━━ CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE / the birthday gala

The ship was packed for the trip but they weren't due to set out for another half an hour or so. Eliana was dreading it. The pit in the bottom of her stomach hadn't let up all day. She knew that being alone with Poe would be fine but the awkwardness had permeated through their interactions ever since Maymie had walked in on them snogging.

She wasn't sure whether Poe was anxious about her feelings or he regretted saying it all but Eliana was scared to be alone with him. The worst that could happen is that she was rejected by him but she wasn't sure if she could even take that. After his confession, it was all that had been running through her head for hours.

And maybe it was his words that meant she purposefully wore his jacket as she now sat in the hull of the ship with Maymie sat across from her. The black-haired girl was resting against the wall. Her legs sprawled out in front of her while Eliana slumped back against the seat. She looked exhausted and she felt it.

The pair had spoken about the kiss and the confession and Maymie could feel Eliana's anxiety which is why she had decided to spend her break with the brunette rather than abandoning her to the metaphorical wolves.

"I can feel your thoughts. What's bothering you?" Maymie asked after a long moment of silence between them. Eliana turned her head towards the other woman.

"I'm going to be alone with him. I don't know how to do that anymore. Before, it was easy because I just pretended I didn't want him to be around and convinced myself that he didn't want me around. Now, I know he wants me and I know I want him but I don't know what to say," Eliana rambled as she pushed her fingers through her hair. The concern and worry was written across her features and Maymie would have found it amusing in any other circumstance.

"Tell him how you feel, properly?" Maymie suggested. Eliana rested her chin in her palm and thought for a long moment. It was the logical thing to do, she knew that but she didn't want to make the night any worse. She would have to flirt with Relya and it had to be at least believable. If her mind was on Poe the whole time because she admitted that she was in love with him, it would never be believable with Relya. And her entire mission hinged on convincing Relya that she still wanted her.

"You were in love with Poe when you saw her on Coruscant and she believed it," Maymie said before Eliana could voice her thoughts. It was all an excuse. At least that's how Maymie saw it. Eliana was scared of being vulnerable which was understandable but frustrating.

"She saw right through us, actually," Eliana mumbled. Maymie cocked an eyebrow, "Well, she saw right through me." Maymie tilted her head and gave her a questioning look, "We had a conversation about Poe. She just knew it was more." Maymie sighed and slid down a little against the wall.

"All the more of a reason to tell Poe now and save the fuss," Maymie argued. Eliana hummed, letting her eyes drift back to the entrance to the ship. The ramp was down and she could see Poe talking animatedly with one of the techs. He looked gorgeous and every part of her wanted to confess but it was so hard.

"I can't deal with him hurting me again," She mumbled. Maymie then stood up and crawled over to sit in front of Eliana, staring up at the brunette.

"Love hurts sometimes. It reminds us that we are alive and you can't be scared of that. He's not Relya. He's not your superior and you both love each other even if you're too scared to admit. So, please, put us all out of our misery." Maymie's voice was somewhere between playful and pleading and it made the corners of Eliana's lips turn up in a half smile. It was almost amusing how invested everyone seemed to be in the two Commanders getting together.

"I'll see," She mumbled. Maymie grinned and then they both watched as Poe patted the tech on the arm in that friendly-bro manner before he turned and walked up the ramp into the ship. His hands rested in his jacket as he looked at Eliana.

"You ready to go?" He asked. Eliana hummed in acknowledgement and pushed herself up. She then held her hand out for Maymie to take. The black-haired woman took it and Eliana helped her to her feet. They shared a hug before Maymie gave her a wink and sauntered off back to work. Eliana wanted to throw her head through a wall but she sucked in a breath and turned to Poe.

"Are you ready?" Eliana put an emphasis on 'you' and Poe gave her a hesitant smile. His usual confidence seemed to have been somewhat damaged and she wasn't entirely sure how that had happened. She had consistently knocked him down but he had never faltered like this. It had been over a day.

"Let's go then. An ex to entertain," He mumbled as he turned on his heel and headed into the cockpit. He dropped into the captain's chair and Eliana dropped into the co-pilot's seat. They both strapped in and Poe initiated the take-off sequence. Eliana let her gaze linger on the viewport as they moved out of the base and out of D'Qar's atmosphere completely.

