Another chapter for you all to enjoy. Big thanks to Darksidefan5 for their Beta skills.
Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars. Disney and George Lucas do.
Sullust…
After being kept away from Rey the other night, Finn is a man on a mission this morning. Having barely slept through the night, his mind running through many different things that could be wrong with Rey, he had gone down to the mess and picked up some a cup of caf and a nutrition bar. As he makes his way towards medical, he runs in to Rose.
"Rey was released early this morning." Rose says, swiping the cup of caf from Finn and takes a mouthful of it.
"Hey! Leave some for me or get your own."
"Sorry." Rose replies, handing the caf back to him. "I haven't had breakfast yet."
Finn lets out a soft sigh and hands the rest of his half-eaten bar to her. "Go on. Finish it."
Rose lets manages a quick 'thank you' before taking the offered bar. She takes a bite out of it and tries hard not to gag at the awful taste.
"What flavor did you grab?" She asks, yet again taking the caf from Finn's hand to take a swig from it.
"Don't know. Whatever one was on the top." Finn answers as he starts to walk down the hallway.
As Rose follows after Finn, she looks down and un-wrinkles part of the wrapper.
"You grabbed a protein and fiber bar.'" she states, scrunching her nose up in disgust before tossing the rest of the bar into a trash bin.
"Hey! I could have finished that!" Finn shouts, affronted that Rose would just throw away a perfectly good nutrition bar.
"How can you even eat that? It has no flavor and is plain."
"It's edible, so you just eat it."
"That is not edible."
"Is too."
"Isn't."
"Why are we even arguing over this? If you wanted to eat something, you should have gone to the mess for your own bar."
Reaching his destination, Finn reaches out and presses the door panel. The door slides open to allow him and Rose to enter the small, but disorganized room.
"Poe." Finn calls out, walking towards the door that leads to the small refresher that comes with the room. "Poe?"
Rose stays just inside of the room, taking in the mess. She notices that the clothes Poe wore yesterday are lying on the floor, several feet away from the hatch that would send them down to the cleaners to be washed.
"I don't think he's been back here since yesterday." Finn states, walking towards Rose.
"Yes, he has." Rose points to the dirty clothes on the floor. "He must have come back here to change, because those are his clothes from yesterday."
"Think he could be working with the new recruits in the flight simulator?"
"Leia gave them all a three-day leave two days ago."
Finn gives Rose a confused look and mutters, "Why didn't she give the new ground trainees time off?"
"Poe might be in the hanger bay. You know he can't stand to be idle when there are things to be done." Rose states, completely ignoring Finn's question.
Leaving Poe's quarters, the pair head down to where all the Resistance ships are currently being held.
Entering the hanger, the pair make their way towards where the U-wing is stationed. As they get closer, they see Rey working on the electrical wires for the ion cannon; while Poe is rummaging around inside of a panel on the lower port-side engine. However, they come to a stop as they start to over hear a conversation that their two friends are having.
"What about Andra?" Poe suggests, glancing over his shoulder to look at Rey.
Rey's face scrunches up at the name. "No."
"Why not?"
"Who'd call their kid, Andra?"
"Well, Zalen isn't that great either." Poe retorted. He walks over to the toolbox that sits several feet away from Rey and reaches down for a hydro-spanner.
"Well then I guess we'll just have to wait till later. It isn't like we need a name right now." Rey states, pulling out a fistful of wiring from the electrical panel.
"What are you doing?!" Poe shouts, stomping over to Rey's side. "They just needed to be switched, not pulled out completely."
"These wires are old, and starting to corrode. If they aren't replaced now, then you could end up having a fire starting when you go to use the cannon against the First Order." Rey replies and shows Poe where the old wires are fraying and oxidizing.
"Hey guys." Rose calls out, hoping to stop a possible argument from erupting between the pilot and scavenger.
Poe looks away from Rey and greets their friends.
"We went to medical to visit you but Rose said you'd been released." Finn says to Rey while heading over to where she is seated and pulls her into a side hug.
"You doing alright?" Rose asks, looking over Rey with a scrutinizing eye.
"I'm fine." Rey shrugs out of Finn's embrace and gets up from her seat on the crate. Once standing, the world around her starts to spin, which causes Rey's legs to go wobbly.
