When I come to the end of the road
And the sun has set for me
I want no rites in a gloom-filled room
Why cry for a soul set free?
Miss me a little but not too long
And not with your head bowed low
Remember the love that we once shared
Miss me but let me go
For this is a journey that we all must take
And each must go alone.
It's all part of the Master's plan
A step on the road to home
When you are lonely and sick of heart
Go to the friends we know
And bury your sorrows in doing good deeds
Miss me but let me go.
For how chaotic her life was, she passed quietly. General Leia Organa passed away quietly in her sleep, found by her assistant Kaydel Ko Connix, already cold to the touch when she didn't arrive for her breakfast.
Rey and Poe were standing over a console when one of the medical assistants approached them. "Commander Dameron, Master Rey." He greeted, gloomily.
Poe stood straight. "Yes?" He asked.
"I need both of you to come with me." He said, his voice tight.
Rey shared a look with Poe and both of them followed him out of the control room, a sinking feeling filling both of them. "What's going on?" Poe asked.
The assistant shook his head and kept his eyes forward. Poe looked at Rey, and suddenly she felt sick to her stomach. There was something missing and she stopped. Poe looked at her, his anxiety laced on his face. "What's wrong?"
She doubled over, unable to breathe. "She's gone." She whispered breathlessly. Poe paled before taking off past the assistant down the familiar path towards the General's Quarters.
Kaydel stood at the door sobbing uncontrollably. "Tell me it isn't true." Poe pleaded, his hands going to her forearms.
She shook her head. "I'm so sorry." She whispered and Poe pulled her into his arms and the flood gates opened.
He took a couple of deep breaths before handing her off to one of the assistants, one that she was close too. He stepped inside the room, the woosh was deafening.
Doctor Kalonia stood next to her, putting her stethoscope down to look up at him. "Poe, I'm so sorry." She said tears streamed down her cheeks.
He crossed the room to her side and dropped to his knees. Leia looked regal, even in her sleep. Her hair in a side braid and rested on her chest with her hands crossed at her stomach. He stood stock still, hoping that she would give him something, a sign of life.
He bit his lip and didn't move when he hears the door open again and Rey took space next to him, her leg against his arm. Offering his what comfort she could. "Was there anything we could have done?" He asked, his voice scratchy.
Doctor Kalonia shook her head. "General Organa was tired and now can rest peacefully." She said softly. "I will give you guys a few minutes."
Rey nodded and soon it was just the two of them. Poe took Leia's cold hand in his own and brought it to his lips. Rey dropped to her knees next to him, unsure what to do, her heart breaking for the loss of General Organa, but mostly for Poe—he looked up to this woman as his own mother.
He bit his lip to keep the tears at bay before he looked up at Rey. She cried freely, streaks trailed down her face as she gathered him into her arms. "It wasn't supposed to happen like this." He whispered into her neck.
"I know." She whispered, muffled by his neck. He clung to her as if his life depended on it and in that moment, it did. She would stay there until the end of time if he needed it. His breathing labored as silent sobs shook through him.
Silence.
They were surrounded by silence as both of them clung to each other for what felt like an eternity until the door opened again and Doctor Kalonia along with Connix and D'Arcy returned. Neither Rey nor Poe released their hold of each other. Poe tightened his grip on her.
After a long few moments, when Rey could no longer feel her legs from being on her knees for so long, Poe finally let his grip drop. Rey climbed to her feet and helped Poe to his, he was slow and stiff, he leaned over and pressed a kiss to Leia's forehead before he tucked Rey into his side when they approached him.
There was silence. All unsure where to go from there.
"We will prepare her for a wake tomorrow morning and let the others say goodbye before …." the doctor explained but left it to the open. "If you don't mind stepping outside, we have some work to do…"
They found themselves in the hallway and it was Rey who broke their silence. "What now?" She asked in a small voice, her hand found its way back into Poe's.
D'arcy sighed and rubbed the headache from her forehead. "She would want us to continue the fight for peace," Connix said, her voice wavering.
"She would." Added D'Arcy. "We need to announce…" Her voice cracked, her resolve deteriorating. She didn't want to be the one to tell everybody else.
