"Hey, you! Congratulations!" Finn smiled at his friend's image in the holo in front of him. It had been weeks since he had talked to Poe, but something had told him he needed to today. He should have done it a month ago, after learning about Rey's dreams, but getting hold of the General was a bit difficult these days; skirmishes and full on battles with the Traagmol were an almost daily thing, now, and every one on the front line was more than a little occupied. "I heard it was a rout at Falucia!"
"Yeah, that was an easy one. Wish they were all that easy." Poe's voice was tired but steady. Finn could tell he was exhausted, but he also felt that his friend's demeanor was more relaxed and confident than the last time they had talked; Poe was really settling in to his role well as leader of the New Republic's armed forces. "How goes it on your end?"
Finn smiled. "Well, I thought I should share the good news with you before you heard it from someone else." His smile turned into a huge grin. "Rose is pregnant!"
Poe smiled. "Hey, buddy! Congratulations! I know you guys have been trying for a while!" He tilted his head. "She doing okay?"
Finn nodded. "Yeah," he said. "We waited until she passed the first trimester before we told anyone; we didn't want to take any chances." Rose had conceived twice before, but had miscarried after only a few weeks. "She's doing great and everything is going as it should."
"That's terrific," Poe responded. His smile was genuine, but there seemed to be a tension in his expression, too. "And how is my clan? I suppose Rey is giving Rose all sorts of advice, or is she too busy with her students?"
Finn shifted a bit uncomfortably in his seat. "Actually, Rey disbanded the school."
"What?!" Poe sat up straight in his seat, aghast.
"Only temporarily!" Finn rushed to say. "She knew she would have to take time off after the baby, and since some of the families have been worried about the Traagmol near their worlds, she thought it best to just close for a while." He shrugged. "Most of them are still here on Yavin; they feel safe here." He decided to stick to Rey's public excuse.
He saw Poe look away, his expression turning hard. "Why didn't she tell me?" he asked, but Finn felt he was talking more to himself than to him. "She didn't say anything the last time we talked."
Finn didn't answer, as he did not have one. He was more concerned than ever that things were not well between his two best friends. They were not communicating the way life partners should. Their excuse was this war, but it wasn't a good excuse. He continued, trying to lighten the mood a bit, and ran his hand over his own newly shaved head. "Looks like you need to get the razor out, dude."
Poe focused on him again, and a small smile appeared. He ran his hand over his own head, where his hair was already coming in thick again. "I don't know," he told Finn. "I kinda missed it." He then ran his hand over his jaw. "I might just give up and let this grow out, too. It's kind of a pain in the ass to shave when I barely have time to eat and sleep these days."
Finn grinned. "Well, Shaina will be happy to see your hair back."
Poe's face lit up. "How is she?" he asked.
"As wild as ever," Finn told him wryly. "I've been teasing Rey that Shaina was the real reason she closed the school, that Shaina is running her ragged and she was too exhausted to teach." In reality, though Shaina was a very active child, she adored her mother and grandfather and rarely did anything outwardly naughty; she just had a tendency to get herself into situations that required her guardians to come to her rescue a little too often.
Poe's smile turned a bit sad. "And the baby?"
Finn shrugged. "It's all good so far. Rey hasn't had any contractions, yet." Finn frowned. "Are you gonna make it?" Poe had been absolutely adamant that he be there for the birth.
Poe closed his eyes and rubbed his face with his hands. "I don't know," he said softly. "I might be able to slip away for a short time, but it will have to be under the radar; I know for a fact the Traagmol are getting intel that they shouldn't have. Not only do I not want them to know I'm not here, but I do not want them to know where I go." Yavin IV was a safe zone right now; he intended to keep it that way.
Finn nodded in response. While he understood, he felt a wave of sorrow at the thought that Poe would most likely not be present for the birth of his son.
They were silent for a while before Poe asked softly, "How is she?"
There was only one thing Finn needed to say. "Missing you." Again, there was silence. "I can go find her," Finn said. "She's probably at the house with your dad."
Poe shook his head. "No, I've gotta get back to the bridge. I've already been gone too long." He sat up straighter. "Besides, I'll see her in person, soon." There was determination in his voice, but his eyes held doubt.
Finn nodded. "Then I'll see you then, too," he said quietly.
"You got it, buddy," Poe responded. "Dameron out."
Finn sat there a long time, staring at the empty space where Poe's holo had been.
Suddenly, he jerked to attention as a sharp stab of panic shot through him. It wasn't his. "Rey?"
He got up and ran out of the command center, jumping in the speeder that sat right outside and reaching for his commlink. "Rey?"
There was a nerve-wracking pause before she responded. "Finn, something's wrong!"
"What?" he demanded, starting the speeder and turning it toward the settlement. Kes Dameron's farm was about halfway between the base and the village.
"I started to feel contractions," Rey told him. "But when I checked on the baby… he hasn't turned, Finn! He's not ready!"
A breech? "Is Kes with you?" He swung the speeder toward his own house, making a last-minute decision.
"He's in the house. I'm almost there." She had probably been with the Force tree, he thought. She spent most of her free time there, now.
"Comm Dr. Lanz." Lanz was the village doctor and he was a good one, if a bit old fashioned. "I'll bring Rose." He paused. "Rey, don't worry. Breech isn't a bad thing if we catch it early. He'll probably be able to turn the baby. You'll be fine." He hoped he was convincing both of them.
"He's too early!" Rey gasped.
"So was Shaina," Finn argued. "Admit it, Rey. Your babies are always ahead of the rest of us!"
He heard her laugh softly. "Just hurry. I'm at the house."
"On my way!"
XXXXXX
