Hello everyone! As always, thank you to the people who reviewed, favourtied and followed, in particular QwertyStrange and Aarron Leach, everyone's support really helps to motivate me to keep writing :D This is a little later than I'd have liked, but with The Last Jedi novelisation coming out, I'm sure you'll understand why!

Thank You and Reviews are Love!

Present Day…

Poe was half buried underneath a mass of tangled wires when his commlink finally alerted him to a new message. The General had returned from her mission and was requesting his presence in her personal rooms.

He threw the wiring off his lap, frustrated with the lack of progress his distracted mind had been making with the new ship. He didn't like Leia going off on missions alone, and he'd been checking his comm almost constantly since she'd left. Inaction didn't suit him, and Finn had been forced to distract him more than once- not that he'd complained at the time.

'Hey buddy, you got this?' He called out to BB-8, pointing to the section of wiring he'd been working on. BB-8 beeped in response, popping out his lighter and lighting it in an imitation of a thumbs up. It was not the first time Poe had wondered where in the galaxy he'd learned that. He truly was one of a kind.

Having confidence in his droid to continue preparing his new x-wing, Poe ran from the hangar and through the corridors of their latest base. It was fortunate that after almost three years stationed there, he knew exactly which route to take to avoid people, otherwise he undoubtedly would have had a lot of apologising to do.

The door to Leia's rooms opened automatically as he arrived, obviously she'd been anticipating his eagerness to see her. He walked in, seeing her sat at the circular table in the middle of the room, one of the few luxuries she'd accepted as a Resistance General.

'Poe, I'm glad you came so quickly. Please, shut the door.' She said.

'General, is this about the mission? Because you know I can…'

Leia held up her hand to silence him. She'd heard his opinions so many times now as to why he should be allowed to help, she could probably have recited the arguments in her sleep.

'We'll get to that later. For now, I just need to know that what I'm about to tell you will not leave this room.'

His whole body grew rigid as he stood to attention before her. This was clearly a serious matter for her and so he would act accordingly- as a soldier speaking with their superior.

'Of course, General.'

But Leia didn't appreciate it when he acted properly. Even though his actions were earnest, Poe doing things 'by the rules' was so rare that it almost felt like he was mocking her.

'Good, good. Now take a seat.'

He sat down and took his first good look at the woman sat across for him at the table. She'd only been gone for a few days, yet somehow, she looked years older. Her right hand was making soothing circles on her temple, an attempt at staving off one of her all too familiar headaches.

She was silent for a while, occasionally opening her mouth to speak, before closing it suddenly, unable to find the right words to start off their conversation. She was trying to be delicate, but in this situation, maybe the straightforward approach was what was most needed.

'I went to see my son.'

Poe had not been expecting that.

'You met with Kylo Ren? Alone? How did you even know where to find him? It's been years since anyone's heard from him.' His shocked tone would have been insulting if it hadn't also been so amusing. He did seem determined in life to see her as an old woman in constant need of his protection.

But he was also her most ardent supporter, and deserved answers.

'After she left the Resistance, Luke gave Rey a map to a planet in the Unknown Regions. He told her that if she ever wanted my attention, then she should head there. About a year ago, I finally received a signal from the planet that she'd arrived. I knew that if she was there, my son couldn't be too far away.'

'Then you were right, she's with him?'

When Chewie had first told them about Rey's disappearance after the battle of Crait, it was only Leia who hadn't been worried. Somehow, it seemed that she'd always known Rey was safe and with her son, despite having no evidence to prove it.

But then his mind turned to a bigger problem.

'Man, Finn's going to be crushed.' He said, more to himself than anyone else.

Leia reached forward to take the young pilot's hand in her own, squeezing it tightly.

'I know. Just as I know you don't agree with my decision to include them in this, but we'll need their help if we're going to infiltrate the First Order undetected.'

'General, I've told you. I can do this, just let me take my squad up and we'll get you onto that ship no problem.'

She'd hoped that being forced to involve Ben and Rey in their plans would have alerted him to the seriousness of this mission, but it didn't seem to have had an effect on his impetuousness. He reminded her so much of Han sometimes.

'I'm sorry Poe, but this requires a more delicate touch than you're used to. We all need to put our pride aside and think about what could happen if anything goes wrong. You know there's more than just one life at stake here.'

