ehluvr3: I know what you mean! It's going to get a bit bumpier for their relationship after stepping back into the 'real world' ... Stay tuned to see what happens. :)

SpeechBubbleMe: It's never too late to review! Thank you for taking the time to do so, and I really hope that you're enjoying the story!

InfinityMars: Your OTP? I feel so honoured to have created them! ... Well, one of them. XD

funwithstark: Guuuurrrrrlll we definitely do all need a Dayummmeron in our lives.

Enjoy the new chapter!

~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Poe's face felt soft. For a moment he thought it wasn't even his own skin. He glanced down at the soap that was lying on the rim of his father's sink, a small chunk missing from after he had used it. He slapped a bit of colour into his cheeks, his mind wandering off to the image of BB-8 stranded in the desert somewhere. His only hope was that his droid had made it out safely.

The clock read ten, meaning that he had slept a good five hours past his normal morning routine. It would be difficult to adjust when he headed back to the base, but Poe could already feel the adrenaline pumping through his veins. If there was no action, the rogue pilot wasn't sure what life could possibly have in store.

Poe slipped on a white t-shirt that his father had left out. Truthfully, he felt like a kid again having his father dress him, despite never having his father around much. It would be hard to say goodbye, but when hadn't it been?

The four others were already waiting in the living room. Mara's parents sat with an uncomfortable cloud lingering over their heads and it was only when Poe stepped into the kitchen that he could see they had been crying. He would have asked what was wrong had it not been for the warning look Mara tossed him.

"Ready to go?" Kes asked from over a cup of coffee. It was still hot, the steam blowing into his unshaven face.

Poe rolled his shoulders back. "Not exactly."

"It's nice to hear that, but Leia's expecting you. With Kylo Ren so close on your BB unit, the fight seems to really be starting."

Hari's head shot upwards, her long hair reflective of her daughter's. Mara could see the instant regret in her mother's eyes, but her hand reached out to stop it from changing into words. "I'll be on the base. You don't need to worry about me."

"She takes good care of herself," Poe lied. They all knew it. "And if she doesn't, I'll take care of her."

Hari nodded slowly, her hands shaking in her lap. It had only been a few minutes since Mara told her parents that they were going to have to leave Coco Town. Their old lives were over, the chapter of that long book finally penned, and a new one was to begin on Yavin 4. Although there was no specific date in mind as to when the war would finish, Mara suspected that their house would no longer be there at the end of it all.

"I think we have to go." Poe glanced at his father's communicator, spotting the name 'General Organa' at the top. "They'll be waiting for us."

Mara stood, her lips meeting her parents' temples. "I love you both. Kes Dameron will help you settle here. You'll be happy and comfortable." Des was the only one who could bring himself to look at his daughter. "I know that this isn't what you wanted for your life, nor did you expect that I would have any part in the Resistance. But if I don't fight, I'll never be able to forgive myself."

"We love you," Hari sighed. "That's all that's troubling us. Of course you're brave and we would never regret that."

Poe whispered to his father so as to not overlap the more important conversation in the room. "The ship is out front?"

Kes nodded, swallowing the rest of his coffee. Poe could have sworn it was still boiling. "You should let Crescent drive this time. You slept in later than when you were eight. We can't have you falling asleep at the wheel, Poe. The poor girl's almost died twice already."

He laughed despite the gloomy atmosphere. "I'd be happy to give her the reins."

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Mara did steer the starfighter back to D'Qar. Although it had only been a few days, she felt as if she had not seen the lush greenery of the secret planet in half a lifetime. Poe had fallen asleep beside her as soon as they set off, his curly head rolling onto her shoulder in the small compartment.

"Poe," she whispered. "It's time to wake up." A sigh fell from his lips, forcing Mara's hand to tap his knee repeatedly. "You'd better rise and shine, because I have a feeling there's a lot of work waiting for you. Likely for me as well."

