A/N: So I didn't think I'd get another finished before Christmas, but surprise! Here's one more! Thank you all for the reviews and following my story, your support keeps me going and it's so appreciated.

Sorry for doubling up on Rey's POV here lately, but she's driving the story a bit for a little while. I promise more Kylo POV soon.

We're going to dabble with some events from TRoS briefly, then take off in another direction. So going forward a lot will seem familiar initially, but then it won't. Damerey is still playing out in this chapter, but there's also some pivotal information for the future of Reylo tucked in this one that will shake things up for Rey.

Inspo songs:

Coming Back for You- Maroon 5

Swept Away- Boundary Run

Heartless- Diplo, Morgan Wallen

Exegol

"At last the work of generations is complete. The great error is corrected. The day of victory is at hand. The day of revenge. The day of the Sith."

What had led me to this forsaken place?

A mysterious transmission came from the far reaches of the galaxy, almost as though a beacon to draw me in. I was all too willing to come. I'd have none threaten my rule, my power.

Fortunately, my former master had imparted on me much about the arcane lore of the Sith. It led me to Mustafar, where a cult remained worshipping my grandfather held an artifact that might be of use to reach a planet of Sith legends, Exegol.

While my rampage against the cultists who refused to relinquish it was a little soothing, the comments of the Eye, the final guardian of the wayfinder, stoked the confusion and frustration in me.

"I know what you seek. I must warn you, our fiery planet burns away deception. If you proceed down this path, you will encounter your true self. The wayfinder is yours to take. It will guide you through the Unknown Regions. To the hidden world of Exegol. To him. But take heed, be prepared for what you may encounter in the end."

The thing disappeared right after, leaving many more questions and providing no answers. My true self? What I encounter at the end of my path?

My rage just fuelled me more, egging me on to Exegol.

As to what I'd found… I didn't know quite what to make of it all. What I thought I knew had been turned on its head.

I acted as though I had submitted to Palpatine's desires, but I had other plans. Again, Snoke had left me with an unwitting gift. I'd learned how to subvert telepaths. I kept my true intentions strictly guarded, alight with a new purpose.

A cruel streak in me delighted at the information I'd gleaned, the perfect means to get back at Rey. I didn't have to do much, and I could deliver a blow that would hurt her.

And in her grief, in light of what she would soon learn, who else could she turn to? She would finally realize she needed me, and that she couldn't escape this. Couldn't escape the magnitude of what we were always destined to be. So much made sense now, and the path ahead was clearer than ever.

Now the only problem was finding Rey. I couldn't open the connection, she was firmly blocking me. I'd have to track her down in person. When I reached my Whisper, I sent ahead a transmission to the Night Buzzard and gave the order.

Find the scavenger.

Ajan Kloss

I was thankful Poe was gone for a while, I needed time alone to recover and get my head on straight again.

When I had woken the following day, I suddenly felt like myself again, and much better prepared to process my feelings. I couldn't shake the foreboding feeling of where those awful emotions had come from, but I pushed down the hard things for now. I had to be strong and focus on what laid ahead.

And right now, that was Poe returning with the Falcon and I was a bundle of nerves….and it was on fire.

I heard Poe's voice drifting across the field as I ran toward it.

"It's on fire, the whole thing is on fire, all of its...on fire… Hey! Coulda really used your help out there."

He trailed off as he caught sight of me and strode purposefully in my direction, BB-8 right behind me.

"How'd it go?" I asked with concern, because it didn't look well.

"Really bad actually." He replied. I expected that.

"Han's ship…" I glanced over his shoulder at the ship, as he turned his gaze to the droid beside me.

"What'd you do to the droid?" He asked with an accusatory tone.

"What'd you do to the Falcon?" I retorted.

"Falcon's in a lot better shape than he is." Poe complained, gesturing to the droid.

"BB-8's not on fire." I countered, prepared to badger him more about the Falcon.

