My apologies for running a bit late with this update. Life keeps sidetracking me on things.
A big thank you to Darksidefan5 for being an awesome Beta.
Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars.
"You're coming into the home-stretch now, Rey." Doctor Kalonia says, typing updates for the charts on her pad. "Ten more standard weeks to go till you give birth."
Rey tugs her gray tunic down over her heavily swollen belly with a sigh. "Not soon enough."
"It'll be over sooner than you think, Rey." Poe sympathetically states, staying close to help her off the gurney if necessary.
Over the last two weeks he's witnessed Rey's irritability grow just as much as their child. The bump had doubled in size and Poe can see the strain it's causing on Rey's body. Luckily enough, Lando had hooked Rey up with clothes that could accommodate her changing body.
"From here on out I'll be wanting to check on you every week, Rey. Have you given any thoughts as to your birth plan?"
"We're still discussing our options." Poe tells the doctor, knowing that Rey is still hesitant on giving birth in medical.
"Fair enough." Kalonia replies before she bids the pair farewell.
They leave the medbay and walk through the ship before stepping outside. The couple walk across the open field between the Erso and the other ships. The entire time neither one talks, but every so often Poe gives her hand a squeeze.
As they move closer to the Fulcrum, Poe stops and turns. "I've got to head to command. See you later?"
Rey simply nods and closes her eyes when Poe leans in to kiss her. She returns his smile and watches as he heads inside the cruiser.
"Rey!" a jovial Jace calls out as he comes towards her, his father following not far behind.
"Hello." She says.
"She's excited today." Jace says before resting his forehead against Rey's baby bump. He lets out a giggle when the baby inside nudges against him.
Rey grimaces at her unborn child's movements and part of her wishes that the pregnancy would just end already. She must have unknowingly broadcasted this thought through the Force since Kyp gives her a sympathetic look.
"Jace," he says, gently pulling his son away from Rey and turning to face him. "try to be more considerate to Miss Rey. Her baby is already very active and doesn't need you encouraging the small one into more activity. Remember how mommy was grumpy because of baby Zeth moving around so much?"
Jace nods his head before looking up at Rey. "Sorry."
"Apology accepted, Jace." She gives the boy a smile while rubbing her rotund belly. "It would seem that my daughter enjoys your company just as much as she enjoys Poe's."
This is one of the few things Rey is certain of about her daughter. The babe only goes into a rambunctious wiggling when either Poe talks to her or when Jace communes with her via the Force. If Rey didn't know any better, she'd think that her baby girl was playing favorites.
"Would you be up for meditating with us?" Kyp asks.
"Of course."
Poe arrives in the command center to find Jaina and Leia having a heated discussion.
"I'm telling you, Mom, something feels off about Kayleen."
"And you're just being hypercritical of her."
Jaina scoffs, runs a hand through her loose hair before looking back at her mother. "Don't you find it odd that she's been off-grid for well over six months. No contact, not even with her Father. Then suddenly she just reappears out of thin air with no explanation as to where she's been all this time."
"The same could be applied to you and Kyp."
"That is so different." Jaina retorts.
"How so?" Leia asks, finally looking up from her data-pad.
"I still was in contact with Dad."
"Yes, you keep saying that but never explain further. So, enlighten me." Leia tosses the data-pad onto the table in front of her. "How is your return any different from Kayleen's? Why should I be so concerned over Kayleen and not you?"
The women are staring each other down and Poe wonders if perhaps he should leave. However, Kaydel is also in the room and looking just as nervous as he is. If there is one thing he'll admit to being uncomfortable with is having to watch a Solo family spat, and he's witnessed quite a few during his academy years.
Poe decides to intercede.
"What's this about Kayleen being back?"
Both women break their little stand off and turn to look at him.
"I mean, isn't that a good thing? Lando seeing his daughter again. The Resistance getting more aid thanks to her smuggling abilities." Poe offers out, trying to provide some positive to the situation.
