with Poe, but since the break-up only Beau ever got to work on it. Rey had been very lucky about not ever running into her ex while she was at work; she assumed Poe probably knew her hours and avoided coming during them. However, he must have had the day off on Wednesday and spent more time in the air than usual that morning, as he was just finishing getting the little two-seater blocked in its customary spot when she got there for her shift.

She had paused as she entered the hanger, her eyes immediately drawn to his familiar form as he moved about the plane, giving it one last look-over before leaving. She felt frozen to the ground, realizing with shock that it was the first time she had seen him in well over three months, and all those times before had been brief moments as they saw each other in passing at various local businesses; Coruscant wasn’t that big a town. Despite her shock, she took note of the fact that he had cut his hair since she had seen him last, and not just a little bit. The burr cut made him look older and more severe. He had turned away from the plane ready to head out of the hanger when he saw her. He stopped suddenly, and even with the moderate distance between them Rey could see the surprise on his face.

She swallowed and nodded politely at him, her heart pushing its way up into her throat. Or so it felt like.

She saw his jaw harden and he raised his chin a bit, then he looked away and stalked out of the hanger, never once looking back.

Licking her suddenly dry lips, Rey told herself it was nothing more than what she deserved.

She had struggled to focus on her work after that, trying not to think about how it had been in this very hanger that she and Poe had first officially met. They had known of each other, of course, thanks to Finn, but had never met face to face until then. She had seen him in the hanger office when she had come into work one morning, talking with her boss Beau, and her eyes had immediately been drawn to him. A few years older than her, his dark hair thick with a bit of a curl, not particularly tall, but fit and athletic looking. As she was telling herself there was no way he was as gorgeous as he looked, he turned his chocolate brown eyes to her and smiled.

Damn.

He held out his hand. “Hi! I’m Poe.”

Rey felt relief upon recognizing his name. “Poe?” she asked as she took his hand. “You’re Finn’s partner?” At his nod, she told him, “I’m Rey.”

His smile turned into a grin. “I know.”

Remembering that day, and comparing the look on Poe’s face then to what she had seen today, gave Rey the boost she needed to do something she had been unwilling to do for a long time. One of the planes she would be working on today belonged to a man who had been persistently asking her out since he had learned of her break-up with Poe. She had decided to finally take Kyle Rendon up on his offer. It was time to start spreading her own wings and living life to the fullest. Well, as full as an introverted woman who had grown up in the foster care system and was still in counseling for PTSD and depression thanks to being sexually abused as a teen-ager could.

So, here she was, sitting quietly in the passenger seat of a well-kept black Aston Martin Vanquish, wondering what the hell she had been thinking.

It wasn’t that Kyle had been a horrible date. In fact, he had been quite pleasant, taking her to a nice restaurant, encouraging her to talk about her writing and her new home, giving her little tidbits about his own job as a lawyer. But there had been something ‘off’ about him, something she couldn’t pinpoint. She hadn’t wanted to talk about herself, and she kept comparing him to… well, to Poe. It was only normal, she thought. Kyle was the first man she had dated since the break-up. Kyle was too tall, his hair didn’t have enough curl, his brown eyes lacked the warmth she was used to, and she just didn’t trust him.

On her first date with Poe, he had taken her to a hole-in-the-wall diner up in the mountains where he had not complained when she insisted on paying for her own meal. Though she had tried her best to stay distant, half-way through the meal she had found herself telling Poe more than she had told her therapist in their last session. She had been embarrassed, and she had refused to respond to any of Poe’s calls afterwards for almost two weeks, until he had finally tracked her down while she had been hanging half-way out of a plane engine. He had been so sincere in his promise that he wouldn’t bother her again if she told him not to, that she couldn’t tell him to go away. In fact, by the end of that conversation, she had agreed to see him again. Every subsequent date after that, she had been more and more comfortable.

Until their last date. When she had realized the hated truth that she and Poe would never have a happily ever after.

Kyle pulled up to Kenobi house with a bit of a flourish. She didn’t know who he was trying to impress, as there were very few neighbors about and she was sure Maz was already in bed for the night. Whatever. She smiled politely and thanked him, then quickly exited the car.

“Wait!” Kyle called as he got out of his side. “I’ll walk you to your door!”

“That isn’t necessary,” Rey told him, more than a little peeved. She was tired and just wanted to be alone to feel sorry for herself.

“I insist!”

Fine. She began walking up the steep wooden stairs, pulling out her key as Kyle followed at her heels. Once at the door, she quickly unlocked it and turned to him once more. “Thanks again,” she told him, slowly backing into the door behind her. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled, and she reached in to turn on the light. “I’ll see you later.”

“You’re not going to invite me in?” Kyle asked, his voice far too smooth for her liking.

“No,” she told him, tensing suddenly. “I’m really tired and have to get up early in the morning.”

His face suddenly changed right before her eyes, turning from a pleasant, pleading expression to angry. His eyes seemed to turn black. “So, you give both Dameron and Collier some, but not a real man?”

“Excuse me?” Rey demanded, immediately getting defensive.

Without warning, Kyle shoved her hard, pushing her through the door and following, his eyes intense and frightening. Rey stumbled upon entering the house, but straightened up as soon as she got her balance. She didn’t hesitate to throw a punch, but while she had had plenty of self-defense training in the last few years, she had never had to actually use it in real life.

Her punch only seemed to make him even angrier and he backhanded her. She thought about shouting for Maz, but it was highly doubtful the 87-year-old woman would be able to hear her. Rey kicked out at Kyle’s abdomen, but he ducked back, so her foot only glanced off of him. He lunged in and grabbed her shoulders, so she stared scratching at his face, going for his eyes. Screaming, he threw her back against the wall by the door. The crack as the back of head hit one of the corners startled her, and then the pain swelled and her vision blurred.

She could hardly see him as he reached for her, and she was barely able to bring her hands up in defense, but before he could touch her, he was suddenly thrown backwards, his back hitting the corner of the kitchen island hard. She watched as he started to slump to the ground, but then seemed to be pulled upright and thrown to the side, toward the still open door. She turned her head to watch him as he scrambled up, screeching, and stumbled out the door. She could hear him race down the stairs outside. With a cry of her own, she slid her back down the wall until her butt hit the floor. Her head felt like it was splitting open, her vision kept fading, and she knew she needed help. She looked for her purse and saw it lying just outside the doorway where she must have dropped it after his attack. She reached for it, but it was too far away and the movement caused her vision to go black for a moment.

Suddenly, the purse was scooting along the floor right toward her, as if it had been pushed by something. Or someone. Gratefully, she grabbed it and her numb fingers found her phone. 911 answered immediately.

“I need help,” she whispered. “Please. I was attacked. Kenobi House. Upstairs.”

As the dispatcher responded with comforting words, Rey thought she saw something out of the corner of her eye. She turned toward the living room to see a man standing there. Tall, dark blonde hair falling over his blue eyes, his expression worried.

As she began to black out, the dispatcher still talking in her ear, Rey asked softly, “Ben?”

******

Poe trudged down the hall of his apartment building, fishing his keys out of the front pocket of his slacks, wondering why the hell he had even bothered going out tonight. Sure, Sabine had been pretty and funny and sweet, but as usual, he had felt nothing. Not even physical attraction. Considering he was going on four years without sex, the thought that he should just make it official and become a monk had crossed his mind. First, it had been because he had set his sights on the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, so his focus on her and getting her to date him had prevented him from even thinking about other women. Then, once he was finally dating that beautiful woman, he had taken his time with her, knowing of her past trauma and unwilling to add anything more to it by rushing her into sex. Then, there had been the break-up, before any sex was to be had. Since then, he had been simply comparing every woman he spent time with to her. There had been one night his involuntary celibacy had almost been broken. He had been drunk, she had been drunk, things had started getting hot and heavy, then he had done the worst thing imaginable. He had said her name.

Rey.

The worst part had been the fact that the woman he had been with either hadn’t heard him or didn’t care that he had spoken another woman’s name while making out with her, but Poe had heard himself, and he had quickly sobered up and pulled back. He wouldn’t be able to look himself in the mirror if he continued on knowing he was still so focused on his ex.

He reached his door and began unlocking it just as his phone vibrated. He remembered it doing that while he was driving Sabine home, but upon noticing that it had been Finn and not work, he had held off answering it; Poe could call him back. He had forgotten to do so, and now Finn was calling again. This time, he answered.

“Sorry for missing your call, buddy,” he started, opening his door and turning on his light. His calico cat sat on the island counter that separated the vestibule from the kitchen, her eyes slits of judgement. “I was driving. What’s up?”

“Rey was assaulted tonight,” Finn said without preamble.

“Wha-what?!” Poe stopped short.

“Apparently her date decided to make some unwanted moves on her when he took her home. She defended herself, but her head got knocked against the wall pretty damn hard and now she’s got a concussion. She’s at the hospital for the night at least.”

“I’m on my way,” Poe said immediately, backing out the door. He glanced at the cat. “Sorry, BeeBee, I’ll be right back!” She just continued to judge as he closed the door on her and locked up again. “What room?” he asked Finn as he headed back down the hall, his pace much faster now.

“501,” Finn answered. “But you don’t need to come. I just thought you’d want to know what happened.”

“I’m coming,” Poe argued, then he hung up.

It took him five minutes to get to the hospital from his downtown apartment and another five to ride the slow elevator to the fifth floor. He glanced at the signs to point him in the right direction and soon saw Finn standing just outside the door to one of the private rooms.

“How is she?” he demanded.

