The tree is backlit by fire as Rey crouches in front of it. Laser blasts sound overhead and the scream of ships dogfighting. She digs into the dirt and her hands come up stained with red. Men are screaming and she recognizes their voices, but she can't stop digging. What she needs is down deep, deep in the root system of the tree so she digs through the dirt and the mud and the blood and tries not to think about whose blood it is.
She's almost there, she can feel it, when the crackling, broken sound of a dangerously damaged lightsaber comes from behind her. She doesn't need to turn to see its dangerously damaged owner.
Unarmed, she stands, her hands dripping red. Before she can turn around, there is a split second of searing, shocking agony and she looks down to see the flickering, ragged red blade coming from her chest.
She woke with a gasp, her face cold with sweat. A deep breath didn't erase the panic or calm her racing heart.
"Rey?" Finn mumbled, half-asleep behind her. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, a nightmare." She pressed back against him, trying to sink into the warmth he radiated like a furnace, but her mind and body wouldn't let go.
A soft rap sounded at the door, followed by Luke's voice. "Rey?"
Finn sat bolt upright. "How did he know you were here?" he whispered.
Rey slipped out of bed and opened the door while Finn grabbed at the bedcovers and clutched them to his chest, despite the fact that they were both fully clothed. Her hands were still shaking when she closed the door behind Luke.
"Was it a nightmare?" Luke asked. There was no place in the room to sit other than the bed, so he gestured for her to sit down. Finn sat up, looking like he'd rather crawl under the bed instead.
"How did you know?" Rey leaned back against Finn, already chilled without his warmth.
"I sensed the disturbance in the Force." Luke sat next to her, barely giving Finn a glance, too focused on her. "Tell me."
"It was—the First Order was here." She felt Finn tense behind her, and she reached for his hand. "They knew about the tree. I was looking for... something." Rey didn't mention the rest. She could still feel the burning in her chest, and pressed her free hand against it absently. "What does it mean?"
"A warning, perhaps," Luke said. "Possibly a premonition."
"A premonition?" Finn spoke up. "The First Order is coming here?"
Luke's gaze moved to him briefly. "Possibly. But that's always been a small danger."
"But you said Kylo Ren didn't know about the tree," Rey said.
"I said Ben Solo didn't. It's unlikely his counterpart does—but not impossible." Luke fell silent for a moment, and Rey took deep breaths, leaning on Finn and drawing assurance from his presence.
"What do we do?" Rey said finally.
"We go on as planned. And it might have been just a dream after all." Luke placed a hand on her shoulder and that was new. Although she sensed his affection for her, he wasn't given to gestures of it. "Get some rest, both of you. Tomorrow we'll take the cuttings, the tree should be ready by then." He squeezed her shoulder and stood. "Take care of her, Finn."
"I—yes sir. I will."
Luke gave them a faint smile and left.
"Are you all right?" Rey turned around and rested her head against Finn's shoulder.
"Me? Yeah, I'm fine, are you okay?"
Rey turned out the lights again and they resettled into bed. "Better now."
"Good." He kissed her on the forehead and it tingled through her, soothing her nerves.
They were quiet, and Rey was just on the brink of sleep when she said, "Finn?"
"Yeah?"
"Luke likes you. You don't have to be afraid of him."
"I'm not—"
She snorted.
"Yeah okay, I am. A little." She heard the lie shading his voice. It wasn't just a little. "I mean, I used to work for the guys he's got a history with."
"Used to." Being warm and sleepy in the dark made it easier to say things. "He wants us to be happy, I think."
"Us as in... the two of us individually or us as in... us?"
"Both. All of us." She rubbed her cheek against his shoulder. It was getting more natural now. She draped one leg over his knees and sprawled against him. Impetuously, she lifted her head and gave him a quick kiss on the mouth, barely more than a glancing touch. "So don't worry about him."
"I—okay."
The kiss unsettled her. Had it been too much? In between "sex" and "not-sex" was a vast no-man's land and Rey wasn't quite sure she knew how to negotiate the territory. But Finn didn't seem bothered, and before long, she had drifted back to sleep.
She woke with the sun the way she always did, but for the first time it was hard to will herself out of bed. Finn snored quietly, sleeping almost ramrod-straight on his back, arms to his sides like he was standing at attention. Or, she mused, like he wasn't used to having room to move when he was sleeping. Without meaning to, she got a glimpse of his dreams, a flash of dark turbulence punctuated by bursts of red from blasters. Rey leaned down and kissed his forehead, and the turbulence calmed.