"But she feels off within the Force." Jaina states, once again looking at her mother. "Surely you can feel the taint of the Dark Side of the Force moving around her."
"Jaina." Leia pinches the bridge of her nose and sighs. "If I were to discriminate against Kayleen because of that then I'd have to do the same to you. I'd also have to throw you and the father of my grandchildren into the brig seeing as he'd gone Dark many years ago."
"But that's different. Kyp was being manipulated during those events and still regrets what he'd done. As for myself, I can't help who my grandfather was, nor will I use that as an excuse to go down the Dark Path like Ben did. And if we're going to throw out accusations, why don't we just toss Uncle Luke into that category as well. He went Dark while you were pregnant with Anakin and Ben, yet he still came back."
"And everything he did after that was always second guessed and put under heavy scrutiny by the New Republic." Leia snaps, rising so fast out of her chair that it fell backwards. "Now, I suggest you stop and think about what you're saying, because right now, you sound like a hypocrite."
Reaching for her cane, Leia makes her way out of the command center without saying another word. Kaydel is quick to follow her, grabbing the discarded data-pad as she goes.
"Well now you've done it, Jaina." Poe says, giving his old friend a scowl. "Did it not occur to you that your mother is trying her hardest to keep the Resistance safe and one step ahead of the First Order? That she's under a lot of stress with keeping us all safe while trying to recruit more planets to our side."
Jaina glares at him. "I know my mother better than you do, Dameron."
"If that were true, you wouldn't be second guessing her decisions. We need to be standing together, not squabbling between ourselves. Our enemy is the First Order, not each other."
As Poe turns to leave, Jaina takes hold of his arm.
"I'm not second guessing her, Poe. All I am saying is that I don't trust Kayleen right now. And before your arrival she'd told me about a possible leak coming from somewhere within the Resistance. There could be a spy here that is feeding information to my brother and his band of nutjobs."
This information causes Poe's stomach to drop and dread begins to flow through his veins like ice.
"And she's sure about this?" He asks, looking his friend straight in the eyes.
"Yes, but Mom hasn't been able to pinpoint where this spy is within the Resistance. At first, she thought it may have been a recent recruit. Even Danni was under scrutiny. But the evidence shows that this has been going on for much longer than even Mom anticipated. Perhaps even before Crait."
"Before-" The thought stops him cold. There were so few of them after Crait. Any one of the survivors…
"She isn't sure." Jaina says, placing a hand on his shoulder. "That's why she tasked me to find out."
Poe grinds his teeth at the idea that someone could be deep within the Resistance and feeding information to the First Order without any suspicion. Then his mind turns to Rey and their unborn child. This leak places them in serious danger, especially when Kylo Ren has an unhealthy obsession towards Rey and the baby.
"Count me in." Poe growls out, his anger towards Kylo Ren and his desire to protect Rey and the baby being the driving force behind his choice. "I want to help you find this traitor. It's not just the Resistance at stake, but my family as well."
"I wouldn't expect anything less."
The pair spend the following week pouring over mission reports, briefs, and even personal correspondence to try and find the culprit. Between this, training new pilots, being given the rank of General, and searching for the source, Poe has barely spent any meaningful time with Rey. And no, climbing into bed after she's already asleep didn't count as spending time together.
Rubbing at his tired eyes, Poe looks over the food selection in the mess hall of the Fulcrum. He's hoping to surprise Rey with a picnic outside, that is if he can keep himself awake long enough.
"Need help there, kid?" Lando asks, coming up alongside.
"Nah, I've got this." Poe replies, plucking a container of smoky and sweet glazed wings and places it into his knapsack.
"You sure?" the older man's eyes are full of concern.
"Yeah. Been so busy lately that I haven't spent much time with Rey." Poe shuffles over to the cooling unit full of sweets, fresh fruits, and fresh veggies.
Lando lets out a chuckle as he watching Poe contemplate between a container of sliced Koyo melon and the tangy red berries that the baby enjoyed. Or at least that's what Rey had told Poe after eating four servings of the berries.
