Part II: CHAPTER 7—Better Times

Rey moved slowly up the steps toward the sound of a crackling fire and the smell of more fish. She would probably get tired of it after a while, but for now, it made her feel comfortable and safe. Like home, though she'd never known that feeling before.

Cody sat with his back to her, carefully toasting the fish over the embers. He turned and stood as she approached. His eyes held so many questions, all of them born of worry. Rey tried to smile to ease his mind, but she couldn't seem to muster the energy. Instead she wrapped her arms around him and let herself sink into the warmth of his embrace. She felt the tension in her shoulders evaporate and almost thought she could fall asleep right there. He wouldn't drop her.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"What for?" Cody asked.

"For always being with me."

Cody pulled back and held her at arm's length, confusion evident in his features. "But I wasn't."

Rey shook her head. "You were. On the inside, somehow. Because of you I know I never have to be afraid."

Cody pulled her into his arms again. "I wish I could have spared you all that, everything that's happened since..."

"It was necessary. I have a lot of work to do. I must be prepared."

Cody nodded and turned back toward the fire, pulling Rey with him. "The food's gonna burn."

He didn't want to talk about her mission. He was worried about her. She couldn't exactly blame him. After seeing even brief visions of the past, she knew the danger she would be in. It rarely bothered her to think about, perhaps because she didn't fully understand it all yet. But Cody had lived through the Clone Wars and the Empire. He knew better what she would be up against. It may have been wise to ask him more about it, but Rey was tired, and she could see that it would take some convincing. She promised herself that she would ask about it tomorrow when they were both in better spirits.

As she looked back across the cave, Rey saw no light coming from its mouth. It hadn't felt like such a long time since morning, but the visions must have gone longer than she thought.

When the fish cooled enough to touch, they ate in silence. Rey's eyelids were drooping as they cleaned up. Finally, they curled up in their blankets beside the fire. Rey wasn't sure if Cody fell asleep as quickly as she did because she was out as soon as she closed her eyes.

~oOo~

The next morning passed much the same as the last. Yet this time, there was an unspoken agreement that though Rey and Cody both still had many questions for each other, fishing was to be done in companionable silence. Rey was used to having to search for food every day with inferior results, so her patience with the process wasn't even stretched.

The tide was still low enough that Cody brought out some firewood and found a nice, flat rock where they could cook their breakfast outside. Rey watched him light the kindling, and the smoke began to rise. Meanwhile, she laid the fish in the pan and rinsed off her hands in the tide pool nearby.

In the distance she could see the Millennium Falcon still parked at the base of the mountainous island. Which meant that Chewbacca was either still on the ship or with Luke. She hoped Luke had told him what was going on and he had relayed a message back to the Resistance. They needed to know Luke was alive and she had found him. Thinking about Chewie reminded her of her vision the day before and the young Wookiee in the woods.

"I had a friend who was a Wookiee once, didn't I?" Rey asked. "Not Chewie. A younger one... Lowlow."

Cody almost laughed, but there was also sadness in his eyes. "Yes," he said. "You couldn't say Lowbacca. He was Chewie's nephew and one of the Jedi students."

Rey knew that meant her vision was real. That he was dead now. She still didn't really remember him. "What was he like?"

Cody thought for a moment. "He was... generous, I guess."

"What do you mean?"

"All the other students were older than you. Ben, Anakin, Cass, Lowbacca... They were a tight group. When you came along, there wasn't much interest in letting a toddler tag along. Lowie wasn't like that. He took you for rides in his T-23, taught you how to work on ships. You understood the Wookiee language completely by the time you were three..."

~oOo~

19 ABY

Kira-Rey held the rough hilt of the lightsaber in her hands and stared in concentration at the design. It was complex, much more advanced than anything Lowlow had shown her before. She wouldn't get her own lightsaber until she was 15, which Rey always thought was unfair. She would be more careful with it than the older boys were.

Lowlow grunted at her, but she didn't notice until it was too late.

"No lightsabers at the dinner table," Sky said, snatching it from Rey's hands and looking at it for a moment before giving it to Lowlow who gave her an apologetic shrug.

Cody set the food on the table, pushing aside a few spare parts Rey had forgotten to put away three days ago. "Go wash your hands, Jedi Knight," he said, winking at her.

