Author's note: This chapter officially takes us to the end of the movie. But don't fret! This story isn't quite finished. Since we tortured our couple for so long, we're gonna get a glimpse into their happiness. 3-4 more chapters after this, I think. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Chapter 20

Poe found his dad in the villa's library, reading. He'd been wrestling with this decision all morning, but he needed to talk to Kes. They needed to have a serious talk about how Poe wanted to live his life after the Olympics. There were going to be some changes. Big ones. He hadn't decided if he wanted to keep skating; that decision (hopefully) wasn't his to make alone. But he was done with Kes making unilateral pronouncements about his life. Poe was an adult and it was time he acted like it.

"Dad? Got a minute?"

Kes looked up from his book. "Don't you have to be at the rink soon?"

Poe glanced at the clock on the wall. "That's what you're worried about right now?"

"Poe, what happened last night…"

"What happened last night was a long time coming. Too long."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"For once in your life, I just need you to listen. Just stop talking and listen to me."

Kes put his book down. "Alright, talk."

Poe sat in one of the other chairs. "At some point, all of this," he waved his hand around at the villa, "became your dream and not mine. I'm not sure when that happened, but it did. I wish I'd had the courage to tell you all this sooner. I let you blame Jannah for Sochi when none of it was her fault." He'd find a way to apologize to her too. Hopefully, she wouldn't punch him in the face.

"You're acting like I twisted your arm to come out of retirement, Poe."

"Maybe you didn't, but you're seriously underestimating the power of the guilt trip."

"Excuse me?"

Poe scoffed. "Come on, Dad. All that talk about Mom and how much she wanted to go to the Olympics? Constantly flaunting that stupid box? I let myself be convinced because I didn't want to disappoint you." The only good thing that had come out of all this was Rey. If he could convince her to forgive him, of course. He still wasn't sure how to accomplish that.

"I only did what I thought you wanted!"

"I didn't know what I wanted!" Poe shouted. "My life has revolved around skating since I was a kid! I didn't hang out with kids my age because I had to practice! I didn't even have a girlfriend until I met Zorii at one of your stupid parties! This is all I know! And it's almost cost me the one thing I know I want."

Kes scowled. "If this is about Rey…I have half a mind to send her home the moment tonight's skate is over."

"You do that, and I'll be on the plane with her."

"Mijo, she's all but ruined…"

Poe stood up, frustrated. "You haven't listened to a word I said, have you? This is my fault, Dad. I blew it in Sochi. Rey had no reason to think I was completely committed to this, not after watching that footage. Which is also my fault. She deserves better. She's busted her ass for this! You do anything to her, and I will walk out that door and never come back."

Kes blinked, stunned. "I didn't know you felt so strongly about her."

Poe ground his teeth. "This isn't about Rey, Dad. Though I need to apologize to her too and pray she forgives me." He ran his fingers through his curls. "Some things are going to change when we get home. That's all I wanted to say."

"What things?"

"I'm moving out of the compound." He wasn't sure of specifics; again, he hoped it wasn't a decision he would be making alone. But he needed to stand on his own two feet.

Kes eyed his son. "You're bluffing."

"Am I?" The only thing keeping him there was the rink. It was convenient. And if Rey didn't forgive him, then he wouldn't be skating anymore anyway. Kes made the mistake of setting up a trust fund for Poe when he was a child; he was old enough to access it. That was more than enough money until he figured out what he wanted to do. He could do anything he wanted now. He was no longer a slave to Kes' vision for his future.

"Poe, what's happened to you?"

"I'm deciding the kind of man I want to be, Dad," he said simply. "I'd like your support, but I'm living my life on my terms from now on."

"Sounds like you've already made up your mind then."

"Almost. There's one more thing I have to do."

Rey heard shouting; she rushed down the stairs. It sounded like Kes and Poe. She shrank back; she didn't want to get caught eavesdropping. She imagined they had a lot to say to one another. She'd returned to the villa very early in the morning; she slept in since they didn't need to be at the rink until the afternoon. She felt better after talking to Rose; she had an idea of what she wanted now. She needed to talk to Poe. But if he was talking to Kes, she didn't want to interrupt. Suddenly, she heard her name. She didn't want to know what that was about.

Instead, she went back to her room and packed her bag for the trip to the rink.

A soft knock got her attention. "Come in."

