Chapter 3: Life in Color

"You're here!" Rey cried, darting out of the studio and flinging herself into Poe's arms.

"Hey!" He caught her easily, wrapping his arms around her frame and pulling her into a tight hug.

When he released her, she saw Finn. Her smile almost outgrew her face. "Peanut!" He greeted her, as he lifted her up, twirling them both around in the parking lot. She giggled, embracing him tighter as he sped up.

"I'm so glad you're here. I can't wait to show you around."

"We brought your stuff," Poe said.

"And more importantly we brought food!" Finn added on.

"Food isn't as important as the wine," Poe inserted, so Finn didn't take all the credit.

Finn waved him off, ignoring the quip, as he set Rey down. "I ordered enough for a small army, because I know how you are you, Peanut."

"Thanks," Rey replied, sarcastically, but it didn't diminish the wide grin on her face.

She moved around to the trunk she saw there were three cardboard boxes. Rey stared down at the three boxes. The bulk of what she owned, were stored in them.

Rey had never considered herself poor, despite her circumstances. Poor meant she was in need. Poor meant she went without. Poor meant she required a level of assistance to get back on her feet. And while in part, all of those definitions fit her, she refused to believe them.

She didn't need better or more possessions. She had the clothes on her back, her Triumph, and a cell phone. It was far more than most. She didn't go without. Though there had been nights she went to bed hungry, she had survived. She had always been resourceful. She didn't need assistance, but she did need her cheering squad. Poe and Finn's support was worth more to her than any amount of financial aid or government stipend had ever been. They were her rock, her stronghold. But even before them she had had something special.

She had had herself.

Rey wasn't aware of when she had become her own hero. She had purely had no other choice. Survival was for those who could fight, endure the conditions without falling to pieces. There had been nights she had cried herself to sleep. There had been days when she wanted to give up.

But she hadn't.

The promise of a new day, of a new opportunity had always hung on the horizon. It had been enough to give her hope.

She understood there were others out there who had it worse. Some didn't have a warm place to sleep at night. Others hadn't eaten in days. She told had told herself she was lucky. She had promised herself she would outlast Plutt's cruelty. Even when he came home drunk, looking for an outlet, she had told herself she could do it. She could hold on.

And she had.

Looking to the entrance, she spotted her new landlord and boss.

"Master Luke," she beamed at him, as they approached. "These are the friends I told you about. Poe Dameron and Finn Storm."

"Welcome." Luke extended a shake to each, regarding them in the same calm manner he had when Rey had first met him. The boys both shifted their boxes to their hips to return the gesture. She wondered if Master Luke could sense a person's true nature just by looking at them. Maybe it had something to do with the chi ideology had mentioned before in his office.

"It's nice to meet you both," he spoke with the same calm tone.

"You're a legend," Poe exclaimed. Though Rey knew little about the fighting world, she knew Poe admired it. It was in his DNA. He had grown up hearing about Luke Skywalker's successful time in the ring. Though his mother had never allowed him to watch any of the fights live, his father had recapped them for him. Rey saw how his eyes lit up upon seeing his childhood hero standing in front of him in the flesh.

"Legends are only tall tales."

"And I suppose all those titles are fantasy too?"

Her master chuckled at Poe's persistence. "It was a long time ago. I doubt most even remember."

"Yeah, right," Poe dismissed Luke's reaction as modesty. "As if anyone could forget how you defeated the Empire's prize fighter."

Rey caught a faint spasm at the corner of Luke's eyes.

"I wish they would," he muttered, almost inaudible. Then the unease vanished, replaced with a kind grin. "Do you need any help?"

"No, we've got it, sir," Finn replied.

Luke turned to Rey with laughter now in his blue eyes. "I must look older than I thought." She snickered at his joke. Her friends didn't catch on. "Let me know if you need anything. I'm going to water my bonsai and head out for the night."

"It was nice to meet you," Poe inclined his head to the older man.

"You as well."

Rey led them inside, pausing at the door to the studio. She had forgotten about her perfunctory conversation with Ben. Peeking in, she noticed he was gone. She felt herself deflate. She had wanted to introduce her friends to him, thinking he'd like them. Everyone liked Poe and Finn. She stalled by the entry way for a moment longer, considering if she should check the garden, but decided against it. If he wanted to be antisocial, it wasn't her problem.