Carefully, she climbed out of the warm bed, a little more ready to start the day.
She wasn't the first one up—Kes and Poe were working side by side in the kitchen making breakfast.
"Morning. Sleep good?" Poe arched an eyebrow at her significantly and she laughed.
"I did, thank you. Did you have a good evening last night?" She arched her eyebrow back in imitation.
It was his turn to laugh, and his cheeks darkened as he cut his eyes toward his father and gave a small head-shake. "Yes, thanks." He handed her a plate and gestured to the food that was already prepared. "You'll want to hurry, I think Luke is already outside."
She did just that. It was getting easier to not gorge herself at meals; it was finally sinking in to her brain that she wasn't stuck living with whatever portions Unkar Plott deigned to give her and that food would be there when she needed it, as much as she needed. So she finished breakfast and headed out to meet Luke.
"Were you able to get back to sleep?" he asked.
"Yeah. Sorry I woke you."
He smiled faintly. "I don't sleep a lot these days."
Wordlessly, they started going through the first set of forms side by side and Rey felt both her body and mind start to relax and open. Rey's awareness was getting stronger each day, stretching out to touch on a hundred living things in Yavin's trees. The Coruscant tree was nearly blinding in its brilliance, thanks to the work she and Luke had been doing.
When they came to a stop, the sun was halfway up the sky, and Rey's mind was clear and serene.
Luke gestured for her to come closer to the tree. "I think we're ready to take the first cutting. Get your lightsaber."
"Me? You want me to cut it?" Rey obeyed though, drawing the weapon. Their theory, as yet untested, was because the lightsaber was a weapon of the Force, it would give them more control to take part of the tree while leaving its essence intact. The plan was to take three cuttings.
"Yes. I need to focus on keeping its energy in place." He paused and nodded at her. "You can do this. Just remember what we did yesterday."
Rey took a deep, deep breath and activated the saber. It still didn't feel entirely comfortable in her hands. She struggled to find the balance between working with it and letting it work with her. And finding that balance was more important than ever right now. If she failed, it might not just give them a useless cutting; there was a slim chance it could destroy the tree's connection to the Force altogether.
She really wished Luke were the one doing this.
With the saber lifted, Rey studied the branch Luke pointed out, saw the spot where she needed to make the cut. The Force flowed around the tree, except for one small area that was thinner and weaker than the rest. Rey half-closed her eyes and let the Force guide her weapon to the right spot. Now slowly, slowly, she eased it through the outer aura of the Force, reaching the physical branch of the tree itself. It was hard not to slice through too quick, but also not move so slow that the cutting was burned out.
At the end, with only the remaining Force aura to separate, she faltered. The cut was too fast and for a second she saw the tree flicker as if it were a bad hologram. Luke caught it, caught the loose ends of energy and sealed them off.
They were left with a small, perfectly prepared cutting of the tree, ready for planting.
"Well done," Luke said. "Two more to go."
Rey rolled her shoulders to get rid of the tension, then got ready to move on.
The second and third cuttings were a little easier. Now they just needed to get the into stasis and get them on the Falcon. But the hard part was done.
#
The cuttings were complete and safely stowed onboard the Falcon, and there was no reason for them to stay on Yavin 4 much longer. Poe went into overdrive, suddenly wanting to finish the little odd jobs around the ranch before they left. Kes was keeping on a good face, but Poe was observant. He remembered the hired hands who had worked the ranch before, and since they'd arrived, he hadn't seen them. In fact, he'd seen no one else working. The comment he made to Finn about the ranch running itself came back to haunt him as he spotted a dozen little signs of entropy that his father never would have allowed before.
Kes was alone, and he was trying to keep it hidden. Poe didn't know when it had happened, or why—maybe the price of livestock had fallen, or the price of labor had gone up. Poe had been so distracted by Finn he hadn't been paying attention to what was going on right in front of his eyes.
On a whim, he went out to check out the herd of runyips and look, really look. There were maybe a quarter of what he expected. Well cared-for, but not nearly enough to support a working ranch.
Kes found him hurrying through patching one of the worst expanses of fence. "Hey, kid. It's past lunch time, the others have all eaten. Take a break."
There was still too much to do, but Poe let Kes steer him back toward the house. He'd been thinking about it all morning, and he'd reached the only logical solution he could find. "I've been thinking," he said casually. "Maybe it's about time for me to think about hanging up my flight suit. Come home."
Kes laughed at him. "Right. You'd be bored solid in a week."
