Author's note: Well, I asked for Damerey prompts and my follower came through! I got about a dozen; funnily, they kinda dovetail into a full blown story? I guess we'll see how this part goes over. This takes place a couple of months post TLJ, so beware of spoilers! Let me know if you like it! Still relatively new to Star Wars fic, so be gentle! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I am not the Mouse.

A Jedi's Quest

"Are you sure this is the right place?"

Rey ignored the jab, using her staff to help her climb. "No one asked you to come, Poe."

Poe followed her up the slope, wishing he'd brought warmer gloves. It was so cold. "Leia would kill me if I let you go alone." Finn and Rose were away on a scouting mission, Chewbacca had gone to visit some old friends from the first Rebellion. Leia hadn't actually said anything to him, but Rey was too important to the survival of the Resistance to make such a trek alone. At least that's what Poe told himself.

"I can take care of myself."

"I know." Even without a working lightsaber, Rey was a formidable fighter. He'd observed her exercises more than once in the Resistance's new base; there was an elegance to the way she handled her staff that belied her strength. And that didn't even count the things she could accomplish with the Force. He was in awe of her, but he was drawn to the vulnerability that she tried to keep hidden.

Rey tried to be irritated with him, but she had to admit that she was grateful for the company. She wasn't even sure this little quest would yield any results. She was flying blind. In fact, she'd only stumbled on this place by accident, reading through an old history of the Clone Wars. With Master Luke gone, all she had to guide her were the stolen books from the Ahch-To. And nothing in them told her how to fix a broken lightsaber.

There was an outcropping ahead; perhaps an old entrance to the Temple? It was nearly impossible to get a reading from the Falcon; the Empire had destroyed large chunks of the planet. She reached out with the Force to try and locate the ancient Jedi Temple; it had led them this far. She just hoped she was right. Rey quickened her steps, feeling excited for the first time since they landed on Ilum. As she got closer, she sensed…something, almost a hum in the Force. There was definitely something there!

"Hey, slow down!" Poe called as Rey sped up the slope. She either didn't hear him or didn't care; either way he had to hurry lest he lose sight of her. "Damn it." His feet slid on the almost sheer ice, the jagged edges tore into his gloves. His lungs burned but he kept going; he refused to lose her. When he got to the top, Poe skidded to a halt, arrested by the look of wonder on Rey's face. The cavern she'd discovered seemed to glow, to pulse, casting shadows over her beautiful face. "Rey?"

"Do you feel that?"

Poe frowned, confused. "Feel what?"

Impulsively, she reached for his hand, pulling him closer to her. With her free hand, Rey reached out, hoping to tap into the power she felt. A smile curved her lips, a vision of Master Luke hovering on the edge of her awareness. He'd scolded her for taking his instructions so literally, but this felt right. Her instincts proved correct; they both jumped a little as the Force seemed to hum through them.

"Whoa," Poe whispered, the hairs at the back of his neck standing up. "What is that?"

"It's the Force," she replied softly. "It's everywhere. But it feels stronger here. I think this might be the Temple."

Poe looked around, uncertain. "Strangest temple I've ever seen. What are the crystals for?"

Rey smiled, suddenly very thankful she wasn't there alone. "They're called Kyber crystals."

"Where have I heard of those?"

"They power a Jedi's lightsaber. And the Death Star, or so I read."

"That's where I know it from." It was in one of the histories of the Rebellion he'd read in flight school. "They aren't dangerous?"

"Is your blaster, by itself, dangerous?"

"In this cold, I doubt it."

Rey shook her head. "That's not what I meant. I only meant…forget it."

Poe gave her hand a gentle squeeze; Rey looked surprised like she'd forgotten they were so connected. "Tell me."

"I don't know how." She bit her lip, trying to find the right words. When that failed, she reached out with the Force once more. "Does that feel dangerous to you?"

Poe felt the hum of power and shook his head. "No, it doesn't."

She smiled at him, a warm beaming smile that made his stomach flip flop. What was it about her that had him so enraptured? "So, what do we need to do?"

For the first time, Rey looked sad. "I think I need to do this part alone. Wait for me?"

"Always." He felt the loss the moment she dropped his hand; he tried to cover it by tugging his coat tighter around him. It was freezing; the only good thing was that being in the cave kept them out of the wind. He shoved his hands in his pockets and settled in to wait.

