The Journey Home - Part Three

Closer than ever, Rey and Poe continue their journey home together.

Rated NC-17 for explicit sexual content and mild violence. Canonical death of a major character.

When Poe woke early the following morning, Rey snuggled up next to him naked under the blankets, he was absolutely convinced he was in heaven.

Rey had fallen asleep quickly the night before, and he had also dozed fitfully for a while, his protective nature taking its time to relax in this safe place. He had woken fully around midnight to add wood to the fire, and then had been unable to go back to sleep for a long time. Even Rey’s warm, soft body and relaxed breathing couldn’t lull him to sleep as his mind became overactive. The constant thought of ‘he shouldn’t have done this’ wouldn’t leave his brain, despite the fact that both his body and soul were convinced this was absolutely right.

And what about the future? When they left this camp to continue on westward, he couldn’t just pretend this hadn’t happened. Even if he had wanted to, Rey wouldn’t let him. She was stubborn and smart and strong and stubborn. He smiled to himself as he thought about how different she was from any other woman he had ever been attracted to, and how similar she was to the one woman who had made the biggest impact on his life. He had always imagined falling in love with some sweet, quiet, submissive woman, most likely someone of mixed race like himself that had grown up subservient to the white farmers and ranchers in the Valley. And here he was, besotted with a white woman with a family of high standing who was far from quiet or submissive, though she could be sweet as pie in her own way.

And what if she became pregnant, his brain demanded? He should have pulled out. He had learned how to do that when he had learned about sex, but there was no way he was thinking that logically while he had been making love to this woman, and even if he had thought about it, everything in him would have refused. The desire to claim this woman as his, completely, was stronger than anything he had ever felt before. He wanted to get her pregnant, to shout out to the world and to God that this woman was his, freely and willingly. The idea of her carrying his child created a warmth inside him that he had never before felt; feelings of joy, pride, and fulfillment.  

But what would others think? What would Leia think? The one woman whose opinion he respected more than any other. She had never once treated him negatively due to his heritage, and she had often given him encouraging advice on how to navigate life while being surrounded by bigotry and outright hatred, but Rey was her family. Though not related by blood, Rey’s official adoption into the Skywalker family made her a part of Oregon’s ‘royalty,’ and Poe couldn’t imagine Leia or Han approving of her marrying a half-breed. She had sent him to protect Rey and the others, to see them safely to Aldera. Not…this.

“And then he would make you marry me.”

Rey’s words about what her father would have done if Poe got Rey pregnant while Luke was still alive ran through his head. The disapproval that he expected from Leia and Han and his own father would just have to be tolerated if she was pregnant; he would marry her if that was what she still wanted. He didn’t want to give up Rey, pregnant or not, but if she wasn’t, he knew he would have to let her go.

He had finally fallen asleep with that thought, and now, as the early morning sun began to light up the inside of the tipi through the smoke vent at the top, he was still firm on his decision. He got up and quietly left the tipi to relieve himself, then returned and immediately snuggled back under the blankets; the camp was still silent, with very few people out and about. He drifted off to sleep once more, only to open his eyes an indeterminant time later to see Rey awake, stoking the fire, wearing nothing but a robe of elk hide. She looked at him when she realized he was awake, and her expression showed uncertainty.

That would not do, Poe thought. He was pretty sure she was going through all the negatives in her head now, just as he had last night. He needed to make sure she knew that whatever happened it was all going to be okay.

“Good morning,” he grumbled, smiling.

“Good morning,” she said softly in return. She looked toward the entrance flap. “When I went outside, the sun was up higher than I thought. The camp is awake, but quiet.” She looked back at him. “I’m surprised you slept so late. I suppose we should dress and have something to eat?”

“Or we could stay naked and have something to eat,” he countered. He knew she had probably gone to the bushes near the river to relieve herself, probably self-conscious in nothing but the robe.

She looked surprised, and her cheeks pinked up. “Not join the others?”

He sat up, letting the blanket fall to his lap. “We’re here as long as Finn and Rose want to stay, and I told Finn to take at least forty-eight hours alone with Rose, so… why do we need to leave our tent, either?”

“Because we’re not…” she paused. “We’re not married. We’re not on our… honeymoon.”

“Aren’t we?”

“Poe,” she whispered, her expression wistful.

He shrugged. “We can pretend. For a little while.”

“But only pretend?”

“Rey… I am not what your family wants for you. You will find someone worthy.”

“Bullshit,” she said sharply. “No one is more worthy than you.” She shook her head. “Let’s not ruin this moment.” She stood and walked toward him, and he realized just how beautiful she looked in the subtly decorated robe, her dark hair loose around her shoulders, her eyes bright. “I’m not that hungry yet, but I can make you some breakfast if you like.”

He reached out a hand toward her, and when she took it, he pulled her down to sit on the pallet next to him. “I’m not hungry now, either. At least not for food.” He toyed with the leather ties to her robe.

She cocked her head at him. “Should I lie down?” she asked breathily.

“Or we could try a different position,” he said, watching her closely.

“There are different positions?” she asked, her eyes wide. “I… I was actually surprised about how… we did it.”

“How did you think we would do it?” He was genuinely curious.

She shrugged. “I just always assumed it was done like how animals do it. Dogs. Horses.”

He smiled. “It can be done like that,” he told her. “But people are a lot more flexible, not to mention imaginative, and have long learned how to bring variety to sex.”

“Can you show them to me?” she asked, excitement and curiosity lighting up her expression. “All of them?”

“I can try,” he told her, laughing.

“But let’s try the one we talked about first!”

He nodded, his cock already hardening at the thought of taking her from behind. “All right.” He undid the ties he had been fiddling with, then looked into her eyes as he slowly peeled the robe off of her shoulders. She rose to her feet, letting the robe fall to the ground, and stood proudly in front of him, her naked body almost glowing in the morning light.

He swung his legs out from under the blanket and put his feet on the floor, patting the pallet next to him. “Come here,” he told her. “Let’s get you ready.”

She sat down and leaned into him without any hesitation. He met her lips with his own, kissing her as he brought his hand up to cup her cheek. He then let that hand drop down to her shoulder, smoothing it down her arm to her hip and resting it on her thigh. He let his thumb slide down to her sex, tickling the hairs guarding it. She moaned into his mouth and shifted her hips. Then she pulled back and looked down at her lap. He saw her eyes move over to the part of his body still covered by the blanket.

“Can I touch you?” she asked, looking up at him.

Blood surged south as he nodded. “Yeah,” he breathed.

Giving him a soft smile, she threw off the blanket and focused on his cock. She took a deep breath, then reached for him, her hand encircling his length and gently stroking it. As much as he was enjoying her touch, he reminded himself that she probably needed more preparation than he did right now. He brought his hand back down between her thighs, smiling when she opened them for him. His breathing increased as her touch became more firm, and he let his fingers toy with her clitoris, feeling the soft hair of her sex becoming damp. He began to kiss her again, trying his best to not let his focus waver because she was playing with his cock.

Her hips began to rock softly, pushing her center up onto his fingers. She whined and he felt a wave of arousal cover his hand. “Oh, fuck,” he whispered, pulling back from her lips.

“Yes, please,” she replied with a smile.

He snorted a laugh, then moved to stand up. “Face away from me on your knees,” he told her.

She bit her lip, her expression excited. “Yes, sir!”

Poe’s breath caught at her easy compliance, then he growled softly as she got on her hands and knees, her perfect ass facing him. She looked at him over her shoulder and wiggled her whole body, almost like a puppy eager to play. He knew it was an unconscious movement on her part, but fuck if it didn’t set him on fire!

He kneeled behind her, painfully hard now. He took himself in hand and positioned himself, then paused. “You might be a bit sore,” he told her, his voice rough. “Your body is still getting used to this. Let me know if it hurts and I’ll stop.”

She looked at him again, her expression serious. “I will.” Then she huffed a soft breath out. “Hurry. Please?” She was leaning back into him.

Groaning, he pushed forward, sliding into her hot, wet body without any resistance.

“Ohhh!” she cried softly.

He stopped. “Rey?” he asked. Was he hurting her?

“Oh, God! Don’t stop!”

He gripped her hips tighter and pushed all the way in. “You are so fucking tight!” he couldn’t help saying, biting his lip. She didn’t need to hear his nasty thoughts.

“Oh, yes!” she responded, her top half dropping down even more as she lowered herself down to her elbows. “Oh, Poe! It feels so good! Why do people say this doesn’t feel good for women?”

He closed his eyes, smiling at her question, then shook his head. “I don’t know, Tabai. Maybe because selfish men don’t want women to know sex can be good so they don’t have to put in the effort of making it good?”