Leia could see clearly from his expression that he still wasn't happy. Poe had given his life to the Resistance, as had his parents before him, and for so many years it had been Ben's goal to destroy them. It was a lot to ask him to forget the past and work with the enemy, but she was grateful that he'd at least been willing to hear her out.

'I see that there's little point in arguing with you on this, Poe. Look, I received a communication from Rey as I was returning to the resistance. They've agreed to meet with me and I want you to come with me.'

That caught his attention.

'And Ren's okay with you bringing Resistance members with you when you meet?'

She grinned slyly, 'Quite the opposite. I was told very specifically to come alone.'

Poe's grin began to match Leia's. It was good to know that she wasn't just capitulating because Ren was her son. And he did always enjoy seeing her rebellious streak displayed so proudly.

'Besides,' She continued, 'I imagine that compared to the fleet Ben's no doubt expecting for me to bring, one lone pilot will be a bit of a surprise for him.'

Poe chuckled, but Leia's smile slowly vanished from her face, as it often did when she thought of Ben and how much he'd changed from the little boy she'd known, 'I also need someone to keep me in line. He may have done terrible things but he's still my son, and our last conversation didn't exactly go to plan. I don't want it to happen again.'

He held on more tightly to the hand still in his, comforting her as though she were his own mother.

'Well if he's expecting a small army to be waiting for him, maybe another person wouldn't hurt- you know, besides you and me.'

'Who do you have in mind, or do I even need to ask?' She didn't. Before Poe had walked through the door, she'd known this question would be asked.

'He wouldn't forgive me if I didn't at least try. They went through a lot together and he… he doesn't like to talk about it, but I know he still misses her.'

She thought it over once more. She couldn't risk the mission, but she also couldn't hurt Finn more than he already would be by Rey's reappearance.

'Very well Poe. I can't imagine I'd be able to stop you both anyway. Just make sure he can control himself while we're there. I know there's no love lost between you and my son, but for Finn it's much more personal. We need these negotiations to go well and that won't happen if we attack them on sight.'

'Yes General.'

She gave him the stern look that she only reserved for direct orders, 'I mean it, Poe. You're in charge of him down there.'

'I'll make sure he understands.'

She nodded, happy that he seemed to appreciate how much rode on their success, and they continued to talk about the situation for a while longer before Poe was eventually dismissed to return to his quarters.

He was shocked to say the least. Leia had ordered him to be prepared to leave first thing in the morning, not that he believed he'd get any sleep before then. And how would Finn take the news that he now had the chance to see Rey again? Poe had never met the woman before, but he'd learned quickly that she meant the world to him.

He made his way to their shared quarters slowly, his mind exhausted from all the information Leia had forced on him over the hour-long meeting. Battle plans and strategies and secrets bounced around in his head, but it was a relief when he saw Finn just lounging around as though nothing had changed. And it hadn't for him, yet.

Finn looked up from the holopad he was reading as Poe walked in, grinning widely.

'Hey. Look what I got from Rose.' He said, holding it up to show the book he'd been reading on it. To anyone else on the base it would barely have been worth mentioning, but three years on it still gave Finn so much joy to have the freedom to do what he wanted in his down time.

Poe kissed him on the forehead as he moved past him, lingering a little longer than necessary, and threw himself down on the edge their bunk. He sat with his legs spread wide, his elbows resting on his knees and his face lowered into his hands.

'Finn, look. We need to talk about something.'

Finn looked up, realising the seriousness of the situation from Poe's body language, and turned off the pad.

'Okay, what's up?' Finn asked, before Poe let out a huff of air and groaned loudly into his hands.

'I… I don't even know where to start with all this. I can barely wrap my head around it myself, but first thing tomorrow I'm to report to Leia for a mission. And she agreed that you can come too.' He said, quickly adding, 'But only if you want to.'

'Well, can I at least know what this mission is first?'

'We're heading to Endor for some… delicate negotiations.' Poe's vague explanations weren't exactly filling the other man with confidence.

'Okay, you're still not giving me too much to go off here.' Finn teased lightly, hoping to diffuse some of the tension Poe had brought into the room with him.

'It's with Rey.'

There was a beat of silence.

'Rey? But I thought… we haven't…' He began, but stopped to try and get his thoughts into some semblance of order.

'I know.'

