•LEGACY - A Reylo Story•

EPISODE XVIII - KIDNAPPED AGAIN?

"That was so close!" Rey pants as they fly towards the stars. "I thought that thing was going to eat me. Did you use the Force?"

Ben nods, handing her back her lightsaber.

"Keep it for now. I'm going to concentrate on getting us as far away as possible. Although I doubt they have it together enough to send a starfighter after us."

Ben glances at the lightsaber, a smile on his face. He kneels and tucks it into Rey's waistband.

She leans over, kissing him on the mouth.

"Are we headed to D'Qar?" he asks. The ship is too small to have a copilot's seat, so he stands behind her, hands resting on her shoulders.

"Eventually."

"Eventually? Are-are we heading back to Stewjon? Because, Rey, I have to tell you that the First Order-"

"No. I'm not quite that dumb, Ben."

"You're smart," he says, as if her joke were distasteful.

She smirks. "I want to go to Jakku. Just briefly. I need to-there are some things I need to take care of there. I mean, I know now that my future isn't there." Maz was right.

They're never coming back, but there's another who still could.

"But I still-I want to settle something."

"Okay," he agrees, because he, too, knows ghosts.

/////

"He took her," Luke confesses to Leia. "Again."

"Where are you?"

"In the air. Chewie's been piloting-we looked everywhere, Leia, but we can't find whatever ship they're in." Luke's voice lowers. "Leia, I don't know what to do. This isn't-the Force-it's not leading me. This time, it's not leading me. It's contradicting everything, there's been a shift and I can't make sense of it, and I don't know what to do."

"The last time you said that," Leia says, her voice ragged. "Is when Ben-"

"I can't bear losing another student," Luke admits. He sounds frailer than his sister, Finn realizes.

"What are you going to do?" Leia demands. "Luke, you can't k-"

"I would never, Leia! He may still find his way home. And as for what we're doing now-"

"We'll keep searching," Finn cuts in.

"Really?" Luke whirls around to face him. "Your friend has a broken leg and a concussion too, most likely. If we continue-"

"We'll go back to D'Qar first," Finn interjects. Shamed, he glances at Chewie, who huffs.

Am I a bad friend to Poe?

Finn stares at his hands. You killed your fellow stormtroopers days after leaving them. The same day you left. The same people you might've called friends. Some you did call friends.

Anxiety climbs up Finn's throat as he tries to swallow it away. He hears Hux's voice, smooth and controlled and powerful, the way it was in all those rallies he'd attended, lined up with his arms at his sides, indistinguishable from the men and women next to him, all those videos he'd been forced to watch...

I'm not like them.

Why? Because you made a different choice?

Yes, Finn thinks. Exactly.

But he can't escape the fear burrowing inside him. What if he can never exorcise the callousness of the First Order?

BB-8 purrs from below him, looking up at him as if in concern.

"Does Poe need to see me?"

BB-8 blips a response. Not that Finn understands it. Or that it matters. He heads back towards the bunk where Poe lies, face contorted as he concentrates on not moving his leg in the slightest.

"How're you doing, buddy?" Poe greets him.

"Me?" Finn says incredulously. "How're you doing?"

"Um, well, I feel like a nexu broke my leg." Poe scowls. "I'm sorry about Rey, Finn. If it weren't for me-"

"What? No! Poe, don't talk like that. It's not your fault. I was about to become lunch when you shot at it." Finn laughs nervously, awkwardly, because he doesn't know what else to do.

Poe smiles, sweat glistening on his brow.

"How much pain are you in?"

Poe closes his eyes. "I'm really sorry."

"Stop doing that!" Finn shouts as he notices goosebumps on Poe's arms. "You cold?"

Poe doesn't respond."

"Poe! Are you cold?"

"I'll be fine."

"That is not-" Exasperated, Finn tugs his arms out of his jacket, placing the familiar leather over Poe. His friend's eyes fly open in surprise. "Here. You can borrow it. Don't think I'm giving it back to you," he adds, keeping his tone threatening and yet light, because if he lets his voice shake that won't help anyone.

"Sure thing, buddy."

BB-8 whirs.

"What?" Poe asks crankily.

The droid leans its head against the bunk, near Poe's head.

"I'm glad I'm okay too, BB-8."