“You don’t seem to have a problem,” she huffed.

“I was taught that ladies always come first,” he told her, then started thrusting his hips.

“Awwwww!” she cried, throwing her head back. “Oh, Poe!” Her head dropped down, her hair covering her face, but he could see her hands gripping the blanket, squeezing it, just as her cunt was squeezing his cock. “Oh, my God!”

“You want me to slow down?” he ground out between clenched teeth.

“No!” she practically shouted. “Oh, God, no!”

He continued pounding her, the slapping sounds of his body hitting hers practically making him feral. Never in his wildest dreams had he ever imagined he’d be fucking this woman this way, and both of them loving it! He reached one hand around to her front, cupping her tit in his hand and letting his thumb rub over her nipple. He felt her body tense up, her back arching into him, and her thighs began to tremor. Her mouth was open on a silent scream that eventually turned into a staccato moan.

Her orgasm sent him immediately into his own climax, and he brought his other hand back up so he could hold her hips tight, pulling her to him as he released himself inside her.

He had to be in heaven, he thought once more. Nothing on earth was this perfect.

******

The next evening, Rey and Poe ventured out to join the rest of the camp at the fire for supper. It wasn’t the first time they had left the tipi since they had settled in it, but it was the first time they had socialized with the rest of the camp. Yesterday afternoon, Poe had taken her upstream to a secluded area where he had stood guard so she could bathe, and this morning they had taken BB out for a short ride. The rest of the time they had spent in the lodge, where they talked, slept, and made love.

While they ate, Finn appeared. He squatted down next to where Poe was sitting. “Hey, Rosie and I will both be ready to go in the morning.”

“Are you sure?” Poe asked him. He had told Rey more than once that the newlyweds would be the ones to decide when it was time to continue on.

“Yeah,” Finn nodded. “We don’t want Ren to catch up.”

Poe shrugged. “I doubt they’re that close, but I understand the feeling. We’ll head out in the morning.”

Finn nodded, then glanced at Rey, who was sitting on Poe’s other side, her shoulder touching his. His look was curious with a bit of concern. Rose had probably told him that she was sharing the other tent with Poe. While she knew he would be quite happy if she and Poe married, he was still a protective big brother through and through.

She gave him a soft smile. “We’ll see you in the morning, Finn.”

That night, Poe took his time with her, touching and kissing every part of her naked body, murmuring words of adoration and praise. She climaxed three times before he even entered her, encouraging her to be vocal as he pushed her to yet another orgasm for the both of them. She slept hard after that, surprised when morning seemed to come far too quickly.

She and Poe dressed, and he shaved while she packed up their belongings and moved them back to the wagon. Rose soon joined her, and the two of them headed to the cattle pasture to collect the oxen, followed by a group of Shoshone girls ranging in age from 5 to 15. None of them spoke much English, but they all still seemed to understand each other as they chattered while walking along. The older girls helped lead the eight oxen back to the wagon where Poe and Finn immediately started yoking up six of them. Poe saddled up BB and Finn got the oxen moving. Washakie, his wife, and most of the tribe all came to watch them leave, waving farewell. Washakie called out both ‘safe journey!’ and ‘let Earth Woman make you fertile!’ at one point.

“Was he talking to us?” Finn asked, looking at Rose.

Rose looked at Rey, smirking. “Of course, he was,” she said.

Rey felt her cheeks heat, but didn’t respond. 

They continued to follow the Snake River westward. Poe, as usual, got off BB about mid-morning so he could walk with them, occasionally hopping back on the horse when he wanted to ride ahead to check the trail. About an hour before sunset, they stopped to set up camp near a calm bend in the river.

While they were eating supper, Rey looked at Finn and Rose. “If you two want to take the wagon, I’ll sleep underneath with Poe.” She tried to make the suggestion as casual as possible.

“No,” Poe said immediately.

Rey looked at him, startled.

He was shaking his head. “I know emotionally that’s what all of us would like to do,” he explained. “But you and Rose need to stay in the wagon at night. You’re both much better protected in there.”

Rey knew there had been a few times he and Finn had gotten up in the middle of the night to chase off large predators, like a grizzly or wolves, that had gotten too close, attracted by the oxen. She also knew that, despite his belief that the Ren train was far behind them now, there was still a chance they were close enough that Ren himself might come seeking Rey out. At least she knew that Poe was more or less friends with the Indian tribes in this area, so they weren’t a concern.

“We’re in the homestretch,” Poe said, his voice soft as he looked at Rose and Finn. “When we get home, we’ll get a cabin built for the two of you just down from the main house that Kenobi built. You’ll have room for a garden and animals and babies if you want them.” He looked at Rey. “At least, I’m assuming you will be taking the main house? It was supposed to be Father Luke’s.”

Rey nodded. “Aunt Leia wrote that it was a fairly large house, that we could all live there together.” She looked at her found family. “But that was before you two got married. You should have a place of your own.” She shrugged. “You could have the house and I’ll take a little cabin of my own, instead.”

Rose looked at Poe, then shook her head as she looked back at Rey. “No, I don’t think so. Father Luke’s possessions were willed to you. Besides, I have a feeling you won’t be there alone for long.” She smirked, glancing at Poe again.

Rey sat up straight and licked her lips. “Oh, no. You’re wrong,” she said, a bit of snark in her voice. “I’m to remain a single old maid, didn’t you know?”

“Rey…” Poe sighed.

“Because the one man I want to marry doesn’t think I should marry a half-breed,” Rey continued. She looked at Poe, one eyebrow arched.

Poe stared back at her for a long moment, then he sighed. “Leia’s gonna kill me,” he muttered. But then the corner of his mouth curled up. “But if she does, you’ll be a widow, I guess.”

“Yes!” Rose crowed.

“Hey!” Finn snapped. “Don’t you have to ask my permission or something?”

Rey scoffed. “Finn. I’m the one legally in charge of this family.”

“Yeah, but you’re still my little sister.” He looked at Poe, his eyebrows raised.

Poe nodded. “Finn, do I have permission to marry your sister when we reach Aldera?”

Finn pretended to contemplate the question. “I guess,” he drawled. “As long as…”

“Finn!” Rey said, trying not to laugh.

“As long as it’s what she wants.”

Finn and Poe both looked at Rey, small smiles on their faces.

Rey bit her lower lip, then she nodded. “Yes, Mr. Dameron. I’ll marry you.” She cocked her head. “But I’m not signing my father’s property over to you.”

Poe shook his head. “Wouldn’t expect you to,” he told her, his expression sincere. “I have no need for land. Just you.”

It took almost two weeks for them to reach Three Island Crossing. There had been no rain to speak of during that time, and Poe was fairly confident they should be able to cross easily. The trail beyond the crossing would be easier than the one that continued along the south bank of the river, but they would take that if they had to. Poe told them he wasn’t about to risk lives or property if the river was still too fast.

It was a wide swath of water, where the river spread out into four different branches, separated by little islands. This meant the water wasn’t too deep and the current a bit slower, but it was still swift and it could easily knock animals and people off their feet or push wagons downstream.

Poe rode out into the river, testing its strength and depth. He and BB went all the way across, then he rode back, nodding at them. He glanced westward, where familiar white thunderheads were building. “I think we made it just in time,” he said. “If that thing dumps on the area, the river will swell and it will take a day or two for it to go down. Let’s go!”

He pulled Rey up on BB’s back with him, then took the ash handled ox whip from Finn and encouraged him and Rose to get on the bench seat in the front of the wagon, a place that was rarely used. Poe used his voice to coax the oxen forward, and they followed BB willingly, though slowly, into the water. The deepest part barely came up to their bellies, but even Rey could feel the pull of the water on the body of the horse she was on.

They made it to the first island in good shape, and the oxen continued on unconcerned. They waded back into the water, but half-way to the second island, they paused. The water was now hitting their sides, and though BB was downstream of the team, Rey could tell by the splashing that the current was stronger here. Poe cracked the whip above their heads, shouting to the animals, and Finn also started calling out encouragement to them. BB even reached over, ears flat against his neck, biting at Qingfu, who was the closest to him. The oxen pushed on.

Finally, they were clambering up the bank of the second island. Thunder rumbled and Rey looked up and to her left. The storm was coming fast, the wind picking up. Surely even if it started raining now, they would be okay. As long as the oxen didn’t react badly to the weather. The third stretch of water was the narrowest, and they had no troubles, reaching the third and last island easily.

They rode down into the water one last time. This stretch was the widest, but it didn’t appear to be as deep. However, there were swirls in the water that indicated the current underneath was strong. Fortunately, the oxen were stronger.