Finn hadn't heard a word from Rey in almost three years. She'd gotten in contact when she first disappeared, telling him that she was safe and not to worry about her. But after that, there had been nothing from her. It had broken his heart.

'She, oh man…' Poe tried to continue, 'Leia got word about a year ago that Rey was okay. Apparently, she headed to this planet Leia knew about, somewhere deep in the Unknown Regions, and settled down there for a while.'

'Wow. I can't believe… just wow…' Finn's mind was everywhere. He hadn't even been sure she was still alive, let alone that he'd get the chance to see her again.

And he wanted to see her. So much. But as the seconds ticked by, Poe giving him the space and silence he needed to think, his hurt and confusion over the situation only grew. Why hadn't Rey contacted him? She'd known how to three years ago and since then the Resistance hadn't needed to change bases. As his first friend, the first person who had ever cared about him, she meant more to him than she could ever possibly know.

And Leia. He'd gone to the General so often in those initial few months when he'd been finding his place, knowing that she'd been one of the few people who could empathise with him. She knew how far he'd have gone to find any information regarding his friend.

'Why wasn't I told about this a year ago?' He asked angrily.

'Leia said she knew you'd just run after her, she didn't want you getting yourself killed trying to find her. And I hate to say it, but I agree with her'

'Rey wouldn't hurt me.' Finn's tone warned Poe not to argue with him on this.

'Maybe not, I don't know. Never met the woman. But Kylo Ren wouldn't hesitate if he thought you were getting in the way.'

Finn looked confused, why did Kylo Ren have anything to do with it? Unless…

'She's been with him this whole time, hasn't she? She let us think she was dead and she's been with him? Chewie said he'd sent her to him, during the Crait mission. I assumed after she contacted me that something had gone wrong and she was hiding from something, that she didn't want me getting involved or hurt. But instead she… she just stayed with him?'

Three years with a maniac like Ren, whispering in her ear and trying to change her. Would she even be the same person anymore, how could she be? He barely registered as Poe continued talking.

'Looks that way, but we won't know anything for sure until tomorrow. I don't even think the General knows that much of the story at the minute. From what I heard, Ren wasn't too excited to see her again.'

He looked over at Finn's dazed, teary eyes; he didn't need Leia's rumoured force powers to know that this news had devastated him. And while Poe was certain that seeing Rey again would be a good thing for him, he wasn't going to push the younger man into doing something he didn't feel ready for.

'Like I said, you don't have to go if you don't want to. Hell, I only asked Leia if you could on the off chance you might.'

Finn rubbed his eyes, clearing away any tears before they had the chance to fall.

'I… I don't know. I'll think about it, I have until the morning to decide, right?' Finn clasped his hand around the back of the other man's neck, drawing him until his forehead rested against Poe's temple.

'But, for what it's worth, thanks. It means a lot to me that you'd get me in on this.'

'Anything for you.' Poe answered.

The mood in the cockpit was subdued as they entered through Endor's atmosphere. The jungle appeared through the thick clouds as a vivid, verdant blanket, spreading out beneath them.

Only a few years earlier, green had been a colour Rey had only dreamed of. And even now, so many years and hardships later, she still treasured every moment she spent surrounded by it.

But Rey didn't like feeling Ben's emotions so faintly- the constant low-level storm she associated with him was almost as soothing as a lullaby to her now.

'Are you okay?' She asked quietly, placing her hand on his arm. After so long spent alone and without human contact, she knew that her touch was the best way to distract him from his thoughts.

'I'm fine.' He raised a small smile, but she could see that it didn't reach his eyes. It was a gesture done solely for her benefit. He'd only agreed to the meeting for her and Anakin and she appreciated it, but it didn't make it any easier to feel him concealing his feelings from her in the hopes that he wouldn't appear weak.

Emotions that, despite his efforts, she felt spike as he recognised his mother, already waiting for them on the planet's surface.

'She's not alone. We told her to come alone.' He said hotly, though he'd never truly expected her to comply.

Rey could also sense it, a familiar presence that stood out clearly in her mind, warming her with a sense of home and belonging that she'd only felt recently with Ben and Anakin. 'It's Finn' She said quietly, 'and… someone else.'

'Can you sense more than three down there?' With her past links to the Resistance, it would be easier for her to sense if others were hiding in the forest.

