Chapter Text
It wasn’t too long of a wait before the command to head back to base was given, and Poe watched as both the Nakina and the Falcon soared up from the planet beneath them. He eyed the famous freighter, not for the first time wishing he could fly her; he’d had the same thoughts the few times he had seen her as a child. Some things you never grew out of.
Within minutes they were all jumping to hyperspace, heading back to D’Qar, and Poe began to work on his initial report of the brief but intense battle over Takodana. He had begun this habit all the way back in his New Republic days, because he hated doing reports and procrastinated doing them after he got back to base. Starting them while he wasn’t doing anything else in hyperspace, and while the situation he was reporting on was still fresh in his brain, kept him from delaying the final report. By the time they came out of hyperspace, the report was almost complete. He would just need to check the statistics and it would be final. He smiled slightly with the knowledge that there had been no casualties on the Resistance side of this battle.
As he flew Black One down to her normal docking space, his eyes scanned the area, focusing on Rey’s X-Wing as she also settled into her usual spot. He looked just past her and could see the Falcon had already landed, as had Leia’s shuttle. He proceeded to shut down the fighter, complimenting Roz as he did so, and couldn’t help but grin as he remembered Rey chiding him for not wiping the ship’s computer. BB-8 was always complaining about Black One, too. He should probably get around to doing that sooner rather than later.
He climbed down the ladder one of the techs, Eltoni, had put up against his ship and started removing his gloves and helmet, handing them to the young man. As he did so, he recognized the beautiful and much missed sounds of his droid. He turned to see BB-8 racing towards him, his happy beeps almost frenzied.
“BB-8, my buddy!” He kneeled down, making contact with his droid. “You made it! How did you do it?”
*Captain Solo and Chewbacca and Petty but mostly Finn* the droid sang. *Finn found me and stayed with me and kept me safe*
“Finn!” Poe smiled. So, it had been the young trooper he had seen on the Takodana surface. And Jenkins Petty had somehow gotten involved, too. He was probably the reason Han Solo and the Falcon were here; he and Solo had been friends during the war. “Where is Finn?” he asked his droid.
BB-8 looked toward the direction he had come, and Poe turned to see Finn already making his way toward them, shock evident on his face.
“Oh, kriff!” Poe exclaimed, standing and making his way toward the man who had saved his life.
“Poe?” Finn was saying. “Poe Dameron? You’re alive?”
They rushed toward each other and embraced. “So are you!” Poe exclaimed.
Finn pulled back, disbelief still on his face. “What happened to you?”
“What happened?” Poe started laughing. “I got thrown from the crash. I woke up at night. No you, no ship, nothing.” BB-8, who had followed Poe, twittered at them. Poe glanced at him, noticing Rey walking up to them slowly as he did so. He faced Finn. “BB-8 says that you saved him.”
Finn shook his head. “No, no, no, it wasn’t just me…”
“You completed my mission, Finn…” He was about to turn to look at Rey, who was almost upon them, when his brain registered the fact that Finn was wearing something very familiar. “That’s my jacket.”
Immediately, Finn started to remove the Runyip leather jacket. “Oh, here.”
Poe stopped him. “No, no, no. Keep it. It suits you.” Poe smiled again, amazed once more that both of them had somehow managed to survive the escape from the Finalizer. He glanced at Rey as she stopped next to them, her eyes curious, a small smile on her face. Poe smacked Finn’s shoulder good naturedly. “You’re a good man, Finn.”
“Finn?” Rey said. “You’re the one who saved Poe?”
The young man looked at her and suddenly became flustered. “Uh, no more than he saved me,” Finn said, and Poe grinned again, understanding Finn’s reaction. She could be dressed in a flimsy bag and she’d still be stunning with her unique eyes and bright smile.
Of course, he could be a bit biased.
“This is Rey, one of our best pilots and our resident Jedi-in-training.” He smiled again as Finn’s eyes widened almost comically, the awe on his face growing as he focused on Rey again. “Come on, I want to introduce you to the General.” He directed Finn toward the Command bunker, Rey and BB-8 following.
The Command Center was in chaos as those who had gone to Takodana returned to their on-site posts. Leia was talking animatedly to Snap, but when her gaze caught Poe’s, she motioned him over.
“We need to find out as much as we can about the weapon that destroyed the Hosnian System,” she was saying. “Immediately.”
Poe glanced at Finn, who looked excited. “I can help,” he said, but his voice was a bit uncertain.
“General, this is Finn,” Poe introduced him. “He can help.”
Leia focused on the young trooper. “Finn,” she nodded. “That was incredibly brave, what you did. Renouncing the First Order, saving this man’s life.” She reached forward and grasped Poe’s arm, squeezing it lightly.
“Thank you, ma’am,” Finn replied. “I used to work on Starkiller Base. That’s the weapon you’re looking for.”
“Starkiller?” Snap echoed. “Appropriate.”
“Can you tell us where it’s at?” Leia asked. “So, we can send in a reconnaissance?”