The rain started falling just as the wagon made its way up the north bank of the Snake. “We can camp over there!” Poe shouted back toward Finn and Rose, continuing to guide the oxen from BB’s back toward a level area about two hundred yards from the river. Once there, they all made quick work of unyoking the oxen and getting the wagon tied down in case the wind got worse. The rain continued well into the night, which meant a cold dinner huddled inside the wagon.

But they had done it. They had safely completed the last major river crossing on the trail that didn’t have a bridge or ferry. In less than a week, they would reach the remains of Fort Boise, where they would cross the Snake again, this time via ferry. Then, if all went well, it would be just one more month to their destination.

They were almost home.

******

The storm that hit just as they crossed the Snake River at Three Island Crossing brought in a cold front that led to three days of off and on rain, something that was unusual for this area this time of the year. But Poe didn’t complain. The road had a lot of rock in it and the mud never got so deep that they had to stop. They and the animals stayed cooler during what would normally be a very hot and dry stretch. And - Poe tried not to feel too pleased about this - he was sure the river was now too dangerous to cross, meaning Ren’s train would have to take the southern route.

It wasn’t a race, of course, but Poe still wanted to beat them to Oregon.

Even with the rainy, cloudy weather, he and his companions were relaxed and happy as the trail headed to the northwest once more. It was amazing how the relief of sexual tension could make things better. Granted, he was sure things would get tough again as the days wore on, especially as they all now knew what they were missing. But he had already informed Finn that he would grant him and Rose privacy if they decided to head off into the bush for some bonding time, as long as it was in daylight and they didn’t go too far away. Poe expected the same consideration should he steal Rey away at some point. He knew the odds of them having the time and energy to do so would be unlikely, but you never knew when the opportunity might arise.

Or the desire became unbearable.

About a week past Washakie’s camp, Poe noticed a change in Rose. Finn, fortunately, also recognized it, and spent a good portion of that evening just sitting with his arm around her. When Rey went to gather some water for cleaning at the river, Poe followed her.

“What’s wrong with Rose?” he asked her quietly.

“Nothing major. She’s just a little sad.” Rey shrugged. “Her bleeding started last night.”

Which meant she wasn’t pregnant. “The odds of it happening the first time are slim,” he reminded Rey.

She nodded. “We know. And it’s probably for the best. Who knows what kind of dangers we’ll run into before we get to Aldera? It would be worse to lose the baby on the trail.”

Poe agreed, then he cocked his head at her. “What about you? When are you due?”

“Soon. This week most likely.” She shifted. “But I’ve skipped before. So, please don’t get worked up if I don’t start.”

“I won’t get worked up,” Poe said, smiling at her. “But I do know one of the reasons you skip is because you don’t eat enough, Rey. You’re too skinny. That wouldn’t be good for the baby, either, if you get pregnant.” He moved toward her, wrapping his arms around her loosely. “You need to be healthy to have a healthy baby. I’ve raised enough horses to know that.”

“Are you comparing me to a broodmare, Dameron?” Rey asked. She acted as if she was insulted, but he could see she was holding back a laugh.

“Well, you do act like my lead mare sometimes,” he joked. “Smart but standoffish. Worrying about everyone but herself. Beautiful, brave, strong.” He tightened his arms and she let him pull her close. Her eyes were bright, the green shining through the brown more today. His words pulled a smile out of her lips and put a rosy tint on her cheeks.

She brought her hands up to grip the back of his vest as he kissed her, slow and deep. He pulled back after a long moment. “I can’t wait to marry you, Rey Skywalker,” he whispered.

She smiled, her eyes getting damp with emotion. “Me, too, Poe Dameron.”

They were a day away from the crossing just past the Old Fort Boise when Rey began bleeding. She let Poe know that night, just before they parted to their respective beds. Despite his words to her earlier, he felt a bit depressed hearing the news, but reminded himself that it was better this way, safer for Rey. When they reached home, when he made her his wife legally and had good doctors nearby, then they could focus on a family. 

They arrived at the ferry crossing mid-afternoon the next day. No one came out of the cabin on the bank of the river to meet them, so Poe rode out to look for the residents. The ferry was tied at the dock and there were animals in the corral, so Poe knew the place hadn’t been abandoned; travelers were so few now, they probably didn’t worry about staying too close to home anymore. Poe found the man about a half mile upstream, fishing.

“Poe Dameron!” Finch Meanly called out when he saw Poe. “I didn’t know you were still guiding wagon trains!”

“This is my last one, and it turned into just one wagon,” Poe told the older man, who had been running this ferry station since the Fort had been washed away in a flood over ten years previously.  

“Did you lose the others?” the man laughed.

“They kicked us out, and we’re the better for it,” Poe explained. “They probably had to take the south route, so you most likely won’t see them, but the lead guide is Kylo Ren.”

Finch snorted. “Won’t miss him, then.” He got up from his seat on the grass as Poe dismounted. They shook hands and turned together to walk back to the ferry. An hour later, Poe attempted to pay him when they arrived safely on the far bank, but Finch shook his head. “No charge,” he told them. “They’re talking about forming a town not far from here,” he said. “When that happens, they’ll probably build a bridge and my job here will be done.”

“Will you leave?” Rey asked.

The man shook his head. “Hell, no. I love it here. I may have to move farther downstream, though, so I’m not so close to town!”

Poe stayed on foot to walk with Rey as they left the Snake behind. They were almost to the Oregon state line, he told them as they walked. They were still over five hundred miles from home, but he felt excitement fill him nonetheless.

They made camp just before sunset, which was getting earlier and earlier as they were almost to mid-August. “We should reach Vale tomorrow,” Poe told them as they set down to eat.

“Is that a town?” Rey asked. “I don’t remember hearing about it.”

“It’s not an official town,” Poe explained. “It started out as a trading post specifically for immigrants, but there have been other folks who have settled in the area. I’m sure it will become a town eventually.” He looked at Rey. “It’s got some nice hot springs nearby we can camp near. Since tomorrow is Friday, I’m thinking we should just stay until Monday.”

Rose grinned. “I feel like we’re getting spoiled these past few weeks. Time to rest in nice places and meeting good people, having good luck on the trail.”

“Enjoy it while you can,” Poe told her. “The road gets pretty rough afterwards. We’ve got mountains to contend with in our future; we can’t go around them all. Vale might be our last good break until we get to the Valley.”

While his warning was true, he couldn’t help but feel some excitement about the upcoming time off. There were a lot of isolated hot springs around Vale. Plenty of privacy for them all.

******

The Malheur River had areas that steamed, Rey realized with wonder. They had seen hot springs before on the trail, but some of these actually emptied into the river here, creating an almost constant fog along the shoreline in places. There were several scattered buildings, including more than one trading post, in the area called Vale. Gold had been discovered not far away, and many cattlemen and traders were now making their living off of the miners coming through the area. According to Poe, there had always been an outpost here, even before the first wagon trains came through, but there were more people here now than ever before.

“More white people, anyway,” he corrected himself.

They stopped at one of the stores that sold beef and bought a fresh side, then continued along the trail for another couple of miles until they were far away from any residences. It was mid-afternoon when Poe decided on a good place to camp for the weekend. The rest of the evening was spent settling in and relaxing. Poe showed them a secluded hot spring, set away from the river and the trail.

“We can take turns bathing here,” he told them. Rey knew that a month ago, that would have meant them all taking their turn, one at a time. But now…

That evening, when the sun was low, Poe sent Rose and Finn off to the spring. “Take your time,” he told them with a smile. “But try and be back before bedtime.”

“Yes, Father,” Finn grinned.

“Hey!” Poe said with a raised eyebrow. “I’ll expect the same courtesy tomorrow night.”

Finn glanced at Rey, and she recognized the embarrassed look on his face, but he didn’t say anything. Rose gave Rey a giddy little wave as she and Finn headed for the trees.

Rey settled down near the fire, reaching into the basket next to her and pulling out her cross-stitch sampler. She rarely worked on it, usually being too tired the few times she had enough light to see by, though she had worked on it by firelight occasionally. Poe watched her from his seat on the other side of the fire. He, too, was working on stitching, only his material was leather. One of the trace straps for the wagon was beginning to tear, and he was determined to fix it before it did. With a small smile, he focused on his work as Rey threaded her needle.

They worked in comfortable silence as the light faded. Poe finished his work before it got too dark, and after he had taken it back to where the yoke and harnesses were kept, he once more sat and watched Rey. Soon it was too dark for her to work and she did one last stitch before knotting it, nipping it off with her tiny pair of scissors.

“Can I see it?”

Poe’s voice startled her, even though he spoke softly.

“It’s not nearly finished,” she told him.

