Chapter 13
"I just don't understand how you can pretend everything's okay and that we can all get along now!" Finn hissed at Poe. They were in the room for the boys. Rose was sitting on Finn's bed while Finn and Poe faced off by the door.
"It's standard politics, Finn. The enemy of yesterday is the ally of tomorrow in times of war. I've been through this before several times now, though usually it's just local warlords, not the Supreme Leader of the First Order. Still, this is the opportunity of a lifetime. I'm not going to pass it up just because there's bad history," Poe said.
"I saw him order the massacre of a village, Poe," Finn growled.
Poe nodded. "I know, I know. I was there too, buddy. Remember?"
"Rose, are you okay with this?" Finn asked.
Rose jerked her head to focus on him. "I… I don't… Was that really Kylo Ren?"
Finn nodded. "Yes, if you mean by him, that was the evil creature that leads the First Order and eats babies for breakfast." Poe raised an eyebrow at the last comment, and Finn rolled his eyes at Poe.
"He's just not what I was expecting," Rose said thoughtfully.
"And what were you expecting, huh?" Finn asked. Poe crossed his arms and leaned back casually at the door, relieved he wasn't part of the exchange.
Rose shrugged. "I don't know. Someone who was genuinely evil. The legends say dark force users hurt people for fun, but he didn't hurt me at all. He found me in the hallway and told me he needed to speak with Rey."
She paused to take a deep breath.
"I reached for my blaster because no one was supposed to know Rey was here. He stopped me from pulling my blaster out somehow, I guess with the force, shook his head at me gently, and held up a finger to his lips to be quiet." She frowned at them. "He seemed too gentle to be a monster, well, until he was in the room and force-choking you guys, I guess. Even there, he didn't really seem interested in making you suffer though."
Finn rolled his eyes at her. "He's a monster. Trust me. I still don't buy this crush nonsense. He's using her. He will turn on us. We just don't know how or when yet."
Poe shook his head. "He could have killed or captured all of us easily in there, searched our minds for knowledge of the Resistance's whereabouts, and then annihilated us and the Resistance before dinner if that was his intent."
"You're underestimating me and Rey. We fought him before and won, you know that?"
Poe smirked at his friend. "Would this be the battle on Starkiller Base you're referencing? Chewbacca said Kylo Ren had taken a bowcaster bolt in the side before you two began your battle with him, and that was immediately following the murder of his father, which meant you got him as distracted and injured as possible before the battle began. Bowcasters are nasty weapons. I'm surprised he was even standing."
Finn frowned and looked down. Poe wrapped an arm around Finn in a side-hug and rubbed Finn's shoulder. "Look, I get it. It's easier to make things black and white and say the bad guys are all bad and the good guys are all good, but it's not that simple. Whatever's going on, Rey wouldn't be so struck by that man if he were all bad. I don't know her very well, but she's not the type to fall for a guy just for having a pretty face. There must be something good to him."
"She. Has. Not. Fallen. For. HIM," Finn said, glaring at Poe.
Poe raised an eyebrow at his friend. "She's been chatting with him about who knows what this whole week and literally surrendered to him and the First Order based on a single vision that indicated she could save him. She apparently meant to keep this a secret from all of us, and since we discovered it, her first plan was to win our approval by bargaining that we get to know him in exchange for a chance at peace, which also allows her to spend more time with him. Speaking of which, did you not notice that she didn't volunteer what they plan to do if we don't make peace?"
"Wait, what? What's her plan?" Finn asked.
Poe shrugged and removed his arm from Finn. "I don't know. I asked her, and she just blushed. If I had to guess, they're planning to run off together if this whole peace treaty thing doesn't work out. She's got it bad as I've seen, Finn. Look, I know you've had a thing for her, but this is not a time to let jealousy win. We could lose Rey entirely if we don't take this seriously."
Finn looked immediately to Rose, who couldn't have avoided hearing them. She bit a trembling lip and avoided his eyes. He sighed. He had no idea what to make of her, but he didn't want her to be hurt. Rose really was quite beautiful in that dress, and he should have said something sooner. "Poe, this isn't about jealousy. I'm worried about her, I'm worried about you, and I'm worried about Rose, who, by the way, looks absolutely stunning in that dress."
"Thanks," Rose muttered, keeping her eyes averted.
"My point is… I don't know what my point is. I hate this. I came along because I want to support Rey, but this whole thing feels wrong to me. I don't know what to do."
"I'm going to support her," Rose said. "If he's hiding a monster under his kindness, Rey's going to need to know we're here for her, and the only way that will happen is if we're by her side the entire way." She hopped out of the bed and stepped around Finn and Poe, avoiding their eyes.
"Where are you going?" Finn asked, hoping she would turn and look at him.
"To Rey and Ben so she's not alone with him unless she wants to be, or did you even realize that you abandoned her in there?" Rose said, finally meeting Finn's eyes with a glare for a half second before leaving the room and slamming the door behind her.
"Me abandon her?" Finn said with wide eyes and a gaping mouth. "I did not… you were in there… What's she…"
Poe clapped his hand on Finn's shoulder. "Maybe we should go back and join them, and this time, I recommend starting with an apology."
"I am NOT apologizing to that snake!"
Poe rolled his eyes. "Regardless of whether you owe Ben an apology, you definitely owe Rey one. Seriously, she asks you to give someone a chance and you start a conversation by asking him if he annihilated innocent villages lately? Come on. It's like you're begging for a fight."
