Author's Note: The next chapter will NOT come this fast, due to work and real life. Just a heads up. But it won't be that long - hopefully this weekend.

Disclaimer per usual – I do not own Star Wars or any aspect of the SW universe; just a fan with an idea. No profit here, just fun for me.

As Poe follows Rey and his Dad, Rose, Finn, and Chewie head back to the Falcon to gather their things, including the bags that Rey and Poe both packed for the days they plan to spend here. Poe told them that the house has space for all of them, but Chewie already insisted that he'll sleep on the Falcon.

Poe can hear Rey's voice in his head insisting that he catch up with them. He puts on some speed, BB-8 bumping along behind him. As he enters the house behind Rey and his dad, he's struck by a wave of nostalgia and has to stop for a moment. Despite the fact that Kes is talking to her, Rey turns back to Poe, mumbling an apology to Kes as she does.

She goes straight to Poe, itching to touch him. She hasn't in two days, and now that he's so close and also emotional, she can't bear to wait any longer. She gets to him and, after taking his helmet from him and placing it on a small table, she takes his hands in hers, catches his eyes, and thinks, "Are you all right?"

He gives her a half-smile. He doesn't want to freak out his dad by having entire conversations in silence. He answers softly, "Beautiful. I'm fine. It's just been a while, and it's…it's just good to be home."

The inevitable tingle is also starting in his legs, driving him crazy. He needs to keep moving for it to dissipate, so he calls to Kes, "Dad, are my extra clothes still in my old room?"

Kes looks at them, a little puzzled and a little worried. "Yes. Are you all right, Poe?"

Poe nods, taking Rey by the hand. "I am, Dad. It was just a long ride, and I'd like to change. I'm going to borrow Rey for a few minutes, too, all right?"

Kes shrugs, a curious smile on his face. "Sure, kid. I'll be here."

With that, Poe pulls Rey down the hall with him and into one of the rooms. She looks around, and she's struck by her own wave of nostalgia, because it's like looking at a little corner of Poe's past. The room is simple, a double bed, bookshelves, a small desk, and a closet. The shelves have books on about half of them, but the other half is filled with model fighters, from A-Wings, to X-Wings, and even to a mini-Falcon.

He grins sheepishly, following her gaze. "It was something to do. Yavin is pretty quiet."

She laughs, and he goes into the closet, kicking off his boots and stripping off his flight suit. By the time she follows him in, he's down to his shorts and socks, digging through the clothes he has here. She comes up behind him, wrapping her arms around him and pressing her cheek to his bare shoulder as she molds her front to his back. She sighs, and so does he. Her hands rest on his stomach, and he covers them with his, entwining their fingers. "I missed this, Beautiful."

She nods against his shoulder. "I know you need to get dressed, but I just needed to touch you for a minute."

They stand there for a while, but the pins and needles in Poe's legs make him need to move again. Rey senses his discomfort, and she releases him and steps around to look at him. "What's wrong?"

He grabs some pants and a shirt, and he heads back into his room, tossing the clothes on the bed. "I didn't move much for two days, Beautiful. Getting the circulation back to normal in my legs can be a little uncomfortable."

"Sit," she commands, and he does, dropping to the edge of his bed. She kneels in front of him and starts to massage his legs, first one and then the other. After a few minutes, the tingling recedes, and she feels him relax. She looks up at him. "Better?"

She stays on her knees but straightens up, and he leans down to her. "Much." Without waiting for a response from her, he slides one hand into her hair, the other dropping to her shoulder, and he presses his lips to hers. She tilts her head, allowing him to deepen the kiss, and her hands rest on his bare thighs, kneading the skin and muscle in a way that she knows drives him crazy.

They stay like that for a while, just re-establishing their physical connection. A sense of propriety seems to hover, keeping them from taking it further, but the kiss is deep, possessive, and firm on both their parts. They're interrupted a moment later by Kes's voice. "Whoa!"

Rey jumps back from him, trying to stand up quickly, but instead stumbling and landing on her rear on the floor. She and Poe lock eyes, and they both start laughing. Poe looks at his dad, and he shrugs as he grabs his shirt and shoulders into it. He then stands and extends a hand to Rey, hauling her to her feet a moment later. "Sorry, Dad."

Getting over his surprise, Kes chuckles. "You know, son, I think that's the first time I ever caught you…in the middle of something with a girl." He looks at Rey. "He was too busy with flying and working on his mom's old A-Wing back when all of his friends were chasing girls."