Rey wasn't a Jedi Knight. She was just a beginner student. But when no one else was listening, Cody called her that. Well, Lowlow was listening, but he wouldn't tell anyone. Rey jumped down from her chair and rushed to the washroom. The grease and dirt never really did come out of the groves in her skin or under her fingernails, but she was as clean as she was going to get.

"What sort of mischief did you two cause today?" Sky asked as they all sat down at the table and dished their food.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Lowlow barked.

"We got the T-23 stuck in a tree," Rey said, not bothering to conceal their adventures. "I was flying, but Lowlow said my hands aren't big enough for the controls. I had to climb out and untangle us from the branches.

Sky gave Lowlow a mildly horrified look.

"I tied my belt around her waist," he said. "She was safe."

Sky still didn't look happy, but Rey noticed that Cody was smiling when she wasn't looking. He was always more likely to excuse or even participate in any dangerous adventures Rey had. Sometimes she wished she had more friends, but spending all her days with her parents and Lowlow was as good as any kid could hope for. Rey only trained for a couple of hours each day, sometimes at home with her mum and sometimes with Master Luke. The rest of the time was spent exploring, or working on mechanics, or visiting Kes Dameron, or swimming in the lake.

The only thing that would make her life perfect would be to grow up faster so she could become a Jedi and go on missions like the older kids. Ben and Anakin always went with Master Luke, and sometimes by themselves or with Cass and Lowlow. There were other students at the Jedi academy, but those four were the most advanced.

Every night, Rey went to sleep and dreamed of the day she'd be old enough to join them.

~oOo~

After breakfast, Rey looked up to see Chewie standing on the ridge between the cave and the Falcon. He waved his arms for them to climb up. Cody kicked the still glowing embers of the fire into the ocean below, causing a loud hiss before they died.

Rey started the climb up the rocks first, taking the same hand and footholds she had on the way down three days ago. It felt like a lot longer. She thought the rotation might be slower on Ahch-To than Jakku, but something told her it wasn't that.

They reached the top, and Chewie made an unintelligible noise in the back of his throat before hugging Cody.

"Good to see you too, old friend," Cody said after Chewie finally let go of him.

Chewie turned to Rey. "I'm going back for the funeral and to help move the base," he barked. "If you're staying, Luke wants to see you."

"He's not going?" Rey asked.

Chewie shook his head slowly.

Rey felt torn. She wanted to go back with Chewie. To see Finn and be at the funeral. But something was holding her here, some mix of family and duty that didn't entirely make sense to her yet.

"I wish I could come with you," she said. "Tell—tell Finn I'll see him soon."

Chewie gave her a knowing look and nodded before turning to head back to the ship.

Rey took a deep breath before starting toward the rocky steps that would lead up to Luke's sanctuary. She adjusted the strap on her staff, feeling a small measure of comfort from its presence.

"Who's Finn?" Cody asked as the climbed.

Rey had to think about her answer for a moment. "He's my friend," she said. "My only real friend except for Chewie and BB-8."

"Isn't that Poe's droid?"

"Yes, but I've never met him. It's a bit of a long story."

Cody smiled. "Glad it's not just me."

"I guess we do have a long climb ahead of us."

"True. And you know how I like long stories."

"Well, it all started when I found BB-8 in the desert..."

~oOo~

Luke watched as the Millennium Falcon shot across the sky and disappeared through the atmosphere. He felt the presence of his old friend leaving the system as the Falcon went into hyperdrive. Artoo beeped next to Luke.

"It isn't time yet, Artoo," Luke said. "There's more work to do."

The droid's tone turned indignant.

"I'm sorry it took so long, but I needed you to stay with Leia so she would be able to find me when the time was right."

Artoo whistled, still irritated but placated for the moment.

"At least it isn't a swamp." Luke turned to walk back toward his hut.

Artoo let out a series of sharp complaints ranging from the rocky terrain to the sea air.

"You're starting to sound like Threepio."

That silenced him.

Luke sometimes found himself missing the fussy protocol droid. A little. Of course, that always gave way to thoughts of his sister. He knew Leia would be disappointed that he wasn't coming back just yet, that he would miss Han's funeral. Everyone would be. Leia would understand though, unlike any of their other friends. Somehow she always knew what was going through his head. One of the reasons he had gone so far from the interior was that she would sense him if she got too close. She wasn't safe with him around. No one was.