"I'll do it," Poe said, his voice firm and strong. "Gather everybody on the bridge. I will be up there in 15 minutes, we need to tell Chewy first." Rey's heart sunk, the Wookie had been with Leia for years.
Both Connix and D'arcy looks relieved. "She was so proud of you Poe," D'arcy whispered, tears falling freely. "She knew we would be safe in your command, General Dameron."
That was the punch in the gut that nearly leveled him. Rey, took most of his weight as she pulled him into another hug. Her heart ached for him as he fought back another wave of tears."This isn't how it was supposed to happen." He whispered, he didn't want to take over Leia's mission because of this, because she was gone. He wanted to be by her side until the very end and peace was throughout the galaxy. He was next in line for leadership, she was in the meeting where they discussed it, but had assumed it would be years from now, even then he had a hard time with it.
"I know," Rey whispered, tears falling down her cheeks onto his jacket. The two other women excused themselves to gather the crew while they clung to each other. "Just breathe." His face buried deeper into her neck as he took a deep breath, it was all her-the shampoo they all used along with a hint of something that was just her.
He took another breath and let go of her, squaring his shoulders. "Thank you." He cheeks flushed, just a little bit.
Rey gave him a crooked smile. "I'm here for you." She reminded him and it was enough to give him the strength.
She gave him the strength to approach the 9 foot Wookie, who was casually working on the Falcon in the cargo bay.
He cried uncontrollably, shaking his fists so hard he was worried that one of them was going to get hit with it before he pulled both of them into a hug, lifting them off their feet. "I know, Chewy." He said as the Wookie warbled in sadness. "She's in her room, you can go see her."
He sat them down gently and disappeared down the hall. When Poe was orientated enough to look at Rey again, she had a steady stream of tears down her face. "He's the last of them." She whispered Poe, pulled her back into his arms, his lips against her forehead. "Han, Luke and now Leia…"
"Chewy still has us," Poe said, not moving his lips from her forehead and swaying slightly, enough to calm her. She stepped back from him but kept her hand in his as they walked the quiet hallway back to the bridge.
It was enough to give him the strength to stand in front of his peers, his friends and tell them that General Leia Organa was gone.
He glanced at Rey as he took a deep breath while it grew silent around him. "General Organa passed away in her sleep last night." He said, his voice strong and the room filled with gasps. Rose collapsed into Finn, who stood looking dumbstruck at Poe.
Cries soon followed, but Poe kept talking. "I have known Leia my entire life and there are not enough words to describe who she was, she was the best person in the entire galaxy. She genuinely cared for each and every one of us. She was the original spark that lit this fire inside of us," He said slowly. "She would not want us to mourn her, only to remember what we are fighting for and to continue to keep the flame alive that will burn the First Order down. To finish her mission to bring peace throughout the Galaxy…" His voice wavered, as he covered his mouth to choke back a sob. He always was able to use his words, but they failed him at that moment.
D'arcy took over, placing a hand on his arm and excused him as she relayed the celebration of Leia's life information. Poe walked over to Rey, emotionally drained. She held out her arms for him and he buried his face into her neck as he breathed heavily, his hands fisted at her waist. She rubbed his back, soothingly. He felt a heavy hand on his back, Finn. And soon both of them were wrapped up in his arms.
It took a moment for Poe to untangle himself from to Rey to wrap his arms around Finn, who was now sobbing uncontrollably. "Finn, buddy. It's okay." He said, trying to console his friend. It was another 5 minutes until he was calm enough for Poe to understand him.
Rey and Rose hugged as they watched Poe calm Finn. "Is he doing okay?" Asked Rose, tears falling down her face.
"Finn?..."
Rose shook her head. "No, Poe?" She asked softly. "She knew his parents. She practically raised him after his mother died…."
Rey bit her lip, tears falling faster. She hadn't realized how much deeper the passing of the General would be for him. Just how long she had been in his life, she knew his parents.
Suddenly she was angry. Poe didn't deserve this heartbreak, Leia was supposed to be immortal and survive this war. Leia was supposed to be there for him, for them-for guidance. She was supposed to see her son's redemption or demise whichever fate that Ben Solo got.
