Oh, my goodness! I almost forgot to post today! My cat, Stache, had a vet appointment today to get her teeth cleaned, so I was focused on that. She's home now, and all is well, so here we go!

Rey was about half way down the cruiser's ramp when she stopped suddenly, closing her eyes and breathing in deep. The smell of the jungle around her was intoxicating, and the sounds coming from it were almost hypnotic. The dampness of the air, the songs from various birds and insects, the combined feeling of peace and wildness… it was perfect. She opened her eyes to see Poe smiling at her, his eyes softer than she had ever seen them.

"I knew you'd love it here," he said, his voice almost tender.

Rey was speechless. She didn't have words for how she felt, but she realized that she didn't need them. He understood.

"Poe!"

The shout seemed to jerk them both out of the quiet connection that was occurring between them, and Rey looked over at the man she had seen waiting for them next to the landing pad. Poe was moving off the ramp and heading toward his friend, and as they embraced, Rey couldn't help but smile at the contrast between the two. Poe was dwarfed by the huge man!

Darkurr Naughtstrum was not only very tall, but well-built. His sleeveless shirt revealed muscled arms and his handsome face was framed by thick, black dreads that were pulled back into a queue. His dark eyes flashed with humor and his smile was genuine as he hugged Poe. He was downright beautiful, she thought.

Almost as beautiful as Poe.

She pushed back that thought as the men separated and turned to face her. "Rey, this is Dar. He's the one in charge of the almost museum they are going to put in the temple." He looked back at Dar. "This is my associate, Rey."

Dar's eyes were focused on her intently now, and his smile was soft. "Nice to meet you, Rey," he said, his voice rich and deep. "I never expected Dameron to bring a beautiful woman with him when he finally came home."

Rey felt her face heat. It wasn't the first time in the last several days she had been complimented on her looks, but she didn't think she would ever get used to it. She decided to change the subject. "What do you mean almost museum?"

"They've been planning a museum dedicated to the history of the Rebel Alliance here for years," Poe explained. "But after the Hosnian Cataclysm, those plans halted. Hopefully temporarily."

"I will forever be grateful we never advertised what we were doing here," Dar added. "Else I fear the First Order would have destroyed the temple by now. As it is, we have all the artifacts stored in the bunkers, so they should be safe if there is ever a surface attack."

Poe nodded. "Well, we have something new for you to keep safe until the war is over," he said, then he looked at Rey, nodding.

Rey stepped forward, slipping the strap of the bag she had over her shoulder down so she could open it, letting Dar look inside.

The man's eyes widened. "Whoa!" he breathed. "Are those real?"

"They're all in working order," Rey told him. "I tested all fifteen on the way here."

Dar glanced at Poe, then back at Rey. "You tested them?"

"She's well versed in lightsabers," Poe said with a smile. "She just rebuilt one herself."

Dar's eyes widened even more. "You're… you're a Jedi?"

Rey shook her head, immediately protesting. "No…"

"She will be," Poe interrupted her. "She's in training, but has already done amazing things."

Rey glanced at him, surprised by the obvious pride in his voice.

"That's so wizard!" Dar said, grinning. "Does she know about the tree?"

"Not yet," Poe said. "I hope to introduce them on the way home."

"Tree?" Rey asked.

Instead of answering her, Poe looked back at Dar. "Speaking of which, did you tell my dad I was coming?"

Dar shook his head. "I wasn't sure how long you would be able to stay. The General just said you would be dropping off some important items for the museum."

"Well, it looks like we'll be here a while," Poe said, glancing at Rey and reminding her about Leia's cryptic message asking them to 'lay low.' "Do you happen to have some transport we can use, or do we need to hoof it?"

"I got a speeder you can use for as long as you need," Dar confirmed. He looked at Rey, giving her another smile. "And I can't say I'm upset to hear you'll be staying."

Once more, Rey felt a strange warmth flow through her at his scrutiny. It was unfamiliar, but it wasn't unpleasant. She knew he was flirting, as she had seen others tease this way back on base, but no one had ever done it to her before. It felt… nice.

She heard Poe clear his throat and Dar smiled, directing them toward an older model speeder parked in the shade of the temple. Rey handed the bag of lightsabers over to the tall man, then gave him a shy smile as she followed Poe toward the speeder. As she slid into the passenger seat, she saw Poe shake his head.

"Well, I hope you're as impressed with the tree as you were with Dar," he grumbled.

Rey frowned at him. "What is this tree you're talking about?" she asked. "I see hundreds, if not thousands of trees. Why is this one so special?"

Poe smirked. "You'll see."

Rey glared at him for a while, then focused on her surroundings. Force, this place was beautiful, she thought to herself again. She would never not think forests and jungles and green, grassy plains were beautiful. And this particular environment was full of animal life, as well. She could feel so much energy in the Force all around her. It made her skin tingle, as if she was standing too close to an electrical field, only it was a much more pleasant sensation.

And it was getting stronger.

She looked at Poe, only to see him glance at her, his eyebrows arched high.

"Wha-?" she started, then turned her head sharply ahead of them once more as the feeling seemed to surge. It was very similar to what she had felt on Ach-To so many months ago. The day she had found the Jedi Texts in the old dead tree.

Poe slowed the speeder as a large tree, very different from the others in the surrounding jungle, came into view. He stopped and without hesitating Rey slid out and walked toward the tree. She looked up at the grey/green leaves, then at the light brown bark of the trunk. She realized this was the same kind of tree that had housed the Sacred Texts, only this one was alive.

She reached out to stroke the smooth bark. "A Uneti Tree," she whispered. "I didn't think they existed anymore."

"You know about them, then?" She turned, surprised to see Poe standing directly behind her. She had been so focused on the tree, she hadn't heard him follow her.

"They are mentioned in one of the texts, and I gathered that the ancient tree on Ach-To was one." She looked back at the tree. She could almost feel a pulsing coming from the trunk, as if it had a beating heart. "The books never said where they were from originally or where any living ones could be found." She looked back at Poe. "How?"

"Luke Skywalker," Poe said with a smile. "That's how."

Rey tilted her head at him. "Explain."

Poe laughed. "My mom helped Luke 'rescue' two saplings from the Empire just after the war ended," he told her. "They were all that was left of the tree that used to grow in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. He gave one of the saplings to her, and she planted it here."

Rey looked back at the tree in wonder. "So, you've known about this tree your whole life?"

He shrugged. "Well, most of it."

"What did Luke do with the other one?" she asked, looking at him once more.

His face fell. "I believe he planted it on Ossus." He took a deep breath. "But if he did, it was destroyed with the temple. I've been there, and there's…" he paused. "There's nothing left."

Rey felt sorrow creep in, slowly overtaking the wonder she had been feeling.

"Ren."

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