She takes her time getting back, enjoying the Christmas lights and the quaintness of the whole neighborhood. She doesn't knock when she gets back to the house. Shara has told her she doesn't need to. She's family. For now at least. When she steps through the front door, she doesn't find Shara or Mr. Dameron there.

She finds someone else.

Someone tall, very tall she realizes as she comes closer to him, with dark hair that falls in waves to just below his chin and eyes that stop her dead in her tracks.

Cousin Ben.

He's scowling at her, she realizes, his eyebrows knit together.

So she does what Rey does best. "You must be the cousin!" she says brightly.

"Who the hell are you?" he asks.

Shara comes around the corner, dishtowel still in hand. "Ben," she admonishes. "None of that language here." He says nothing in response and Shara just sighs. "Ben, this is Rey. Poe's girlfriend." She says the last like it's some grand thing. And Rey supposes it is in a way. Poe doesn't have girlfriends. He has boyfriends.

Ben glances at Shara and then back to Rey and his eyebrows shoot up. There's this look on his face. She can't define it, part shock, part amusement. "Really, then."

"Yes! I'm here visiting with him for the holidays." She holds out her hand and Ben just glances at it.

"Benjamin." Shara sounds exasperated. "Just shake the girl's hand. I know your parents raised you better than that."

A dark look crosses Ben's face and the furrow between his brows is back, deeper than before. "You know not to…"

"Yes, yes I know. Go get to know Rey. She's an important part of your cousin's life." She swats at him with the dish towel and disappears into the other room.

Rey is left in the unenviable position of being stared at by Ben. He says nothing as they're left standing in the vestibule of the house.

"You're blocking my way," she says, trying for nice even though she really wants to scream from the way his gaze is making her squirm.

"You're Poe's girlfriend?" There's something in the tone of voice that sends a bit of dread right into the pit of Rey's stomach.

"That's what they say." She cringes at the words. Just play it cool, Rey. He doesn't know anything.

One of his dark eyebrows rises and he gives her an assessing look, his gaze trailing down her body and back up. She'd be lying if she didn't feel at least somewhat warm from that rather frank gaze. "You don't look like his type."

Rey gapes at him. How rude! "And just what is his type, Mr…"

"Just Ben is fine."

She lets out a little snarl of frustration. "Fine, Just Ben. What is his type if I'm not it?"

He doesn't respond, instead glancing over his shoulder to where Shara had disappeared. "Nevermind," he finally mutters.

She gapes at him for a moment and wants to say something, anything, to defend her relationship with Poe. And then she realizes she has no relationship with him. He's not her boyfriend, not in reality, and she's not even sure why she wants to defend this ridiculous fake relationship they've created. But she has to keep up the pretense, at least for the next few days. She can fake dump him next week.

"Fine," she says. "I guess Poe was right about you." She shoves past him then, too close really as he steps back slightly. She brushes against him and how could she not considering the man is built like a Goddamn tree. Poe didn't mention that he was so fucking huge. And he didn't mention what nice hair he had or the intense gaze or those lips that even now are pressed together in some sort of anger or frustration or something.

He got the personality right, though. He just left off some pertinent details that Rey wishes she had been prepared for.

"What did he say about me?" he asks just as she hits the bottom step to head up to bed.

"Pardon?" Rey says as she whirls back to him.

"What did he…?" Ben starts to say and she's surprised to see there's a bit of color on his pale cheeks.

"He said you were an asshole and I should stay away from you."

Ben cringes slightly at that, but Rey doesn't give him a chance to respond to her announcement. She turns and races up the stairs and she's thankful that he neither says another word nor follows her up.

When Rey heads downstairs the next morning, she's almost immediately confronted by Ben again. It seems that he's an early riser like her. Well, maybe not early riser. It's past 8:00am, so she supposes it's not that early in the day.

She yawns and stretches as she sets foot in the kitchen. He is there already.

"Poe still asleep?" he asks, not even looking up from his cup of disgustingly black coffee and the newspaper he has spread out in front of him.

"He must be," she says with a shrug.

"It must be difficult for you." Ben's voice is almost conversational and Rey looks around, trying to find some means to escape, someone else to talk to, anything that might save her.

She sighs. "Ok, I'll bite. What must be?"

Ben looks up at her then and she realizes something she didn't quite comprehend in the hallway the night before. He's a very striking man. Not attractive exactly. His features are somewhat over-exaggerated. Long nose, deep set eyes that narrow too quickly, rather generous lips, and oversized ears that stick out through his thick, dark hair.

When he smirks, she has to amend her assessment of him. The lips are definitely attractive. The things a man like him could do with those lips. Her thoughts are downright lewd and she has to pull them back when he speaks again. "Sleeping apart from your boyfriend, I mean."

"Oh…" She feels the heat creep up her cheeks and turns her face slightly away from him, tugging at the ends of her hair. Why didn't she have longer hair again? Something, anything, to hide the blush she knows is there. Finn always tells her that her every thought can be read on her face. "I…we're not like that…I mean, we haven't dated that long," she finishes lamely.