He shrugged. “I’d still like to see it.”

Rey took the stiff material out of the hoop and smoothed it on her lap before holding it up for him to see. It was a detailed alphabet, though she had only gotten to the letter ‘D’ so far. She kept adding to the border, outlining shapes on the material in pencil so she wouldn’t forget what she wanted to include before she had time to stitch them in. They were all things she had seen on the trail. Flowers, birds, animals. Even BB was included, though she hadn’t quite finished his stitching yet.

“Rey, that’s amazing,” he told her, his praise genuine.

It was her turn to shrug. “I’m better at this than I am mending clothing,” she told him. “Rose is better at fixing things. She says I’m the artist in the family.”

“I’ve never thought of needlework as art before now,” Poe admitted. “But it is. And yours is beautiful.”  

“Thank you.” She rolled up the material and began to put everything away into the tin she used to keep it all safe. “Poe?” she said as she finished.

“Yeah?”

She couldn’t look at him. “About tomorrow night…”

“What about it?” His voice was soft.

She finally looked up. “I’m still bleeding.”

He smirked. “So?”

Rey’s eyes widened and she felt her face heat. Maybe he wasn’t intending anything other than bathing? “So…”

“I bet you’ll be extra grateful for a bath,” he interrupted. There was a giggle and the sound of a branch snapping coming from the trees. Rose and Finn were coming back. “And besides,” Poe continued quietly. “You’re less likely to get pregnant if you’re still bleeding.”

Rey had always believed men tended to shy away from women when they were on their menses, but Poe had proven more than once that he was far from disgusted by a woman’s natural cycle. And he understood it far better than most men, too. The next night as the sun neared the horizon, Poe led her to the spring for their own bath time. Finn had pretended to not see them leaving, but Rose gave Rey another giddy little wave.

Unlike their first night together, Poe didn’t let Rey undress herself. He slowly and methodically removed her clothing down to her chemise and pantalettes. With her hands shaking, she had finished the job by removing her underthings while Poe removed his clothing. Rey had brought fresh cloths to change into for her menses, but she had been pleased to note that it was very light that morning, meaning it was almost at an end.

She watched as Poe slipped into the water without any hesitation. Rey was a bit more careful; she didn’t know how to swim and wasn’t sure just how deep this pool was. Poe had ducked under the water, but when he popped up in the middle of the spring the water only came to just under his ribcage. This gave Rey confidence and she moved further into the pool. Poe had brought a bar of Castile soap, which they had purchased at Fort Laramie. They traded it back and forth, using it to scrub themselves. Rey was still a bit self-conscious and kept her back toward Poe most of the time, but he was so relaxed and unconcerned that she soon became more comfortable. And oh, this felt so much better than her regular sponge bath!

She watched him scrub his hair, then he ducked back under the water to rinse it. When he came back up, he looked at her. “Do you want me to wash your hair?” he asked.

She nodded and turned away from him, leaning back to let her hair, which was now almost down to her waist, dip into the water. He reached for her, holding her shoulder with one hand and bracing her upper back with the other, so that she could lean even further, getting her whole head wet. Soon he was gently scrubbing her scalp with his fingers, working as much of the soap in as he could. It felt heavenly.

He supported her again, coaxing her to almost lie back completely in the water, rinsing her hair. When he helped her move upright once more, he didn’t let her go, but instead moved into her, turning her to face him. She felt his cock nudge her thigh and suddenly she wasn’t relaxed anymore. He brought his face close, nuzzling her nose with his, and she moved forward that last little bit, kissing him.

His arms closed around her, and she saw him throw the bar of soap onto the shore just before she closed her eyes and sank into the kiss. Her body was pressed tightly to his now, and she instinctively brought one of her legs up, curling it over his hip, opening herself up for him. His cock started rubbing her right where she wanted it, and she gasped as a wave of arousal overwhelmed her.

Poe began to move to the shore, pulling her along with him. She followed eagerly, keeping her lips close to his, her hands running along his body. His arms, his side, his ass. He groaned when she touched him there, but didn’t stop moving until they were on solid ground. Suddenly, he dropped down, pulling her with him, and rolled onto his back. Rey settled on her knees next to him, confused.

“Come, Tabai,” he grumbled. “I know you know how to ride.”

Rey’s breath caught as she realized what he was saying. She swallowed as she looked at his cock, stiff against his belly. Taking a deep breath, she straddled him, grasping him firmly, and directing him toward her core. He slid in without any resistance, and she cried out softly at the amazing feeling of fullness that was still so new and yet so right. “Oh, Poe!” she gasped.

“Yes, my love,” he rasped, his fingers tight on her hips. “My woman. My wife.”

She smiled at his words, and her hips began to rock. The sensation caused her eyes to roll back. “Oh, my God!” she cried. “Oh, please! I want..!”

“Do it!” he demanded. “Do what you want, Tabai! Ride me!”

And she did.

******

They headed north from Vale on Monday morning. Poe explained to the others that more than a few people had tried to forge a trail straight west, but none of them had easily succeeded. Lack of water and terrain that wagons just could not cross made almost every route impossible. Some had made it with luck, but most knew it wasn’t worth the hassle. Going north would take longer, but it was safer.

The mountains surrounded them, as they had for most of the journey since South Pass, and he could already tell there was fresh snow on the peaks; these mountains were usually still bare this time of year. It was going to be an early winter, he thought. But they were making good time, so he had no worries they would be caught in any drastic weather. Though it wasn’t unheard of to see snow already in late August, it was never a significant accumulation.

The weather did indeed remain cooperative, though a couple of the nights dipped down to almost freezing. One of those nights, as they sat around the fire a bit longer than normal, Rey asked Poe about the weather in Aldera.

“We don’t get a lot of snow,” he told them. “And the storms you’ve experienced on the prairie aren’t common, either. It’s fairly dry overall, much more so than on the coast. The springtime usually brings good rain, which makes the Willamette flood, but then the summer can get pretty hot.”

“How far away is Aldera from the ocean?” Rose asked.

“Almost one hundred and fifty miles,” he told her.

“But you’ve been there,” Rey said. It wasn’t a question.

He grinned. “I have. It’s beautiful, but not the place to raise wheat or horses.”

Rey laughed.

They left the Snake River behind, and the trail became dry and rocky once more, but Poe knew changes were coming.

More than two weeks out of Vale, just past the little town of La Grande, the trail directed them into the forest. While they had often traveled through areas with trees, these were usually very small groves near bodies of water. Heavy pine forests could be seen in the foothills of the mountains they moved between, but rarely had the trail come more than a few hundred yards of the trees; the original creators of these routes avoided any steep terrain or forests for a reason. But now…

“We can’t avoid them anymore,” Poe told his charges when they looked at him, wide-eyed. “Welcome to the Blue Mountains.”

Poe had always loved this area, and he knew that if he hadn’t been so besotted with the Willamette Valley he could easily live here in the Eastern part of the state. There were more than a few breathtakingly beautiful areas on this route, but very few were as peaceful as this mountain range. He could tell his companions were also in awe of the change in scenery. While the road remained mostly level and easy to traverse, the thick trees and awesome rock formations made them feel as if they had climbed high into the surrounding peaks.

Once they passed the area called Emigrant Springs, which had been a popular resting place for earlier travelers before Pendleton had been established, Poe grinned at them. “It’s all downhill from here!”

They reached Pendleton on a Thursday, and Poe declared they would remain there until Monday. Though there was no Catholic Church in the town as of yet, one of the locals mentioned the Black Robes came through from time to time, offering mass to the few Catholics in residence. Poe had hoped one would be there, to issue bans for Rey and himself, so they could marry as soon as they got to Aldera, but they were not expecting a priest for another week or two.

“We can wait,“ Rey told him with a soft smile. “It will take time to get settled once we get there, anyway.” She frowned. “There is a Catholic Church in Aldera, isn’t there?”

Poe smiled. “Yes. The first mass was celebrated in Saint Edward’s last year. Various priests have traveled through to give mass these past several years, but Father McKennitt is now established in Aldera.”  

The Columbia River, the largest river in the Pacific Northwest, was close now, but the road turned west before they reached it. “The terrain is super rough near the river,” Poe explained. “We’ll see it soon. But it’s going to be a dry road for the most part until then.”

They left the Blue Mountains behind, and once more sagebrush and buffalo grass thrived around them. Dust was kicked up by the oxen, but the temperatures remained pleasant, with the sun starting to make its own journey south in the sky. They took the ferry across the John Day River, named after a rather infamous Virginian who had been a trapper in the area years ago.