“Still sleeping,” Finn answered, his eyes worried and tired. “She was knocked around a bit, but it’s the head injury that’s keeping her here.” He smirked a bit. “The guy is pretty beat up, too. She got her licks in.”

“You got the guy?” Poe pushed.

“Oh, yeah. Rey told us who it was just before she passed out on the ambulance.”

“Well?”

Finn sighed. “Kyle Rendon.”

“Rendon?” Poe said softly, the anger inside him building even more. “Snoke’s nephew?”

Finn nodded, his expression grim.

Poe rubbed his forehead. “Shit.” It could very well be Rendon had attempted to rape Rey as revenge. It was no secret Poe had been instrumental in getting Snoke fired. He stepped forward past Finn to peer into the room. His heart clenched as he saw Rey lying still in the bed, connected to a monitor and an IV line, with an oxygen cannula in her nose.

“We found him trying to get drunk at a bar on Delany,” Finn continued. “You wouldn’t believe his story. He says he and Rey were making out, consensually, when he was attacked by an invisible man.” He smirked at the look Poe gave him. “Hey, would you do me a favor and stay with her while I make a quick phone call?” Finn asked. “I don’t want her to wake up alone.”

For a moment, Poe panicked. He hadn’t spoken a word to Rey since that fateful night when Finn had essentially forced him to leave and ‘cool down.’ Oh, grow up, Dameron, he thought. “Sure.”

“I won’t be long,” Finn said as he headed down the hall toward the elevators, pulling out his phone. “Rose will want to know what’s going on,” he added as he left.

Taking a deep breath, Poe stepped into the room, pulling a chair carefully over to the bed and sitting down, his eyes never leaving Rey. She looked so fragile, he thought, and once more he felt his whole being flood with a mix of anger and fear. It didn’t matter how mad he was at her, she didn’t deserve this.

He knew all about Rey’s past. She had opened up to him on their first date, something that had surprised them both and caused her to be so embarrassed that she avoided him for the next two weeks. But her story hadn’t disgusted him; it had, in fact, made him even more determined to win her heart.

She had been abandoned as a child at a small church, but the church itself had no place for orphans, so they had turned the little girl over to the state. Rey had quickly found herself being bounced from foster home to foster home, some of them good, some of them far from it. When she was twelve, she had lived with a horrible family that had verbally and physically abused her, and at fifteen she ended up with a couple that had sexually abused her. It was at that home that Leia Organa had found her. The social worked pulled her and the other two teenagers that had been with the couple out of that hell hole and had placed them in a group home that Leia had started with her own money. There, Leia had made sure Rey had received counseling as well as an apprenticeship at the local airport. It was also there that Rey had met Finn, another teen ‘rescued’ by Leia.

Rey had bloomed at the Organa Foster Center. She ended up winning an essay contest in her senior year of high school that had earned her a full-ride scholarship to Jakku University. Finn had joined the Marines the year before Rey left for college, taking a job with the Coruscant PD as soon as his four years were up, and Rey followed him to Coruscant as soon as she had graduated. Leia Organa had died the year before after a long battle with cancer; her last correspondence with Rey before her death had been a congratulations on Rey’s first published book. She had quoted Helen Keller: “Never bend your head. Always hold it high. Look the world right in the eye.”

Poe reached over and gently grasped Rey’s hand, curling his fingers around hers. She had been through so much in her life. All he had ever wanted to do was make her feel safe and happy. That’s all he wanted now, even if he wasn’t the one to make it happen. Clenching his teeth, he looked down, working to get his own emotions under control.

He felt her fingers move under his and looked up. She was watching him warily, her right eye a bit squinty from the swelling. She was going to have a shiner, he thought absently.

“Poe?”

He gave her a soft smile. “Hey, sunshine,” he whispered.

“What are you doing here?” She glanced around the room, and he saw her wince as her wrapped head moved on the pillow.

“Finn is making a call and we didn’t want you to wake up alone,” he explained, keeping his voice soft. He was pretty sure she had a major headache. He’d been concussed before, so he knew what it was like. He shrugged. “So, here I am.”

She focused on him for a moment. “Did they catch him?”

Poe nodded. “Yeah. They caught him.”

She sighed and closed her eyes, nodding. “Boy, I sure can pick ‘em, can’t I?”

“Excuse me?” he exclaimed, feigning offense. He knew Rey was referring to the two men she had dated in college, both who had turned out to be ‘cheating pricks,’ as Rey called them.

She huffed a soft laugh. “Present company excluded, of course,” she added.

They were silent for a while, and Poe realized he was still holding her hand, stroking the back of it with his thumb, and she wasn’t pulling it away.

“I am so sorry this happened to you,” he finally told her.

She shrugged a bit. “Same song. Different verse.”

Poe shook his head. “Stop. Thinking that way will not get you ahead in this game, and you know it.” She had often talked down about herself in the past, convinced it was her lot in life to never be truly happy. That something bad would always happen to make sure she wasn’t. That she didn’t deserve anything good in her life. Even after years of therapy and positive beginnings, it was hard for her to overcome her past. “You did not deserve this.” His voice was firm, and he could see tears gathering in her eyes as he spoke.

She looked away, but she squeezed his hand in acknowledgement.

“Hey!” Finn’s voice made them both turn to the door. “You’re awake.”

She snuffled a bit and wiped her nose with the hand Poe wasn’t holding. Her IV catheter was in that hand, and she looked startled briefly as the line came up with the movement.

Poe watched her for a while, but she refused to look him in the eye. Finn moved closer, but he didn’t speak, recognizing he had interrupted a moment.

“I better go,” Poe said softly when Rey kept looking down. “BeeBee’s probably already destroyed something because her dinner is late.”

Rey smiled a bit at his words, but still wouldn’t look at him.

He squeezed her hand and then let it go, standing up and pushing the chair back away from the bed. He nodded at Finn who nodded back, clasping him on the shoulder, then he moved toward the door, feeling numb.

“Poe!”

Rey’s soft cry made him turn back toward her.

“Thank you.”

His jaw tight, he nodded, then turned and left.

******

Rey watched Poe until he was gone, feeling even more bereft than ever. She blinked back tears and swallowed, reminding herself once more that it was for the best. She wanted him to be happy, and he would never be happy with her.

She heard Finn give a heavy sigh. “I just don’t get you two,” he grumbled, shaking his head.

Rey bit her bottom lip, but then immediately stopped when she realized it had a sore spot. She must have bitten it during the struggle. She brought up her hand to rub it gently, but refused to look at her friend or acknowledge his statement.

He pulled the chair that Poe had been sitting in up to the bed and sat down. “Are you ready to tell me the whole story, now?”

“What?!” she exclaimed, looking at him with wide eyes. No, she wasn’t going to tell anyone the whole story!

He tilted his head at her, brows furrowed, and she realized he had a recording device in his hand.

“Oh, you mean about tonight?”

“Uh, yeah…” Finn frowned at her, but then resettled himself in the chair. “You’re going to press charges, I’m assuming.”

“Of course.”

He nodded. “Okay.” He lifted up the recorder and at her nod pressed the button to start it.

Rey focused as best she could on his questions, answering them with as much detail as possible without getting carried away. This wasn’t the first time she had had to describe elements of abuse to a police officer.

When Rey was finished with the details, Finn asked, “Did you know when you agreed to go out with Rendon that he is Raymond Snoke’s nephew?”

“What?” Rey had not known that. She grimaced. “He said something just before he pushed me the first time, about how I had given you and Poe ‘some,’ but not him.” She paused. “I thought he had just said it to piss me off.” She looked at him. “Do you think this was all about what happened to his uncle? I know Poe helped get rid of him, but Poe and I aren’t even together anymore.”

Finn shrugged. “Or maybe he was just jealous because you were close to a man he hated and his friend.” He took a deep breath. “Rey, you said he started asking you out as soon as he found out you and Poe had broken up, right? I think he was attracted to you, and the fact that you had been dating a man he despised made him a little obsessed with making you his.” He shook his head. “He’s been saying some crazy stuff since we picked him up, including that the two of you have been lovers for a while, now.”

Rey scoffed. “Well, that’s certainly not true. I haven’t been with anyone since college.”

Finn cleared his throat uncomfortably, his expression telling her ‘I really didn’t need to know that.’

“Sorry,” she said softly. She glanced down at the recorder and winced.

“Okay, one last question,” Finn continued. “Was there anyone else in the house when Rendon attacked you?”

“Well, Maz was downstairs in her room, I’m assuming.”

Finn shook his head. “I mean other than her. Someone in your apartment.”

“No,” Rey answered without hesitation. “Why do you ask?”

“Because Rendon had a few injuries that just don’t match up.” He paused. “He’s got a bruise on his jaw and claw marks on his face; your knuckles and the skin under your fingernails tell us that story.” He paused. “But he’s also got severe bruising on his back and a couple of cracked ribs. Did you kick him into the counter or something?”

Rey remembered the image of Kyle flying back and hitting the kitchen island, then his body being thrown on the floor near her door. “I tried to kick him after he hit me,” she whispered. “But I missed.”

“Rey?” Finn’s voice was soft. “Why did he leave? Why did he leave before he raped you? Are you sure someone didn’t come in to help you, then leave to follow him when he ran?”

“I…” Again, she remembered the man in her living room. But it hadn’t been a man, had it? “If someone did, I must have blacked out, because I don’t remember anyone else.” Her voice was firm now.

Finn nodded. “You know what Rendon said?” he gave her a small smile. “He says he was attacked by an invisible man.”

Rey felt her face heat.

“But he also said what you two were doing was consensual.”

