Author's note: More shenanigans with these two crazy kids! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Chapter 22

Rey studied her boyfriend's face. Poe seemed calm if a little wary. Rey didn't blame him; after all, he didn't know exactly what Rey told her family about him. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Poe nodded. "Unless you want the first time I talk to your sisters to be the day I meet them in person?"

Rey's eyes widened. "Um, no." In truth, she was nervous. Probably more nervous than he was. Both Paige and Rose had boyfriends growing up; Rey never did. She was too focused on hockey to have time for anything more than friends with benefits. The truth was, Poe was her first serious relationship. They'd been fighting this thing between them for two years. Despite her lack of relationship experience, she was sure about him. She wanted to be with him. But she wanted her sisters to like him and welcome him.

Poe kissed her cheek. "Hey, it's okay."

"You don't even know what I'm worried about."

"Well, given our history, I'm assuming you told them some not-so-flattering things about me?"

Rey flushed. "Rose is very persistent. And I needed someone to talk to."

Poe glanced away; he knew it would take time for his lingering guilt for the way he treated her to fade. Rey was more forgiving than he deserved. "I know, I'm…"

"Don't you dare say you're sorry again," she scolded gently. She put down her phone and cupped his cheeks. "I know. I know you're sorry. I believe you. I wouldn't still be here if I didn't. You have to stop beating yourself up."

"Easier said than done," he countered. "That guy you first met? I hate everything about him. That's not who I want to be."

"And it's not. I discovered that along the way. I always knew you could be this guy." She pointed at his chest. "You just needed to figure out how to find him."

He hugged her. "Have I told you I love you today?"

She smiled into his shoulder. Once he started saying those words, he couldn't seem to stop. She didn't mind in the slightest. It was nice to hear. "Once or twice."

"I'm gonna say it until you're sick of hearing it."

"Don't see that happening." She kissed him sweetly. "Ready for FaceTime?"

"Yeah. I think."

Rey squeezed his hand. They'd crashed hard after all the excitement from the night before; it was noon before they started their first full day as a couple. Kes was nowhere to be found, so they decided to take a long walk through the Village and see if anything caught their interest. Poe never really got to just enjoy the Olympics in Sochi; he was eager to explore with Rey. It wasn't until Rose texted for the twenty-fifth time that Rey suggested they FaceTime so that her sisters could meet Poe.

Rose picked up almost instantly. "Rey! Oh my gosh! Finally!"

Rey grinned. Her sister had some flour on her face. "Rose, are you…baking?"

"Yes! Well, I'm trying to. Beau thought we should have some gold medal shaped cakes for sale."

"It's a bar, not a bakery!"

"I know, but everyone's just so excited and happy for you, Rey! Unkar's even got a sale down at the garage."

"You're kidding." Unkar had never done a generous thing in his life.

"Nope." Rose put down whatever she was carrying with her other hand. They saw her use a towel to wipe the flour off her cheek. "Now, are you gonna quit stalling and introduce the dreamboat behind you?"

Poe flushed and rested his forehead against Rey's shoulder. Rey simply laughed. "Come on, flyboy," she said, squeezing his hand. "Time for the Rose Tico stamp of approval."

Poe took a deep breath and straightened. Rey tilted the phone so Rose could see Poe better. His nerves came back full force; he really wanted this woman to like him. The last thing he wanted was to come between Rey and her family. "Hi, Rose. I'm Poe, Rey's partner. I'm sorry we haven't met until now."

Rose grinned. "It's nice to finally meet you, Poe. I've heard a lot about you."

Poe winced. "So, I've heard."

"Rose, be nice," Rey warned.

"I'm always nice."

"Where's Paige?"

"Hold on. She was waiting for you to call!" They watched as Rose moved through the apartment; it was messier than it had been the last time Rey visited. Guilt washed over her; it had been over a year since she'd been home. Nationals took place over the New Year, then they needed to train for the Olympics. There just hadn't been time.

"You okay?" Poe asked, seeing the wistfulness on her face.

"I just miss home."

He squeezed her waist. "Maybe we could have our flights changed to Minneapolis on the way back. You could have a nice long visit."

"You're coming with me, right?"

"I was hoping you would want that."

"It took two years for us to get here; I'm not letting you out of my sight."

Poe grinned. "I like the sound of that." He leaned in and kissed her. She chased him when he started to pull away, completely forgetting that her sisters were on the phone. "Rey! Hey Rey!" Rose called. "Earth to Rey?"

