Author's note: One more chapter of cuteness before we get on the angst train! Buckle up, everyone! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Nope.

Chapter 12

"Alright," Leia called, clapping her hands together to get their attention. "I think we can call it a day."

Rey frowned. It was still light out! They almost never quit this early. "Maybe we should run it through one more time?" They'd lost a few precious days while Poe was laid up with the flu; it still felt like they were playing catch up. Not that Rey regretted that time. She got to see a completely different side of her partner, which was a blessing and a curse.

Her crush was getting worse the more time she spent with him.

Leia shared a look with Poe, who was already leaving the ice. "I promised your sister you'd have time to call her today."

Rey blinked. "Oh. That makes sense, I guess." Sure, it was her birthday, but that never stopped them before. Not counting Rey's trip home, they'd only gotten a handful of days off since she arrived. She just assumed this would be like last year where she and Leia celebrated quietly back at the loft. It seemed like Rose was conspiring against her with Leia. That was just great.

"Hey, Rey?" Poe asked, shouldering his bag.

"Yeah?"

"Would you mind coming over a little early tonight for movie night?"

"Uh, sure." It was just her luck that her birthday fell on movie night; did Poe know? She didn't see how; she'd never told him. They were barely speaking at this time a year ago; she hadn't wanted him to know. Things were different now, but…no, she didn't want him to feel obligated or anything.

"See you then."

Rey walked with Leia back to the loft; she dumped her bag, wondering what to do with herself. She picked up stray pieces of clothing that had found their way to the floor and tossed them in the hamper. She tried the TV next, but nothing caught her attention. She could try to keep stalling, or she could call Rose. She loved her sister, but Rose was like a dog with a bone sometimes. Since the New Year, she was convinced something was going on between Rey and Poe, no matter how much Rey protested. Rey's crush was her cross to bear; eventually, it would go away.

After all, safeguarding her heart was something she was good at.

Reluctantly, she dialed Rose's number. It was early enough that the bar should be quiet. "Rey!" Rose cried happily when she picked up. "Happy birthday!"

Rey smiled. "Thanks, Rosie."

"Did you get the gift from me and Paige?"

Rey looked over at the brand new Minnesota Wild sweater that laid on her bed. "I got it. Rose, it's way too much!" Authentic hockey sweaters were very expensive; her Wayne Gretzky sweater was the only one she had until she gave it to Poe. She had no idea what he'd done with it.

"Are you kidding? Someone needs to rep our team back east!"

"Well, thanks. I love it."

"I knew you would. How's that handsome partner of yours?"

Rey groaned inwardly. Here we go. "Poe is fine. He still has a girlfriend, Rose."

"You said she's in London though, right?"

"We are not talking about this."

"Aw, come on! Let me have this one thing!"

"You can't have it, because there is nothing going on!"

"Okay, okay. I just want you to be happy, Rey."

"I'm happy right now. We're making a lot of progress. You should see the things we're working on…" For the next forty-five minutes, they talked about their new programs. Rose was one of her biggest cheerleaders; Rey felt silly for keeping the truth from her for so long.

Rey heard Beau calling in the background. "Shit, I've got to go," Rose said. "Our delivery just got here. Happy birthday, sis!"

"Thanks, Rose. Talk to you later!"

Rey looked at the clock; it was only 6:00 pm. Poe had asked her to arrive early, but he didn't say how early. She didn't really have anything else to do; hopefully, he wouldn't mind. She changed into jeans and a t-shirt before she made the trek across the grounds. Spring was back; summer was right around the corner. That meant they had about five and a half months to prep for their first competition. Leia wanted them to fly under the radar as much as possible; they were taking the shortened path to qualify for Nationals. They had a Regional competition in October, then the Pairs Finals in November. If they made it through both of those, then they'd compete in San Jose at the end of December. Leia was confident they'd make it through.

No point in worrying about it now, Rey thought as she headed into the main house. She went looking for Poe. He wasn't in the projection room or the study or his room. The house was strangely empty too. She passed the hall that led to the kitchen; a delicious smell wafted through the air. What was that? She followed the smell into the huge kitchen.

Then she came up short.

Poe stood there, his shirt sleeves rolled up, his back to her. Was he kneading dough? Rey craned her neck, trying to see what he was up to without alerting him to her presence. She bit her lip as she watched the movements of his hands, the way the muscles moved under the exposed bronze skin. He was cooking? She couldn't believe it, but her eyes didn't lie. Ingredients were chopped up across the counters; the stove was covered in pots and pans.