"Woah." Finn says, standing up next to her and reaching out to grab her shoulders.
"Rey?" Poe and Rose call out, both of them moving closer to the young woman as well.
"I'm alright." Rey brushes away Finn's hands. She tries to take a step away from the man, but stumbles thanks to the vertigo sensation she's having lately.
Finn catches her just as her knees give way.
"Rey? You alright?" Poe asks, panicked by the sight of weakness that Rey is having.
"M'fine." Rey mumbles out as Finn and Poe help her sit back down onto the storage crate.
"When was the last time you ate something?" Without waiting for a reply, Poe quickly heads into the U-wing to retrieve a ration bar out of his satchel. Then he hurries back out with the bar in hand.
Poe hands the bar to Rey. "Remember, the doctor said that you need to eat every so often to keep your energy up."
"Poe." Rey huffs out, not even bothering to open the packet after taking the bar from him.
"Let me." Poe takes the bar out of Rey's hand and tears the packaging back to reveal the pale-colored bar. Then he hands it back to here only to be on the receiving end of her glare. "C'mon, both of you need it the nutrition."
Rose and Finn's faces morph into identical expressions of shock as they realize the implication of what Poe just said
"Is there something you need to tell us?" Finn asks, looking back and forth between Poe and Rey.
Poe and Rey both start to blush as they realize that Poe just let slip what is going on between them. Rey takes a quick bite of the ration bar, making sure that she isn't the one who has to explain what's happening to their friends. However, Poe rubs the back of his neck and releases a sigh.
"Yeah." Poe starts. He isn't exactly sure how he should tell the news, so he goes with doing it bluntly. "We're having a baby."
Rose's face immediately lights up in a giant smile and she quickly moves to wrap Rey in a hug. The hug is followed by whispers of future plans to go shopping for baby items.
"You're what?" Finn asks, not quite believing what he just heard.
"Having a baby. Rey and I are." Poe stutters out, embarrassed at having been the one let slip the information.
"How did this happen? When did this happen?" Finn asks.
Poe's face turns a darker shade of red and he looks over to Rey for help. However, both of them are saved by a quick-thinking Rose.
"Don't you know where babies come from, Finn?" Rose, who is now sitting next to Rey, gives Finn a cheeky grin.
"Of course, I do. The First Order doesn't take kindly to its troopers creating mini troopers. I was asking how it is that they are having a kid together, and when did they find time to do this." Finn replies, then he looks over at Rey. "Just how far along are you?"
Rey, whose face is redder than Kylo Ren's lightsaber, takes another large bite out of the bar and begins to chew slowly. Her eyes move from Finn to Poe before looking down at the floor. She's not comfortable with answering Finn's questions due to the personal nature of it all. Yet she is saved by Poe.
"You know the answer, Finn. It's not like Rey and I have kept our feelings for each other hidden from the rest of the Resistance."
"When's the baby due?" Rose asks, knowing that she'll be able to calculate the date of conception easily without badgering the two like Finn is currently doing.
"Ten standard weeks." Rey mumbles out, answering Finn's question while still chewing.
"Oh." Rose says, running her calculations before realizing something what that means. "Ooohhhhh."
"What?" Finn asks Rose, knowing that she's just reached a conclusion about something. "What's with the oh, Rose?"
Rose looks to her left at Rey, then looks over at Poe. She doesn't want to be the one to tell Finn what she's figured out. Giving Poe a helpless look, Rose mouths sorry to the man.
"It's fine, Rose."
"No. It's not fine." Finn states, turning to look directly at Poe. "Will you tell me what it is that Rose isn't telling?"
"The date." Rey finally says, finally garnering up the courage to answer her oldest friend. "The date of conception puts it around the time we were at Hapes, but while Poe was supposedly dead."
Finn turns to look at Rey and everything starts to come together. "Oh hell no. Don't tell me that it's… that it belongs to that royal prick. No. Hell no!"
"Finn." Poe says, forcing himself between Rey and Finn. "He isn't the father."
"Then who's the father, Poe? It couldn't be you since you were hiding out, and injured, on Rendar's ship." Then Finn's eyes get big. "Please tell me it isn't that smuggler's…"
Rey lets out a snort at the suggestion, but watches as Poe's shoulders stiffen up at the suggestion.