Rey broke the kiss; her cheeks were beet red and not from the chilly air. "Sorry." They turned back to the phone. A woman Poe had only seen in photos sat beside Rose. "Hey, Paige!"

Paige was clearly the older sister, but she looked just as happy as Rose. "Hey. How's Korea?"

"We haven't seen a lot of it so far. We're hoping to soon." It was such a shame the Ticos couldn't make it since they were Korean. They'd given Rey a list of things to do and try; she promised she'd make an effort. She was glad to have Poe with her.

Paige smiled. "I'm so happy for you! I made sure to replay your event at school today, so everyone could see."

Rey flushed. "Paige, you didn't have to do that."

"Are you kidding? I instantly became the cool teacher once all the kids realized that was my little sister out there!"

Rey laughed even as embarrassment crept up her neck. Poe squeezed her waist; she was impossibly cute. He wanted to kiss her, but he didn't want to embarrass her more with her family. "Thanks, Paige. I really wish you guys were here."

"We do too."

Poe wanted to give Rey a moment to compose herself. "Um, hi, Paige. I'm Poe."

Paige waved and smiled. "So, you're the guy that's finally got my sister all moon-eyed and giggly."

Poe flushed. "I don't think I've ever seen Rey like that," he replied, smothering a grin. He liked that he could make her feel like that though. It was the same way she made him feel.

"We haven't either!"

Rey decided to change the subject a little. "Poe and I were just talking about stopping by for a visit on our way home."

Rose's face lit up. "Oh yes, please! We miss you!"

"I miss you guys too."

"I can call and have our flights changed by the end of the day," Poe promised.

"But you're staying through the end of the Games, right?" Paige asked.

"Yeah. We've got the exhibition after the singles are done," Rey assured her. "We're gonna check out a few of the other sports too, I think?" She looked at Poe.

"Whatever you want, Sunshine."

Rose squealed. "Oh my god, you guys have pet names! That's so cute!"

Rey looked like she wanted to the ground to swallow her whole. "Sorry," Poe mouthed silently. He cleared his throat. "Um, Rey, would you mind if I talked to them alone?"

Rey's brow furrowed, but she nodded. "Okay."

He kissed her cheek. "This won't take long."

Rey walked over to the café to get some tea, leaving Poe out in the courtyard. He sat on one of the benches. "I'm sure you two have questions."

Rose nodded. "A few."

He straightened his shoulders. "Go ahead."

"Rey's told us some things, Poe," Rose said cautiously.

"And you want to know if I'm still that same jerk?" Rose and Paige nodded. Poe sighed. "I deserve that. Believe me, the two of you could not hate me as much as I hate myself for the way I've treated her. I've apologized so much in the last twenty-four hours that she's begged me to stop."

"That sounds like Rey," Paige said, cracking a small smile.

"I've learned a lot about myself over the last few months and there wasn't much I liked about myself. I did like who I was when Rey was around though." Just thinking about all those good times made him smile. "You have every right to be skeptical. But I love Rey. I'm committed to making this work. I want to be with her."

Rose's face softened. "You must be special if you won Rey's heart," she said quietly.

"I know I don't deserve it."

"That's not really your choice now, is it?"

Poe smiled. "She's the best."

"You just be good to each other, okay?"

"I promise. And we'll stop there on our way home. I'm gonna get those flights changed as soon as we're done." He said goodbye to the Ticos, then he went in search of Rey. He found her seated at a table; she had two cups. "You got me coffee?"

"Just the way you like it."

He leaned over and kissed her. "Thank you." As he took a sip, he handed Rey her phone back. He got out his and started the process of switching their flights.

"What are you doing?"

"Keeping my promise to your sisters and changing our flights."

"What about Kes?"

Poe frowned. "What about him?"

Rey put down her mug. "Poe, you can't ignore him. He's your dad."

"Rey, he was an asshole to you. Until he apologizes for the other night, I don't want to talk to him." As far as Poe was concerned, Kes needed to apologize for last night too, but he knew Kes' ire was meant for him and not Rey. Kes really had no one to blame but himself. He'd insisted Rey stay all those months ago. For Poe, it was the best decision his dad ever made. It kept Rey in his life and helped him discover who he really wanted to be.

"You really want to move out, don't you?"

Poe arched a brow at her. "You thought I was kidding?"

"No, not exactly. I guess I just have a hard time imagining you anywhere else."

"Well, it would be weird living with my girlfriend while still living with my dad."

She giggled. "True. Too bad we can't take the movie theater with us."

