Hang on tight! This is where the fun begins!
Poe could see the woman next to him tense up once more at the sight of the storm clouds outside the window, and when the pilot's voice came over the intercom informing them he was keeping the seat-belt sign on due to the potential rough weather, he knew Rey was about to go into panic mode again.
"So, what do you do in Denver?" he asked. He had distracted her before. He would do it again.
She looked at him, her expression almost grateful. She was no dummy; she knew what he was doing. She licked her lips. "Uhm, I'm not actually in Denver. Fort Collins." She shifted in her seat. "I'm going to Vet School, but I work as an EMT part-time."
He nodded. "From people to animals, huh?"
"Animals are easier to get along with."
He laughed softly. "You'll get no argument from me."
"Do you have any animals?" she asked.
"Just my dog, Bee," Poe told her. "I usually bring him with me when I come to Jackson, but this trip was kind of short-notice, so he's currently staying with friends."
"No horses or livestock on your property?" Though he knew she was focusing on the conversation to keep herself from thinking about what was going on with the weather, she truly seemed interested in his answer.
He shook his head. "Not yet," he told her. "Eventually, I'd like to get a couple of riding horses, maybe some goats and donkeys. Rescues, if possible. But I'll have to find people I can trust to take care of them when I'm not there."
A flash of lightning caught his attention, and it was obvious she saw it out of the corner of her eye as well. She looked back out the window. "Can the pilot fly over it?" she asked.
"I think he's trying," Poe told her. "We've been gaining altitude for a while now."
She looked startled as she faced him again. "Really? I couldn't tell."
He nodded, then noticed the flight attendant, who had been getting ready to bring the little snack cart down the aisle, knock and enter the cockpit, closing the door behind her. The flight was getting rougher as they flew further into the storm clouds. He glanced at Rey, whose expression was worried once more. He touched her lightly on the shoulder, getting her attention. "This is a tough old bird," he said. "We'll be able to fly through a storm with no problem. These guys do it all the time, especially here on the Front Range."
Rey nodded, then took a deep breath.
Keep her talking, Poe thought. "Where are you from originally?" he asked. "Your accent sounds a bit… posh? Is that what it's called?"
Her eyes widened, and then she smiled, and holy hell, her smile! It was gorgeous!
"Central London," she told him. "Westminster. I guess my accent is more posh than cockney." She shrugged. "You've been to London?" she asked.
He nodded. "A few times," he told her. Did she really not know who he was? Lord, it felt amazing not being recognized.
Suddenly, the plane began to roll again. Rey jerked her head around to look out the window as the wing dropped down. Rain began to pelt the window at the same time. She looked back at Poe, a question in her fearful eyes.
Poe glanced up toward the front of the plane, noticing that the flight attendant had exited the cockpit and was sitting in the jump seat, buckling her belt instead of continuing with the drink cart. She looked worried, and that did not make Poe happy.
"We're turning east," he said, confused.
"Going around it?" Rey asked.
"I guess," he told her. If they were going to attempt to go around, the storm must be really bad. Or else something else was wrong, and the closest area to land was to the east. Another flash of lightning caught his attention, and both he and Rey looked out the window again. The turbulence got worse and the rain continued to slide against the plane. It dropped suddenly, and Rey gasped. Without even thinking, Poe reached out to grab her hand, lacing her fingers with his as she held on tight. "I got'cha," he told her.
The pilot's voice came over the intercom. He was hard to hear over the combined noise of the propellors and the rain (or was it hail?) buffeting the plane, but Poe could almost feel the alarm in the man's voice. "Ladies and gentlemen, we have a flight control problem up front here that we're working on. We've turned away from our original destination and are heading for a landing field in Atlantic City. That's Wyoming, not New Jersey." There was a bit of nervous laughter. "We're going to keep working to resolve this situation, and once we reach the ground, we'll make sure you all get a ride to Denver as quick as possible. We should be down in less than fifteen minutes."
Poe felt his gut clench. While the Captain's voice was steady and confident sounding, he recognized the phrasing being used. There was a serious problem up front, and they couldn't fix it, so they were going to the closest airport, as small as it might be, and would be making an emergency landing.
Rey was looking at him, her beautiful eyes huge. She might not be a pilot, but she understood there was a problem. The plane gave another big jolt and her grip on his hand tightened even more.
"We're crashing, aren't we?"
Poe shook his head slightly, but then realized that he truthfully couldn't answer 'no' to that question. He wasn't in the cockpit and he didn't know exactly what was going on. A professional pilot's job was to keep everyone calm, no matter how bad the situation. In twenty minutes, they could be on the ground, safe and sound. Or, in twenty minutes, they could be dead.
"I don't know," he answered her honestly.
The plane continued to descend, wind and rain lashing it as it bounced and heaved through the air. Rey closed her eyes tight, leaning her head back on the seat. "Finn?" she shouted.
"Hang on, Rey!" Poe heard the man in the seat in front of him call back. "Hang on!"
For the first time in over twenty years, Poe closed his eyes and began to pray.
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