The road finally reached a point where they could see the Columbia River. He pointed westward. “All the way to the Pacific,” he said. “Portland and Oregon City are that way.” He could feel the anticipation flow through him. They were almost home! They continued on, passing the amazing Biggs Arch, then working their way along the bluffs to the Deschutes River, which flowed into the Columbia less than a half mile to their right.

“But we’re not going down the river, correct?” Rey asked as they headed for the one bridge crossing the Deschutes.

“Nope!” Poe affirmed. “Too expensive, not to mention dangerous. But the money you have tucked away is still going to come in handy,” he said, looking intently at Rey. “Not only will they charge a toll on this bridge, but the route we’re going will have more than one toll gate.”

“Barlow Road,” Finn said.

Poe nodded. “It’s a hard route, but it’s still safer than the river.” Too many possessions and livestock were lost rafting down the Columbia River. The road through the Cascade Mountains had been established a couple of years after the first emigrants had gone the river route, and now it was used as a stage line, so it was very well established, but it was still a very mountainous region.

Rey paid the toll for the bridge, which Poe thought was highway robbery (and he made sure to tell the operators that), then they traveled another few miles to The Dalles, camping just outside of the river town. The sun was already setting, and a low cloud cover prevented what he knew was normally a spectacular view, so Poe was disappointed he couldn’t yet show his companions where they were headed. Hopefully they could see it in the morning.

Morning arrived bright and clear, with the sun shining on the very thing Poe had wanted to show his friends.

Mount Hood stood tall and white in the sunlight, its peak pointing sharply up into the blue sky.

“Oh, my God!” Rose gasped.

“It’s glorious!” Rey said, a delighted smile on her face.

“We’re going that way?” Finn asked, looking at Poe with wide eyes.

Laughing, Poe answered. “Yep. We’ll be going south until we’re on the other side of it, then we head west again.”

“Through the mountains?” Finn looked very worried now.

“It’s not as bad as it seems. The trail is well used now. Even the stage line uses it. There’s only one really rough place, and even that doesn’t worry me with only one wagon to take down it.”

“It’s going to be beautiful,” Rey gushed. “After traveling so far surrounded by these mountains, to finally be in them!”

Poe shook his head, grinning. “I hope you’re still this excited when we reach the Devil’s Backbone.”

She looked at him, her smile becoming soft. “You’ve gotten us this far, Poe. I know you’ll get us home.”

******

The morning they set out on Barlow Road was cold and dreary, the coldest day since they left springtime in Kansas. It was just above freezing as they yoked up the oxen, and it never got much warmer than that. Clouds prevented any sun from helping, but at least it didn’t rain or snow and the wind stayed calm.

Poe explained that the first few days would be fairly easy, not much different than what they had already experienced. While the forest would be thick in places, the road was well traveled now, and unless they ran across recent tree fells, they should not have any difficulty.

That night it snowed a bit, but the sun shone when they rose the next morning, and any of the frozen white on the ground was melted away before mid-morning. On the fourth day, Poe directed Finn to help him hitch all eight of the oxen to the wagon. The road ahead was about to get rough, with steeper hills and rockier slopes. “This is a stage route now,” Poe said again. “So, it’s not nearly as rough as it used to be, but it’s still not gonna be easy.”

They came to the first of four toll gates on the sixth day; there used to be five, but Poe had heard that one had finally been abandoned. Fortunately, Poe knew the man currently in charge of the first gate, and after sharing some stories, they were let through without charge. “I don’t think we’re gonna get that lucky with the other three,” Poe grinned. “But you never know.”

While they had maintained a good pace of about ten to fifteen miles a day throughout their whole journey, the rough terrain and hills in these mountains slowed them down significantly. While the road was mostly downhill, there were still plenty of ‘ups’ for them to push through. The weather improved, and warm, sunny days encouraged them as they marched through the forest. Occasionally, they reached a clearing or meadow that allowed them to see Mount Hood on their right. Sometimes it seemed close enough Rey could imagine feeling the cold emanating off of its snowy peak.

They marched on, finding very few areas where the road was smooth and level. They stopped to camp just before reaching the second toll gate on a Saturday afternoon. Rey encountered the teen daughter of the man who was stationed at the gate while getting water and struck up a conversation with the young woman. Later that afternoon, the girl’s mother came to their camp and invited them to dinner. On Monday morning, they were allowed through the gate without being charged. Apparently, wagons were so few now and the family so desperate for outside contact that they were more than willing to let one wagon through, especially knowing Ren’s train was coming behind them at some point.

The reached a rather steep area called “Little Laurel Hill,” and Rey worried that if this was the ‘little’ one, what was the ‘big’ one going to be like?

It snowed during the middle of the second week, a heavy wet snow that covered everything with a white blanket, even the pines around them. They set out like usual and did not have any problems in the morning, but by the noon hour the snow had melted, creating mud. Poe finally called a halt around mid-afternoon. “We’ll leave extra early in the morning, before it gets soft again,” he told them. “Hopefully we’ll get some sun and it will dry.” Rey thought it was odd to see so much snow in the middle of September, but when she looked at the gigantic peak off to her right, she was reminded they were high in the mountains here.

The sun did come out and the ground dried fast, but the snow had created a different kind of concern. They had to cross the White River, the same river they had been following since the road got rough, and it was high thanks to the moisture from the autumn snow. Fortunately, it was also fairly narrow, and a bridge had been built, but the water was so high it was coming up and splashing over that bridge. Poe inspected it as best he could to make sure it was still solid, and finally determined it was safe. Rey held her breath all the way across.

They were moving more north now, and the towering Mount Hood was getting closer. Rey felt like they would have to climb over it to get to their destination. They came to the third toll gate late on a Saturday morning. It was being run by one grumpy older man named Lucien, who was not at all going to give them a break. Five dollars for the wagon and ten cents for each animal, so almost another dollar for their eight oxen and BB. It was horribly expensive, but still cheaper than hiring a raft to float them all down the Columbia.

They rested on Sunday, as always, and when they set out Monday morning, Poe told them that Laurel Hill was coming up. “I’ve been told they’ve created a road around the steepest part,” he told Rey as they walked along together. “But I’ll only believe it when I see it.”

The trees became thick, and the downhill slopes got steeper, but huge timbers had been put crosswise in the road, which made for a slow journey, but also helped to keep the heavy wagon from going too fast. Poe and Finn were ready to tie the wheels together to help slow it even more if it got worse, but when the road diverted sharply to the left and Poe realized they had indeed found a way around Laurel Hill itself, he looked very relieved. Switchbacks, with more timbers to keep things slow, made what had once been a sixty degree drop much less dangerous. When they reached more level terrain, he determined they should camp for the night, though there were still a couple hours of daylight left; despite it being easier than in the past, the constant downhill was exhausting for them all.

After everyone was settled, Poe took Rey on BB to see the chutes that had been used to get down the steep slope before the new road was built. Rey looked at the steep drop with amazement, grateful they hadn’t had to attempt it. “How?” she asked Poe.

“Kind of the way we did it back on Big Hill,” he told her, reminding her of the steep hill they had traversed shortly after they arrived in Idaho.

“This is worse than that,” she argued.

Poe nodded. “We would tie whole trees to the back of the wagons, lower them down with ropes tied to live trees, and pray.”

They continued the next morning, moving a little faster now that the downhill was more gradual and there were very few ups. They came to the last tollgate only to find there was no one there. It didn’t look abandoned, there just wasn’t anyone there at the time. And the gate was unlocked.

Poe shrugged and opened it, and Finn guided the wagon through. “If they come back and figure out someone went through, they can catch up to us for payment,” he determined. Nobody did.

They reached the Sandy River and the bridge across it was much more solid looking than the last one they crossed. That night, they heard wolves. It wasn’t the first time on this journey, but they had never sounded so close. Rey was thrilled with the sound, but also unnerved. The next day, she noticed a large grey wolf watching them from only a few yards away. When she looked closer, she could see others behind it. She gave Poe a concerned look.

“They’re just watching the livestock,” he told her, his voice calm and reassuring. “Looking for someone weak. All our animals are strong. They’ll leave us alone eventually.”

“They are beautiful,” she whispered.

“That they are.”

It took about an hour, but eventually the pack left them to pursue easier prey.

Five long days later, they came to the Devil’s Backbone. Rey had been expecting the worst after Poe’s mention of it before they started out on Barlow Road, but after all they had been through it was rather anticlimactic. It passed along a ridgetop that was just wide enough for their wagon, with drop offs on either side. The Sandy River was on one side, and another she didn’t know the name of was on the other, and that particular side was very, very steep. Fortunately, the oxen were steady and never once wavered as Finn walked along one side and Poe the other, leading them over the treacherous ground. Then, they were through.

