Rose groaned when Finn and Hux finally set her down on a bed inside the medbay. Her head hurt and she was feeling slightly ill - perhaps it hadn't been her best idea to tackle the most dangerous man in the galaxy with a taser.

Hux pulled at his uniform jacket and looked around, visibly uneasy. "I- uh, I'll go change if you don't mind."

Rose took his hand. "Wait a bit, I'm sure Dr. Kalonia or a medic will be with me shortly."

"Yes, yes of course. I'm sorry." He nervously looked at her. "How are you? Are you in pain?"

"I could use something for the headache but otherwise I'm fine."

Hux glanced at Finn. "Right."

Only then she realised that he was asking about the baby. She put her hand on her belly and smiled at Hux. "I'm fine." Only her head was hurting after all… and her leg, her left arm...

Hux exhaled but still looked tense.

"Finn," Rose said, "would you mind going to look if a doctor is available?"

Finn looked from Rose to Hux and back again to Rose. "Uh, sure."

She waited until he was out of earshot and said: "I'm fine, really. You don't have to worry."

A medic brushed past them and Hux pulled his hand away from her, looking even more uneasy than before. "I apologize for the lack of my restraint. I'm still confused by-" he broke off and he sighed. "Ren showed me things that weren't true. But the feeling… it was so real."

"Rey told us that he tried to manipulate you."

Hux gulped. "He didn't manipulate me, he just showed me who I used to be. Showed me… who I would turn out to be." He pressed his lips together. "That's why I wanted to change out of the uniform so that- so that you don't see me like this."

"It's strange," she admitted, "seeing you like this. But it's still you. Ren pulling whatever Force tricks they were doesn't change that."

He frowned. "If Commander Dameron hadn't talked to me the way he did… who knows?"

"I know," she replied in a firm voice. "Because I know you. And whatever shit Ren showed you, it doesn't matter. Because you're better than you think. And I'm always right."

He gave her a half-smile like he used to. "Of course you are."

Dr. Kalonia discharged her about two hours later - unlike some of the wounded she was stable enough to rest in her quarters. Before they left the med bay Hux quickly recalibrated BB-8's servo motors, the droid made happy beeping noises. After that Finn accompanied Poe to his room while Hux offered to take Rose to hers.

When she stood in front of her room she realised that he'd never been there before. They always met in his quarters. Another oversight of hers, something she never thought about.

She punched in the code and stepped inside when the door slid open. Hux stopped at the doorway, pulling again at his uniform.

"Come in," she said with a smile.

His eyes went wide and he followed her inside. With open interest he looked around, he took in the wall that was covered with colourful holos of flowers. "Did you program these yourself?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yeah, I used spare parts obviously and just wrote a script to play the flowers on a loop."

Next he took in the pictures hanging on the other wall. They were pictures of her family, her mother and father standing in front of their house, her grandmother making dumplings in the kitchen and of her and Paige being small kids. He looked at them with the intensity of an art connoisseur studying a painting.

He turned towards her and obviously wanted to ask something when he caught sight of himself in the mirror next to the door. He blinked and closed his mouth again before he spoke, "Dr. Kalonia said you should rest, I'll leave you be."

"The uniform really bothers you, doesn't it?"

He shifted his weight from one feet to another. "Yes."

She stepped to him and cupped his cheek with her hand, pulling him down into a kiss. "See you later."

He looked at her with an expression of surprise on his face before a smile spread on his lips. "See you later, Rose."

With these words he left.

Rose sat down on her bed and activated her pad. She could go through some schematics while she rested, this way she wouldn't fall too far back on her work.

About an hour later her mother checked in on her, carrying a plate with rolls of course. "You need to eat, Ro-Ro - to build up your strength."

"Don't you have better things to do than bring me food?"

Thanya waved her hand dismissively. "This is nothing."