Poe snapped to attention, either by Mara's command or by the entrance into the atmosphere. Once realising how close they were to the landing base, he pulled himself closer to her side. She could feel his breath hot on her neck, the hairs on her arms raising with the intimate gesture. "What are you doing?"

He smiled against her skin. "When will I be able to kiss you again?"

Somehow the question irritated her, as if he were too afraid to be with her in public. "That's not really the priority at the moment, is it?"

Poe leaned back, unfazed, as they hit the landing strip. "Somebody's grumpy. I was going to compliment you on that nice blouse, but I'm not sure how you would take it."

Mara bit her bottom lip, trying to hide her smile. "You should have said it an hour ago."

The two of them were surrounded by friends and colleagues as soon as their ship touched ground. Mara watched from the sidelines as Poe was engulfed in the arms of mechanics and pilots alike, their happy cheers and questions blending into an incomprehensible bubble of sound. Mara got a few waves and even the occasional thumbs-up, making her keenly aware of how she had little to no friends on D'Qar. There was a lot on her to-do list.

"Mara!"

The voice was louder than all the others. It seemed that everyone stopped talking to see who took note of the simple mechanic. Of course, it was Elida that came rushing through the crowd, her pale arms strong around Mara's waist.

"Elida!" Mara gasped between her grip. "Elida, you're going to kill me!"

"I'm sorry!" The girl attempted to control herself. "My spirit got ahead of me. Are you okay? Your head is looking better, but where did you go? You smell like lavender, but you look like you just walked out of the gates of-"

Mara pressed a finger over her friend's full lips. They pursed forward in curiosity. "I think I need a drink."

Elida smiled against Mara's finger. "I'm in!"

Mara's eyes glanced upwards at a figure quickly approaching. It was the General, her expression far from ecstatic. Elida caught sight of her too, stepping behind Mara as if she were the one in trouble.

"Nice to have you back, Dameron. Your father told me everything about the mission. You can speak to L'ulo about your next task in the control room." Her eyes scanned the crowd until they landed on Mara. "I'd like to speak to you in my office, Miss Crescent. Immediately. If you don't mind."

As if they were all in school again, words froze on others' tongues. It seemed that even the air between Leia and Mara had spoiled. Whatever repercussions came for her dangerous actions, Mara knew that she had to take the blame for the second time that year.

Mara began to follow the General back to the base, but Poe's hand stopped her. "It's fine," Mara urged. "I have to go."

He let her go without an argument. Truthfully, there was little he could do. He had been so fixated on the warm gestures and welcomes from his friends that he hadn't thought about the type of punishment that would come her way. No matter how he twisted the situation, no matter what angle he viewed it from, Poe couldn't seem to spot what wrong had been done. Clearly, it was up to General Organa to decide.

The soft floors of Leia's office were far less comforting than the first time Mara had walked in. The walls suddenly felt suffocating, as if their grey hue were caving in around her. Someone could have said that she was drowning in a bat of tar and she may have believed them.

"You don't need to sit," Leia sighed. "This won't take long." Mara glanced out the wide window, wishing that she were buried somewhere amongst the tree branches. "Kes Dameron told me that you and Alok Lokesh co-piloted a mission that involved the controlling of a TIE-fighter and breaking into the most secure First Order base that we currently know of." The air tasted dry. "Is this true?"

Mara could feel the explanations flooding into her throat. She knew her words would come flying out like vomit, but there was nothing she could do to stop it. "When I went to Coco Town, Alok had found me and told me about my parents' situation. I couldn't sit there and do nothing. I had to get them and there was no time for me to request permission in that respect. I couldn't risk going back and getting you all in danger, as the First Order may have been watching me." Mara's head felt thick, as if the blood were rushing back into to her wound. "Poe had nothing to do with it. I got my parents out safely, but I only met him by chance on Jakku. He was trying to escape Starkiller Base too and happened to shoot me by mistake." Mara's eyes shut to let the tears drip down her neck. "Please," her voice shook. "Please, I didn't mean to cause anyone any trouble. I was willing to die for my parents. Just me. Only me."

