A/N: There's gonna be a sprinkling of Poe and Rey here and there, but it really goes nowhere. I like the idea of them together in her attempt to ignore Kylo, but it just felt forced when I tried to work it in, so... I went with the guy that tries :)

THREE

Just after the big meeting with Leia and those that remained, missions had begun. The one Rey and Poe had been tasked was going to Draxxen and meeting with an arms dealer. Supposedly he was an ally to the Resistance by selling to the First Order, but if Leia trusted him, Rey went with it.

They had only been there for less than a day before Rey had felt it. She was familiar with the constant Dark presence that was Kylo that lingered at the back of her thoughts from their Force bond, but this...this was different.

The feeling had come to her just before bed, but was still just as prominent in the morning. Rey mentioned to Poe that she wanted just a little more time on the planet. Knowing that, of everyone, she would be able to tell when danger was lurking, Poe was more than fine to add on a little time away from Karthe.

After they had stopped for something to eat, the feeling lessened and Rey felt Kylo more than anything. In order to drown him out, she asked Poe about his adventures with the Resistance. He was more than happy to oblige, jumping into story after story of his missions.

"But none of that compares to what it was like seeing you standing there with giant boulders floating around," he said in conclusion to his latest story. "That was hands down, the best thing I've ever witnessed."

It was that moment that Rey realized how close they were standing. She smiled up at him and turned a bit, pretending to be interested in the leaves of the tree beside them. "It is a neat trick," she admitted.

He reached up and took her hand gently. "It's more than just a trick, Rey."

She didn't have a response, but she sensed the change in the air around them. She swallowed thickly and watched as he leaned in. An image of Kylo face flashed before her along with the ghost of his lips on hers.

She turned away again, clearing her throat.

"I'm sorry," he said, trying his best to remain casual. "I didn't mean to overstep-"

She shook her head, but before she could reassure him, she felt it again. She looked over his shoulder and took a step forward. She closed her eyes and grabbed on to that fleeing feeling and attempted to follow it.

"Rey?" Poe called, racing after her.

She ignored him and moved through the heavy forest until the feeling overwhelmed her. She saw a child sitting in the middle of the trees, a few leaves hovering around her. The Force wrapped itself around the child and Rey felt Light wash over her.

The feeling was short lived as her connection to Kylo intensified and she looked across the child to see him there. She knew it was the connection, that the Force around this girl had pulled him in. She pushed back with every mental blocker she had and he disappeared with visible impact.

The leaves floated back to the ground and the child leapt to her feet. Rey held out her hands to show she meant no harm. "Do you speak basic?" Rey asked, keeping her voice as calm as possible.

She nodded.

"I'm not going to hurt you," she promised.

The child relaxed ever so slightly.

"My name is Rey."

"Alyxnia."

Rey smiled and slowly put her hands at her side. She reached out with her mind and brought the leaves off the ground again. The girl stared in wonder and smiled. "You're not alone," Rey promised.

It hadn't taken long for Alyxnia to warm up to Rey. Soon the trio had gone to her dwelling and spent some time with her family. They had all found a lot in common and it was easy to convince them to go back to Karthe. Leia received them with open arms as Rey knew she would have. Once they were set up in their new quarters, Rey met with Leia in her chambers.

"I didn't think anyone else could wield the Force," Rey wondered, sitting next to the window.

"Never underestimate the Force, Rey," Leia cautioned. "Ever since it awakened in you, it seemed to have awakened everywhere else. I do believe the Force is on a resurgence and it's about time."

"There might be more like Alyxnia out there."

They held each other's gaze and Rey was grateful that Leia knew exactly where she was going with this.

"I agree." Leia tilted her head at the pained look that passed through Rey's eyes.

"He saw her," Rey said, her eyes falling to the floor. "When I found her in the woods, he was already there. He definitely saw the leaves in the air and he knew it wasn't me."

"Kylo was in Draxxen?"

Rey shook her head. "Through the Force-bond. I think her presence in the Force called to him as well. It was such a strong feeling."

Leia closed her eyes and sighed, leaning back in her chair.

"If there's more, I need to find them before he does."

"Do you think you'll be able to do that and keep their presence from Kylo?"

"I was caught off guard and I let my walls down. Now that I know what I'm looking for, I won't let it happen again."

"Bringing them all to Karthe will be dangerous."

"I can find a place for us," she said and got to her feet. "Maybe find one or two more out there with the Force in them and then I can take them to the new location and train them. With more Jedi, the Resistance will have a better chance."

"I will have someone look into suitable planets that are well off the grid. I do not want you going alone." She stopped long enough to smile fondly. "I think having Poe on something else might help with his listening problem."

Rey smirked. "Thank you, Leia."

With that, Rey took her leave for the night. When she got to her quarters she found Poe standing outside. He looked surprised to see her coming from the opposite direction, but he quickly smiled at her. "You're still up."

"Just talking with General Organa," she replied before opening her door. "You can come in if you'd like."

He followed her inside, but stayed towards the door. "Anything worth telling me?"

Rey shook her head. "Just discussing plans for Alyxnia. She gave me the go-ahead to search for more people like her. Like us. And she did say you can come with me." She cleared her throat. "Finn can come too, but I don't know if he'd want to leave Rose."

"Don't forget about Chewy."

"I don't think taking the Falcon will be a good idea. The most hated ship of the First Order will be easy to spot. It'll be much easier to search right under their noses if we don't draw attention to ourselves."

"Well, that might be hard as the rumors are that you're the girl who killed Supreme Leader Snoke. The Falcon might be the most hated ship, but you're the most hated person."

Rey sighed and ran her fingers down the spine of one of the Jedi texts. As trustworthy as he seemed, she knew she couldn't tell Poe who really ended the former Sith.

Leia was the only soul she felt comfortable sharing that knowledge with.

"Regardless, I don't want to take the Falcon. For now." She turned towards him again and crossed her arms over her chest. "What brings you to my door so late?"

"I wanted to talk about what happened before we found Alyxnia."

Rey schooled her features and waited for him to continue.

"I just wanted to apologize if I made you feel uncomfortable. That was not my intention."

"I know that," she said and gave a light smile. "You don't have to apologize for it, Poe. You just caught me off guard."

His brow arched and he smirked. "So...if you hadn't been caught off guard?"

She thought about it for a moment, but didn't' let herself dwell for too long. "I'm not sure. All I know is that there's just so much going on that I've never had time to think about...distraction."

"Well," he started and took a step forward. "I'd be more than happy to be a distraction." He scrunched up his face at that and shook his head. "No, that sounded horrible. Please let me take that back."

Rey laughed and nodded.

"I know you probably haven't had the chance to really talk about what happened since all of this started for you, but if you ever need a friend...or even something more, I'm here for you. And I completely understand if you don't want anything to do with me based on how completely sleezy I just sounded."

Rey truly let herself laugh at that and it was the first time in a long time she had truly felt...normal.

"I appreciate that, Poe. I really do. I've never really had any friends before Finn and I wouldn't mind having another one."

"Well, when you're ready to talk, I'll always be there."

"Thank you."

He hit the button for the door to open and slid into the hall. "Goodnight, Rey. Tomorrow we'll get the group together and put together some missions?"

"Absolutely. Goodnight, Poe."

The door shut as he walked away and after a moment of staring at the door, a familiar sensation washed over her. She ground her teeth in anger and whirled around yelling, "Get out!"

But no one was there.