"He'd be dead if he'd touched Rey." Poe growls out, then goes dead-pan serious. "As far as anyone is concerned, Rey's carrying my child, and that's all anyone needs to know. But we'd prefer it if word doesn't get around. Not yet at least."
"Understood." Rose states, sensing that Poe is very serious about no one else knowing about Rey's pregnancy. Yet something still bugs her about the paternity of the child, and she decides to leave the issue alone for now.
"Right. We'll keep your secret." Finn nods his head to Poe, and something of a silent agreement passes between the men. "If you two need anything, just say the word. Alright?"
"Yes. Anything at all and we'll help you." Rose promises. Rose gives Rey a hug before getting up. "I'd best get going. I've got the mid-day shift rotation with the mechanics today."
She then moves to give Poe a hug and a whispered congratulation before leaving.
With Rose gone, and no longer feeling any vertigo, Rey gets up.
"I'd better go work on my meditation and training drills."
"Don't forget to take a few ration bars and some water with you." Poe recommends. "And BB-8 should go with you."
Rey, a bit peeved at Poe's mothering, looks directly at Poe. "I'm pregnant… not dying."
A moment of silence passes, which has the three of them processing the strangeness of the situation.
"That…that's really weird to say."
"Agreed." Poe says, heading into the U-wing to grab his satchel.
"Right there with ya both." Finn states, still trying to wrap his head around the idea of his two friends having a baby together.
"Here. Take this with you." Poe tosses his satchel to Rey and receives another glare from the woman. "It'll make me feel better knowing that you have what you and the baby need close by."
Feeling waves of concern and worry emanating from Poe, Rey lets out a sigh and nods her head in agreement. She approaches him and gives him a quick kiss on the cheek before turning to say a quiet goodbye to Finn. Rey leaves them after that, heading off to do her own thing.
"I'll go check on her before heading off to greet the general's new guests." Finn says, before pulling off his jacket. "Till then, is there anything I can help you fix with this ship?"
"Are you any good with electrical wires?"
A couple of hours later, Poe finds himself growing frustrated with the new power coupling that he's trying to install on the lower port-side engine. As he tries, yet again to get the coupling to connect correctly, a shock of electricity surges into his hand.
"Kriffing hell!" Poe shouts, not just in pain but also in anger.
"Need help there, kid?"
Standing a few feet away from Poe are two men. One of the men has a mischievous smirk on his face, while his companion keeps a neutral expression. Neither one is wearing anything that would tie them to being part of the Resistance. Yet there is something about them that seems familiar to Poe.
"Where'd you get the U-Wing, kid?"
"She was given to me." He watches as the two men come closer to take a look at the ship. "Who are you two?"
"You mean you don't know who we are?" The salt and pepper haired man says with a gasp. One hand clutches over his heart, while the other hand reaches out to take hold of the other man's shoulder. "This young man doesn't recognize us, Hobbie. Just what has Leia been teaching these young pups?"
"Why should he recognize us, Wes? It's not like Wedge ever used us as examples for his trainees at the academy." Hobbie replies while trying to dislodge Wes's hand from his shoulder.
"You may not be a suitable example with your horrible reputation of crashing your ships." Wes jokes whilst nudging Hobbie's hip with one of his own. "But at least you lived to fight another day."
"Wait a minute." Poe finally says, overcoming his apparent shock at having two living legends standing before him. "You're Wes Janson and Derek Klivian from the original Rogue Squadron?"
"That'd be us, kid." Wes gives Poe flirtatious smile and a wink for good measure.
"Wha- Um… Wow. What brings you here?"
Wes chuckles at Poe's stammering, while Hobbie just shakes his head.
"See. Now you've got the kid stumbling on getting his words out. Hope you're happy with yourself, Wes." Hobbie turns, focusing his attention on the engine that Poe was working on.
"Very happy." Wes counters, giving Poe his undivided attention. "Now that you know who we are, why don't you tell us who you are, kid?"
"I'm Poe. Poe Dameron." He says while offering a hand out.
"Dameron? Where have I heard that name before?" Wes asks Hobbie, while shaking Poe's hand.
"Wasn't that guy Shara was seeing, a Pathfinder? Something Dameron?" Hobbie offers out as he successfully gets the coupling connected.