She opened her senses to their surroundings, allowing a wave of life to wash over her. It was dizzying, overloading her senses, but so beautiful to be able to feel so much energy at once. And at the centre of it all was Leia and Finn. How badly she'd wanted to see him and talk to him over the past three years.

When she replied her voice was dazed, as though she were drunk on the feeling of her own force powers.

'No, there's no one else.'

Rey was slow to come back to herself as Ben landed their ship in the clearing Leia had chosen for their meeting. She looked down at the child cradled in her arms, blinking rapidly as if only just realising he was there. 'What shall we do about Anakin?'

'I'll put him to sleep. If I don't, he'll no doubt end up destroying the ship.' Rey didn't like the idea of Ben using his force powers to compel the boy to sleep, but she knew they had little choice.

Anakin's own powers were growing by the day and being apart from his parents, even if only for a few minutes, often left the boy upset and prone to angry outbursts. Though, unlike most one-year olds, his distress had begun to manifest itself in malfunctions and breakdowns and smashed objects.

Ben could sense Rey's agreement to this, then the question that seemed to always be on the tip of her tongue. 'You don't need to ask me again. We need to do this. You said it yourself, we can't keep running forever and we need them if we're going to stay safe.'

Rey stood from her seat, leaning down to kiss him as she moved past. The kiss was slow, their lips gently moving over each other's, and she poured into it all the gratitude she felt towards him for doing this. She was so proud of him.

They eventually parted, before putting Anakin to bed and finally lowering the ship's ramp.

Poe saw Finn begin to move at the sight of her, but he put his arm out to stop him moving or doing something impulsive.

They stopped at the opposite side of the small clearing, several metres away from the rebel group, yet still too close for Ben's comfort.

The only sound they could hear was the trees rustling in the wind, neither side wanting to be the first to speak. It was one of Leia's classic power moves, something she used to control negotiations, and it grated on Ben's nerves.

His voice rose out, loud, clear, and full of authority.

'You wanted us to talk again, you agreed to this meeting, and yet now you stay silent? What do you want from us?' He could not keep the venom from his voice, despite how fervently Rey had asked him to be civil.

'We need help.' Leia replied.

'We already know that.'

Leia sighed, he wasn't planning to make this easy for her. But then again, when had her son made anything easy for her? She decided then to just get straight to the point, who knew how long Ben would give her to speak.

'The First Order has captured the Falcon, Chewie along with it.'

Rey stood frozen, but if Ben felt similarly then he wasn't letting it show on his face. He held no love for the Wookie, and he still had the scar on his abdomen to prove the feeling was mutual.

Leia continued, 'We need your help in getting him out of there.'

Ben sensed there was something she was keeping from him. Not Rey, just him.

'You're hiding something. If it was just a simple rescue mission you wouldn't be asking for our help. It's overkill.'

Leia turned to address Rey. 'When they took the Falcon, Chewie managed to get an encrypted distress signal sent to us. It's how we were able to find out so quickly what had happened. He included a message, here.'

Leia held up her hand, and within was a small scrap of paper.

'We managed to decrypt it, and part of it was meant specifically for you.'

Rey's brow furrowed in confusion. Why would Chewie be messaging her? She moved to take the paper from Leia's hand. It was torn in a ragged line at the top, close to where the hastily scrawled handwriting began. Probably an attempt to keep the rest of the message a secret from her and Ben. She moved back to his side and he read the paper over her shoulder.

Rey, I'm sorry. I didn't hide the books like you asked. I thought they were safer on board the Falcon with me. I was wrong.

He was talking about the Jedi texts.

Now she understood why they'd come to her and Ben for help. Even with no force training, it wouldn't take Hux long to realise how important those books were, and the security surrounding them would be tight. It would be an extremely difficult mission, but their force powers would help them greatly.

And they had no choice if it meant getting Chewie to safety and the Jedi texts away from the First Order.

Rey looked up from the paper, 'Do you know where they're keeping him?'

'We believe he's on the Finalizer. After the destruction of the Supremacy, Hux made it his new flagship. It's heavily defended, but fortunately for us it doesn't have the same firepower that Snoke's ship had.'

'Then that's where we're going.' She said decidedly.

But in her determination to retrieve the books, Rey had almost forgotten that Ben was even there, and that she was signing him up for a mission to save someone she knew he hated. She looked up at him, anticipating seeing him trying to contain his anger.