"No, I mean it. My reflexes aren't what they were even a couple of years ago. It's not going to be long before I'm more of a liability up there than a help."
Kes stopped and put a hand on his shoulder. "What's this really about?"
"Just what I said."
"Uh-huh. And what about Finn?"
"Dad, I told you—"
"I know what you told me, Poe, but I also know what I see with my own two eyes." Kes shook his head. "You're worried about the ranch."
"Well yes, a little—"
"Don't be." He raised his hand to forestall Poe's protest. "Yes, there's been a rough couple of years, but I'm doing all right. Next season I'm going to sell off part of the northwest reach, and that will solve a lot of my problems."
"But, if you had an extra pair of hands to do the work..." Poe said.
"Not your hands," Kes said sternly. "The Resistance needs you. You think I don't keep up with the underground holovids? Poe Dameron, you're a hero to those people. And I get to tell anybody who'll listen, that's my son." His face softened into a smile and he cupped Poe's jaw. "He takes after his mother."
"Mom would kill me if she saw that I was neglecting you." Poe shook his head.
"Maybe, but she'd haunt me for the rest of my days if I let you just walk away from this fight."
The more he thought about it, though, the more it seemed like the right thing to do. "But you and Mom did. You left the Rebellion for me, how can I not do the same for you?"
Kes laughed and Poe's irritation rose. "Poe, you were two years old! We came home to raise you. I am not a child. Besides, we waited until the war was won." He gave Poe's shoulder a shake. "Your war isn't won yet. The man I raised wouldn't just walk away from that."
"But—" Poe stopped and sighed. "I worry about you."
"That's what family does." Kes looped an arm around his neck and started walking again. "Come on, let's get you fed before Rey eats everything."
They weren't planning on leaving until the next morning, so with the afternoon free, Poe roped Finn and Rey into helping him with some of the last chores. Rey, it turned out, was as handy with building as she was with dismantling, so she took on the job of patching the main barn's roof while Poe and Finn cleaned it out.
When they stopped to take a break, Rey clambered down the steep roof with ease, hardly bothering with the ladder. The three of them sprawled in the shade, passing a canteen of water back and forth. Finn's back was propped against the barn wall and Rey used his thigh as a pillow, while Poe sat shoulder-to-shoulder with him, their hands linked.
"Rey, you've been to this place, what is it like?" Finn asked.
Rey's eyes were closed and she smiled. "More water than I've ever seen in my life. Water as far as you can see."
Finn laughed. "Anything else?"
"Stairs. Lots of stairs. Get ready to climb for ages."
"I don't think we're going to get to the full travelogue description from her," Poe said. "She's half-asleep."
"Am not." Rey didn't open her eyes. She reached up blindly with one hand and patted Finn's cheek. "He's a good pillow, though. I can go sleep in my bed tonight if you want to find out, Poe."
Poe choked on the water he was trying to swallow. "Is this weird? This is weird, right?" He looked between the two of them then laughed at their puzzled expressions. "Why am I asking you two."
"What's so weird about it?" Finn asked. "I mean, I don't want you to feel left out, if I'm always sleeping with Rey, so if you wanted to..."
"And you both really aren't bothered?" Poe asked. They shook their heads.
Rey sat up. "It sounds like you are, though."
"I—" Poe thumped his head back against the barn. "Not like I was afraid I might be. I was worried that I'd be jealous. I'm not jealous. I just—worry what people will think."
Finn laughed. "You? Really?"
"Well, some people?" Talking, Poe decided, was terrible. He should stop doing it. It was easier to figure out a lightspeed calculation in his head than to try and put his feelings into words. "Not everybody, but... my dad. I'd worry about people thinking that I'm taking advantage of the two of you. Butting my way into your relationship."
"But you're not," Rey said. "You're not in our relationship at all. You're in your relationship."
Rey had a way of making things sound so simple and obvious. Even when they weren't. It must be a Jedi thing.
Finn picked up Poe's hand and squeezed it. "Rey and I are... doing pretty okay, I think." He looked to her for confirmation and she nodded. "Is this really what's bothering you?"
And Finn had a way of seeing straight to the heart of things even when Poe would rather he didn't. "My father needs help here. He's trying to tell me he's fine but," he gestured at the barn.
"Maybe we can convince Luke to stay another day, give us more time to do some work?" Finn suggested.
"A couple of days of work isn't going to solve the problem. He needs another set of hands here to do the work." And maybe any pension Poe might bring with him, if he came home. He didn't say that aloud; his pride had limits. "I offered to come home for good." He couldn't look at Finn while he said it.