“Absolutely not!” Rey responded, anger replacing any worry about her lying. “I didn’t even want him to touch me! And I sure as hell was never going out with him again.”

Finn nodded. “I know.” He stood, turning off the device. “Hopefully he’ll get jail time, but either way, I’ll make sure he never comes near you again.” He paused. “And I have a feeling I won’t be the only one.”

Rey nodded, feeling warmth flood through her at the thought that Poe still cared about her enough to come here to make sure she was okay, and that it was his protection Finn spoke of. “Thank you,” she whispered to her friend, one of few people who knew of the hell she had lived through as a child.

But not even Finn knew of her darkest secret, the secret that had made her give up the best thing that had ever happened to her. The secret she was not planning to tell anyone.

Just as she wasn’t planning to tell anyone that it had been a dead man that had saved her tonight.

***

Rey entered her apartment the next afternoon and took a deep breath, happy to be back. The doctor had warned her she needed to take things slow for the next couple of weeks. No work and no long hikes. Short walks would be okay, but nothing strenuous. Finn and Rose had driven her home and Rose walked next to her up the stairs as if Rey would get dizzy and fall at any moment. Other than being tired because she hadn’t slept a wink in the hospital after waking to find Poe there, she felt perfectly fine. Even the headache that came with the concussion was bearable now.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay with you tonight,” Rose was asking her as she moved to sit on her couch. “It would be no trouble.”

“No,” Rey shook her head carefully. “I’ll be fine. You guys just go ahead with your silly texting me every two hours. Just be ready for me to call you outright around three am yelling at you to let me sleep.”

Finn looked at his girlfriend. “Told you. More stubborn than a mule.”

“Mules aren’t stubborn,” Rey argued. “They’re just smarter than the people who call them that.”

Finn snorted and headed for the door. “Just don’t be so smart you forget to answer those texts!”

Rose gave Rey one last hug. “Just be careful. And I’ll be by in the morning, okay?”

Rey smiled at her friend, once more glad that Finn had found someone that was such a perfect match for him. “I will. Have a good night, you two.”

They waved one last time and left, closing the door behind them.

Rey gazed around the area by the door, then looked at the corner where she had knocked her head, glancing at the floor, knowing Finn had cleaned up any blood from the incident this morning while she was still in the hospital. She looked at the kitchen island, remembering how Kyle was thrown into it. She felt no anxiety as she recalled last night. She was going to heal without any permanent scars and she would easily forget the pain; she had survived much worse, after all. Kyle Rendon would be forgotten for the most part. Just another person from her past that didn’t deserve to be remembered.

It was the people who had been kind, the people who had cared, that she would always remember. Leia. Finn. Rose.

Poe.

With another sigh, she straightened her back and focused on the living room, staring at her reflection in the flat screen of the TV that sat opposite her. Well, it was now or never.

“Major Kenobi?” she spoke out loud to the room. “I think it’s time you and I had a little talk.”

******

The next few weeks flew by as Rey set out to prove, at least to herself, exactly who had saved her the night Kyle Rendon had attacked her. She began to talk out loud to “The Major” whenever she felt that certain tingling on the back of her neck, and while she never did see the man she was sure had been there that night, she did get some interesting phenomenon of different sorts. Objects moved or tipped over, doors closing when she had no windows open to provide drafts, the eerie sound of footsteps on the stairway behind the locked door that led down to the first floor…

With Maz’ permission, Rey brought in an electrical specialist to check the wiring in the house and prove that the energy she was feeling wasn’t caused by artificial EMFs. He not only told her everything was clean and working as it should, but he sold her a handheld EMF detector to use; apparently, he investigated haunted houses on the side, and told Rey that he and his team would love to investigate Kenobi House if ever given the chance. Rey also bought a new digital recorder, one that was far more sensitive than the one she normally used to conduct interviews for her books. Feeling slightly like a fake, she did her own investigation one night, asking questions out loud in the dark living room, hoping the recorder would pick up Electronic Voice Phenomenon.

She waited until the next morning to listen to her sessions with headphones on and she was more than a little shocked when she found something. Only one something, but it was a doozy. After asking the question “how long have you been in this house, Major?” a soft voice responded, “Doctor.” Rey listened to the one word over and over again, determining that she had been corrected in her honorific.

From that day on, she called him Doctor Kenobi, not Major.

She spent a lovely, sunny Sunday afternoon with Maz in the back garden of the house on her last day of ‘bed rest,’ and by the end of their visit together had convinced the older woman to allow the local paranormal team to come and investigate the house. Refusing to stay in a hotel overnight, Maz spent the entire investigation watching from her own living room couch, staying up all night. Rey waited in the team’s van outside, watching the live feed from the handful of cameras they had set up inside, but when the team continued to come up empty-handed, Maz suggested having Rey come back inside the house. Almost immediately, things started happening. Noises, objects moving with no one near them, two investigators seeing an obvious human shaped shadow moving up the stairs.

They had Rey ask questions while they recorded, registering temperature fluctuations and high EMF readings where there shouldn’t be any. They left the house at sunrise excited and anxious to study the evidence. They came back the next day with recordings and video that seemed to prove the house was indeed haunted by non-other than Ben Kenobi himself. Though no full-body apparitions were apparent in the evidence, simple ‘yes’ and ‘no’ answers to certain questions asked while a recorder was running convinced everybody Kenobi was still present in the house. Maz seemed unimpressed; it was almost as if she had always known who she shared the house with and had never really seen it as anything unusual.

Rey was given a flash drive containing all the evidence and the team left, excited to share their stories with others in the field, but promising to keep private what house they had gotten all this evidence from. That had been Maz’ condition before the investigation had begun.

Despite all the evidence, and the simple comfort in knowing that she wasn’t going crazy believing she lived with a ghost, Rey couldn’t help but feel that her ‘roommate’ wasn’t quite satisfied with this limited communication. For a couple of nights, she tried her own EVP sessions again, but nothing came of them. It was as if he had exhausted any energy he had the night the team had been there.

Or he was saving his energy for something bigger.

It was about a week after the investigation that ‘something bigger’ appeared. It came in the form of a dream, only Rey was more apt to call it a nightmare.

She woke in the middle of the night, confused and lethargic. She was in an unfamiliar bed in an unfamiliar room, yet she was sure she was still in Kenobi House. She pushed herself into a sitting position, becoming even more confused because the simple action was difficult. Her mouth felt dry and her head hurt, and when she looked around the dark room her vision was blurred. She had been drugged, she thought. But who? And why?

She heard loud voices coming from outside the room, a man and a woman, and with effort she pushed off the covers and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She felt herself sway as her bare feet hit the wood floor, and a wave of dizziness overcame her for a moment. She swallowed and closed her eyes, focusing on the raised voices. Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes and pushed herself onto her feet. It was at that moment that she realized she was dressed oddly. Why was she wearing men’s pajamas?

Shaking her head slightly, she moved carefully for the door, which wasn’t latched. She opened it and looked into the sitting room, or what would have been the sitting room before the renovation. She realized she was seeing the house as it had looked seventy-five years ago. Movement off to her left caused her to turn her head. Two people moved into view, the people who had been arguing. They were still blurry, but she recognized the woman immediately.

Padmè Kenobi.

“Ben?” Her voice was muffled to Rey’s ears, but she understood the woman was talking to her. “What are you doing out of bed?”

The tall man that was with her grumbled, “I thought you said you had drugged him?”

Padmè looked scared as she looked at Rey. “I did. I gave him twice the normal dose.” She glanced fearfully at the man. “But he’s had so much this past year, he might have developed at tolerance.” She started to move toward Rey. “I’ll put him back to bed.”

“No!” the man said forcefully, grabbing Padmè’s arm and stopping her. “He’s seen me. He’ll know where you’ve gone.” He pulled out a pistol from behind his back.

Rey felt rage flow through her, but she now understood it wasn’t her rage she was feeling. It was his. Ben Kenobi’s. She was seeing things through his eyes, hearing things through his ears. Feeling what he was feeling.

“Ani?” Padmè gasped when she saw the gun. “What are you doing?”

“I’m taking you away from here,” the man growled. “You weren’t meant to spend your life with a cripple!”

“No!” Padmè cried. “No! Don’t hurt him!” She grabbed the man’s arm, but he was obviously stronger than her and pushed her down, her butt hitting the floor hard.

The rage inside Rey increased, but the weakness of the body she inhabited was too much. The man was taller than her, and thanks to the drugs in her system, much stronger. She was held with a tight grip on her arm and the gun was placed against the right side of her forehead. Before she could even think of how to pull away, there was an explosion of sound.

Padmè screamed and everything went black.

Rey shot up in bed, breathing hard, panicked. She looked down at herself, grateful to see she was wearing the same silky cami and panties she had gone to bed in. She looked around the dark room, recognizing the familiar shapes of her things in the shadows. Movement caught her attention, and she looked to her doorway. Ben Kenobi stood there, his expression mournful.

Then he was gone.

Taking more deep breaths, Rey realized with shock what had just happened. She had witnessed Ben Kenobi’s last minutes of life through his eyes, and now she knew the real reason his ghost still haunted this house. He had not committed suicide.

Dr. Ben Kenobi had been murdered.

******

Poe finished the last of the report, saved it, sent it, and closed out of the screen. This particular summary had been from a violent crimes case he and another detective, Temmin Wexley, had worked on earlier in the week. An altercation between two men in the downtown area had resulted in one of them getting shot. Though the man had survived, it had been touch-and-go for a while, and the man responsible was finally in custody after a four-day long search. They had benefitted from the public’s help in this one, getting more than one tip on the man’s whereabouts.