Instead, she saw a small smile playing at the corner of his mouth. That was strange. Why would he be happy about this?

But she didn't have much time to think on it, as Leia's words drew her from her musings.

'What will you do with Anakin while you're gone? When I came to you before I didn't factor in that you would have a child you'd be leaving behind.'

'Anakin? Who's Anakin?' Finn spoke for the first time since they'd arrived on the moon.

Rey looked sheepish, this was information that he should have known, that he would have known if she'd been able to keep in contact with him. 'He's our son, Finn.'

'You have a…' Ben cut him off mid question.

'He's not your concern.' He growled. Too many people were learning of Anakin's existence, and it set him on edge.

Finn moved to speak again, but a quick look from Leia was all it took for Poe to move in front of Finn and turn to face him.

'Not now.' He whispered.

Leia looked at Rey, imploringly, 'He should be our concern. Rey, leave him with us, you know he'll be taken care of with his family.' She opened her mind as she spoke, so that Rey could see her intentions clearly. Leia wanted her to know that she was speaking to her as a grandmother, only concerned with the safety of her grandson.

But Rey didn't need to hear Ben's thoughts to know that leaving Anakin with the Resistance wasn't an option.

'Thank you, Leia, but he'll be taken care of.'

Leia tried not to let the pain of rejection show on her face, but the hurt had settled deep within her chest, a knife held against her heart. An awkward silence once again descended on the clearing, as she tried to keep her mouth closed and her tears at bay.

But it wasn't so silent in Rey's head, with Ben's voice appearing in her thoughts.

The traitor hasn't looked away from you since we arrived. He wants to speak with you.

He then spoke aloud,'General, now that we've agreed to help you, I wish to speak to you in private.' Leia nodded heavily.

Rey knew that Ben was using Finn as an excuse to be alone with his mother and not have her involved, but in the moment, she didn't care. As the two Skywalkers walked up the ramp of the Resistance ship, Poe's hand lifted from where it had been resting on Finn's arm, holding him back.

The moment his light restraint was lifted, they ran straight to one another, throwing their arms around each other's shoulders. There was no thought behind the gesture, only instinct and desperation.

It took Rey a long time to notice that she wasn't the only one crying, but as they eventually pulled back from one another she still felt the need to explain her tears.

'I didn't know if you'd come. I thought you'd never forgive me for leaving.'

'I don't know if I do. Until this morning, I wasn't even sure if I could make myself come here.' He couldn't help himself, and he threw himself at her again, pushing his face into her neck and breathing in the scent of her. She smelled the same, and she sounded the same, and she felt the same. 'But I've missed you so much.'

Since his desertion of the First Order, he'd heard people talking about him often. They thought he was too naïve, too nice, for the galaxy. Rose had even gone as far as to scream it into his face once when she was particularly angry with him.

Maybe they were right. But here he didn't care. Rey was his first ever friend, the first person in his life he'd truly cared about. She may have hurt him with her silence, but he understood that she'd had her reasons, and he knew that he would forgive her anything because she was his friend.

Rey smiled through the warm tears dripping onto his neck. 'I've missed you too. And I'm so sorry Finn.'

Eventually, he forced himself to pull back from her, holding her at arm's length. 'Let me look at you. You look the same.'

'It's only been three years.' She laughed.

'I know, I know.' He was too happy for rational thought, it was just too good to see her again.

'Finn?' He heard a quiet voice from behind him, one that was reluctant to interrupt his happiness.

'Oh yeah!' Finn ran back to where Poe was standing, grabbing his sleeve, and dragging him over to meet a beaming Rey.

'Poe, this is Rey. Rey, Poe. He's my…' His voice trailed off and his hand began to fidget as he tried to think of the right word. 'Boyfriend' just didn't seem to encapsulate what they were to each other.

But after a few seconds, Rey decided to save him, 'I get it Finn.' She laughed. And she did. She and Ben were in the same position and she'd recognised Finn's conundrum as soon as his voice had stopped. How could you describe someone who's everything to you, without an official title like 'husband'?

She reached out her hand, 'Pleased to meet you, Poe.'

'Likewise.'

'I'm glad you've decided to help us.' Leia stated. They had gone inside the Resistance ship, but the small space was dominated by Ben's large body and it unnerved her.

