Reina jolted awake, the most recent nightmare fading from her mind. They had been happening all night, each one worse than the last. But each time, Cassian was by her side, ready to chase all of the monsters of her memory away. He had moved her to her bed and resided in a chair across from her, usually waiting for her to stir or cry out.
But now, his head rested against the wall, arms crossed over his chest and eyes closed. Reina couldn't help but smile. In all their time together, she had never seen him so… relaxed. His dark hair stuck out in every direction and his tan skin reflected the light from the lamp on her desk.
His sleeping form tensed, his face contorted with fear and remorse. His feet shifted on the floor, kicking and fighting against an invisible force.
Cassian's eyes shot open, his chest heaving with rapid breaths. His hand reached for his blaster, hovering over its holster until he realized where he was. Reina laid in silence as his eyes locked with hers.
"You never said you had them too." She said her voice barely above a whisper. He shifted, leaning back against the wall, this time alert and stiff.
"We all have demons from the dark that we must face." Was all he said.
The morning following, Cassian found himself more observant of every person who passed by. His fists clenched every time a man's gaze traveled toward Reina and his pulse quickened whenever she was near. Reina made a point of avoiding his eyes, often staring off into the distance.
"Reina…" Cassian whispered. Her expression remained blank and unresponsive. He spoke louder, but quiet enough to not frighten her. "Reina."
"I'm fine." She blurted, coming out of her trance. She watched Cassian's brows furrow.
"I- I was just going to ask if you wanted a rag." He stammered. She looked down at her hands, slick with oil and arms caked with rust.
"Oh… yes. Thank you." He grabbed a towel from the counter and handed it to her. Their fingers brushed against each other and their eyes met. The gold flecks in Reina's eye shimmered with the light of a dozen suns. The dark depths of Cassian's chocolate eyes filled Reina with something she never thought she would feel again. Hope.
The rag fell to the floor and was quickly forgotten. Cassian's fingers intertwined with Reina's. He brushed a strand of hair out of her face. She pulled their hands apart and quickly picked the rag up from the ground. Cassian's face fell, but only for a moment.
"How long have you been in the rebellion?" She asked, hoping to fill the silence as she cleaned the oil off of her skin.
"Since I was six." He answered quietly. He shifted awkwardly in his seat.
"My father never spoke much of the Rebellion." Reina mused. "But I knew he believed in it. He always told me stories of how everything used to be. The time of the Jedi…" Something stirred inside her. It was a feeling she felt every time she tried to recall the time before the Empire.
There was a sharp, quiet sound, like metal shifting on metal. Reina didn't notice, but Cassian stared curiously at the rectangular box Reina had insisted on bringing from Tatooine. For a moment, he could have sworn it had moved closer. Her daze was disrupted by a woman walking into the room, dressed in pristine white garments.
"Captain Andor," Mon Mothma started. "I was hoping to catch you in here. Good afternoon, Miss Tolderyn."
"Perhaps we should speak in the hall." Cassian suggested, brushing off his hands on his loose T-shirt.
"Actually, I'm glad to have found you both. This is a matter for the both of you." Her wise yet intense gaze made Reina shift nervously on her feet. Cassian listened intently as she explained the new mission. He was to meet with an old adversary of his and negotiate her offer of supplies for the Rebellion. Reina was requested to come along as the mechanic on board.
"I think that Miss Tolderyn has proven her abilities and since it is a simple trip, I believe now would be a good time to test her out on the field." Mon Mothma smiled warmly at Reina, casting away her doubt. "I expect you to be prepared first thing tomorrow." With a final nod, she left and Reina immediately started bustling around the room.
"I'm not even the slightest bit prepared!" She exclaimed. "What if something happens and I don't know what to do? Or what if I make it worse!" Cassian chuckled.
"Everything will be fine, Reina." He stepped in front of her to keep her from pacing. "It's a simple mission and the journey will only be a week or two at the most." She rubbed her hands up and down her arms.
"I haven't even left the base since you brought me here. And now we're to go galavanting off to a different planet? I just… I don't know if I can do this." She looked down at the floor. "I always thought that when I had escaped the Besais… I would go home."
His face fell. He had almost forgotten about his plan to return her to her home planet.
"Right… of course." He sighed, but she smirked.
"But I do like it here. I feel like a part of something… important." She took a deep breath. "I'll go with you. I want to help." She brushed past him and their eyes met once again. This time, Cassian was the first to look away, heart pounding and mind reeling.
"Careful Captain," Reina warned. "You almost looked like you'd miss me." He smiled and shook his head, not willing to believe the impossible notion that he could be falling for her.
Once the ship was packed with enough supplies, the crew prepared for departure. Reina made a few last check-ups on the ship to make sure that it was in good condition. Cassian found himself following her, simply walking by her side as she worked. Two men strayed away from them, discussing quietly amongst themselves.
"She's ready." Reina said, slapping the ship's metal side. K2 shook his head.
"Well, it is about time." He quipped.
"Reina was simply being thorough." Cassian hissed. REain's breath hitched. As he continued to scold the rude droid, she noticed the way his r's slightly rolled every time he said her name. She knew he had an accent, but she has never found it so intriguing before. For a moment she almost found it… attractive.
She quickly emptied her mind of the thought and followed Cassian onto the ship, unaware of the men watching her with grim faces and wicked looks in their eyes.
Cassian was to be the negotiator when they reached their destination, as well as the pilot. Reina, of course, was the engineer. The two others were considered backup in case the mission somehow went awry. K2 has just insisted on coming to make sure Cassian didn't get himself in any more trouble.
