Chapter 2: Wedding of the Empress

Poe Dameron paced about his and Finn's shared jail cell like a tiger in... well, a cage. His buddy observed him sympathetically, even as his own body twitched with pent-up energy, the desire to also move.

Upon arrival on the Star Destroyer, Finn and Poe had been thrown in prison. Chewbacca had been locked up in a cell across from them.

Not so with Rey. Kylo Ren had taken her away, to do Force knew what to her. Both Poe and Finn's stomachs roiled to think of it... or that she might want to do anything with that monster. Those shared kisses still burned in their brains, searing them.

Neither man heard anything regarding the fate of their friend for days. Eventually, a wet-behind-the-ears officer by the name of Mitaka had taken pity on them. He explained to the men that Rey was safe with the Supreme Leader in his chambers, and offered to convey their desire to seek an audience with the Empress.

At this, Finn's blood had run cold. Empress? For the first time, he allowed himself to wonder whether Poe's initial assessment had been correct. What if Rey was a traitor? What if she had somehow been seeing the Supreme Leader behind their backs? Allowed herself to be seduced?

There was a loud clang at the end of the hall just then and Finn rushed to press himself against the bars. Poe drifted to his side, and the pair glowered as the smug face of Armitage Hux appeared.

"The Empress is most generous, to grace scum like you with her presence," he sneered. Sweeping aside with an over-the-top bow, he announced, "My most adored lady - Empress Rey Solo!"

Poe cocked an eyebrow. "Rey Solo?" Finn, meanwhile, noted curiously how Hux seemed to flinch as Rey waltzed into view.

She nodded to Hux. "Leave us." Beholding her two best friends, Rey smiled weakly, apologetically. "I told you I would see you again. I apologize it wasn't sooner, Ben was concerned for my safety..."

She was met with stony silence. Poe observed her, clad in a dark dress and a brooch at her neck, with disappointment. "Why didn't you tell us, Rey?"

She winced. "I was scared of being cast out of the Resistance. I tried to fight it at first, but after a time, it couldn't be helped." Her smile grew heartsick. "I fell in love."

"How?" Finn almost moaned.

Rey glanced down at her feet. "We share a Force Bond." Her voice was quiet. "Right after I left to find Luke, we discovered we could interact with each other across lightyears. I began to understand that he is just a scared man who has had no one care about him. I tried to turn him on the Supremacy after he killed Snoke for me, but he wanted me to rule with him..."

"And now you are ruling with him," Poe pointed out.

"Not because I want to," Rey mumbled. "I could change the First Order to be something good. And Ben would be happy. He is happy. I'm happy..."

"Oh, come on!" Finn almost laughed. "You can convince yourself and your precious Ben, but you don't fool me - I can see what he does to. What he's doing to you. He's a monster, Rey."

"You're wrong," Rey murmured simply. "I can turn him back to the Light. Be with someone who loves me. And maybe save the galaxy in the bargain."

"So you're a double agent now," Poe guessed skeptically.

Rey bit her lip. "In a sense," she admitted. "Remember, it was the only way I could save your life."

Poe scoffed. "Whatever you say, Empress. Or does Mrs. Solo suit you better?"

"I'm not Mrs. Solo yet," she admonished. "I know you don't approve of him, but... I would like for you both to be present at my wedding. Hux is organizing it as we speak."

Poe and Finn looked at each other. The pilot just shrugged. "They'll probably force us into attendance anyway, for a propaganda show of it."

Rey remained silent. Finn nodded to her. "We'll be there."

She grinned weakly. "Thank you, my friends."

For the wedding of the Supreme Leader to the Empress, Armitage Hux spared no expense. The nuptial ceremony was held in one of the finest chapels on Coruscant, and broadcast all over the Holonet. Poe Dameron and Finn were conscripted into tuxedos and made to witness the ceremony at the back of the chapel, in chains. More than once, the holocameras trained in on them, and Poe made every effort to glow defiantly, ignoring Hux's gleeful sneers as he chaperoned the two prisoners. All three men knew as much as anyone - this wasn't just a wedding. This was a propaganda tool - a morale killer meant to crush the last spark of optimism in the Resistance, as they were made to watch their Jedi wed the ruler of the galaxy.

No one would have noticed the insidious undertones of such a celebratory day, however, if they only observed the bride. Rey was glowing, blushing and appeared by every account deliriously happy. A beaming smile was on her face as she recited her vows - a smile that, oddly enough, was mirrored on Kylo Ren's own face and in his eyes. Neither Poe nor Finn had ever seen him smile, or knew if he could. All the same, both fighters' hearts clenched in agony when the minister proclaimed Kylo and Rey husband and wife. Rey murmured something that sounded like "Ben" before she flew into her husband's waiting arms and passionately kissed him, to resounding cheers.

Finn doubled over and promptly threw up; the only consolation was that what remained over his meager breakfast ended up all over Hux's polished saddle shoes.

"Those were handmade Coriellian leather!" the ginger-haired officer shrieked in offense.

Poe, meanwhile, kept his eyes trained on the blushing Empress, at rest in her new husband's arms. Following the bread-and-circus reception, he - along with Finn - would be escorted back to their cell, to await whatever future was destined for them. Limbo was just another word for hell, he had convinced himself.

As to where that limbo would end - if he and Finn and even Rey (now sealed in a sham of a marriage that maybe really wasn't a sham) would get out of this alive in the end... Poe Dameron didn't know. He just didn't know...