Author's note: Since the chapters are shaping up to be shorter than my usual chapters, I'm hoping to update this faster than usual. Thank you to everyone who's checked this out so far!

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Chapter 2

The first sign that Rey was in another world came at the airport. She and Leia had first class seats near the front of the plane; Rey had more than enough leg room for once. The flights she'd taken with Team USA to Sochi hadn't been this nice. She slept most of the way, having been up late the night before. If pressed, she'd claim that she'd been packing, but in truth, she had trouble falling asleep. What she was doing seemed insane. Going to try out for figure skating? She was certain everyone would laugh at her, so she told Rose a bit of a fib, claiming there was a reunion with some of her old teammates. Rey wasn't sure Rose believed her, but since Rey expected to be back in a few days she didn't fret about it too much. Getting time off from her job was trickier; Unkar gave out vacation days grudgingly. Fortunately, Rey had never used any of hers, so she was due.

A driver waited for them at the terminal in Hartford; he carried a sign and everything, just like a movie. The driver, as it turned out, drove an actual limo. Rey had never seen one in person. She stared out the window, taking it all in. They drove through the city and out into the suburbs. Houses got farther and farther apart until they disappeared entirely. Rey was used to driving at least an hour to get anywhere worth talking about; the drive was surprisingly short. Thirty minutes after leaving the airport, the limo turned off the road and through a gate. Ahead was the largest house Rey had ever seen. Built of brick old stones, it was four stories! And wide. It had to be as long as a football field. There was another equally large building just behind it that reminded her of barns back home.

The limo pulled up in front of the entryway; Rey wound down the window to get a better look. She'd had some idea of the wealth the Dameron family had, but she didn't expect this. She opened the door and stepped out. "I should have held out for more."

Leia got out the other side, jerking her head. "This way."

Rey shouldered her heavy bag and smoothed down the creases in her Minnesota Wild jacket. It was chilly; Rey wondered if spring came earlier here than it did in Minnesota. It wasn't quite spring yet; the trees were mostly bare. Rey followed Leia down the path that went from the house to the unknown building. As she stepped through the huge sliding door, she let out a low whistle. "You have your own rink," she said in awe.

Leia smiled. "We have ice every day."

Poe moved gracefully across the ice, focusing on his warmup. Leia left a couple of days ago; Poe hoped she could convince Hux to skate with him. She really was the only skater Poe considered to be his equal on the ice. She could be combative, but Poe was willing to try. He skated past the mirrors that lined one wall of the rink, examining his reflection. He wanted to show Hux that the past was behind them; he was ready to work. He tilted his head, running his fingers through his unruly curls, trying to tame them a little.

Poe heard the sliding doors start to open; he pushed off hastily, skating toward the middle of the rink. Leia entered first; a surprisingly tall woman followed her, a duffle bag on her shoulder. Poe frowned. That wasn't Hux! Poe skated toward the desk that Leia used on the far side of the rink. "That's not Hux! Where's Hux? I thought you said she'd be here!" Poe cried.

"No, you said Hux," Leia replied calmly. "This is Kenobi."

Poe looked the newcomer over. She had to be nearly as tall as he was; dark brown hair, hazel eyes, pretty in a 'just got off the bus from the Midwest' kind of way. Still, he wasn't impressed. "Never heard of her."

Rey blinked. This guy's blatant dismissal pissed her off. She opened her mouth, but Leia patted her shoulder. "Rey is a beautiful skater."

Poe considered the woman more closely. With a start, he realized he did know her. "Oh yeah! You're that hockey player."

Rey took a deep breath, annoyed at his tone; Poe wasn't the first person to look down at her because of her chosen sport. She was certain she could skate rings around this blowhard. His messy curls, handsome face and fancy clothes didn't fool her. Still, she was committed to giving this a shot. She plastered a smile on her face and stepped carefully onto the ice and held out her hand. "How are you?" When Poe didn't answer, she tried again. "Pleased to meet you."

Poe still didn't take the offered hand; instead, he turned to his coach, one brow arched. Leia did not seem perturbed by this behavior. "It's a tryout." Poe continued to look skeptical. "It's a tryout."

Poe finally deigned to take Rey's hand. They shook for an absurdly long time, almost like they were in a battle of wills. Finally, Poe made another face and wrenched his hand away. "Oh my god."