That led Luke to consider the challenges Rey now faced. Her training here would be one thing, but very soon, she would have to go back to the real world where she would be hunted and tempted by the dark side. She didn't need the guilt of knowing she would put everyone she loved in danger. But she would have it all the same. The feeling had been a near constant in Luke's life. Even from his earliest memories, he knew he was a threat. A childhood filled with running taught him never to let down his guard. Until it was his family, his friends, his students. He thought he could avoid all the failures of the old Jedi Order, but he had only repeated history. Perhaps it always went that way, the Force in a constant battle of order and chaos.

But what of the Chosen One? The one to bring balance to the Force? Obi-Wan had told him that the Jedi thought it was his father. But Anakin had died having only caused more destruction. Cody had once suggested it might be Luke himself, but something deep within him told Luke that wasn't true. Perhaps Rey would be the one. Perhaps there was no Chosen One.

Artoo beeped loudly, and Luke looked up to see that his company had arrived. Rey and Cody were still a ways off, talking animatedly in spite of the difficult climb. Luke smiled faintly at the reminder that there was still some hope, if the happiness in his friend's eyes were any indication.

"Is that a frying pan?" Luke asked as he came out of the hut to see Cody carrying the old pan.

Cody held it up, looking surprised. "Forgot I had it," he said. "The tide was coming in, so I didn't want to go back to the cave."

"Oh." Luke feigned disappointment. "I thought you were going to make lunch."

Cody frowned suspiciously. "You're in a... bizarrely good mood."

Luke turned to Rey, ignoring Cody's comment. "I'm glad you decided to stay," he said. "There is still much for you to learn."

"Is this the hands on part?" Rey asked. "Not that I mind the mental exercises, but a little variety might be nice."

Luke smiled. A real smile. She sounded just like her mother. "There's something I need to show you first," he said, gesturing toward the hut. "Then we'll work on some training."

They all went inside. It was bigger than it looked from the front, and there were multiple rooms. Cody set the frying pan on the small table, and Luke could almost sense him focusing in on it so that he wouldn't forget it when they went back to the cave.

Luke led the way toward the back of the hut and through a thick curtain. They entered a workroom of sorts, except the counter and table were covered with lightsabers.

Rey's eyes widened as she took in the sight. "Where did they all come from?"

"All the Jedi who were killed at the academy," Luke said, feeling himself descending into one of his darker moods again. He knew the memories would do that to him.

"You went back for them?" Rey asked with a disbelieving look. "Why?"

"Because he's a kriffing idiot," Cody muttered.

"What was it Sky said about obscenities in front of the kids?" Luke asked, feeling the darkness had been slightly averted.

Cody looked over at Rey as if thinking about it. "Sorry. Old habits. They wouldn't even let us in the army if we couldn't cram seven different curse words into one sentence."

Luke frowned. "You just made that up."

"How would you know? Besides, she learned her overprotectiveness from her mother." Cody turned to Rey. "Either woman's bad side was not a place you wanted to be."

Rey was still staring at the lightsabers but clearly listening. "Whatever happened to my grandmother, anyway?" she asked.

"She was alive last time I checked, but that was a few years ago," Cody said.

"Thirteen years," Rey reminded him.

"Thirteen years, right." Cody turned serious again.

~oOo~

16 ABY

At 06:00 the jungle humidity was already producing trails of sweat down Cody's forehead. He knew if he was uncomfortable, the kids would be too. But he couldn't let it show. He resisted the urge to swipe the moisture away as he turned to face his recruits. At fifteen years old, both Lowie and Cass were all arms and legs. They already had their lightsabers, which meant they had some fencing training at least. Ben and Anakin, on the other hand, were just shy of thirteen with all the confidence of their namesakes but none of the experience. Luke had given them training lightsabers for the day which they were examining carefully as if they planned on taking them apart. They probably would if left alone with the damn things.

"All right, shinies, form up," Cody barked, enjoying the feeling of giving orders again.

The four kids looked confused as they tried to form a straight line. It wasn't great. They'd have to work on standing at attention.

"You call that a formation?"

They stood straighter. Cass actually seemed to have it down. Lowie was doing his best, but his size made it difficult. The boys looked ridiculous, but what could he expect from twelve-year-olds? Well, Cody was fighting a war when he was twelve, but he had learned a long time ago not to judge other people by clone standards. That didn't mean he was going to go easy on them.

