Rey didn't see Kylo at all the next day. She went on a jog, bought some groceries, cleaned her apartment and finished a book she'd been reading. It was an average day off and she couldn't wait for it to be over.

To be honest, she was a little relieved she didn't see him all day. It gave her some time to get her head on straight and think about what was going on between them. She had no idea where they were going with their relationship, if this tension between them would amount to anything, but she needed to get it out of her mind. He clearly needed a friend right now.

She wondered if he was spending his day thinking about her, wondering how he managed to wind up with such an annoying neighbor.

When she showed up at work on Thursday, Poe picked her up and gave her a loud smacking kiss on the cheek.

"Girl, you are an angel. A gift from the heavens, sent to help my dying love life."

"I suppose Finn asked you to that show with him?" She laughed, wiping her face.

"You know he did." Poe beamed. "We're going next Friday. Finn is picking me up at six, he wanted to take me dinner beforehand. Mention that I love Mexican, will you?"

Rey assured him that she would, smiling at his enthusiasm. She should have hooked the two of them up a while ago.

"If this date goes well, anything you want, name it and it's yours," he promised. "You want a raise? Free coffee for life? To use the back closet as your secret sex room?

"You already pay me above minimum wage and I help myself to all the coffee I want," she responded, raising her eyebrows. "As for the third thing, that's not really any help to me."

He frowned, shaking his head. "It's a crime that you don't have men taking you out every night. I know a few nice guys, want me to try to set something up?"

"Uh no, thanks for the offer but I'm good. Not really interested in casual dating right now." Rey preferred to get to know someone outside of a forced date and the typical questions that accompanied it.

Poe wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Saving yourself for the neighbor boy? Can't say I disapprove."

She shot him a look, heading around the counter to grab her apron. "You know it's not like that."

"The only person who seems to think that is you." He rolled his eyes. "I've never seen a man so hung up on someone. He's in here every day, watching you like a big puppy, earnest eyes and all. He wants you so bad, he doesn't know what to do with himself."

"You're ridiculous," Rey scoffed.

"You two are ridiculous. Just hook up already. Show up at his apartment in some sexy lingerie, spend the night having amazing sex and get it out of your system."

"Poe!" she hissed, looking around to make sure no one heard.

He laughed at her expression. "I'm just saying, not a bad idea."

"I don't seem to recall asking you," she said icily, refilling the creamers. He had no idea what he was talking about. Kylo might have looked at her appreciatively before but that didn't mean he wanted to sleep with her. They were just friends, something Poe obviously refused to believe. He just loved being dramatic.

Poe came over and put his arm around her shoulders. "Girl, I'm only teasing. You and your big, brooding, puppy of a man can do whatever you want. If you're happy as his friend, then I'm happy for you."

She smiled. Kylo did look kind of like a puppy sometimes, with those big brown eyes, floppy hair and his big hands. Great, now she'd never get that mental image out of her head.

"Thanks, Poe." She leaned her head against him for a second. "And I'm happy for you and Finn. You'd better have a great time but if you go home with him, I do not want to hear about it."

He smirked. "You know me better than that. You'll be getting all the details." He walked away, chuckling to himself.

She was already started to regret setting them up.

...

Around two o'clock, Kylo's mother walked through the door.

Rey froze where she was lounging against the counter. She was once again wearing an elegant pantsuit, this time in a navy blue, her hair up in a similar hairstyle as last time.

She spotted Rey and made her way across the cafe, walking towards her with a purpose.

Holy shit. What was she supposed to do? Did she ignore her? She was so lucky Kylo wasn't here yet or this could have been a huge disaster.

She stopped in front of Rey, sticking her hand out. "I didn't properly introduce myself the other day, I'm Kylo's mother, Leia."

Rey took her hand hesitantly, wondering what she could possibly be doing here. If she wanted her help trying to wiggle her way back into Kylo's life, she would be sorely disappointed.

"I'm Rey, a friend of your son's. What can I help you with?"

