Poe wanted to think that he was ready to lead. He wanted to think that he knew what to do; that he would be able to make the right call at all times, but he knew that wasn't possible. He knew that he would make mistakes, but he only hoped that he didn't make any for the next few hours. He knew that things were coming to a conclusion and he knew that meant that he had to get things right. He had to lead people into battle and have faith that they would win and escape with hardly any casualties.

"You can talk to me."

He had been awake early the following morning, hardly having slept that night. He had gone outside before the sun had broken, leaving Rosella on the cot next to his. She had been sleeping after waking from a nightmare, Poe having tried to soothe her and get her to go back to sleep. He was perched on the top of a hill, his legs bent and his arms dangling over his knees.

There was a gentle breeze in the air, Rosella's hair blowing behind her shoulders as she sat down next to him, arms brushing gently. She looked to him as he continued to stare straight ahead, watching the sun slowly rise from above the treeline. Rosella moved to press a kiss against his shirt covered shoulder before laying her head there. Closing her eyes, she waited for Poe to say something to her. He kissed her on the top of her head, her hair a mess from where she hadn't bothered to comb it that morning just yet.

"The First Order blew up Kijimi," Poe said to Rosella and she lifted her head up, eyes widening as she looked to him and he nodded, glancing back down to her. "It was a blast from a Star Destroyer…a ship from the new Sith fleet that was sent by the Emperor from Exegol."

"I…you know what this means, don't you?" Rosella checked with him.

"You were right," Poe said to her. "Your information about Exegol and the ships…it was all right."

"I never wanted it to be," Rosella whispered, moving to kiss him on the cheek, forehead pressing to his shoulder and Poe moved an arm around her shoulders, keeping her to him. "But perhaps there are others out there who will fight with you."

"Well, I hope so because I can't do this alone," Poe said to Rosella. "And I was thinking that it might be best if you and Katrine…if you go somewhere else. If the First Order get word of us being here then I don't want us to be their next target. You need to take her somewhere else."

"Where?" Rosella wondered. "Where is safe, Poe? There is nowhere for us to go that the First Order cannot find."

"But there has to be somewhere safer than here," Poe said. "I know we've done this before, but I'm willing to do it again. I'm willing to do anything I can to keep you and her safe, Rose. She's our little girl, alright? We're the only ones who can protect her."

Rosella picked her head up then, looking over Poe and allowing her eyes to scan his features. There was worry on his face, that much was clear.

"Our little girl?" Rosella echoed back to him and Poe shrugged, trying to remain calm, wondering what Rosella was thinking.

"Well…I mean, she…she might not be our daughter in flesh and blood, but I guess I just see her as ours now."

Rosella remained silent for a moment before her lips arched and Poe's chest deflated in relief that he hadn't said something he wasn't supposed to. He remembered that they had talked about this before – the possibility of the three of them becoming some kind of family. Poe knew they would be rather dysfunctional, but he didn't mind that. In fact, it was what made them who they were.

"I do too," Rosella agreed on that point and Poe kissed her on the forehead before they heard Finn's voice in the distance, shouting for Poe.

Moving to his feet, Poe offered his hand down to Rosella and helped her up, keeping her fingers inside of his before they moved off towards Finn, meeting him halfway. Poe's gaze drifter down to Rosella, noting how she was toying with the chain around her neck, the ring resting just by her chest. He fully intended on placing his mother's ring on her finger one day soon.

"What is it, Finn?" Poe queried.

"I think that I might have something. The droid said something interesting and I think it might be useful. It's about Exegol."

Rosella looked down and noted the droid trundling just a few paces behind Finn. Poe also looked down to the small little droid.

"What? Coneface?" Poe asked and Rosella almost scoffed at the nickname she had given the droid as it snapped back at Poe.

"I am D-O," it's mechanical voice whirled.

"Sorry, D-O," Poe apologised, raising his free hand down to the creature.

"He was going to Exegol with Ochi of Bestoon."

"And why was Ochi going there?" Poe queried.

"To bring the little girl he was supposed to take from Jakku to the Emperor because he wanted her alive," Finn said and Rosella's brows furrowed at hearing that piece of information. Shaking her head slowly, she looked between the two men.

"And you think Rey was that little girl?"