Reina curled up in the copilot seat, reminded of the last time she has flown. It was the very journey that the Besais had attacked. She could almost feel her father's hands guiding hers along the controls. The blaster echoing through the ship rung through her memory, causing her to wince.
Cassian reached out to comfort her, but thought better of it. Reina shook the memories away and pictured instead the glistening streams of Naboo and the forests outside the rebel base. The images always brought her peace.
She hadn't expected, however, Cassian's rare smile to emerge from her thoughts, nor his soothing voice softly coaxing her to sleep. Her eyes found his and hastily broke away.
"Do you know how to fly?" He wondered, breaking the silence between them.
"A little." She shrugged. "It has been a very long time." He leaned back.
"Why don't you give it a try?" He motioned to the ship's controls.
"I don't think that's a good idea."
"Come on, I'm sure you'll be fine." Cassian begged.
"Doubtful." K2 noted from behind. Cassian glared.
"I suppose it couldn't hurt anything." Reina submitted. In a few quick motions, she had turned off autopilot and was gracefully guiding them through the stars. Everything her father had taught her felt fresh in her mind.
"You're a natural." Cassian laughed, his face bright with the smile that had been becoming more and more frequent.
Their destination grew increasingly closer until Cassian was able to land. The planet was lush with tropical forests and large, expanding seas with long bridges connecting the villages to the marketplace.
"Emre has arranged us a place to stay." Cassian announced. "I will be discussing with her in the morning, but for now I suggest we get something to eat and get some rest." He dismissed the men and turned to Reina. "We are to have dinner with Emre. She wants to meet you."
"Me?" Reina's brows furrowed. "What would she want to meet me? I'm just the mechanic." Cassian shrugged.
"I'm more curious how she knew you were coming." He started toward a large building, but turned back. "And Reina- you're not just a mechanic." He held up his jacket to protect the two of them from the rain and rushed across one of the many bridges into a stone building.
Inside was warm and decorated with red drapes and gold floors. It was luxury like Reina had never seen, even on Naboo. A tile mosaic in the entry depicted great temples and shining cities, all guarded by cloaked knights with weapons of light. The Jedi.
"Cassian Andor, I should slap you for making a lady wait so long." An older woman strut down the hallway with welcoming arms. Despite her age, she radiated beauty. She placed her hand on Cassian's cheek. "But it would be a shame to strike that pretty face of yours." She laughed and wrapped him in a merry embrace."
"It's good to see you Emre." Cassian responded with a deep laugh.
Emre had known him since he was a boy, just before his father joined the rebellion. She had been his mother's teacher when she was young. After his mother died, Emre moved and he and his father chose to fight against those responsible for his mother's death: the Empire.
Emre broke away from him and turned to Reina, engulfing her in a sudden hug. Reina tensed awkwardly and glared at Cassian, who snickered at her discomfort.
"I am ecstatic to finally meet you, Reina Tolderyn." Emre greeted brightly.
"How did you-" Reina stammered, but Emre took her and Cassian by the hand and dragged them down the hall into an extravagant dining room.
"Emre, we both know this isn't a social event." Cassian sighed grimly.
"Always so serious." The older woman scolded. "There will be no talk of business tonight. Just old friends-" she winked at Reina, "and new ones."
Dinner was a banquet of tender meats and bubbling wines. It was more food than Reina had ever eaten and by the time it was done, she was almost too full to move. Emre was an absolute delight, telling stories of her travels, and, to Cassian's dismay, some about his childhood.
"There was this one time I recall," she began, "when Cassian was no more than four years old. He insisted on carrying around this little toy blaster and jumping out to frighten people- he was quite the little rascal." She smirked and Cassian stared down at his plate, shaking his head. Reina could still see the small, amused turn of his lip. "Anyway, one time, he jumped out in front of this little girl, who promptly punched him right in the nose. The poor girl couldn't stop crying."
"Poor girl?" Cassian exclaimed. "I was the one with a broken nose!"
"A broken nose that you very much deserved." Emre chuckled. It was Reina's turn to snicker and smugly took a bite of her bread.
They were settled into lavish rooms fit for royalty. Cassian's was directly across the hall from Reina's and the two walked side by side, laughing and grinning the whole way.
"I am so glad I came here." Reina blurted, having had a few too many glasses of the fizzing drink Emre teasingly called 'Liquid Luck'. Cassian nodded and helped her into her room. Reina dived into her large bed, surrounding herself with blankets and pillows and Cassian said a brief goodnight before shutting the door behind him, settling into his own room.
"I do not trust those two men General Draven sent with us." K2 told a half-asleep Cassian. "I find that there is an 80% chance that they have a very different objective."
"They're just back up, K." Cassian groaned.
"That doesn't mean I have to like them." K went out into the hallway. In the absence of the blabbing droid, Cassian was finally able to fall asleep.
While the rebel captain slept peacefully, Reina met a rude awakening to a blaster in her side.
And as Reina was dragged down the hall, K2 turned the corner just in time to watch the men force her out of the building. He sighed.
"I have a very bad feeling about this."
The sexual tension is killing me! I hope you all are enjoying this story as much as I am. I just went to go see The Last Jedi and I am utterly speechless. Let me know all of your thoughts. I really appreciate all of the feedback. Also, I recently join Commaful, so I'll be exploring over there as well. My name is Trials of Hope. See you guys next chapter.
