Poe lay supine on the cold sand as the tiny grains blew in wisps around him. The sun had set long ago; the chill of the desert hand sank in as the pilot, dressed in only a t-shirt and pants, regained consciousness. Shivers racked his body as he tried to gain his bearings.
From his position on the ground, he turned his head back and forth. He saw his parachute fluttering in the wind, his ejection seat nearby. As far as he could see, dunes of sand surrounded him. Poe's whole body ached, his head throbbed, his mouth and throat rasped, and his forearms stung. Raising his hands to his face, he found his wrists and hands covered in angry, red blisters. He touched his forehead gently and felt dried blood crusted on his skin. I must look like shit right now.
Finn. Poe's heart pounded as he remembered his comrade; he couldn't see him or the ship from where he lay. Shit, shit, shit. BB-8. The map. He had to get the map, he had to find them. He tried to sit up, moving too quickly for his condition. His head swam, stars floating in front of his eyes. He fell back onto the sand, breathing heavily as darkness clouding his mind once again.
"Poe? Poe! Can you hear me, buddy?" A voice pulled him from the black. His eyes slowly opened, but he quickly squeezed them shut against the bright light flooding over him. "Poe! Thank God. Are you all right?"
"Who the hell are you?" He muttered, trying to figure out who this person was.
"Wow, nice to see you, too," a female voice, so familiar, scoffed. "Can you sit up?"
Poe groaned as he attempted to raise himself into a sitting position. An arm wrapped around his back, supporting him gently. "That's it, that's a good sign." She sounded relieved. She turned her head as she spoke into her communicator. "I found him; no readings of a crashed ship, nor the droid he left with." He squinted at the pilot; she appeared to be wearing a Resistance helmet and orange jumpsuit, but he couldn't see her face behind the tinted visor, and the voice wasn't one he recognized from his squadron.
"I'm gonna ask you again," Poe asked hoarsely. "Who the hell are you?"
"Hmm." The pilot paused, turning back to him. "You really don't know me?"
Poe gestured weakly. "Forgive me, you're not catching me at my best," he apologized sarcastically.
She made sure he was steady before reaching up to her helmet. "I have to admit, I'm a little hurt you don't remember my voice," she lamented. As she pulled her helmet off, a long braid fell over her shoulder. Her eyes met his, a small smirk crossed her lips. Poe's heart skipped a beat as his mind flashed back to a young woman dressed in blue at a military ball years ago.
"Aria," Poe breathed. His hand shook as he reached for her face. This has to be a dream. I gotta be dead. His calloused hand touches her soft cheek, and tears start to burn his eyes. "It's… it's you."
"It's me," she confirmed softly. She placed her hand on top of his, her eyes twinkling.
"I'm… I'm dead, aren't I?" Poe said quietly. Her laugh was sweeter than any music he'd ever heard as she jokingly checked his pulse. "Nope, you're still here, as far as I can tell."
His hand moved to the back of her neck and he pulled her close, his forehead touching hers. "They kept saying you were... that the First Order..." he whispered in disbelief. "You've been gone for so long."
"It takes a lot to get rid of me," Aria replied quietly. "Besides, I promised you I'd be back. I always come back."
"I would've come for you," Poe moaned. "What happened to you..."
Aria squeezed her eyes shut before suddenly pulling away. She grabbed her helmet and shoved it over her head. "You're shivering and you're hurt. I have to get you back. Come on, I'm going to help you stand."
The two struggle for a moment, but eventually, Poe is on his feet. She draped his arm over her shoulder and curled hers around his waist. Clumsily, they slowly made their way to her X-wing. With surprising strength, she carefully maneuvered the injured man into the rear-facing seat. As Aria buckled the harness around him, her hand lingered on his chest. She felt him shudder, saw the longing in his eyes. She tucked an emergency blanket around his legs and draped a jacket-similar to the one he lost in the wreckage-over his torso.
Poe reached up and grasped her wrist. "Where the hell have you been, babe?"
"We'll talk about that some other time," Aria said carelessly. She carefully slipped her hand from his wrist before digging in her pack. "Here, something to help with the pain." She held up a small white pill and he opened his mouth. She laughed, a short exhale of breath, and placed it on his tongue. She placed a metal canteen to his lips and helped him take a small sip. He smiled gratefully, and after a few more sips, she put the canteen away. Aria grabbed a spare helmet from by his feet and stuck it on his, sweetly patting the top of it a few times and touched her forehead to his briefly before climbing over him and into the cockpit.
"You little shit, you drugged me." Poe yawned, the medication starting to cloud his vision.
Aria laughed. "Just so you sleep on the way back; you need it."
"Will you be there when I wake up?" He mumbled. He struggled to hold onto consciousness.
"Of course, Poe," she replied through the communicator. "I'm not going anywhere."
His body warm and his thirst quenched, he listened to her giving vocal confirmation of her location and destination. As he drifted to sleep, he began to dream of a young woman, dressed in blue, leading him around a dance floor.
AN: Totally intended to be a one shot, but I went a little crazy and kept going. SO. If y'all are interested in this being more than a one-shot, let me know! I could add a few chapters. Thanks for reading!