"I remember when Han and Leia were expecting the first set of twins." He gives Poe a well-known grin. "We were trying to pull together and solidify the New Republic that both often forgot to take care of themselves and their relationship."
Poe lets out a sarcastic snort before finally deciding on both the Koyo melons and berries.
"After Jaina and Jacen were born, then it all came to a head. It took a failed kidnapping attempt for Han and Leia to realize that they needed to balance their work and family life better. Still took a few years to finally manage it all."
"Is there a point to this General Calrissian?" Poe asks, having moved to take four pouches of water into his pack.
"You and Rey will find that delicate balance and it may not happen right away."
"Da!"
Lando turns as his adopted daughter walks towards him, her blazing red and blue layered hair flowing with each step. If it wasn't for her flashy hair and pale skin, one wouldn't bat an eyelash at the idea of Kayleen being a biological relation to Lando. But he'd taken the young woman in at thirteen, after she'd tried to pickpocket him, and raised her as if she was his.
"Kayleen." Lando says, pulling the twenty-five-year-old into a brief hug. "You remember Poe Dameron."
Her soft blue eyes only give the General a quick glance before turning to look at her father. "I do, but I didn't come here for a social call. One of your contacts got in touch and is wanting to meet with you personally."
"Of course." Lando turns to look at Poe. "My apologies, but business calls."
Poe gives the older man a nod in understanding. "The price you pay for being the leader of a planet."
Lando smirks and bids Poe farewell before following his daughter out of the mess hall. Yet something deep in Poe's gut stirs unsettled and he can't understand why.
Having collected enough food for his picnic with Rey, Poe leaves the mess and makes his way through the ship till he gets outside. A smile grows on his face as he sees Rey kneeling in front of BB-8. So, his droid was successful at pulling Rey away from her Jedi training, and Poe lets out a chuckle as the droid finally notices him.
"What's this?" Rey asks, seeing the knapsack slung over Poe's shoulder. She takes his offered hand as he helps her up.
"I figured that we needed a little time for ourselves." Poe replies, giving her a quick kiss. "We've been so caught up in our own duties that we haven't had much time for just us."
"Hmmm. And what is it you have planned?"
"A picnic for just the two of us."
"I like the sound of that."
She pulls Poe in for another, more passionate kiss and wraps her arms around his neck the best she can. When one of his hands settles against the side of her protruding belly, the baby within decides to send one heck of a kick into her ribcage. This causes Rey to break their kiss.
"You alright? Rey?" Poe frantically asks, one hand staying on her belly while the other cups her face.
"I'm okay." Rey huffs out as she now rubs her hand against side. "Someone doesn't want to be left out, so she decided to get my attention."
"I guess so."
Kneeling in front of Rey, Poe rests his hand against her belly before tapping a finger, addressing the life inside. "Hey now, no hurting your mother just for attention. No one's forgotten about you, my girl."
A foot pushing his hand is the answer he gets back, and he can't help but to gives the lump of a foot a kiss before it disappears.
"That's a good girl." He slowly gets up before taking hold of Rey's hand. "And now, it's time for our picnic."
The two head off, following BB-8 to the spot that the droid had told Poe about earlier in the week.
They reach the grass-covered top of the gray cliffs which overlooks the huge lake. There are a few trees scattered around that offers some shade from the bright sun. However, the exact spot that BB-8 is leading them to is the largest of the trees and has an amazing view of the lake water.
Very carefully, Poe situates himself against the trunk of the tree and helps guide Rey to sit between his open legs. Once her back is settled against his chest, he opens the knapsack.
"A fresh off the grill nerfburger with all the trimmings." Poe states as he hands the container to Rey.
She doesn't hesitate to open the package and inhales nearly half of the sandwich by the time he's pulled out the koyo melons, tart red berries, and a large container of cooked multi-colored tubers.