"It would make sense," Finn said, hands waving in the air manically as he spoke to them, trying to keep up to speed with everything that he thought he might know about what had gone on. "Why would Rey have such a connection with the Force? Why would she and Kylo Ren have a connection? And why would he be after her…the Emperor ordered it. He wants her for some reason."

"She…it can't be," Rosella said, shaking her head furiously as Poe glanced to her, noting her chewing her bottom lip to the point where she was almost making it bleed from the force. He squeezed her hand to snap her attention back to him.

"What is it?"

"I don't know if it can be…we thought that the child had died years ago when her parents had sent her away," Rosella said, knowing that she was not making entire sense. "This was a long time ago…I was still young and didn't entirely listen to the news of the Empire."

"Tell us, Rose," Poe urged from her and she nodded, snapping herself out of her daze.

"Palpatine had a son," Rosella said. "Well, he was more like a clone of himself…something happened between the two of them and there was a woman. Dathan, that was his name, he met someone…I think she was Miramir. They had a child together and the First Order found them. They said that the child had gone, refused to tell anyone where she was. The First Order gave up looking. They suspected a child who was all alone wouldn't survive. Plus, they had other things to start worrying about too."

"I don't understand it," Poe said with a firm shake of his head. "You're saying that Rey is…related to Palpatine?"

"His granddaughter, technically," Rosella confirmed for them. "But I never thought that it would be Rey. Why would I?"

"Why would any of us?"

"Plus, this was so many years ago. Armitage," Rosella felt her throat clench on his name, a lump forming in her throat that she had to swallow back down. "Armitage," she composed herself, "said that he suspected the child would be dead. Her parents were killed for betraying the First Order and he wasn't entirely concerned with using his finite resources to locate some kid, as he said."

"And now Rey might be our only hope to stop the First Order," Finn declared.

"And we have no idea where she's gone," Poe retorted, slightly annoyed with that. They could definitely use her.

"She'll be back," Rosella said confidently. "But shouldn't we be heading back into the camp? Everyone is probably awake by now and Katrine will be wondering where we are. Plus, D-O can surely help us gain more information on Exegol."

"Not wrong," Poe said. "Finn, you go ahead. Plug Cone…D-O," Poe saved himself, "into the system and we'll see what we can find. I just need a minute with Rose."

"Got it," Finn concurred with Poe and left the two of them, turning his head over his shoulder in time to see the pilot stand in front of Rosella, her hands gripping onto his forearms as he took hold of her waist, his head bowed so he could talk to her.

"You need to get ready to go with Katrine and get away from here," Poe urged from her and Rosella shook her head. She closed her eyes as Poe took hold of her by the cheeks, gripping onto them tightly and she closed her eyes firmly. "Rosella, listen to me…please…I just need you to take Katrine and get out of here."

"I need to help you."

"You need to keep her safe. She's not coming into a warzone."

"And I am running away from one."

"Are you hearing yourself?" Poe asked from her, shaking his head firmly as he listened to her. He didn't want to do this. He didn't want to argue with her or have her think that she was some kind of coward. "You've risked your life plenty of times for the Resistance. You infiltrated the First Order for us…to help us get this information…you are doing nothing wrong here. You are not running away. You are keeping our kid safe."

"But I'll be leaving you again," Rosella whispered. "I don't want to leave you again."

"And believe me, I don't want to leave you, but this is it. This is what we have to do. I'm Acting General. I can't come with you."

"I swear that you had best come back to me, Dameron," Rosella demanded from him, grabbing hold of his shirt, clenching the material into her fist and squeezing it tightly, her forehead bowed against his chest. His arms encircled her, holding onto her tightly and resting his chin on the top of her head.

"I'm going to do my best, Rose."

They had all the information they needed to get to Exegol. Poe knew that it was going to be dangerous, but they were running out of options. Rey had sent a signal ahead to tell them that was where she was going and they were going to be close on her tail. Rosella had been with Katrine, stuffing a bag with supplies that they might need: a clean change of clothes, food and toiletries. Katrine had been confused initially, but she soon realised what it meant. She might still be a girl, but she wasn't blind.

"He'll come back, won't he?" Katrine asked Rosella as they left the bunker.