"What's left of him isn't on fire." He kept avoiding the important thing here, and I was getting increasingly frustrated.

"Tell me what happened!" I demanded.

"You tell me first." He replied, stubbornly avoiding my question.

"You what you are?" I smirked, beginning to feel like this was a game of some sort.

"What?" His tone was softer, but no smile.

"You're difficult. Really difficult. You're a difficult man." I couldn't help the full on smile threatening my features, and he finally softened, stuttering a bit.

"You are… mmhmm." He groaned in frustration, a lovely pink blush blooming on his cheeks as his eyes dropped to my lips.

I noticed Finn watching our exchange intently, so I brushed past Poe to speak to him. Before Finn got a word in, I was met with a petulant roar from Chewie as Poe knelt to talk to BB-8.

"You lightspeed skipped?!" I turned on my heel, back to Poe.

"Yeah, well, I got us back here didn't I?" He replied casually, and I stalked back to him.

"The compressor is down!" I shouted in exasperation.

"Oh, I know, I was there." His tone was biting, and he wouldn't meet my eyes.

"You can't lightspeed skip the Falcon!" I bemoaned.

"Actually, turns out you can." What was with his attitude? He was being so irritable and shitty.

"Hey guys, you know, we just landed-" Finn cut in and tried to defuse the mounting tension.

"What happened?" I demanded again.

"Bad news, that's what happened." He stood and started walking away from us. He was beyond infuriating, I swore silently to myself.

"No spy?" I asked, trying to keep my calm.

"No, spy." He replied curtly.

"Did we make contact with the spy or not?" I huffed in frustration with his moodiness.

Finn was beginning to fill me in on the details, but Poe turned on me suddenly, his brows drawn in an angry look.

"You dropped a tree on him?" He accused, gesturing to the small droid at his side.

"You blew both sub alternators?" I retorted angrily, handing him his shitty attitude right back.

"Yeah well maybe you should've been out there with us." He replied with a resigned tone, a glimmer of hurt in his eyes.

"You know that I want to be-" But he cut me off,

"But you're not! You're here training. For what? You're the best fighter we have, we need you."

His voice was pitched with emotion as he levelled me with a look that said something he couldn't- "I need you."

Understanding washed over me.

Maybe Poe wasn't as simple and straightforward as I had been led to believe.

He took off into the base and I let him go, deciding to dawdle a few minutes at least to shake any suspicions I might be pursuing him. I had no desire to stoke the rumor mill.

Poe didn't answer at his quarters and his door was locked. I gave in and decided he'd come around when he was ready. I couldn't fathom why he was so upset.

But when I entered my own quarters, he was there waiting.

He immediately surged from his seat and trapped my face between his warm, calloused hands, his lips locking onto mine in such needy passion. I clutched at his shirt to keep from falling as his body abruptly collided with mine.

He pulled away finally, breathless and panting softly.

"What was that all about?" I asked, my features drawn in confusion.

He gently backed me into the wall, one hand bracing against it and the other gripping my hip tightly. He closed his eyes and leaned forward until his forehead rested against mine.

"I don't know. I just...haven't felt right since I left. Being away from you was torture, all I could think about was getting back here. I'm a little freaked out. These feelings are just...intense. And I don't know what to do with them." His face dropped into the crook of my neck, both arms wrapping around my waist and pulling me flush against him.

Sweet Poe. I threaded my fingers into his thick curls, running through them in a soothing gesture.

"I've never been afraid of death. Or not coming back from a mission. But when shit hit the fan, when it got tough back there, I was scared. All I could think about was when Mom died and left me and Dad behind. Dad was never the same, wished he had died with her. My mind started racing, worrying about you. Finn told me your parents abandoned you on Jakku…" He pulled back, looking me in the eyes tentatively, gauging if the subject would upset me.

I nodded, knowing the point he was trying to fumble through gently.

