Well, hello! It's that time again. Time for Poe and Rey to start a new adventure! This one is another Modern Alternate Universe, created from another crazy little story that has been playing around in my head for years.

A few things before we begin. This story deals with the only thing I love more than Star Wars: horses. Don't worry if you don't know anything about them or about the sport I focus on in this story (dressage). I will do my best to not get too complicated in my descriptions.

Second, this story deals with physical trauma that leads to disabilities for both our heroes. Thoughts of suicide occur more than once, so if this is a trigger for anyone, please turn back now.

Third, I am rating this story 'M' because there will be explicit sex (consensual and loving, as always). However it only occurs in three different chapters and I will give warnings beforehand, so if that's not your thing, I believe you can skip these chapters and still enjoy the story.

Last but not least, remember that I always write a happy ending!

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"Breathe!"

Rey Skywalker felt air expel from her lungs as she heard the command from her trainer. Immediately, her tense back and shoulders relaxed and she felt BeeBee relax as well. She had a tendency to hold her breath when she anticipated difficult movements, and fortunately her trainer could tell from his position on the ground.

"Deep in the corner!" Poe Dameron called out as she reached the corner of the arena. BeeBee was on high alert, his ears forward, as she subtly directed him into the turn. "Set him up," came another command. She straightened the big chestnut horse and they headed diagonally across the arena. "Now!" Poe demanded, and Rey responded by cueing BeeBee with her right heel, lifting up her left hand ever so slightly. BeeBee effortlessly 'skipped,' changing leads. "Stride, stride, now!" Poe continued. Rey cued for the other lead and BeeBee skipped back. Across the diagonal they went, Poe calling out directions, Rey following them, BeeBee responding to her aids as he skipped down the arena, changing the lead leg every three strides.

When they reached the corner, Rey realized she was once again holding her breath and let it out in a rush before she got caught. She was pretty sure Poe noticed, but as she turned BeeBee into the corner, all he said was "Perfect!"

Rey couldn't stop the huge smile from forming on her face. That kind of compliment from Poe Dameron was rare indeed.

"Let's end on that high note," he said, his voice sounding a bit rough. "Let him stretch and cool down."

Rey nodded, then directed BeeBee into a large circle. She squeezed her buttocks and thighs ever so slightly, and BeeBee responded by slowing down and bringing his head forward. Rey let the reins slide out of her hands, allowing him to lower his head and stretch his neck and back. Dressage worked horses just as dancing worked people; it was strenuous and a nice stretch after such intense exercise not only felt good for the horse but was good for their physical well-being. As Rey cued with her seat muscles again, asking BeeBee to trot, she looked over at her trainer.

He had moved to the gate and was sitting down in the chair he kept there. He usually taught most of his classes from that chair, setting it in the middle of the arena, but Rey was his most advanced student, and he preferred to be able to move around the arena with the aid of his cane as he watched Rey and her mount closely. Some days he seemed comfortable doing this, others he did not. Today, he was not.

Poe Dameron had been Rey's idol for years. She had started following his career five years earlier, when she and BeeBee had just been getting started in dressage training. He and his big black Trakhener Dark Odyssey (D.O. or Dee for short) had helped the United States win team gold at the Olympics, then they had gone on to win the individual silver medal. Both had been firsts for the United States in Dressage, a sport that had been dominated by European countries for years. Poe Dameron had not only become an international equestrian icon, but because of his good looks and charming personality, he had become the obsession of many a young horse-loving girl.

Then tragedy had struck. Poe was hit by a drunk driver while training in Florida for the World Equestrian Games three years ago. His spine had been damaged so severely, most doctors said he wouldn't be able to walk again. But Poe had proved them all wrong. Within six months, he was back on his feet, thanking several physical therapists and horses; he had started riding again before he could walk, and he claimed that activity had helped him recover faster than if he had stayed on the ground.

Despite his amazing recovery, he was still not, and probably would never be, completely well. He still went to PT twice a week and used a cane to walk most of the time. He rode as often as he could, knowing the movements his back made while riding a horse at a quiet walk was some of the best PT there was, but now that he was teaching so much, he didn't get as much time to ride. And he refused to take pain meds during the day, saying he needed to be alert at all times while working with 'crazy horses and their crazier riders.' He had been looking at Rey when he had said that, but the glint of humor in his eye let her know he didn't mean the comment as an insult.

