Six Years Ago

Looking to his wife, Armitage saw her beaming widely as she moved around their living quarters. There were times when he considered exactly what he was doing and whether or not it was worth it. A part of him wanted simply to be with his wife. Part of him just wanted to spend time with her, especially when he saw her like this. She was carefree. She had nothing to worry about. Her only issue was keeping herself busy and entertained while her husband worked on plans to build up the First Order.

Seeing her move around the living space, she was light footed as she cleaned up. She had been preparing dinner, which was currently cooking and waiting for them to eat when Armitage returned. She stood still as soon as she saw him, her hands holding onto his folders filled with plans that she had moved from the chairs he had dumped them in when he had finished working late at night.

"Oh, Armitage," she said, clearly startled by his presence.

"I will put those in my office," Armitage said, holding his hands out to take the folders. "I should not have left them lying around."

"It's fine," Rosella told him. "I just thought that I could tidy things before you came back. How was your day?"

He took the folders from her and offered a shrug of his shoulders. "I suspect we will get there eventually, but we have a lot of work to do for the time being."

"And do you need to work this evening?" his wife enquired of him.

"Perhaps," he said to her. "Although I shall attempt to come to bed earlier this evening. Did I wake you last night?"

"I wasn't really sleeping," Rosella shrugged as he moved into his office and reappeared a moment later to find her standing in the small kitchen area, pulling the food out of the heat and setting the tray down in the middle.

"I apologise," Armitage said, hands behind his back. "I will try to be more considerate in the future."

"It's fine," Rosella said to him, cutting into the dish and plating up, hoping that he was happy with grassroot stew. She finished dishing the two plates up and moved to the dining table. Both of them sat down, Armitage taking the head of the table while his wife sat to his right.

"Although, perhaps you might need a short break," Rosella said, toying with her fork in her fingertips as Armitage took a sip of water and looked to her with an inquisitive stare. "It would not hurt, Armitage. If you take a morning off then it will allow you to sleep. I know you are busy, but how can you function on so little sleep? How can you be expected to do your job properly?"

He forced himself to shrug at hearing her; unsure of how he should answer her question. She remained mute as she picked up a mouthful of food and chewed down on it. For once Armitage hadn't snapped at her when she suggested he take a short break. She managed a small smile just for him and he sighed, nodding his head.

"I will be at work before lunch," he declared. "If I do not wake then please wake me."

"Of course," Rosella said.

The two of them went back to eating their meal in silence. Rosella tided things away while Armitage sat on the leather sofa and looked over papers. He said nothing before noticing his wife settling down next to him, holding a book in her fingertips. Armitage looked off to the side, catching the cover of what she was reading. She was reading into the history of the Empire.

"I did not know those things interested you," Armitage commented, well aware of the space between the two of them.

"I like history," was all that she offered to him. "I have read both sides. The Republic v the Empire."

"Is that so?"

"History is always two sided," Rosella said, looking to him. "There are always two sides to every story when it comes to differing viewpoints."

"And which one do you believe?" Armitage asked her.

She closed the book and rested it on her lap, her legs burrowed beneath her as she looked to her husband. "That's the thing," she said to him. "You do not need to pick a side. You can look at both of them and see how they differ and why they might differ before trying to come to an objective viewpoint."

"Do you think so?"

"I think it is better to think that way," Rosella responded with a shrug of her shoulder. "I think that makes more sense. Not everything is black and white."

Reaching out, Armitage moved a hand to her cheek, stroking her hair back from her face and tucking it behind her ear. "You really are intelligent."

"Not really," Rosella responded with a shrug of her shoulders. "I just like to read and learn. Perhaps one day it might come in useful for something."

"Why not talk to me?" Armitage asked from her.

Rosella shook her head. "I do not wish to bore you," she said to him. "You are busy enough as it is, Armitage. You do not need me here distracting you."

"It is research," Armitage responded. "Perhaps you can tell me what you have read and I can make sure we do not follow in the same mistakes as the Empire?"

Rosella was almost appalled at the notion, but she said nothing on the matter. She didn't want to help the First Order, but she doubted what she spoke of with Armitage would help them. A part of her wondered if her husband simply wanted conversation with her but he didn't know how to ask. He didn't know how to engage in normal conversation.

"If you want me to," Rosella said.

"I would like that," he confirmed to her and she nodded.

She felt his arm tentatively wrap around her waist, holding her loosely as she let her arm rest against his side. Opening up her book, she began reading as Armitage confessed that he was more interested in the feeling of her being so close to him than the words she spoke.

Now

Rosella held onto Katrine as they sat in the base on Crait. Nothing was working and the remaining engineers were doing everything in their power to get the base up and running. Poe had gone to examine the ships that they had there while Rosella felt useless. Closing her eyes as she sat in the chair, she held onto Katrine, her arms wrapped tightly around her. She thought back to everyone had perished. All of the children she had once taught had gone. They had been snatched away and Katrine was the only one left. Letting out a deep breath at the thought, she opened her eyes and looked down to the young girl who had her arms wrapped around Rosella.

She knew exactly what was going on. She was young, but she knew. Rosella had done her best to stand by the young girl, knowing that she was the only one she had left now. She had started to look up to her like a mother and the thought scared Rosella. She was scared of being the one to look after a child permanently, but the thought of Katrine being alone scared her even more.

"The ships are rust buckets," Poe complained as soon as he returned to Rosella in the corner of the room.

She opened her eyes and looked up to him as he pulled his hands through his hair.

"How long before they come?" Rosella wondered, knowing full well that the First Order would come.

