Glitter and Gold

Chapter 26

34 ABY – D'Qar

It hadn't been an easy decision to make. Lying to Vex had made both Leia and Poe feel sick inside. She didn't deserve to be deceived like this. But it was for her that they'd decided to do this.

After all the pain, after all she'd suffered – it didn't seem fair to make Vex face Snoke alone, again. She didn't deserve to have to fight at all. She deserved to live in peace with Anakin.

That's why they'd decided to carry on their search for Luke without her knowledge. They knew Vex would try to stop them out of loyalty to her mentor. Even though she knew exactly where to find Luke, Leia and Poe knew they could never ask.

R2-D2 had gone onto low-power mode after Luke had left, taking Luke's last moments and messages with him. All they knew for sure was that a map had been left behind.

"If there's anyone Luke might have trusted with the map, it would have been him," Leia said, tapping on the screen of the display in front of them.

Poe leaned forward, reading the screen. "Lor San Tekka? Why him?" he asked.

"He's a true believer in the Force and the Jedi. He was a great friend to us during the Civil War and after…" Leia trailed off, looking distracted for a moment. She shook her head briskly, as if to clear her head. "Lor San Tekka was always a wanderer, but he left at the same time Luke did. I always wondered if it was a coincidence or not," she explained.

"Alright, so we find him and find out what he knows. How do we find him?" Poe wondered out loud.

"Last I heard, he spent time with a strange community called the Creche," Leia said, looking uncertain.

"So it'll be a wild goose chase," Poe sighed. Leia flashed him a look. "What?"

Leia drew in a deep sigh. "There could be an easier way… but you won't like it," she admitted.

"What?" he questioned.

"We could use the Force," Leia suggested hesitantly.

Poe stared at her blankly for a moment before he began to shake his head. "You want Vex to…? No! Leia, she'd want to know why!"

She sighed. "I know. But this is our best shot, Poe. We need Luke. We should be demanding she tell us where he is, but I fear her resolve would outlast ours," Leia admitted.

Poe mirrored the sigh. "It's possible she wiped it from her mind, just as she did Anakin's location," he suggested, shoulders slumping. Leia nodded in acknowledgment. "I'd rather just tell her the truth," he said.

"As would I," Leia agreed, patting him on the shoulder. "But then we'd run the risk of her disagreeing. We can't risk Vex leaving the Resistance, Poe. If we can't find Luke, she's all we've got,"

"Vex would never leave," Poe insisted. "I'm the only person who knows where Anakin is. Not to mention…" he trailed off, hesitating to mention their blooming relationship.

Leia fixed him with a knowing look, making his cheeks flush with color. "I don't think she would either, Poe. But we just can't risk it. We need Vex more than she needs to know the truth," she said softly, an edge of irritation beginning to enter her voice.

Poe scoffed, looking down at the floor. "Well, you can ask her. I'm not going to do it, Leia. I'm not lying to Vex. I'll do everything else you ask, but I just can't lie to her," he said.

Leia looked him up and down carefully. "Why not?" she questioned coolly. "Because you're sleeping together?" Poe glanced up at her, jaw dropping ever so slightly. Leia stood slowly, lips pursed. "I'm not saying I disapprove, Poe. God knows you both deserve happiness. But that doesn't change the fact that we're in the middle of a war. Just because you're in love doesn't mean you won't be taken from each other,"

"What are you trying to say, Leia?" Poe questioned, his brows furrowing as if in confusion. It wasn't that he didn't understand what she was saying. It was why.

Leia sighed again. "I'm saying you still need to do your job, Poe. Part of that is keeping secrets. I promise you Vex has no such problem," she said.

The implication that Vex was keeping secrets from him was starkly clear in Leia's words. It angered him. Poe pushed up from his seat and started towards the door. "You'd be surprised, General," he said formally, pausing at the doorway to look back at her.

A single well-groomed brow had risen in question. "I know who your son is," Poe said quietly, watching the woman he'd adored for so many years stiffen in surprise. "Don't worry, I'll keep your secret," he said softly, turning back to the exit.

"Poe," she said in a strangled tone, reaching up to tug at her collar in a nervous gesture.

Poe paused again on his way out of the room. "You can ask her to do this. Don't worry, General. I'll do my job," he said, tone harsh as he stalked out.

His fists clenched and unclenched as he made his way through the halls. Judging by the thunderous expression on his face, most officers stayed out of his way. He took a deep breath as he reached his destination, stepping into Vex's workshop.

Poe was immediately greeted by a shrill series of tweets in binary. He wasn't exactly fluent – he'd worked with a lot of droids, but they'd never been his. So his grasp on binary was tenuous at best. On Vex's workbench beside her sat the head of her current droid project, facing Poe.