Rose stared at the rolls and recalled Hux's face when he had thought that her mother had cut fruit for him. He had looked so happy, ready to believe her little lie that the sliced fruit hadn't been for her in the first place. "Uh, so listen… would you mind bringing some of these rolls to Armitage?"

Her mother smiled and patted her cheek. "I already did, my flower."

Rose gaped at her. "You did?"

Her mother sighed and sat down on the bed next to her. "Do you remember Grandpa Storm and Grandma Etta?"

"Of course I do."

"How we all gathered in the summer at their house to fish and to play cards? That was something, wasn't it? Uncle Rico was there, just like aunt Kura-"

"- and the cousins, I know, okay."

"We're all that's left of them, Ro-Ro." Her mother smiled sadly at her. "It's just us now. You, me and Hux."

Rose put her head on her mother's shoulder. She could smell the scent of home again. "Are you getting sentimental with age, mom?"

"Of course I am, my flower. It's one of the prerogatives of being a grandmother." She patted Rose's knee. "Now eat up."

In the evening Rose holoed Hux to meet up in the Cantina. He was already waiting for her when she showed up - punctual as ever. He was wearing a dark green shirt and his usual dark pants and seemed more relaxed than he had been back in her quarters.

"How are you feeling, Rose?"

"I'm starving but otherwise fine. What about your bruises?"

He shrugged. "It's nothing."

They stepped inside, to Rose's surprise it was brimming with people, everybody was laughing, eating and drinking. The noise level was way higher than usual. In the middle of the room was Poe, surrounded by a couple of people - obviously telling them some story judging by the way he gestured and how they sometimes laughed.

They finally found two seats at a table in one of the corners. Rose was about to sit down when she noticed Mircah sitting on the other end of the table. "Come on, Hux. Let's find some place else to sit," she said in a calm voice.

"No need," said Mircah and wiped his mouth with a napkin. "I'm finished anyway." He grabbed the tray and headed for the station to put the plates away.

Rose and Hux sat down. "Do you want me to get your food?" asked Hux.

"If you don't mind, yes please."

He got in line while she leaned back and looked around. They had finally won, Kylo Ren was dead - killed by her own mother believe it or not. She expected to feel elated, but she was only tired. It didn't feel like they won and in a way, they hadn't - at least not yet. The First Order still existed.

Perhaps it was only the shock of the moment that made her feel so… normal.

Hux returned with the food and they ate, chatting about their project like every other day. Rose gulped down the last piece of her casserole and glanced at Poe who was still laughing and talking with other people.

Suddenly Poe climbed on a table and said loudly, "What we need now is a song! Today we won and I demand a song!"

Next to him an old Mon Calamari was helped on the table, Rose knew him… it was uh, what was his name - Kalmina, yes Kalmina - and old comm officer from the great Galactic War.

Kalmina cleared his throat and silence spread out. The Mon Calamari started to hum, at first it was barely audible but after a few seconds others started to hum with him, standing up one after another. She recognized the tune, it was an old song from the last war. The humming gave her goosebumps and when Kalmina started to sing the ancient verses about loss, sacrifice and resisting evil a shiver ran down her spine. Moments later Poe joined him. The humming of the people was becoming quieter until the crescendo at the end where all joined Kalmina and Poe and the last line was sung, no almost screamed by all the fighters in the Cantina, herself included.

Tears were running down her cheeks, it was as if she realised only now the magnitude of their win. Despite the odds they had won! They won!

The Cantina erupted in cheers and the old Mon Calamari was visibly moved.

Rose sniffled and laughed at the same time. She turned to Hux who was standing next to her, visibly taken aback by the reactions around him. She took his hand, causing him to jerk his head towards her. "Rose- what if anybody sees-"

"Let them see," she said with a smile and kept holding his hand as Ebrima started to sing another song to commemorate their fallen friends and comrades.

.

-o-

.

The Rebels continued to sing, Sergeant Suta started to serve beer, wine and something stronger that Hux couldn't identify. Rose excused herself after a while, she was excited but also tired. Hux could feel a headache coming on from drinking beer and wine and decided to get outside to catch a breath of fresh air.

