Author's note: For those of you who've seen the movie, we're nearing the end of the training montage! Next chapter we'll jump back into what we see on screen. I hope you've enjoyed these expansions on the movie! I've enjoy writing it!

Disclaimer: Nope.

Chapter 6

The rink was silent as she pushed open the door. For the last few weeks, it seemed like she and Poe were in an unannounced race as to who would get there first in the mornings. Today, Rey was grateful that she was alone. She was getting frustrated with Leia's cautious approach when it came to jumping. She'd been in that harness for what felt like forever. She wanted to try it without an audience in case she made a fool of herself. Poe foiled her plan for the last two days, reaching the rink before her. Today, she was alone.

If she knew Poe, she'd have at least an hour by herself.

She went through her stretches, eyeing the dreaded harness. She really hated it. She didn't like the feeling of dangling in the air. She knew it was so she could be safe while she learned, but she was used to learning by doing. So, what if she fell? Had everyone forgotten that her first day left her bruised and covered in ice packs? She could handle some bumps and bruises. If she could get this jumping thing down, then they could move on their last major hurdle. Lifts.

Though now that she thought about it, maybe she was being too hasty. Spending 15 hours a day with Poe on the ice was one thing when they were just skating, each sticking to their own space. The intimacy needed to do some of the lifts she'd watched online kinda freaked her out. They weren't shouting at each other anymore, but Rey still wouldn't characterize them as friends. Poe seemed to tolerate her.

It didn't help that the few times he got close her belly flipped and her cheeks flushed.

She was being ridiculous. At best, they were coworkers. Two people working toward the same goal. He had a girlfriend! A girlfriend he rarely spoke about or even to, but that wasn't the point. Poe certainly didn't seem the least bit interested in Rey as a person, despite the handful of times they'd hung out since the day she caught him watching Ice Age. She didn't have a crush on him; he was just the only guy close to her age that she'd seen in months. She was serially unattached anyway. It was easier that way.

Rey finished lacing up her skates and moved onto the ice. She did the warm-up routine Sabine created for her; it calmed and centered her. The only sounds were her breathing and ice scraping; the sun wasn't even fully up. She loved this quiet time when it was just her and the ice. There was no doubt here; this was where she was meant to be. Sabine seemed to have worked some sort of miracle; Rey could do spins and twirls without feeling slow or awkward. If they actually won a gold medal, Rey was getting Sabine the biggest bouquet of flowers she could find.

She ended her spin and took several calming breaths. She thought through everything Poe and Leia had taught her about jumping. She visualized the jump in her head, eyes closed, arms outstretched as she balanced on one thin blade, her right foot inches off the ice. Rey had always been a good strong skater, but the amount of power she needed in her legs to do these jumps was insane. She opened her eyes and pushed off. She picked up speed, turning her hips until she was moving backwards. All but one of the jumps in figure skating took off backwards; she wasn't crazy about the blind takeoffs. She bent her knees slightly and pushed herself up into the air, landing on her opposite foot. A simple waltz jump. Easy. She did four more in quick succession, pleased that she didn't fall. It still felt unnatural, but she knew she'd get accustomed to it.

"You can do this," she whispered to herself.

She practiced in the harness for weeks; she knew the way her body was supposed to move. Figure skates were double-edged, inside and outside; the edge helped determine the kind of jump. Rey didn't have a favorite yet; she would settle for landing one unassisted.

Rey pushed off, moving at a steady pace. She gradually picked up speed again, moving backwards. Trees blew past her out the window; she ignored the rising sun. Her body remembered the days and weeks of practice as she took off on her left inside edge, swinging her right leg around. Her hair whipped around her head as she drew her arms in. Her right blade hit the ice, but her arms shot out for balance. Rey wobbled for a dangerous second, but she managed to stay upright through sheer force of will.

Holy shit! She did it! Far from perfect and she only went around once, but she did it. Her first solo jump. No harness! She whooped and jumped; she couldn't stop smiling. It felt a bit like her first goal as a kid; she had that same elation. She'd dreaded learning to jump almost from the moment she arrived, but it seemed like she could do it.

"What are you so happy about?"

She looked and saw Poe striding in, his handsome face annoyed. Rey refused to let him bring her down. "I just did my first jump. By myself."