She led the boys to the office, navigating them around the cluttered mess that was Luke's desk, to the stairwell.

"How's it going at Raddus, Poe?" Rey asked.

Neither had noticed her hesitation by the studio. Normally her friends were on her if she faltered, but today they remained blissfully ignorant. She was glad.

"Admiral Holdo has him running the trainee's drills," Finn chuckled. "On top of his promotion."

"Oh," Rey's face fell at the sarcasm of the last word. She knew Poe's feelings on his supervisor. "She still hasn't forgiven you for the mutiny, huh?"

"Mutiny?" He scoffed. "You act like I was trying to relieve her of her command!"

"You were!" Her and Finn chorused.

"It was only a petition."

"You asked everyone at Raddus to sign to force her to step down," Rey reminded him, dropping her box on the floor. She held the door open for her friends. They followed her in, placing their haul in her vacant living room. "You're just mad you got caught," Rey added.

"How was I supposed to know she was friends with the Senator?"

"They didn't award her the title Vice Admiral for looking pretty," Rey insisted. "And I do like her hair. No wonder she left the military."

Poe had been offered a job working at New Republic before he had graduated. He had interned there since he had obtained his pilot's license, spending every summer working full-time until he returned for classes in the fall. The military contractor was highly regarded. They were offended used for training new recruits or even private security teams. Many of the employees were ex-military. Poe had wanted to enlist, but his parents had urged him not to. It hadn't stopped him. He had gone to register. He was a 'bull-headed fly-boy' even then. At least that was what the nurse had dubbed him upon completing his psychological evaluation. However, that didn't stop her from slipping her number to him along with his papers.

Poe would have served, had it not been for his mother's collapse. Shara Bey Dameron had been a pilot too. As a squadron leader, she had seen the affects of war on her team and their families. She had met Kes, his father, on one of her missions. Part of an elite special forces team, the army man shared her view. After their next tour, they had left, marrying and moving to Yavin. Poe was born a year later, their only child.

As strong willed as his mother had been, her final battle wasn't fought in the skies. It was fought within herself. Diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer, after being treated for what appeared to be a simple fall, Shara had refused treatment. Both Poe and his father had argued with her. Rey didn't believe either of them understood her decision. She did. Perhaps it was because she only knew the woman from photos and Poe's tales, but she could see why the beautiful soldier denied radiation and chemotherapy. Treatment was costly. Treatment was painful. Treatment took more out of a person than the disease. If Rey had been in the situation Shara had been in, she was fairly certain she'd want her last days to be filled with love, instead of pain.

When Poe's mother had lost her battle to cancer during his senior year of high school, he had promised her he would never enter active duty. It had been her dying wish that her baby boy enjoyed his life of freedom, a life she had fought so hard to win for him.

The decision had been difficult for him. Poe was a big risk taker. He threw himself into action, sometimes haphazardly. At first, Rey had thought he was overly cocky. As she had come to know him better, she realized it was simply his nature. Poe didn't have a hero's complex. He wasn't searching for any gratification. He just couldn't stand idly by. His convictions ran too deep. If he saw a problem, he parted the seas in order to find a solution. It was admirable.

However, in the case of his boss, it was also irresponsible.

Amilyn Holdo was a highly respected and decorated war heroine. Her efforts during her time of Service had earned her a position as commanding officer of the Ninka, a B-52 Stratofortress. She had been one of the few female commanders. If her rise in ranks wasn't impressive enough, she had also managed to intercept intelligence regarding an upcoming attack. The information saved hundreds, if not thousands of lives, even if the exact details were classified.

The woman had an impressive track record. Despite her loyalty to the military, she was outspoken and often sported an eccentric hair color. The flavor of the month was currently a shade of amethyst. Rey thought it was her best choice yet.

It was unclear why Holdo had discharged from the Air Force. There was speculation, as there Always was when someone as esteemed as her stepped down. When she had been appointed the new leader at New Resistance, Poe had been ecstatic. He had heard of her exploits. Foolishly, he had tried to impress her with his own track record.

