Rey ran down the long hallway, blaster in hand, having already killed four men who greeted her when the lift opened. She heard the alarm halfway here, but Finn was still in the captain's chambers with their charge and Rey could feel Eris fading. A figure rounded the corner and she raised a hand dragging him with it and threw him to the far end of the ship where his skull split upon impact.

"Eris," Rey cried throwing herself to her knees as she gathered the other woman in her arms. Rey could feel the warmth leaving her. "No, you can't leave me," she pleaded, tears hot on her face as she cradled Eris to her chest. Her wet lashes fluttered slowly against Rey's neck. "Help," she cried knowing no one was coming. She could feel Eris' heart slowing, feel her dying. Her heart had slowed giving a faint twitch every handful of seconds as though to prove her stubbornness even in death, her eyes stopped blinking, her one working lung quivered still trying to breathe.
"Please," she breathed as though breathing for Eris. She thought of how she first found Eris, lying not even half conscious in the sand. She could almost hear that faint whispered plea for help. "Come back." Her mind fell away, the Galaxy itself seemed to fall silent as Rey's brow smoothed as though in peace. Her measured breaths passed through bloodstained lips, her palm held over the hole in Eris' chest feeling it heave.

Rey looked down wide eyed and unknowing watching the blackened edges of Eris' skin sew itself together until all that was left was ash. "How did," Eris was cut off by Rey throwing herself on top of her. And she held Rey against her not understanding what the hell happened only that she could feel her heart pounding inside her chest. She breathed steadily still tasting blood in her mouth, and she pulled back cupping Rey's face swiping a thumb under her wet eyes.

They came together their foreheads resting over the other's, their wet lashes brushing as they blinked. "Thank you," Eris told her, her voice nothing more than a rush of air past her reddened lips.

Rey didn't know what she'd done, that it was even possible. But they didn't have time for this. "Cry later, right?"

Eris gave a short laugh and stood pulling Rey with her. "Is Finn good? Do we still have a chance at this?" she asked knowing this had royally screwed everything up. Things with Poe always seemed to.

"If we can find Poe, there's no telling where they took him."

Her wonder at still being alive came to a crashing halt as she rolled her eyes. "Was I the only one who paid attention to the map?" she huffed as she crouched by the soldier Poe had shot and grabbed his blaster rifle. "I'll get Poe, we'll get the slaves, you'll get Finn and the captain, and we'll just kill everyone on the way." It was as good a plan as any, and they'd already known there was gonna be fight. As always they were doing things the most difficult way possible.

Rey nodded as they both scanned the hall. "Just," she looked at Eris seeing her soft lilac skin through her burned shirt, "don't try to die again."

Eris gave a mock salute and this time it was Rey who rolled her eyes. But they squeezed each other's hand before splitting up and heading back to their boys.

Outside the room Poe was being held there was a muffled whine of a blaster behind the thick steel door. The three Imperials turned from their bruised prisoner they'd sell with the others, and they looked to the door pulling their weapons as they waited. Poe told them it'd only been him and his partner and they knew she was dead, the ship would be on high alert from alarm. The door opened to an empty hall. Two of them faced the door with a finger over the trigger, the third held his blaster on Poe.

As their uniformed man came around the corner they let out a breath as though to relax before they understood what they we're seeing. From where Poe sat slumped in a chair clutching his aching side he watched the guard drop lifeless to the floor as a beautiful purple tinted woman started shooting. Lunging Poe rammed his shoulder into the center of the man who'd been on him sending them both back into the wall and the blaster fell between them. Poe ducked snatching it off the floor in time for a burst of plasma to hit the target he'd claimed in the center of his chest.

Normally Poe would argue something along the lines of her needing to stop treating him like a damsel. But he stumbled forward feeling her hands on his waist holding him up, alive. He pulled at her shirt, knuckles grazing smooth healed skin, before he cupped her face looking at her bright eyes. "You're okay," he said as though he were telling himself.

"I don't really know how," Eris tried telling him but he shook his head.

"I don't care." He pulled her tight against him breathing her in, feeling her hands hesitant on his back. He really thought he lost her. "Don't ever do that to me again," he told her breathlessly. And with a hand cupping the back of her head he turned into her pressing a firm kiss to her warm cheek.