It had been nice to solve a case for once, thought Poe with a smile.

He picked up the hard copy of one of the cold cases he was working on but paused before opening it. This particular one involved the rape and murder of a young college girl from about ten years ago. He was pretty sure he knew the culprit, but he would have to do a little more digging to get the proof. He was waiting on some DNA testing and really couldn’t do much until he got the results.

Thinking about the case made him think about Rey’s attack. Though he hadn’t seen her since his visit to the hospital, he got regular updates from Finn. Not that he asked about her. Oh, no. Finn just told him. Without any encouragement. Poe shook his head, reminding himself that he could easily tell his friend to stop with the information, but he didn’t. God, he was a masochist.

He knew from Finn’s reports that Rey had testified at Rendon’s hearing, and two days later, after two other young women had stepped forward to claim they had been assaulted by Rendon, the young lawyer had given a guilty plea. The hope, Poe knew, was that he would get an easier sentence than if it went to trial. Unfortunately, he probably would. But at least the word was out there now what kind of person he really was, and Poe was optimistic that this would protect more women from assault in the future, as he only seemed to force himself on women he was already dating.

Optimism wasn’t exactly a common thing in his line of work, but he determined that if he ever lost it, it was time to quit.

A tone sounded from the phone on his desk and he pushed the button to answer. “Yeah?”

“Detective Dameron,” Sargent Typho’s voice came over the speaker. “There’s a woman here who would like to speak with you.” Typho worked the reception desk.

“Name?” Poe was in no mood for reporters today.

“Rey Smith.”

Poe felt his heart skip a beat. Rey? Wanted to talk to him? Even when they were dating, she never came down to headquarters to see him; she said she couldn’t stand being in ‘police buildings’ after having spent so much time in them as a youth.

A thought occurred to him. “Did she ask specifically for me?”

“She asked for whoever was in charge of cold cases,” Typho elaborated.

That made more sense, Poe thought. Rey probably didn’t know he was in charge of the Cold Case Department. He had taken over after their breakup. He sighed. “I’ll be right there.” This could prove interesting.

He left his office and walked through the bullpen, more than a little mad at himself for feeling the tension grow as he got closer to the front of the building. Her reaction to seeing him would tell him right away if this was a good idea or not. He pushed through the door into the lobby.

Rey was standing on the far side looking intently at the pictures and awards on the wall. He felt a moment of pride knowing she would see him up there; he had won a Distinguished Service medal last year for pulling two victims out of a vehicle after a crash that had brought the pickup dangerously close to the edge of a cliff. Though he had never been in danger himself, the couple inside had been terrified to move lest they rock the truck over the edge and his calm demeanor and encouragement gave them the wherewithal to climb out to safety. The fact that he had just been driving by and witnessed the accident, and not even ‘on duty,’ only increased his esteem in the eyes of the department and the people he had helped.

Poe took another deep breath. “Rey?”

She spun around, apparently startled not by her name but by the voice saying it. He couldn’t help but enjoy the sight of her chestnut hair bouncing around her bare shoulders. She was wearing a dark pink sundress with spaghetti straps and a flirty skirt that ending just above her knees. She wore no makeup, but he had always felt she never needed it. Her big doe eyes and freckled complexion didn’t need any enhancement.

“Poe?” She looked disconcerted but not upset, and he felt relief that she seemed flustered but not dismayed to see him.

Poe walked toward her. “What can I help you with?” he asked, trying to maintain as much professionalism as he could.

Rey glanced at Typho, who was on the phone at the front desk. “I was actually waiting for the detective in charge of the Cold Case Department.”

Poe nodded. “And that would be me.”

Her eyes widened and she swallowed. “Y-you?”

Poe nodded again. “Yep.”

She tilted her head. “You left Violent Crime?” She sounded surprised. Poe had never kept secret back when he was a beat cop how much he wanted to work on the big stuff when he made detective; how he wanted to fix as much as he could from the mess Snoke had left behind.

Poe shook his head. “No, I’m still there, too. The Cold Case department is small and just needs one person and I needed to be busy, so I volunteered.” He wasn’t going to explain that it was her and their breakup that made him so desperate for something to keep him busy.

“Oh,” Rey responded softly. She drew her bottom lip into her mouth, her teeth catching on it, and the action made Poe look away. The last thing he needed was to be staring at her mouth.

He swallowed and looked back at her. “So, what can I do for you?”

For the first time since he stepped into the lobby, she looked uncomfortable. “Uhm…” Her eyes shifted as she looked away, then she seemed to steady herself and looked back at him. “I’m writing a book on the Kenobi House, specifically Ben Kenobi, and I wanted to know if there would be any official record or investigation of his death.”

Poe nodded. Rey had been fascinated with that house since she had moved to Coruscant, and he felt more than a little happy for her when he had learned she had moved into the top floor of the old building. “Suicide, right?” he asked. He knew a little about the house and its history; everybody who grew up or had lived in Coruscant for any length of time did.

Rey nodded, but looked away again. “That’s what they say,” she murmured.

“I’m sure there’s some official record,” he told her. “Even back in, what? 1946?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

“Pretty sure they haven’t gotten anything that old on digital, yet, but you never know. I could check there first, and if not, I would have to go to the basement storage and dig up the hard copy.” He paused, looking at his watch. He was caught up for the day. “I’m assuming you would be willing to help with that part?”

Her eyes widened. “You mean I could?”

“As long as the case is closed, it’s a matter of public record, so yes.” He crossed his arms over his chest and tilted his head at her. “You’ve done research for how many books now and you didn’t know that?”

She shrugged. “None of my subjects had police reports. Looking up family trees, death certificates, and property records are different.”

“I guess,” he conceded. He gestured toward the door he had come out of. “Shall we?”

Yep. He was a masochist.

******

Rey had not expected this when she came here today. She knew there had been a chance she would run into Poe, and she was willing to take that chance, but she had not anticipated him being the one who she needed to help her. And the fact that he was doing so willingly, when every other encounter they had had since the breakup had been so negative… Well, excluding his visit to the hospital. She wasn’t sure she liked the idea that he was just being nice to her because he felt sorry for her, but at the same time, she was very glad not to be on the receiving end of his angry glare for once.

He held the door open for her and she walked through, then paused to let him pass her again so she could follow him. She had been here once before, shortly after she had moved to Coruscant and had been invited back by Finn to wait for him to finish some paperwork before they had gone out to dinner. The bullpen had been just like every other police station she had ever been to, albeit quieter than most. Just like that day, she walked through uncomfortably trying to ignore the looks from the people at the desks. Cops, by their very nature, were curious and distrustful, and she couldn’t blame them for watching a stranger walk through, but she hated being the focus of so many eyes.

Surprisingly, Poe didn’t lead her to a desk in the main room. Instead, he turned down a hall and ushered her into an office. It was small and windowless, but once she saw the framed photo of Poe and his father standing next to the Skycatcher on the wall next to the desk, she knew this was Poe’s private space.

He moved around behind the desk, motioning toward one of the chairs that sat in front of it, and sat down. “This shouldn’t take long,” he told her, and he started tapping on the keyboard. “K-E-N-O-B-I, right?”

Rey slowly sat in a chair. “Yes. Benjamin.” She glanced over at the photo once more, noticing a couple other smaller ones, next to it. One was a picture of Poe and Finn, both in uniform, back when they had been partners. The other was BeeBee. She smiled a bit seeing that one; she wondered how many cops had pictures of their cat in their office or on their desk. “You got your own office,” she commented, looking back at him.

He glanced at her, and for the first time she realized how tense he was. He glanced away quickly, back at the computer. “Yeah. It used to be a storage room, but they cleaned it out and managed to squeeze my desk in here. I guess they decided I would need some quiet for the cold case stuff.” He licked his lips and glanced around before focusing on the computer again.

He’s nervous, Rey thought. He’s more nervous than I am. She looked down at her hands, which were clasped in her lap, and smiled. Tough cop Poe Dameron, who had helped take down the corrupt Coruscant PD several years ago, had a picture of his cat on his office wall and was nervous because an old girlfriend was asking him for help.

God, she loved him.

No! She swallowed hard, shoving that thought out of her head. There was no room for that emotion here! She had tried so hard to push it out, to let him go, to deny to everyone around her that she had ever loved this man. But being here, so close to him in this small space, she was reminded just how much she trusted him. How much she missed him.

“Nope,” his voice interrupted her mental battle. “No Kenobi in the system, which means we’ll have to try storage.” He was looking at her questioningly.

She glanced at her watch. It was a little after four in the afternoon. “Do you have time?”

He shrugged. “Believe it or not, I’m actually caught up on everything for the day.” He stood and she jumped up from her chair at the same time. “And I’ve become very familiar with searching for old files down there since I took over Cold Case, so it shouldn’t take long.”

She nodded and waited as he passed her, leading her back out of the office. For a moment, she worried she would have to traipse through the bullpen again, but he turned the opposite direction and she soon found herself standing next to him in front of an elevator. It opened immediately when he pushed the down button and they stepped on. He pressed the ‘B’ button, and then they stood, silent and awkward, as the elevator took them slowly down.

He glanced at her, a spark of humor in his eyes. “Guess we could have taken the stairs, but they’re on the other side of the building.”

Rey huffed a laugh and shrugged. “It’s okay,” she told him softly. “I’m in no hurry.” She felt herself relax as the truth of her words hit. She may be nervous being around him again, yet she didn’t want to leave, either. He could take as long as he wanted helping her find the information she was looking for.