Leia's head cocked in utter bewilderment. The girl was too busy rubbing her dry wrist over her cheeks to notice that Leia was not scolding her. "I think you misunderstood me. I'm not angry with you." Mara's eyes were open now, but her cries told the General that she wasn't listening. It was difficult for Leia to understand the girl. It had been so long since she herself had been in her twenties, and raising her son had truly passed no later than his age of twelve. Granted, she cared for thousands of lives in the Resistance, but as to how to care for another, she had never been properly trained. "I'm impressed."

"What?"

"You single-handedly, aside from Alok, made your way through a First Order base. You're not even tall enough to be a Trooper, but they believed you."

Mara's memory flickered back to the nice Trooper she had met in the hall. FN-2187. Why did she recall his name so clearly? "I had to be convincing if I was to get my parents."

"You were brave. You've always been brave, and we've always taken note of it. Perhaps you can be somewhat headstrong and put yourself into dangerous situations, but it seems to me that you're shying clear of those days. And what good fighter isn't a bit reckless? You've had plenty of opportunities to die in the last seventy hours or so, and I note that you've taken none of them." The mechanic's head bobbed silently in agreement. "I've been considering your request to train as a pilot, Mara. I'd very much like you to, but we do need you to stick around here for a while."

Mara's ribs were too weak to hold the pumping of her heart. "You want me to train as a pilot? Poe was already offering me some flying lessons, but I don't know if I'm quite ready to become one."

"You learned how to fly a TIE-fighter within the span of a few hours."

"Not very well."

"But you did it." Leia raised a firm finger. "You did it, Mara."

She shrugged, unable to take a compliment. "Ships are all the same at the core. It gets confusing when you try to attach a personality and importance to it, when really-"

Leia laughed heartily. "You've always been a pilot; you just never figured it out." The sunlight flickered across the young woman's face, bringing a rosiness to her cheeks that Leia was sure didn't come from the warmth of the room. "I want you to get started as much as Poe does, but I have another proposition for you for the time being. We need more inspectors in the control room. It would be a full-time position and one that might go past the hours listed. What do you think?"

Mara was keenly aware that her mechanic's uniform was still sitting on Poe Dameron's bed. She had barely grown accustomed to wearing it, but it appeared that it was no longer relevant. "I would be honoured, General Organa."

"We can show you the systems starting tomorrow morning. You'll be given a new uniform once you've learned the ropes. It's not that we won't need you working with the mechanics, but at this moment you're needed in a higher position."

So many thoughts flooded in at once, Mara thought she was drowning in her own brain. "You can count on me."

"As for the pilot training..." Leia's brow rose. "I appreciate that Poe had his heart set on training you, but I think we both know the likelihood of that being possible."

Mara's eyes fell to the tips of her boots. "Who else did you have in mind?"

Leia might have smiled in that moment, but if she did, it was gone as quickly as it had come. "Your instructor will be Leo Aldhanab."

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Mara had two days to mull over the fact that she would now be working intimately with her former lover. They would attempt to make ends meet once a day in the early hours of the morning, reminding her of the brief training sessions with Poe. The Resistance pilot, on the other hand, had been shipped back out on a mission almost as soon as he proved he was breathing properly. Mara was not surprised, but she felt no less prepared to miss him.

The nights that she slept alone felt longer, but she was grateful for the few hours of sleep she could manage after so many years. Having his whereabouts completely unknown to her was something she would adjust to with time, but there had not even been a minute to wave him off, let alone tell him about her big news of becoming a pilot.

Putting all of that aside, Mara had managed to haul herself out of bed to meet with Leo two days later. The sun was high, as it always was on that radiant planet, and its long sun rays were no longer warm and welcoming, but a nuisance to Mara's already sour attitude.