She patted his back ready to let go, and by ready she really wasn't which is why she wanted him to. "I'll try not to," she told him trying to squirm away. But he held fast not ready for his arms to lose her. "We still have a job to do."

Finn and Rey would be waiting for them to get in position, and the longer they waited the more chance they had of someone else getting hurt. One more minute, they could hold on that long. The sound of footsteps reached them and they both took a breath before turning with their blasters raised shooting the officer that'd come around the corner. He slumped against the wall and the two turned to each other sharing a gentle look before they stepped apart.

They made their way to the door of the engine room and they stood for a moment steadying themselves. Sharing a nod Eris hit the button and Poe slipped inside first lining up his first shot with Eris close at his back taking out the guard who'd drawn on Poe.

Most of the slaves hit the ground waiting for the shooting to stop, but a handful burning with rage charged the other guards turning their weapons on them. They were angry enough to turn on the pair that stood at the door.

"Why shouldn't we kill you too?" a particularly mean faced Cathar with a nasty scar demanded aiming the blaster at Poe who'd moved in front of Eris.

This is what Poe was best at, talking his way out of a situation and if that didn't work shooting his way out. But he was friendly, he had a trusting face. Eris on the other hand didn't, and she sure as hell didn't now covered in blood.

"Because the First Order would've been told I was here," Eris answered sliding around Poe with her blaster now hooked to her belt. "Work with us and we'll get you out of here, what you do after that's up to you. But we're your best bet at staying free."

Poe stood with a hand clenched around the back of Eris' shirt prepared to drag her out of the way. But the Cathar lowered the rifle showing the same good faith Eris had. As friendly as Poe was he was human, and right now they wouldn't trust him. He pulled the walkie out of his pocket; "we're good, let them go."

The whole room held it's breath before Finn hit the button deactivating their collars with a chorus of beeps. And as they clattered to the floor hope rushed in its place.

"Keep the weapons," Poe told them as he pulled Eris with him into the hall as the anxious group surged forward wanting to be free, "we still gotta fight."

The orange-furred Cathar led the charge, after reaching a hand to Eris' shoulder in a quiet show of thanks, and Eris and Poe brought up the rear. "Quit looking at me like that," she told him as they scanned the hall behind them. His eyes were heavy, and they were too warm.

She'd shown a kindness he sometimes thought he'd imagined. Poe didn't think Eris had ever been easy to get along with, but if a mission like this was the first thing Cal had ever done with her Poe could understand why he stuck around.

The slaves took care of the rest of the soldiers, using their rage like a wildfire devouring everything along with it until they were spread out all over the bloodstained ship. They'd made their way back to the docking bay and Eris shouldered her way to the front to find the Cathar holding a blaster on Finn, who'd pulled Rey behind him the moment he saw their fury.

Gently, almost tenderly, Eris laid her hand on his arm lowering his weapon. "They're with me," she told him in a tone not as gentle as her touch. He looked down at her careful stare and bloodstained mouth and gave a faint tilt of his head as though to nod, willing to at least hear them out before he started shooting again.

"Give him the speech," Finn told Poe quietly, his arm still out to keep Rey behind him. She usually tried to take over these things, this wasn't the time for that.

Poe finally took his eyes off Eris as he turned to Finn. "What speech?"

Finn shrugged not liking that Eris was their mouthpiece, she was too unpredictable to count on especially in times requiring tact. "The one you gave Eris to get her to come with you."

"She did that by herself," Poe told him under his breath. This wasn't the time for heroics and they wouldn't be recruited, now was the time for knowing they were outnumbered by people who'd sooner kill them than face the thought of another cage.

"He's looking at you," Rey whispered feeling the tension coming from them in frightening waves.

Finn swallowed at the Cathar's dark eyes on him, noting the sharp tip of a canine just past his lips, before Finn realized his unyielding stare was beyond him. "You can go, he owes us a life."

Rey stepped forward finally done with this. "He has information the Resistance needs, he knows other slave compounds. We can't help them without him." He'd see reason, after the horror they faced they'd want to help.

"You can leave without him or you can die with him. Make up your mind before I make it for you."