It was Leia; Rey pushed down the kernel of disappointment. She hoped it would be Poe. "How are you doing?"

"I'm good."

"You came back late."

Rey winced. "Yeah, I needed to clear my head."

"He waited up for you, you know. I tucked him in when he finally fell asleep."

Rey bit her lip. Poe waited for her? "Leia, I'm…"

"You did what you needed to do for you. But you and Poe have some things to discuss?"

"I hope so. I want to."

Leia smiled. "Good. How about we give the boys some time to talk?"

They gathered Rey's things and took the car over to the arena. She didn't want to admit it, but she was nervous. Not about their long program, but about Poe. She had so much she wanted to say; she hoped he did too. She didn't know if they could start over, but she wanted to try. As the minutes ticked by, she didn't think they'd get a chance to talk before they had to perform. They'd drawn the final lot in the last group.

Moreover, Poe was nowhere to be found. Where was her partner?

Poe cursed under his breath. Talking with Kes took longer than he thought; he was running late. When he found out Leia and Rey had already left for the arena, his stomach dropped. Was she still angry? Was he too late? A thousand nightmare scenarios ran through his head as they drove to the arena. Poe dashed into the athletes' entrance and started getting ready. The moment he laced up his skates, he went looking for Rey.

"Poe! There you are!"

Relief washed through him; she didn't sound pissed. She hurried over to him, but she brought herself up short like she was unsure of her reception. "Sorry, I'm late."

"Where were you?"

"Having a talk with my dad."

Her eyes softened. "You okay?"

"Yeah." Talking to Kes was nothing compared to making things right with her. "Listen, Rey…"

She grabbed his arm. "Poe, look!" She pointed up to the TV; Ren and Phasma were skating. They'd had the bad luck of going first in that final group. Any other time, Poe would be thrilled to be going last; they would know exactly what they needed to do. The competition was the furthest thing from his mind right now.

The Russians were good, he acknowledged that. Nearly perfect. When the scores came in, his heart sank. Leia was right. There was no way they could win without the Organa. Which he'd taken out of their program. Even now, he didn't regret it; Rey's safety was more important than any medal. When he turned back to Rey, she looked sad. "What's wrong?"

"This is my fault," she replied. "If I hadn't pulled that stupid stunt yesterday…"

"Hey, don't worry about it." He looked her in the eye. "I was the reason you felt you had to. But I want you to know that I am all in on this, Rey. Not for myself. But for you."

Rey's eyes welled with tears; she looked like she was going to hug him, but Leia appeared. "You two have to get ready!"

There was no time; they needed to start their stretches. They did them side by side; her little smile gave him some hope. The minutes ticked down; more couples skated. After Finn and Jannah, there was one couple to skate before Rey and Poe.

Poe still couldn't seem to unwire his jaw. This was the worst time, but he didn't want to go out there without telling Rey the truth. That he loved her. That he needed her and wanted her in his life after this moment. For as long as she would have him.

Leia called them over. "Do you know what I think would be wonderful? If you went out there and skated for these people, the way I have seen you skate. Enjoy each other." She gave them each a kiss on the forehead and gently nudged them toward the boards.

"What's the matter?" Rey asked.

Poe looked over at her; she was beautiful in red. This one had long sleeves and a skirt made of sheer red, orange, and yellow fabric. It looked like flames. It brought out the auburn highlights in her hair; she shined. Poe matched her in red and black, complete with an embroidered vest that Rey picked out. The ends of his sleeves were woven to mimic her skirt.

Suddenly, nothing else mattered but saying what he needed to say.

"Rey, I am sorry. I am so sorry for everything."

She looked confused. "Poe, I know. You apologized last night, remember?"

"I know, but I don't feel like it's enough. The things I did, the way I treated you…I am so, so sorry."

Rey bit her lip. "Listen, Poe…"

"No, I need to get this out. I've imagined this so many times. My timing stinks, but if I can't go out there until I tell you." The scores for the last pair were being announced over the loudspeaker; Poe ignored it.

"Tell me what?"

Poe took her hand; he was relieved when she didn't pull away. "Rey, somewhere in the middle of all this, I fell in love with you."

One of the production assistants chose that moment to interrupt. "You make take the ice."

Rey seemed frozen. Her hazel eyes flew wide. "I'm saying I love you, Rey. I'm saying it out loud. I should have realized it sooner. I was so stupid. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me and I've nearly ruined it." He tried to smile. "Please tell me there's still a chance, Rey. That's all I want. A chance."