"What, my hand?" Rey asked, confused.

"What do you do? Soak them in battery acid?" Poe snapped.

Rey knew it was meant to offend her, but she wasn't ashamed of the fact that she worked with her hands. Besides, she could give as good as she got. "I know they're a little rough, but I've never had any complaints."

Poe offered her a sarcastic grin. "That's a shock." He turned his full fury on his coach. "What is this? The last stages of Canadian Poutine Psychosis?"

Rey leaned back, frankly floored that this Dameron guy would talk to his coach that way. Rey had a bit of a temper, but she never talked back to a coach like that. "Woah, who's checking out who here?"

"I don't know how many shots you've taken to the brain," Poe sneered, "but this was your audition. And let me assure you. It's over."

Rey would be damned if she let him get the last word! "Hey, Prince Charming, I'm no figure skater. I'm a hockey player."

"Then what are you doing here?" Poe turned his back and crossed his arms over his chest. He was officially done. "Get her out of my building."

Rey balked. "What?"

"Get her out of my building."

Rey turned to Leia. "Temperamental? I can think of another word for it."

Poe's head snapped up. "Is that what you told her?"

"What, like it's a big secret?" Rey demanded.

Poe rounded on this woman who presumed to know him. "Just who do you think you are?!"

Rey put her hands on her hips. "I know exactly who I am. A girl who came a long way for lunch." It was a low blow, but she was too irritated to care. Poe just pushed her buttons in a way she didn't like. It was clear he'd never really struggled for anything. His family was rich; he had his own rink, for crying out loud. And this was how he treated people? She didn't need to put up with this; she didn't care how big the check was.

Poe snorted. "Don't let me keep you from the trough."

Rey turned to Leia. "I wouldn't wish this on a snake. I'm gone."

Leia watched the two snipe at each other quite calmly. While not as friendly as she'd hoped for, she saw plenty here she could build on. As she suspected, Rey was one of the few people who didn't take Poe's shit. Leia knew Poe well enough to know he had a good heart. It was just buried. Deep, deep down. It wasn't her place to speculate on the how and why of Poe's temperament; her job was to get Poe back to the Olympics.

This was the last roll of the dice; she was going to make it count.

Before Rey could get two steps, Leia marched forward. "Enough!" she shouted with authority. "Introductions are over. Mouths closed. Ears open." She turned to Poe. "Pairs means two." She held up two fingers. "You have no partner; you are skating nowhere." Then she turned to Rey. "And you? Where are you going? Back to the frozen tundra? Skating on a small pond is your idea of fun?" Rey looked sullenly at the ice. "Believe me, Crosby, I am the last person who's coming to look for you." Harsh, but true. They didn't have time for coddling.

When neither spoke, Leia nodded. "Good. We skate."

Rey wasn't ready for any skating; Poe did a few laps while Rey laced up her skates. Leia decided it would be a good idea for her to start out with her hockey skates, just to warm up. Poe still thought the whole idea of a hockey player as his partner patently ridiculous, but he couldn't help watching Rey out of the corner of his eye. Against his better judgement, she intrigued him. What did she get out of this? He searched his memory, trying to remember what her injury was. Whatever it was, Leia didn't think it would be a detriment.

So, why was she here? Trying to prove something? To whom? Herself? Leia? Certainly not Poe, because she wasn't afraid to give as good as she got. Poe had to admit that it was a little fun bantering with someone like that. He hadn't had that in a very long time, if ever. Rey was certainly the prettiest hockey player Poe had ever met. He might have a girlfriend, but he wasn't blind.

None of that meant he was going to go easy on her. If Rey thought she could skate with him, then she was going to have to earn it.

"Okay," Leia said, rubbing her gloved hands together. "Let's start with you skating side by side. No funny business, Poe."

Poe shrugged, as if to say, "who me?" Rey rolled her eyes. Before she could say a word, Poe took off. Rey sighed heavily as she skated after him. She caught him easily enough, which seemed to surprise him. Rey's hockey skates put them at the same height; she grinned as she abruptly changed direction. Poe scowled, but followed. They did several laps around the rink, each trying to put the other off balance while still staying side by side. Rey found herself smiling; this was the most fun she'd had in months!