Finn nodded. “I’ll tell you as much as I can about it.”
Leia looked at him, her eyes grateful. “Thank you.” She turned to look behind her. “Admiral?” She looked back at Finn as Statura came up to them. “Finn, this is Admiral Statura. Can you tell him all you know?”
Finn nodded. “Yes, ma’am.” He looked at Poe and Poe smiled at him, clapping him on the back of the shoulder.
“Welcome home, buddy.”
Finn smiled at his words, then turned to follow Statura to Leia’s office, which was much quieter. Leia turned back toward the console and Poe realized a holo had appeared above it. While they had been talking to Leia, BB-8 had given the datachip Poe had given him on Jakku to Threepio, and the droid was analyzing it. Poe could tell immediately that the map was not complete. His heart sank.
He turned away as Threepio explained to the General that it was only a partial map and they would need the whole thing to find out how to get to the planet indicated. The planet that Luke Skywalker was supposedly on.
He looked at Rey who was staring at the holo in dismay. Poe could hear Leia talking, her voice despondent. “I can’t believe I was so foolish to think I could just find Luke and bring him home.”
He heard Han Solo’s voice reply. “Leia…” Poe hadn’t even realized the man was in the room. He turned to watch as Leia stalked away from her husband.
“Don’t do that.”
“Do what?” Han asked as he followed her, his expression exasperated.
“Anything!” Leia huffed as she moved to the other side of the room.
Han glanced back at Threepio who just shrugged, “Princesses,” then he followed Leia. Poe watched as they continued their conversation in the far corner, Leia facing her husband with a stubborn look on her face.
Poe turned away to allow them their privacy. At least they weren’t yelling at each other; he had witnessed a couple of rousing arguments between them in the past, though he would always remember what his father had told him after one of those. “Two people as stubborn and strong-willed as those two are bound to have some vigorous disagreements,” Kes had said. “But fortunately, their making up is just as vigorous.” He had winked at Poe, who at the time was just old enough to get what his father was telling him. And that had always been the case between Leia Organa and Han Solo. They would fight, and they would make up, and they would carry on.
Until Ben had fallen.
Han’s leaving and not coming back had been a shock to everyone who had known them. While Leia had been focused on the Resistance before the break, she had turned her complete attention to it afterward. Poe, who was still with the Navy at the time, recognized the change in her when she had made her first offer to him to resign his commission and join her Resistance. He had refused that first time.
But then Muran had died and everything started to fall apart. His distrust of his superiors and his anger toward the government he had sworn to protect sent him packing, and Leia had been his first – and last – stop. The Resistance had been his home ever since.
He looked at Rey, who was still watching Leia and Han with worried eyes.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, glancing over at the older couple.
“So much pain,” she said softly. “But so much love as well.”
Poe stared at her. “You can feel that?”
Rey nodded. “Leia’s not hiding much right now.” She looked at Poe. “You should get some sleep, Commander. You may not have another chance for a while.”
Poe felt exhaustion hit him hard at her words. He knew she was right. There wasn’t much to do right now until a recon of this Starkiller Base could be done. Finn would be given accommodations after his debrief, as would Jenkins Petty, and he knew they didn’t need him at the moment. He nodded and focused on Rey again. “Yeah, I think you’re right.” But still he hesitated.
She gave him a soft smile. “I’ll wake you myself as soon as we know more, Poe. I promise.”
Rey’s smile and the affection in her eyes were still on his mind as he finally drifted off to sleep fifteen minutes later.
******
Rey watched as Poe disappeared inside the pilot barracks, hoping he would finally get some decent sleep, then she turned back toward the doorway of the Command bunker. She had not been commed, so she assumed the General had already chosen someone else to do the recon on this Starkiller Base, and while she would have been happy to do it, a nap of her own sounded lovely. BB-8 rolled out the doorway as she watched, followed closely by Jenkins Petty.
“Jenkins!” she called out, smiling. The older man grinned and headed her way, BB-8 on his heels. Rey smiled down at the droid. “BB-8, Poe is finally resting, so why don’t you go to maintenance and get yourself an oil bath before you charge?”
BB-8 chirped a pleased response and quickly set off to do as she suggested. Jenkins watched him go, then looked back at Rey, shaking his head. “What’s this I hear about you training as a Jedi? I thought Dameron was just looking for a pilot when he came to Jakku last year.”
Rey shrugged, not sure she wanted to go into detail about her Jedi potential. “As I recall, you turned down his offer to join the Resistance that day. And yet, here you are.”
He huffed. “I happened to be in Niima Outpost when I saw a young stranger and a droid that looked suspiciously like the one the First Order had just sent out a search order for accosted by several of Plutt’s people,” Jenkins said with a smile. “I couldn’t very well ignore that.”
“How did Han Solo become involved?” Rey asked.
Jenkins laughed. “You don’t recognize the Falcon? I’m not surprised. I didn’t either.”
Rey co*cked her head in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“The ship docked next to Plutt’s shop,” Jenkins continued.