Finally, the doors opened into a quiet hallway. Poe stepped out immediately and turned right. Rey followed, noticing the boxes and old desks and tables lining the hall. Storage space must be limited. He took a sharp left and they entered a brightly lit room full of filing cabinets and no people. Poe stopped at the desk just inside the door and signed in on a sheet, noting the time and adding Rey’s name. Glancing around, Rey became aware of the surveillance cameras dotting the walls. There may be no one here at the moment, but she had a feeling they were being observed nonetheless. The CPD did not do things halfway, not since Snoke was removed.

Poe stood straight and gave her a glance as he started walking toward the back of the room. “I have to admit, I’ve never had to look up a file this old before,” he told her as he led her through the cabinets. He started eyeballing the front of the metal storage units, and Rey also looked intently, noticing that they were labeled by year first, then alphabetized. He slowed down and then doubled back a bit, bumping into Rey softly. “Sorry.”

Rey shook her head to let him know it was okay, but couldn’t meet his eyes. She focused on the cabinet he was reaching for, taking note that it was the only one labeled 1946.

“Not a lot of cases back then, huh?”

“It was just after the war,” Poe shrugged as he opened the drawer. “I guess people just wanted to get back to normal and be still for a while.” She watched as he fingered through the tightly packed files, and she found herself focusing on his hands. His graceful fingers had always fascinated her, especially when he played guitar. She knew first-hand how those fingers felt on her skin, too. She shivered as she remembered his gentle, patient touch.

This was such a bad idea.

She stepped back, relieved when his exclamation of “Ah-ha!” came right as she did so. He pulled out a thin file. Stepping back a bit, he opened it, setting it on top of the open drawer and flipping through the sparse contents. He began to read out loud. “Major Benjamin Kenobi. Thirty-four. Medical doctor who served in the U.S. Army between the years of 1943 and 1945. Listed MIA in December of 1944 and found in Stalag IX-B Prison Camp in April of 1945. After hospitalization for malnourishment and unexplained injuries, Kenobi arrived back home in June of that year. Reports from his wife and friends indicate he never truly recovered from his injuries and on February 2, 1946 he committed suicide by shooting himself in the right temple. There were no witnesses.”

He looked at Rey, eyebrows raised. “Anything you didn’t know?”

Rey took a deep breath, stepping back from him as she realized how she had been leaning into him, looking down at the file he had been reading from. She shook her head. “No. Nothing I didn’t already know.” She paused. “It’s actually believed that he was beaten harshly, possibly tortured, that his injuries came from that.”

“Tortured? An American POW in Germany?”

She nodded. “I talked to a historian at Fort Eisley just last week,” she told him. “American Jews were sent to a forced labor camp in Berga, and though there is no official record, some witnesses claim Ben Kenobi was sent with them because he protested and tried to protect them.” She looked at him intently. “Over seventy American prisoners died while being marched toward Bavaria, before U.S. troops officially liberated them.”

“Damn,” Poe whispered. “No wonder he never recovered and gave up.”

Rey took a deep breath. “But I don’t think he did give up.”

“What do you mean?”

“Poe, I don’t think Ben Kenobi committed suicide,” she told him. Then she rushed ahead, before she lost her nerve. “I think he was murdered and I need help proving it.”

“What?!” he exclaimed, glancing back down at the file as if he missed something she had seen. “Why do you think that?”

“For a lot of reasons,” she told him evasively. This was not the place to tell him Ben himself had ‘told’ her.

“Hey, Dameron!” a voice shouted from the front of the room. “You in here?”

“Yeah, Wexley!” he answered, looking once more at the file. “Back here!”

A tall bearded man appeared around the corner of the file cabinets. “Oh, hi,” he said when he saw Rey. He focused on Poe. “Andor’s looking for you. Has a potential new case.”

Poe sighed and closed the file cabinet, but kept the Kenobi file in his hand. He looked at Rey, his eyes still intent. “Duty calls,” he told her. “Wex, would you mind escorting Ms. Smith out?” he asked the other detective. He lifted up the file and looked back at Rey. “I’m gonna get this scanned and in the system while I have it out and I’ll make sure you get a copy if you want?”

She nodded. “Sure.”

“And eventually I want to hear the rest of your story about this guy,” he said softly. “And just why you think it was murder.”

******

Poe stood at the base of the steep wooden staircase that led to Rey’s door. He looked up it, imagining Kyle Rendon racing down after getting scared off the night he attacked Rey, wishing he had tripped and broken his neck in the process. He shook his head and started up the narrow but solid steps, telling himself he really shouldn’t have such dark thoughts.

He reached the door and tapped on it lightly, thankful he had remembered to call first to let Rey know he was on his way; he hadn’t had to do that back when they were dating. He heard movement on the other side and knew she was looking through the peephole. The sound of a chain being undone, and then a dead bolt, made him nod in approval. After what had happened to her, he was not surprised she was being so cautious. She opened the door and peered out at him, a small but nervous looking smile on her face.

“Hi,” she said softly.

“Hi,” he answered back, trying to act a lot more casual than he felt.

She stepped back, opening the door enough for him to enter. She was wearing a silky looking cami with a pair of athletic shorts and her feet were bare. “Come in,” she said, motioning toward the living room. “Have a seat.”

He walked through the door, looking about him curiously. He saw the kitchen area off to his right, with the island separating it from the living room, two high wooden chairs pulled up to it, indicating that the bar was used as a dinner table, too. He moved into the living area and sat on one end of the couch. He glanced at the flat screen TV across from him, his gaze taking in the stereo system underneath it, the ancient CD/cassette player that Rey had salvaged from a garage sale shortly before they started dating obviously still in use. Soft music was playing from it even now. He saw a paperback novel sitting on the seat of the recliner which sat at an angle from the couch and knew that Rey had probably been reading when he had arrived.

“Can I get you anything?” she was asking him.

He shook his head, folding his hands in his lap. “Nope. I’m good.”

She nodded and licked her lips nervously, then made her way back to the chair, moving the book to the coffee table in front of them, and sat down on the edge. She looked at him expectantly.

He took a deep breath. “Okay, you got my attention earlier,” he started. “Now you need to keep it. Why do you think Ben Kenobi was murdered?”

She sat up straight and nodded. “Okay, first…” she paused, but he could tell it was for effect. “Kenobi was a pacifist. He joined the war effort as a conscientious objector, working as a medic, not taking up arms. So, why did he have a gun?”

She tilted her head at him, then gave him a small smile as he raised his head in acknowledgement, but before he could say anything, she continued.

“Second, he was a medical doctor. I’m sure if he really wanted to kill himself, he could have found a better, less traumatic, easier way.”

Poe spoke up before she could continue. “But he wasn’t practicing anymore,” he argued. “He wouldn’t have been able to get any drugs, right?”

Rey grinned, relaxed now and in her element. “Aw, point number three!” she pressed on. “Ben Kenobi had just renewed his license three months before his death. He was only seeing a few patients in his practice, but he was working his way back to his old life.” She paused. “Now, why would he do that if his life was so miserable he was contemplating killing himself?”

Poe shrugged. “Maybe something else happened in that time period that made him give up hope. Depression doesn’t have a set schedule.”

“I know, I know,” Rey conceded. “But I have a fourth point and it’s the kicker.”

“Okay.”

Rey looked at him intently. “The report you showed me said the gunshot wound was in Ben’s right temple, correct?”

Poe nodded.

“Ben Kenobi was left-handed.”

Poe found himself sitting up straighter this time.

“It was documented more than once before the war and in his recruitment papers.” She shrugged. “Now, it was highly possible he was ambidextrous. A lot of south-paws had to learn to use their right hand to do certain things back then, but to shoot a gun?”

“But that would mean the person who shot him was left-handed, too…” Poe began to argue.

“Not if he was trying to make it look like a suicide and he thought the victim was right-handed…”

Poe couldn’t help it. He smiled, nodding in acquiescence. “Okay, okay, all good points.” He stood suddenly, his mind starting to mull all the information Rey had just given him in his mind. He walked toward the kitchen but then stopped suddenly and turned toward her. She had shifted her body to follow his movement, her eyes huge and a soft smile still on her lips. “What about motive?” he asked her, knowing without a shadow of a doubt she would have something.

She licked her lips again and looked down at his question and he felt his body tighten. Stop, he told himself. Now is not the time to be thinking how sexy she is.

She looked back up a him. “I have no proof, but I have a theory.”

Poe had read Rey’s books, even the last one which had been published just before their breakup. He knew she was very balanced in her writing and while she may have strong opinions personally, she never let it show in her work. “Let’s hear it,” he told her.

Rey didn’t hesitate. “I think that during the time Padmè thought Ben was dead, she started seeing another man. I think that when Ben came home, Padmè’s new beau took exception to him. He wanted Padmè for himself, even if it meant killing her husband.”

Poe considered her statement. It wasn’t impossible, of course, but how to prove something like that seventy-five years later?

Rey suddenly stood and moved over to the other side of the coffee table, picking up a sheet of paper that was laying there. She walked over to him and handed it to him.

He took it, looking at it curiously. There were at least a dozen names listed on the paper and behind them were written brief descriptions of how they were connected to the Kenobi family. He looked up at Rey, eyebrows raised.

“I need help finding these people, or their children, grandchildren, anyone who they may have shared information about the Kenobi family with.” She paused. “Usually finding people to interview about my subject isn’t an issue, but I’ve never had to go this far back.” Her eyes were hopeful.

Poe sighed. He did have more access to programs that helped in the search of people, but even he knew looking for relations of people who had lived so long ago would not be easy. “You know I couldn’t work on this full-time, right? Even if I opened this as a cold case, which I still don’t think I have enough evidence to do, current cases take precedence.”

