•LEGACY - A Reylo Story•

EPISODE LIV - WE'RE GOING TO MAKE IT

Giving up is not in Rey's nature.

But, apparently Snoke believes it might be.

She wonders if this is how Ben felt, when he told his father he was being torn apart. She has no intention of actually going to the Dark Side, and yet a part of her thinks that if she does, she might be able to manipulate her way to freedom.

They're never coming back.

Maybe it's time she swallow that fact. Ben might be trying, but if it took the Resistance fifteen years to find Luke, I wouldn't hold out much hope.

He still might, Rey answers herself. And she would help him out. Now that she'd agreed—in theory—Hux has been acting differently, softer, more nervous. His mind wouldn't be easy for her to trick, but she might be able to do it, now that his nervous side is starting to crack through the shell.

Snoke will land on Ahch-To, she knows. If he takes her with him, she doesn't know what she'll do. But if he doesn't...

"You will hand me your blaster," she says to herself. "You will hand me your blaster."

Rey places her hand over her stomach. "I'm going to get us out of here," she promises. "For real this time."

Or else, she'll have no choice but to turn to the Dark Side.

/////

"So who's rescuing Rey?" Finn asks. "And who's bombing things?"

"Chewie and I are staying on the Falcon," Lando says. "In case of the absolute certainty that we're going to need a quick getaway."

Chewie growls as if to say he'd rather be blowing things up.

"I'm bombing things," Poe says cheerfully. He grins at Finn, and Finn feels Ben staring pointedly at him.

"Luke, you should go with Ben to find the girl," Leia says. "She's your apprentice, after all."

"So you want to blow the Star Destroyer up?" Luke asks.

"Of course I do." She looks to Finn.

"You'll need a third person to help plant the explosives," Finn says grudgingly.

Luke digs into his belt. "Take this with you." In his palm lays Rey's lightsaber.

"No. That's Rey's. It called to her."

"Then you'll have to make sure you make it," Luke tells him. "So you can give it back to her."

"Right," Leia says. "Now that that's cleared up, here's where Ben says we need to plant the bombs..."

When the plans that include all of them splitting up are finalized, the group disperses, each to a different pocket of the Millennium Falcon. Finn watches as Ben catches Luke's arm and tenses, wondering if Ben's objecting to Finn borrowing Rey's lightsaber.

"Is she still your apprentice?" Ben asks softly. "Because of me?"

"So long as she wants to be," Luke confirms.

Ben throws his arms around his uncle. He pulls away looking flustered and embarrassed, but Luke just smiles.

Smiling to himself, Finn walks away, past a pacing Leia and towards Poe, who leans against his arm, which is braced against the wall.

"Nervous?" Finn asks.

Poe turns around, forcing a smile. "Nah. I've been on far more dangerous, deadly missions."

Finn snorts. "I, uh, thought you might want your jacket back. For luck, you know. Since you don't have the Force."

Poe casts him a withering look. "Mention that again and I'll deck you."

BB-8 whirs around them.

Finn fiddles the radio clipped to his jacket. If Poe dies, he'll hear it. He'll hear it if any of them die. He won't see it, though.

Finn wonders what kind of mark that will leave on him, if he hears his friends dying. It'll be far worse than a single bloody handprint, he knows. Because even though that stormtrooper was his friend, he knows these people so much more.

What if it drives him to the Dark Side?

Is the Dark Side something to be afraid of? he'd asked Luke weeks ago.

It's not to be underestimated, Luke answered. But afraid of it? Not once you acknowledge it inside of you, because it's inside everyone.

Is being willing to kill all his fellow stormtroopers the Dark Side? Finn suspects it is. It's there.

"Hey," Poe says softly, putting his hand on Finn's shoulder. "We'll be all right."

BB-8 purrs.

"What are you looking at, droid?" Finn demands. He glances back to Poe, to the way his eyes sparkle and the way he's biting his lip, and he realizes that the thought of Poe dying—if Poe were to die, Finn doesn't know if he could get through that and come out stronger. Poe's death would cripple him.

"Don't you worry," Poe says to him. "I'll be all right."

And all of Ben's insinuations suddenly make sense. Finn presses his lips against Poe's. He pulls back.

Poe's jaw hangs open, and his nostrils flare. "What'd you do that for?"

Finn shrugs. "Because I don't know whether we'll get another chance?" He meant it to come out sounding comical. Instead, his tone wavers.

"Okay," Poe breathes. "Okay." And he leans in, kissing Finn again, more deeply this time.

"We're going to make it," Finn says when they pull apart again. "We have to."

BB-8 chirps and rolls off.

"Hey!" Poe calls after the droid. "Hey, you can't—BB-8, really, don't tell 3PO—BB-8!"