"You have to go on," the assistant insisted.

"Will you shut up?" Poe snapped. Rey still seemed stunned, but she had tears running down her cheeks. He gently pushed them away with his thumb. "I need you, Rey. I love you."

Rey's reaction was nothing like he expected. "I know." She grinned. "We're doing the Organa."

Poe blinked. "What?"

"You heard me!"

Dread settled in his stomach. "You think I'm saying this to get a program out of you?"

"You wanna win, don't you?"

Poe shook his head. "No, it's no good, Rey. It's too dangerous!"

"Ten seconds!" the assistant called.

"Then we're agreed," she insisted. "I'm putting it in." Rey knew Poe must think she was insane, but she didn't see it that way. He'd just given her the greatest gift she could have ever imagined. He loved her. He wanted to be with her. All the pain and heartache, all the misunderstandings and mistakes led them here. They could still win a gold medal. She was going to do everything she could to make that happen.

She grabbed his hand and pulled them onto the ice. "It's out," Poe hissed.

"It's in," she retorted.

"Out!"

"In!"

"Out!"

"In!"

They arrived at center ice; Poe's heart was pounding. What the hell was she thinking? "What difference does it make?"

"The difference is, flyboy, I think it's time we kicked a little ass."

Poe blinked at her. She was trusting him. If they were going to be together, he needed to trust her too. He gave her a nod and a smile. She smiled back, that bright happy smile that made his heart skip a beat.

Then the music started.

All Poe could see was Rey. The sounds from the crowd were muted; he was laser-focused. He poured everything into that performance, finally free of the shackles that had kept them apart for so long. He could tell Rey felt it too; he could see it in her eyes. Everything clicked, every jump, every lift, every handhold was sure and strong. For the first time a long time, Poe actually had fun on the ice.

They flew across the ice, picking up speed. Rey gave him a smile and squeezed his hand, her signal that she was ready. Poe pulled them into the spin, quickly grabbing Rey's ankle. He heard the crowd gasp as they realized what was happening. They executed the spin perfectly; Poe released her and threw Rey into the twist. Her body spun in the air twice, her arms tucked in against her chest.

And Poe was there to catch her.

The arena erupted.

The cheering was so loud it drowned out the music, but Poe didn't care. He had the song memorized. He and Rey finished out their program, ending at center ice, with her in his arms. They were out of breath, hearts pounding, eyes locked. "You didn't have to," Poe said loud enough for her to hear over the din.

"Yes, I did."

"Why?"

"Because I love you."

Poe grinned. "I know." Right there in the middle of the ice, he did something he'd been dreaming about for weeks. He kissed her.

A squeak of surprise caught in her throat, but Rey melted into his kiss. God, it felt like coming home. His lips were soft and warm on hers. Even better than she imagined. She threaded her fingers into his curls as she kissed him back; he tightened his hold on her waist. They vaguely heard the whooping and cheering around them; they were too wrapped up in each other.

Poe nibbled on her soft lower lip; she opened for him readily. Kissing her was heady, intense; it was already his favorite thing in the world. The sweetness of her lips nearly had him undone; she was perfect.

Rey finally needed to breathe; she broke the kiss reluctantly and leaned her forehead against his. "You kissed me."

"And I'm planning on doing it again. A lot."

"In front of …oh god, all these people!"

"So?" He stole another kiss from her lips.

"Everyone's watching."

"Does that bother you?"

She shook her head. "Nope." She kissed him one last time, then took his hand. They still needed to get their scores. The scores were the least important thing, but the competitor in her wanted to know if they'd won.

Leia was beaming when they returned. She had hugs and kisses for them both, along with Sabine. The four of them crowded into the tiny booth; Poe refused to let go of Rey. His eyes were on her the whole time; he was so happy he thought his heart would burst right out of his chest. No matter what happened, he already had the best gift he would ever receive.

Rey shared a look with her partner. She squeezed his hand. "I love you." It felt so good to say it out loud.

"I love you too, Sunshine."

She was about to ask about the nickname when the scores were announced. "5.7, 5.8, 5.9, 5.7, 6.0, 5.9…" The announcer was drowned out by the loud shrieks and cheers. It was unlike anything Poe had ever seen at a figure skating event. The artistic scores were equally great!

