I'd like to dedicate this chapter to Leia, my guest reviewer that's left the loveliest reviews on every chapter so far!

Leia - My family has a lot of history of both adopting children and giving children up for adoption when necessary. It's a difficult decision to make either way, I'm glad you and your sister found parents that love you just like Ry and Dav!

I don't own Star Wars. Consider yourselves disclaimed.

YAVIN-4

8 YEARS OLD

The steady beep of the holocommunicator woke Delu first, who grunted and rolled over, slapping her hand around the nightstand until her fingers closed around the cursed technology. Pressing blindly, she answered with her eyes still closed.

"'Lo? W'time 's'it?"

"Delu, wake up, it's Kes. I need your help."

Delu opened her eyes now, blinking groggily as she finally looked down at the communicator. A spark of worry ignited in her stomach as she realized the time. "Kes, it's 4 in the morning, what's wrong?"

"I don't know, it's - it's Shara. Something's happened."

Del found herself racking her brain in her exhausted state. Shara had been helping out a friend lately, flying for his shuttle business when he found himself shortstaffed. If Delu remembered correctly, she had agreed to work an overnight shift this particular night.

"Can I bring Poe to you?"

"Of course you can. See you soon."

Tali was sitting up now, rubbing at her tired eyes. "What's going on?"

"I'm not sure," Delu said, throwing back the covers and rooting around in the dark for her robe. "Something's wrong with Shara, Kes is on his way here now with Poe. Go back to sleep." Delu kissed her wife on the forehead.

"What? No, what's wrong?" Tali was climbing out of bed now as well, snatching her robe from it's hook and following Delu down the hall.

"I don't know, honey."

There was a single light knock on the door just as Delu reached it, opening it to reveal Kes with a sleeping Poe on his shoulder.

"Thank you." Even in the dark, he was clearly worried and anxious. "Rymer's bed?"

"Yes. What's going on, Kes?"

"I don't know," he whispered, slipping through the door to the young girl's room and depositing his sleeping child underneath the covers. The boy immediately rolled over so he and Rymer were forehead to forehead, their stuffed Ewoks cradled between them. "They're getting too old for this," Kes said in what was meant to be an offhanded way, but he was betrayed when his voice cracked.

The adults slipped from the room, Kes moving immediately for the door. "All I know is there was an accident, they said they can't tell me anything else. I have to get planetside. I don't know how long I'll be."

"Go," Tali said firmly. "We'll take care of Poe. Comm us when you know what's going on."

With a nod, he was out the door.

Tali and Delu exchanged tired, worried glances. Tali moved first, shuffling towards the kitchen. "Tea?"

Delu thought for a moment, realizing she likely wouldn't be able to get back to sleep. "Thank you, honey."

Poe woke slowly, yawning as he opened his eyes. He blinked once, confused, when he saw Rymer sleeping on the next pillow, one little fist balled up under her head. He reached over and poked her shoulder until she whined, pushing his hand away.

"Ry, wake up."

She scrunched her face up before opening one eye. "Poe? What're you doing here?"

"I dunno," he shrugged, burrowing a little deeper under the blankets. "I just woke up here."

"That's weird." They laid there for a while, talking about what they wanted to do that day, until a short while later the door opened and Delu's head slipped through.

"Good morning little starfighters. Breakfast is ready, hurry up before we give it all to little Dav!"

Poe and Rymer both rolled their eyes exaggeratedly. Like a two year old could eat all that food!

All the same, they rushed downstairs in their pajamas, pretending to be literally attached at the hip. They insisted on sitting in the same chair and using only one set of utensils between them - Rymer cut their pancakes with one hand while Poe clumsily fed them with the other, both giggling the entire time and making faces with Davlon in his high chair. Tali and Delu grinned through their anxiety - after five hours with still no contact from Kes, they were beginning to truly worry.

"Tali, Delu, where's my mom and dad?" Poe asked as he and Rymer washed their hands after breakfast.

"Your dad got a call from your mom's work last night, he had to go help her with something," Tali delivered the practiced lie smoothly. "So you'll be hanging out with us until they get home."

Poe and Rymer accepted the explanation easily, taking the juice Delu poured for them and moving to the sitting room to watch a holovid.

It was a short while later that there was a knock at the door. Making sure the children were focused on their vid, Delu and Tali moved quickly to open it, revealing Kes's still form. His eyes were anguished as he met their gazes, but when he opened his mouth, a strangled gasp was all that came out. Tears flooded his eyes as he dropped his head.

Slowly realizing what had happened, Tali and Delu took their friend into their arms, rocking him gently between the two of them. He clung tightly to both of them for comfort.

"I have to tell Poe," he finally managed. The women let him go, nodding, and Delu called Rymer into the kitchen.

"What's wrong with Kes?" she asked, kicking her feet in her chair as she tickled underneath Davlon's chin. "What's he talking to Poe about?"

"NO!"

Rymer's head jerked up when Poe shouted, slipping down from her chair and running towards the sitting room before her mothers could stop her. Poe flew past her, running through the front door and into the treeline. "Poe? POE!" Rymer turned to her mothers, unable to understand why her best friend was ignoring her. "What's wrong, Mamas? Something's wrong with Poe and Kes!"

"I know, honey, I know," Tali said, tears in her own eyes she she knelt to look at her daughter. "And Poe is really gonna need your help for a while. There was an accident early this morning while Shara was working. She, uh...she didn't make it, sweetheart. Shara's gone."

Rymer went very still as her eyes widened. "Gone? ...she's...she's dead?"

Tali nodded, crying in earnest now for her friend and the family she left behind. "I'm sorry, Ry."

Rymer nodded almost mechanically. "I have to find Poe."

Tali sighed. "He might want to be by himself for a while."

But Rymer was already shaking her head. "No. Even if he thinks he does, he doesn't. I know." And she was gone through the door, following her friend's path through the trees. Tali stared after her for a moment before joining her wife in comforting their newly widowed friend.

Rymer found Poe exactly where she expected to. The hull of Shara's A-Wing was open, and all she had to do was climb the ladder to find him curled up in the cockpit wearing his mother's helmet.

"Go 'way."

Rymer ignored him, climbing fully into the cockpit and squishing herself into the chair next to him. She hunkered down until she was comfortable, leaning heavily against Poe with her head resting on the helmet.

Poe growled under his breath. "Will you get off me? I said go away."

"No," Rymer said. Poe huffed and crossed his arms over his chest, refusing to look at her. As she watched him, she could see his bottom lip start to quiver.

Tears filling her eyes, she gently put her hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Poe."

His answer was a gasping sob as he turned and flung himself at her, helmet knocking off his head. They wrapped their arms around each other as tightly as they could as they both began to cry over their loss.

"It's not fair!" he cried. "I want her back!"

Rymer could only squeeze him tighter.

They sobbed together for what felt like hours, until finally they slumped back in the cockpit, exhausted.

"I want my mama back," he said again, quietly this time.

Rymer sniffed loudly. "We can share mine. Dav won't mind."

Poe felt the ghost of a smile cross his face. "Thanks, Ry."

I've got two more chapters written that need editing, and four to six more after that have been roughly outlined but still need to be fleshed out. I'm really enjoying Poe and Ry, I hope you guys are too!