They reached the town of Sandy that night, which meant they were only two days away from Oregon City and the Willamette Valley. They had survived Barlow Road and the Cascade Mountains.

They were almost home.

******

Oregon City was a bustling town, and still an important one despite the fact that its rival city of Portland had become the most populous city in the state years earlier. Oregon City was still the official end of the Oregon Trail, and pulling into the outskirts of it with the last wagon Poe ever intended to guide there, with everyone safe and sound, was a feeling like no other. He couldn’t help but grin at Rey as he mounted BB and led them along one of the residential roads on the eastern side of the city.

They camped that night just to the south of town. Poe escorted them to one of the restaurants that still catered to pioneers, as he expected the owners to be more or less accepting of the motley crew he now called friends, and he was right. While they weren’t overly friendly, they served them efficiently and the food was hot and tasty.

The next morning, he led them southwest following the Willamette River. It was still forty miles to Aldera, but Poe already felt like he was home. The Willamette Valley was so beloved to him. With the Cascades on the east and the Coastal Range to the west, this fertile region was the reason so many thousands of people had travelled the route they had just completed, anxious to start a new and better life. And the U.S. government had encouraged it, anxious to make as much of the continent its own.

The weather was typical for autumn in this region, with warm sunny days and brisk nights just above freezing. The trees were just starting to turn to their fall colors here in the Valley, while they had been well on their way up on Barlow Road. They were able to move fairly quickly, as the road was smooth and well maintained. Well, as quickly as oxen could go, anyway. They were back to using only six, with the two not being used trailing the wagon with BB. They passed through miles and miles of farmland, most of which was ready to be harvested. Wheat, hops, oats, and barley. Even a few orchards could be seen on some of the farms. It was indeed a rich and thriving land. The morning of the third day, Poe could almost feel the excitement from his companions. Everyone knew they would reach Aldera today.

It was around mid-morning when Poe recognized familiar features and farms. A few riders and wagons passed, and though he didn’t recognize the people, he still greeted them as neighbors. Most of them responded with politeness, but there were some wary looks as well. When Poe recognized the Antilles’ farm, he untied BB and mounted up. Shortly after the turn off to Snap and Karè’s farm there was another road going southeast. Poe turned onto it and the oxen followed. After a few minutes, Poe pointed off to the southwest. “There’s Aldera.”

It was only a couple more miles before the Kenobi homestead became visible. The Solo property was beyond that on the same road. He stopped BB next to Rey and reached down for her. “Come on!” he told her, kicking his foot out of the left stirrup so she could use it to get on behind him. She pulled herself up with his help, then he sent BB toward the Kenobi house at a fast pace. He felt only a little guilt about leaving Rose and Finn behind with the oxen and the wagon.

He could tell the house had been taken care of in his absence, with the dozens of rosebushes that lined the walk up to the door still healthy and strong. He helped Rey down, then dismounted himself. He smiled at her. “Welcome home.”

Rey grinned back and walked up to the modest one-story house. Poe was already envisioning adding on to it. Kenobi had been unmarried all his life, but if he and Rey were to live here, they would need more room for children. “I’ll need to get the key from Leia,” he told Rey. “But we’ll get the animals settled first.” The wagon was almost there.

It took a good thirty minutes for them to find a good place to park the wagon and unhitch the oxen. They were turned out in the pasture behind the barn, then Poe showed them the well with the windmill pump that would ensure the livestock had water at all times. He was about to get on BB again to ride next door when he noticed two horses coming down the road from the south. He recognized their riders immediately.

He stepped out to meet them, a smile on his face. “I was just about to head your way,” he told them.

Leia Solo dismounted quickly, still graceful despite her age. She was wearing a colorful blue blouse and a dark riding skirt, a straw hat with blue flowers on the hatband sitting on her head at a jaunty angle. She was grinning, and she stepped forward immediately toward Poe, her arms open.

He pulled the tiny woman into his embrace, tears welling up in his eyes. He would never get used to this woman, who was as close to royalty as the Willamette Valley would ever have, treating him like her son. It humbled him and yet made him proud at the same time. What a dichotomy. She pulled back and Poe turned to her husband who had dismounted a little less gracefully. Poe shook Han Solo’s hand.

“Welcome home, Poe,” the older man said gruffly. He then glanced behind Poe.

Poe turned and watched as Leia approached Rey. “You must be Rey,” the older woman said. “I have heard so much about you through the years. It is so wonderful to finally meet you!” She opened her arms and Rey almost fell into them. Poe’s smile only got bigger as he saw these two women he loved meeting for the first time. After a moment, Leia pulled back and looked at Rey’s companions. “Rose?” Leia asked, reaching for the young woman’s hands. Rose let her take them, her eyes wide as Leia stepped forward and kissed her on the cheek. “Welcome. And Finn?” She turned to Finn, reaching for his hands as she had done with Rose. Finn looked just as surprised as Rose when Leia kissed him on the cheek as well. “Welcome home.”

“Thank you, Ma’am,” Finn mumbled.

Leia shook her head. “Oh, please! You’re family. Call me Aunt Leia or Auntie or just Leia if you must.”

“Well, Auntie,” Poe said teasingly, waiting for Leia to look at him. “You should probably know that Finn and Rose were married in Fort Hall.” He glanced back at Han, who was smirking at the couple being discussed. “We’ll need to start planning a house for them here on the property. Maybe even get started on it before it gets too cold.”

Leia cocked her head at him. “Oh. Well, that’s great news. Congratulations,” she said, smiling at Rose and Finn. Then she looked at Rey. “But that will leave you alone in this house.”

Poe saw Rey’s cheeks turn rosy as she glanced at him. “Actually…”

“Actually,” Poe continued when she stopped. “Rey and I are hoping to get married as soon as possible.”

Leia’s mouth dropped open in surprise as Han started laughing. Poe looked at him, wondering why he was so amused.

Han shook his head. “We were literally just discussing whether or not you would finally settle down when you got home last night. I don’t think either of us expected it to be Rey that would finally tame you.”

“Oh, I don’t want to tame him,” Rey interjected. “I quite like him wild.” She tucked her hand under his arm, grinning.

Poe felt his heart swell as he looked at her sparkling, mischievous eyes. He looked back at Leia, who had composed herself. “Well, I… I’m surprised, but very happy.”

“Are you really?” Poe couldn’t help but ask. The months away from home dealing with people other than those that lived here had reminded him how most of the world saw him. A half-breed.

Leia looked him in the eye. “Yes, Poe. Really.” He could see the sincerity in her gaze. She took a deep breath and looked back at Rey. “I have the key. Let’s start getting you settled, shall we?”

As Rey and the others followed Leia up the dirt walk to the front door, Poe heard BB whinny loudly. He looked at his horse, then looked in the direction his horse was looking. Another rider was coming down the road from the south, and the horse was more than familiar; it was BB’s dam. He turned and rushed down the road to meet his father.

“Papi!”

******

Unfortunately, Father McKennitt wasn’t in Aldera.

He had traveled to San Francisco just over a week earlier to help an ailing friend, a fellow priest who had what they believed was cancer of the liver. It was unknown when he would be back. Which meant Rey and Poe would have to wait even longer to get married.

Leia told Rey that a priest from Portland was expected to visit every couple of weeks to say mass, and that they could at least get the bans read then, but the wedding date itself was up in the air. Poe told Rey it would be fine to wait, that he was going to be busy helping Finn build his own house, which was to be about a quarter of a mile away from Rey’s. Rey would also be busy as she set out to learn all she could about raising wheat and hops and hopefully apple and cherry trees. The land had remained fallow this past year, but would be ready for new crops in the spring, and Rey wanted to be ready, too. It didn’t matter that she planned to marry Poe and would have his help and guidance in the running of this farm, she wanted to know it all.

It was almost two weeks after they had arrived in Aldera when word spread that the Ren wagon train had finally arrived in Oregon City. Apparently, the good folks who had traveled with Rey and her family through the first half of their journey had not had an easy time of it. They had lost more oxen than the ones Rey and the others had passed, one of the Wilkerson brothers had broken a leg and was still unable to walk without assistance, and more than one wagon was ready to fall apart. The worst news, however, was that several of the children had developed typhoid fever. The Burrough’s one year old baby and their five-year-old son Mitchell had both died.

While Rey mourned the innocent children she had gotten to know earlier in the year, her sympathy for most of the adults on the train disappeared when Bill Parker arrived to warn them that Kylo Ren blamed Poe for their troubles, and most of the immigrants agreed with him. “They’re convinced that if he had stayed, nothing bad would have happened,” Bill told them after they invited him for dinner.