"As you all know, Master Skywalker has instituted a new combat training schedule, which means for the next thirty days, your usual training will be suspended and you will meet here at 06:00 on the dot every morning. We will—"

Cody was interrupted when another boy ran up to join the line, standing next to Anakin at the end. "Sorry I'm late." Poe was breathless from running.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Cody asked.

"Master Luke said I could join in since it's not a strictly speaking Jedi exercise." Poe smiled. He was always smiling.

Cody glanced at Luke who was sitting on a pile of boulders watching. He nodded once.

Cody turned back to the now five students. "Well, since you apparently fail to understand the concept of time, I think we'll begin with some drills."

If this had been a batch of clones, there would have been collective groaning, but these kids didn't know what "drills" meant. Cody couldn't help smiling. They really were in for it.

"All right troops, on the ground! One hundred pushups starting... now."

There was a ripple of surprise before they started. They probably thought this would be more fencing practice and maybe battling some remotes. But Cody wasn't a Jedi; he was a soldier. Luke knew that when he asked Cody's help with training. If he didn't like the way Cody was running things, he didn't show it. He merely gazed on the proceedings with a serenely disinterested expression. From the stories Luke told of Yoda's training, this might have been mild in comparison.

As Cody expected, Lowie excelled at pushups and finished long before the others. Cass was doing better than anticipated, though her pace was slower than the boys. She didn't seem as winded as they did. Ben and Anakin were still on the scrawny side, and Poe lacked a certain... focus. The goal was to have them all in unison by the end of the month, but that might require Lowie to slow down a bit.

When the finally all finished, sweating and panting, Cody checked his chronometer. Not great.

"That was the most pathetic start I've ever seen," he said. It wasn't, but he always said that. Of course, he was comparing it to six-year-old Luke who wanted to work out with Cody.

Lowie barked, "We'll do better next time." He had nothing to be ashamed of, but his sense of community among the group was strong. If one failed, they all failed.

"Yes you will," Cody replied. "Ready your weapons and take your positions. You can use the rocks and trees for cover. Your goal is to keep your whole squad alive. If you get hit, move away from the field and stand next to Master Skywalker until the exercise is complete."

Anakin raised his hand. "What exactly are we fighting?" he asked.

Cody drew a training blaster from his holster. "Me... and Rex."

Upon hearing his name, Rex emerged from the trees behind Cody. He raised his own gun for the kids to see. "These won't kill you, but they sting like a bitch."

"Poe," Cody snapped.

Poe stood straighter as if he'd been caught not paying attention.

Cody handed him an extra training blaster. "Since you're not a Jedi, you'll be using this."

He took the gun a little too eagerly. Cody didn't anticipate getting shot today.

"Take your positions," Cody said. "Remember your objective is to keep everyone alive. Go!"

Rex didn't wait for the kids to find cover but began firing at them immediately. Anakin blocked the first shot with his lightsaber, and the low powered bolt ricocheted into the trees.

While most of the kids took cover behind the rocks, Lowie stayed out front, blocking with his rust colored lightsaber. Cass took up a position on top of some of the boulders, probably to angle the ricochet back down on the two clones. It might have worked if Cody and Rex had been slower to dodge. They also had to watch out for Poe's blaster, but he had the aim of a battle droid, so the only way he was going to hit them would be accidentally. Anakin and Ben stayed behind Lowie and to the right, easily blocking any bolts that made it past the Wookiee.

Poe was the first to go down. He made the mistake of leaving his cover to try to get a better shot at Cody and Rex, and Rex took him down before he even got a shot off. That briefly wiped the smile of his face, but he didn't complain as he left the field.

Lowie was next, but only because he was the biggest target. Anakin and Ben would have been toast much sooner if he hadn't covered them. Soon after they lost their Wookiee protector, the twins went down. There was a lot more grumbling from them.

Cass was the last holdout, jumping from rock to rock to avoid the blaster fire. She got lucky near the end and reflected a shot that barely grazed Rex's arm. In that moment, she lost her focus and Cody took the kill shot. She flinched when the bolt hit her but didn't lose her balance. She just rubbed her chest and jumped down to the ground again.

"Form up, shinies!" Cody switched the training blaster's power off and replaced it in his holster.

"Damn," Rex muttered. "They really do still hurt."

"Bet that's the first time you've been hit since training."