Poe smirked. "That just means we can get kicked out of real theaters for lewd behavior."

Rey's brows shot up. "Why, Poe Dameron? Were you planning on seducing me in the middle of a movie theater?"

"I'd seduce you right here if we wouldn't get arrested for it."

Rey pretended to groan. "I think I've created a monster," she wailed.

"Funny, that's not what you said in the shower this morning," he drawled. He loved that they could do this now. They could tease each other and flirt shamelessly. "What was it?" He got up and bent over so his lips were next to her ear. "Oh, I remember. Please. More. Harder. And my name. A lot. I loved that."

Rey shivered, memories of their shared shower flooding her mind. "I hate you," she whispered.

"You love me."

"I'm going to get you back for this."

"I look forward to it, sweetheart." He kissed her cheek and resumed his seat. Her cheeks were the perfect shade of pink; she was beautiful. He couldn't believe he'd almost lost her. He didn't know what he would do without her in his life. If he hadn't been so stupid, they might have been together before this, but perhaps things turned out exactly the way they were supposed to.

They didn't often get free time. This was their only true day off; they still had a couple of hours of practice each day for the exhibition. That was just for fun, but Poe knew that all eyes would be on them after the spectacle they made of themselves. There was a time when Poe would have let that bother him, but he was just so happy.

"So, what would you like to do?"

Rey chewed on her lip. It was a beautiful day, if cold. She definitely wanted to watch some hockey, but Team USA didn't play until a bit later in the week. "Would you mind if we head into town? I kinda want to explore."

"Sounds good to me." Rey knew some simple Korean phrases thanks to her sisters, so they managed to decipher the bus map enough to get to some of the touristy areas. It was Poe's very first time on any sort of public transportation, which Rey didn't fail to tease him about. He wasn't even embarrassed; spending time with Rey was like seeing the world with brand new eyes. She was downright giddy at every new experience; he was content to just observe her. Once they reached the market district, they just walked around, hand in hand. The sounds and the smells were all new; Rey wanted to try it all. Poe indulged her while she shopped for gifts for her sisters and other friends back home. There were numerous street vendors, so they took Rose's advice and tried some authentic Korean food. After four hours of exploring, Poe was weighed down by bags and a full belly.

"I didn't think this was what you meant when you said exploring," he teased as they waited for the bus.

Rey flushed. "Here, I can take some of those. I guess my guilt at missing Rose and Paige was worse than I thought." She took a couple bags and hoisted them on her shoulder. "You were a good sport though. Thank you." She kissed his cheek.

"No, this was fun. Just watching you was fun."

"I promise I'm not usually a shopper. Special circumstance."

"Good thing we brought extra luggage."

"Poe!" She swatted at him, but the bus arrived and ruined their fun. They took the bus back to the Village, then walked to the villa. Unlike the night before, there was no mistaking the raised voices when they entered. It sounded like Kes and Leia. Poe and Rey left the bags in the foyer; Poe reached for her hand. He didn't need to be clairvoyant to know what they could be talking about. Sure enough, he heard his name a moment later.

"I'll go talk to him," Poe said. "You shouldn't have to deal with this."

Rey shook her head. "We do this together."

He leaned over and pressed a chaste kiss to her lips. "Love you."

"Love you too." She squeezed his hand before they walked into the metaphorical lion's den. The villa had a large study; that was where they found Kes and Leia deep in conversation. Poe didn't spot any alcohol, so that was good. Kes still looked angry though; he had that deep line between his brows. Leia was calmer like she was trying to reason with him. Neither heard the couple approach.

Poe cleared his throat. "If you have something to say, Dad, maybe you should say it to us."

Kes flinched, caught. "I merely wondered where you were, mijo. Especially since Leia didn't seem to know either."

"It's our day off. And last time I checked, Leia was our coach, not our prison warden."

"So, I don't have a right to know where my son is?"

Poe sighed. "If we're just going to do this again…"

"Do what?" Kes demanded. "You're acting like I've done something wrong here."

"Because you have," Poe insisted. "Until you're prepared to apologize to Rey, we have nothing to say to each other."

"This is the thanks I get for funding everything that's happened over the last two years. I see," Kes snapped.

"That's not what this is about, and you know it," Poe shot back. "I'm finally living my life for myself for the first time and you hate that!"

"So far, all I've seen is you acting out."