"And I'm not so arrogant to think I'm some incredibly important person to you, I'm not trying to imply that… I just… I don't know. That got me so fucked up, thinking we'd just had a connection and started developing something and then what if I failed you and I didn't make it back."

His brows drew together, a look of frustration or confusion, or maybe both. He continued,

"I'd have left you behind, just like they did. Just like Mom left us behind. And that was the worst kind of pain. I still carry it with me every day." He tugged at the chain under his shirt, pulling out that silver band I'd seen before.

We both looked at it quietly, letting the silence stretch between us.

I understood, he carried a similar burden. A fear of people leaving, but not returning. Only now, he realized he was the one leaving, and how much was at stake every time we were apart. The hurt he could leave behind him one day.

"I'll always fight like Hell to get back, Rey. I never give up, I find a way. I'm not afraid to take risks and stare down the enemy. But, I don't want to think about you here waiting. I want you there beside me, where you should be. Fighting with me. Maybe I'm a little more selfish than I like to think. But I want to fight this war together, where no one gets left behind."

The depth of feeling in his words was probably the last thing I had expected. I folded my smaller hand around his slightly larger one, cupping his cheek with my other hand.

"It's alright, Poe. I understand. We're all a bit more human than we want to be sometimes. It was hard for me too, having you away for weeks. I did miss you, a lot."

A smile tugged at his lips, "Well, I need to go debrief with Leia. Truthfully, I should've gone to debrief first, but I just really needed to see you… See you at dinner?" His eyes returned to normal, glimmering pools of chocolate gazing back at me.

"Yes." I released him and he tucked the silver band back underneath his shirt.

His hand wrapped around the back of my neck, pulling me in for another kiss before he slipped away with a smile.

I sighed and sat down on my bunk.

What was I going to do about Poe? I wanted to open up to him, to let these feelings sink deeper. But, my heart stubbornly refused to let go of Ren.

Here was Poe asking me to fight beside him, where Ren had asked me to rule the galaxy at his side. They really weren't as different as one might think.

"Hmm, well, Kylo could rip you in half like a ripe muja fruit. I'm not so sure Poe could manage that. One could say that's a considerable difference." I rolled my eyes, of course she had to barge in now.

Thankfully, she didn't linger and I went for a shower before dinner.

At dinner, everyone was in good spirits, we all laughed and listened to the boys' stories from their mission. Poe had finished his food pretty quickly, which drew my curiosity, but I just as soon discovered why. He sat in very close proximity to me, as he always had, and pretending to be sitting with his hands in his lap allowed him to slide a hand onto my thigh without being noticed. I knew my cheeks colored a little, feeling his hand traveling over my leggings. But once I realized it was more an affectionate gesture than it was sexual, I cooled off.

I wasn't off the hook, however.

After dinner, everyone parted ways, and it had seemed Poe headed back to his room. Not without giving me a longing gaze, but it seemed as much he'd gone to turn in for the night. I didn't know any better, I had no relationships prior. I didn't know what to expect. But I'd just changed into a nightshirt, having discarded even my undergarments, when I heard the soft knock at my door.

I hesitated for a moment, given the state of my undress, but decided my shirt was long enough for modesty's sake and opened the door.

Low and behold, Poe was there to greet me with hungry eyes roving over my exposed skin. His lips parted, then his tongue darted out to wet them.

When his gaze finally met mine, his eyes were dark, pupils blown large in lust. I started to say something, but didn't even get a word out before his lips crashed atop mine. I vaguely registered the sound of the door closing behind him as he ushered me backward to the bunk, his hands finding purchase beneath my shirt.

I woke the next morning in a warm tangle of skin, finding a sleepy pair of coffee colored orbs observing me quietly.

"Mornin' sweet thing. Didn't wanna wake you." He kissed my forehead and pulled me in a little closer. I sighed and relaxed into his hold.

"Will someone notice you're missing?" I asked softly.

Poe chuckled lightly, "Mmm...Maybe BB-8, but he won't rat me out."