"Shara Bey and Kes Dameron are my parents."
Both of the older men look at Poe, though Wes gives the young pilot a thorough once over.
"Huh. I didn't realize that they'd actually had a child together." Wes turns to look over at Hobbie. "Did you?"
Hobbie walks away from the engine and comes to stand next to Wes. "Only scuttlebutt and even then, you know that nearly half of that is false."
"Stop teasing him." Leia calls out as she approaches them, waving her cane at the two older men. "You know very well who Poe's parents are, or need I remind you of that one time where you and Wedge lost him while babysitting for Shara."
Wes cackles at Hobbie turning red faced at Leia's scolding.
"I wouldn't laugh if I were you, Wes. You used baby Poe in your attempts to pick up women at the local cantinas while babysitting. Why do you think Shara never asked you to watch him after what happened the second time?" Leia says, giving Wes a scolding look.
"It only happened that one time, Leia. Luke was even with us. It's not like Poe was in any danger." Wes exclaims with a sheepish look.
"Wait a minute." Poe says, remembering something from his early childhood years. Then he points at Wes. "Was he the one who was supposed to be watching me when there was a group of people fighting?"
All three of the older adults look at Poe, two with shocked expressions and one with a sly smirk on her face.
"How could you remember that bar brawl, kid? You were only a year and some months old when that happened." Wes asks in surprise.
"And Shara never forgave you after that, Wes." Hobbie says, giving Wes a good smack on the back.
"Poe." Leia says, capturing the pilot's attention. "I need you to do something for me."
As she begins to lead him away from Wes and Hobbie, she can't help but look over shoulder once in a while at the two men playfully bantering with each other. Very subtly Leia leans in close to Poe so that their conversation isn't overheard.
"Poe. May I suggest you take a break from working on your ship."
"General?"
"I'm sure you're hungry. Why don't you head down to the mess and grab some food for you and Rey?"
"My ship still needs-"
"Poe." Leia sighs and ushers him away even farther from the ship. "Take the rest of the afternoon off."
"Is that an order?"
"Should I make it one?"
"No ma'am."
"Then go. I'll deal with those two."
Not needing any more needling from Leia, Poe leaves the hanger. He takes her suggestion and stops by the mess hall. He walks past several of the small food shops and notices Nien Nunb appraising the local food stalls as well. The two pilots nod to each other before heading towards the stalls. Poe asks Nien for suggestions on what foods to try, and the fellow pilot is thrilled at Poe's willingness to try his people's cuisine. After purchasing a menagerie of the local food items, Poe bids Nien a good evening and heads off towards his quarters.
Entering his rooms, Poe is greeted with several beeps and trills from BB-8.
"Hey buddy." Poe sets the three box containers on the small table that sits between a settee and two chairs. "Where's Rey?"
The orange and white droid lets out a few more beeps in response before giving a detailed list of everything Rey has done. Including ratting her out on not remembering to eat every so often.
"That's good. She's still trying to figure things out, it's all still new to her, buddy."
As Poe leaves the open containers on the table, he heads over to the small kitchenette which has only a few cupboards, a sink, and a small cold box. He pulls out a few eating utensils from a drawer, and then he grabs a bottle of an orange colored liquid from the cold box. Heading back over to the table, Poe makes sure to add a few napkins to his small bounty.
"What's this?" Rey asks, stepping out from the refresher and pulling her damp hair into a braid. She's wearing one of his black tanks and a black pair of his boxer shorts.
"Dinner." Poe replies before pointing out the different dishes to Rey. "I grabbed some Talen, which I believe is meat from the local bat-like creatures, in a Maston sauce. Don't ask me what that is because I have no clue. Then I snagged some Tnuk vegetables and for dessert, some Sura fruit."
Rey allows Poe to lead her to the table and the pair sit on the floor. Poe picks up a utensil and begins to eat with gusto. Rey, however, looks at the mushed up Tnuk and feels her stomach start to roll at the idea of taking a bite of it. So, she decides to play it safe and tucks in to the fruit instead.
"How did your meditation and training go?" Poe asks, opening the cap to orange colored drink.
"It was alright." Rey replies before taking another bite of the red fruit.
Poe sets the bottle down after taking a quick swig from it. "That's good. As long as you don't overdo it as the pregnancy advances."