"I thought this was supposed to be hard?" she called to Leia.

Leia suppressed her smile. "Alright, let's get you on some figure skates."

Poe took a water break while Rey switched skates. Against his better judgement, he was impressed. Of course, moving around in figure skates was very different from hockey skates. Being good at one did not make you good at the other.

Rey did a few laps around the rink, trying to re-acquaint herself with the unfamiliar skates. She could feel Poe watching her from the far end of the rink; he was perched in a plush looking leather chair, a water bottle in his hand. Rey tried to ignore him as best she could; she would be so pissed if she fell in front of him. Still, she struggled. More than she wanted to admit. She tried doing some of the moves they'd done side by side on her own; she almost wiped out twice. Each time, her eyes flew to the end of the rink; Poe seemed absorbed in a book. Emphasis on seemed. She caught a hint of a smirk on his face the second time she lost her balance, the bastard. Before Rey could embarrass herself further, Leia called them to center ice.

Leia had her two skaters stand in the middle of the ice. "Let me get a look at you." Rey stood stock still, uncomfortably aware of Poe standing just behind her. He was much closer than she expected. Logically, she knew pairs skating meant a lot of closeness and contact, but after their rocky start, she half expected him to start throwing a fit any moment. "Just beautiful," Leia murmured to herself. "Alright, Rey. We're going to try something new for you. Poe, take her hand and her waist, please."

Rey's eyes widened, but words wouldn't come. Poe's hand curled around her left, his right at her waist. She could feel his warm breath on her neck. It had been a little while since a man had been that close to her. She needed a distraction. She looked down at the skates on her feet. "What's with the claws on the front?"

"Toe pick," Leia replied.

"Toe pick? That's the best name they could come up with?"

"I wouldn't let it get in your way," Poe shot back.

She snorted. "I don't let anything get in my way." Certainly not Poe Dameron.

"On the count of four. Rey will lead."

Rey had seen enough figure skating on TV that she thought she knew what she was doing. Leia counted off the four beat and Rey pushed off. To her shock, Poe actually followed her. It was very strange skating with someone so close to her; her feet nearly got tangled a few times. Leia called out some directions, more to Poe than to Rey which also surprised her. After two laps, she heard Poe huff impatiently. "How did you ever score skating this slow?"

Rey growled low in her throat. He wanted faster? She could do faster. She bent her knees a bit more to gain a bit of power and propelled them forward. Poe almost got away from her for a second, but then his hand pressed against her stomach. "Careful," Poe sneered. "We wouldn't want you to…trip."

He was so close; his voice in her ear did funny things to her insides. She tried to change direction, but the damn toe pick got caught. Rey went tumbling forward, pain lancing up her arms as she tried to break her fall. "Ow," she gasped, rolling onto her back. Poe merely shot her a smug grin and skated off.

Leia cursed under her breath. She was impressed that Rey had remained upright as long as she had; falls were inevitable for someone just getting used to figure skates. Poe wasn't helping matters though. She saw Rey set her jaw and get up. That one small moment was why Leia chose Rey. She would never give up. It just wasn't in her nature.

"Are we done?" Poe snapped.

"Just one more thing," Leia replied. Once Rey was in front of her, she nodded at Poe. "Pick her up."

Poe arched a brow; Rey looked mildly alarmed. "You want him to do what?"

"Hold out your arms," Leia instructed. "Poe, go on."

Reluctantly, Rey did as she was bid. She felt a bit foolish, just holding out her arms. She and Poe were almost the exact same height; he only had a couple of inches on her. How high could he get her? Rey yelped as he reached under her arms and lifted her clean off the ground. Okay, so he was stronger than he looked. Rey dangled there, looking beseechingly at Leia.

Leia nodded. "Alright. We're done."

"I told you this was ridiculous," Poe said.

Rey squirmed. "Would you put me down?"

"No problem."

Rey dropped; her ass hit the ice hard. She groaned, slapping the ice in frustration. "You wanker!" she called as Poe skated off. "What a waste." She said it to herself as she once again pushed herself up. She'd have some bruises tomorrow, but it wouldn't be the first time.

None of them saw Kes Dameron watching from the rafters.