Poe frowned. "Without the harness? Are you insane? You're not ready!"

"How would you know?"

"I've been doing this since I was a kid, that's how!" Poe shouted. He dropped his bag and marched onto the ice in his sneakers. "Do you want to get hurt?"

Rey put her hands on her hips. "Of course, I don't! Who the hell do you think you are trying to take this away from me?"

Poe blinked. Was that what she really thought he was doing? He was trying to look out for her, damn it! If she got hurt, that would put their training back days or weeks! "I don't want to take anything away from you," he said, trying to sound reasonable. "I just don't want you to get hurt."

"Yeah, because you suddenly care about me." Rey turned her back on him and skated off. She refused to let him steal her joy.

Poe sighed. He didn't want to admit how much her accusation bothered him. She was his partner. They might not be best buddies, but he did care. She drove him crazy with her recklessness, her constant need to prove herself. Hadn't Poe already shown that he was all in on this? He was working harder than he ever had in his life, spending long hours at the rink. He barely saw his dad these days; he had a girlfriend he rarely even spoke to. He ended every day exhausted, mentally, and physically, trying to get Rey up to speed.

Poe wasn't good with people. He never had been. He didn't really have friends as a kid; once Holdo became his coach, his life revolved around skating. It was all he knew. He walked carefully off the ice; he needed to get his skates on. Leia arrived while he was still stretching; Rey didn't hesitate to share her good news. Leia was thrilled, insisting Rey give them a repeat performance. Poe watched her warily, his body tense. She launched into a single salchow, only wobbling a little on the landing. It wasn't the best jump, but it was a start. Leia and Rey hugged; Poe looked away, jealousy curling in his belly. Leia was easily the best coach Poe ever had, but he couldn't touch her relationship with Rey.

He didn't know why it bothered him so much. Leia wasn't his mother. He barely remembered his mother; he wasn't looking for a replacement. He was there to do a job; he would do it to the best of his ability. And that was that.

Leia beamed at her protégé. Not even in her wildest dreams did she think this partnership would be this successful. Rey was incredible; the only person Leia knew who worked harder was Poe. They just brought out the best in each other on the ice. Off the ice? That was still a work in progress, but Rey confided that they'd started spending time together outside the rink, watching movies in the Damerons' home theater.

The pieces were finally starting to come together.

"Alright, let's try things without the harness today," Leia informed her charges. "But we're going to be careful, right, Rey?"

Rey nodded. "Yeah, sure."

"Great," Poe muttered under his breath.

Rey skated after him. "Why are you so crabby today? Did you wake up on the wrong side of the dungeon?"

"I am not crabby."

Rey snorted. "Not crabby? My mistake, Your Highness."

"Don't presume you know me," Poe shot back. "You don't know anything about me." That was flagrantly false, but he said it anyway. He didn't want to deal with this right now.

"That's bullshit and we both know it," she hissed as Leia tried to get their attention. "But if that's what you want, then fine."

The tension remained between them all morning. They worked on Rey's jumping; Poe would do the jump, then Rey would try to copy him. It was slow going. But Rey felt a lot more confident in her ability than she had when she woke up that morning. Poe hardly spoke to her; she tried not to let it bother her too much. It was so weird. There were days where she felt like they were making a connection, maybe even starting to be friends. Then there were days like this where Poe clammed up and virtually ignored her. She didn't understand it. She didn't understand him.

She didn't want it to matter, but it did. How could they achieve their goal if they didn't find a way to be friends?

After another long day at the rink, all Rey wanted to do was sleep. But she owed her sister a call. After dinner with Leia (it was Leia's turn to do the dishes), she returned to her section of the loft. Rose had sent Rey some of her things from Minnesota, clothes mostly. Amazon was a good friend; she'd ordered some things to make the loft more like home. A poster with the Wild's schedule hung on the wall; framed photos of her and her sisters sat on the mantlepiece. A couple of vintage horror movie posters hung another wall, a gift from Leia on her birthday. Rey didn't spend much time in the loft, but it was the first place she considered hers.

She switched on the TV and flopped onto the bed. She flipped through the channels, finally settling on an old episode of Doctor Who. Before she could fall asleep to the sound of the television, she dialed her sister.