Ben's face breaks out into a ridiculous smile and she finds herself somewhat surprised by his uneven teeth. This is America and everyone has these beautiful perfect smiles. But not Ben. There's a small gap there and they're just slightly crooked. It lends a certain charm to his more severe features. "I see," he says and glances back down at his newspaper.

"What do you mean by that?" she shoots back at him and then cringes. End the conversation, Rey. This can go nowhere good, Rey.

He looks back up at her. "Nothing." His eyes are wide with an innocent that must be feigned. You're feeling guilty, Rey. "Did you think I meant something?"

"No. Of course not." She breathes an almost audible sigh of relief when he looks back down at the paper.

Poe steps into the room then, eyes a little bleary and, if Rey is to be totally honest, looking completely and utterly fucked. Goddammit Poe, can't you two at least wait until we're back in the safety of our apartments? Leave it to Poe to get it on with Finn in his own parent's house. It's probably an extra bit of excitement for the oversexed bastard.

"Good morning," he mumbles.

"Poe!" Rey says, voice a little too bright.

"Everything ok here?" he asks as he takes in both her and Ben.

"Just fine," Rey answers.

Ben looks from one to the other and that damned smirk comes back. "What? No good morning kiss?"

"We're not…"

"Like that?" Ben asks.

Poe glares at him. "Not in my parent's house."

"Hmph," Ben says and the look he shoots Poe is just a little too long and a little too knowing for her comfort.

Poe ignores Ben, grabbing some cereal and a cup of coffee to sit down at the table across from his cousin. From where Rey is standing, she really can't see many similarities between them. The hair, maybe. Both had thick, dark hair that waved in ways Rey could only imagine for her own hair. But that was about it.

Poe was conventionally handsome, strong jaw, even features.

Ben is all awkward angles and everything too large. And yet…as she watches the two of them hunched over different parts of the paper, downing their coffee, Ben's black like everything else about him, Poe's light and sweet, she realizes she prefers Ben's unconventional looks.

"Come sit down, darling," Poe says and she almost rolls her eyes at the way he overemphasizes the word.

She doesn't want to make a fuss over it, and so sits. But she gives Poe a look anyway.

"What?" he says and she supposes the look of false innocence on his face does in fact mirror his cousin's. "It's better than what I called her at first."

"What did you call her at first?" Ben says through a mouthful of muffin.

"Peach. She hated it." Well, at least that is the truth.

Ben looks from Poe to her. "I imagine that she did."

"You don't even know her," Poe says and the words are laced with something. Not competiveness exactly. But certainly some bit of manly pride.

"Poe," she starts to say.

Ben watches his cousin for a moment and then finally tosses the newspaper on the table. "No," he says to Poe and then his eyes flit back over to her. "No I don't." And then he's gone, getting up from the table and slamming the paper down on it as he turns and walks out of the room.

"Oh thank God," Poe mutters under his breath. "I'm sorry your day had to start with such a black cloud over it. I promise it'll get better."

Rey shrugs. "He's not so bad."

"Not so…"

"Well, you're right that he's kind of an asshole. But I can handle my own." She offers the last with a shrug. "I've dealt with much worse."

Poe says nothing for a moment and then finally nods. "Right. Plutt. And some of your foster brothers." He's heard the horrors she grew up with. Dealing with the grumpy cousin of her fake boyfriend is really nothing to her.

"Exactly. So don't worry about me. I can handle him."

"I didn't think for a minute you couldn't." Poe offers up his glass and she clicks hers against his.

Poe takes Finn and Rey out sightseeing that afternoon, leaving one grumpy cousin far behind. She suggests taking him along and Poe reminds her that for one thing, he knows the area and for another, he'd very much like to hold hands with Finn and he can't exactly do that if Ben comes along.

And then he reminds her that he's a complete asshole and she supposes that's that.

Halfway through their afternoon, Rey can tell that Finn and Poe are itching to have a bit more alone time. Not that they didn't have plenty the night before. Both look a little worse for the wear and Finn, who Poe lasciviously tells her he wore out the night before, slept until nearly 11:00am. His mother had just laughed and offered up college students with an amused smile.

"Guys, I think I'd like to sit for awhile. Is there a coffee shop near here somewhere?" She can see Poe and Finn relax a little, watching the way they exchange quick smiles.

"Oh sure. Will you be ok on your own for a bit? Finn and I would like to…uh…"

"Do some 'sight-seeing' of your own?" She smirks. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Finn asks. He looks concerned and she wants to hug him for that. Finn has always been there for her, the big brother she never knew she needed. She calls him her brother to other people and is always amused at the looks she gets when they meet him. Rey dear, are you sure he's your brother?

Adopted brother. It doesn't matter. He's hers and she is his and they're family. She's already promised to be the best woman in his wedding.

"I'm fine," she reiterates. "I have my phone and most coffee shops have a wireless connection. I'm good. Just show me where to go and don't forget about me before you go back."

They leave. Finally. And she has peace and quiet and a lovely cup of tea. Add to that the beautiful view out the window of the coffee shop and she's very thankful for the reprieve.