"Where did you get this ship?" Rey asked as she walked around it. Up close she could tell it had been modified quite a bit. She could see welding marks on the armor, and some parts of the ship looked newer than others.

"The Resistance confiscated it from a spy that was sent by a gang lord a few days ago. We must have gotten a little too close to their territory and it made them nervous. They are keeping the spy in a cell block for questioning to find out more about this gang." Finn shrugged. "It was just sitting there in the hanger. I figured it was the best option since it wouldn't draw as much attention as a Rebel fighter ship would."

"You stole this ship to come see me?" Rey said half amused, half touched.

"Well, uh," Finn couldn't find the words to make it sound a little better than stealing, but he couldn't. "Yeah…" That's exactly what he had done.

Rey smirked. "We should fly it." She gestured to the ship.

Finn was surprised. "Luke said you can't leave."

"Then we won't. We have a whole planet to explore." She started climbing up to the two-person cockpit. Finn followed, mumbling about stubbornness. She missed flying, and despite being on this waterlogged planet for six months, she still hadn't seen most of it.

Rey felt as if she was in her element again in that pilot's seat, even though she wasn't familiar with the ship at all. She flipped some switches and controls eagerly. Finn watched her in the copilot seat. He hoped she wasn't too out of practice with flying. True the planet was mostly water, which meant few obstacles, but he wasn't too keen on drowning.

"Ready?" Rey joked. Finn buckled his seat belt awkwardly.

The small ship raised off the ground and hid it's landing gear. Rey pushed the thrusters forward and took off faster than she anticipated, pushing them both back in their seats. This ship was fast. The two pilots looked at each other and smiled.

"I never tested how fast it could go." Finn remarked making Rey chuckle.

The planet below them was a blur of blue. Rey loved the rush and freedom. She never had a childhood; she was never able to be a kid. This was the first time in her life that she felt this free. All burdens left in the dust. The burden of her destiny, the burden of this war, the burden of surviving, the burden of her enemies, the burden of her guilt, her uncertainty, her loneliness. Gone.

The ship did a barrel roll and rocketed through two jagged mountains jutting out of the water. She cried out in pure euphoria. Finn looked at Rey laughing. This was the happiest he had ever seen her. He cried out with her. It was worth the risk coming here; he was happy he could give her this.


After a long afternoon of flying, Rey and Finn decided to land and explore. They were pretty far away from the island Rey and Luke had been staying on. It was morning on this side of the planet; dew peppered the ground and the sun hadn't reached the horizon yet. They landed the ship and sat down on the grass facing the shore.

"How have you been?" Rey asked before Finn could. She anticipated he would ask her, but she had to know how he was first. She picked up a pebble with her mind and tossed it into the calm water. It skipped a few times over the surface before sinking. Finn watched with wonder when she did this.

"I've been OK. I woke up about two months ago." Finn skipped a pebble using his hands. "Poe wouldn't leave me alone about my injury even though I insisted I was fine. I think it was just the wicked awesome scar that had him worried." Finn joked. "After I woke up and asked where you were, they told me how you had gone to train with the legendary Luke Skywalker." Finn looked at Rey more serious now. "You are a hero of the Resistance, Rey. You're going to do a lot of good, and even though I miss you a lot, I'm proud of you."

"I miss you too." Rey replied sincerely. She was relieved he seemed to be doing well. "I'm sorry I had to leave. Everyone kept telling me that this was my destiny. It was shocking. I went from a nobody to the Resistance's only hope of beating the dark side." She paused. " I used to dream of being a hero in the Resistance years ago when I was a child. Now I'm told it's my destiny." Rey skipped another pebble with her mind. The sun began to rise, turning the sky pastel yellow and blue.

Finn really felt for Rey. That was a lot of pressure to be thrown into. "Rey, I know you feel alone now, but I need you to know that you're not." Finn reminded her. "The Resistance did find hope when they found you, but what you found was a family. I will always be here for you, and so will Chewie, and Poe, and the whole Resistance." Finn stressed. "We stand with you."

Rey took a deep breath of the damp air, looking into Finn's eyes. She needed to hear that. She leaned her head on Finn's shoulder. They sat in silence watching the sunrise.