"I was actually hoping you'd speak with me for a minute. I won't take up much of your time."

"I'm not sure that's a great idea," Rey said honestly. "I'm not sure Kylo would be comfortable with me speaking to you."

Leia just cocked her head and looked at her curiously. "You say you're a friend of his. I'm glad to hear that, he didn't have many friends growing up."

"Listen," Rey said, noticing the curious look Poe was giving them. "If you want information on your son, don't bother. I won't disrespect his wishes, if he wants you to know something about him, he'll tell you himself."

Leia studied Rey with something like respect in her eyes. "I like you, I can tell you're good for him. Not afraid to say no, it's an admirable quality."

She gaped for a second, a compliment being the last thing she had expected to come out of her mouth.

"I won't pester you with questions about him," Leia continued. "It would obviously be futile. I just want to know one thing."

She reached out and took Rey's hand in her own, looking up at her with perceptive brown eyes. Kylo's eyes.

"Is my son happy?" she asked, voice thick with emotion.

Rey was at a loss for words. Leia wasn't what she had expected. From what Kylo described, she'd thought she'd be cold and distant, uncaring. But the way she was looking at her right now, such hope and sadness on her face, she clearly loved Kylo.

"I don't know," she said, apologetically. "I honestly haven't known Kylo that long. I would love to say yes but I don't want to lie."

Leia nodded, letting go of her hand. "He always was difficult to read," she sighed, shaking her head in resignation. "Thank you, dear. Sorry to take up your time." She started to walk away then paused. "I'm glad my son has such a loyal friend in his life. He's lucky to have you."

She nodded to Poe as she walked by the counter. "Such a beautiful cafe," she said. Then she was out the door and disappearing down the street.

"Who was that?" Poe questioned as Rey sagged against the counter.

"Long story," she said absentmindedly and he just shrugged.

What a strange encounter. How had his mother even known where she worked? To come in here and ask her something like that... it threw her off. She hadn't expected her to be so kind and obviously concerned for Kylo's welfare.

The real question was how he would react when she told him his mother had come to visit her.

...

She got her answer a few hours later when they were walking home together. He'd showed up at the cafe an hour before closing again, glancing at her shyly as if uncertain about where they stood. She'd brought him his tea and made him laugh, the nervousness disappearing from his face.

Poe had just snorted, keeping his comments to himself when she said he was there to walk her home.

He was waiting for her on the street after she'd locked up. It was a little warmer outside tonight, summer finally starting to edge out spring.

"How was your shift?" Kylo asked as she joined him and they started their walk to the apartment.

"Good." She paused for half a second. "Your mom stopped by."

He froze mid-step. "She what?"

"Yeah... I was pretty surprised. I guess I really didn't tell you that I ran into her, that day she was outside your apartment."

He still didn't move, but didn't seem upset that she'd left that detail out. "What did she want? Did she say anything about me?"

"Yeah, she pulled this huge stack of baby pictures out of her purse and made me look at them." She leaned over and nudged him when he just stared at her, face stony. "I'm kidding. It was fine, she didn't really say anything. I told her she would be wasting her time if she wanted information on you so she left pretty quickly."

He let out a heavy breath, running a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry she bothered you at work. She must have looked you up after she saw you were my neighbor, probably thought you could help her talk to me again."

"I'm not sure you can just look people up like that," Rey mused.

"Trust me, she has her ways." Because that wasn't ominous. But he didn't elaborate.

They started walking again, Kylo obviously lost in thought, his brow furrowed.

"She asked me if you're happy," Rey blurted out.

He looked confused. "If I'm happy?" He asked like he didn't understand what the word meant.

She nodded, kicking a pebble across the pavement. "Like she was concerned about you. I told her I didn't know." She peeked at him. "What should I have said?"

It had bothered her all day that she hadn't known the answer. His nightmares and general demeanor might suggest he was unhappy, but he also worked on his writing passionately every day and when he was with her, he teased and laughed, even being playful sometimes. He was so contradictory sometimes, it was like two people in one body.