Rey felt surprise fill her. “That was the Falcon?”
Jenkins nodded. “When we realized the First Order was already in Niima, Finn and I stole it to get off the planet. Apparently, when we reached space, a beacon that Solo installed years ago turned on. They were only a couple of systems away, so they high-tailed it in our direction.”
“Why didn’t he just bring BB-8 here to D’Qar?”
Jenkins grimaced. “I’m guessing it was because he didn’t want to run into his wife.”
Rey thought about the couple and remembered the high emotion she had felt coming from Leia. “I suppose you want to head back home, now, huh?”
“I already sent a message to Cara,” he said, speaking of his wife. “I let her know I’m going to stick around here for a bit.” He frowned, shaking his head. “After what happened to the Hosnian System, I’m going to do what I can to help you guys.”
“Thank you,” Rey told him, her gratitude sincere.
“Lieutenant Petty?” Commander D’Acy was standing by the entrance to the bunker with the young stormtrooper Finn. “I have a room where you two can freshen up and rest until the recon comes back,” she said.
Jenkins nodded at Rey. “I’ll see you later.” Then he headed after Larma.
Finn looked a little unsure as he turned to follow them, glancing at Rey. She nodded and gave him a smile. She wasn’t sure what the defector had decided about his future, but she was sure Leia had given him several options, including helping them in the coming fight. Rey wanted to make sure he felt welcome in the meantime. Her gratitude toward the man for saving Poe was strong, and she would do what she could to ensure Finn was comfortable. He gave her a soft smile in return, then followed the others toward the barracks.
Rey turned to find the General; she wanted to make sure she wasn’t needed before she got some rest herself. Snap stepped out of the bunker doorway and focused on her.
“Hey!” he said. “Poe getting some sleep, I hope?”
“Well, he went to his quarters, so we can both hope.”
Snap gave her a tired smile. “Well, we can, too. General’s orders. She wants us well rested and ready for whatever’s coming.”
Rey nodded. “I like that idea.” Together, they turned toward the barracks. Rey could already feel the pillow under her head.
Less than three hours later, her comm chirped, notifying her that the recon was back and all command personnel were required at a planning session in thirty minutes. Rey knew she was included; though she wasn’t part of command, her status as an almost-Jedi gave her access to the ‘important stuff.’ She quickly cleaned up and pulled on her flight suit. As she left her quarters, her eyes drifted down the hall to Poe’s doorway. She decided she better make sure the general comm had woken him.
She knocked on the door, watching as several other pilots headed out of the barracks and toward command. When there was no answer, she knocked again and called out softly, “Poe?” Nothing. Maybe he was already awake and waiting at the command center. She was about to leave when BB-8 rolled into the barracks. He chirped an inquiry. “No, I haven’t seen him. He’s not in Command?”
Negative.
“Do you have the code to his door?” she asked.
Affirmative. He beeped out the code without hesitation and the door slid open.
Rey stepped into the room, which was a bit larger than her own, but still tiny. The one window had a black-out shade covering it, but with the light from the hall helping her already efficient night-vision, Rey was easily able to see Poe, still heavily asleep in the bed. His comm was blinking on his nightstand, quiet at the moment.
Rey moved over to the bed and sat on the edge, selfishly taking her time to observe the man sleeping so soundly. He was laying on his left side, his mouth slightly open, his normally perfect hair a mess. The cut on his cheek was still visible even in the darkness, but it looked as if the swelling that had been evident around it earlier had gone down.
His comm chirped. He didn’t move.
“Poe?” she said, her voice quiet but not a whisper. She lay a hand on his bare shoulder, which was partially covered by his blanket. She squeezed softly. “Poe, wake up.”
His eyes fluttered open and he closed his mouth, swallowing harshly. She felt bad, knowing he could probably have used a good ten hours of sleep right now. But they needed him.
“Poe?” she said again, her voice firm.
His eyes opened wider and he focused on her. A soft smile began to tease those beautiful lips of his. “Hmmmmm…” he hummed. “Hi.”
Rey smiled. “Hi.”
BB-8 rolled up to the bed and started chattering at his master. Poe’s eyes focused on his droid and he frowned, then he looked back at Rey. “Damn, I thought I was having a really good dream.”
“You dream about me a lot, do you Dameron?” Rey asked teasingly.
“Yep,” he responded without hesitation.
Rey felt her face heat. Focus, she thought. “Command wants us. The recon came back.”
Taking a deep breath, Poe pushed himself up into a sitting position. Rey felt her face heat even more as the blanket fell down, exposing his bare chest. He nodded, his expression serious. “I’ll be there.”
Rey nodded back and stood, turning back toward the door.
“Rey?” he called out softly.
She turned back to face him.
He looked at her, his expression unreadable. He bit his lip, wincing as he was reminded of the cut on it, then shook his head. “Never mind. I’ll see you in Command.”
Rey nodded and left, her heart racing for some unknown reason. What had he been about to say? She hoped that whatever it was, he would find the courage to say it when today was over.
If they both survived.
******