"Why the long face?" Mara heard Leo's voice from behind a blue X-Wing. "You must be thrilled to be working so intimately with me."

"Why you?" Mara's hands found her hips. "Of all people, why are you the one training me?"

Leo smiled, folding his arms on top of the back wing. Everything about him was the opposite of Poe. Where Leo's hair and eyes were light, Poe's held a darkness. His legs stretched much further than Dameron's, and his frame was thinner despite still being muscular.

"The General still doesn't trust me. She knows that I'm a good pilot, but can't afford to send me off on missions just yet." Leo's teeth were brighter than the sun as he grinned. "I'm not complaining now that I get to see you all the time."

Mara raised a brow, but couldn't manage a stern gaze as she squinted against the light. "Let's get one thing straight; I'm seeing Poe. Your flirting is unwanted and pointless after everything we've been through. I'd be surprised if you didn't already know that, but I think you're just twisting my leg."

"Point taken. Do you mind if I spread that gossip, by the way? I'm sure the entire camp is dying to get a solid answer to the rumours."

Mara messily tied up her hair. "I wouldn't know about that." She knew Leo would do whatever he wanted, but something told her that he would keep quiet about her relationship with Poe. Out of a lack of care or jealousy, she was unsure. "How long are we going to be training?"

"You already know the ways of a ship. I'm mostly here to make sure you're safe and understand how to keep your control." He waved his hands aimlessly. "Philosophical bullshit, mostly."

Mara laughed and then regretted it. "I guess there's not much time."

"A week," Leo sighed. "Two weeks tops. And then the pair of us can start flying these things in a real battle."

Mara's memories took her back to that fateful day. She could still feel the sharpness in her stomach. Part of her had always wondered what would have felt worse: her child dying inside of her or the process of its birth? None of that mattered anymore. "Battle," Mara repeated the word blankly. "I guess that's why we're doing all of this, isn't it?"

Leo nodded slowly. "Your mind has run off again."

"You now have the responsibility to catch it."

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Leia had been keeping tabs on Mara, who had fit so perfectly into her job in the control room that the General was beginning to question the highly trained examiners on the team. Leia had also been watching Mara's progress with the X-Wings and was unsurprised with the outcome. The girl had a natural talent with ships, and her blueprints easily transferred to her mind when she was behind the control board.

Poe had come back after four long days. He had been sent off as a diplomat to inform other Alliance planets of Starkiller Base, and just what the Resistance was up against. Judging by their long-faced reactions, he was unsure if it had been the best idea to say anything.

Coming back to the base was no longer welcoming, despite Mara being there. He could feel his mind trickling into battle even when he stopped for a drink of water. The thought of death was constantly on replay in his weary mind, an unusual trait for him. However, he knew why the thoughts were suddenly appearing: Mara and his fear of leaving her.

She hadn't been in the bedroom when Poe arrived, and she wasn't anywhere near the runway. It was L'ulo who told him of her job change, making him feel all the more guilty for their present situation.

When he entered the control room, her small figure was hunched intently over a computer screen. The green glow spread across her face, making her eyes seem wider than they already were. His hands found her shoulders quickly as he walked behind her, startling her from the task at hand.

Her lips said his name somewhat loudly, but her arms around his waist were what truly caught attention of those nearby. They watched as she hugged him far more intimately than a co-worker should, the question of their feelings almost seeming like a practical joke at that point.

"I'm sorry," she gasped upon pulling away. "My head ran away with me."

Poe glanced at her computer screen. "I would ask you for a drink, but it seems that you're busy."

Mara's face twisted into something sour. "Just give me two hours… possibly three. I'll meet you in the cantina and you can tell me everything."

Poe leaned back in surprise. "Mara, you've changed your job! You have to tell me everything. It's been four days and I don't even know what's going on with you."

A sharp stab dug into her chest. Was it foolish to feel that he almost seemed annoyed? "That was not my doing," she subtly defended herself. "The General asked me to be here and before I could even tell you, you had left again."