It was going to be a long night.

-

Once they had landed on Naboo, the pair headed straight to the hotel room. They only had a few hours to prepare - mentally and physically - for the ball. As soon as they got into the room, Eliana went straight for a shower while Poe unpacked a few things and did one more look over of the floor plan. Eliana still had access to some files from her intern days and she was able to find the floor plans of her home easily.

She knew exactly where Poe needed to be so now he was just mapping out the route in his head. Security would likely be to a minimum since it was a birthday dinner. It was made for political negotiations and though everyone was high profile, they were mostly allies. They had no reason to suspect anyone to try what Eliana and Poe were going to do.

It was just another mixer for Senators and elites. All Eliana could think about as she showered was Poe and how she wanted to tell him everything. She wanted to screw this ball, screw everything and screw him instead. But she couldn't. She kept her head in the mission as she washed her hair off and stepped out of the shower.

Once she had towel dried her body, she walked back into the room. Poe took her place in the bathroom and she changed into underwear before she sat at the table, a dressing gown over her shoulders. Make-up came first, then the dress (after Poe had come out of the shower himself) and she finished with her hair. It was a simple curled look but it was elegant and suited her red ball-gown dress perfectly.

It didn't take much longer for Poe to get ready. He dried and styled his hair and put on his suit. It was similar to the one he'd wore to the gala but it somehow was more distinguished this time. He looked breath-taking even in such a simple suit but she didn't say anything, for the risk of boosting his ego. Once they were in the holo-taxi, the nerves seemed to hit Eliana.

"You have to be quick. Preferably we'll be in and out in less than an hour," Eliana said as she looked away from the window and back to Poe. He nodded his head, his gaze not moving off her for a second. He was taking her in in the late day sun. Sunset was fast approaching and golden hour left the sun shining beautifully across her face. Every perfect part of her illuminated and shining. He had to stop himself from kissing her.

"I know the route. You just need to be convincing," Poe retorted. Eliana nodded. She knew that and that's what was bothering her. There was no way she could be convincing. No way she could perfectly distract Relya. In reality, she probably didn't have to go towards Relya at all but that would be more suspicious. It was a necessity to speak to her.

"I'll be fine," She mumbled. (She wouldn't be).

-

It was an extravagant home. It always had been. High ceilings, archways that made the rooms flow together. Windows that let the sunlight leak through and glass chandeliers that refracted both natural and artificial light in such a way that you felt like you were in a dream. Eliana had been taken aback by it the first time she had attended one of Relya's events and she still was now.

It was stunning. But she tried to look past it as she looped arms with Poe and led him through the room. She sent polite smiles to all those she saw, skirting around the room as she and Poe discussed exactly where he would be going, how long he would need and what to do. It had already been talked over more times than either of them could count but they needed something to discuss as they checked all entrances and exits.

And once they were done, Eliana let go of his arm and turned around to be faced with Relya. The brunette pushed a smile onto her face. The ex. Poe tried to hide his disdain for the woman in front of him with a smile.

"I was hoping you'd still make it. I didn't expect you to bring a date," Relya said as she glanced at Poe. It wasn't even really a glance, she looked at him for a split second before returning her gaze back to Eliana. It was like he didn't exist or Relya didn't want him to exist.

"He's not really a date. Leia wouldn't let me come alone. She worries," Eliana explained. A lie but a believable lie. Relya hummed and she called a waiter over with wine. Relya grabbed a glass for Eliana and herself, leaving Poe to snatch one up for himself with a slight scowl.

"That is surprising but sweet. She really had nothing to worry about," Relya responded. Eliana nodded and took a sip of her wine before letting her hand rest, perfectly poised in front of her.

"I tried to explain that but when she wants something, she gets her way," Eliana said. Relya nodded and then she glanced just past Eliana. A man stood there, an unfamiliar man to Eliana when she briefly glanced back. But Relya seemed to be know him.

"That is understandable," She said as she turned her gaze back to Eliana. A grin spread across her face, "Would you like to accompany me to speak with Senator Gret?" Relya asked curiously. Eliana looked to Poe, disguising the worry that flashed across her features, "You were always a better negotiator than I was." The flattery would have worked a charm a few months ago but Eliana could see through it now. However, she had to pretend so she nodded.