"Leave the Resistance?" Rey said. "But you can't! We need you too."
"I know I can't." Now he did look at Finn, and tried to give him a reassuring smile. "Didn't want to anyway, but I had to offer."
"I get it. You'd do anything for him." Finn didn't return the smile, but his eyes were calm, serious. "I understand that."
Poe leaned over and gave him a quick kiss before standing up. "Come on, let's get the rest of the barn cleaned out."
#
The three of them walked arm in arm back toward the house, Finn in the middle. Finn couldn't remember a time he'd been this tired that hadn't also involved long periods of sheer terror. It was a good feeling.
The plan was to part ways and clean up for dinner, but Rey followed him into his room. She closed the door and a sudden twinge of nervousness hit him.
"Finn?" If he didn't know better, he'd swear she sounded nervous too. "Can I... try something?"
He had a second to remember his "something" with Poe. It must have shown on his face because she laughed. "No, nothing like that. Can I kiss you?"
Now, she had already kissed him, several times, affectionate touches that were warm and gentle, but she'd never specifically asked before. "Yeah."
Rey stood in front of him and reached up to touch his face. Her hands weren't soft. Her hands were calloused, rough, marked with healed cuts and scars, but they were warm, and they were hers. He leaned his cheek against her hand. Her eyes were green today—they seemed to change colors depending on her mood and he didn't yet know what green meant.
Then she leaned toward him and he met her halfway. Her lips were softer than her hands. Normally when she kissed him, it was a quick peck on the cheek or forehead, and once on his mouth, but this was... different from the start. Lingering, gentler. Rey wrapped her arms around his neck—which was always one of his favorite things in the universe—and he pulled her closer.
He tried to stay still, and to let her control the entire experience, but once their lips met, she seemed unsure. Finn moved his lips over hers and was rewarded by a little intake of breath. Rey mimicked his movement and suddenly his skin seemed too tight for his body. Self-conscious of his body's reactions, he angled his hips away from hers before he had a chance to embarrass himself.
When they parted, Rey's eyes burned bright and her cheeks burned brighter. "I... I should go. Dinner. I have to. Yeah." She was gone before he could say anything.
Finn took a deep breath. What had just happened? What did it mean? Suddenly the prospect of sharing his bed with her again had taken on a very different tone. Had she decided she wanted more?
He threw himself through the refresher before he could think himself into a tailspin.
In the kitchen, Poe and Kes were arguing good-naturedly about how to finish cooking dinner, and Finn slipped out of the house to where the Coruscant tree grew.
Too late, he realized his mistake. Skywalker was there, looking up into the branches. Before Finn could retreat back to the house, Skywalker looked over at him. "Finn. Just the person I wanted to see."
Damn. "Yes, sir," Finn said, resisting the urge to salute.
"You realize you can call me Luke, right?"
"All right, si—Luke." Finn tucked his hands into his pockets and tried to walk casually toward the tree. "What did you want to see me about?" He was pretty sure he knew.
He was wrong.
"Have I done something to upset you, Finn?"
"What? No."
Luke glanced over at him, an eyebrow raised. "Are you sure? You seem... troubled by my presence at times."
"I—" Finn closed his mouth. I had nightmares about you as a child didn't seem like an appropriate response. "It's just—I never know for sure how people will react to me, to what I've done."
"What you've done. What is it that you've done?" Luke turned to face him directly, his face solemn now, and Finn practically wanted to quake in his boots.
"I mean. I was a stormtrooper. I was with the First Order. I helped them do terrible things."
Luke folded his arms. "How many people did you kill for them?"
"Oh. Well. None, but—"
"And do you know how many people have overcome stormtrooper conditioning, fled the First Order, and joined the Resistance?"
"...no?"
"One." Luke nodded. "Just you."
Finn fought the urge to squirm. "I was scared, so I ran—"
"I know what happened." Luke unfolded his arms and rested a hand on Finn's shoulder. "And I also have an idea of what stories they tell the innocent children they're indoctrinating."
"You're less scary in person," Finn mumbled.
That earned a laugh. "You're not the first person to say that to me." He squeezed Finn's shoulder and let go. "Rey cares about you a great deal. I can see why."
Finn dropped his gaze to the ground. "I care about her too."
"I gathered that." Was Luke Skywalker teasing him? "But Finn, you should know, her training is going to get more difficult from here on out. She'll have to constantly look to find balance within herself. Be patient with her, if you can."
"I will. I'll try."