What the hell was going on?

She cleared her throat.

Poe jumped, his heart hammering as he turned. "Rey?" Oh shit. There went his surprise. "I, uh, wasn't expecting you."

"You did say to come by early."

He chuckled at the absurdity. "I guess I did. I had hoped you'd have a little more restraint."

"What is all this?"

"One second." He put the dough into a bowl, covered it with a towel, and shoved it into the proving drawer. He grabbed another towel to get the flour off his fingers. "Surprise?"

"Yeah, I got that part. But why?"

"It's your birthday," he replied, confused. "It is your birthday, right?" Oh god, if he'd gotten the wrong day…

"Yeah, it's my birthday. But that doesn't explain all…this."

Poe tossed the towel aside. "It's also a bit of a thank you. For looking after me when I was sick."

"You don't have to thank me for that."

"I know. But I missed your birthday last year…" He groaned. "I just wanted to do something nice, since I was such an ass then. So, I thought of making you dinner…"

"You're making me dinner?"

"I thought that was obvious."

Rey rolled her eyes. "That's not what I…nevermind. I'll just say thank you and shut up."

Poe grinned. "You're welcome. Though it's not going to be ready for a little bit. I thought I had more time."

"Sorry about that. I was bored. I can go…"

"No, you can stay. It's fine, really."

She sniffed the air. "What are you making? It smells good."

His cheeks flushed. "How do you feel about spicy food?"

"I can handle it if that's what you're asking."

"These recipes have been in my family for a long time; my mom used to make them when I was little. I thought I'd give you a taste of where my family's from."

He was cute and all, flustered like this. "As long as your cooking is better than mine, I'm sure we'll be fine." She looked around. "Do you need any help?"

"I'm not making you help, Rey."

"You're not, I'm offering. This seems like a lot for one person."

She'd only continue to argue if he refused her help. Besides, she wasn't entirely wrong. "Okay. We'll work on the croquetas while the bread proves." Poe had already prepped the ingredients; they just had to put everything together. They stood side by side, Poe building the croquetas then handing them to Rey to be dipped in egg wash and coated in breadcrumbs. Poe told some family stories she'd never heard about how his family came to the States from Guatemala and Cuba. The stories were fascinating, but Rey couldn't help the kernel of jealousy that settled in her belly. Poe had a rich family history; Rey didn't know anything about her parents outside the town in England they'd emigrated from. She had no family there; it didn't feel like she was missing anything by remaining in America.

Poe slid the bread loaf into the oven to bake; he frowned at Rey. "Hey, is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. Tell me more about your grandmother. She sounds like a character."

Poe chuckled. "That's one word for my Abuela." He started putting together the ingredients for their main course, his abuela's chicken pepian. It was a traditional Guatemalan dish; every family put their own slight twist on it. "Can you slide these into the broiler?"

"Sure." Rey did as he asked, then sat on one of the stools, sipping at her drink. "So, she was your mom's mother?"

"Yeah. This recipe is hers actually. After my mom passed, she came by a lot; she wanted to make sure I didn't lose a sense of where I came from. She thought Dad was taking us away from our roots. She's gone now too."

"I'm sorry."

Poe didn't miss the ache in her voice. "Here I am going on and on about my family when you don't know much about yours," he scolded himself. "Sorry."

"No, it's okay. I like your stories."

Poe kept her entertained with family stories while he cooked. The rich spicy steam from the cooking chicken reminded him of simpler times. He was so young when Shara died; without the many photos of her in the house, he was sometimes afraid he'd forget what she looked like. Kes was never the same after his wife passed, turning his drive for success on his son. When Poe was younger, he didn't realize what was happening, now that he was older, he sometimes felt resentful. Which was stupid because he loved skating. He certainly enjoyed it more these days. That was Rey's influence. He wasn't good at expressing his gratitude, which was how he conceived this surprise birthday dinner. At least then he could use her birthday as a cover.

Rey didn't need to know the truth.

"Okay, you sit. I'll serve," Poe said, ushering her into the family dining room.

"If you insist." She was grateful that he hadn't done anything over the top like put up balloons or streamers. She liked to keep things low key on her birthday. The bread was still warm and soft; the croquetas and chicken pepian smelled delicious. Her stomach growled. "You don't have a cake, do you?"

Poe's eyes widened. "Why? Do you not like cake or something?"

"I love cake, but this is a lot of food. I just want to know if I need to leave room for cake."