"Someone's hungry." Poe comments, finally noticing that Rey only has two bites left of her burger.
"She's always hungry." Rey remarks, placing a hand against her rotund belly. Then she finishes her burger by cramming the rest of it into her mouth.
"I guess so." He chuckles before opening both fruit containers. "She wants koyo or the berries?"
"Both."
Poe lets out a snort of amusement before placing several chunks of koyo into the berry container.
"There you are, love."
"Thanks."
Once again, Rey practically inhales the fruit within a matter of seconds before grabbing the container with the tubers. Then she eats only the orange and yellow ones, leaving the purple ones for Poe. By the time she's done eating, Poe has just finished his own burger and hasn't even started in on what's left of the koyo melons and tubers.
As she waits for Poe to finish eating, Rey nestles herself even more into his chest and starts dozing off thanks to the cool, gentle breeze. She doesn't know how long her dozing has lasted, but she's brought out of it when he starts pressing soft kisses along her neck. Releasing a sigh, Rey turns her head to press kisses into Poe's hair before he finally captures her lips.
When Poe's hands wander across her belly, their child once again reminds the pair that they're not alone. Both start to laugh and break their kissing as one of the baby's feet seems to follow Poe's wander hand, as if playing a game of chase. Looking down, Poe gently pulls Rey's tunic up to uncover the large swell. Then, using two fingers, he traipses them across the skin and watches in delight as another limb chases after his fingers.
"She'll be a tough one to beat at chase." Poe comments with a smile as Rey kisses his cheek. "Will definitely give us a run for our credits once she becomes mobile."
"For you maybe, but I've got the advantage of using the Force."
"Cheater."
Poe keeps up his game with the unborn girl, much to both his and Rey's amusement, for a while before the movements within Rey's belly quiet down. At which time Rey tells him that the baby has fallen asleep. So, Poe suggest that Rey take advantage of the situation and get some rest as well.
As the pair start to get up, with the notion of heading back to their quarters onboard the Fulcrum, a loud explosion goes off in the nearby settlement. A large ball of fire and shrapnel go flying into the air, followed by a plume of smoke rising into the sky.
Poe quickly takes hold of Rey's hand and the pair move quickly back towards the Resistance ships.
"BB-8, contact command!" Poe shouts at his droid.
The droid does so and the reply is horrifying: The Calrissian compound has been obliterated.
As they run towards the landing pads, the sound of several ships breaking atmosphere draws Poe and Rey's attention to the sky. Neither of them stop and they can see many of the ships on the ground firing up their engines.
"Poe! Rey!" Finn shouts, having just stepped out of the Erso. He's got a blaster rifle handing over his shoulder and a blaster in hand.
"Has Leia-"
"called for the immediate evac, yes." Finn tells Poe. "We've got First Order ships dropping out of hyperspace close to the planet. She's demanding any and every able-bodied pilot to get in a fighter and provide cover for all those leaving. Including the civilian population."
"Right." Poe turns and gives Rey a quick kiss. "I've got to go, love."
"I know." Rey presses her forehead to his. "Come back to us."
Without saying a word, Poe steps back before kneeling to press a kiss against middle of Rey's belly. In his mind, he silently prays that he'll survive another day and come back to Rey and their daughter. Then, he gets up and starts heading towards his X-Wing.
"He'll be fine, Rey." Finn says, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Now I'm to escort you to the Falcon. Chewie's already on his way there with Jaina and Kyp's kids."
"Why isn't-"
"Jaina and Kyp are not just Jedi, but also pilots. Don't worry, Chewie will make sure the kids are safe." He tells her, tugging on her hand. "Now let's get you to your ship."
They make good time getting to the Falcon, even while dodging through the many fighters taking off and ground crews preparing the larger ships. Once at the ship, Finn sees Chewie herding Sora and Jace onto the freighter with baby Zeth tucked in the crook of his hairy arm.
"Let's get going!" Finn shouts as he and Rey approach the ship.
Chewie lets out a questioning roar at the man.