I'd almost forgotten about the little droid. I stretched out, preparing to rise.

"Well, Leia will be waiting for me to begin training, I had better get going."

Poe watched casually as I milled about getting dressed for the day, taking his time clothing himself.

As we headed out into the hallway, Poe grabbed my hand and tugged. I turned back to face him, with a hesitant expression, but I didn't stop him from leaning in and kissing my cheek softly.

"See you later then." He murmured with a small smile, releasing my hand and turning to head the opposite direction. I smiled watching him for a moment, before turning and heading my own way.

Only, I saw a pair of gleaming eyes that stopped me dead in my tracks. Finn saw us.

I turned what was surely a furious shade of red and immediately ducked him before he could corner me.

I could hear him calling after me as I desperately looked around for somewhere to hide, but then there was no need. I nearly ran straight into the General herself, and those few seconds gave Finn the advantage to catch up, but he didn't utter a word when he saw Leia's serious expression.

"Emergency meeting." She said firmly, and strode off as proudly as she could manage with her cane.

Finn and I exchanged a worried look, previous thoughts forgotten. Emergency meetings only meant one thing- bad news.

Everyone gathered in the hangar among the various spacecraft, cargo boxes, and equipment strewn about. Poe was at the center, a solemn and almost angry look to him. I saw his eyes scanning the crowd idly as everyone gathered until he found me, staring at me for a long moment before he pulled his gaze away and began to speak.

"We've decoded the intel from the First Order spy and it confirms the worst. Somehow, Palpatine returned."

Collective gasps broke out among the crowd.

"Wait, do we believe this?" Rose questioned in disbelief.

"It cannot be! The Emperor is dead!" Colonel Ackbar exclaimed.

A couple paces away, Beaumont muttered in shock, "Dark science. Cloning. Secrets only the Sith knew."

Poe's face was tight, cold as stone. "He's been planning his revenge. His followers have been building something for years. The largest fleet the galaxy has ever known. He calls it the Final Order. We don't know how long we have before attacks begin. The Emperor and his fleet have been hiding in the Unknown Regions. On a world called Exegol."

I'd heard of that place! I rushed back to the Falcon to retrieve an old journal of Luke's I had stolen, flipping through it urgently until I found the page. He'd looked for it, but never found it.

Poe, Finn, and Rose had broken from the crowd and chased after me minutes later, leaving Ackbar and Leia to field the rest of the meeting. They caught up to me as I came back down the ramp.

"I'm gonna pick up Luke's search for Exegol. According to this, you need a wayfinder to get there, he was close to finding one. I'm gonna start where his trail went cold. The Forbidden Desert of Pasaaana."

Poe smiled, "Great, let's leave first light." He was halfway up the ramp before I could even respond, yelling inside, "Chewie, you get that compressor fixed?!"

I didn't bother trying to disagree, I knew Poe wouldn't hear it. He wanted to fight together, and I'd be lying if I said it didn't warm my heart knowing he'd be there with me, wherever this led us.

While Finn tried to negotiate with Rose, I went off in search of Leia to tell her our plans. As I had already known, she didn't try to stop us.

We spent the rest of the evening preparing to leave, but Rose declined and said she needed to stay to help do research and develop battle plans.

I hardly slept, and I was wide awake well before anyone stirred on the base.

I decided to run the training course once more before we left, to burn some of the anxiety creeping into my veins. Leaving Ajan Kloss had the distinct possibility of an encounter with Ren in the flesh. It felt like a rock in my stomach.

I'd worked up a decent sweat, and was about to head in for a shower when it happened.

Another vision.

The room was definitely the medical bay in the Ajan Kloss base.

There was Poe. He looked haggard; eyes bloodshot and the scruffy, unkempt beginnings of a beard. He was handed a baby, serenely sleeping. There was a body in the background, Poe was standing beside it, but I couldn't make out who it was at first. Poe sobbed, clutching the babe to his chest. Then, I could see the woman laying on a stark white bed. Gradually, the image focused. The sheet across her was blood stained over her abdomen.