His prior boss had furnished him with numerous compliments on everything from his skill as a pilot to his training of new recruits. It had inflated Poe's ego. He had been ignorant to it, of course, only seeing the compliments as justification for his confidence in approaching Holdo.

She had shot him down.

He had very nearly lost his job after his stunt with the petition. He was fortunate his supervisor had merely demoted him. Rey figured it had more to do with Poe's expertise than his attitude. In spite of his ill-advised move against the Admiral, he was an asset. In the end, she had kept him on board.

"Why did you try to push her out?" Finn wanted to know.

"She was in talks with Star Tours. She wanted to be awarded a contract with them."

"The tourist transports?"

"Yep."

Rey laughed. "Guess we know who won that round."

Once he had been demoted, Admiral Holdo had awarded Poe the position of primary pilot for Corellia's premiere helicopter tours. It was a luxury tour of the city from a birds eye view, or at least that was what the website claimed. Poe was not amused. She changed the subject.

"Finn? Are you getting more comfortable at D'Qar?"

Finn had studied Food Science and Nutrition at Cal Poly. He wanted to develop healthy eating to combat illness and disease. He had found an entry level lab position at D'Qar Discovery, a Food Science company in the city. They had been researching the effects of nutrition on the population since the early 70's. Finn had worked as a janitor for them before college to earn money for his degree.

Like Rey, he had come out of the system with no known family. It was one of the reasons they had bonded so effortlessly. No one understood the loneliness of being an orphan than another orphan. It gave them a shove into the real world, a basis for moving up and onward.

"It's good...great, really," he replied. "I have been assisting a team developing a safer manufacturing process for frozen vegetables. Did you know the rate of frozen food consumption has increased by 59% in the last ten years?" He made a face. "I mean I know people are busy but the preservatives alone could kill you!"

Poe gave a snort. "You mean like the stuff in the macaroni and cheese you downed at lunch today?"

"Hey! That was organic."

"Sure it was."

"It was!"

"Terrestria is one of the best farm to table cafes in the city," Finn objected.

"I didn't see the NOP mark on your dish," Poe commented.

"It doesn't work that way and you know it."

Rey smirked. Her friends squabbled like a married couple. It was sweet. Where Poe was a hot-shot pilot, who had the ego the size of a small country (even if he didn't realize it), Finn was a down to earth, old soul. He held the same fire, as Poe when it came to a cause he was passionate about. Usually he was more level-headed about how he handled it.

She ripped into her box, revealing a pile of jeans, cargo pants, and her only pair of dress khakis. Those had been what she had been forced to wear to her university interview, having no money to even buy a sundress at the Goodwill. Thankfully, It had been enough.

Poe's box had her shoes on the bottom and the top was piled with t-shirts, hoodies, and one simple black cardigan. Finn got the leftovers — her bathroom essentials, undergarments, and a few minor knick knacks she had hoarded.

All in all, it was a huge haul, but everything in those boxes was hers. She had bought it with her own money. It was her property. There was a satisfaction in that fact. What she needed, she worked for, like these precious belongings. What she couldn't secure by traditional means, she built for herself, like her motorcycle. As with her unyielding hope, she drew power from herself.

A crash, startled Rey. She stared over at her best friend, who was scooting across the floor, putting as much distanced between himself and the now overturned box of her belongings.

"I didn't see anything!" Finn shrieked, as he covered his face with both hands.

Rey cracked up at his reaction to unearthing a black lace bra. "You're such a prude," she teased, yanking the box away from him. "I'll put these away so I don't corrupt your innocence."

"Too late," Poe called after her with a wicked grin.

Rey carried her items up to the bedroom area, leaving the box on one of the shelves. She could figure out her organization method later. For now, she wanted to make the most of her time with her friends. As pleased as she was to have a place of her own, she was going to miss living with them. Coming home every night to their chatter, knowing they were only a hallway away from her when she slept, and having someone to share her day with — it was all going to disappear when they left.

They would still call, she knew, and there was always FaceTime and Skype. Still, Rey knew it wasn't the same as being in the same apartment, throwing half-cooked noodles at each other in the kitchen while they attempted to cook, or banging on the wall when the too made too much noise during their 'alone time.'

She'd miss them.