"Hey, Rey." As always, Rey heard the sounds of the bar in the background; she could gauge how busy it was by the sound. Rose would have plenty of time to talk. She wasn't sure that was a good thing.

"Hey, Rose."

"You sound tired."

Rey stifled a yawn. "Long day."

"I still don't understand what you're doing right now. It's not even hockey season!"

"Will be soon. Training camp starts in a couple of weeks." She kept the details to a minimum when she spoke to Rose; it avoided questions she didn't want to answer.

"I know. We've got a countdown clock on the wall."

Rey smiled to herself. She missed watching games with people who loved the game as much as she did. "How's Paige?" She asked that open ended question, knowing that Rose could take it and run for a while. Paige had done the best out of the three sisters careerwise; she was a teacher at their local high school. She was also taking master's courses online; she wanted to be the principal one day. Rey had only spoken to her twice since moving east; they weren't as close as Rey and Rose were.

"Rey? Rey, are you listening to me?"

Rey jumped, jerking awake. She swore she'd only closed her eyes for a second. "Yeah, I'm here."

"Are you okay?" Rose asked suspiciously. "You've been falling asleep almost every time you call."

"I told you, long days." She still hadn't told her family the truth about what she was doing in Connecticut. It seemed silly to keep lying about it, but she was in too deep now. She'd have to come clean at some point, but she was too exhausted to deal with it.

"Is that all?"

Rey scrubbed her hand over her face. She'd experienced a huge milestone today; she couldn't even explain it to her own sister. Unbidden, Poe's face flickered in her mind. He confused the hell out of her. Could she ask for advice without Rose figuring out the truth? "There's this guy…"

"Oh! Tell me everything!"

"No, no, nothing like that. We work together." That much was true.

"Oh." Rose sounded disappointed. "Is he cute at least?"

Rey chuckled. That sounded like her sister. "I wouldn't say cute. More like gorgeous."

Rose giggled. "So, what's wrong with him?"

"Other than having a stick up his ass?" Rey groaned. "I just don't get him. We've been…working side by side for months. Some days it's okay; he's polite, at least. Other days…"

"You want to punch him in the face?"

"Something like that."

"Maybe he's just a private person."

"Yeah, maybe." She was starting to think the man everyone saw when they looked at Poe was a façade, not real. She'd gotten glimpses of someone else entirely; she might like that Poe. As a friend, of course.

"Just don't do anything to get fired," Rose advised. "I know how much the opportunity means to you."

"I won't. Thanks, Rose."

Poe picked up the chain and looped it over his head. The ring at the end of it settled against his chest; it was slightly cold after his shower. The ring was his mother's; Kes had given it to him prior to his first competition. He'd started wearing it around his neck when he was thirteen; back then, the long chain nearly reached his stomach. It was a way to have his mom there with him as he skated. During practices, he kept it under his shirt. In competitions, he had a small pocket sewn into each costume so he could keep it with him without it being a hazard.

He'd need to remind the seamstress about it whenever they got around to choosing costumes.

Poe shook himself; it was foolish to think that far ahead. They had a lot of work to do before they could start putting together a real program. The pieces were there, even Poe could see that. Rey was the kind of person who didn't let anything stand in her way; Poe thought about all the things that could go wrong. He knew that about himself. It wasn't something he particularly liked about himself, but he'd adapted.

One of them had to be the realist.

It was warm outside, but Poe tugged the turtleneck over his head anyway. He had a spare sweatshirt in his bag in case he got chilly. He hadn't needed it all summer, but he didn't think he could take Rey's teasing if he complained about the cold. It was like she was impervious to the chill. It wasn't normal.

She wasn't normal. At least not that kind of normal he was used to. Rey was unlike anyone Poe had ever known. His world consisted of corporate types like his dad, coaches, and athletes. Rey was definitely an athlete, but she didn't live in the rarified air that so many of his peers did. Skating was an expensive sport; her hockey skates were scuffed and well used. Poe had never really given it much thought before; when he needed new skates, they just appeared.

