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Poe watched Rey's expressive face as she realized he was talking about the destruction Ben Solo did to Luke's temple on Ossus. Her wonder and joy upon seeing the tree disappeared and a dark expression crossed her face. It happened every time the man was mentioned.
He wasn't surprised she used the name Ren, however; he did the same thing. In his mind, Ben Solo was long gone, and he knew Rey was coming to the same understanding. He was aware that Rey had done her best to bring Leia's son back to the light side while she had been aboard the Supremacy, and from what he understood she had almost succeeded. In the end, however, the Skywalker heir had chosen a path that Rey hadn't followed. Thank the Force.
"Poe?"
A familiar and beloved voice called from the edge of the clearing, and the melancholia that Poe had fallen into while thinking of his old friend lifted immediately. He turned to the man calling with a smile.
"Papa!"
He glanced at Rey, who was watching them with raised eyebrows, then headed for his father, who was already making his way toward him. He embraced the ever-so-slightly taller man hard, feeling himself squeezed just as tightly in return. He closed his eyes, perfectly content to just stay like this for as long as his father would let him. Kriff, he had missed Kes!
Finally, he felt his father pull back, and Poe reluctantly let him go. His eyes searched the older man's face, noting a bit more grey in his hair, a few more wrinkles on his face. But his dark eyes were still bright, his body still lean and fit. And at the moment, his smile was ecstatic.
"Why didn't you let me know you were coming?" Kes demanded with a delighted laugh. He shook his head. "Never mind. I'm sure you don't broadcast your comings and goings these days."
Poe laughed in return. "Well, Dar did know we were coming, but we weren't sure how long I could stay, so he didn't let you know."
He saw Kes' eyebrows go up and his gaze moved past Poe at the mention of 'we.' Poe turned as well, smiling at Rey as she slowly moved toward them, her expression slightly nervous. "Papa, I'd like to introduce you to Rey."
Poe didn't need to elaborate. "Rey," Kes nodded, his expression becoming soft as he reached out a hand to the young woman. Rey reached back, and as Kes took her hand, he brought his other hand up to cup hers as he gently shook it. "It is an honor and a pleasure to meet you, Rey," he said, smiling warmly at her. "I have heard some impressive things about you."
Rey looked embarrassed as she glanced at Poe. "Well, don't believe everything you hear," she said with a self-depreciating grin. "I've heard a bit about you, too, Sergeant."
"Oh, please," Kes shook his head. "Either call me Kes, or if you must, just Dameron. I haven't gone by my rank in years."
Rey nodded. "Kes, then."
Kes nodded back, then looked at Poe once more. "So, how long can you stay? Please don't tell me you're leaving right away?"
Poe shrugged. "We were just supposed to drop off some rescued artifacts for the museum," Poe told his father. "But we were notified by the General that we are to 'lay low' here for an indeterminant amount of time."
Kes cocked his head. "Do I need to know why?"
Poe glanced at Rey, who gave him an amused look in return. "Well, let's just say that we're going to have more than the First Order looking for us for a while. The artifacts we rescued we stole." Poe had long ago learned that it was best to never lie to his father.
Kes looked back and forth between Poe and Rey for a moment, then he burst out laughing. "Why am I not surprised? At least you'll be safe here. The folks on Yavin IV have no love for the First Order or bounty hunters." He looked at his chrono. "It's almost time for dinner, so why don't we get you two fed, then you can get your stuff from your ship and get settled."
Poe nodded, then as Kes turned back toward the edge of the clearing, he gestured for Rey to follow. Her expression curious, Rey did so. The jungle path Kes led them on was short, and soon the house Poe had grown up in stood before them. It was a simple structure, but sturdy and comfortable. A wild riot of colorful flowers surrounded the building, and a garden with various types of fruits and vegetables grew in the lot next to the house. While Poe saw a few small changes, for the most part it didn't look much different than it had when he had been a child. And for that, he was glad.
Rey followed Kes into the house, and after looking around once more, Poe entered after them. He watched Rey as she looked about her, her expression curious, a small smile on her face. She looked pleased. She followed Kes into the kitchen, taking a long look at the holos on the mantle of the fireplace as she did so. Holos of Poe as a child, Poe in his Republic uniform in front of an X-Wing, and Poe with his mother, Shara.
"Rey, sit down," Kes instructed her when they entered the kitchen. "Poe, why don't you help me whip up some hot Runyip sandwiches."
Poe's stomach grumbled at the mention of one of his favorite meals. "Oh, hell, yeah," he said with a grin, pulling off his jacket and hanging it over the back of the chair next to the one Rey sat in. He washed his hands, and within minutes was helping his father fry Runip patties and topato wedges. All the while, the two men chattered, Kes telling Rey stories from Poe's childhood, and Poe playfully countering or agreeing with what his father was saying. Rey sat at the table with a delighted grin on her face, often giggling at what was being said. By the time the food was done and Poe and Kes sat down at the table ready to eat, they were all breathless from laughter.
They quieted as they ate, but Poe continued to focus on Rey, giving his father a conspiratorial smile when Rey's eyes widened after her first bite of the hot sandwich.
"This is amazing!" she said once she had finished chewing.
Poe tried to temper his reaction to her joy by reminding himself that Rey, in general, just loved food. She had grown up with so little variety that almost everything new she tried she loved. But he couldn't help the surge of satisfaction running through him. His father gave him a raised eyebrow, and Poe realized he had best be careful. While making the people he cared about happy made him happy, this determination to help Rey find joy in all things was bordering on obsession.
It was about mid-meal when Rey finally slowed down in her eating enough to talk. "Do you run your farm by yourself, Kes?"
"Most of the year, yes," his father answered. "But I hire on help during harvest, and Saramia helps out from time to time."
That name got Poe's immediate attention. "Saramia Fennden?" Poe had been very, very close to Saramia back in the day.
"Yes," Kes nodded. "You probably hadn't heard. Her husband passed a couple of years ago. She's done a few odd jobs off and on since then, to get by. She doesn't want to leave Yavin, but there isn't a whole lot for a woman of her talents to do here."
Her talents, Poe knew, included translating rare languages and archaeology. She had been all about studying the Massassi back when they had been young lovers, and she had gone on to the University on Hosnia Prime about the same time that Poe headed to the flight Academy. While there, she had met and married author and historian Wil Laugton, and they had both come to settle here on Yavin IV.
"She could have joined the Resistance," Poe said softly. She could easily learn how to be a code-breaker.
"Well…" Kes smirked. "She does take jobs with the Koyo barges every once in a while," he said. Yavin shipped out several tons of Koyo to various ports around the galaxy every month. "When she's in port, she listens. Carefully." He cocked his head. "Some of the things she hears, she passes on."
"You mean, she's spying?" Rey asked. There was approval in her voice.
Kes shrugged. "As I said, she doesn't want to leave Yavin. But she does want to help where she can."
Poe nodded, carefully considering his father's words. Help could come from anywhere, and every little bit counted. "I'll have to thank her," he said softly.
"I know she'd love to see you again, Poe.
And Poe would love to see her again. He glanced at Rey, who was watching him, her large eyes seeing more than he really wanted her to see. She looked away, blinking rapidly, her expression almost sad. Poe tried not to imagine why.
He looked back at the food on his plate, realizing that this little 'vacation' was going to be a lot more complicated than he had imagined.
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