He went back to his quarters, got his parka and exited the base. He went to the tree trunks, taking in the destruction caused by the fight earlier. He squinted to see if Millicent was anywhere but the loth-cat was nowhere to be seen. She had obviously been startled by the noise earlier and probably retreated to her old stomping grounds.

In the distance he saw a figure standing near the forest. Curiosity got the better of him and he marched through the snow towards the lone rebel standing out in the dark while all the others were celebrating in the Cantina.

When he was but a few meters away a voice rang out, "General Hux, how good of you to join me."

He recognized the voice immediately. "Good evening, General Organa." He slowed his step. "I didn't mean to intrude; do you want me to leave?"

She glanced over her shoulder, her silvery grey hair shining brightly against the dark purple coat she was wearing. "Actually I don't mind the company."

He stepped next to her, only now he noticed that she was standing in front of freshing dung unmarked graves. A thin blanket of snow had already settled over them.

Organa leaned on her crane. "A parent isn't supposed to bury their child. And yet…" she didn't finish the sentence.

"He was trying to kill you," said Hux in a low voice.

"He was, but I can't help thinking that I could've saved him. If only I hadn't sent him away, if only I realised earlier that Snoke was poisoning his mind." She exhaled. "Poe told me that he was past saving, perhaps he was right. But there are doubts that never can be silenced."

"Everybody has regrets."

"Ben didn't have any."

"What?"

Organa straightened her back, staring at the grave in front of her. Snow started falling again. "I reached out to him with the Force, to get a feeling of his state of mind. Before the battle of Crait I sensed him, he was in one of the fighters attacking us, wasn't he?" She didn't wait for him to answer. "He hesitated when he had a clear shot of our bridge, he could have killed me right then. Something lingered in his mind… but today it was gone. There was nothing but excitement and a twisted sense of pride. Not even hatred."

"Hatred would require that one cares," replied Hux. "He was too detached for that, at least after he killed Snoke. It was- it was almost as if he decided that he had won already. That everything else was ornamentation."

"That's what Poe said too… that he didn't care. How curious that you would say the same."

Hux stared at the forest, unable to meet her gaze. "Perhaps it's because Captain Dameron told me the same. That he thought that I was the spy because I cared, despite everything I had done."

She chuckled. "He's an excellent judge of character isn't he?"

Hux didn't reply right away. How could he? "I can't concur. That would be presumptuous of me."

"Really?"

"There are doubts that can never be silenced," he said quietly.

She didn't reply, they stood for a moment in silence before she turned and headed back to the base. Hux stared at Ren's grave. Considering everything it should be Ren standing at Hux's grave, the golden prince of the Resistance, the son of Galactic legends, not the bastard son of a questionable line of Force-blind Imperial soldiers.

Or perhaps it wasn't even that strange. Perhaps it wasn't about lineage… perhaps it was about choices. Hux almost scoffed. Perhaps Dameron was right after all.

The next few weeks were quite busy. General Organa was quieter than she used to be, but she directed the remaining war efforts with her usual superb skill. Rose and Hux worked hard on repairing fighters and med droids. They even managed to update their boarding droid and the hyperspace tracker to keep tabs on all the remaining destroyers of the First Order.

Rose kept reaching for his hand in public, making physical contact. Sometimes she even put her hand on his arm when she was talking. At first he had been startled but then he realised that it was her way to show her affection publicly.

One day they were watching a huttball game in the hangar as usual and Hux brought cold beer to Master Rey, Finn, Lieutenant Connix, Poe and one for himself. For Rose he grabbed an iced tea.

"Thanks, Hugs," said Poe and grabbed his beer, opening the bottle.

"You're welcome."

Connix thanked him as well and settled next to Rey who was staring at the holo, screaming "Pass! Pass you moron!"