Collecting the next box, she brought it up to her bedroom area, followed by the final one. When she returned to the living room area, Finn had brought in the take-out and Poe was laying out a sleeping bag and pillow. Rey nearly teared up at the sight. Her beautiful boys. They were always taking care of her.

"It's not much, but the car doesn't fit a mattress," Poe sighed, scratching the back of his neck. "But we'll find you something."

"It's perfect." Rey wrapped one arm around him and her other around Finn, drawing them both against her. "What did I ever do to deserve you two?"

"Blood sacrifice?"

"Promised us your first born?"

"Jerks." She playfully smacked them, as she stepped back, but she couldn't keep the smile off her face.

"This place is nice, Peanut." Finn said, as they sat all together in a circle in the middle of her apartment. "It's actually bigger than our place."

"Yeah, but you two live in the city," Rey pointed out. "And you actually have to pay your rent."

"You're not paying rent?" Poe asked.

"Nope, it's part of my compensation for working here," she told them. "Which means, I don't make much, but at least I have somewhere to live while I look for another job."

"I just wish you weren't so far away," Finn sighed.

Rey laughed, raising an eyebrow at him. "It's only thirty miles. It isn't even an hour drive."

"We don't drive. We're city folk, now," he retorted.

"Then take the bus."

"I'd rather get here in one piece," Poe commented with an eye roll. He was rather particular about driving. Rey assumed it was because he liked to be in charge, another trait from his mother.

"So what is it like in Tatooine?" Finn asked, digging into their Chinese. He plucked a dumpling up with his chopsticks before depositing the entire thing in his mouth. Rey laughed at Poe's face.

"And you say I have bad table manners!" she cried.

"Peanut," Finn joined in with her laugh, "There is no table."

"Floor manners?"

"Manners schmanners," Poe mumbled through his own mouthful of food. "Our baby Rey is all grown up." He fluttered his eyes dramatically, placing a hand over his heart.

"Drama king!" Rey shoved him playfully, his earlier question forgotten.

"The worst," Finn agreed. "Oh wait! I almost forgot." He turned around to dig through his bag for his external speaker. After a minute, he had pulled up his favorite Spotify playlist and the apartment was filled with music.

Rey started rocking back and forth to the beat, recognizing the pop song. It had a dance vibe. Food forgotten on the floor, she started a barefoot shuffle around her apartment.

Free. I'm finally free, she thought as she moved. No more Plutt. No more scraping together a few dollars for food. No more sleepless nights lying awake worried about where she'd end up. She was home. Finally.

Even with no furniture and no decorations, she felt secure and safe. This place was hers, for as long as she was here. Luke had been kind to her, much kinder than a stranger should have been. He had given her the chance to belong, a chance to truly be a part of something.

She wouldn't ever forget it.

This place, so outdated and forgotten looking, had chosen her. She felt it. She had felt it on her motorcycle, the pull to the academy. Being here now, she could feel the pull was stronger, as if she was tethered to the very foundation. And she knew, though she had no reason to, she could put down roots here. She could have this space, this life. It would truly be hers.

Poe and Finn began cat-calling her, teasing her for her goofy dancing. She didn't care. It was the most liberated she had been in ages. She wanted to dance all night and scream out her balcony window. But she was sure her new neighbors would not approve. So she settled for simply dancing.

Finn joined her and shortly after Poe until the three of them were jumping around, turning in each other's arms, and generally being silly. Rey's cheeks started to burn from laughing so hard. They were a bunch of dorks, but they were her dorks. And she loved them.

Maybe she didn't have a family, in the conventional sense, but she had Finn and Poe. They had taught her how to open herself up again, how to learn to trust people. Without their support she never would have driven out here and found Master Luke. He would teach her more. More about herself. More about martial arts. More.

And then there was his nephew.

Ben Solo.

Kylo Ren.

Whatever name he was going by. She thought it best to call him Ben. Luke did. Rey was fairly certain Senator Organa would call her son by his birth name. So she would too.

First impressions were not always telling. The man was rude. There wasn't a way around it. She had heard him hollering about her to his uncle in the office. She knew his opinion of her was quite low. She couldn't understand why.

Rey had been nothing but nice to him, with the minor exception of when she had called him out at the coffee shop. She had no idea who he was or that he was apparently famous. To be honest, she didn't really care. He was just a person, like her. Being successful didn't make him a god. Though he did seem to have a god-sized ego on him.

