Chapter 1: First Volunteer

Rey sat in the captain's quarters of the Millennium Falcon, studying the broken pieces of the Skywalker saber. She ignored, for the present, how the must in the air still soothingly smelled of the roguish Han Solo, and instead tried to focus on the problem in front of her. If she was going to be a Jedi, she needed a Jedi's weapon. But as far as she could tell, no mechanic's tools could repair this lightsaber. And she had tried with every tool she knew about, a lifetime of scavenging and repairing knowledge. Only recently, with C-3PO's help (he was fluent in over 4,000 dialects), had Rey come to understand the beginnings of the Jedi texts. This blade could only be repaired with the help of the Force... the Force she was still only just starting to understand.

And that didn't even account for the blue kyber crystal being cracked down the middle. How was she supposed to mend a precious stone?

The durasteel door hissed open, and she smiled with affection as Finn walked in. Her oldest and dearest friend had been a great source of comfort for her in the weeks since Crait, and distracted her well from mourning thoughts of... Ben...

"Hey, Little Miss Jedi," Finn smiled. "How's the saber coming?"

Rey huffed tiredly. "It's coming." From the tone of her voice, she knew Finn could tell that meant it wasn't coming at all. He held out his hand, palm up.

"Let me take a look at it. Poe's been teaching me a few handyman tricks."

As if on cue, the saber rose out of Rey's lap and flew into Finn's waiting hand.

Scavenger and former Stormtrooper stared at each other in amazement. Finn spluttered like a fish. "Did I just... how...?"

Rey was the first to recover, beaming with pride. "Finn, do you know what this means?" and her breath went down to a whisper. "You have the Force!" It swelled Rey's heart to know that she wasn't alone. She had always figured she would not be, at least someday, but to share this gift with a person whom she cared for deeply warmed her soul. Her grin now widened. "And you know, I am going to have to rebuild the Jedi Order, if we want a chance against Kylo Ren..."

Finn straightened, throwing his shoulders back, as if that might make his candidacy more presentable. "Then I am your first volunteer!"


Rey and Finn spent the rest of that day in Han's former quarters, poring over the Jedi texts and Rey giving Finn rudimentary lessons in the Force. Poe Dameron poked his head in at one point, to give them an updated report on Rose Tico's health, but after that knew enough not to disturb them.

Before either potential Jedi knew it, they were struggling to keep their eyes open. It was time for bed.

Finn rose from the mattress, trying to remain perky about the new development in his life. "I can't wait for tomorrow - a new day of training!" He started when he felt his friend take his hand.

Rey was all at once overcome with fear at his leaving. She had spent many sleepless nights dreaming of Ben, mourning him, and having nightmares about Kylo Ren. And in any event, she had missed Finn in the few days she had been away with Luke Skywalker on Ahch-To, when her friend had been unconscious and injured. "Finny..." an affectionate nickname she had taken to using with him since their reunion on Crait. "... will you stay with me tonight?"

Finn blinked before smiling gently at her. He would do anything for Rey. "Of course." The pair prepared for bed, Finn removing his tunic, his back to her. He really didn't think much of it until he heard Rey gasp behind him.

"He got you bad, didn't he?"

Finn swiveled around, craning his neck over his shoulder to get a look at the fiery, angry scar running parallel to his spine, in the mirror on the refresher door. "It doesn't feel as bad as it looks, if that makes any sense."

Already in her simple nightdress, Rey shifted on the bed, listening curiously. "Really?"

"Yeah," Finn took a place beside her. "The bacta tank did a really good job healing it. And surprisingly quickly too, considering they had to haul my unconscious ass along in the evacuation off D'Qar."

Rey tentatively reached for him, then retracted her hand; her cheeks burned. "Can I...?"

Finn frowned. "You mean can you...?"

His skin tingled as Rey danced her fingers lightly over the scar. All the while, the pair's gazes remained locked, Rey very gentle in how she touched him. The gesture was tender, and for them, unusually intimate. Finally, Rey turned away.

"Let's go to bed," she murmured quietly. She and Finn climbed under the down comforter.

It was not previously spoken of. Rey and Finn platonically held each other in the darkness, each with their own nightmares to hold at bay, but only with someone else's help.

"Goodnight, Rey," Finn's voice rumbled into the darkness.

"Goodnight," she whispered.