They stood divided, Finn and Rey with the dazed captain and the newly freed slaves with Eris between them and Poe close to her side. The three of them shared an uneasy look feeling several pairs of untrusting eyes who were standing with their own instead of the ones that saved them. The plan depended on the captain's information of a First Order base, yes with more slaves but they were building weapons. It needed to be shut down, they couldn't leave without him.
But Eris nodded as she stepped through their divided groups, walking backwards as she faced the stern feline man. "Five minutes," she told him, it was all she needed. At his impatient nod she turned on her heel calling over her shoulder, "Poe."

His wasn't the name he thought she'd call, usually it was Rey's. So he hesitated before heading after her as she made her way to the captain's quarters. She moved with clear purpose as she immediately crouched at his holotable hooking a decoder into it, and when she stood upright she turned to find Poe already scanning the documents and locations the captain had on hand. "I thought you'd fight me on this," she commented offhandedly as she stood looking over his shoulder.

He felt her chest brush his back as she inhaled finding it distracting. "You've done worse," he replied taking the port from her and plugging it into the consul. While it stored the files he turned to Eris finding she was closer than she normally stood, the tip of his nose brushed her cheek. "At least this one's for good reason."

Her eyes flicked to his and she blinked at their warmth. He did that occasionally, surprised her; this time especially because it was the worst way of getting what they needed. "You haven't told me something," she said glancing at the faint curl of his mouth. He hadn't always been the good guy.

"I figured we'd get there," he told her. If he told anyone, besides Leia, it'd be her. Because she'd get it. And he opened his mouth to say it, to tell her who he used to be because it's why he'd been so quick to let her stay, but what came out was, "you sure you're okay?"

The quiet sweltering moment that pulled them together shattered with her disappointment. "I'm fine, Poe," she answered stepping back.

He sighed his own disappointment as he looked back to the consul to see it was almost done downloading. "Just checking," he muttered shaking his head at himself. He'd been waiting for that look for months, then Cal showed up, and now there she'd been with that look on her face after he tried to give her up and he ruined it.

The datachip beeped and Eris snatched it heading for the door. "Come on weirdo," she called over her shoulder. And just like that like they fell back into it, no looks, no heavy tension. If this was all she could give him, then it was enough. They walked back to the docks to see Eris' new friend still holding the blaster at his side not trusting them enough to let it go.

"We have everything we need, he's yours," Eris told him hearing both Rey and Finn voice their disagreement. "Non-negotiable," she told them firmly.

Poe ushered them toward their ship because the captain could either die here or die in a cell with the Resistance. But Rey jerked her arm away from him and turned to Eris considering, for a moment that left her shaking, forcing Eris to fight. Because she could, not because it was the right thing to do - and that scared her. She paused watching Eris pull a small thin chip out of her pocket and offer it to the Cathar.

"You need them more than I do," she told him, having only planned to save them for when she retired. She wanted an easy life and this chip had more than she'd ever need. Her regret was clear on her face.

He took them from her slowly, too cautious to trust this. "Who are you?" he asked her softly, his voice the only thing soft about him.

"Eris," she answered with an honesty she thought he deserved.

He hesitated before he held his hand out to her to shake. "Sorba Mahr," he told her, giving her the same honesty and trust she'd given him. He didn't like her friends, they looked too much like the people who'd done this to him, but he liked the look of her.

A faint smile tugged at her mouth's corners as she let his hand go. He'd be a good leader for them - firm and a little too cautious, but good. "If you need the Resistance," her eyes flicked to Poe as she thought, "call for Renegade-1." She shook his hand again before climbing the ramp to the ship, passing Poe who stood with a dopey grin and bright eyes. "Hush," she warned him mildly as she passed him.

Poe set the coordinates with Finn at his side, Rey had followed Eris as she went to change. Not often but sometimes Rey could see the smallest hint Eris didn't like that Rey went to Finn first, she never said anything or even acted on it like Poe did but Rey saw it sometimes. Finn understood certain things, had a stricter moral center and sometimes Rey's was so blurry she needed him to set her straight. But her hands were still shaking hearing a voice that sounded so much like Kylo Ren's it made her burn, telling her she should've done it. They wouldn't let them take the captain, Rey could've easily had Eris fight with her to kill them so there was no other choice. It would've been so easy. She swallowed the bile that rose in her throat.