He knew she came from a different background. She'd told him a bit more about her family, about life in Minnesota. They'd made a habit of movie night, usually Fridays. (Though not lately, a fact he tried not to dwell on too much.) Between bickering about what to watch, she revealed little tidbits about herself. She'd worked at a garage before coming east, fixing cars. She hated it, or rather, she hated her boss. The guy sounded like a real jerk. She shared an apartment with her sister, who ran the local bar. Small town, rural area, not much to do. Poe tried to imagine what that would be like, but he couldn't imagine himself living like that. Sure, he was a homebody, but Hartford wasn't far. Neither was New York or Boston. They could go to the symphony or a book reading or the theater any time they wanted. He had a whole list of things he wanted to do when Zorii came for the holidays. She'd be home for three weeks. They couldn't stop training for three weeks, but at least he'd get to see her in the evenings. It was better than nothing.

Poe grabbed his heavy bag and hurried downstairs. He stopped long enough to get a breakfast sandwich from the kitchen, then he headed to the rink. Rey was already there, gliding across the ice in her Team USA jersey, Kenobi #9. It looked a little bulky without the pads, but she still made it look good. Poe rolled his eyes at himself. Stop it, he scolded himself. You're here to work.

Rey ignored him completely, launching into a double toe loop. Her jumps had gotten much better over the last few weeks; Sabine had come by a few times to observe them. She was going to help Leia choreograph their short and long programs if they got that far. Everyone delighted in Rey's progress. Everyone but Poe. He kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, for her to get hurt or decide it was too difficult. She never did.

He admired that kind of determination.

Perhaps it was time he cranked the attitude down a few notches and let her know how much he appreciated it. This was just as much a hail Mary for her as it was for him. (She'd taught him that football term; he'd had no clue the first time she said it.)

She continued to skate while he went through his routine. He ran words through in his head; everything sounded insincere and flat. He'd been such an ass the last few weeks; he wasn't sure she'd believe him if he tried to be nice. The truth was, he wasn't accustomed to being nice.

When he got onto the ice, she was trying the double toe again. "You're leaning into it too much," he said quietly.

Rey blinked at him, using her toe pick to come to a stop. "What's the matter with you?"

"Nothing. I noticed it when you were jumping just now."

She put her hands on her hips, suspicious. "Are you a pod person? Who are you and what have you done with Poe Dameron?"

He held up his hands in defeat. "I'm sorry, okay? I've been kind of a jerk the last few weeks…"

"Kind of?" Rey snapped. "You've hardly spoken to me! We're supposed to be partners."

Poe sighed. "I know, I know." He ran his fingers through his curls. "You might not believe this, but I really didn't want you to get hurt."

"I'm a big girl, Poe. I can handle…"

"Look, I know that. Okay? I know. But you're the first person that's stuck with me since…well, since Sochi. Yeah, I thought this was insane at first. But you…you've put in the work and you're good. We could be really good. And I'd like us to be friends. If you want."

Rey eyed him for a long time gauging his sincerity. That had been hard for him to say. He hated being wrong. But he was. Rey was legitimately good and they both needed to find a way to trust each other if they wanted to achieve their goal. "You're not gonna go soft on me, are you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, that when it comes to what happens on the ice, you call me out. I'll call you out. We don't varnish the truth and we hold each other accountable."

Poe nodded. "I can do that."

Rey held out her hand. "Wanna try this again?"

Poe closed the space that separated them and shook her hand. The handshake lingered a beat too long; Poe pulled away first. "When did you get here this morning?"

"A little after five."

"You're gonna fall asleep during the movie."

Rey started to skate off; she spun to face him. "Movie night's back on?"

"Sure. I'll even let you pick. Peace offering."

"You might wind up regretting that."

Poe grinned. "We'll see." He skated after her. "Wanna try one together?"

"Seriously?"

Poe shrugged. "We'll have to do it eventually."

"Good point."

They took a few practice jumps; true to his word, Poe offered her some advice to improve. They were pros at skating side by side now; Rey shot him a grin. "Ready?" She nodded. "Okay, double toe on three." They turned in unison as Rey counted it off. Poe executed the jump perfectly; Rey landed beside him, farther away than when she'd started. Still, she did land. They could work on the rest.

"How was that?"

"Not bad."

"Don't you mean terrible?"

"No. I mean, not bad. We'll get it, Rey. It takes time."

"I'm not the most patient person."

"Really? I hadn't noticed."

Rey rolled her eyes. "I don't know how I feel about this Poe Dameron."

Me too, Sunshine, he thought. Me too.