“They had no respect for Poe when he was there, but now they blame him for their own misfortune because he left?” Rey was baffled.

Bill shrugged. “Not that they can do anything about it,” he told them. “A couple of the families have land about midway between here and Oregon City, but nobody is coming this far south.” He paused. “But I worry about Ren. He’s just… he was mad. When he found out you all didn’t go to Bridger and got ahead of us? It’s like he went a little crazy those last few weeks.” He looked concerned. “I can’t guarantee he won’t head this way.”

Rey felt anxiety at his words, but Poe brushed him off. “Nobody will put up with his bullshit around here. He knows how powerful Han and Leia are in this community.”

For the next week, things remained calm. Daylight was getting noticeably shorter, and the nights were often at or just below freezing, but the days were mild. Finn and Rose’s house went up fast, with several men from the town coming out to help after getting to know the new arrivals; a couple of them were negros like Finn, former slaves who had moved themselves out here as soon as the war was over to start a new life away from the people who hated them. Unfortunately, Oregon had laws discouraging negros from settling in the state, but thanks to the Solos and their money and influence, Aldera was exempt from those laws.

The priest from Portland, a young Italian man, came to say mass one Sunday, and at Leia’s urging issued a marriage bann for Poe and Rey. He agreed to perform the ceremony the following month if Father McKennit didn’t return by then. The next evening, the officially engaged couple joined the Solos and Poe’s father for dinner at Leia’s favorite restaurant in town to celebrate. After a bit too much wine, Leia tearfully admitted how happy she was that Poe would truly be related to her now.

It was dark when the dinner ended, and as had become the norm, Poe saw Rey safely to her house with the intent to head back to his father’s for the night. Finn and Rose had moved into their new residence two days earlier, and while Poe had teased that he was going to move in with Rey to keep her from being lonely, wedded or not, he had yet to actually do so. “I’m trying to be good, Rey,” he had told her. “I’m not sure Father McKennit would appreciate knowing we’ve already been intimate.”

That night, emboldened by wine, Rey coaxed Poe into staying just a little longer than normal. It was their first time together since they had finished their journey. They didn’t even bother undressing completely as Poe helped Rey out of her pantalets just as she helped him unbuckle his belt and undo the front of his trousers. With one of her legs propped up around his hip, he had taken her against the wall. It had been hard and fast and perfect.

He regretfully left minutes later.

Disappointed but physically sated, Rey watched Poe and BB head down the road toward Kes’, waiting until she couldn’t see or hear him anymore before going back inside to clean herself up and prepare for bed. She heard one of the oxen bellow down behind the barn, and another answered. There had been talk of selling the animals, but nobody wanted to part with them. Rey had decided, as their official owner, to keep them in retirement. She and Poe also planned to buy some mares to breed to BB come spring, and Rey was more than ready to start adding more animals to the place. Cats for rodent control, geese to guard, chickens and ducks for eggs, and of course a dog or two. But for now, the oxen were happy to have the place to themselves.

She locked the door and headed toward the back of the house to lock that door, only to hear it shut before she even reached the kitchen. Her heart started racing in panic as Kylo Ren stepped into the room, his face dark with several day’s growth of beard, his eyes bloodshot and bruised looking. Rey immediately started looking around her for a weapon, but there was none. They weren’t on the frontier anymore; Aldera was a safe place.

“Get out!” she said firmly instead. Yes, he was bigger and stronger than her, but she had to make him believe she wasn’t scared.

“I can smell him on you,” the man growled. “I can’t believe you let him fuck you!”

“Get out!” Rey said again, backing toward the front door she had just locked.

“I offered you marriage. Security. Love. And instead, you become a half-breed’s whore?”

“I’d rather be his whore than your wife!” she shouted, then spun around and ran for the door. It was a quarter mile to Finn’s, but if she could get the door open and scream…

Ren grabbed her by her hair, pulling her around and throwing her to the ground. She planted her palms on the floor and pushed herself over, swinging her leg out and kicking him in the shin as she did so. Her skirt and petticoat hampered her movements, but knowing what he intended to do to her spiked her adrenaline enough that she overcame that obstacle. He shouted and stepped back, but the rage on his face told her he hadn’t been deterred.

She pushed herself up and threw herself toward the fireplace. The poker! Her hand wrapped around the handle just as his hands landed on her shoulders, pulling her back. She swung the poker down toward his legs, hitting the one she hadn’t kicked. He made a grab for the poker, but in doing so let her go with one hand. She used that opening to duck and spin, slipping out of his grasp and running. She swung the poker at him again, satisfied when she heard him shout in pain, but not looking to see exactly what part of the body she had hit. She ducked into the kitchen and raced for the back door, which she prayed he had left unlocked. He had.

She rushed outside and started screaming as she headed for the lights of Finn’s house. She could feel Ren right behind her, but she pulled up her skirts and ran as hard as she could, keeping the poker in her hand in case she needed it again. She continued to shout. “Finn! Rose! Help!”

She could see the door open at the house she was aiming for, and the familiar shape of Finn in the doorway, Rose right behind him. Finn’s brand-new Henry rifle was in his hands, and she could tell when Ren realized it, too. He stopped chasing her, but she kept running, not stopping until she was in Finn and Rose’s combined embrace.

******

Poe shoved his way through the door of the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, seething with barely restrained anger, Han following close behind him. Sheriff Davits Draven was sitting behind his desk, his expression guarded as Poe stepped up to him.

“Why hasn’t Kylo Ren been arrested, yet?” Poe demanded without preamble.

“One of my deputies had a talk with him this morning,” the older man responded. “Ren admits to having an argument with Miss Skywalker, but he denies having touched her in any way.”

“He assaulted my fiancé!” Poe practically shouted. “He attempted to rape her!” Han set a restraining hand on his shoulder.

“Now Mr. Dameron!” Draven argued. “I’m not saying Miss Skywalker is a liar, but maybe she misunderstood the situation.”

“Misunderstood?” Poe was aghast. “How can a woman misunderstand being manhandled?”

“They are emotional creatures,” Draven insisted. “Ren stated that she was upset, that she regretted refusing his proposal from a couple months back and that life here in Oregon wasn’t what she was expecting.”

“Bullshit!” Han said sternly from behind him. “And you believe him?”

“Mr. Ren comes from a very prominent family in Portland, Mr. Solo.” Draven’s voice was tight, his expression even tighter. “With no witnesses, there’s nothing I can do.” He shrugged and looked back at Poe. “And I certainly can’t speak to Miss Skywalker’s reputation.”

“She’s my niece!” Han growled.

“Adopted,” Draven argued.

“She was raised by a priest, for crying out loud!”

“And yet…” Draven didn’t finish the sentence, but the look he gave Poe was enough. And yet she was marrying a half-breed.

Poe felt his hands tighten into fists and he began to breathe deeply through his nose, knowing that assaulting the sheriff would do no good. The man was biased against women, as most men were, and he was also biased against him.

“You’re due for re-election this spring, aren’t you Draven?” Han asked.

Poe looked at him, then back at Draven, whose brows had lowered. The sheriff didn’t say anything.

“You know,” Han continued. “I’ve been bored lately. I think I just might run for sheriff next year.”

Poe couldn’t help but feel his anger turn to amusement. If Han ran for sheriff, there was no doubt he would win. Han touched his arm and nodded for the door. With one more glare at the now subdued Draven, Poe followed the older man outside.

“I can’t let this go, Han,” he said as they walked down the wooden walkway together.

“Nor should you,” Han said. “Dueling is illegal, unfortunately, but as Rey’s fiancé you have every right to confront him personally.”

“Do you know where he is?”

“As a matter of fact, I do.” He stopped. “But…” he sighed.

“I know. Don’t kill him. Not even you and Leia could save a half-breed greaser accused of murder.”

Forty minutes later, they both rode up to the front door of the farmhouse owned by Moden Canaday, a widower who had long been acquainted with the Ren family. The older man came out to greet them, his eyes wary.

“We’re here to speak to Ren,” Han said.

The man looked nervous and opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, Ren walked out of the door behind him.

“Dameron!” Ren said, a smile on his face. He ignored his host and walked up to Poe and Han, who had remained mounted on their horses. “Mr. Solo,” he nodded at Han. “What can I do for you?”

Poe couldn’t help but notice that Canaday was inching back toward the house, his nervous expression on Ren, not them. He focused on the tall wagon master. “I’m here to discuss your behavior toward my fiancé.”

“Fiancé?” Ren scoffed. “You actually believe she’ll marry you?” He shook his head. “Women like her don’t marry men like you. She’s just using you, waiting for someone better to come along.”

