Thank you all for reading and I hope you all are liking where this is going so far! I just finished another chapter on my WIP, another Damerey Modern AU (I want to keep comicnut on his/her toes), which means I'm almost done! It should be ready to go when this is complete. But for now, let's find out how Rey and Poe are going to handle what's coming...
Poe felt both terror and excitement roar through him at Rey's words. He had woken to see her standing, wearing nothing but his shirt, facing the closed door of the bedroom. After determining there was no one and nothing there, he began to listen to what she was saying. It only took him a second to realize what was happening.
She was talking with Ben.
No. Not Ben. Kylo Ren, he forced himself to think. It wasn't often he thought of the man who now carried the title of Supreme Leader of the First Order as anything but Kylo Ren anymore, but he had thought of Ben Solo more than once in the last few days. Maybe it was because he was back here on Yavin IV, the planet where he had met and befriended the younger boy. Or maybe it was simply because he had become so relaxed and carefree during this forced vacation. But he had to stop.
Ben Solo, his former friend and the son of his mentor, was dead.
When Rey turned to him and told him Ren was almost here, his conflicting feelings almost overwhelmed him. If Ren was alone, there was a much better chance the both of them could defeat him, that Yavin IV and her people wouldn't even have to know they had almost been targeted by the First Order. But the trauma of his past experience with Kylo Ren also rose its ugly head, and an uncontrollable feeling of dread surrounded him. The agony. The helplessness. The nightmares that followed. The anger and distrust that still remained.
He swallowed and nodded, slipping from the bed and grabbing his trousers. "If he's alone, we can handle him."
Rey scoffed, shaking her head. "Poe, no. You're not going near him."
Poe looked up from fastening his pants. "Excuse me?"
"You know what he's capable of," she continued, her expression strained. "And he hates you. He'll kill you, but not before he makes you suffer again."
Poe felt a chill slink up his spine, but instead of cowering, it made him stand straighter. "I do know what he's capable of," he told her. "And that's why I'm not leaving you to face him alone."
Again, Rey shook her head. "You can't beat him," she argued. "He's too powerful. At least I have a fighting chance." She furrowed her brow. "He still wants to turn me more than kill me. I can use that to my advantage."
Poe stepped toward her, anger overcoming any fear and anxiety now. "I may not be a Jedi, but I still have some advantages over him, especially here on Yavin."
She looked at him, her eyes suddenly wide and scared. "He remembers this place from his childhood," she told him, her voice rough. "His emotions may make him more vulnerable, but they may also make him more dangerous." She cocked her head. "How well did you know him when you were children?"
Suddenly feeling deflated by her question, he moved to sit on the bed. "He was younger than me," he told her. "The handful of times Han and Leia visited, he would follow me around like a puppy. The last time I saw him he was about ten or eleven. We talked about ships and flying, mostly." He sighed. "He loved the tree." He brought up his hands and rubbed them over his face vigorously, then looked at Rey again. "Leia said he idolized me. That he wished he could stay here on Yavin and not train to be a Jedi." He laughed harshly. "I wish to hell he had stayed. He might never have turned into the monster he is now."
Rey walked over to him and sat down beside him, her body warm against his side. "He hates you, now," she said softly. "You've defeated him one too many times. You survived your capture. You freed Finn. You destroyed Starkiller. You're Leia's right hand." She looked at him. "And now he knows you share my bed." She was silent for a while. "He won't hesitate to destroy you."
"Rey…"
"You need to take Kes and stay in the village. Prepare for others to come if I fail. Hopefully, if he kills me, he'll just leave you be."
Poe stood quickly, stepping forward and turning to face her. "Fuck, no!" he practically shouted. "I'll send papa, but I'm not leaving you!"
"Poe." Her voice was soft and her eyes filled with tears.
He lifted a finger, silencing her. "No!" he said forcefully, breathing hard. "I'm not leaving you!" He turned away from her, his mind racing. "There's got to be something I can do, indirectly, to help you. To give you an advantage." An idea began to take form. He turned back to her. She was watching him, an expression of awe on her face. "I think I have a plan."
Rey stood and walked toward him, giving him a watery smile. "You're an idiot, you know that?"
He scoffed. "I've always known that. Are you just figuring it out now?"
She laughed, then moved into him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He hugged her back, squeezing her tight.
"I'm not losing you," he whispered. "Especially not to him."
Rey pulled back, wiping the tears on her face with one hand. "What's your plan?"
"Let's get Kes out of here," he told her. "Then I need your help with the farm droids."
Rey cocked her head, her eyes curious and hopeful.
"But first." Poe grasped the chain around his neck and pulled it up and over his head. He looked at her intently.
Her eyes went wide once more, her mouth dropping open in astonishment as she looked at the ring, then back up at him.
Slowly, deliberately, he placed the chain over her head, letting it settle around her neck. Licking his lips, he took the ring in his fingers and tucked it down beneath his shirt, so it rested against her skin. He met her eyes with his own once more, then he leaned in. She met him halfway, her lips on his in a flash, her arms around his neck once more.
Poe took his time kissing her, feeling the now familiar power coming from the Force fill him as their passion grew. He knew there was no time for more than this, but for now this would have to be enough. Slowly, he pulled back, resting his forehead against hers.
She took a deep breath. "Let's do this."
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