"Of course. Poe can entertain himself, I'm sure," Eliana responded dismissively. Relya nodded her head, barely sparing him a glance as she looped arms with Eliana. The two sauntered off together and Poe sighed. His gaze followed them all the way to Senator Gret. He hated this but he knew that he couldn't think about it.

So, he turned on his heel, downed his wine and walked off through the crowd. He mingled a little, listening to conversations and being polite before he managed to sneak off. Nobody was paying him a lick of attention. He was a pilot, an unknown rebel pilot and he was thankful. Being a nobody worked well as he snuck down the corridors.

The turns he took were identical to those he had memorised and he swiped his hand in front of the sensor to take him into the study and the door opened. It was quiet in the study. Suspiciously quiet. The chatter from the party died down as the door slid shut behind him.

It had all felt too easy so far and so he was cautious as he stepped through the room. He checked every crack and crevice for anyone suspicious but he was alone in the room. So, he stepped over to the holopad and it flickered up. Eliana had told him Relya's password and it was - surprisingly - the same. The desktop opened to him and he stared for a moment.

He was sure his eyes were deceiving him but the longer he looked, the more he realised that he wasn't. Pictures of Eliana, of him. They had been tracked on Coruscant which maybe shouldn't have been surprising but he found his way into the folder and there were recordings. Voice recordings. And he frowned.

He pressed play on the most recent one.

Do you still feel sick? He heard himself say and the frown spread across his face.

Poe, I'm fine, seriously. That was Eliana. That was her voice. That was in her room the day before. He glanced back at the door. He wasn't the one in danger. Eliana was. He grabbed the drive from his pocket and slipped it into the holo-computer. The entire drive being wiped and all the data transmitted to the resistance.

And the second it was. He pulled the drive out and rushed out the door. The drive was stuffed awkwardly into his pocket and he rushed down the corridors back to the party. Eliana stood, talking with Relya when she saw him reappear. He purposefully slowed his steps so as to not draw attention to himself but Eliana could see the worry in his eyes.

"We need to leave." There was no questioning his tone as Poe grabbed her arm. He dragged her away from Relya and she just about managed to place her wine glass down on the table as she stumbled away from Relya.

"Poe, what's going on?" Eliana tried to keep her voice hushed but the sudden harsh movements had created some tension. Relya was staring, glaring. She looked angry, frustrated and ready to attack as Poe pulled Eliana further away.

"We need to go. I told you," He snapped. She stared up at him for a moment before she sighed. She glanced back at Relya and gave her a half-smile, mouthing an apology before the two of them headed out the front door.

As soon as they stood outside, Poe called for a holo-taxi and turned on Eliana. He didn't bother to provide an explanation and simply demanded her communicator. She carefully handed it to him and he dropped it to the floor, smashing it beneath his foot. The heel of his dress shoes pressed down into it before he kicked it into the bushes.

"What the hell!" Eliana snapped as she watched her communicator disappear into the shrubbery. Poe was scowling and she stared at him, "What the hell did you do that for?" She asked as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"She knew everything. She's been listening to you," Poe snapped in response and Eliana's eyebrows furrowed. She stared at him for a moment, looking at the door to the party and then back to him, "She's involved in the First Order and she bugged you. Probably the night you had dinner. She'd been recording our conversations." The annoyance laced his tone, invading every word he spat and it only served to confuse Eliana further.

Maybe she was naive but Relya would never go so far as to bug her. It didn't make sense. It didn't work. Relya was cruel and dismissive but that was too far. It would hurt Eliana and that was something Relya never directly wanted to do. Nothing she had ever done. Eliana shook her head and looked back to Poe, her face crumpled in confusion.

"I know you loved her but she isn't the same woman you knew. That's why we came here to prove it. And I did. Now, let's go back to the hotel," Poe said as the holo-taxi came to a stop in front of them. He stepped up into it, holding his hand out for Eliana to take and she did, though it was with great reluctance.

The taxi ride back to the hotel was silent as Eliana's word was silently crumbling all over again. Relya had drawn her back in and hurt her all over again in the span of an hour.

-