Rosella had the rucksack slung over her shoulder and was marching forwards, her hand holding onto Katrine's as she tried to keep up with Rosella. Her pace slowed as she looked to her and realised what Katrine was asking her. Looking into her large eyes, Rosella did her best not to look too worried, but she couldn't help it. She couldn't lie to her either. She didn't want to lie to her. She had no idea what was going to come from this. She had no idea if Poe would come back to them, but if she thought about that then she would just weep. After everything they had been through, she didn't want to imagine Poe not coming back to her. Yet, a part of her knew that could happen.

"I…" Rosella didn't know how to respond.

"It's alright," she assured Rosella. "You don't need to lie to me."

"He's going to do everything that he can to come back," Rosella decided to say to her. "And he…he loves you…very much…"

"I love him too," Katrine said. "I love both of you."

"Rose!"

Poe's voice shouted her name and she squeezed Katrine's hand inside of hers.

"Hey," Poe said, standing before them, a hand going to Katrine's shoulder. "We're getting out of here in the next hour. I've got you both a ship and I've locked in the coordinates for the nearest planet away from here. I'll come and find you as soon as I'm done, I promise."

"Can't we come with you?" Katrine wondered and Poe's lips arched up sadly. "If we just stay back?"

Poe shook his head. "No, sweetheart, you need to go somewhere safe for me, alright? And I'll come and get you as soon as we're finished."

"Do you promise?" Katrine asked.

"I promise that I am going to do everything to come back for you and when I do, we're going to go somewhere, alright? We're going to go somewhere and settle down…you, me and Rose."

"I want that."

"I want that too, darling," Poe said and Katrine launched herself at him. He picked her up, her feet dangling from the floor as her arms wrapped around his neck and he kissed her forehead, letting her then bury her cheek against his shoulder. She closed her eyes and tried not to cry as Rosella rubbed her back softly. Poe looked to Rose, giving her a sad smile before putting Katrine down onto the ground. He ruffled her hair and gave her a wink before he looked to Rosella and noticed that she had turned around the embrace Finn and wish him the best.

"Hey, Katrine, why don't we go and check on my ship and give these two a moment?" Finn suggested and the girl rolled her eyes.

"I know you're trying to distract me," she commented and Finn chuckled, taking her shoulder and leading her forwards.

"The Force help you two when she's a teenager," Finn said and Rosella laughed at that as Poe chuckled, also thinking the same thing. It was another moment before Rosella moved her gaze from their retreating figures and looked to Poe once more. He was already in his orange pilot's uniform, clearly ready to go. His hair was ruffled from where he had been running his fingers through it continuously.

"She's going to be a handful, I'll admit that."

"I think we all are as teenagers, Poe," Rosella said to him. "But we'll manage."

"We always do," he agreed on that point with her.

Moving a hand to his chest, Rosella let her other hand go to his hair, stroking her fingers through it slowly and softly. "I hope that this is the last time we say goodbye to each other," Rosella confessed to him.

"Same," he agreed on that one with her. "But I don't want to drag this out because I'm hoping by the end of the day we'll be back…and I'll come for you…for both of you."

"I'm counting on it," Rosella whispered and Poe bent down to kiss her, pouring everything he had into it, longing for her to know that she was his everything. She was all that he needed. She would always be everything to him. He just wanted her to know that. He wanted her to know that there would never be anyone like her. Rosella gripped tightly onto his shoulders, forgetting about everyone who was rushing by them. All that mattered was her and Poe in that moment.

Reluctantly, he pulled back and kept his forehead against hers, thumb brushing her cheekbone. "I love you."

"I love you too," Rosella said.

Pulling back from her, he knew that he had to go. He had to go and lead before it was too late. He took hold of Rosella by the small of the back and guided her forwards to the ship he had secured for them. He knew she was a competent flyer. He watched as Katrine joined her and climbed into the ship behind Rosella, embracing her once more and then Rosella. He kept his gaze on the ship as Finn stood next to him, Rosella being given clearance to take off.

"You alright?" Finn asked from Poe.

"Not really," Poe confessed as the ship began hovering above ground. "But I have to be. We have a job to do."

He watched as Rosella and Katrine finally left him behind and he looked to Finn. "Let's get to work."

A/N: Not sure if anyone is still interested in this, but I hope there might be someone reading! I'm going to try and update more! Do let me know what you think/anything you want to see!