Rey's fingers started to aches as she clenched her fists, wanting to punch something-anything, it doesn't really matter.
She was angry at herself for being angry at Leia. What kind of monster was she? Shouldn't she be sad? Her knuckles cracked under her own strength.
Rose squeezed her arm, but she didn't release her grip. "He has you, Rey. He'll get through this." She said, reassuringly through her dark thoughts. She was always vocal about Rey's non-relationship with Poe, but this was genuine and not teasing, but she barely heard her.
Poe looked up from the pilots who had swarmed around him, he frowned as he sensed her resolve starts to crumble and excused himself to be by her side. "Rey?" He asked concerned, his hands gripping her forearms.
She shook her head as her body was racked with sobs and he pulled her against his chest. His turn to rub her back and soothe her. He looked to Rose for some kind of clarity, who shrugged nonchalantly, not giving up any reason she was crying like this.
"What's wrong, Rey?" He asked, his mouth against the top of her head. She mumbled something he didn't hear and so he cupped her face with his free hand. "Rey?" She closed her eyes, willing the tears to stop. He pressed a kiss to her warm forehead and brushed her hair from her face.
"I am just…." She cried softly. "Is it selfish of me to be angry at her for leaving us? For leaving you?"
"Oh, baby." He said, pulling her back into his chest and her arms went around his neck, his hands framing her ribcage as she sobbed into his shoulder. Her body shook against him and be buried his face against her as he comforted her-whispering something that none of the onlookers could hear. After a few moments, Poe moved her towards the corner of the room, to give her a little privacy.
Rose tucked herself into Finn's side as they watched Rey's heartbreak and she tucked herself back into Poe's strong arms, tears streaming down his face. "This isn't fair," Finn said to her. "We were finally winning!"
She looked up at Finn, the streaks down his cheeks glistened in the lights. "We will still win." She said softly, reaching up to wipe the tears off his cheeks. "Poe will make sure of it and so will Rey." It was soft and quiet. "And so will all of us, Finn. We have to win now."
Finn pulled Rose into a bear hug, she was his rock. He pressed a kiss to her forehead as he watched Poe comfort the young Jedi, who was shaking with sobs.
Poe held on tightly through the storm. "It breaks my heart to see them like this," Rose whispered to Finn.
Finn nodded in agreement as Poe pulled back to look her in the eye, his hand cupping her cheek as he spoke with her, with such conviction, they believed him even though they couldn't hear what they were saying.
"I would give anything for this to be different," Finn whispered. "I would…."
Rose placed a hand on his heart. "I know, Finn." She said as his own tears started to fall down her cheeks as they watched Poe leaned in and captured Rey's lips with his.
Both of them gasped. "I wish this was different." Finn cried, not able to turn away from them as they kissed, it was beautiful-hadn't it not been so heartbreaking. "This isn't fair."
When their lips broke apart, Poe whispered something to her and she nodded, resting her head against his collarbone as he wrapped his arms tightly around her, protecting her from the world. Rose gave them a few minutes before crossing the room to them, placing a hand on Poe's arm as he comforted the Jedi. Finn slowly followed, not wanting to intrude on their moment.
"She'll be okay." He said softly, not to disturb her. His large hand rubbed her back, she was so still against him that Finn was sure that she had fallen asleep-which is what he wanted to do, sleep for the next three days.
D'Arcy approached the group. "Kalonia says that everything is set for tomorrow." She said softly and explained to Poe the watch schedule until tomorrow. They had business to attend to before they could lay Leia to rest. "I know she doesn't like to set aside time to mourn, but I think we that we need to do this for our sake."
Poe agreed. "She deserves this, they all do." He answered with a nod. "Tomorrow we will remember her and then we will win this for her."
It was hope.
And it was enough for Rey to lift her head up off of his collarbone, her cheeks were stained with tears as she took a couple of breaths to stabilize herself. Poe took her hand in his. "Come on." He said to her, giving her hand a small squeeze as he excused himself, telling D'Arcy that he would be available should they need him. Giving a brief nod to both Finn and Rose as they walked away.