"Well I'm still not apologizing to him," Finn said. Poe raised an eyebrow at him. "Okay. I'll consider it, but only if he apologizes for using my old stormtrooper name first. I wasn't the only one itching for a fight there!"
"Fair enough, Finn. Now let's go see what they're up to. I think I've been hearing laughter."
"Laughter?"
They opened the door and went back to Rey's room, where Rose stood in the doorway. Rey was doubled over laughing with tears streaming down her face while a blushing Ben leaned against the opposite wall with his arms crossed, glaring at her.
"Stop it, Rey," he growled.
"I can't, your expression was priceless!" she said, gasping for air between laughs.
"Hey, what's going on, Rose?" Finn asked her.
"I don't know… they were like this when I opened the door," Rose said.
Ben glanced at them and waved a hand. The next moment, they were shoved back into the hallway without ceremony and the door shut in front of them. The click of the lock came a moment later. Then they heard it unlock, then lock again.
"Oh come on, Ben. Let them in. It's not that big of a deal," Rey said from the other side of the door.
"You won't stop laughing at me," Ben said, but the door unlocked and opened this time.
Rose, Finn, and Poe reentered the room cautiously. Rey was still struggling to not laugh, but the occasional giggle escaped her. "What's so funny?" Rose asked.
"I showed him some of the garments that he had gifted me. He was completely dumbfounded, jaw hanging and everything. He had no idea that lingerie was mixed in there," Rey said. "Apparently the ship's tailor picked the selection. See? I told you he would never buy that-" Rey paused as Ben looked at her sharply with a dark expression. "...sort of thing for me," she finished weakly, gazing at him with confusion.
Finn did not like the charged look they were sharing. He charged forward to Rey, stepping directly into the line of sight between her and Ben. "Rey, I realized I owe you an apology. You asked us to give Ben a chance, and I was rude to him. I'm sorry."
Rey gave him a skeptical look. "Shouldn't you be apologizing to Ben too?" She looked behind him, and he realized that Ben moved so that he was standing just behind Finn's back. Every nerve in his body stood on end at the close proximity with such a creature.
"Finn," Ben began. "I owe you an apology for referring to you as FN-2187 when you were introduced with your Resistance name."
Finn watched Rey bite back a proud smile at Ben, and he stewed inside that she would think better of that monster than him. "Don't you owe Rey an apology too?" Finn said, clenching his teeth.
"I already apologized to her when we embraced while you were gone," Ben said calmly, his eyes on Rey. Finn clenched his fists at imagining the two hugging, but he relaxed a little when he saw Rey glare at Ben too. Rey and Ben were staring at each other intensely, and Finn got the impression they were somehow having a private conversation without speaking, for their expressions kept changing as they looked at each other. It ended with Ben turning away to face Finn with a solemn expression.
"Please allow me the honor of introducing myself properly. I am Ben Solo, and I am here to help bridge relations between the Resistance and the First Order at the request of Rey," Ben said and offered a hand.
Finn stared at Ben dumbfounded until Poe cleared his throat loudly. "Um… yea… I'm Finn.. just Finn, and I'm here to help Rey too," he said. Poe cleared his throat loudly again and mouthed a four-syllable word at Finn. "What?" he said, confused.
"Apologize!" Poe whispered.
Finn sighed. He had forgotten that he promised to apologize if Ben had apologized first. "Fine," he grumbled quietly. "I apologize for my earlier rudeness…. Ben," he said and accepted Ben's handshake, gripping Ben's hand harder than necessary.
Ben matched the grip before letting go and turning to face Rose. "I don't believe we've met," he said and offered a hand.
"I'm Rose Tico, a mechanic with the Resistance," she said. They shook hands and stepped away.
"Now what?" Finn asked.
"Actually, I've been wondering something. Ben, what do you have in your front pocket?" Rey asked. "I'm sensing a small life force."
Ben removed a sleeping porg from his pocket. "This little guy. Growlie accidentally came back with me back during one of our earlier force bonds. I've been keeping him safe."
"Growlie?" Finn asked.
Rose gave Finn's shoulder a friendly punch. "See, I told you they would make good pets." Finn scowled and rubbed his shoulder.
"So he's not your pet?" Ben asked Rey.
Rey raised an eyebrow at him. "Did you really think a girl who only bothered keeping one set of clothes would keep a pet?" Rey asked. She said the words gently and smiled, but color still flushed Ben's cheeks. "I do think it's sweet though. Thank you for looking out for me. The porgs were just unexpected passengers from a trip the Falcon made."
"May I keep him?" Ben said. They all looked to him in surprise, and Rey nodded. "Thanks. I got used to the little guy," he said, tucking the sleeping porg back into his pocket. "If that's settled, I would like a moment alone with Rey before we head to the libraries. I recommend that Rose change as well. That gown would make her a prime target for thieving and trickery, and I'd rather not attract attention to ourselves."
Finn thought about protesting leaving Rey and Ben alone again when they had just had a moment alone together, but then thought better of it. It was a losing battle, and Rey and Ben could connect even if he somehow separated them physically. Poe patted his back and they walked out the room together with Rose.
Rose put her finger in Finn's face the second the door closed behind them. "I know what you said and what I've heard, but no man who adopts a porg can be all evil. I'm going to get changed now."
Finn sighed and Poe whistled in wonder as Rose marched off to her room.
Ended up doing this one early. I blame sleep loss. Hope you enjoy it. Please review. I still have no idea where I'm heading with this thing, but I appear to be addicted to writing it.
Ended up making some minor continuity and ambiguity edits on this after posting. Whoops.