As the trio finished their impromptu dance, the playlist concluded. Finn selected the slightly more soothing sound of alternative, soft rock music. The cords of a Coldplay song filtered through the apartment, as they finished up their Chinese. Before long, Rey found herself checking her phone to realize how late it had become.

"Do you guys know someone called Kylo Ren?" She found herself asking, as they cleaned up.

Poe laughed. "Mr. Tall, Dark, and Asshole? Yeah, what about him?"

Rey bit back her bottom lip, unsure if she should say anything. There was speculation about what had happened to Ben Solo after he had left his parents, but she had never heard anyone report he had become Kylo Ren. Blowing his cover or whatever it was, probably wouldn't earn her any points with him.

"I heard his name today. I don't know anything about him."

It wasn't a lie, just not a whole truth.

"He's the reigning champ. He won the Welterweight title this year. It's the fifth time in a row for him. He's a big deal."

"Hey!" Finn huffed.

"You'll always be my big deal," Poe assured his boyfriend, planting a quick kiss on his temple.

Rey giggled. When Finn had met Poe, he had been masquerading as an older, more accomplished student in order to impress him. Poe had seen through the facade. He had let Finn pose for a while before the charade fell apart. Poe had asked him out the very same day. To this day, though, he still teased him, calling Finn 'Big Deal.'

To Rey, it was endearing. She had never seen a couple as much in love as her two best friends. It was like they were made for each other.

"However, he's bad news."

"Huh?"

Finn repeated himself. "Ren. He's bad news. Got himself thrown out of the MMA for a while. He knocked some guy out."

Rey raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that the point? I mean that's the kind of career they are in. Isn't it an occupational hazard?"

"In the ring, yes. Outside the ring, not so much."

"Oh."

Luke had mentioned Ben had some issues. She hadn't asked, not wishing to offend her new mentor. What Finn had told her piqued her curiosity.

"So why's he do it?"

Her friend shrugged. "No one is sure. The tabloids have been pitching all kinds of rubbish, but you can never be sure. It's all hearsay."

She nodded and took that as her cue to stop asking about it. She didn't want her friends to get suspicious about her sudden interest in a dangerous man. Rey didn't want to keep secrets from them, but she felt protective of Ben's private life. It wasn't her information to share.

Regardless of how mean he was to her, she would not lower herself to his level.

Life had been mean to her. It had sent her down a rocky path. She didn't use it as an excuse. Life is what you make it. She had seen that quote somewhere when she was growing up. It had given her a new outlook. Instead of focusing on the fact her parents had abandoned her, she focused on how she could make her life better.

Hardships, bad circumstances, disappointments —- it was pressure. Pressure crafted diamonds. She wasn't going to crack underneath it. She was going to channel it into something beautiful, something more valuable.

Ben Solo wasn't going to break her.

If he didn't like her, too bad. He'd learn to, or he'd learn to get over himself. Rey wasn't going to let him get to her. She had found her place. She wasn't about to let some foul-tempered, entitled wanker run her off. No, sir. She wasn't scared of him.

Tomorrow morning, she'd go in there and do whatever chores Master Luke gave her. She'd devote herself to her training and finding another part-time job. She'd fill up her schedule with so many tasks, she wouldn't have time to worry about Mr. Solo.

He had said he wanted her gone. That wasn't going to happen. He could try. He could be as cruel to her as Plutt. She knew she could take it. He could snarl insults at her, call her trash. She'd heard it before. He could smash a hundred lamps and she'd just clean it up with a smile.

Bring it on, asshole.

Hit me with your best shot.

A/N: I know there wasn't much of Kylo/Ben in this chapter. I promise there will be in the next. I'm laying the ground work for them. And for those who have asked, yes, Rey and Kylo/Ben are going to fight, though I'd call it sparring. Who is up for a little sexual tension?

As always, a HUGE shout out to my Beta myheadsinthegalaxy (YOU ARE AWESOME) and a special thank you to shortystarrose for reaching out on this update!

Soundtrack for the chapter:
Waves - Kathryn Ostenberg
Fires - These Your Children
There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back - Shawn Mendes
Roman Holiday - Halsey