𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙋𝙏𝙀𝙍 𝙎𝙀𝙑𝙀𝙉𝙏𝙀𝙀𝙉
—𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯—

TO SAY THAT Poe was surprised was truly the understatement of the century. It was not even three days after Bexley had supposedly died in the crash, and Leia was already preparing him for another crucial and dangerous mission? The man stands as Leia joins him, Spencer leaving them to disperse with the other pilots from the meeting. Poe bites down hard on his tongue, not wanting to sound rude to his general; so instead he cleared his throat, and his shaky voice begins.

"I'm sorry, General, but did you just say that you have a mission ready for me?" The raven-haired man asks, his dark eyes searching hers. "Because I don't think I'm ready‒"

"This task is meant only for the brave, and I am giving it to you to take your mind away from the pain you're battling," Leia sighs, placing her hand on his cheek. "You and I both know you need a distraction for the moment. And I have one already selected."

Closing his eyes and swallowing back the urge to walk away, Poe nods. "What did you have in mind, Leia?"

"There is a map on Jakku that leads to my brother‒ Luke." She pauses for a moment, her hand dropping as she looks to the floor. "And I need you to retrieve it for me and bring it back here safely. Now, I won't be sending you alone, but I can't have too many pilots going either. The First Order is watching our every move, and we want this to be as averting as possible; to go without being seen."

"With all do respect, General Organa, why in the galaxy would you want a part of the map?"

"It's been a long enough period of time since I've last seen my brother," Leia gives him a weak smile. "And, as you know, going a time without the ones you love can prove to be extremely difficult. Especially when the days grow into weeks, months, then years . . . it's quite hard, if I do say so myself."

"Leia, you know I'd do anything for you," Poe sighs, running a hand down his face. "But I have to find her. I know the First Order has Bexley. Why, I have no idea, but we need to get her out of there before she's gone for good. Do I have your permission to leave the base?"

Leia's fond gaze dwindles over him, finding the sincerity and hope within his eyes. He wanted this more than anything, she realizes, tilting her head to the side. "I'll make you a deal. If you complete this mission and make it back in a stable condition, I will undoubtedly allow you and a few others to venture wherever you wish to search."

Poe's lips part, a bit of shock running through his veins. But he pulls himself together, and conceals the radiation of happiness that seeps from his bright smile. Leia gestured to the meeting room behind her, ready to explain the task ahead.

"Oh, and Poe, do me a favor," she says before he enters the room with her following suit. "Try your best to stay safe."

---

As Kylo Ren arrives in Bexley's cell, she's dead asleep in the same position she was the night before. The area around the blonde was covered by dried blood, and her wounds were coated with the cracking black substance. At this rate, the man was sure all of the gashes would grow irritated, then would get infected. He places his hand on one of the bars, examining her tear-stained face. Even in her sleep, she made faces at the never ending pain.

"Get her cleaned up in the medical wing," the commander tells them, shoving a key into lock. "If her cuts get infected, she could die before we get the information we've been seeking. We need her alive."

The clones utter nothing, only following his orders as they enter the confined space and lift her. Almost immediately after she is in their grasp, Bexley jerks awake with a piercing scream. The woman struggles in their hold, not wanting to give up so easily. She could do nothing more, though, as the burning sensation was too much to handle. With another cry, she goes limp, and fails to fight back any longer.

Kylo winces as her sobs echo down the hall and into the medical wing. Bexley knew what was coming; more beatings, perhaps. But hadn't she already experienced enough? Did Kylo sincerely not care about how much she was already enduring? Apparently not, she realizes as she stares up at the white ceiling. These people were so twisted that they didn't have feelings, and definitely don't feel an ounce of sympathy for her. In fact, she was almost positive that they enjoyed watching her suffer and rot in this place.

"Just kill me already," she whispers to the guards, her voice barely audible. "Make it all go away."

Perhaps in the next hour or so, they would end her. And now that she thought of that, she kind of hoped that they would. No one in the Resistance knew that she had survived the crash, so their was no doubt that she had been mourned and everyone had gone on with their daily routines. No one was looking for her. Bexley was on her own.

And maybe she was better off dead.

Deep down inside, she knew that she was only thinking all these things because of the weakness that had already started to become of her. Pain brings fear, and fear drives emotion. And now, emotions were overwhelming her every move. She aches to be back in her bed, when things were simple and she ceased to worry because of Poe.

Poe. By now, he was likely on some dangerous mission, focused on getting back and telling his overdramatic stories. Bexley could see him now; laughing away with another pilot about something that wasn't too funny at all. She almost smiled at that. Almost. Because she knew that now, after everything, she would never see him again. He would never tell her to not worry again, and they would never watch the sunset together, or count the stars as the moon showed itself.

Doors open just ahead of the clones that hold Bexley, her attention now on what was lying ahead. How would her father receive the news of her passing? Would he, too, believe that the crash killed her? Oh, how Bexley wishes to see him again; to be wrapped up tightly in his arms and never let go. Silent tears roll down her cheeks, dropping effortlessly to the floor. The woman would be nothing more than a memory in a few short hours, and she wouldn't get to see the sky again.

The blonde is placed upon a hard surface, assumingly a metal table. From the bright light shining down at her, she squeezes her eyes closed and tries to relax into the table to minimize her pain. But suddenly, someone leans over top of her, and blocks the light. Bexley slowly opens her eyes again, squinting at the concentrating man.

"Commander Ren requested that we clean your wounds so they don't get infected," the man explains, pulling off his white coat and rolling up his sleeves; it was as if he didn't want to stain its pure color. "Try to calm yourself. It'll be easier to sedate you that way, and I'm not too sure that you'd enjoy being awake for this."

Bexley didn't reply, only blocking him out as he finishes his statement. The doctor‒ or whatever the correct term for him would be‒ yanks on a pair of gloves, fetching a needle and vile of medication from a glass shelf to her right. It takes him only moments before the needle is filled with the medication, and he's walking towards Bexley with it. But still, she wasn't paying attention; as usual, she was too caught up in her thoughts for that.

So Kylo didn't want her completely dead after all? That was a scary thought‒ one that made her fear so much more than she had when she thought she was dying. Wouldn't she rather die than face the First Order's so called "brainwash" that the commander had told her about? Yes. She would. But the woman didn't really have a choice in the matter, as the doctor had already placed the needle at her skin, and pierced it into the flesh of her neck. The pain wasn't vivid, as it seemed mediocre compared to how the rest of her body was feeling. You'd think she had almost grown accustomed to it.

Almost.

The affects of the medicine were instantaneous; Bexley's eyes grew heavier, and her limbs began to grow numb. It was soothing to no longer feel the burn that haunted her. She was enjoying the peace that washed over her, clearing her mind as the seconds continued on. The woman imagined being back in her bed at the Resistance headquarters, waking up to the sound of her alarm clock. In her mind, she had groaned, before compliantly getting dressed in the dim bathroom. After finishing, there was immediately a knock on her bedroom door. The blonde was expectant, and knew who would be at the door the moment she opened it.

Yet this felt so real. When she unfastened the lock and revealed him, it wasn't like usual. It was as if it were happening in that very moment, and he was right in front of her. And when meeting his eyes, right before the medication sent her into unconsciousness, Poe had flashed that gorgeous smile of his. And for that short moment she had smiled back.

If only it weren't just a dream.

_______