Rey finally had enough. She stepped forward. "Kes, I don't know what your problem is, but you need to get over it. This is your son. He loves you. He's already lost one parent. Don't make him lose another. I've been through that hell and it sucks. My parents are dead. My adoptive parents are gone too. I wonder every day if they would be proud of the person I am. If they would approve of the choices I've made." She sucked in a breath; a lump formed in her throat. Poe pulled her against his chest and held her until it passed. "You may not think I'm good enough for your son. That doesn't matter. I love him. He loves me. I wish my parents were here to see how happy I am. I wish they could meet Poe. But they can't. Don't do this to him. Please."

Silence reigned for a long moment. Then Leia spoke. "Shara wouldn't want this, Kes. You know that."

Kes looked from Poe to Rey to Leia. He looked lost, like his entire world had gotten upended and he didn't know how to cope. Rey didn't need him to apologize to her, though she wouldn't turn it down if offered. She needed Kes to support and love his son unconditionally. She barely remembered her parents; she missed the Ticos every day. They'd given her a family when she'd all but given up. Kids like her didn't get adopted. But the Ticos opened their hearts and their home to a parentless child. She couldn't bear to see the relationship between Poe and his dad fracture like this.

Poe wrapped Rey up in a hug; the heartbreak in her voice made his chest hurt. She was so strong; he was so lucky he got to love her. There was no doubt in his mind that she was his soulmate.

The silence dragged on; Poe held out hope that Rey's words had gotten through. But as the minutes stretched, that hope faded. Reluctantly, he nodded at Rey. They turned and started to leave. "Wait." They turned. Kes still looked shellshocked. "I'm not…good at this," Kes admitted quietly. "I never was. Your mother was the kind one." Poe nodded. "She would absolutely hate the way I've acted. I guess I just…I've never really gotten over the loss of your mother, Poe. Now it feels like I'm losing you too. I had no idea you've felt this way."

"Dad…"

Kes held up a hand. "No, you were right. And you were right," he added, nodding to Leia. "Most of all, you were right, Rey. I've behaved abominably. For that, I'm sorry. Poe, if you are happy, then I won't stand in your way."

Poe didn't realize how much he needed to hear that. Rey gave him a soft smile and a nudge. Father and son hugged. Leia smiled at Rey. "I've been trying to get through to him for two days," she said softly. "Well done."

Rey shrugged. "I didn't do anything."

"On the contrary, I think you've done a great deal."

Kes offered to take them all out to dinner, but Poe and Rey declined. They weren't hungry. "Rey, I am truly sorry," the older Dameron said softly.

"I think we know where Poe gets his snark from," she said lightly.

"Perhaps, but that doesn't excuse anything. If I've made you uncomfortable or hurt your feelings…"

"Apology accepted," she said, laying a hand on his arm.

It was still relatively early, but Poe and Rey said their goodnights and disappeared up the staircase. Rey went down to her room again to change and move some more of her things into Poe's larger room. Or perhaps now it was their room? She didn't want to push her luck. She brought a change of clothes from her room and a few other odds and ends.

"I half expected you to bring a whole bag," Poe teased when she entered.

"I almost did. But I didn't want you to freak out."

"Now why would I do that?"

She shrugged. "We're both kinda new at this?"

Poe smiled and kissed her forehead. "Technically, yes, but—and stop me if this sounds weird—it doesn't feel like it? It finally feels like this is how things should be if that makes any sense."

"Actually, it does." She set her things on one of the chairs then stepped into his waiting arms. She never allowed herself to just be held by anyone before Poe. This was different than trusting him on the ice. Now she was trusting him with her heart.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly. His lips touched the crown of her head.

She nodded against his chest. "Better now."

Poe smiled to himself; he was so grateful she allowed him to comfort her. "You saved the day again," he whispered. "Thank you."

She blushed. "Poe, I didn't…"

"I didn't know how to get through to him. You did. It breaks my heart that your parents aren't here to see you. I know they'd be proud." He chuckled. "Do you think they'd like me?"

Rey cradled his cheek. "If this is the Poe Dameron they met, they would love you."

Poe ducked his head. "That's fair."

Rey wasn't having that. "Hey, look at me." He did. "We've got a fresh start. A clean slate. Whatever metaphor you want. We are finally together, and I hate seeing you beat yourself up."

"But Rey…"

"Shhh." She silenced him with a kiss. They'd hardly been a couple for a full day, but it felt longer to her. Their whole world was different. Like Poe said, everything was finally the way it was supposed to be. "Poe?"

"Hmmm?"

"Take me to bed?"

He smiled. "With pleasure." Poe promptly scooped her up, causing Rey to burst into giggles. They were just getting started.