She nodded. “Of course. Whatever you can do, Poe. This has become more than a book for me, now.”

He tilted his head at her. “How did you even start looking into it?” he asked. “What made you decide it wasn’t suicide?”

She pulled back. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

He frowned. “Rey?” he growled softly. “If you want my help, no secrets.”

Biting her lip, she turned and walked toward the stand under the TV. She pulled a jewel case off the top shelf and brought it over, handing it to him. He glanced at the DVD inside, noting it was labelled with a date from less than a couple of weeks ago. He looked back up at her questioningly.

“Watch that,” she told him.

“What is it?” Poe demanded.

“Evidence,” Rey said simply.

“Of..?”

“Evidence that Ben Kenobi still resides in this house,” she said firmly. “He’s the one who told me he was murdered.”

******

Rey trudged up the stairs to the second floor of the Kenobi house, her lack of sleep from the night before finally catching up to her now that the day was almost over.

It had been almost exactly twenty-four hours since Poe had left her apartment, taking with him the list of names and the DVD copy of the footage the paranormal team had made for her of the investigation of the house. His look as he had left had been the reason for her lack of sleep last night.

He wasn’t going to help her. She should have kept her mouth shut, but it was her lack of honesty that had ruined their relationship and she just couldn’t lie to him anymore. She really shouldn’t have been surprised he didn’t believe her, but she had still felt hurt by his immediate withdrawal at her words. She thought that since they had spent so much time together watching ghost hunting shows that he would be more open minded, but she supposed his ‘real’ job of being a cop prevented him from giving in to anything resembling fantasy. She wondered if he would even bother watching the DVD.

So, she had spent the night tossing and turning, not only thinking about what she could have said or done differently to insure he would still help her, but going all the way back to their relationship and thinking of things she could have said or done that would have kept him in her life. It had all come down to honesty. She would have to have told him her secret, and she was certain he wouldn’t have stuck around very long after that. For her, it had simply been a case of waiting for him to leave her or leaving him first, knowing the longer she was with him, the worse her heart would break when the inevitable happened. Or so she kept telling herself.

There was that little part of her, the little part that Leia had tried so hard to nurture, that wondered if he would have loved her forever anyway, despite knowing the truth. The truth that only Leia had known.

Rey had tried to go about her day today like normal, searching as well as she could on-line for the descendants of the people whose names she had given to Poe, then going to work her four-hour shift at the airport. Now she was just ready to go to bed, but she wondered if she would sleep any better tonight than last night.

When she reached the top of the stairs, headlights from down below caught her attention. She felt her heart speed up when she recognized Poe’s orange metallic Chevy Blazer. She unlocked her door, but then waited, watching as he slowly got out of the SUV. He glanced up at her, then seemed to pause, as if he was still debating whether or not he really wanted to be here. She lingered on the porch, holding her breath.

Finally, he sighed and made his way toward the stairs. Rey felt her breath rush out, then released the tight grip she had on the doorknob; she hadn’t realized she had been holding on to it so hard and her hand was cramping up. She watched as he marched up the stairs, his eyes focused ahead of him. When he reached her level, he stopped in front of her and met her eyes. There wasn’t a lot of room between the top of the stairs and the doorway, but Rey didn’t move; she had never been uncomfortable with Poe in her bubble, and in fact rather liked him there. He looked at her for a long time before he spoke.

“I found Rita Milliken,” he finally said. “She lives in a retirement home right here in Coruscant.”

Rey knew her mouth had dropped open and her eyes had gone wide. “Oh,” she breathed. Rita Milliken was the youngest daughter of the family that had lived in the house across the street back in the 40’s.

“Her last name is Adams, now, but when I talked to her on the phone this afternoon, she seemed lucid and more than willing to talk about the Kenobi family.”

Without another thought, Rey moved forward and wrapped her arms around Poe’s shoulders. “Oh, my God! Thank you, Poe!” She felt him tense and was very aware that he was not hugging her back, so she immediately stepped back, heat rushing to her face. She looked at him apologetically. His expression was wary, his eyes hooded. She stepped toward the door, opening it and stepping inside. “Please, come in,” she told him.

He seemed to hesitate, but finally followed her in, making his way to the couch as he had done last night, but this time he didn’t sit down. He turned to face her, his hands in the pockets of his jeans. His blazer was unbuttoned and his tie was long gone, but he still looked professional, having obviously come straight from work. And handsome. Oh, did he look handsome as sin.

She closed the door and walked toward him, but this time kept her distance. “Will you be able to open the case?” she asked tentatively.

“I already have,” he told her. “I talked to Andor, and he said that as long as I felt there was enough to warrant a closer look, he was okay with making it official, but he wants me to keep it quiet until I can find proof.” He paused. “If I can find proof.”

Rey nodded, a bit giddy with this news.

“I have an appointment for both of us to meet with Mrs. Adams tomorrow at 10. She’s in Peaceful Pines,” he added, naming a local senior care facility. “Now that the case is open, I’ll need to be there whenever you interview someone that might know something.”

Rey nodded. “Of course,” she told him. “I want to solve this thing more than I want to write this book.” She paused, tilting her head at him. “But I am still writing the book.”

Poe nodded his head and glanced around the room, then he turned back to her, his gaze almost angry. “This doesn’t mean I believe you.”

“Did you watch the video?” Rey asked him.

He nodded again. “Good show,” he said softly. “Add some creepy music in the background and it could be an episode of Ghost Hunters.”

She folded her arms in front of her. “Poe, I was there for all of it. It’s all real.”

“And I’m supposed to believe that Maz was okay with it?”

“Maz has always known,” Rey told him. “She doesn’t want it advertised, but she wasn’t surprised about any of it.”

Poe still looked disbelieving. “And how exactly did Major Kenobi tell you he was murdered?”

“He prefers to be called Dr. Kenobi,” Rey corrected automatically. At Poe’s raised eyebrows, she continued. “And he told me in a dream.”

“A dream?”

She nodded. “I saw what happened that night through his eyes.”

“So, you saw who killed him?” Suddenly, he didn’t seem as if he was just humoring her.

“Yes,” she confirmed. “I saw him, but I don’t know who he is. He was young, tall, handsome. Padmè called him ‘Ani’.”

“Can’t you ask Kenobi what his name is?” Poe continued. “Do a séance or something?” He waved his hand vaguely in the air.

Rey laughed softly. “I don’t think Ben even knows what his name is. He only knows what he showed me.” She shrugged. “Maybe we’ll get an answer tomorrow?”

They stood silent for a while, just looking at each other. Rey was the first one to speak.

“You better go,” she said softly. She didn’t really want him to go. “I’m sure you have plans.”

“Plans?” Poe looked confused.

“It’s Friday.”

Poe scoffed. “Oh, yeah. Fridays are always the highlight of my super busy social life.” It was obvious he was being sarcastic.

“What about Zorii?” Rey asked tentatively.

Again, Poe furrowed his brow in bewilderment. “Zorii?”

“You got along great with her,” Rey continued, remembering how she had never really liked Poe’s co-worker and fellow detective, but Poe had always seemed comfortable with her. “I thought you guys made a great couple.”

Poe looked at her aghast. “Wait a minute? Is that why you broke up with me?” His expression was changing from perplexed to angry. “Because you thought I was having an affair with Zorii?!”

“No!” Rey argued. “I never thought that!” She took a step toward him. “I know you would never be unfaithful.”

“Then what the hell, Rey?” He was really angry now, and Rey regretted saying anything.

“I just want you to be happy, Poe,” she said, trying to soothe him. “You always wanted a family and I thought Zorii did, too.”

“So, what? You break up with me and now you’re trying to be a matchmaker for me?” He huffed and ran his fingers over his scalp, rubbing his buzzed hair. “God, Rey, you can’t even matchmake yourself. Kyle Fucking Rendon is proof of that!”

Rey stepped back sharply, hurt flowing through her, turning quickly to anger. “How dare you!” she snapped.

Immediately, his expression became contrite. He brought his hands up and stepped toward her. “God, Rey, I’m so-“

Rey felt the air turn frigid cold right before she sensed the electricity. Poe suddenly jerked as if he had been shoved hard in the chest. He fell back, landing on his ass and sliding across the wood floor until he hit the wall.

“No!” Rey shouted, running to him and falling on her knees next to him. “Please don’t!” she called out to the room. “He wasn’t going to hurt me! He could never hurt me!” She looked at Poe, who was gasping for air, his eyes looking around wildly. “I trust him with my life,” she whispered.

Slowly, she felt the air turn warm again and the electric feel dissipated. Poe looked at her as he started coughing.

“Are you okay?” Rey asked him. She was running her hand up and down his chest, as if she would find some injury.

Poe nodded. “Just got the breath knocked out of me,” he told her roughly. “I guess that was ‘him,’ huh?”

Rey nodded. “He’s a bit protective of me.”

Poe gave a short laugh, then started to scramble to his feet. Rey stood with him, hanging on to his arm until she was sure he was steady on his feet. He focused on her again. “So, Rendon isn’t crazy?”

“Well, that’s debatable,” she said with a smile. “But no, he wasn’t lying about what happened to him that night.” She paused. “Ben saved me.”

Poe swallowed, disbelief and skepticism fading from his eyes. He glanced around the room once more. “I better go, then, before he really gets annoyed with me.” His smirk told her he was joking. Mostly.

He started walking toward the door and Rey followed. “I’ll meet you at Peaceful Pines at 10?” he asked tentatively as he opened it.

“Yeah,” Rey nodded.