"Dad!" Poe protests as he pulls on his pants and finishes re-dressing. Rey, blushing, goes into the closet to fetch Poe's flight suit so they can clean it before the trip back to the base. Poe goes to his dad and quietly says, "Dad, please take it easy on Rey. She's not used to having a lot of people around her, and she was really nervous about meeting you."

Nodding, Kes replies, "Sorry, son." He sees Rey emerge from the closet, still a little pink in the cheeks. "I'm sorry, Rey. I'll knock next time."

"It's all right, sir." She puts the flight suit on the bed and comes to Poe's side, nervously taking his hand. The contact helps her settle again.

Poe looks at her, thinking, "You all right, Beautiful?"

She thinks back, "Yes. I was just surprised." She looks up at him with a weak smile. "I now know what you meant about feeling like Leia had caught us – I now know what that feeling is."

"About as awkward as one can possibly feel, right?" He smiles back as he thinks the words.

Kes looks back and forth between his son and the woman he very clearly adores having what appears to be a wordless conversation. He clears his throat, and they look at him, both apparently a little embarrassed at being caught again. Kes just smiles bemusedly. "So, son, looks like you have something you need to tell me. And maybe a few things to explain?"

Poe ducks his head, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. "Yeah, a few things." He drops Rey's hand for a moment, grabbing his boots and pulling them back on. He can hear the others out in the main area of the house. "Let's show Rose and Finn where they can get settled, and then let's you, me, and Rey take a walk, all right?"

Half an hour later, Finn and Rose are settled in and off exploring the jungle around Kes's small farm. Poe and Rey follow Kes out the back door of the house, walking up a well-worn path that Poe remembers clearly. Poe takes Rey's hand, entwining their fingers. Both of them are armed with blasters, and Rey has her lightsaber and staff. Regardless of how safe they feel, it's not easy to turn off their general paranoia with the First Order still fairly strong despite the death of Snoke. "Heading up to the ridge, Dad?"

Kes smiles and nods. Poe notices that his dad is also armed, a Pathfinder to the end. Good to know that some things never change. As they walk, Kes asks, "So, what was going on earlier?" They both blink, and Rey turns pinks again. Kes rolls his eyes. "The unspoken conversation, you two. It's been a long time, but I do know what the other stuff was," he pauses, grinning, "And when you're done explaining that, you can explain why Rey has a lightsaber."

Poe curses to himself. He knows his dad is observant, but he'd honestly forgotten just how observant. While Poe is reticent, Rey cuts to the chase. "I'm training to become a Jedi. That's why I have a lightsaber."

"You are a Jedi, Beautiful." Poe corrects her.

"No, I'm training, Flyboy. I'm not there yet." She furrows her brow at him.

He sighs and shakes his head. "To quote you back to you, give yourself credit, Rey."

"Poe…"

Kes holds up his hands. "Stop. I got it. Jedi, Jedi-in-Training, either way. Understood." He stops walking as they get to the ridge, and so do they. "And what about the unspoken conversation?"

Poe motions to some fallen logs, one Poe remembers sitting on as a kid. "Dad, you're probably going to want to sit for this. It's a long story, and there's parts you're really not going to like."

Kes lifts an eyebrow at his son, but he complies. Rey and Poe sit across from him. Poe looks at Rey. "Where do we start, Beautiful?"

Kes interjects, "How about you start with when you two met?"

Poe shakes his head. "No, Dad, this goes back further than that. And where this starts is what you're really not going to like."

Rey takes his hand again, squeezing it tight. Kes notices. "How bad can this be that you're afraid to tell me, Poe?"

Poe looks at Rey, and she motions with her head, encouraging him to tell the story. Poe sighs and looks at Kes. "Dad, it's bad," he pauses, "It was months ago. I was on a mission for Leia, General Organa, and after having to watch Stormtroopers execute a village full of innocents and burn it to the ground, I ended up getting captured by the First Order and being questioned by Kylo Ren."

Poe is looking down at his hand, joined with Rey's. He's so focused on the story and their joined hands that he doesn't see Kes stand up, a horrified look on his face, but Rey does. She silently shakes her head at Kes. He frowns but stays silent as Poe goes on. "It was pretty bad – you know how the Sith 'interrogate' people."

Kes has a sheen of tears in his eyes. "How did you escape, son?" He comes over and crouches down in front of Rey and Poe, his hand landing on Poe's knee.