Her skin was grey, lips turning blue, she was dead.

She was me.

As the shock registered in my brain, the vision shifted entirely.

A boy, not much younger than me, with wild raven locks past his ears and bright hazel eyes.

He was in a nicer room than I was accustomed to- clean, cream colored walls with a large window and a bed covered in a hunter green bed set. I could make out some of the personal effects littering the desk and shelves around him- holo images, model starfighters, trophies, plaques.

Suddenly he spoke, drawing my attention back to him. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, his tall frame craned, staring down at his trembling hands.

"Something is awakening in my mind and I'm afraid. I can't control it." I saw no one around him, was he talking to himself?

Another shift happened, but this one was less jarring.

It was obviously the same boy, but he was slightly older. Maybe older than I was now. He was tearful, talking to an aged Poe. Poe's hair was littered with grey, his salt and pepper beard was much more pronounced, but neatly groomed. His chocolate eyes were concerned, framed by deepened crow's feet, but his face was calm- he was not surprised.

"Something's happening to me. I keep seeing strange things, strange people, and I don't know what it means." The boy lamented to him, distraught.

The third shift made me feel a bit queasy, my head beginning to throb.

This time it was the boy again, but in battle gear, standing beside a similarly dressed Poe. I could see smoke billowing ahead of them, heard the boom of cannon fire from an active space battle above. Their expressions were fierce and courageous.

The boy pulled a hilt from his waist, and activated a green lightsaber. He and Poe shared a look. Poe nodded, the boy stormed off the platform toward me. In his hazel eyes, I saw a fire that I recognized all too quickly. The way he stalked into battle...

My lips parted in surprise, but the scene faded away.

Things started to blur and become too fuzzy to distinguish, I wondered what all of this was and when it was going to end.

It felt like my head might split in two, the pain becoming so sharp and acute down the middle of my skull.

But then, like a Force connection with Ren, all went silent and the boy was standing there in front of me in the field.

His face contorted in confusion, and then eased with… recognition?

"I know you." He says in wonder.

His mouth opens again to speak, but the connection drops suddenly when I feel a weight on my shoulder pulling me back into reality.

"Rey? What is it?" Poe's hand is on my shoulder, his voice near my ear behind me.

I was unable to speak right away, a hot tear escaping and gliding down my cheek. An inescapable realization had just crashed down upon me and I had no time to process it. I'd just seen my own death, and my son. The one I would die and leave behind with a grieving Poe.

But that wasn't the part that shook me to the core. No, what shook me was the unavoidable conclusion of the boy's height, jawline, and tousled hair.

Ren was the father.

A shaky breath escaped me as I tried to regain my composure and choke out, "Nothing." Swiping the traitorous tear from my cheek quickly, trying to avoid Poe's gaze.

"Well, we're ready. We should get going." He replied evenly, he didn't appear to notice my upset.

Good. I turned and followed him quietly, lost in thought. Trying to make sense of it all.

If I did die, where was Ren? Why didn't he take the boy? A slurry of hurt and confusion churned through me at the thought he'd reject or abandon our child. But deep down, I knew there was no way that could be true. Ren must've perished too. Or Poe hid him from Ren. How else would he react if he knew?

However, there was one deep seated truth that ran right to my core, and there was no doubt or question of.

If I remained with the Resistance, that was my future. Poe's too. I'd leave him behind, leave him broken, helpless to stop it.

My heart felt incredibly heavy. I didn't know what to do with that knowledge. Constantly grieving was a seemingly life long thing for Poe. Pain was ingrained into him, as much a part of his life as piloting. I'd seen the shame and self-loathing in him for the people who had died under his command, or on missions with him. He confided it in me after Crait, his eyes adrift with loss and looking for hope again.

How could I do that to him?

As I boarded the Falcon, my mission was clear. But my future was murkier than ever.