"It's normal you know," Eris said with her back to Rey as she pulled on a new, not burned through, shirt. She thought it might've been Finn's. Turning to look at Rey's guilty face she sighed dropping the scorched shirt and faced her fully. "Being able to do something that'll get you what you want or make things easier, everyone has those thoughts."

Sometimes Rey wondered how Eris always seemed to know what was wrong, if she really watched that closely or if it was something deeper. "That doesn't mean its okay," Rey told her not knowing why she was here. She didn't want to hear that everyone else did it, she couldn't be everyone else. She had to be better.

"No it doesn't," Eris agreed watching Rey first pause then deflate. Sighing Eris stepped to her and reaching a hand to brush back the few stray hairs that'd fallen out of their tie. "It just means you're not alone." She brushed Rey's cheek seeing her chin quiver knowing how much losing this scared her. "I hate to break it to you kid, you're never gonna be alone again. You're stuck with us."

A very small laugh shook her chest and Rey nodded sniffing as she stepped into Eris, feeling her strong arms encircle her as they held each other close. Rey could feel it then with their hearts beating so close in time, the part of her she'd given Eris to bring her back. "Thank you," she breathed against Eris' warm chest, "for not dying." She couldn't imagine doing this without her, not anymore.

Patting her shoulder Eris pulled away, having touched and been touched as much as she could stand today. "I don't think I had any say in that." With a hand on either of Rey's shoulders she squeezed them before stepping back. "Go fight with Poe on how to get to the base, my face is starting to itch."

Rey smiled at her show of distance knowing Eris craved closeness as much as she did, as they all did. This broken clingy group, their strange little family. But Rey left her for the pilot's chair as Eris grabbed the closest piece of cloth and began cleaning off her face. It spattered on her cheeks, coated her chin, dripped along her jaw and into her hair, painted her neck. It was everywhere.

"You missed a spot."

Eris didn't turn to where Poe stood in the doorway with his arms crossed as he watched her, not knowing how long he'd been there. "That's not funny," she told him as she scrubbed her collar.

He shrugged pushing off the doorway. "It was a little funny." Taking the rag from her he wiped the streak behind her ear before he cleaned what she'd coughed up onto his own neck. "Me and Rey are gonna scope the compound out, see how many reinforcements we'll need. You're here on standby if we run into trouble." He'd said it so fast it was a jumble of words, hoping she wouldn't catch it soon enough to be angry before he and Rey were on the ground. He was still bitter they'd left him to tell her the plan.

"Seriously?" she demanded and he sighed. "I'm the only one actually good at this, whose idea was it to sideline me? Was it Finn's? I know he still doesn't trust me."

"It was mine," Poe told her watching her mouth snap shut as she took a breath, a dangerous heat rising in her eyes. "Yeah, you might be better than any of us but you're also the most reckless. And you have a known habit of taking on more than you can handle. I'm not really looking to feel you dying in my arms again, so yeah, I sidelined you. Get over it." His tone had been harsher than he meant, he'd been going for firm what he ended up with was angry. He turned leaning his back against the counter knowing she was very aware of him not putting weight on his right leg, she'd throw his bruised ribs at him and say the only two that were really fit for this was her and Rey because now she'd be pissed at him being the one to vote against her. So yeah, he was a little angry.

"You might have a point." He turned with open surprise at her quiet remark and she looked at him sternly. "I will not say it again." She wasn't alone anymore, she didn't have to be strong enough to take on the galaxy by herself and she forgot that sometimes.

He raised his hands as though in surrender, not willing to push her. But his thoughts rushed in like high tide; sitting out wasn't like her and neither was giving in. Glancing at the side of her disquieted face he pushed off the counter and turned stepping in front of her, giving her no choice but to look at him. "You almost died, Eris," he said seeing the strength in her eyes crack, "no one expects you to be okay." They let her pretend to be because she outright refused to let them see she wasn't, but they knew she wasn't.