He takes another bite of the Talen and continues on with their conversation. "By the way, have you given any thought to it. About us living together from now on?"
"Would I be here if I hadn't?"
"Earlier you were quite adamant about us staying in separate rooms."
"Well, if we're going to be raising this child together it would be conducive for us to be sharing a room. Besides, Leia has now given my quarters to someone else while reassigning me to yours." Rey motions towards her quarterstaff that is leaning near the entry door.
Poe simply nods his head in acknowledgement of the few new additions to the room that he hadn't noticed when he arrived. Not only is her staff near the door, but the blankets from Tatooine are now lying on the full-sized bunk in the far wall.
"I was given notice of a medical appointment, scheduled for tomorrow morning." Rey states, reaching out for the bottle of orange liquid.
"Do you want me to go with you?" Poe asks, pushing the container of Talen towards Rey.
Rey swallows a mouthful of the drink and tries hard not to gag at the flavor. Setting the bottle down, she pushes it back towards Poe.
"What is that?" Rey asks, letting out a couple of light coughs while trying to keep the liquid from coming back up.
"Nien said it was a favorite local juice. Why? Does the kid not like it?" He'd watched her reaction to it, and for a moment he thought that she might be sick.
"I don't think I like it." Rey calmly tells him. Now her stomach is twisting and swirling and she's afraid to eat or drink anything else.
"Well, then I'll ask Nien what other juices this place has available. Anyways, did you want me to go with you tomorrow?"
"Won't it interrupt your training of the new pilots?"
"Nah. I'm sure Nien could take over for me, and no it wouldn't be suspicious. For all he knows, I could be having a physical. Which are a mandatory, yearly thing that everyone has to have done."
"I guess it'd be alright then." Rey pushes down her nausea and just stares at the food in front of her.
"Rey? You alright?"
"I'm fine."
"You sure? You've hardly ate dinner and you're looking a bit green."
Poe is starting to become concerned about Rey and the pregnancy. He knows that she hasn't been eating much, but then again, she'd been that way when he had met her. BB-8 had told him about his time on Jakku with Rey and how she had to scavenge parts to trade for food. But now, having not just herself to take care of, that lack of food wasn't healthy for her or the baby.
"Just not very hungry right now." Rey pushes the food back towards Poe.
Poe lets out a sigh and pushes the container of fruit back towards her. "Rey, you've got to eat something."
"Poe…"
"Look, if the nausea gets to be too much then we should let Doctor Kalonia know tomorrow. Maybe she can prescribe something to help ease it."
Rey gives Poe a scowl at the idea of having to take medication. Then her emotions get the better of her and she snaps. "You aren't going to be like this during the whole pregnancy, Poe. I've been taking care of myself well before becoming a part of the Resistance. It's not like I need to depend on anyone to help me."
Poe raises an eyebrow at Rey's outburst. This isn't the first time a woman has yelled at him, and it isn't likely to be the last either. He figures this is just the beginning of their rough flight into becoming parents. Then he sees her face go from one of frustration and annoyance to embarrassment.
"Sorry." Rey mutters out.
"Apology accepted," Poe replies, reaching across the small table to cup Rey's cheek with one hand. "Though, I kinda expect to be snapped at from time to time. Comes with the territory. From what I've heard, I may need to fear for my life, or certain body parts. Especially in the delivery room. Women become vicious during labor."
This information has Rey looking at Poe in confusion. "You mean men are allowed to be there when…"
"If he wants to," Poe gives a Rey a smile before leaning across the table to give Rey a gentle kiss. "which is what I plan to do."
"Why?" Rey asks, the idea of a man witnessing childbirth is foreign to her. Then her face turns a bit pink at the idea of Poe being in a room with her as she gives birth.
"Why not?" Poe searches Rey's face for any sign that she's uncomfortable with the idea. Then something else comes to mind. "You haven't given any thought towards what you want for the birth, have you?"
"Not really." Rey mumbles out.
Seeing that Rey isn't being very forthcoming with what she would like, Poe decides to voice his idea on it.
"Well, I was thinking that I'd be there, in the room with you during the birth. That it would take place on some planet with the best medical facility out there."
"No." Rey remarks suddenly, with enough authority in her voice that it catches Poe by surprise. "I won't be in a room, put on display for people to ogle at."