Rey knew he didn't mean it. She had already ridden with three trainers in her six years with BeeBee that never hesitated to criticize her feisty, neurotic, emotional Thoroughbred. Every one of them had complained that she would do so much better with a horse actually bred for Dressage, that she had too much talent to waste on a failed racehorse with imperfect conformation. Poe had been the first trainer to really want to help BeeBee become as great as Rey knew he could be. He had told her from day one that while he thought she could advance faster and go farther with a different horse, he could tell that her bond with BeeBee was strong and that her joy was in making him the best he could be over any advancement for herself.

Rey had found BeeBee as a four-year-old when she was only fourteen years old. She had been riding schooling horses all of her life and had finally talked her father into letting her get her own horse. An off-the-track Thoroughbred was about as cheap as you could get, but you also ran the risk of physical problems, mental problems, and bias from the dressage community. Rey had spent most of the next five years with Amilyn Holdo, a well-respected trainer who lavishly praised Rey and her talent, but refused to accept BeeBee as a potential superstar himself. When Rey learned that Poe Dameron had taken over a barn just ten miles from her home in Jakku and was beginning his own riding program, Rey didn't hesitate to apply. It really shouldn't have surprised her that he accepted her as a student without any question; she and BeeBee had already proven themselves at the lower levels, placing high in almost every show they entered in the area. Though Rey had been a nervous wreck upon first meeting her idol, Poe had been so open and welcoming to her and BeeBee that it hadn't taken long to feel comfortable with him.

Too bad her crush had not abated. If anything, it had only gotten worse in the year she had been riding with him.

Bringing BeeBee down to a walk, Rey let him circle the arena a couple of times, watching as Poe painfully stood and headed back toward the barn and his office, where she knew a heating pad awaited his back. She had learned very early on that he did not like people showing sympathy or pity for his condition, though he did let his friend and barn manager Finn help him when things got really bad. Rey often found herself doing subtle things to help him like moving his chair closer to where she knew he wanted it or making sure everything he might need for a class was within reach so he didn't have to get up to retrieve it. She always did these things quickly and while his back was turned, but she often caught Finn grinning at her.

She rode BeeBee to the arena gate and dismounted, then led him back to the barn. While Poe employed several people to do barn work and groom, Rey handled BeeBee mostly herself. Other than feeding and cleaning his stall, the only staff member to handle him was Finn, who turned him out every morning in the small pasture with D.O. and a couple other geldings; though Dee was a stallion, he was a kind, quiet horse and preferred the company of others to being alone. Rey came and rode or worked BeeBee every day but Sunday, and she still came out then just to spend time with him out in the pasture. BeeBee tended to be grumpy with people he didn't know or like, but he liked Finn and he tolerated Poe, so they were the only two that handled him other than Rey for the most part.

Rey took her mount into the barn and proceeded to take off his tack and groom him, carefully rubbing out the sweat marks from his dark chestnut coat, then she put him in his stall, making sure he had plenty of hay; Finn would feed him his grain later in the evening when all the other horses in the barn were fed. Giving her horse one last hug, she made her way to the office.

Poe was on the phone, which disappointed Rey as she had been hoping to sit and talk with him for a bit. She may not stand a chance attracting him as a potential girlfriend, but she still enjoyed being his friend. However, today it looked as if he would be busy for a while. He frowned and shrugged at her as she peeked in, mouthing 'sorry.' She just smiled and gave him a little wave, whispering, "See you tomorrow."

After he nodded and grinned at her, she turned, waving to both Finn and his girlfriend Rose, who also worked at the barn. "Have a good night, y'all," she called, and they waved and smiled back at her. As she got into her car, she realized how exhausted she was. Fortunately, it was Friday, and her class for this evening had been cancelled, so she was done for the week. Working a part-time job at her dad's law office in the morning, spending afternoons at the barn, then taking accounting classes at night made for a busy week. But she could sleep in tomorrow, then come out and take a long trail ride with BeeBee. Maybe Poe would join her on D.O. She could only hope.

Rey stopped at a red light, her mind wandering as she imagined she and BeeBee finally reaching Grand Prix level, the highest level in Dressage and the level they rode at in the Olympics. Poe was sure they could do it, but he never pressured her or her horse. His faith in them was enough to encourage her and keep her going, even after long weeks like this one.

The car behind her honked and she jumped, realizing the light had turned green. She stepped on the accelerator and the car moved into the intersection. She saw something out of the corner of her eye and turned her head to the left. The last thought she had before the pickup hit her broadside was that it was red in color.

And then everything went dark.

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