"Rose will be fine. She's with Karé and Sula on the Underdog with a few other pregnant members of the Resistance." Finn replies, following Chewie towards the cockpit.
As Rey prepares to close the hatch, the ship shutters and shakes as bombs land close by.
"Strap yourselves in!" Rey calls out, knowing that Chewie will make sure to secure the two older Durron kids into the seats.
The ship continues to shake as the engines groan to life. As Rey tries to secure the hatch and raise the ramp, she lets out a gasp. Standing at the bottom of the ramp is Kylo Ren and three of his Knights.
"Rey." He says while starting to come up the ramp.
Knowing that there are three strong Force-Sensitive children on board, Rey does what she can to stop Kylo's approach. Her hand flies up quickly, sending a large burst of the Force at all four of the intruders. It's strong enough to send the Knights tumbling backwards, but not strong enough to shove Kylo Ren away. So, Rey pulls her lightsaber free and ignites it while charging at Kylo Ren.
In response, Kylo pulls out his own red lightsaber just in time to block Rey's first attack. He is able to hold his ground till she starts using quick precise, attacks that are aimed at random places towards his body. Now he finds himself being backed down the ramp and onto the grassy earth.
"You're still in need of training." Kylo taunts, wanting to draw Rey away from the ship.
"If I do, it won't be from you." She answers back. Her attacks have a bit more freedom now that they're away from the Falcon. Rey is unwilling to allow him access to his niece and nephews.
From inside the Falcon, Jace can hear Rey's unborn daughter's cries within the Force. He unbuckles himself and slides off the seat, all while using a Force trick which keeps attention off of him. Trotting as fast as his little legs can carry him, Jace reaches the hatch and finds it open. Rey is nowhere in sight, but he can hear her grunts and the clashing of lightsabers coming from outside. There is a brief vibration within the Force, and the boy knows that Rey's in trouble.
"I need to help." He mumbles softly and receives a reply from the Force.
Something pulls him towards the main living space. The Force leads him towards the seats, around the dejarik table, and he pulls open a hidden drawer. Inside of this drawer is a lightsaber. Remembering his mother's warnings of how not to pick one up, Jace carefully takes hold of the weapon. Trudging back to the hatch, Jace's mind catches brief images of his grandmother, younger and with a man with a green lightsaber. It's gone as quickly as it came.
Moving slowly down the ramp, Jace finally sees Rey. She's fighting a man dressed in all black and there are three others moving around them. When his foot hits the grass, the man sends Rey flying backwards and she loses her lightsaber. The vibration he'd felt earlier becomes stronger and Jace is compelled to help her.
He runs as fast as he can towards the fight, watching as the man know marches towards an injured Rey. Or at least she looks injured, one hand clutching her belly as she tries to get up. Times seems to slow down as she sees Kylo Ren approaching.
"Rey!" Jace cries out, now close enough to throw her the lightsaber he'd found.
The weapon reaches her hand and ignites into a bright magenta blade just as Kylo Ren swings his red blade down which connects with the new blade. Shocked to see the familiar blade that once belonged to his mother, Kylo Ren steps back. Within the Force Kylo senses another, younger, Force user and can catch a quick glimpse of a young boy before having to block an attack. However, he can sense that Rey is beginning to tire from their fighting, and he wants to bring it to an end. Calling on the Force, Kylo once again unleashes a blast at Rey. Yet, she's able counter it by doing the same thing. So, now they're locked in an energy boom, where whoever releases their end first will be the one sent flying.
Time seems to speed back up and the stand off between them ends with the sound of an X-wing approaching. It fires several shots at the ground between them. This causes Kylo, Rey, the three Knights, and Jace to be flung through the air several feet before landing on the ground.
As Kylo Ren gets up, he can see that one of his Knights is dead and the other two appear fine. His eyes dart around, looking for Rey but what he sees coming towards him through the smoke is someone else. When this person finally steps clear of the smoke, Kylo finally recognizes the man.