Poe led her down the hall to his quarters and the second she stepped inside she let out the breath she was holding. She turned to Poe and stepped back into his space, her forehead meeting his collarbone again. "I'm sorry for breaking down like that, it's just that..." She didn't have time to mourn the loss of Han, nor Luke, and now they had a little time.
He wrapped his arms around her tightly, pressing another kiss to her forehead. "It's okay, Rey. Mourning is a tricky thing, it's okay to be angry and sad." He whispered. "I don't think any less of you."
She snaked her hand up to cup his cheek and rested her forehead against his. It was exactly what she needed to hear, she worried that her anger would make her like ….. She wasn't going to think about him right now. "Thank you." She said, pressing a soft kiss to his lips.
He kissed her back, his tongue meeting hers again.
He kissed her on the bridge earlier as he listened to her bear her soul to him, about how angry she was that Leia was gone and her concern for Poe rooted her anger. It took just a moment for Poe to realize that she cared that deeply for him that he kissed her without concern. He didn't care that the entire crew could see him.
And now, he couldn't stop. It helped mask his heartache that he felt.
His kisses trailed down her neck as his hands started to explore her body above her tunic and as he reached the hem, underneath. Her abs were toned and firm, her skin erupted into goosebumps as he got acquainted.
Her hands raked through his hair as he led her towards his bed. The back of her legs hit the edge and he carefully led her into the bed, without breaking contact.
He knew he should probably stop, but at the moment he allowed himself to be selfish. Both he and Rey had been dancing around this for months, hell even Leia gave him a hard time about it almost every day. And right now, she needed this as much as he did.
He straddled her legs as he continued to kiss her, teaching her.
"Is this okay?" He asked breathlessly, he had to know that she was okay with this.
"Yes." She answered, she looked spent but in a good way.
That was all he needed to hear as he took his shirt off and threw it across the room. Rey gasped as she tentatively ran her fingers up his chest muscles. He took her hands and guided her, giving her the confidence she needed.
He figured she was inexperienced and before, it had intimidated him, but now- it didn't-today taught him that time was short and he didn't want to miss his opportunity. She was just slightly timid but brave enough to do it anyway that's what he loved about her. His hands dropped to her wrists as she mapped the skin on his chest-raking her fingers through the hair.
For a moment, she grasped his mother's ring on the chain, she was almost distracted by it but decided to move on, he would tell her about it later. Up to his collarbones and finally they wrapped around his neck, pulling him back down to her to kiss him again. His hands between them as he found the zipper on her vest, pulling it down-exposing the skin she kept hidden behind it. He slid it off her shoulders, leaving her in a black breast band.
His hands got familiar with the tight muscles in her abdomen, peppering her skin with kisses. Tongue grazing over the top of her breasts.
She gasped as he touched her in ways she had never experienced, leaving Poe to marvel at the blind trust she gave him.
He kissed his way down her stomach, his fingers hooking the waistband of her pants and soon it too found its way to the floor with the rest of her clothes, leaving her in tight under-shorts that matched her breast band. He sat back on his haunches to look her over again. "You are so beautiful." He whispered in awe.
Her cheeks flushed under his hungry gaze. "I've never been called beautiful before." She responded nervously, she couldn't hold his gaze any longer.
Poe leaned down to capture her lips with his. "Unbelievable." He said. "You are the most beautiful thing in the galaxy." Another deep kiss. He was going to tell her every day until his last that she was beautiful.
His hand slid between them, down her rib cage and over her stomach, finally under the waistband of her underwear and into her folds. She gasped, biting her lip-suddenly embarrassed. He chuckled and placed a kiss to her cheek. "It's okay." He said, nuzzling her cheek with his nose. "Don't hold back."
She bit her lip as his fingers reached the little bundle of nerves that shot euphoria through her body in waves that she had never felt before. Her brain nearly shut down at his touch, suddenly it was only her and Poe left in the universe and nothing mattered-not the First Order, not General Organa and the Rebellion. It was a sensory overload with Poe's mouth on hers.