Poe grinned. "Yes, you should leave room for cake."

Everything looked so good; she didn't know where to start. Since she'd helped (in a small way) with the croquetas, she decided that was a good place. She dipped one in the sauce and took a bite. A soft moan escaped as the spices burst across her tongue. "Oh wow."

"Good?"

"Mmhmm."

Poe smiled. "Glad to hear it."

As they ate, they talked about what movie they planned on watching after dinner. Of course, this fancy meal meant no snacks during the movie, but Rey wasn't sad about that. No one had ever done anything like this for her before. It was one of the best birthdays she could remember.

Poe brought out a cake with a single candle lit. "Happy birthday, Rey."

The cake was covered in chocolate frosting with the words "happy birthday" written neatly across the top. A pair of crossed hockey sticks completed the design. "Tell me you didn't do this yourself."

"No, this wasn't me. Leia went to get it after we quit for the day."

"I knew there was a reason we quit early!" Rey cried. "You and Leia were conspiring!"

"Guilty. Would you blow out the candle before it ruins your cake?"

She rolled her eyes at him, but she complied. She was too old to make wishes, so she didn't. She couldn't think of anything she wanted anyway. Poe cut a couple of pieces, one for each of them, and set Rey's in front of her. "Someone told you I like chocolate."

"What, like it's a secret?" he teased.

The double chocolate cake tasted heavenly. She savored every bite; it wasn't often they got to indulge in sweets like this. Their training diet was pretty strict. When she finished, she pushed her plate away, stuffed. She was about to thank Poe again until she spotted an envelope under her plate. She picked it up, turning it over in her hands. "What's this?"

Poe bit his lip nervously. "Why don't you open it and find out?"

She looked at him sternly. "You did all this and got me a gift? Poe, that's too much. I can't take this!"

"You don't even know what it is!"

"But I can't…"

"Please? For me?"

She sighed. "Okay." She ripped open the envelope. Two tickets fell into her palm. As she read them, her eyes widened. "Oh my god."

"I remembered you said you'd never been to the Garden, so I thought…"

"Poe, these are tickets to see the Rangers play the Wild," Rey murmured, floored. "Down along the boards! Do you know how much this cost?"

"As a matter of fact, I do."

Rey shook her head. "Poe, this is…this is way too much! What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that my partner deserved something nice for her birthday," he snapped. "But if my gift offends you so much, just forget it." He stormed out, clearly upset.

Rey bit her lip; she'd hurt his feelings. She hadn't meant to; no one ever did anything like this for her. She was overwhelmed and touched. She wasn't used to things just being gifted to her. Good things like this didn't happen to her. She'd had to work for everything she got. Poe was her partner, but he was also her friend. He wanted to do something nice for her and she freaked out on him. Rey tucked the tickets into her jeans pocket and hurried after him. "Poe! Poe, where are you?"

Poe heard her calling but he didn't reply. He didn't want to admit how much her reaction hurt. Was the surprise of it that bothered her so much? Or was it the fact that it was him? He could be an ass, he knew that. It had become his default setting over the last ten years. He wasn't proud of that. But with Rey…he really did want to try and be a better person. She deserved that; she was just good. And she didn't take any of his shit, which was refreshing.

The door opened. "There you are."

"Come to rub more salt in the wound?"

Rey walked up behind him and tugged gently on his arm. He turned to face her, but he couldn't meet her eyes. "I'm sorry," she said softly. "I'm not used to…any of this. Nothing's ever handed to me."

"It's not a big deal. I can find something else."

"No, these are perfect." Then she did something that shocked the hell out of him. She hugged him. It took Poe a second to react, but he hugged her back tightly, his nose buried in her neck. She smelled good, like lavender. It ended far sooner than Poe wanted, but he forced himself to step back. "I do have one condition though."

"What's that?"

"You come with me."

He grinned. "That sounds fair."

Three days later, they drove down to Manhattan. It was late in the season; this game was the next to last one at the Garden before the playoffs. Rey let Poe drive; he was used to driving in the city. Rey felt like a tourist as they moved through the streets; buildings towered high overhead. She spotted the Empire State Building and the Freedom Tower. Seeing New York on TV did not prepare her for the real thing. There were so many buildings, so many cars, so many people. Minneapolis seemed like a small town in comparison.

They had to park a few blocks away and walk to the Garden. The famous venue shined against the night sky, lit up brightly in Rangers' colors. Rey wore her new Wild sweater, which earned her some New York snark as they walked past. "This is incredible," she murmured.