"A day," Poe muttered. "The General is sending out a distress call to the rest of our forces."

"Do you think they will answer?" Rosella asked, well aware that hope was slowly fading within the Resistance. She could feel it weakening ever day that passed them by. Of course, she knew that she would rather die than bow to the First Order, but that didn't mean that the thought didn't scare her.

"Who knows?" Poe whispered and took the chair next to her, his hands going onto his thighs as he looked to Katrine who was eyeing him with intrigue, but her eyes were hooded and he saw a tiredness there. "Someone looks like they need some sleep."

"I'm fine," she said with a loud yawn.

Poe chuckled and moved a hand out to ruffle her hair as she watched him. "You know, I heard Leia say that there are some treats in the back if you're hungry?"

She seemed to perk up then and Poe smirked, moving to his feet and offering his hand to the young girl. He helped her down from Rosella's lap and offered her his hand. She took hold of it as Poe looked to Rosella and managed a genuine smile before diverting his attention back down to the small girl. Rosella watched him walk off, his hand holding onto Katrine's as the little girl looked up at him and spoke animatedly. Rosella's lips quirked as she began to wonder exactly what Poe might be like as a father.

Rosella stood on her feet then and wandered through the base before noticing Leia sat on her own. She looked as though she needed a few moments before she saw Rosella wandering by. Waving her over, the young woman perched on the box across from Leia, her arms crossed and dangling over her lap.

"Is everything alright, General?" Rosella wondered.

Leia's lips quirked. "Our forces have been made near obsolete and we wait for the First Order."

Rosella frowned. "Silly question," she responded.

"No," Leia said with a shake of her head. "It's just difficult to feel the light when we're surrounded by so much darkness. Your husband…" Leia trailed off, stopping what she was saying as she reconsidered her words. "General Hux has sent word that they know where we are. They will be here by tomorrow evening."

"And has our distress call been answered?"

"Not yet," Leia said with a shake of her head. "Our escape pods are all damaged too. There is no running."

"What is it we need to do?" Rosella enquired and Leia shrugged.

"I do not think that there is anything we can do," she admitted. "However, I have seen that Katrine has grown very fond of you. She adores you. I think that when the time comes tomorrow…when they are here…I think that you should hide her. I think you should try to find a way out of here if possible."

"I…I want to protect her," Rosella nodded in confirmation. "But I cannot run away. I cannot run away and leave Poe."

"He will tell you to do exactly the same thing," Leia said. "But that girl is the next generation, Rosella. I know what you were with the First Order. I know how you taught children that you wanted to save. You have one here who you need to try to save. She deserves that."

"And can we run?" Rosella enquired from her. "Is there a way out of here?"

Leia said nothing. "There will be distractions going on should it come to a battle. That should make enough of an escape."

"And how would I even get off this planet? All the pods are destroyed."

"There are small escape pods in them…they fit one person in each of them. We had about six ships that landed here which means there are six pods. The ships crash-landed about a mile from here. When the time comes, go back to them."

"And if we cannot?" Rosella wondered. "General, I know you mean well, but maybe someone else should go with her."

"It needs to be you," Leia said and leant forwards. "She trusts you and adores you. And…if the First Order catch us then I worry for you too. They would have no hesitation killing all of us, but I worry what they might do to you. I worry about you returning to your husband."

"He would kill me," Rosella said so nonchalantly. "He has orders to kill me should he find me."

Leia arched a brow. "Don't tell me how you know that."

Rosella bit down on her lip. Peering over to Leia, she managed to inhale a sharp breath. "You understand how it feels? To have loved someone and them betray you?"

"All too well," Leia confirmed.

"He wasn't always like this," Rosella said in a hushed voice, wondering if Poe would be coming back soon. "And I don't know how I can let him go. I don't know how I can forget about him because I want to. I want to forget about him and be with Poe. I love Poe. I will always love Poe, despite the fact he can be a complete idiot. But…he's Poe…but Armitage…can you turn off your feelings for someone? Can you forget that they exist?"

"Of course not," Leia said with a shake of her head. "But you can move on and stop dwelling in the past. Poe could be your future, Rosella. You deserve to move on to him and that will bring you peace."

"You wouldn't believe what she put away in that stomach!"

Poe's booming voice entered their ears and Rosella moved to her feet to see Poe swinging Katrine's arm in the air as he held onto her hand and she rolled her eyes and laughed. Rosella smiled brightly as Katrine looked up to Poe.

"I didn't eat that much."

"She ate enough for ten people," Poe said, leaning back slightly.

"I did not," Katrine said.

"Did too," Poe said.

"Did not," she responded.

"You calling me a liar, kid?" Poe asked and Katrine began to laugh loudly as he bent down and began tickling her on the sides, taunting her as Rosella laughed at the sight and he finally relented, feeling Katrine lean against his side as he wrapped his arms around her and hauled her from the ground as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Is he exaggerating again?" Rosella asked, her hand brushing Katrine's cheek.

"Yes," Katrine said.

"Me? Exaggerating? I have never heard something so preposterous," Poe spat out and Katrine laughed at his tone as Rosella moved a free hand to Poe's arm, looking him in the eye as he glanced back to her, still smiling as he held Katrine in his arms.

"Can it be like this for a while?" Rosella asked, both of them knowing what was coming.

Poe nodded. "Yeah…yeah, I'd like that."

Rosella smiled and rested her cheek on Poe's shoulder, closing her eyes for a moment as Leia watched on, knowing full well what lay ahead for them tomorrow. She only hoped they could somehow get out of their fate which, at that moment in time, seemed completely sealed.

…

A/N: Do let me know what you think!