When they flashed the final standings on the big screen Poe could hardly believe his eyes.

Gold – Kenobi/Dameron

Silver – Phasma/Ren

Bronze – Smith/Trooper

"Oh my god!" Rey shrieked. "Oh my god!" She jumped up, dragging Poe with her. She leaped into his arms, pressing kisses to his face. Poe couldn't stop laughing. They'd pulled it off! They were bringing home a gold medal!

"Rey," Poe hissed, grabbing her hand.

"What?" she asked, following him. They'd been surrounded by well-wishers since the moment they stepped backstage; there was a lot of knowing smiles and comments. Rey couldn't stop smiling; she'd never been so happy. Finn and Jannah found them; the only time Rey let go of Poe's hand was the moment he drew Jannah aside to apologize. Rey smiled through more happy tears; she was so proud of him.

But now, he seemed to be dragging her away from the crowd. "Where are we going?"

Poe turned a corner. It was a little secluded nook filled with extra broadcast equipment. Rey barely had time to register that before Poe pressed her against the wall and kissed her breathless. "Too long since I last kissed you."

"What, like ten minutes?" she teased, pulling him back in.

"Exactly," he murmured, slanting his lips over hers. She sighed into his kiss, curling her fingers into his vest. Was this feeling leftover adrenaline or euphoria? She couldn't tell and she didn't care. They made out like horny teenagers, which in many ways, they were. The tension between them had been building for two years; they couldn't keep their hands off each other.

Rey moaned softly as his lips slid down her throat. "Poe…they're…doing the…medals soon," she breathed.

"Don't care."

She tugged lightly on his hair. "You want me to have a hickey on worldwide television?"

He shot her a smirk. "Would that be a bad thing?"

She giggled as he pressed a kiss to her thrumming pulse. "You're terrible."

"You love me."

She smiled at the happiness in his eyes. "I do."

Poe reached up and traced the curve of her cheek with his thumb. His brown eyes were so soft and tender; no one had ever looked at her like that before. She leaned into his touch, joy making her chest ache. "This feels like a dream," he confessed. "A really good dream."

She turned her head and kissed his palm. "Having dreams about me, flyboy?"

He nodded. "For longer than I should admit."

"I'm getting that story out of you," she replied, grinning.

"We'll see." His face grew serious. "I know we need to talk…"

"Later," she promised. "I want to enjoy this moment with you."

Poe captured her lips in another kiss; she pulled him closer, needing his body pressed against hers. This felt like one of her dreams, Poe's lips and tongue stoking a fire in her belly. She was trapped between him and the wall, happily so. His knee slid between her legs; she moaned softly.

"Fuck, Rey," Poe growled, his costume not hiding his arousal. She ground against his thigh, her lip caught between her teeth.

"Bad choice of words," she reminded him breathlessly.

He grinned. "I think they're very right," he whispered in her ear. "The things I want to do to you…"

"You're right," she replied. "To hell with the medals."

Poe laughed. "God, I wish that were true." Someone would come looking for them; it wouldn't take long to drag the podium out onto the ice. He backed away from her just a little bit, enough to give them some room to breathe. He kept his hands on her hips; she kept her arms around his neck. After he calmed down a little, he pressed a chaste kiss to her lips. "I'm sorry."

"What are you apologizing for now?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. There's so much. Right now, I'm thinking about San Jose…"

She cupped his cheeks. "Nothing happened," she confessed.

"I know. Finn told me. Not that it matters. We weren't together. You could do what you wanted."

"Poe…"

"I was jealous. God, I was so jealous. You used to smile at me like that, then everything with Zorii happened…" She glanced away. "I know. I'm sorry about that too."

"Poe…"

"I hurt you and that's not okay."

"You didn't do it on purpose. You didn't know…how I felt. I didn't tell you because I wanted you to be happy."

"I was miserable."

"What?"

Poe chuckled mirthlessly. "I was such an idiot, Rey. Too blind to see what was right in front of me. I just want the chance to make it up to you."

"You're making a good start."

"Yeah?"

"Mmhmm." She leaned in for another kiss. She couldn't get enough. This one was soft and sweet, filled with love and forgiveness. They heard Leia shouting their names. It was time to go. Poe kissed her one final time, then took her hand.

"Ready?"

"I think so."

They rejoined the real world hand in hand, ready to get their medals.