Ben – Age 14 (almost 15) (Takes place 10 months after the concussion/kidnapping)

"She trusts you," Ben mumbled on a rare day when they were both lounging. He had been quieter around Poe ever since the Y-wing incident. His parents were relieved at the semblance of restraint, but Poe suspected Ben was only limiting himself. There were darker currents beneath the calm.

"Who? The Hosnian Prime representative?" Poe asked, tilting his datapad away from the light.

"Mother."

Poe blinked. "Your mother."

"Who else's mother, Poe? Obviously I'm not talking about yours."

The comment stung, just like Ben knew it would. He'd taken to digging into sensitive nerves lately. Poe was willing to ignore it – he could handle ridicule from a fourteen year old – but this was getting out of hand.

"Watch what you say about my mother," Poe warned quietly.

Ben seemed to take the hint. "I know, she was the best pilot before you were born," he said in paltry apology. "That's why everyone trusts Poe Dameron. Everyone looks up to Poe Dameron as an example of the new generation. Everyone wants Poe Dameron to –"

"What are you getting at?" Poe finally looked up from his datapad, leaning his head back over the armrest to give Ben his full attention.

"I'm the son of Han and Leia Solo!" Ben emphasized. "I should be exemplified as the new generation of Jedi. I'm Darth Vader's grandson. But Mother won't trust me with anything! Don't pester me about missions, Ben – you're not ready. Don't question my decisions, Ben – you're not the one in charge. And yet she let you order the subterfuge for the last supply run!"

"Ben, I'm older than you are," Poe argued. "I've had more experience. We were strategizing operations in the first year at the academy."

"I've been training under Master Skywalker for eleven years!" That was Ben's typical excuse for 'I know everything about the world and no one should question my reasoning'. "I know I'm ready. Mother just won't listen!"

Some days with Ben were guaranteed to end with a headache. They rarely saw one another anymore, and those few occasions often ended with Ben stalking away. He whined about Poe spending time with his friends. He complained about Poe's frequent absences, his 'bossiness', his recent lapses of patience, and above all his 'inability to listen'. Not that Poe was surprised by the last accusation – Ben was finicky about who was permitted to speak when he was in the room. The lapses of patience? Simply put, Ben was picking fights and Poe ended more conversations with a lecture than a friendly word. He was hoping this would be one of those rare afternoons when they just talked – no confrontations, no heated barbs.

Ben seemed determined to prove him wrong.

"You could speak with her," Ben suggested hopefully. "She listens to you. You could tell her I'm more than ready for my first mission."

"Ben…." Wearily Poe rubbed his hands over his face. He stared at his blank datapad screen, as though the dark screen would flash the answer he needed. "Ben… you need to talk to your parents yourself. I can't get involved in this."

"Why not?" Ben exclaimed. "You're always there when I need you! What's wrong with helping me now? I would do the same for you!"

"Ben!" Agitatedly Poe ran a hand over his scalp. "These are your parents. A little respect would be acknowledged, I guarantee." His tongue continued babbling, even while he screamed at himself to shut up. "Maybe there's a reason Master Skywalker doesn't trust you."

Silence. Closing his eyes, Poe wound a thread of hair around his fingers and tugged. Fantastic. Everyone wants to take the kid down a few notches, and the one who stabs him is his best friend.

Ben's voice was unnervingly clear. "I'm glad your parents crashed, Poe."

Mom, you'll come back, won't you? Mom!

The datapad spun into the wall. Swinging to his feet, Poe snagged his jacket and stalked from the room.

"Poe? Wait, I didn't mean it! Poe, come back here! Poe!"

Thank you to Space Opera Singer, Nadreth, barton16, .fire, nerdyninjaunicorn, Elleth of Mossflower, The EarthSong, Igeekthetudors, CrazedFangirl13, Real1Swear, Pinky-chan2, Time2read, and guests Ann and Corrine for reviewing!