Taking a breath she let it go in a loud rush as she slumped back against the counter sitting on the edge. "I always knew I'd die doing something like that, it comes with the job," she said with a shrug, offhanded. "Maybe not doing something as noble," she continued seeing the way his mouth twitched as though to smile, but he was listening too hard. A blaze of glory, a good death, it's what she always pictured and she'd almost achieved it several times. But she sighed, her gaze falling from his as she said something she only trusted him with. "I never thought I'd be scared."

His brows rose at the weight of those words, and he nodded hearing the answer she wasn't ready to say. He stepped forward placing his palms flat on the counter on either side of her hips as he brought them almost nose to nose, giving her no way out but with him. "This is the best place you've been in what, seven years? You're not ready leave this life anymore, that's not a bad thing." He felt her huff knowing she didn't agree, that she hated how much she cared about them and everything they were doing. Whether it was because he was so close to her or because he felt like there wasn't enough time to not say it, he opened his mouth without thinking; "it scared the hell out of me too."

She looked at his warm kind eyes and she lost herself in them, in how seen he made her feel. Like being what she always wanted to be was possible. He saw the shift in her stare as she blinked, and he took a breath through parted lips feeling hers brush his in a way that had his eyes closing as something close to relief had him sighing against her.

"Hey."

Before Poe even registered he'd heard anything Eris was already gone. He turned to Finn in the doorway catching a flash of her plum colored hair as she rounded the corner leaving him. "What?" Poe exclaimed raising his arms at where she'd disappeared.

"I'm sorry man," Finn told him as he stepped into the small room. "But that's good right, it means she's ready."

Poe ran his hand through his hair feeling too much all at once to focus on anything at the moment, except her and how fast she'd run away. "She's never gonna let me that close to her again," he said to himself realizing he was gonna have to start over with her, after everything.

Finn clapped his shoulder forcing him to focus. "I'm sorry I ruined your moment," he was only partially sorry, there was a rush of something warm in his chest he didn't know what to do with. "We got a message from Leia," he said seeing that get Poe's full attention, "she wants us back."

"Why?" Poe asked falling into step with him as they made their way to the bridge.

Finn shook his head seeing Eris standing behind the pilot's chair Rey sat in as she navigated back to their base. "She didn't say."

He glanced at Eris out of the corner of his eye as Rey landed them, she was being stubborn as usual doing everything but acknowledging him. And he knew she felt his stare, she always did. Inhaling sharply he watched her turn on her heel and head for the ramp Finn lowered. He met her at the top of it as she waited impatiently, wanting to get away from him. "Are we gonna talk about this?" he asked showing his own impatience in his clipped tone.

She didn't know what she'd been thinking trying that. She hadn't been thinking, she'd been feeling and that had always been the problem. "We're talking now," she answered still refusing to look at him.

"That is not," burst out of him before he thought of how he needed to approach this and she turned to him sharply. Taking a breath he told her a little more calmly, "this is not talking."

Rey came up beside them not liking the look they shared, Eris' clear unease and Poe trying to get too close. "Talk about what?" she asked positioning herself at Eris' side.

"I'll tell you later."

Poe reeled. "You are not talking to her before you talk to me." He didn't care for the way she turned away or how hard she clenched her jaw. She wasn't running from him, they were going to fix this and if she wanted him to back off he'd back off but she had to talk to him. He watched her brow smooth as her expression fell apart in quiet devastated understanding. He followed her wide gaze to where a small shrew woman stood, and he felt the breath go out of him.

At a gentle nudge from Rey Eris made her way to the small yellow haired woman that'd been monitoring Cal since they got there. "When did he wake?" she asked in a voice that didn't sound like hers.

"A few hours ago," Larma answered wringing her hands. "He's had a difficult time." Which meant he was fighting, a smile shivered over Eris' mouth. She led Eris inside followed closely by the other three who watched Eris closely as they made their way to the med bay. "He hasn't calmed down enough to talk yet."

"That sounds familiar." Poe winced at Rey's sharp elbow digging into his ribs.

Eris stopped outside his room looking at where he lay. He was out of the stabilizer but he still looked half dead as he had before. How many times had she stood outside of this room waiting. She felt Rey's hand hold hers lightly, timidly as though waiting for Eris to lash out.