"I won't be long." She felt bad, but something told her she had to do this alone.

Rey stepped forward warily, feeling mildly ridiculous. She didn't really know what she was doing; she had to rely on her instincts. The walls of the cave where jagged, marks along the stone where crystals had been pried out. An echo of pain lanced through her; what was that? She ignored it and pushed forward, hoping to find what she was seeking.

She needed a lightsaber if she was going to face Kylo Ren again.

The faint light from the crystals was the only illumination; even then, Rey stubbed her toes several times. She tried to maintain her connection with the Force, hoping that it would tell her where to go. She felt a tug off to her right; it brought her up short. She tried to peer into the blackness, but couldn't see anything. Still, she couldn't shake the feeling that that was where she was meant to go.

Rey reached into her pack, fumbling to find a torch. As she lit it, she glanced back toward the cave entrance; she hoped Poe would be okay until she returned. Squaring her shoulders, Rey moved deeper into the cave, eyes darting from side to side. Her heart raced, anticipation made her skin tingle. She lost track of time and space, searching for…something.

The cavern opened into an enormous space; Rey gasped. There were huge statues arranged in a semicircle, cracked in a few places. Broken by whatever the Empire had done to the planet? A wave of sadness gripped her; this was wrong. But she couldn't fix it. That wasn't what she was there to do. The only way to make things right was to defeat the First Order and bring peace back to the galaxy. One of the things she needed to do that was a restored lightsaber.

The Force seemed to respond to her thoughts; a light glowed off to her left, a rhythmic pulsing called to her. She moved in that direction, heading down an even narrower cave. It was a good thing she wasn't afraid of enclosed spaces; such a fear was impossible on Jakku. There were too many tight spaces in those old Stardestroyers, the need to survive drove her to dig deep. Rey wasn't sure how she would find her way back, but her instincts told her to keep going.

Poe rubbed his hands over his arms, trying to keep warm. Or at least maintain some circulation. It was colder than he thought; was the temperature dropping? He thought about returning to the Falcon, but he didn't want Rey to think he abandoned her. What if she ran into trouble? He just needed to keep moving.

Rey was starting to think this was a waste of time. She didn't know how deep the mine went, but if she didn't find something soon, she was going back. She couldn't just leave Poe in the cold. Hopefully, he'd have enough sense to return to the ship. Rey paused, her lungs burning a little from the cold. What if she couldn't find a new crystal? Master Luke's lightsaber was broken beyond repair, destroyed in her showdown with Kylo. Even if she did find a new crystal, she didn't know how to build a lightsaber from scratch. There was so much she still didn't know; it was frightening.

The ground shook under her feet; Rey scratched her hand as she tried to brace herself on the sheer rock. The trembling stopped almost as quickly as it started, leaving her confused. The planet was probably unstable; they needed to get out of there. She started to go back, but something called her. A crack in the wall nearly blinded her; what was it? She poked at it roughly with her staff; the brittle rock fell away, revealing a crystal.

She knelt, ignoring the way the sharp rock dug into her. Still a little hesitant, Rey reached out with the Force; it responded with a satisfying jolt. It was a Kyber crystal! She'd done it! Somehow, she'd done it!

It took some wiggling, but she got the crystal free. Rey couldn't wipe the smile off her face as she slid the crystal into her bag, wrapping it securely in a length of cloth. The cold was biting, cutting through the fur of her coat. Jakku could get cold at night, but never this cold. Between that and the quakes, they needed to leave as soon as possible.

She prayed Poe was alright. She'd just left him at the cave entrance!

Rey stood, the cold spurring her on. They needed to get back to the Falcon before they froze to death. Or there was another quake. At the fork, she almost got lost, but she reached out with the Force, focusing on Poe. She was surprised at how strong his presence was; it was blinding. She didn't have time to question it; she just needed to get to him. She found him near the entrance of the cave, curled in on himself for warmth. Rey crouched, urgently shaking his shoulder. "Poe! Poe, it's me. It's Rey."

His eyes fluttered open, not really focusing on her. "Oh. Hi."

She blew out a breath, mentally cursing her delay. She should have insisted he go back to the ship. "Come on, Poe. Get up. We're going back to the Falcon."

It took some doing—he was heavy—but she eventually got him standing. Poe leaned on her slim frame as they inched their way back to the ship. Poe stumbled several times, his movements sluggish. Rey breathed a sigh of relief once they got to the top of the gangplank, the door hissing shut behind them. Poe was ice cold; she wasn't much better. Neither was in a position to be flying anywhere. She needed to get him warm first.