Rey stood awkwardly in the fanciest office she'd ever seen. Everything was made from wood, aside from the stone fireplace. Pictures hung on the walls; most were of Poe, skating. But Rey's eyes were drawn to the empty glass box that sat on one of the long tables.

"Stare at it long enough and you'll start to see an Olympic gold medal in there," a voice said. Rey looked up, startled. The man looked like an older version of Poe in a crisp dark business suit. "Kes Dameron. Please, sit down."

Rey settled in the plush seat across from Poe's father. They had similar coloring, the same eyes. There was something haunted in Kes Dameron's eyes, but Rey could tell he was a man used to getting what he wanted. "I've spoken to Leia," Kes continued. "First of all, the simple fact that she brought you out here…you should be proud. She might be the greatest judge of skating talent in the world." Kes reached into a drawer and extracted a check book. Here we go, Rey thought. Kes rattled off a bunch of Leia's credentials like Rey was an idiot who didn't know how to use Google. Kes couldn't seem to look her in the eye. "I saw you skate in Sochi. You were a great, great hockey player. Don't feel like this was a complete waste of your time. It was worth a shot."

"What, the eye?" Rey asked.

Kes started scribbling. "The eye is not a problem."

"Is it your son?"

Kes chuckled dryly. "Poe is…Poe. He's an only child, raised without a mother, strain of competition. Sudden changes tend to bring out his…color." He tore the check out of the book and slipped it in with what Rey presumed was an airline ticket.

"Is that what that was?"

Kes looked her square in the eye. "Frankly, the idea is just a little too bizarre for me." He handed Rey the package. "I believe you're on a 10:30 flight, first class. There's a check for your trouble."

Rey took the package and opened it. A check with more zeros than she expected sat in the middle of it. She'd accomplished what she'd come for. But now that it was time to go, she balked. Kes was dismissing her just like so many others had done. She wasn't going to stand for it. "This is what you call giving me a shot?"

Kes leaned back in his chair. "Look, I don't have time to screw around. I can't afford to be wrong about you." He grabbed the thick folder on his desk. "We were 45 seconds away from the gold medal and our girl slipped. That god damn glass box is empty because we can't find someone who can handle the pressure." Kes opened the folder. "Thirty five female skaters. They've been doing this for years and they couldn't cut it." Kes balled up the top sheet. "Ventress, no stamina." He tossed it toward the trash can across the room and missed. "Erso, no rhythm." Another crushed page missed the trash. "Talzin, Lars, Naberrie." More misses. "Not one single pressure player in the bunch."

Rey leaned forward and plucked one of the sheets off the stack. She calmly crushed it in her hand and tossed it across her body. She smiled at the metallic swish as it went in.

Kes grinned. "Lucky shot."

Rey looked at the check again. It was a lot of money. More money than she'd seen…ever. Part of her wanted to take it. But she was too much of a competitor to leave things like this. She wanted to prove she could do it. Kes, Leia, Poe…mostly herself. It might not be the chance she wanted, but it was the one granted to her. And if it meant getting back to the Olympics? Yeah, she was all in.

She held up the check. "Double or nothing."

Kes's grin widened. "You're on."

Poe hovered in the hallway, pretending to read a magazine. He didn't even know what it was about; frankly, he didn't care. He wanted to be nearby when his father dismissed Leia's stunt out of hand. What was she thinking bringing a hockey player to be his partner? Had she completely lost her mind? Poe almost felt bad for the poor girl, getting dragged all the way out here for nothing. Even if the idea was insane, it was highly unlikely someone like Rey could pick up the nuances of figure skating fast enough for the 2018 Games.

Yes, that made sense. Perfectly logical. Poe would calmly say goodbye and watch another woman walk out of his life.

The door to his father's office opened; Poe jumped, folding the magazine in on itself. "Poe, there you are," Kes said when he spotted his son.

"I was just coming to say goodbye."

"Hold that thought, mijo. Rey's going to be staying with us for a while."

Rey shook Kes's hand. "Good talking to you, Kes."

Poe stood there, floored. Rey winked at him. "Catch your act tomorrow." Poe watched her leave, then he turned to his dad.

Before Poe could get a word out, Kes's face softened. "It's the end of the line, mijo."

What was he supposed to do now?