The droid crept forward and quickly stuck the injection in Cal's thigh before backing away, stepping over the last droid Cal had destroyed against the wall. He shot up in a rage shoving the tray away from him, tired of being knocked out by these people he didn't know. "Who the hell are you?" he cried turning to the glass window the blonde woman with the hooked nose kept watching him from.

His eyes immediately stuck on Eris and she held her breath seeing a faint spark of recognition. It didn't consume him in the way it would if he knew who she was, he only remembered her finding him.

"Er-" Poe tried seeing it on her face.

"Don't'" she told him not wanting this. She didn't want Cal, she didn't want this pain, she didn't want Poe, she didn't want any of this.

Remembering her strange coloring Cal stilled, his world righting itself, finally understanding where he was. "I'll talk to her."

Poe stepped forward as though to shield Eris from him. "You don't have to do this," he told her giving her an out. No one would blame her if she walked away. But he could tell from the way she ground her teeth she was resigning herself to doing this. "You want me with you?" He honestly thought she'd say no, but her eyes flicked to his with a vulnerability he wasn't expecting.

He stood at her back with his arms crossed staring Cal down as the other man sat on the bed looking at Eris like she was the only thing that made sense.

"So you're with the Resistance," he said having listened intently to her very short telling of grabbing him and getting him here. He had a thick crisp accent like Rey's but hers was cleaner. His was rough, showing a hard life under the thumb of the Empire. "Know how I ended up on that ship? How long I was out?"

"Six years, Kylo Ren shot you down. What do you remember before that?" Eris answered then immediately asked without room for grace or warmth.

Cal paused as he tried to think, to remember. His brow was deeply furrowed, his mouth frowning. "It's cloudy, like it's too far away." He looked up at this woman with hard unforgiving eyes. "Who are you to me?" he asked seeing the man behind her shift his weight as he looked at her. "I saw it when you found me, you know me. And you don't look happy to see me, so who are you?"

There was a brief moment of calm before the storm behind Eris' eyes broke. "I'm your wife," she told him, her voice just below a yell. "You've been dead for six years, except you're not actually dead and you don't remember anything. So I've still got a dead husband, and I now have the equivalent of a child that I have to deal with. So no, Cal, I'm not happy to see you."

Her raw broken voice echoed in the small sterile room and out in the hall where Rey and Finn gaped. Poe stepped forward getting a hand around her middle as he pulled her back. "We're gonna reel that in," he told them both. Eris was still glowering and Cal was looking up at her both amazed and wary. It was a look Poe was very familiar with. "Maybe since we all know where we are, we can take a little break," he suggested trying to pull Eris a little further. She was coiled like she'd go for his throat any second.

Without warning Eris shoved him as she made for the door, she didn't stop when Rey called her. She just needed air, she needed space, another life, to be anywhere but that room with a man who looked like her husband but never would be again.

They found her sitting on the step out back glaring at the ground like it'd done this to her. The three of them stood back not really knowing what to do for her, if she'd even let them. Poe moved first and he sat beside her quietly knowing there wasn't a single word he could give her. So he sat there with his shoulder against hers hearing her stuttering breaths at feeling he was with her. And he wanted her to know he was with her, everyone always left her, he had no plan to.

He watched her face crumble as she let her head hang, finally unable to hold this all in. "Hey," he said getting an arm around her shoulders. She let him pull her against him, let her head fall to shoulder as he gathered his arms around her.

The first tear slipped down the bridge of her nose and soaked into his shirt, and she turned her face into his chest hating this feeling of being utterly weak. Another, thinner, pair of arms snuck around her as Rey settled on the other side of her. And not long behind her Eris felt Finn against her back, his forehead against Rey's cheek. She sniffed shifting against them. This pilot who drove her nuts and made her care, the lonely impulsive jedi who started it all, and a stormtrooper with the kindest heart she'd ever known who'd always reminded her too much of Cal.

They were hers, no matter how hard she pushed them away they wouldn't leave her. She finally caught her breath with her head on Poe's chest and his mouth pressed against the crown of it, with Rey and Finn close at her back, and their arms all around her. Releasing a soft sigh her eyes dried as she settled further against them, wondering after all these lonely years if this was home.