"Only got hit once or twice then."

"Right." Cody wasn't sure he entirely believed Rex, but he wasn't going to argue the point. He turned to the kids again. "Someone want to tell me why two guys beat the five of you?"

"Because you've had training," Cass said bluntly.

"Obviously." Cody crossed his arms. "More specifically."

"Well, Poe left his cover," Anakin said.

"And he needs to work on his aim," Ben added.

"You two have no room to talk," Rex said. "The only reason you lasted longer was the Wookiee shield in front of you. What would you have done if he wasn't there?"

"Died faster," Anakin joked.

"You would have," Cody said. "Because you weren't thinking like a team. The only one who did was Lowie, and he took unnecessary risks in the process. You can't have one team player and four individuals and expect a good outcome. Either you're a team or it's everyone for himself, and the only way you're going to succeed at this exercise is to work as a team."

Once he was satisfied that they all looked sufficiently scolded, Cody gestured toward the "battle field."

"Take two minutes to strategize," he said. "Then we run it again."

They immediately clustered together, speaking in hushed voices and low growls.

Cody looked over at Rex who was smiling as if he found something funny.

"What?" Cody asked.

"Oh, nothing. This just reminds me of something Fives said about his training. Guess Domino squad had some trouble with teamwork too."

Cody thought about his brother who died fighting the Empire so long ago. "He would have loved this," he said. There was no use dwelling on the past. Cody checked his chronometer and announced that time was up.

The kids immediately scattered with Cass and Poe up on the boulders, Lowie front and center, and Ben and Anakin flanking him. It was an improvement, at least. There was one other major difference Cody noticed as he and Rex began firing on the students: Lowie was no longer a stationary target. He didn't have the maneuverability of a human, but he was advancing steadily toward the two clones.

"What's he doing?" Rex asked.

"I never said they couldn't try to cut us in half," Cody replied.

As Lowie moved forward, Ben and Anakin followed, protecting him from the side so he could focus on his advance. It was passable strategy. Cody signaled to Rex to move around the back and try to take out Cass and Poe while he dealt with the front. Rex retreated back into the trees to disguise his move as a bid for cover.

"Kriffing aim, Poe!" Cass shouted.

Cody stifled a laugh. He was going to have to send that kid for some personal target practice with Rex.

Lowie was getting uncomfortably close now. If he'd been a Jedi back in the Republic days, Cody would be worried. He never would have attempted to take on a Jedi back then, of course. Thankfully, Lowie was still a student, and therefore not as much a threat as someone like Kenobi or Skywalker. Cody held his position and kept firing. Lowie was focusing on protecting his head and torso, which left room for a non-lethal shot somewhere else. He waited for the Wookiee to get closer and took aim at his right kneecap.

Lowie howled in pain as the bolt struck him and he dropped to one knee. Cody rushed forward and kicked Lowie's saber hand almost as hard as he could. The lightsaber went flying, and Cody pressed the barrel of the gun to Lowie's head. The Wookiee nodded and dropped to the ground in an admission of defeat.

Ben and Anakin advanced quickly, and Cody turned his blaster on them, firing as quickly as he could. He couldn't tell if Rex was having any success with the other siblings as the two dull blue training lightsabers came at him. He was forced to retreat into the trees to draw them into less maneuverable quarters. They followed without hesitation, which would give Cody an advantage. He shot upward at a cluster of vines, causing them to snap and fall directly on Ben, pushing him into the side of a tree and making him drop his lightsaber. Cody fired a kill shot at his torso and he grunted before slumping over in defeat.

Anakin rushed at Cody, almost seeming angry. Another advantage to Cody. He dodged and Anakin blew past him, stumbling on the uneven ground. Cody whirled around and shot Anakin directly between the shoulder blades before he could turn back.

"Better," Cody said a little breathlessly. "You okay, Ben."

"I think I broke something," he moaned.

"You're fine."

Just then a loud whoop! echoed through the jungle, indicating the battle was over. Cody helped Ben up, and the three of them moved back out to the clearing. Rex was standing on top of the rocks where Cass had been, while Cass and Poe were on the ground. Cody was mildly disappointed that he missed seeing how Rex managed to take the high ground advantage from them. It didn't surprise him, but it would have been fun to watch.

"On your feet, shinies!" In fact, they were looking rather shiny with sweat dripping from their faces and drenching their clothes. "That wasn't as terrible. Get some water and food and we'll go again."