Poe felt his anger rise. For someone to talk about Rey like that… And yet, he thought in passing, just a few months ago even he might have believed what Ren was saying. A woman like Rey loving a man like him? Impossible. But she did. His trust in her, in her love, was unbreakable.

“I would normally insist you apologize to her,” he told Ren in a calm voice. “But I am quite certain she has no desire to ever see you again. So, apologize to me, then leave Aldera and never come back.”

Ren laughed, looking at Han. “You can’t make me leave, nor can you make me stay away.”

“Wanna bet?” Han grumbled.

Ren frowned, then looked back at Poe. “That little witch really has her claws in deep, doesn’t she?” he hissed. “She’s nobody. She’s not even related to Skywalker. She’s just some street rat’s bastard child who got lucky. Or maybe it wasn’t luck? Maybe she’s manipulated everyone in her life to get where she’s at now?”

Poe swung his leg over BB’s back and stepped to the ground, ignoring Han’s warning, “Dameron!” He stepped up to Ren, totally unconcerned that the man towered over him. “You know nothing about Rey,” he said quietly. “You aren’t worth kissing the ground she walks on.”

“I wouldn’t want to,” Ren responded, his voice just as quiet. “Not when I know the kind of people she spreads her legs for.”

Poe struck quickly, fist to jaw, and even he was a little surprised that Ren didn’t anticipate it. The man’s ego had no bounds. Ren was knocked off balance, his expression shocked. He looked at Poe with wide eyes.

“Say that again, Ren!” Poe demanded. “Give me a reason!”

“Poe!” Han called out.

Ren’s expression turned to anger and he reached behind his back, pulling out a knife. Poe didn’t hesitate to pull his out of its sheath in response.

“Ah shit!” Han groused. Poe could hear him dismounting behind him but did not turn to look. He stayed focused on Ren. Waiting.

He didn’t have to wait long as Ren charged him, his eyes wild as he roared. Poe didn’t even need to think. He just stepped aside, tripping the taller man and ducking as Ren’s knife swung over his head. Ren stumbled, but then turned on Poe again, thrusting his knife toward him. Poe grabbed his wrist with his free hand, twisting it as he spun his body around, ending up behind Ren. Normally a maneuver like that would cause his opponent to drop their knife, but Ren was strong and managed to pull out of Poe’s grasp before he lost his weapon. Poe ducked again as Ren did another careless swipe. He kicked out again, this time making Ren lose his balance. As the big man fell, Poe brought up his arm around him, grabbing Ren’s knife and shoving it into Ren’s chest.

Poe stumbled back as Ren spun, his eyes wide with surprise once more. He looked down at the knife in his chest, then back up at Poe. He gurgled and blood spilled out of his mouth, then he collapsed.

“Fuck!” Poe shouted. It had been an instinctive move. He hadn’t wanted to kill the man! He fell to his knees, dropping his own knife, feeling his chest ache almost as if he had been the one stabbed. He was going to lose Rey forever, now. No jury would acquit him, no matter that it was self-defense. He felt a scream well up into his throat and let it out.

He barely felt Han’s hands on his shoulders. “Poe, get up,” the man said quietly. Time to pay the piper, he thought as he stood, looking down on Ren’s sightless eyes.

Poe looked at the old farmer who was still standing next to his door. “I’m sorry, Mr. Canaday.”

“Sorry for what, son?” the old man asked. “Man fell on his knife. We all saw it.”

Poe felt shock fill him as he looked at the man, then at Han, who was nodding contemplatively.

“Yep,” Solo said. “That’s what I saw.” He shook his head. “Poor Ren. That last trip made him mad as a hatter.” He reached over and squeezed Poe’s shoulder. “He tried knifing you, tripped and fell. You and Rey have got nothing to worry about anymore.”

******

Epilogue

August 14, 1873

Rey stepped out the back door of the house, her eyes scanning the yard. Chickens and turkeys roamed the area between the house and the barn, and a couple of goats stood among them, looking toward her with hopeful eyes. It wasn’t unusual for her to bring out something tasty for them to eat, but she was a bit preoccupied right now.

She looked over to her right at the horses in the pasture. Five mares grazed on the late summer grass, each with a baby at her side, but the father of those babies was not in the field with them, which meant her husband wasn’t back yet. Two oxen, the only two that remained from the eight that brought her to Oregon, also grazed nearby, still enjoying their retirement five years later. Beyond the animals, a row of young trees were displaying a bounty of apples on their branches; it would be time to pick them soon, Rey knew.

She turned toward the barn, the poultry casually moving out of her way while the goats started to follow her. As she neared the barn, a pretty bay mare stepped out of the shade, a brightly colored pinto filly at her side. The foal had a back leg wrapped from fetlock to hip. She had broken the leg almost six weeks ago, but instead of putting her down as most farmers in the area would do, her owners had brought the baby horse to Rey, who was already becoming known as “Doc Rey,” the best animal doctor in the Willamette Valley. Rey had casted the leg and it was healing wonderfully, but the mare and foal were still under careful observation. Sheriff Han Solo had already offered to buy the filly once she was weaned, enthralled with her flashy color and fighting spirit.

Rey stepped up to the barn. This barn was new, built only last year, and it sat between her home and Finn’s; both families used it as they essentially owned and took care of the property together. Rey looked around the corner of the barn as she neared the side door, hearing laughter and smiling as she saw two little boys playing tag in Rose’s front yard; she and Rose took turns looking after the children, and today was Rose’s day, for which Rey was thankful. Both boys were four-years-old, though Rey’s Luke was three months older than Rose’s Anthony, and they were quite rambunctious. Anthony had a little sister, Paige, who was six months old, but Rose stated that the baby was by far easier to take care of than her son.

Rey opened the side door of the barn and stepped into the cool building, her eyes working to adjust to the darker environment. She heard a horse snort and sighed in relief. She headed toward the stalls and found her husband in the process of removing BB’s saddle.

“Hey,” he said when he saw her, a smile on his face. But his smile almost immediately turned to a frown. “Are you okay?”

“Uhm… as good as can be expected.” She paused, putting a hand on her swollen belly. “My water just broke.”

“Shit,” he responded sharply. “Do you want me to get Leia, or ask Finn to?”

“I’d rather Finn get her, and you stay with me,” she told him. Luke had come when Poe had been on an overnight trip to Woodburn. Rey had felt perfectly normal the morning he left but by noon she had been in full-blown labor. The baby had finally come early the next morning, only two hours before Poe had gotten home. Though they had both been assured that fathers didn’t need to be there when their babies were born, Poe wanted to be there for the next one, and Rey wanted him there, too.

“Let me put BB in the pasture, then I’ll go tell Finn,” Poe said, his movements suddenly anxious.

Rey reached for the reins. “I’ll put BB back, you tell Finn.” She grinned at Poe’s startled expression. “I’m not gonna drop the baby here,” she assured him. “I’ll meet you in the house.”

Though her pains were intensifying, she actually wanted to move, the pain less when she was on her feet than when she was sitting or lying down. She led BB out of the barn, across the yard, and to the gate of the pasture. She slipped off his bridle and expected him to run off to his mares and babies, but he instead stood next to her, nuzzling her belly, his eyes soft. She scratched him behind the ear. “Yes, the baby is coming,” she told him. “Maybe you’ll get a little girl to braid your mane this time.”

A contraction hit and she gave BB one last pat before leaving the pasture and closing the gate behind her. BB trotted off to his herd and Rey walked to the house as quickly as she could. As she reached the bedroom upstairs, she heard hoofbeats and looked out the window to see Finn trotting by on his horse Dio, who was a half-brother to BB. She sat on the bed to wait for her husband, but she didn’t have to wait long.

“What can I do to help?” he said when he appeared in the door.

Three hours later, Rey watched as Leia handed Poe his freshly bathed daughter and he in turn carried her over to Rey and placed the baby in her arms.

“Hello, Shara Mae,” Rey told the little red-faced infant. “Your big brother is going to be so excited to meet you.”

Poe reached over and ran his fingers through the swath of black hair on the baby’s head, then moved his hand up to tuck some loose strands of Rey’s hair behind her ear. “I hope she has your eyes,” he told her. Luke’s eyes had been light brown at birth, then they had darkened to look like his father’s as he grew, but little Shara’s eyes seemed lighter, almost a golden brown, so maybe they would turn hazel.

“Well, she already has your hair,” Rey laughed.

Poe smiled back and then leaned in to kiss her on the forehead, then repeated the gesture on his daughter. The baby screwed up her little face and squeaked, then widened her eyes and gazed up at them with what looked like surprise on her face.

“Well, little Ohmaa,” Poe said softly, using the Shoshone word for baby. “Welcome home.”

THE END