Kylo considered her question for a long second. "You could have said yes."

Rey hadn't realized it was so important to her that he said yes until he did. "Yes?"

"Yes," he repeated and she saw that he was smiling slightly, watching her struggle to hold back her own grin. "I think this is the happiest I've been in a long time."

Well then.

...

For the next week, Rey fell into a comfortable routine. She worked all day, saw Kylo at the end of her shift, then they walked home together. They usual stopped to pet the stray cat who would meow pitifully if ignored, Kylo always seeming surprised when he rubbed on him and purred from his pets.

Every day, she learned new things about him. He hated blueberries, loved spicy food, had traveled to almost every state and more countries that she could count, claiming his mother wanted him to be well-cultured when he was younger. Fall was his favorite season, mostly because he could spend the day inside reading without feeling guilty, and he sometimes hummed songs when he was deep in thought.

For every question she asked about him, he asked three more about her. Rey didn't think she had ever talked so much about herself but he seemed to get such pleasure out of her answers, always nodding so seriously when she told him something, like he was filing it away for later. It was strangely endearing.

Rose had called out sick all week so Rey had to work on her days off but she honestly didn't mind. She liked keeping busy and it gave her an excuse to see Kylo.

He had come to the cafe earlier in the week, explaining that he had some meetings with his editor over the next few evenings. He apologized for not being able to walk her home and though she was disappointed, it obviously wasn't a big deal. He still went out of his way to stop by around lunchtime.

"Trust me, I'd rather be here," he'd sighed earlier. "Hux is an asshole on the best of days."

Though Kylo refused to tell her what he was writing, he had no issue expressing his distaste for his editor, but admitted that he was great at his job. That didn't stop Kylo from calling him a "sourfaced ginger cretin" when he talked about him though.

Friday finally rolled around, Poe practically bouncing around the cafe with excitement. Rose was still out sick and even though Rey assured him she would be fine closing by herself, he insisted on staying until the last second.

At five thirty, she had to push him out the door.

"Just remember, try to avoid anything that might make him nervous because Finn goes from zero to one hundred in half a second," Rey told Poe, giving him a hug. "And just be yourself, he'll think you're amazing."

Poe hugged her back. "Thanks again for setting this up. Now wish me luck! Oh wait, I don't need it." He threw a wink over his shoulder then closed the door behind him.

Rey shook her head, heading back to the counter, wondering which of them would call her first once the date was over.

The next two hours seemed to take forever. The cafe was usually dead this time of night, the occasional straggler stopping in. Rey found herself constantly gazing wistfully at Kylo's table then scolding herself. But she couldn't help but think if he was here, it would just be the two of them for most of the night.

She would have joined him at his table, scooting her chair closer and closer to him, trying to peek at what he was working on. He'd know what she was up to, of course, but he'd play along, only turning his screen away at the last second. She'd reach out to jokingly punch his arm but he'd catch her hand and tug her closer, until their faces were mere inches away, those piercing eyes of his looking at her the way he did when she'd had chocolate on her lip. Her breath would catch and she'd lean in-

Rey shook her head, cheeks hot. What the hell was she thinking? She seriously needed to get her hormones under control.

She went and grabbed a clean washcloth and the disinfecting spray, going to work on the tables, needing to keep her hands busy.

At eight, she locked the front door and turned the lights off. She emptied the register and the tip jar, tossing the money in the safe, and threw the last few mugs that had been drying up in the cupboard.

Peeking around the cafe one last time, she made her way to the side door, quickly setting the alarm and slipping out the door. She had just stuck her key in the lock when someone roughly grabbed her from behind.

She tried to turn around but her arm was twisted behind her viscously, shoulder screaming in pain. Her cry of pain and surprise echoed down the empty alley.

"Shut up," the man hissed, shoving her against the wall of the building, her jaw cracking against the concrete. She whimpered, pain blossoming across the left side of her face. Black dots exploded across her vision.