There was a sigh of relief that turned into a groan at the end. Luke had brought food and water for everyone, and they all gathered around him for a few minutes while Cody and Rex discussed where to go next.

"Feels like this is a prolonged demonstration of how much they don't know," Rex said, handing Cody a canteen of water.

Cody took a drink. "Yeah, that was the idea."

"So, you think it's about time to start teaching them something?"

"I was contemplating teams. But the numbers would be off."

"Lowie's worth one and a half. Put Cass on the opposite team 'cause she's the next best. Poe with her and then split up the boys."

"Question is, which team do you want?"

Rex thought about that for a moment. "I'll take Cass. I can see where she needs to work and Poe could use some firearm training. Put Ben with us and Anakin with you."

"Any particular reason?"

"Yeah, Anakin's got a crush on Cass."

"Which would give you the advantage."

"Isn't there some Jedi rule about not letting your feelings get in the way of the mission? He's gotta learn that too. In all other areas, he's got better focus than Ben anyway."

"So it all evens out."

"As much as we could hope for."

Cody nodded, accepting the plan and looked over to see the kids had nearly finished their food. It wouldn't do to let them rest too long.

"Let's get back to work, shinies!" he said.

They all shoved in a few more bites before returning to the field.

"Hey, why do you call us shinies?" Ben asked. "Is that some kind of swear word?"

Cody laughed. "No, I think Cass is the only one who needs her mouth washed out today. It means you're shiny. New. Inexperienced."

"Comes from shiny armor," Rex added. "No dirt or bloodstains yet."

"I think I've got bloodstains," Ben grumbled.

Cody chose to ignore that remark and told them all their team assignments. This time, they would be fighting each other, but they would have Cody and Rex to guide them. The next few rounds went better, though the kids struggled with fighting each other. Rex had been right about Anakin's lack of focus when it came to Cass. They worked on Lowie not making himself such an easy target. Meanwhile, Rex took Cass' natural skill and showed her how to put it to the best use. He gave Poe a few pointers on aiming and advised Ben to use his strength in the Force to his advantage.

They ran the exercise three times that afternoon. Cody's team won the first round because of the Wookiee advantage and a bit of disorganization on the opposing team. But Rex corrected for those things and won the next two.

The sun was starting to go down as they finished the last round, and everyone stood panting and sweating around the battlefield.

"You might not be entirely hopeless," Cody barked. "I won't go so easy on you tomorrow."

Sensing they had been dismissed, the kids began moving toward the path that would lead back to the old rebel base Luke had converted into his academy.

"That was easy?" Anakin asked the others as they walked away.

Cody couldn't help smiling. They had no idea. For the next month, he was going to push them harder than they thought they could go, and in the end they would be better for it.

Luke rose from his the spot he hadn't left all day, except to dodge stray fire from Poe. He approached Cody and Rex with an unreadable expression. He was really getting that mysterious Jedi master thing down.

"That was certainly interesting," he said, watching as the kids faded from sight.

"You wanted me to train them," Cody said.

"Yes, but I didn't realize you had been a drill sergeant in the war."

Cody smirked. "I wasn't."

Rex laughed. "That was nothing compared to our training."

"Well, they are still children," Luke reminded them.

"So were we."

Cody didn't think it necessary to mention that that fact didn't make it right. They all knew that. "Time to go home," he said. "Rex, are you going back to the base or you want to have dinner with us?"

"'Long as Sky doesn't mind the smell."

Cody shook his head. "She only cares about weapons at the table."

"I'll see you in the morning," Luke said, heading off in the direction the kids had gone.

Cody slapped Rex's shoulder and started in the opposite direction toward the house he and Sky had built when she decided to join Luke on Yavin 4. They'd had a lot of help from Kes Dameron who lived less than a klick further down the jungle trail.

"How's the little one," Rex asked as they walked through the jungle.

"A handful," Cody joked. "She's already moving things with her mind."

"Too bad she didn't get her mother's looks too."

"You know if she looks like me she looks like you, right?"

"Yeah, I guess she is pretty cute."

Cody laughed and pushed his way on through the trees. He could see the lights of home now.

A/N: I'm going to be out of town this weekend, so I will be postponing the next chapter for a week. Also, NaNoWriMo is starting, so I'm giving myself a bit of leeway.