"They won't be ogling you, Rey. If something bad should happen during the birth, then the medical staff would be right there to intercede if necessary."
"No, Poe." Rey stands up, taking the container of fruit with her towards kitchenette.
"But Rey-"
"I said no." Rey slams the container on the countertop. Letting out a heavy sigh, Rey turns to see that Poe has followed her, with the other two containers of food in his hands. "I don't want to talk about this right now."
Rey walks out their shared quarters and heads off to the one place where she knows that no one will bother her. The local hot springs and garden cavern. Once there, Rey settles herself on top of the small, black colored half wall that keeps people out of the boiling water. She stares down at the bubbling water, letting her mind wander. It isn't till a pair of arms wrap around that draws her out of her thoughts.
"I'm sorry that I was being pushy." Poe whispers softly into her ear. He gives it a gentle kiss before placing another against her neck and burying his face into it.
She can feel the sincerity of Poe's apology, but there is something else that accompanies it. Fear with a tinge of sadness mixed with it. Not knowing what else to do, Rey overlaps his arms with her own and snuggles deeper into the embrace.
"I just want you, and the baby, to be okay and to survive." His words are soft as he lifts his head and presses their temples together. "That's all I'm asking for, Rey."
"There is something that you're not telling me. What happened that would cause you to be afraid?" Rey asks him, wondering what it was that has Poe feeling so scared.
He tightens his hold on Rey before revealing something very personal to answer her question.
"It's how my mother and baby brother died." Poe says, closing his eyes and places a single hand over where their child is growing within Rey.
Rey covers the hand with her own. "How?"
Poe takes a deep breath. "It was only a couple weeks shy of the due date and dad had to go off-world. I don't remember why, but he was gone when it happened. Two days had gone by and mum started to feel sick, though she didn't seem to be too concerned about it. She'd told me that it happens sometimes. By the end of the day she was weak and in pain. Our nanny droid, who also had midwifery programming, tried to help mum the best it could. But it wasn't enough. The next morning mum had given birth to my little brother, who only lived for about an hour after being born. By mid-day she was gone too."
Poe wipes at the trail of tears that is running down his face.
"Worst part was dad had come back that evening. Not only was he widowed, but he'd also lost a child and was now a single parent. He's never been the same after that."
Rey turns and hops down from the wall. She reaches up cup Poe's face with her hands and kisses him. With the Force, she tries to ease his emotional pain with calmness and unconditional love.
"I'm sorry." She whispers softly to him, pressing their foreheads together.
"Not your fault, love." Poe replies. "But now you know why I would like our child to be born at a medical facility."
Rey hopes that Poe won't have to face the same reality as his own father did. Yet she knows that they won't be able to control what will happen and that they'll have to be ready for whatever possibility may happen during the birth of their child.
"I can't promise you anything, yet. But I will think about it. That's the best answer I can give you right now." Rey leans in again to kiss Poe.
"Then I'll take it, love." He whispers against her lips. He gives her a passionate kiss before deepening it.
As they kiss, their hands begin to move over each other in an attempt to find a place to settle. For Rey, one of her hands comes to rest over Poe's heart while the other clutches at the back of his shirt. A gentle squeeze on the back of her thighs is all the warning she receives before finding herself being lifted up by Poe. Rey quickly crosses her ankles and squeezes her leg muscles to help alleviate Poe having to hold her full weight with his arms. None of this movement has deterred the pair during their passionate and frenzied make out session.
"Get a room, Dameron!" echoes across the room and is followed by a loud thud. "Oww. Hobbie!"
For any of you who don't know, Wes Janson and Hobbie were both a part of Rogue Squadron and took part in the Battle of Hoth. Wes was Wedges' gunner and Hobbie crashed the snowspeeder he was piloting. Now, George Lucas originally had Hobbie survive the crash but Disney would rather have us believe that he died on Hoth. In the Rogue Squadron books, and a few comics, Wes Janson is a notorious prankster and a happy-go-lucky kind of guy, who loves to flirt. Hobbie, however, is a cynical person who has a dry sense of humor. When these two fellas are together things can become quite comical. So I just had to incorporate these two into joining the Resistance.
Reviews are welcomed, cherished, and thoroughly loved. So please leave one.
Selene