"I have a knife, so you make one sound or try to struggle and I'll cut you," the man growled. "Open the door back up and turn off the alarm. You're gonna get me all the money you have in there."

Rey's heart was racing as she desperately tried to think. She knew Poe wouldn't want her to risk her life for the money, and to be honest, neither did she. But he attacked her at her work, a place that had always been safe to her. She was scared out of her mind but anger was also curling in her stomach.

He could be bluffing about having a knife but she wasn't dumb enough to risk it. "Okay, just let me get my keys. I'll unlock the door," she choked out, blood pooling in her mouth. She must have bitten her tongue when he slammed her into the wall.

He pulled her back, keeping a tight grip on her arm. "Remember, one sudden move and I'll stick this knife in your back."

The keys were still dangling from the lock. Rey reached for them when a loud yowl sounded through the alley.

The man swore violently, his grip going loose around her arm. She stumbled forward, catching herself on the door and spinning around.

The first thing she saw was the stray cat latched onto her attacker's arm, a spitting ball of orange fur. The second was the knife glinting on the concrete at the man's feet where he had obviously dropped it.

Rey lunged forward and kicked the knife, sending it spinning away and disappearing under the dumpster across the alley, as the man cursed and grabbed the cat, throwing him into the wall. The cat just got back up and jumped at the man again, his demonic howl earsplittingly loud.

The man, average height and bald with a hooked nose, kicked out savagely, catching the cat right in the middle of his body and he flew into the wall with a dull thud. He didn't move.

Rage screamed through Rey's body and she flew forward, catching the man by surprise as she punched him square in his face. Fire raced through her hand but she ignored it. He stumbled to the side, almost falling over. Before he could pull himself to his feet, Rey had grabbed the long, sturdy wooden pole leaning against the dumpster, something she normally used to push the garbage down.

It turned out it was also great for beating the shit out of scummy robbers too.

She brought it down across this back and heard the air explode from his lungs with a "whoosh". He grunted, falling to his knees and she swiped it at his exposed face. He threw up an arm, just barely catching the blow against his forearm instead.

He rocked back and fell on his ass, quickly scurrying backward on the concrete. He hauled himself to his feet and Rey raised the stick, ready to hit him again. Her blood was thumping in her ears, blocking out all other sounds.

The man didn't even try to attack her again, turning around and fleeing down the alley.

Rey waited for a second then dropped the stick, rushing over to where the cat was crumpled on the ground. She let out a sob of relief when she saw he was breathing, her adrenaline fading quickly, leaving her shaky and hysterical feeling.

Breakdown later, safety first, she told herself sternly, picking up the cat as gently as she could.

It took her two tried to unlock the door and two more to lock it back up behind her, her hands were quivering so bad. She didn't bother turning off the alarm, knowing the police would be here soon anyway. Holding the cat to her chest, she turned on the lights and went into Poe's office to call the police. She must have dropped her purse with her phone in the alley but there was no way she was going back out to get it.

Once she'd called the police and reported an attempted robbery, she went and sat down to wait, cradling the cat in her lap and trying not to cry.

She lasted about thirty seconds.

…...

"Listen to me," Rey said for the third time. "I'm fine, I don't need to be examined, I need to take the cat to the emergency clinic."

"Ma'am," the EMT said with infinite patience, her eyes kind. "The sooner you let me check you out, the sooner you can give your statement. After that, you can take the cat wherever he needs to go."

"But he's hurt!" she cried, gesturing to where she had bundled him in a blanket and set him on the counter. He still hadn't opened his eyes.

"I understand but my concern is you, not the cat."

Rey could feel her eyes filling with tears again. If that cat died... she didn't know what she'd do.

"Rey!" Poe's voice called out across the cafe. An officer tried to stop him from coming through the door, red and blue lights flashing in through the windows. Finn was right behind him, peering over his shoulder anxiously.

"I'm the owner!" Poe exclaimed, trying to shove through, almost falling when the officer stepped aside.