"Alright," she said, almost to herself. "We can do this." She left her bag and staff where they stood and wrapped her arm around Poe's waist. Together, they shuffled to the main crew quarters, Poe mumbling nonsense. At least he was conscious. "Keep talking."

"Hmm, you smell really nice," Poe said, sounding a little drunk. Rey blinked, quickly brushing it off as delirium. "And you're cute. Like really cute. Have I told you how cute you are?"

Rey laughed dryly. "Um…no. But don't worry about it." She had no idea what to say; this wasn't a Poe she knew. He wasn't making her uncomfortable; she just didn't know how to respond.

"No, it's definitely not okay." He tried to raise his arm to her shoulders, but it just got them both off balance. Poe tipped, Rey tried to catch them, but all that accomplished was bringing them both down in a heap. Rey groaned, the hard metal grate connecting with her bottom.

"Ow."

Poe swayed, his eyes starting to fall closed. "Hey, hey, stay with me, Poe!" Rey cried, worried. "Stay with me!"

He blinked, finally seeming to see her. "Where are we?"

"We're back on the Falcon." She took one of his hands between hers, rubbing it, trying to bring back some feeling. "You scared me for a second."

"Sorry." He groaned. "Did you get it?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Why didn't you come back?"

"I wasn't leaving you," he mumbled. "Didn't want you to be alone."

Rey bit her lip, unbelievably touched. She was so used to people leaving her; it never occurred that someone would stay for her. "We need to get you warm," she said, not knowing how to thank him. "You're freezing."

"I'll be okay."

"I am not losing you!" It came out more vehement than she intended, taking them both by surprise.

"Yes, ma'am."

Rey rolled her eyes, even as she squeezed his hand. "Stay here until I get the bunk ready."

"I think I can handle that." He felt a little better, a little more himself, but he could tell she was still scared. He didn't think it best to argue with her. It took several minutes to get the bunk ready for sleeping; Rey had thought this would be a quick trip. How wrong she'd been. It seemed she was wrong about a lot these days. When she got back to Poe, he was listing to one side, eyes closed again.

"Hey, hey, hey," she coaxed, shaking him gently. "Can you stand for me, Poe? Bunk's ready."

His head lolled, but his eyes opened. The brown irises looked distant, which scared her. Poe was always so present when they talked; he drew attention in any room he entered. For some reason, he liked spending time with her. She couldn't fathom why. But she couldn't say she minded. She was still getting used to being around so many people, but Poe always made her feel like a person and not a symbol. Poe and Finn. Her friends.

"Come on, Poe, come on."

Poe latched on to her voice, a beacon in the haze of his mind. He managed to heave himself up; Rey helped him into the bunk. He was surprised when she eased his leather jacket off his shoulders and tugged his heavy boots from his feet. "Rey?"

"Trust me." She shook a blanket over his prone form and tucked it around him. She shivered, still cold herself. She started to move away, to get another blanket, but Poe reached out and grabbed her hand.

"Don't go."

"Poe?"

He managed to ease over in the bunk, still half out of it. "Cold. You're cold."

She sighed. She was cold, but there was something else she needed to do first. "I'll be right back. I promise." She touched his hairline briefly before dashing over to the cockpit to get them off the surface. It would be foolish to think there wouldn't be any more tremors. Once she had them in orbit, she hurried back to Poe.

"Let me get you another blanket." Poe shivered, teeth chattering; it scared her. "Poe?"

"It's…not exactly…Jakku, is it?" he tried to joke.

She chuckled softly. "No." This wasn't the most efficient way to get either of them warm. Blushing hard, Rey removed her boots and her vest before climbing in after him. There were some bumps and pokes as they huddled together; Rey had to twist awkwardly to get the blanket over them. The bunk really wasn't big enough for two, but they could make do. She'd slept in more cramped quarters than this. When she turned back to Poe, he was very close; she could feel his breath on her cheek. Feeling very awkward, she rested her hand on his side, not really knowing where else to put it. "Is this okay?"

He tries to smile but failed. He was so cold, but he felt better with her in his arms. "Yeah. Sorry about this."

"I should be sorry. I didn't think I would be gone that long."

"And I didn't have to come along. But I did."