Poe turned toward her. “For the record, I’ve only seen five women since you broke up with me, and they only lasted one date each.” He swallowed. “It’s kind of hard to get to know someone when you’re constantly comparing them to someone else.”

Rey felt her breath catch in her throat, knowing he meant her.

With one last nervous glance toward the room behind her, he turned and headed down the stairs.

******

Poe popped three ibuprofen and washed them down with coffee that had long grown cold. It didn’t really matter that it wasn’t hot anymore, as this cup was the third one of the morning. He almost felt hungover, but he sure didn’t remember having the kind of fun last night that a hangover generally required. Stress and lack of sleep were to blame for this headache, and damned if he wanted to blame his current situation for adding to it. It was Saturday, for crying out loud. He should still be in bed or at least doing something fun. Not sitting in his car in the parking lot of a senior assisted living facility waiting for his ex-girlfriend to show up.

But, the excitement of working this case had pushed him into making this appointment for today rather than waiting until Monday. Imagine, he thought to himself, proving that Ben Kenobi had been murdered? Growing up here in Coruscant, the Kenobi family were legends, and everyone knew about the suicide. If he could help Rey prove it was murder, they would become part of that legend. It was a crazy thought.

His thoughts were interrupted when a white Prius carefully slid into the slot to his right, Rey behind the wheel. She glanced at him nervously and he was reminded that he needed to offer her an apology for what he had said to her the night before; his initial apology had obviously been hindered by… what did he even call this thing? Kenobi? Doctor? Hey, ghost?

As he stepped out of his SUV, he felt a twinge in his back where it had slammed up against the wall, and that memory made him shiver slightly. He had always considered himself to be open-minded, watching all those ghost hunting shows with Rey and wondering what he would do if something paranormal should happen to him. Yet, when Rey had finally admitted that a dead man had told her he was murdered… He had wanted to believe. The Rey he had loved was logical and not easily influenced, so believing her words should not have been difficult, but to truly accept her words as she spoke them had been impossible. Then last night had happened.

The tingle of electricity. The feeling of being punched hard in the chest. The sight of Rey’s frozen breath as she dropped down on her knees next to him, panic on her face as she spoke to some invisible entity in the room. There was no way he couldn’t believe after that experience.

Rey stepped out of her own car and walked around the front of his to meet him. As she tended to do when she wasn’t working on planes or hiking in the mountains, she was dressed in a pretty little sundress, this one a dark grey with a v-neck and white buttons up the front. It barely came to mid-thigh, and Poe had to work hard to not ogle her bare legs. Damn, she had great legs.

“Ready?” he asked her.

She nodded, gripping the purse strap over her shoulder a little tighter.

Within minutes they were seated at a table on the far end of the common room on the ground floor of the main building. Across from them was eighty-seven-year-old Rita Milliken Evans. Her white hair was pulled back into a severe bun and her soft pink cotton dress and peach cardigan made her look even older, but her eyes were bright and her smile was radiant as she introduced herself and agreed to allow their conversation to be recorded.

“A book,” she told them with a grin. “How exciting.”

Rey smiled back at her. “We’d love to hear anything and everything you remember about Ben Kenobi and his family when you were a child.”

“Well, my memory is still good,” she told Rey with a bit of a laugh. “But it’s going to need some direction. If you just let me go on, you’ll be here all weekend.”

With a soft smile of his own, Poe asked her, “What do you remember about Ben Kenobi before the war?”

She nodded. “I remember all the neighborhood children loved him,” she started. “He would walk to his office every day, and in the evenings on his way home he always made sure his pockets were full of candy and he would hand it out to the children as he walked. He was a wonderful doctor for the kids, always doing his best to make sure they weren’t frightened.”

“What did he practice?” Poe continued.

“Oh, he was a family doctor,” she nodded. “He took care of pretty much everything.” She tilted her head. “They didn’t really have ‘specialists’ back then, you know. Now days we have pediatricians, foot doctors, sinus doctors… about the only thing that was separate back then were dentists!”

Rey asked the next question. “When did you first hear about Dr. Kenobi going missing? Were you told he was dead?”

“My mother was a friend of Padmè’s, but after Dr. Kenobi headed off to Europe, Padmè withdrew and didn’t socialize much. Of course, she spent a lot of that time taking care of Ester Kenobi, Ben’s mother. She had a stroke not long after Ben left and died less than six months later.” She squinted a bit, as if it would help her see back in time. “I don’t know that we actually got any official word that he had died, just that he was MIA.”

“How did he seem when he returned?” Poe asked next.

“Oh, I never saw him right after he got home. My mother said that he was in rough shape, that he had been near death when he had been found. He spent time in a European hospital before coming home, but he was still not well.” She paused. “When I first saw him, he was starting to go for walks around the neighborhood. Short ones at first, but they got longer. He was very skinny and had a horrible limp, but that seemed to get better as time went on. My mother said that he was using morphine for his pain.”

Poe was aware that Rey looked at him, her eyes wide, and he could feel her excitement.

“Did he seem happy or sad just before he died?” Poe asked.

“Well, that’s the strange thing,” Rita nodded. “Both my mother and I felt that he was happy. Those last few weeks, Padmè was always out walking with him. They would be holding hands and they always had a smile for us when they walked by.” She looked sad. “I think that’s why my mother was so shocked when she heard about the suicide. She couldn’t understand why when he seemed to be getting back to normal.”

Poe glanced at Rey, acknowledging the similarity with Rita’s statement and Rey’s own observations.

There was silence for a moment before Rey finally spoke up. “Rita, do you remember if Padmè was friends with any other men while Ben was gone? Anyone that visited the house or that she talked about?”

The old woman was silent for a moment. “There was a man. A policeman, if I remember correctly. He used to visit the house often while Ben was missing. My mother talked about how she was certain the man had feelings for Padmè, but that would change when Ben came home.” She smiled sadly. “My mother never gave up hope that Ben was alive.”

“Do you remember his name?” Poe asked softly.

Rita considered for a moment. “It was an odd name. Almost like an Indian name.” Poe knew Rita meant Native American. “Wind Walker? No! Sky Walker! Yes! That was it! Skywalker.” She shrugged. “I don’t know that I ever heard his first name.”

“Rita, you have been amazing!” Rey gushed after they got a few more stories out of her. They would be good for the book, Poe knew, but not much help for their investigation. He and Rey stood, preparing to leave, but Rita wasn’t done.

“I hope you find out why Ben did what he did,” the woman said sadly.

Rey glanced at Poe. “Rita, I happen to believe that Dr. Kenobi did not kill himself.” She paused as Rita’s eyes widened. “I don’t have proof, yet, but I think he was murdered by this Skywalker.”

“Oh!” Rita responded. “If only my mother was alive to hear that. She never really believed it was suicide.”

Poe and Rey walked out into the late summer heat, heading for their parked cars.

“So,” Rey began. “Skywalker?”

“Ani Skywalker?” Poe continued. “Or something similar?” They reached his car and he turned to look at her. “I’ll have to wait until Monday to do a search,” he told her. “They don’t really approve of us using the search programs on weekends unless it’s an emergency.”

“No problem,” Rey told him with a soft smile. “I’m amazed we got the information we did! Thank you so much for helping me.”

Poe nodded, then took a deep breath. “Rey, I wanted to apologize for what I said last night. I did not mean it!” he said emphatically. “I just get a little… angry sometimes.” He shrugged. “I’m still trying to find closure here, Rey. You coming back into my life is not helping.”

She was silent for a while, her eyes downcast. Then she shocked him with a question he had not expected.

“Why didn’t you want to have sex with me when we were together?” She glanced up at him nervously, then looked back down.

He was stunned into silence for a moment, but then retaliated with a question of his own. “Why did you lie and tell me you didn’t love me?”

She looked up again, but this time she was glaring. “You first.”

He folded his arms and leaned back on his car. “I knew what you had been through with the Plutt family and I wanted to take it slow.”

“But you knew I had had sex with my boyfriends in college,” she argued, looking down again.

“And I remember you telling me it wasn’t that pleasant. I didn’t want you to think you were obligated to have sex with me just because we were dating.”

He could tell she was chewing on the inside of her cheek as she contemplated his words. Still without raising her eyes to his, she said softly, “When Unkar… used me… I taught myself to shut down. To shut off my brain. So I didn’t feel anything. Physical. Emotional.” She finally looked up at him, her eyes haunted. “I did the same thing with Wyatt and David. I just shut down. They never hurt me or forced me. But you’re right in that I felt obligated. Sex was just what you did in college, you know?” She bit her lip. “But even with them I just shut down. That’s probably why they both went elsewhere.” She took a deep breath. “I just never felt anything with them. I didn’t think I was even capable.

“Then I met you.” Her eyes took on a sheen of moisture, and Poe felt his heart clench. “I never felt uncomfortable when you were close to me. I never felt scared when you touched me. I felt safe, protected,” she paused. “I began to want you to touch me. And when you did, I only wanted more. And every time, you would pull away.” She folded her own arms over her chest, glancing away from him. “You made me feel passion for the first time, but you never let me follow through.”

Poe swallowed. “I wanted to go slow, so that you never questioned it. So, that when it finally happened, you would be with me all the way.”

Rey looked back at him a small smile on her lips. “I think you went too slow.”

“Maybe not,” Poe shrugged. “Look how things ended up.” His anger and resentment were growing again as they rehashed their past. It helped cover up the pain. “It would have been worse if we had slept together.”

“I used to think that,” Rey said sadly. “That ending it before it got too far would mean less pain.” She looked at him. “But I’m not sure it could hurt any worse than it did.”

