Uneti Tree
Poe lay on his back in the shade of the Uneti Tree, staring up at the branches swaying above him in the gentle breeze. Suddenly, a spindly little human arm appeared in his line of sight. Snorting in amusement, Poe called up toward the top of the tree. "You better hope your mother doesn't catch you up there!"
A little face surrounded by a mop of dark curly hair peered down at him from the same branch the little arm had come from. "Mama knows," was the response.
Poe's eyebrows went up. "She does, does she?"
There was a brief pause. "Well, wouldn't the tree tell her?"
Poe frowned. "I don't think it works like that, Tem. I think she could feel if something happened to this tree that hurt it or made it very happy, but I don't think it can tattle on you."
"He's right," said a voice off to his left. He turned to see Rey walking toward them, little Leia walking along beside her holding her hand. "The tree can't tattle, but your sister can."
As Leia let go of her mother's hand and ran toward her father, Rey stopped and looked up at Tem. "Please come down from there. Slowly."
Poe sat up and caught Leia as she dived at him, giggling. "Did you tell on your brother?" he asked as he started tickling her.
"Yes!" Leia squealed, her laughter getting louder as the tickling continued.
"That's the last time I ever tell her what I'm doing," Tem grumbled as he slowly clambered down through the branches. He finally got low enough he was able to jump to the ground, but even that distance was too much, and he fell to his knees. Blushing, he stood and dusted off his pants.
Leia had quieted in Poe's arms and sat looking at her brother, her hazel eyes huge. "Sorry, Tem. But Mama asked, and Papa says to always tell the truth."
"That's right," Poe nodded, giving his daughter a quick kiss on the cheek.
Rey kneeled next to her husband and daughter, motioning for Tem to join them. "You know why I don't want you climbing this tree, don't you?"
"Because it's special?" Tem answered, his voice wary. He plopped down between his parents.
"Yes, it is special," Rey confirmed. "It's also very, very rare. There are only a handful of trees like this one left in the galaxy." She paused. "Your grandfather and I tried our best to make sure the Uneti lives on by spreading out those saplings to as many safe planets as we could, but none of them are completely safe. Grandpapa Kes has taken care of this one since it was planted, and it is still the oldest Uneti tree that I know of. We need to respect and care for it, not use it as a toy. Okay?"
Tem nodded. "Okay."
Rey leaned forward and planted a kiss on her son's forehead. He winced as if he didn't like the action, but the smile on his face betrayed how he really felt.
Poe grinned, then winked at Rey. "Now, can I get back to my nap?"
"I think a nap sounds like a grand idea," Rey answered.
With more than a few giggles and grunts, the four of them settled down in the shade of the Uneti Tree, Rey's head pillowed on Poe's chest, sharing the space with Leia, Tem's head resting on her shoulder.
As uncomfortable as he knew this pile would eventually become, Poe couldn't help feeling more content than he had ever felt in his life. This was the best Life Day ever. Smiling up at the leaves above him, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.