"We're not even inside yet."

"I've always wanted to come here. I used to have this dream of visiting all the NHL arenas. Dumb, right?"

"I don't think that's dumb."

"Maybe I'll do it one day."

"You can cross the Garden off your list." They got in the line to enter, passing easily through security. It was crowded inside with people getting concessions, shopping, or trying to find their seats.

"Can we just walk around a bit?"

"Sure. Whatever you want." Her eyes were wide as she soaked it all in. Poe was content to follow her. Since this was a Rangers' home game, most people wore some sort of Rangers' gear. There were a few brave Wild fans like Rey. She waved to everyone she saw wearing Wild colors even though she didn't know any of them. Poe had never seen anything like it. He was used to people from New York or Boston, who were not as friendly.

"Hungry?" he asked as they passed another concession stand.

"You want to eat concession food?"

"Might as well get the full experience, right?"

"Are you sure you haven't been replaced with a pod person?"

"Yeah, I'm sure."

They were still debating their options when a woman wearing a crazy Rangers' hat came up to them. "I'm sorry to bother you, but are you Rey Kenobi?"

Rey blinked. "Uh, yeah, I am."

The woman smiled. "Just a second." She waved to a little girl that could only be her daughter. "Come here, Lex. It's okay." The little girl was adorable in a mini Rangers hockey uniform. Her black hair bounced in pigtails. Rey thought she looked seven or eight. Her eyes flew wide when she looked up at Rey.

Rey smiled, kneeling down to the girl's level. It had been a long time since anyone recognized her. "I'm Rey," she said. "What's your name?"

"L-l-lexie," the girl replied nervously.

"She's a huge fan," the mother said. "You were her favorite player in Sochi."

"It's good to meet you, Lexie," Rey said. "I love your uniform. Are the Rangers your team?"

The girl nodded fervently. "I'm going to play for them someday."

Rey chuckled. "I don't doubt that."

Poe watched in fascination as Rey interacted with the little girl. She just lit up. He realized with a start that his partner was this little girl's hero. They chatted for fifteen minutes, all about hockey. It still meant the world to Rey, he could tell. He wanted to feel bad she could no longer play the game she loved, but then she wouldn't be his partner. He didn't know what he would do without her.

"Can we get a picture?"

"Sure." Rey held Lexie in front of her and posed for the photo. "Hey, how about one with my friend? He's a figure skater."

Lexie's eyes widened again. "Really?"

Poe knelt down too. "Yep."

"You're going to the Lympics?"

"We sure are." He glanced at Rey. "Aren't we, Rey?"

"You don't play hockey anymore?" Lexie said, disappointed.

Rey paused; she felt Poe squeeze her shoulder. "I got injured. I still play, just not with a team," she explained. "But I found something new. We skate together, right, Poe?"

"She's really good," he promised. "Maybe even better than when she played hockey."

Rey blushed. "He's just saying that."

"It's true," Poe said firmly. He turned back to Lexie. "You make sure to watch us, okay? Rey's going to be amazing."

The girl smiled. "Okay!"

They took another picture with Lexie; her mother thanked them both profusely. "I think we just made our first fan," Rey observed as they left.

"Wait until our first competition," Poe teased. "Ready to grab some food? Didn't you want to watch warmups?"

"Oh right!" They decided on hot dogs, soft pretzels, and nachos. Poe carried most of it as they made their way to their seats. Since they were so close, Rey didn't have to move to watch the Wild warm up. They were right in front of the Wild bench. "You didn't have to say that, you know," Rey said in between bites of her hot dog.

"Say what?"

"You know. About me being good."

"But you are good," Poe replied, confused.

"I just don't want to let you down."

He covered her hand with his. "The only way you could do that is to doubt yourself. We're gonna make it, Rey."

"You know what we should do?"

"What?"

"Take a selfie."

"Come on, Rey."

"I'm serious. Poe Dameron at a hockey game is something I need proof of for later in life. No one will believe me."

He rolled his eyes. "Fine." Rey got out her phone and flipped the camera around. Poe leaned in as close as he dared, her lavender scent hitting him in the face as she snapped a couple of selfies. She sent them to his phone; he waited until she left for the bathroom to look. Rey looked so happy; he couldn't help but smile back at the picture. He knew exactly the right place for it on his desk; if Rey found out, she'd probably kill him. But he was willing to risk it. This was a night he didn't want to forget.