"Wow, it's almost done!" he said in amazement, stepping forward to look closely at it. The droid was sleek with white and orange paint. An impressive effort considering most of the parts came from recycled old droids. The droid let out an indignant chirp, to Poe's amusement.

"BB-8 doesn't appreciate you talking about him like he's not here," Vex translated, turning to Poe with a grin on her lips. In front of her on the bench was the droid's spherical body, in the midst of the body paint (orange and white) drying.

Poe stooped over her, pressing a gentle kiss to Vex's lips. His heart warmed, feeling her lips quirk up higher in a smile as he drew away. "I'm sorry, BB-8," Poe said with a laugh. "I never meant to offend,"

Vex stifled a giggle as the droid seemed to be appeased by the statement. She swiveled on her stool to face Poe completely, resting a hand on his forearm. "He's yours, Poe. BB-8 will be your flight droid and partner on solo missions," she said suddenly.

Poe's mouth dropped open in surprise. "Vex!"

She silenced him with a look. "BB-8 started as a thank you, for helping with my son," she began, seeming almost shy. Poe smiled at her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "And then, once I got to know you, I saw you needed something to stop you from being reckless," Vex said, in a much less charming tone.

Poe tried to be indignant at her implication but failed miserably. Instead, he just leaned in and kissed her hard. "Thank you," he said lowly, between kisses. Vex was happy enough to respond, leaning into his gentle touches and affections.

It wasn't until BB-8 interrupted them with a chirp that the two separated. Poe straightened up, leaving one arm wrapped around Vex's shoulders as she turned to the droid. "BB," she began seriously, a hint of a blush still on her cheeks. "I built you to help keep Poe safe. He's someone I greatly care about, and one day, there's someone he needs to take me to," Vex explained to the droid, who listened with rapt attention.

Poe leaned forward, pressing a kiss to her cheek. He hadn't felt butterflies in his stomach like this since he was a teenager. But listening to Vex talk about him…that was something else, entirely. "Poe can be a little reckless…" Vex added, giving him a sideways look. BB-8 chimed in with something else – and that? Poe knew that word. The droid just called him stupid! "Yes, that too," Vex chuckled as Poe scoffed. "So he's going to need your help to stay safe when I'm not there to take care of him,"

"I don't need to be taken care of," Poe felt he had to point out.

Vex rolled her eyes. "I've been on exactly one mission with you and you got yourself arrested," she reminded him.

"And you got shot," he retorted. She rolled her eyes again in response. Poe looked to the droid, who seemed to be watching with curiosity. "Alright, BB-8. Do you think we can be partners? So this one doesn't worry?" Poe suggested.

The droid quickly responded with an affirmative chirp. "He'll be ready tomorrow. The paint will be dry by then," Vex added quietly. "In the meantime, you need to work on your binary," she suggested, fixing him with a dry look.

It was Poe's turn to roll his eyes then. "That's what BB-8's for. You'll help me, won't you buddy?" he asked, grinning at the droid who quickly agreed once again. Vex sighed, fondly rubbing Poe's whiskery cheek. He grinned, leaning into her hand.

The door slid open, pulling the two of them from their moment. Turning, Poe and Vex saw Leia at the door. She looked uncertain, not exactly eager to intrude on their moment. "Are you alright, Leia?" Vex asked in concern, hand dropping from Poe's face.

Poe sighed. "I think she's got something to ask you. I'll see you at dinner, Vex," he said, leaning down to kiss her just once more before he strode out the door, not bothering to acknowledge Leia.

Vex stood, brows furrowing in confusion. Poe and Leia had always shared such an agreeable, deep bond. She wondered what could have caused such a reaction from them both. "What is it, Leia?" she asked again.

Leia drew in a deep breath, hands twiddling before her. "We need your help finding someone," she began, sighing again before she went on. "I have decided to resume our search for Luke,"

Vex fell back onto her stool, breath knocked from her lungs. "You can't ask me to-"

"I'm not," Leia interrupted with a shake of her head. "I know that you won't tell me where he is. But you can help me find someone who can," she insisted, stepping forward to approach Vex.

"Why?" the younger woman questioned.

Leia gently took Vex's face in her hands, her thumbs rubbing gently at her temple. "Because you shouldn't have to fight your son's father. Or Snoke. Not alone, anyway. It is Luke's duty to do this. Whether he likes it or not,"

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Thanks to my one reviewer last chapter - Mstngsali1!

Thoughts?

Next chapter we finally reach the force awakens!

Much love, Suz Singer.