A/N: Getting to know you. Getting to know all about you...
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It wasn't easy, just as Poe had warned, but Rey couldn't help but enjoy it. It helped that her head was once again normal; though it ached, it was her 'normal,' everyday ache, not even close to migraine level. She drank often, and didn't hesitate to pull out her own stash of granola bars to grab one to eat as they marched along. He would glance at her with a question in his eyes, and she would just look right back at him, a challenge in hers. He would finally just shake his head or roll his eyes and continue on, not daring to ask her if she needed a break or if she was feeling okay.
There was a game trail, at least, but it was very overgrown, and they had to push past quite a bit of undergrowth in some spots.
"How come you don't carry a machete?" she finally asked at one point. "Isn't that the norm for travelling through the jungle down here?"
He just laughed. "You watch too many movies."
"Hey! Romancing the Stone is one of my favorites!" She grinned as he turned to look at her with his brows furrowed.
"How old are you, anyway?" he grumbled.
"Twenty-eight," she told him. "I know, I know. That movie is older than I am. But that doesn't mean it's not good."
"Twenty-eight?" he mumbled. "Practically a baby."
"Oh! Like you're so old," she responded.
"Way older than you," he countered.
"What? Thirty-five?"
He snorted. "Are you trying to suck up to me?"
"No!" she asserted. "Why would I do that? You're already risking your life to get me out of this jungle safely."
They walked along in silence for a while.
"No, really," Rey continued, her curiosity getting the best of her. "How old are you?"
He was silent for so long she was convinced he wasn't going to answer. But then he muttered, "Forty-one."
It was so soft, she thought she might just pretend she didn't hear him, but she just couldn't let it go. "Good grief," she groused. "You are an old man."
He stopped sharp and turned to glare at her, but the glint in his eye told her he had recognized the sarcasm. "Old enough to remember Romancing the Stone when it was new."
"Bullshit," she told him with a grin. "You couldn't have been more than a toddler when that come out."
He laughed and turned to continue walking. The trail got rough again for a while and any conversation was put on hold as they concentrated on the journey, but soon they came to a fast-moving stream and Rey was unsurprised when he stopped, unhooked the P90, and immediately dropped his pack, setting the weapon carefully on top of it. "Lunch," he said simply. "You may be able to eat while walking, but I need to sit down." He did just that, pulling out his canteen as he did so.
"See?" Rey looked at him with raised brows. "Old."
Grunting, he picked up a branch lying next to him and threw it at her. She caught it, laughing as she slipped her own pack off and sat down facing him.
After they finished eating, this time both choosing jerky over the granola, Rey stretched out one of her legs and began massaging her ankle. Poe watched her for a while, a contemplative look on his face.
"Those sandals don't look very good for hiking," he finally said.
"Well, if you want to direct me to the nearest REI, I'll get a decent pair of boots."
"Is sarcasm your native language?" he asked.
"Actually, yeah." She drew her foot back in under her skirt. "The sandals are fine. My feet are a bit sore, but no blisters."
"And that ankle?" He wasn't giving up.
"Like I said, sore." She shrugged. "I haven't exactly had an easy couple of days, Poe. What do you want me to do about it? Give up?"
He shifted uncomfortably. "I just…"
"Worry," Rey completed. "How have you made it this far in this career by being a worrywart?"
"Didn't I mention I was ready to retire when they pulled me for this job?"
She did remember him saying that. "What will you do?" she asked softly. "When you get home?" She didn't say 'if.'
He shrugged. "I don't know. Get a job in law enforcement in some small town. Buy some land. Raise alpacas."
Rey giggled. "Alpacas? Seriously?"
"Hey, my grandparents had them when I was a kid. They're cool!" He was grinning again, but she honestly couldn't tell if he was teasing her or serious. She suspected a bit of both.
"I like that idea," she told him. She was silent for a moment. "I have some land. One hundred acres my father left me." She shrugged. "I haven't done anything with it, yet. I thought about getting a couple of horses; we used to have horses when I was young and I miss riding."
"My grandparents had horses, too," he said softly. "They got along great with the alpacas."
Her eyes met his and they smiled.
She pulled back suddenly, her heart racing. "Yeah, but will alpacas get along with coonhounds?"
"How many do you have?" Poe asked, also seeming to draw back.
"Four," she told him. "All rescues. Abandoned hunting dogs."
Poe glanced at her and shook his head. "People suck."
Rey laughed softly. "Yeah," she whispered. "A lot of them do." She paused. "But then there are others that make up for the bad ones." She looked at him steadily, letting him know exactly who she was talking about.
He refused to meet her eyes, looking down at the canteen in his hands instead. He cleared his throat. "We should fill up on water and get going," he told her.
She nodded, accepting the change in subject. "Okay."
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