Rid Of Him For Good (A Reylo Story)

Chapter Five

CHAPTER 5

As the sun dipped low in the brilliant amber sky, Finn waited for them on the forest's edge. "Took you long enough!" he shouted, grinning, as they approached.

Leia playfully scowled. "Easy now, Finn. I can have you written up for disrespecting a princess like that."

Finn rolled his eyes. "Not like that'll do much when my buddy here can just un-write me up, General." He threw his arm around Poe's shoulders. "And what makes you think I'd do that?" Poe asked, bantering.

"Because you love me?" Finn tried, his eyes sparkling.

"Yeah, right!" Poe laughed, shaking his head. "You're lucky I let you stay on base!" Poe added, chuckling.

"Come on, boys," Leia said, smiling. "We're burning sunlight." With that, they set off down the small dirt path.

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As the small cabin came into view, Poe's nostrils flared, catching the savory scent of smoke and roasting meat. A warm fire crackled within a stone hearth outside the cabin door, where a plump pheasant slowly turned golden brown above the flames. Whiskey bottles and fresh bread sat nearby, invitingly arranged. Poe should have expected an outdoor feast, given the cabin's capacity limitations. Still, the thought of sharing a campfire with Kylo Ren made his hand instinctively slip into his pocket, his fingers tracing his concealed blaster's trigger for reassurance. "Just in case, just in case, just in case," he silently repeated, his anxiety simmering.

Finn called out, scanning the empty clearing, "Rey! You here?"

The cabin door swung open, and Rey emerged with a warm smile, her arms cradling several crystal glasses. "Hey, Poe! You made it!" She set the glasses down on a stump beside the whiskey and embraced Poe tightly. "Hey, Rey!" Poe chuckled, returning the hug. "Well, I had to give you a proper farewell, didn't I?"

"Hey, Rey!" Poe chuckled back. "Well, I had to give you a proper farewell, didn't I?" He said.

Rey smiled, releasing him. "I'm glad you came." She turned to Leia, her expression radiant. "Ben's grabbing us some more firewood, although he should be back—"

"Did someone say my name?" A low, smooth voice interrupted from behind them.

Poe's hand involuntarily jerked to his pocket as Ren suddenly appeared from behind a tree. He had shed the large cloak that Poe had seen him in last, and was now wearing just a white shirt with the sleeves cuffed to the elbows, and a pair of navy blue trousers. 'Let it go' he scolded himself, and he discreetly pried his fingers from the blaster in his pocket. 'Don't do anything rash.'

Ren set the firewood down in a pile by the hearth, and straightened up, looking at the group before him. Poe was taken aback at how...young he looked. His eyes were bright and full of energy, and the cocky grin that spread across his face was somehow... familiar to Poe, but he couldn't place where he had seen it before.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Said Ren, walking up to Rey.

Poe was a little more prepared for it this time, but it still didn't stop the deep prickle of wrongness that spread through his body like venom as he watched Rey reach up to gently cradle Ren's face, and place a short, chaste kiss to his lips, before letting her arm settle against the small of his back.

"No, no you're just in time!" Rey said.

Ren leaned down, and Poe watched in astonishment as the Supreme Leader embraced his mother in a gentle, tender hug. The Resistance General and the embodiment of the First Order's tyranny, united in a moment of familial love. Poe felt like he was trapped in a surreal dream, his mind struggling to reconcile the contradictions.