Poe glanced away. It made the dark circles beneath his eyes more prominent, and Mara realised that he was likely getting less sleep than she had been. What a strange twist of fate. "Neither of us have any control in this situation." He looked back at her, this time with a softer gaze. "I'll see you in the cantina in a couple of hours?"

Mara nodded and watched him leave, concern dripping into the shadows of her brows. His fingers ran themselves through his hair, the one action he seemed to do when he was most frustrated. She hoped, albeit her busy schedule, to be able to calm herself down and provide some comfort to him. The distance between them had grown within a measly four days, though she could not put her finger on why.

There was not much time to dwell on the thought. Her hands danced over the computer screen, adding and reviewing repairs to all of the ships coming in and out of missions. She had noticed that Jackson's squadron was heading out on an attack that very night, and it made her question how Elida was handling his disappearance as well. She promised to ask as soon as her work was done.

The hours ticked by and Mara could feel her eyelids quitting their muscular effort to stay awake. The shadows of her lashes danced on her cheeks as the room seemed to grow dimmer. As if on queue, her manager joined her.

"Mara, what are you still doing here? It's already midnight."

Mara's hands snapped from off of the keyboard, her bloodshot eyes opening in astonishment. "It's midnight?" Her eyes darted around the room, shocked to see that most of the team had already packed up. Even worse than that realisation, but it had been much longer than two hours since Poe had spoken with her. "I have to go! Will you close up for me?" Without waiting for a proper answer, Mara began to run towards the bar.

Her feet flew out beneath her until she reached the doorway, which she fell upon heavily. Elida was wiping down a counter with disinterest, and Poe was nowhere in sight.

"Elida!" Mara's breath struggled to catch itself. "Have you seen Poe?"

"He had a couple of beers and then left about an hour ago," she replied. "Is everything okay?"

Mara's head shook quickly. "I've messed up. Can I meet you tomorrow for lunch?"

"Of course! Just take care of yourself. You look like hell."

Mara ran down the hallway to the pilot's familiar silver door. Despite it looking like all the others, she could pick it out of a thousand. His energy practically radiated through the thick walls. The lights were already off when she stepped inside, the quietness of the room turning her stomach. There was a small bump beneath the heavy white covers, suggesting that Poe had already given up on trying to wait for her.

Peeling off her trousers, Mara climbed into the bed. Poe's back was turned towards the door, his eyes shut in a deep sleep. He hadn't been childishly ignoring her; he was truly exhausted and had fallen asleep after the brief disappointment of her not showing up. He was old enough to know he hadn't been dumped, but he had certainly been forgotten.

"Poe…" Mara mumbled, her fingers curling around his shoulder. "Are you awake?"

Poe's lips opened in a soft sigh. If he hadn't been awake before, he was then. "How was work?"

Mara's teeth aggressively bit her lip. It was a way of punishing herself. "I got caught up and lost track of time. I know it's the worst kind of excuse to give, but I hope you know that I wouldn't lie to you."

Poe made no movement for a while, but eventually turned around to face her. His eyes were shut, and she desperately wanted to stare into them. "I trust you," he mumbled. "I'll always trust you."

Her lips met his forehead gently. It was warm and smooth, unlike their time together on Jakku. It upset her that the sand planet had marked their last passionate embrace, but she knew that more opportunities would come. Or at least, she hoped so.

"Come here." Poe's words continued to come from behind closed eyes. His arm opened up like the wing of a ship, making space for her inside his chest. Her body curled its way in, feeling much smaller than before. Poe's tight muscles pressed her chest into his, the space between their bodies invisible. "I want to do this every night."

"Me too." Mara hoped he could not detect the utter sadness in her voice. "I miss you."

Poe hugged her closer. "Don't. It will be too hard if you do."

Mara squeezed her eyelids tightly, his words triggering an unpleasant string of tears. She managed to stop them from falling. "I'll always trust you too, Poe Dameron."