'It was Rey's choice to do so, not mine.' He said absently, toying with a blaster someone had left behind on a previous mission.

'Yes, she seems quite determined.'

'Why wouldn't she be?' He turned to face the woman before him, 'The Jedi texts contain a lot of information that would be dangerous in the wrong hands. It's hardly a revelation that she'd be desperate to get them back.'

Leia's eyebrows rose sharply. She was surprised that Rey would have mentioned the Jedi texts to Ben- especially as their previous meeting suggested that Rey hadn't disclosed everything to him, such as Leia's connection to Nocoma.

He snorted at her with derision. 'Don't give me that look. She told me about them a long time ago. She also mentioned that she asked the Wookie to hide them somewhere safe if she didn't return. I wonder why he chose not to?'

She chose to ignore his question, wanting to find out more about their relationship, 'It's good that you have no secrets from each other.'

He laughed darkly, 'Oh, we have secrets. For example, I've yet to tell her that it was you who contacted the First Order and told them where we were, mere days ago.'

Leia's reply was calm, he was an intelligent man and she'd expected him to work it out quickly, 'I have no idea what you're talking about.'

'Neither of us have time for your games, General. Someone contacted the First Order and told them that we were leaving Nocoma. They sent TIE fighters to search the system. It was just pure luck that it was them who found us, and not the destroyer that had brought them so far out.'

'And why do you think any of that was me? If that happened after I left you, then it was a coincidence.' They both knew her words were just lip service, a denial she was expected to make in this game of chess they were playing.

'I told you, I don't have time for games.' He snarled at her, 'Coincidences like that don't just happen, and you are the only person in the galaxy who both knew where we were and had something to gain from the attack. You needed to speak to me again if you wanted help for the Resistance, preferably after Rey had had a chance to soften my resolve I imagine.'

He breathed deeply, calming himself a little after his tirade, 'Though I am surprised you were willing to risk your own life to get me here, it's not really your style. You must have known there was a chance I would kill you for this.'

At least he was being honest with her, 'I thought that the benefits outweighed the risks if it meant securing your help. We need those texts back, before the First Order get their hands on any force sensitives who could use them.'

'You really don't know anything, do you? If the First Order has those texts, then the Knights of Ren will already be trying to translate them, if they haven't already.' He replied.

Leia chose to ignore the slight. 'We believe that Hux purged the Knights of Ren shortly after becoming Supreme Leader.'

'No. Their actions became less overt, but Rey and I made sure to keep an ear out for any news or rumours, so we could keep one step ahead of them. It's obvious that they're still out there, if you know the signs.'

'Then it's worse than I imagined.' She said quietly, her mind already buzzing with the implications this news could have on the Resistance.

'Yes, and it's the only reason I'm not fighting Rey and her determination to help you.'

His answer surprised her. He'd been in hiding with Rey for so long now, most of the galaxy had assumed them dead. Why would the Knights of Ren not have thought the same?

'You think they'll come after you, even after all this time?'

'The First Order has been hunting us since the moment we left, having the texts will only serve to embolden them. I don't think they will, I know they will.'

Yes, let her think that that's why you're helping, because you want to stop the Knights, Ben thought to himself. In truth, when he'd first read the Wookie's message, he'd been worried, believing the loss of the Jedi texts to be a massive blow to his own plans. But now that he'd had a chance to think, he wasn't so sure.

For now, though, he needed the Resistance's help, and that would be so much easier with the General tied on a string.

'You don't realise how lucky you are.' He said pointedly, 'Rey's smart, and if it wasn't for her fondness and belief in you she would have easily put together the pieces and realised that you were the one to contact the First Order.' Leia schooled her face into a picture of neutrality. He wouldn't have chosen to speak to her in private if he was going to reveal anything to Rey, so where was he going with this?

'I actually admire your tactics, General. You knew exactly which strings to pull to manipulate me into considering helping you. Maybe you have more darkness inside of you than you let on.'

'Ben, everything I do is…'

Her words trailed off as he leaned in close to his mother's face, his much larger form looming over her until they were practically standing nose to nose. 'But if you ever do something like this to my family again, I will not hesitate to tell Rey that it was your actions that put her son directly in the path of the First Order, and she will not lift a finger when I strike you down where you stand. Have I made myself clear?'

'Perfectly.'