Meadows, bare rocky ground, huge stone formations, hillsides full of evergreen trees… the terrain was varied and daunting, and there was absolutely no sign of human civilization anywhere.

Rey had her sights set on a bare ridge straight in front of them when Poe stopped suddenly, looking at his watch.

"It's been just over an hour since we left," he said. "We should head back."

Rey turned and looked at him, then gestured toward the ridge. "Let's get on top of that and see what we can see first," she said. "Then we can go back."

Poe looked up the hill, frowning. It would be a bit of a climb, but it wasn't too far. He grimaced and nodded. "Okay."

Together, they started up the hill, carefully picking their way around the loose shale that was scattered about. Rey felt her foot slip and Poe grabbed her hand immediately, helping her regain her balance. She gave him a smile of thanks and they continued on. Both were huffing and puffing when they reached the top.

"Oh, wow," Rey gasped.

A valley of trees lay before them, with a bright blue lake in the middle, and beyond them another range of bare granite mountains. Rey used her hand to shade her eyes, searching the beautiful view before her for anything that might indicate there were people nearby. She wished she had a pair of binoculars. As it was, she could see nothing. No power poles, no roads, nothing manmade.

Poe took out his cell phone. Rey knew he hoped they were high enough to catch a signal, but she could tell from his expression that he was unsuccessful.

Rey pulled two water bottles out of her Loungefly bag, handing one to Poe, and they both took a drink. As she put the bottles back, she felt a moment of relief that the bag she had brought was a generic Disney one, and not the one made specifically for the Galaxy Aflame character Treye Sulvan. Even though she was sure that Poe knew she knew who he was now, she did not need him to know she was a 'crazed fan.' Or had been. She couldn't imagine writing fanfiction about any character this man portrayed after this. It would feel too strange, too personal. She had literally faced death with this man. She no longer looked at him and saw Treye Sulvan or Lucas Bowers. She just saw Poe, a normal guy who, while admittedly handsome, was just as exhausted, just as worried, just as scared as she was.

But he was also determined and confident, and while she knew a lot of that was according to him an 'act,' it gave her confidence and reduced her fear. They were gonna get out of this.

She realized he was looking at her, his expression contemplative, a small smile on his face. She felt her face heat; never had a man looked at her with such intensity. It was both nerve-wracking and thrilling. She took a deep breath and continued to look about the valley in front of them, hoping one last time that she would see sunlight flash on something that would indicate civilization. "I wish we were here because we wanted to be," she said softly.

He faced the valley as well. "You mean so we could just enjoy the hike and not worry about actual survival?"

She nodded. "Yeah." She elaborated. "It's so beautiful here. So peaceful. Exactly the kind of place I love to be." She looked at him. "But not when I know there are more than two dozen people who just want to go home waiting for us."

He frowned. "We better get back to them," he said, his glance looking remorseful. "Hopefully one of the other teams had better luck than we did."

They turned and carefully made their way down the steep, slippery slope. Rey kept her eyes on where the sun was and looked for recognizable formations in the rock that she had made note of on the hike out here, and in less than an hour they could see the bright white shape of the plane glaring obviously in the sunlight. The other teams had already made it back, and Rey could tell from their expressions that they had not found anything, either.

"Just planes way too far in the sky to be searching for us," Finn grumbled.

"There's a creek not even a quarter mile east with fresh water," Poe told them. "So, we'll be fine there, but we need to talk about food. I'm going to ask if any of you have experience hunting."

Rey watched as most of the group shook their heads. An older grey-haired man raised his hand slightly. "I used to," he said. "But I haven't in years, and I have no weapon."

"I might be able to rig together a snare trap," Ezra said. "I learned how to do it, but I've never actually set one up to catch something."

Poe shrugged. "It's better than nothing."

Rose stepped forward. "Kay and I found a few tarps in the luggage hold of the plane," she said, motioning toward a young woman standing behind her. "We were thinking about setting up a shelter here by the cliff, using the trees. You know, in case it storms again."

"That's a great idea," Poe said, smiling.

A curvy middle-age woman gave a soft laugh. "This is kind of like 'Survivor,' isn't it?"

A brawny older man laughed along with her. "Let's not vote anyone out, though, okay?"

A few more people laughed, and Rey felt a sense of relief flow through the group. Though they had just learned they were nowhere near civilization, and rescue was still up in the air, there was a growing feeling of positivity. Giving people something to do to help the whole group was always a great way to combat despair and hopelessness.

Rey looked at Poe and smiled. He grinned and winked back at her.

"Tomorrow," Poe began. "We'll send out our teams again and go a little farther. I'm still not giving up on the idea that there is some kind of tourist facility near." He paused. "This is provided we don't get rescued before then, of course." A few of the people nodded and smiled at his words. "In the meantime, let's get that tarp up."

"You rest," Rose said. "You guys already did enough work today. Let us do this."

"Thanks, Rose," Poe said softly. He looked at Rey. "You heard her."

Rey felt exhaustion roar through her. Their hike hadn't been that far, but with the minimal food and sleep she had had, it had taken its toll. She followed Poe back over to where they had slept the night before. Finn joined them, smiling at Rose as she took charge of a small group of people and they set out to make a tarp shelter.

"She's amazing, isn't she?" he asked as he sat down, a goofy grin on his face.

"Yeah, she is," Poe agreed. "I think we're surrounded by amazing people," he added. He looked at Rey as he lay back, putting his head on his duffle.

Feeling a bit self-conscious, Rey sat next to him. She glanced at Finn as she lay down next to him, noting her friend's goofy grin was directed at her now. He winked, and Rey felt her face heat. But it didn't prevent her from shifting closer to the man beside her. She glanced at him, only to find him watching her through half-lidded eyes. He smiled as she settled on her side facing him, her bag as her pillow, then he closed his eyes fully.

Within minutes, Rey was asleep, feeling safe and strangely content.

XXXXXX