Poe takes a deep breath. "Yeah, now is when I tell you about Finn, too." Before Kes can ask what that means, Poe elaborates, "Finn saved me. He got me out of the interrogation room, and I got us out in a TIE fighter."

"So, he was Resistance, but infiltrated the First Order ship?" Kes looks confused.

"No, Dad." Poe finally looks up and meets his Dad's eyes. "He was a Stormtrooper." Kes blanches, and Poe goes on, "He risked himself to save me. He was kidnapped as a little kid, but his brainwashing, training, didn't take. He wanted out. He's a friend, Dad. Hell, I named him." At that, Kes drops back to sit on the ground. "His name was, would you believe this? FN2187. He had a number. A designation. Like a machine. I just took the FN and named him Finn."

"So, how do you play into this, Rey?" Kes looks at her.

They slide off of their log, sitting on the ground to face Kes. Over the next twenty minutes, they explain everything that happened after Finn and Poe crashed their stolen TIE fighter on Jakku. Kes scowls at Poe over the dreadnought (though he acknowledges that the dreadnought would've just tracked them through hyperspace and destroyed the fleet), and the story of the attempted mutiny earns Poe a whack to the back of the head. His dad apologizes immediately, but Poe waves it off, noting that it was entirely deserved.

They go on to explain Poe's newfound Force-sensitivity, their Force-bond that emerged from their connection after he tried to escape his nightmares on the lookout platform at their current base. They also tell him about the ill-fated scouting mission that lost them an X-Wing and gained them a TIE fighter.

They finish with Leia making Poe 2IC of the Resistance, and Poe has to smile fondly at the way that makes Kes smile with pride. Of course, his dad then notes, "Leia must really like you, to promote you like that no matter how much you've screwed up."

Poe rolls his eyes at that. "Thanks, Dad." Rey just laughs.

"I just call it like I see it, kid." Kes smirks at him before growing more serious. "That's a lot to digest, Poe." He peers at Rey. "I'm guessing that you, Little Jedi, would like to spend some time with the Force tree?"

"If I could, sir." Rey nods, trying not to seem too enthusiastic. "But we also are here to look around the old base, to see if there's anything salvageable."

Kes looks thoughtful at that. "You know, I've only been in the hangar part, but never into the base itself, not since we evac'ed to Hoth over thirty years ago. It's certainly possible. I don't think that the ensuing battles over Yavin ever impacted the interior of the base."

"Dad, why have you been to the hangar?" Poe looks at him curiously. "You haven't learned to fly, have you?"

Kes snorts. "Kriff no. I leave that nonsense to you. But Shara's A-Wing is there. I can't bear to let it fall into disrepair, but in case the First Order decides to scan, I want it out of sight. We should probably move the Falcon and your X-Wing over there too. It's not a long walk."

Poe sits up a little straighter. "Wait, Mom's A-Wing is still operable? I thought it was damaged when I was at the Academy?"

"It was." Kes looks down. "I thought about just leaving it broken, but your mom would have kicked my ass for that. So, I got someone to help me move it over to the old base, and I repaired it. Took well over a year. I probably should have told you, but it didn't seem important."

"It's important now, Dad. When the First Order blew up the cruiser hanger before Crait, we lost all of our fighters. We have less than a dozen now, and that's cobbled together." He takes a deep breath. "Dad?"

"You want to take it back with you, don't you?" Kes looks up at him.

"Only if you'll let me. If you don't want me to…"

Kes shakes his head, and Poe's heart sinks. But then, his dad swallows hard. "Take it. If you think it's air-worthy, and you think it will help, take it."

Rey senses that this is an important moment for father and son, so she slides back, standing up to go look out over the vista provided by the ridge they're on. She hears Poe say, "Dad, you don't have to say yes. It's all right if you don't want me to take it."

Kes takes a deep, rattling breath and shakes his head again. "No. It's what Shara would want, and you know it. This First Order stuff would break her heart."

Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Poe and Kes stand, and Poe wraps his dad up in a hug. "Dad, thank you."

"Don't thank me yet, kid. I'm not the mechanic your mother was. It may not be as functional as I think." Kes gives him a rueful smile.

Rey senses an opportunity. She walks over to Kes and weaves her arm through his. "Well, lucky for you both, you have me, Rose, and Chewie. We'll get it in the air even if it's a mess."

Kes smiles at her. "Really, Little Jedi?"