"Kyp Durron." He growls out lowly before calling his own lightsaber back to his hand. He ignites his blade as he marches towards the older man.
Kyp comes to a stop and ignites his yellow bladed lightsaber. "Ben."
"That's not my name!" Kylo shouts, slowing his approach and preparing himself for another fight.
"It's the one you were given, Ben." Kyp lets himself fall into defensive stance. "Remember who you really are, who your family truly is."
"I know who my true family is, and that pilot will not keep them from me!" Kylo snarls out and proceeds to attack Kyp.
Through the ringing in her ears, Rey can hear Finn screaming out her name. She tries to open her eyes, but they refuse to open. When she tries to move her limbs, there is a sharp flash of pain radiating from her belly. It's so strong that her stubborn eyes open and she lets out a shriek.
"Rey!" Finn shouts, firing off his blaster at whatever is behind her while running. He reaches her but keeps firing his blaster.
"Finn." Rey huffs out in a panic as the pain only gets worse.
"We gotta go. Troopers are starting to overrun the place." He says as he tries to help her get up.
"Something's wrong." Rey cries out as the pain builds even more. She's felt this pain before, back at an earlier time in her pregnancy. Within her mind, she can hear Snoke's voice as a whisper within the Force.
"Rey?" Finn looks down at Rey's wobbling legs and can see a wetness spreading out across her pants.
"Help me." Rey whimpers out before letting out a scream as the pain gets even stronger and Snoke's voice ever louder in her mind.
Her scream captures Kylo's attention and he catches a glimpse of the traitor holding Rey against his side while retreating towards the Falcon.
"No!" Kylo shouts, doubling down on his attacks at Kyp. However, the older man sees to easily defend against them which irritates Kylo to no end.
"She isn't yours and neither is her daughter." Kyp growls out as he blocks then follows it up with an upward slash.
"They're mine!"
"Whatever sick perversion you've fed yourself is diluting the facts. Rey is her own person and her child isn't yours."
"How would you know? It's not you're all seeing."
"No, but I know enough to realize that Snoke played you for a fool. Did you honestly think that he'd be so easily killed?"
"You weren't there to see it." Kylo snarls, drawing on his anger to fuel his attacks.
"No, but Rey shared the memory with me." Kyp growls out, having to draw on the Force to help aid in keeping himself one-step faster than Kylo's lightsaber. "Did you honestly think that all Snoke was doing to Rey was digging through her mind?"
Kylo lets out an anger driven cry and lashes out even more so at Kyp. Using an attack that he's rarely ever used, Kylo manages to take Kyp off guard. With quick movements, Kylo lands a few slashes on Kyp's body. One across the side of the older man's right knee and the larger, much deeper on across the chest. A prideful smirk appears on Kylo's face at seeing the injuries he's caused.
The pain from the strikes has Kyp stumbling away and calling on the Force as much as possible, sends the younger man sailing through the air. But he doesn't have much time to rally before one of the Knights charges at him, their own red blade igniting. Kyp knows that he only has minutes before Kylo comes back, though he can see that the younger man is struggling to get up. He doesn't want to admit it, but Kyp wonders if he's gotten too old for this sort of fighting.
Preparing himself for a defensive, Kyp doesn't see the approach of another X-wing. By the time the Knight is a few feet away from him, this X-wing releases several shots which are so precise that Kyp knows who is flying the ship.
'Get your ass back in your fighter!' is the impression he gets from her through their bond.
"R2, are those engines still primed and ready?" Kyp asks, hobbling towards the hovering fighter.
However, his eyes are scanning for any sign of Jace, but the Falcon and the rest of the Resistance were gone. Using the Force for an assist, Kyp leaps up to the nose of the ship before scrambling to get inside the cockpit.
With TIEs on all sides, he hurries to set the coordinates for the jump as he reaches the upper atmosphere.
When the stars begin to streak, signaling his entrance into hyperspace, Kyp's world goes black.