So, there's no question Rey is running. The question is, how long will it take Poe to go after her?

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Five Weeks Later

Poe stood on the balcony of his little house, drink in hand, staring off toward the sun setting over the Pacific Ocean. He could hear the people in the house behind him through the open sliding glass doors as they laughed and talked and celebrated, and while he had been a part of that celebration just a moment ago, he now found himself staring out at the horizon, overcome with a desperate loneliness despite the friends that partied behind him.

They had made it official today. He was now the owner and CEO of Wind River Media. While he had not been set on a name for the production company when he had decided to start it, the name he eventually chose had been kismet, a permanent reminder of his life-changing experience in the wilds of Wyoming not so long ago. Whether he would find more joy or more sadness in those memories was yet to be determined.

He had attended the funerals of every person who had died on Flight 611, Linda and Harry having had a double funeral, and while he had remained focused on the families and friends of the deceased, he had been very aware of the other mourners, hoping upon hope that one familiar face would appear in the crowd. It never did, of course. None of the funerals were in Colorado, and a last year Vet Med student, who had already wracked up plenty of debt with student loans, wasn't going to travel far for the funerals of people she hadn't known, no matter that she would forever be connected to them.

He shook himself, trying to pull himself out of his moroseness. It didn't matter that she hadn't shown up. He knew where she was. He knew her address, her cell phone number. Hell, he could have found out her class schedule if he wanted to, but that really felt way too stalkerish for his liking. The fact was, while he had Snap find out where Rey was and how to reach her, he had been too busy to do anything about it. Or… maybe he was just hoping she would try and contact him, first. He had made sure the two secretaries he had hired specifically to go through his fan mail and social media accounts knew her name, and he checked his phone often. Unbeknownst to Rey, he had put his number into her phone while she had been getting dressed after their excursion in the shower.

He would go to her eventually, he knew. But he wanted to give her time. Obviously, she wasn't as sure about this thing they had started as he was. After the press conference in Pinedale, when he had found out she and her friends had already left, driving back to Colorado in a rental car, he had been crushed, but professional actor that he was, he hadn't shown his pain. In hindsight, he shouldn't have been surprised; she had been acting strange after they had changed in the hotel restrooms. He remembered the fear and panic in her eyes whenever he talked about appearing in public. But he couldn't imagine that was the only reason she had left without a word.

Maybe she didn't care about him. Not really. Not outside of her 'fan' obsession, anyway. Maybe it had just been a fling to her, a memory of how she had literally 'touched' fame. Maybe he had imagined the look of adoration in her eyes when he had been buried deep inside her, had let himself believe her touch was more than sexual, that she really cared.

Maybe she could never love him like he now knew he loved her.

He heard a noise and turned his head to see one of his favorite people in the world coming up behind him, a soft smile on her face but a look of worry in her eye. Leia Organa had cast and directed him in his first lead performance on the stage over fifteen years ago in New York, and whenever he had time, he happily returned to the theater to do special performances for anything she was directing or producing. He considered her and her husband Han Solo, a gruff former NYPD detective, to be family.

She stopped next to him at the balcony rail and looked out over the ocean as he had been doing. The sky was a mauve color now, with the light from the sun almost gone. She shook her head and gave a soft laugh. "Have I ever told you how happy I am you bought this house? It has to be one of the best locations in Malibu."

Poe had bought the vintage 1926 house just after his success in Galaxy Aflame, when he had officially become a millionaire. Though it wasn't at all large, and had needed a lot of work, it had still cost over $2 million because of its location on the hillside overlooking the ocean. Din had joked that when the 'Big One' hit California, this house would be one of the first to slide into the sea, but Poe had reminded him that his larger (and slightly cheaper) house in Jackson was in the bullseye if ever Yellowstone decided to erupt; he would go fast either way.

He smiled at Leia. "You and Han sure spend more and more time here," he told her. "You oughta just give up and buy your own place out here and retire."

She laughed again. "Don't think we haven't considered it." Her smile faded as she eyed him. "What's wrong?" When he didn't answer right away, she continued. "Is it that woman from the crash? The one you were telling Din about?"

He winced. She could always read him like a book.

He shrugged. "I was hoping she would reach out to me by now."

"You gave her the ability to do so?"

He nodded. "She has my number, and I made sure Suri and Tallie know her name if she reaches out via fan sites or social media. Nothing."

"But you can find her?"

He sighed. "Yeah."

"But you don't want to." It wasn't a question.

He looked at her. "Oh, believe me I want to! It's just… she left. I feel like…" He sighed again. "I found the fanfiction she wrote. About Treye Sulvan. I found her on Tumblr. She's surrounded by people who are…" he felt his face heat. "More than a little obsessed with me. I feel like…" he started again.

Leia finished for him. "That maybe she loves Treye Sulvan over the real you?"

He shook his head. "That she thinks she loves Treye Sulvan over me." He looked at her again. "But I don't believe it. It wasn't Treye Sulvan she met and got close to in Wyoming."

"So, go get her."

He laughed and rubbed a hand over his face. "I wish it was that easy."

"It is that easy, Poe," Leia pushed. "If you think she really loves you, or can eventually love you, like you deserve… then go get her. She's probably terrified of reaching out to you. Your name is known worldwide. Your fame is daunting. You have to remind her that you are still you, despite it all. And that you love her."

Poe couldn't stop the emotion that surged through him, and tears formed in his eyes. "I do love her. How is it possible to fall in love with someone in such a short time?"

"You've been looking for the right one for a long time, Poe," Leia said, her voice soothing. "You knew her when you saw her. Now, you just gotta convince her."

He took a deep breath. "And what if I can't? What if she… refuses me?" Zorii's betrayal and abandonment still stung all these years later, even if he had long ago stopped loving his ex-wife. Rey was the first woman who had ever breached the barriers Zorii had inadvertently helped build.

"You'll never know until you see her again," Leia told him.

He nodded, then stood silent for a long moment. Of course, he knew Leia was right. He had waited long enough. He needed to start thinking about his future and he needed to know if Rey would be a part of it.

"Tomorrow," he whispered. He would go to her tomorrow.

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