The EMT grumbled unhappily as Poe and Finn raced over.

"What are you doing here?" Rey asked. They were supposed to be at a show and the police had only been here for ten minutes or so.

"The alarm company called me to let me know the alarm was going off. We left the show and rushed over when you didn't answer your phone!" Poe explained, examining her. "What happened? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she said, dodging Finn when he reached out to turn her face towards the light. The EMT had winced when she saw what felt like a lovely bruise already forming. "Someone grabbed me in the alley and wanted the money."

It was a trust testament of what a good friend Poe was that he didn't even glance towards his office where the safe was.

"The money doesn't matter, I'm just glad you're okay." Poe looked like he wanted to hug her but thought better of it.

"He didn't get the money." They both opened their mouths but Rey talked over them. "Listen, I'll tell you what happened but first I need you to do something for me."

She reached over and grabbed the cat, still wrapped up in a blanket and handed him gently to Poe, who couldn't have looked more surprised.

"I need you to take him to the emergency animal clinic. There's one just a few blocks away, across from that french bakery."

Finn peeked down at the cat and frowned, clearly ready to argue.

"Please, Finn," she pleaded, feeling her lip start to tremble. "They won't let me leave yet and he's hurt. Please."

He looked at her and she knew he could see how important it was to her. He nodded, putting a hand on Poe's shoulder.

"We're dropping him off then coming right back," he promised.

The second they left, the EMT was back, muttering under her breath as she checked Rey over. She announced that nothing was broken but Rey would have a lovely bruise on her face and knuckles where she'd punched the guy and would be overall tender for a while.

"You'll want to take some time off of work and invest in a bottle of ibuprofen, but you'll be okay," she said kindly, waving the officer over who was waiting for her statement.

By the time Rey was finished telling the officer what had happened and giving a description of her attacker, Finn and Poe came back and she had to explain all over again. She was too tired to really listen to their lectures, appalled that she had decided to fight back. No one seemed to care that she'd won.

One of the other officers who'd gone outside to find the knife under the dumpster, brought Rey her purse from the alley. Everything was still in it, though her phone screen was cracked in the corner now.

Finn spoke with Poe quietly then came over to help her up and told her he was taking her home. He helped her out the car and drove the few blocks to her apartment.

She told him she was fine when he tried to help her up the stairs.

"You look like you're about to fall over," he insisted, wrapping an arm around her. She didn't argue, knowing he liked to fuss and probably needed to feel helpful.

He dug her keys out of her purse for her and let them into her apartment, turning on all the lights before guiding her to her bedroom.

"Seriously Finn, I'm not on the verge of death, I'm just tired," she said when he tried to help her into some pajamas he'd dug out of her dresser. She meant it. The shock and adrenaline wearing off was making her feel exhausted but mentally, she was fine. It wasn't her first time getting attacked, she'd lived with several abusive people before.

"Do you want me to stay with you tonight?" he asked, sitting on the bed with her.

She shook her head, regretting it when pain lanced through her brain. "No, thank you. I just want to sleep right now."

He knew her well enough not to push though she could tell he didn't like the idea of her being alone right now.

So he just went and got some ibuprofen, putting a few on her bedside table with a glass of water, digging out her phone to set it there too.

"Call if you need anything," he said, kissing her forehead. "Love you."

Once he left, she got up, wincing at the aches across her body. She went and double checked that he'd locked the door behind him, turning off the kitchen light but leaving the living room one on. Back in her room, she pulled off her clothes, groaning as she had to work her shirt over her sore shoulder.

She crawled into her bed in just her underwear, too tired to try and put on her pajamas.

Exhausted and hurting, she shut her eyes and let sleep claim her.

Another chapter down, sorry for the lack of Kylo in this one. It was a necessary evil, I promise. Hope you guys are enjoying the story so far, I'm having such a blast writing it and reading all the comments you're leaving, the support I'm getting is so much more than I expected! I'm insanely excited to write these next few chapters *wink wink*