Rey smiles back, loving that he's apparently given her a nickname. "Really. I'm good, Chewie's better, and Rose is amazing."

"That tiny girl?" He grins. "I'm going to like her, aren't I?"

"You are." Poe nods, and he shoots a wave of gratitude at Rey for lightening the moment. "She's damned feisty."

Rey pulls Kes with her over to the edge of the ridge. She points to what is clearly an old temple. "Is that where the old base was?"

He nods, pointing out the old guard towers and the entrance to the hangar. They stay up there a while longer before going back down to the house to make some lunch for everyone. After that, Poe and Chewie decide to move Poe's X-Wing and the Falcon to the old hangar. Rose and Finn ask to ride along, and Kes says he's going to stay around the house, noting that there's always something to do.

As they gather up to head to the ships, Poe turns to Rey. "You stay." He points at a large tree over her shoulder. "Go check that out. Dad knows I was going to show it to you – he's staying to keep an eye on you."

"Poe, he doesn't have to." She shakes her head.

"He wants to. Not to get too flippant, but welcome to life with my dad. You're already one of his. You know that, right? As far as he's concerned, this," he taps the ring on her right hand, "Means you're his daughter. I'm good with that. You spend a lot of time trying to protect me. Now he's going to spend a lot of time trying to protect you."

She blinks several times, fighting back tears. She whispers, "I don't know how to be a daughter, Poe."

He leans forward, pressing a quick kiss to her forehead. "You didn't know how to be a friend or a partner, either, and you're damned good at both of those things, Beautiful. You're a quick study. All you have to do is care about him and let him take care of you a little."

"Caring about him I can do. But you know I struggle with people taking care of me."

He touches his forehead to hers, smiling gently. "I do know. But I still try, too. Just let him. Within reason. If he hovers too much, tell him – just like I tell you."

She nods, laughing quietly. "Point taken, Flyboy."

He can tell that she's all right and excited about the Force tree, so he gives her a quick kiss on the lips and pulls away. "Enjoy yourself, Beautiful. And really, let Dad know if you need anything."

"I will." She gives him a wave, and he and BB-8 head for the X-Wing. Moments later, it's in the air, speeding just above the treetops, heading for the old base. She senses someone behind her, and she turns. "I'm going to go look at the tree, if that's all right, sir?"

Kes comes over and hugs Rey lightly. "Little Jedi, stop calling me 'sir.'" She blushes and looks down, but he goes on, using two fingers under her chin to tilt her face back up. "It's Kes. Or even Dad, if that's what you're comfortable with."

She gives him a half smile. "Kes," she tries it out, "Yes, that'll do."

"Good. Now go check out the tree, Little Jedi." He shoos her away with his hand. "I'm here if you need anything."

She smiles again. "Thank you, Kes."

He waves, and he heads back inside. Rey takes a deep breath, turning back and walking towards the Force tree. She felt the Force very strongly here from the moment they landed in the Falcon; now that she's focused on the tree, the air around her feels charged.

The tree, given that it's only about thirty years growth from a sapling, is far larger than she expected it to be. She remembers Luke and Poe both referencing the fact that Poe climbed it. It must have grown far more quickly than an average tree. She makes a note in her head to ask Kes about that later. Either that, or if Luke shows up, she can ask him.

As she nears the tree, it begins to feel nearly magnetic to her. She's not sure she could turn away if she wanted to, which scares her a little. It must be enough to alert Poe, because she hears his voice in her head. "You all right, Beautiful?"

"I'm fine. It's just pulling me in. I'll call you if I need you, I promise." She thinks the words along with what she hopes is a reassuring wave, and she hears his agreement in her head.

A moment later, she's inches from the large tree. She looks up at it, watching as the wind moves through the branches. After hesitating briefly, she places her right hand on the trunk, putting her palm flat against it. Instantly, the breeze picks up, and she can feel the Force more acutely than ever before. Seconds later, she hears, "I figured you would make it here sooner or later."

She turns, eyes widening at the sight of Luke perched on one of the tree's large roots. She takes her hand off of the tree. His images shimmers for a moment, but then it stabilizes, tinged in blue but very real. "Master Luke!"

He smiles. "It's good to see you again, Rey." He pats the tree root next to him. "Sit."

She comes over and settles next to him on the root. "Why did you show up this time? I'm not struggling the way I was before."