But not for long, his mouth trailed down her body again, stopping at her breasts and pulling them free of the breast band-he gasped. Giving attention to each of them before traveling down to her belly button, letting his teeth rake lightly over her hip bone.
He pulled down her underwear and it joined the rest of the clothes on the floor before he hooked his arms under her thighs and splays his hands over her hips, giving them a little squeeze of assurance. She lets her legs rest against his shoulders and lays her head back on his pillow and closes her eyes-trusting him as he kisses his way up her thigh and finally lands a kiss exactly where she wanted it.
His mouth was sinful, somehow both aggressive and coaxing. His kiss conveyed a possessiveness that seemed intent to prove that he really did feel something for her. His tongue teased hers, as fierce and carnal, as devouring as the kiss was, he didn't just plunge in carelessly. The kiss was soul-searing, yet he teased and tormented his tongue.
She couldn't think anymore, the last few hours vanished, it was just the two of them in the universe. She gasped in shock. It turned into a hiss as he began to gently suck, sinking into the soft pillows and digging her fingers into his curls. He angled her hips with a firm grip as he dipped a finger inside, he was gentle, mindful that she hadn't done this before. She gasped at the new sensation. His strokes were easy, one finger, then two, opening her up to him. She tugs at his hair and lets her legs fall wide open, she exhales become laden with soft moans.
There was a build up and suddenly she couldn't feel anything except his mouth on her and his shoulders moving against her thighs. It was more than she had ever expected. She bit her lip so hard as her body reached its peak that it nearly split open. Her body trembled under the waves and it was a damn near out of body experience. She barely realized that he put her legs down and looked over her, she was near liquid now-looking utterly exhausted.
"You okay?" He asked with a little laugh, she had yet to catch her breath.
"Yes." She said breathlessly and he crawled back up her body, dragging his lips across her skin. Her neck. Her cheeks, forehead, and nose before capturing her lips with his. His body was flush against hers and she could feel him against her. "You have too much clothing on." It came out in small breathless pants.
He chuckled as her hand traveled down his stomach to the bulge at his pants. It was his turn to gasp. "Are you sure? We can stop…"
She gave him a look that quieted him, nothing was going to ruin this moment for them. "I want this." She whispered, she wanted to forget the heartache, if only for a little while. "I want you."
Any nervousness that Poe had felt prior to this moment in regards to this being her first time disappeared instantly. He kissed her again, his hands reaching for his belt buckle and somehow magically shimmied his way out of his pants. "I want you too." He whispered against her lips, sealing the deal with another breath stealing kiss.
Normally, Poe would drag out the foreplay until she would scream his name, but now he wanted nothing more than to feel her stretch around him, joining them together as one. Every cell in her body seemed alive, striving, yearning for the moment, hungering for it, screaming for it. Her very soul seemed to cry out for him.
She felt his one hand sweep to the dip of her waist as his other guided himself into her. The delicious burn of stretching caused her to whimper. He was painfully slow to move at her entrance, to allow her to get used to the feeling. She gasped, biting her lip as she concentrated on the new feeling.
He stopped for a moment when he was completely inside of her, he watched her face with love and concern. "Are you okay?"
"Yes." It was breathless, the wince replaces with something that he didn't recognize. The stretching friction was glorious. She was close already; just the feel of him sliding deep into her, spreading her open, had her on the edge.
"Gods, Rey." He groaned as he pulled back again. His neck and shoulders showed the tension of strain, he was flushed, his own dark skin showing the heat of his blood and excitement.
SHe looked at him, her breath taken away by sensation but her heart tightening at the sight of Poe's passion tensed face. He was watching her, his attention flicking between watching their bodies join and capturing her eyes. She could feel him completely, every detail, each ridge and vein of him inside of her, unlike anything she had ever felt before.
One of his large hands was under her waist, the other splayed over her mound. He started to press down slightly as he filled her and should couldn't bite back a cry.
It didn't take long for her at all before searing flames surrounded her body. She cried out as her body clamped down, which only increased the stimulation as Poe continued to move for a moment before pausing to circle his thumb around her, drawing the sweet rapture out, keeping her whole body spasming around him. Her whole body seemed to repeatedly clench and draw in, draw him in.