She smiled, remembering how it felt the first time she felt the Force in the cave. "I'm actually glad you did."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

They lapsed into silence, Poe's shivers slowly subsided. Only then did Rey allow him to sleep. She felt oddly lonely once he was asleep; his brown eyes no longer a comforting presence. He looked peaceful, the cares he usually wore fading away from his handsome features. She could admit that while he was asleep. Sometimes she found herself staring at him when he wasn't looking, just drinking in the contours of his face. It was a new feeling for her, one she didn't quite know what to do with.

She must have fallen asleep too, because the next thing she was truly aware of was warmth against her back. It took her a moment to recall what happened and where she was and in the space of a heartbeat, she went very, very still. Poe. The freezing cavern. Sharing a bunk! Rey was a usually a fitful sleeper; her dreams often kept her from getting a solid night's rest. She was used to it though. That, of course, meant that she moved around a lot and somehow, she'd managed to turn completely over in the tiny space. Which left Poe Dameron at her back, his arm slung loosely over her waist.

Okay, there was no reason to panic. She just needed to get up. Check on the Falcon. Get them something to eat. Anything but remain in this bunk with her friend. Because that was weird, right?

Decision made, she started to move, but Poe stirred behind her. Rey froze. "Uh, Poe?" she whispered. "Are you awake?"

He made non-committal sound, leaning in even closer, his nose in her hair. She remembered some of the things he said when he was delirious, and it made her wonder. Was he delirious? Could have meant those things? Rey didn't know, but she didn't want to find out like this. Carefully, she inched away until she could swing her feet out of the bunk.

Poe woke up to the distinct sound of a hyperdrive. He stretched and yawned, trying to remember the dream he'd had. Rey was in it. That wasn't exactly new. He'd been thinking about her more and more lately. He thought he'd been doing a good job of hiding it, but perhaps not. He had dropped everything to join on this little quest of hers.

"Oh good, you're awake."

Poe looked up to see a casual looking Rey staring down at him. "Hi."

"Hey." She offered him a smile. "Feeling better?"

"What happened?" He only remembered cold, mind numbing cold.

"You were nearly passed out when I got back. Cold. Made you a bit loopy."

"Oh. Sorry?"

"It's okay. Hungry?"

"Starving, actually."

"We should get back to base in a couple of hours, but I made us something."

"Rey…"

"Come on, before it gets cold."

He hurried to obey her, briefly wondering where his jacket and boots were. Rey had laid them out nearby; he tugged them on before joining her at the table. Their meal was cobbled together from odds and ends, but he didn't mind. He was too hungry. "Thanks for this, Rey."

She shrugged. "I was hungry too."

He looked at her seriously and covered her hand with his. "No, really. I don't remember all the details, but thank you for taking care of me."

She blushed. "You're welcome." Then she frowned. "You don't remember?"

Suddenly, he was wary. "What did I do? Did I say something?"

"Yes, I mean, no, it's nothing. You were delirious."

"Rey, if I offended you, the I am truly…"

She cut him off, trying to ignore the hurt in her chest. "You didn't offend me, Poe. It was…nice, the things you said."

The took him by surprise. "Oh. Then I must have meant them then."

Rey couldn't have stopped her answering smile even if she wanted to. The bashful look on his face made her feel good all the way to her toes. They finished eating in companionable silence, until Poe frowned. "What is it?"

"Your hand."

She tried to hide it; it didn't even hurt anymore. "It's nothing."

Poe just gave her a look. "Let me see."

Rey felt foolish, but did as he asked. "It really is nothing."

He turned her hand over, holding it gently between his. Rey was surprised at how gentle he was; it didn't fit with the image of Poe Dameron, hotshot Resistance pilot. But she was starting to see the man behind the pilot and she liked what she saw. "Nothing a little bacta can't fix."

"Told you."

"Still, let's get you patched up." He offered her smile, then went to get some bacta and a bandage. The blush on her cheeks forced him to hide a grin; she was so pretty when she smiled. He tended her wound quickly, not wanting to add to her embarrassment. "All done."

"Thanks."

"No problem."

The silence was charged, but neither knew how to break it. Almost by mutual consent, they drifted back toward the Falcon's cockpit to settle in for the trip home. Eventually, conversation picked up again, discussing what might have happened in their absence. And if Rey stared at him just a little too long occasionally, that was between her and the Force.