Poe furrowed his brows. “Why did it need to end before it got too far, Rey?” he demanded.

“Because it would have ended sooner or later, anyway,” she argued, her voice rising. She glanced toward the building, the back at him. “You would have left eventually,” she said in a softer voice.

“Why do you say that?” he asked. Now his voice was the loud one. “I had no intention of ever leaving!”

“Everyone leaves!” Rey exclaimed, throwing her arms out. He saw the tears that had been threatening well up. “Everyone!” She took a step back from him. “My parents. Every friend I ever made. Leia. I wouldn’t even have Finn in my life if I hadn’t followed him here.” Her voice caught. She quickly wiped the tears that had begun falling as Poe looked on in shock.

“That’s why you broke up with me?” he asked softly. Things were making a little more sense now. “Because you thought leaving me would be easier than my leaving you?” Though it was a question, it was more a confirmation of what he had just learned. “Maybe it wasn’t a lie,” he grumbled, blinking back his own tears. “Maybe you never did love me. If you had, you would have known I was in this relationship for the long haul.”

She shook her head. “We’re not solving anything arguing like this,” she told him, digging in her purse for her keys. He was very aware she had never really answered his question. “Call me if you find anything on this Skywalker.” Wiping her face one more time, she turned and walked around his car to reach hers.

He stood there, rubbing his aching temple with his hand, refusing to watch her leave.

“Poe,” she said suddenly. He turned to look at her over the hood of his car. She had opened her door but had stopped before sliding in.

“You’re wrong,” she said softly. “I loved you more than anything.” She paused, looking down and shaking her head slightly. Then she looked back up at him, meeting his eyes. “I still do.”

With a grimace, she slid into her car and shut the door.

Poe stood stunned, unable to move, watching her drive away.

******

Monday afternoon found Rey back in the hanger at the airport, doing her best to forget what she had said to Poe on Saturday. It had been a rough weekend. She had been half expecting him to show up at her door demanding an explanation for her parting words in the parking lot of the senior facility. She didn’t want to face him again, but at the same time, she did. It was a horrible dichotomy, but she couldn’t lie to herself anymore; she had never stopped loving Poe, and just being around him again made her feel more alive than she had felt in the last eight months.

But she feared he could never love her again, even if she told him her secret. Maybe especially if she told him her secret.

Her secret really hadn’t been an issue in her life, Rey thought, until that night. She still remembered it as if it happened yesterday.

They had been at a holiday party for the Coruscant Police Department staff. The event had happened in mid-January, as there had been a blizzard on the scheduled day in December, so they had had to cancel. Rey had happily attended as Poe’s date, amazed she could feel so comfortable with so many people in law enforcement after the childhood she had had. However, the CPD was amazing, and everybody seemed to be friends with everybody else. Rey had heard stories of how corrupt the department had been before the state had begun investigating it, and she was glad she hadn’t lived in Coruscant then. Poe liked to downplay his involvement in taking down Snoke, but Rey had heard plenty of stories from others and was very proud of him.

The night had gone well and Rey was enjoying herself until she had glanced over to see Poe on the other side of the room holding a baby. Kaydell, one of the dispatchers, had brought her three-month old daughter to the party, and the baby had been fussy all evening… until Poe got hold of her. Suddenly, the infant was silent, contentedly staring up at Poe as he smiled down at her, making funny faces and conversing with her as if she was an adult. The image sent a sharp knife stroke through Rey’s heart, and when Poe’s co-worker and fellow detective Zorii walked up to them, smiling down at the infant and teasing Poe about being the ‘baby whisperer,’ Rey’s heart had shattered.

Poe had recognized her disquiet as he took her home after the party, but when Rey claimed she had a migraine he hadn’t pushed. His soft kiss as he said goodnight at her door almost released the tears Rey had been holding back, and as soon as the door had closed, she stopped fighting them. She hadn’t slept at all the rest of the night, bolstering herself for what she knew she had to do.

Less than twenty-four hours later, it was over, and Rey had never been the same.

Pushing back all the depressing memories of the past few months, Rey finished the job she was doing, noticing as she did so that it was already thirty minutes past when her shift should have ended, and headed for the office to clean up. She glanced at the far end of the hanger, where the Stratos 714 owned by Kyle Rendon sat. Someone had tarped it up, indicating that it wouldn’t be used for quite a while. Rendon hadn’t been sentenced yet, but she hoped it was a long enough time that his lawyers would just end up selling the plane.

She entered the office and started washing her hands. Beau was gone already, knowing Rey would work until she was done with the job rather than be told to leave because her shift was over, and it was silent with no one about. The quiet made the footsteps that sounded in the hanger echo, and Rey tensed, instinctively knowing who it was. She turned toward the office door just as Poe walked in.

“Hey, you are still here.” He seemed a little breathless and his eyes were bright with excitement. She was automatically relieved that he obviously wasn’t here to confront her about what she said on Saturday.

“What’s up?” she asked.

“Anakin! “ he told her with a grin. “Anakin Skywalker.”

“Ani?” she said, her grin matching his.

“I’m almost positive!” He moved to sit down on one of the chairs by the door. “Just like Rita thought, he was a cop. For a while.”

Rey leaned back against Beau’s desk, folding her arms and waiting for Poe to continue.

“He joined the CPD to avoid the draft, but he quit suddenly in February 1946, just two days after Ben Kenobi’s suicide. He left town and ended up in Aldera, where six months later he was caught robbing a bank. He was sent to prison and died three months later from pneumonia.” He gave her a proud looking smile, and Rey couldn’t help but smile back.

“That’s really good, Dameron,” she said. “But we still have no proof he was the one who killed Ben.”

“Yeah, but he’s dead,” Poe argued. “Karma, right?”

“Is that what you want me to put in my book?” she asked sarcastically.

“Come on!” Poe argued. “At least we know his name and what happened to him!”

“I know, I know,” Rey conceded. “And that’s huge, but if this was a current case, you still don’t have enough to go to court.”

He folded his arms over his chest and glared at her, but she could see the corners of his mouth twitch. “So?”

Rey thought a moment. “So, is there any way you can look for a Padmè-“

“I already have,” he interrupted. “There have been no other Padmè’s in Coruscant since Kenobi’s wife.” He shrugged. “It’s not a common name.”

“I was going to say in Aldera, not Coruscant,” she said, speaking of the town six hours to their south.

Poe sat up straight in the chair, unfolding his arms and looking at her intently. “You think she followed Skywalker to Aldera?”

Rey shrugged. “Or was forced to go with him.”

Poe’s gaze turned inward and she could tell he was thinking hard about what avenue to take to meet her request. “I do have an acquaintance in the APD,” he said softly. “I could call him. Either have him do a search or give me the links to do my own.” He looked at her. “Maybe she had a family. Not with Kenobi, but maybe she married someone else afterwards.”

Rey nodded. “It’s possible,” she said. “I got the feeling she didn’t want Ben hurt, that she was humoring this Anakin to try and keep Ben safe. I feel like she was forced to leave with Anakin; he probably told her she was just as responsible for Ben’s death as he was.”

“She was,” Poe told her. “Even if she didn’t want it to happen, she didn’t stop it, nor did she seek out help afterwards. She may have been charged as an accomplice.” He stood suddenly. “I’ll call down to Aldera tomorrow morning and see what they can do for me.”

“Are you sure this isn’t taking up too much of your time?” Rey asked.

He shook his head. “Nothing new currently, which is good, and the DNA came back on the other cold case I was working on, which proves my suspicion on who is responsible there. Wexley and I already made the arrest this morning.” He paused. “I…” He looked down, then back up at her and sighed.

“What?” Rey asked, not sure if she wanted to know the answer.

“I would really like to finish the conversation we had on Saturday.”

“You want to rehash our break-up every time we meet, you mean?” Rey couldn’t keep the anger from her voice.

“If it means I can get closure on these feelings and get on with my life, yeah!” Poe’s voice also held a note of anger.

Rey felt her heart clench at his words.

They were both silent for a while, then Poe said, “I know you lied about your feelings for me, and I know you had this idea that I didn’t love you back and would eventually leave you so you decided you better leave me first, but I still don’t understand why you thought that.” His gaze was intense. “What did I do, or didn’t do, to make you think I was going to leave? Other than not have sex with you, which I think I explained on Saturday.”

Rey stared at the ground by his feet. Tell him, she told herself. Just tell him. It’s not like it can ruin your relationship now, can it? Anxiety seized her and she shook her head, unable to look him in the eye. “I can’t tell you,” she whispered. “Just know that it wasn’t anything you did or didn’t do. It’s all on me.”

Even though she wasn’t looking at him, she could feel his tension and his feet shifted slightly. “Does Finn know?” he murmured.

Rey shook her head, finally looking up. “No. Finn doesn’t know. Not even my therapist knows every detail.”

She watched as he took a deep breath, then suddenly he stepped forward and cupped her cheek with his hand, bringing his face close to hers. Her breath caught, but not in fear, and she looked into his eyes, drowning in their chocolate depths.

“You need to tell someone,” he whispered. “Or else you won’t ever be able to get on with your life, either.”

She shuddered, recognizing the truth of his words, and knowing that if Leia were still alive, she would be telling Rey the exact same thing. She felt tears well up in her eyes again, and when Poe’s thumb brushed her cheek softly, they fell. He moved closer and kissed away one of those tears, using his thumb to rub away the other, then he stepped back.

Suddenly looking nervous, he swallowed and moved toward the door of the office. “You know how to find me, Rey,” he told her softly, then he turned and left.

******

End of Part One

Part Two