"I've got you, sunshine." He bent over her to hook his arms under hers, pulling her up to straddle his lap, her body flush with his, both of them slippery with perspiration, panting hard with the exertion. His arms wrapped around her as she tried to regain some semblance of control over her body.
Poe's embrace was tender and sheltering Rey managed to wind her own arms limply over his shoulders. "Words gone, brain gone." She muttered into his shoulder. She was seeing dark stars exploding behind her eyelids.
He chuckled, pressing a kiss to the side of her. He took a couple of moments to hold her against him, rocking his hips against her. Poe brought his lips back to hers, it was sensory overload and things around them started to float slightly off their surfaces. The force flew around them as Rey got the idea and picked up the rhythm and it was his turn to gasp.
She was doing her best to lift herself as his hand under her bottom urged, meeting his more and more erratic thrusts. It wasn't long before Poe stiffened in her arms and cried out as he spilled himself into her in strong, hot bursts.
For the first time since they found out about Leia, Poe felt peace. There was the sweet joy, the after tingles still running through his veins.
"That was. . ." She couldn't find the words. Her cheek was pressed against his slick shoulder.
"Yeah, it was."
Leia was going to leave a giant hole in his heart, but Rey eased the ache and kept him strong. He wasn't sure how the future was going to hold, but as long as she was with him, it didn't matter because she gave them hope. This moment with Rey was Leia's final gift to him, making him brave enough to follow through with his family.
After a few moments, Poe had gotten off the bed much to Rey's protests, gone into the refresher and returning with a washcloth, wearing a clean pair of boxer shorts. He gently cleaned her with the warm cloth, making sure he got everything. Her color rose again and her renewed blush was charming.
She bit her lip and he laughed as he leaned down to kiss her as he tossed the cloth on the floor where their clothes had ended up. He crawled back into bed with her and wrapped her up in his arms.
"Thank you." He whispered with another kiss to the side of her head.
They dozed off even though they had things that they should be doing and friends to comfort, but currently they needed each other more and frankly, Leia would have approved of this. But something was nagging her at the back of her mind. Ben. Ben needed to know. As much as she didn't want anything to do with the Supreme Leader and the thought of him tracking them through their link was high, but it was worth the risk. It was the least she could do for Leia.
Poe heaved a deep sigh. "What are you thinking." He asked quietly, his voice was harsh but sexy.
She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "You're not going to like it." She whispered.
He wiped the tear that trailed down her face. "Rey." He said softly.
"I need to tell Ben."
There was silence for a moment and she knew that Poe hated the idea. He released the breath he was holding. He hated the idea of her having to tell him, Ben Solo didn't deserve to know about General Leia. He didn't deserve to mourn the loss of the mother he disappointed.
But he understood her need to tell him, she was a better person than him.
He ran his hand up her bare arm and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "He can't see anything but me, he won't know where we are. . ." She said quietly.
"I know." He said softly, pushing her hair out of her face. He didn't have to like it.
"Thank you." She whispered as she crawled out of bed and throwing on his discarded shirt. Poe watched her sashay into the middle of the room and sit down with her legs crossed. He had heard about her link with the Supreme Leader right after he had met her but hadn't seen her communicate with him. After Crait, what felt like an eternity ago, she had focused her efforts on blocking him from her mind and either he didn't care enough to reach out to her, or she was successful at keeping out the monster. He propped himself up to watch her and in case he needed to intervene.
Rey closed her eyes and felt the force reach out through space and when she opened her eyes again stood the tall dark figure of Ben Solo with his back to her. "Have you finally decided to join me?" He said, his voice deep and it gave her the chills.
"Ben." She said softly.
He froze and turned to look at her, his eyes darkened and Rey knew that she should have put more clothes on before reaching out to him. He took a step towards her and she forced herself to remain planted on the floor, she could feel his rage surrounding her. "I am the Supreme Leader and I shall be addressed as such. . ." He kneeled down to her level and reached out with a gloved hand to move away from the collar as she held her breath. "I thought you had higher standards, but you are nothing but a common whore." He growled as he stood up to his towering height over her and she realized that Poe had marked the skin on her neck. "You could have had everything in the galaxy, but instead you choose to fuck the peasants. You broke the Jedi code. . . ."