Poe took a gulp and leaned over to Finn and gave him a kiss on his lips before continuing watching the game. Hux sat down next to Rose and cautiously put his hand on hers. It felt foreign to him, as if he was somehow overstepping. When Rey turned to talk to Connix he pulled his hand away.

He focussed on the game and watched the Coruscant Flutterplumes make another goal, the hangar erupted in cheers. Only a few noises of protest could be heard from Makeb Subteroth fans.

"Kriff," said Rose suddenly and put her hand on her belly.

Hux almost jumped up. "What is it?"

"Just a bit of stomach ache, maybe I drank the tea too fast or something."

"Are you sure?" he asked, while mentally going through all the medical knowledge he studied in the past months. Almost all sources said that it was prudent to visit at least a med droid if the pain persisted. "Perhaps we should go to the med bay."

"What's going on?" asked Poe and glanced over his shoulder.

"Nothing," said Rose. "I'm just a bit unwell."

Poe got up. "I heard that there is a flu going around. Better be careful, Rose. Come on, I'll take you to the doc."

Hux was taken aback. "No, I- I can do that."

Poe patted on his shoulder. "No problem, you just enjoy the game."

He looked at Rose, trying to determine from her gaze if she wanted him to accompany her. But before he could decide what the best course of action was she was already on her feet and walked away with Poe.

Should he follow them? Or would that be intruding? What if Rose was relieved that it wasn't him who was seen accompanying her through the base with her round belly? But on the other hand… what if she expected him to join them? How should he know? Calm, he had to keep calm and think this through. Option 1-

"You look like you're having a stomach ache yourself," said Rey, derailing his thoughts.

"Uh, I- no, I don't," stammered Hux.

Finn turned to face him and took a gulp from his beer. "Maybe you should go after them."

"You think?" Hux asked weakly. "I don't want to bother-"

"Stars, just go already, you're making me nervous - I can literally hear the gears turn in your head," replied Finn.

Hux gulped and got up, hurrying towards the medbay. What was he thinking? Of course he should accompany Rose. He should've insisted! But- but what if the others started asking questions Rose didn't want to answer? He slowed his step. If he turned up at the med bay Poe would become suspicious.

He just had to come up with something why he had followed them, yes! A convenient lie that wouldn't appear odd in case Rose wanted it to keep a secret for longer.

Hux barged in the med bay, causing Dr. Kalonia, Poe and Rose jerking their heads towards him. Rose was sitting on a med bed, Kalonia was holding a scanner.

"Hugs?"

"I, uh, just wanted to ask Rose if she still wanted to work on the air filters later or if she wanted to rest," said Hux quickly. There, he thought to himself, that was smooth. Then he realised that the others were still staring at him. "Because, if she wanted to rest I could do it myself. I just wanted to tell Rose, uh, so that she knew."

Kalonia arched an eyebrow and turned towards Rose. "So, as I was saying… everything is fine. It's not unusual in this stage of the pregnancy to experience a bit of stomach ache. But of course it's always wise to come for a check-up."

Hux's breath faltered when he saw the expression on Poe's face, his usual grin faded and he blinked a couple of times really fast. "Uh…"

"So, you don't have to worry, Poe. Rose is fine, and so is your baby."

Rose blanched and stared at Kalonia.

Poe on the other hand haltingly put his hand on her shoulder. "That's- that's great news, honey."

"If you'll excuse me," said Kalonia with a smile. "I have other patients to attend to." She exited the examination room.

Rose glared at Poe. "The kriff?"

"I'm sorry, alright!" said Dameron in a low voice. "But what was I supposed to do? I didn't know what to say, alright? This took me by surprise - I didn't know that you were pregnant. Not for sure anyway."

Hux still stood in the doorway, an iron grip around his heart. He really thought that Kalonia already knew. But what if- what if it was better this way? Rose could claim that it was Poe's child. He would cover her. She wouldn't have to admit that she fell for some- for him.