"You're right, you're not. You're even a fledgling teacher. You've actually done quite well with Poe, given that his command of the Force is not necessarily natural." Luke looks at her. "The ease with which the two of you mentally connect is remarkable, especially given how little training you've had. The natural ability you have is something I've honestly never seen, not even in Ben. His ability came from a dark place, from a need for control and power. Yours does not."

She nods, and he goes on, "But your raw power, raw ability, Rey, it is like nothing I've ever seen."

She looks at him. "Does it still scare you?"

He has the good grace to look embarrassed. "Not like it did. I'm sorry for that, Rey. I made an assumption about you and whether you would be able to manage it. It was an incorrect assumption." He pauses, clearly considering his next words carefully. "You have near-perfect internal balance. You understand the Dark, but you favor the light. But maybe that demand for perfection is what damned both the Sith and the old Jedi Order. You strive for the good, not for the perfect."

She stays quiet, thinking about that, so he continues. "I thought before that your bond with Poe was keeping Kylo Ren from you. Now, I think it's more than that. I think that you chose to kill the bond with Kylo, that you managed to destroy what Snoke built by deciding you wanted it to end. Your bond with Poe just strengthened that decision, fortified the barrier."

"That makes sense. But I do still wonder…why Poe?" She looks at Luke. "I'd love him with or without the bond. I know that with absolute certainty. There has to be something in him that caused our bond, because he's learning things that require at least a minimal amount of Force ability."

"I agree. Maybe it was growing up with this tree, and maybe it was always there, dormant. A different level than you, to be sure, but there nonetheless."

"I was thinking about something yesterday; I am naturally very open with him. If I don't want him to see in, I have to put up a barrier. He is the opposite, I think. He has to let me in, and his natural position is to keep me out – though he usually is entirely open to me on purpose. Do you think it's because it's more natural to me? Or do you think he's afraid of Kylo getting in again?"

Luke stares at her for a moment before shrugging. "Ask him."

"What?"

"Rey, ask him. Talk to him about it. You're not a Jedi Master who is supposed to know everything about the Force. You're someone who loves him and who wants to help him work through a trauma. Approach it that way." She jumps a little when she actually feels him place a hand on her shoulder, patting in a comforting manner. "But Rey, he's stronger than you think. I was talking to Master Yoda about him, and Yoda is impressed that anyone who came to it so late in life, even later than you or I came to it, has any success at all."

Rey lifts an eyebrow at him. "So, is there some sort of 'Dead Jedi Club' where you all sit around drinking caf and talking about us?"

Luke chuckles, ignoring the sarcasm. "Not exactly. But kind of." He grins. "And by the way, Master Yoda saw something I didn't. He saw you steal the Jedi texts from Ahch-To."

Her eyes widen, but he pats her on the shoulder again. "I should be angry, but I can't bring myself to be."

"I just wanted them to learn, especially since you made it clear that you wouldn't teach me."

"Have you told Poe?"

"Not yet. I know I need to." She shakes her head. "He'd like to see you. Poe, that is. Can he?"

Luke shrugs again. "Maybe. That's more up to the Force than me. But maybe here. It's possible, at least." He looks at her. "Now, grab that shiny new lightsaber and show me what you can do with it. But try not to cut the Force tree in half, all right?"

She rolls her eyes, rising and pulling her lightsaber from her belt. She activates it and begins to go through some drills. Luke leans back on the root, watching and coaching occasionally. Unbeknownst to Rey, though, Poe came back from the hangar alone, worrying about her but blocking her from being able to tell, and he's watching her. Kes comes out of the house, and he watches too. "Our Little Jedi was all alone as a child, wasn't she?"

Poe nods, frowning. "Abandoned to kriffing Unkar Plutt on Jakku, forced to scavenge to survive. She had to find and sell junk just to get rations. For years."

"Who the hell would do that to a child, to their little girl?" Kes growls.

Poe, watching Rey, mutters, "People who didn't deserve her." Kes reaches up and squeezes Poe's shoulder before going silent and watching Rey as Poe is. Once again, just as he had been on the moon where he'd crashed a couple of months ago, Poe is mesmerized.

After watching for a while, Rey's near dance with the lightsaber also makes his dad catch his breath and quietly say, "Seriously, son, how did you manage to get a second look from that woman? She is breathtaking."

Poe shakes his head. "Wish I knew, Dad." He looks at his dad, smirking. "Maybe the same way you got Mom to give you a second look."

Kes nods, chuckling. "Pure luck, then."

Poe watches her a while longer before mumbling, "You have no idea, Dad. You really have no idea."