"Ben, listen. . ." She pleaded, she could feel the tears welling up in her eyes.
"Who was it? Who ruined you? Was it the traitor, FN-2187?" He sneered walking away from her before freezing. "I bet it was the hotshot pilot, my mother's lap dog." Rey tried to keep her face passive and he turned around to look at her, ice flew through her veins. "It was him!" It came out as a strangled cry, he was so close she could feel the heat of his body against her as he stalked around her. For a brief moment, she feared that he could sense Poe behind her or that Poe would make a noise behind her and distract her enough for Ben to realize that she wasn't alone.
"I am going to make him pay." He growled, his breath moved the hair around her ear. "He will suffer for taking what is mine if I have to search every hole of a planet in the entire galaxy." It sent chills down her spine. "He will watch you die. . ."
"Ben! She's gone." She cried, trying to get through his interrogation. He froze and fell silent, his fists clenched tight. "Your mother is gone."
"She is not my mother!" He roared turning around and shoving things off the surface that she couldn't see. He was panting, his large shoulders moving up and down as he forced air into his lungs.
"She loved you, Ben," Rey said, getting to her feet. "She always hoped that you would come home. . ." It was pleading and tears were streaming down her face. "You still can come home. . ."
"Shut up! You don't know anything!" He yelled as he placed his fist into a wall and sparks flew around him. "NO!" His hands went to his hair as he forced his eyes closed to recenter himself, blood flowed down his hands. Tears falling down his cheeks glistened in the low light. "This can't be happening." It was a soft whisper before he shook his head.
"Ben." She whispered, reaching a hand out towards him but thought better of herself and put her hand down.
"Why are you still here?" He growled before sinking to his knees, his head in his hands."I will find you and your little rebel scum, I will wipe you all from the galaxy. The pilot will watch you die first before I kill him. . ."
Rey shook her head. "We are going to carry her legacy until the end, Ben. There will be peace in the galaxy." She growled in a low voice and she cut the tie between them, she knew he was destroying the room he was in and frankly she didn't care.
She stood still for a moment with her eyes closed and jumped slightly when Poe's heavy hand fell on her shoulder. She turned around and he was able to see the tears and exhaustion on her face as he pulled her into a hug.
It took a few deep breaths to calm herself down and she was absolutely exhausted. "Come on, Rey," Poe said leading her back into bed and he gathered her into his arms. He spoke softly in a language that she didn't know as her heart rate slowed down.
"Thank you." She whispered hoarsely.
He didn't say anything, pressing his lips to her forehead. "You did good, Rey." He whispered, knowing that whatever the Supreme Leader said shook her to the core, but she was the bigger person, reaching out to the enemy and reaching out to the person who was the only blood relative to General Organa at the cost of her own grief. She trembled in his arms and tears streamed freely down her cheeks, but it was the least she could do for the General.
/
"General Leia Organa is laid to rest knowing that she was one of the original sparks that lit the fire inside of the Rebellion and now it's our time to carry the flame," Poe said in front of the entire crew, he wore an officer's uniform that fit him just right. "She has brought us this far in her years of service and now we will carry on her mission, she will now join her brother Luke Skywalker and her husband Han Solo watching over us. May the force be with you." He said with a slight nod to the crowd.
The words echoed as they fell silent, he pressed a small kiss to the General's head as he pressed the lever, that pulled her into the cremation fire. They were giving her back to the universe in stardust. He took a step back and Rey stepped forward, tucking herself into his side as they watched the flames consume her. She laid her head on his shoulder and he pressed a kiss to her braided hair, she wore a more traditional Jedi garb that Leia had gifted to her. "She is so proud of you," Rey whispered to Poe.
He leaned down to press his lips to her in a soft kiss. "And you, she is so proud of you too." He whispered. "You were the one who gave us hope." He kissed her again before she tucked herself into his chest as she listened to his heartbeat. Today there was peace and tomorrow they would push forward.
Outside the viewport, rainbow-colored stardust trailed behind them.