𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙋𝙏𝙀𝙍 𝙏𝙒𝙀𝙉𝙏𝙔
—𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘰𝘶𝘵—

     𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐍𝐎 trace of hope left in Bexley Terris' heart as she stared at Poe Dameron from across the room. He had been beaten; not as much as she had, but enough to leave him cut up and bloodied. The woman clenches her eyes shut, tugging at her restraints— this couldn't be it, could it? After everything they had been through, it was possible that this was the end. But not only for the assassin and head pilot, but the Resistance and uprising as they knew it. It would take an utter miracle in order to stop the chain of events that would destroy everything Bexley ever knew.

"He knows where the map is," Poe speaks, his voice cracking as his eyes find Bexley. "He'll be looking for BB-8 any minute now, and we can't do a damn thing about it."

"How did a droid ever get the map?" Bexley asks, laying her head back.

"My last trip was one to Jakku," the raven-haired man replies, shaking his head. "General Organa sent me to acquire it from Lor San Tekka. And while we were there, the First Order showed up looking for it. BB-8 and I got out of there before they could capture us, but Lor . . . he didn't make it. We were in the desert, and I had to walk quite a while to find civilization— but I found a scavenger there. I spent a time there while trying to find a new ship to fix up, and I grew to trust her. BB-8 is still on Jakku with her, and now I fear for both of them."

Bexley's heart stopped in her chest the moment she heard him talking about another woman. She swallowed back her emotions, knowing that the only thing she needed to focus on was trying to get out of the First Order's grasp. "A scavenger?"

"She was different, and I could sense it from her aura," he explains, before a small smile falls upon his lips. "Say, sweetheart, you're not jealous of her, are you?"

Bexley chuckles, putting on a solemn expression. "What? Of course not, Dameron, I'm not like that."

"Well, in case you were wondering, I think you're much better than her," Poe winks. "You're the only one for me, dollface. Don't you ever forget it."

The blonde smiles, her chest growing warm at his words. Her eyes begin to sting, before filling with tears as she speaks. "You know, I thought I was never going to see you again. I had given up all hope . . . thank you for coming for me. Although this situation isn't the greatest, it still means a lot that you tried."

Poe hesitates, his heart breaking at seeing her tears. He wishes that somehow he would be able to get out— to comfort her, and get her the hell away from this place. But the metal bars around his limbs proved that he wasn't going anywhere for a while, at least. "Please don't cry, sweetheart," he begs. "I can't stand to see you cry."

"Just look at where I've gotten you, Poe," she murmurs, glancing around the sterile room. "Nowhere good. I'm so sorry I didn't listen to you . . . I was being selfish, I didn't think how it would impact everyone . . . how it would impact you. And now you're here, hurt, and it's all my fault. Force, I'm so sorry."

"Bex, there's nothing to apologize for." Poe states, "we all make mistakes one way or another, and this one is yours. Don't think that this is all on you, because it's not. I decided to come after you, and I still intend to get both of us out of here— how, I have no idea, but I know we can do this."

Bexley slowly lets out a deep breath, nodding to his words. "I might be able to convince Ben to let us go. He's not a monster, and deep down he knows that. Ben Solo isn't bad."

"Kylo?" The Pilot raises an eyebrow. "He's the one who captured you and had you beaten. Not only that, but he's out to destroy the entire Resistance and take over the galaxy. Do you honestly believe there's an ounce of humanity left in his body after everything he's done?"

"When I look into his eyes, I see things that a monster would no longer contain . . . sympathy. He cares, although he doesn't show it. It's there— Ben Solo is still there. We just have to find a way to make him change his mind." Bexley looks back at Poe, scanning over his features. "In some ways, he reminds me of you. The determination runs so deep, but there is so much more to the both of you than what you realize."

"So now you're comparing me to a villain?" Poe chuckles. "Did you hit your head earlier?"

"You know what I mean," the woman rolls her eyes. "I'm just saying that if I could just talk to him, maybe I could—"

The sliding doors open, revealing an armored stormtrooper, and cutting off Bexley's sentence. Poe grits his teeth, aching to get out; his escape was so close that he could feel it. But if only he could find a way to grasp it in his palm. The trooper speaks to the guard outside, something only Bexley can hear.

"Ren wants the prisoners," he says firmly, his voice clear of any emotion whatsoever. Bexley wonders what more Ben could possibly want from them, before gasping as her restraints are opened. Poe furrows his eyebrows, stepping away from the upright table he was previously strapped to.

The blonde joins him, placing her small hand on her arm before guiding it down, and lacing their fingers together. The trooper places cuffs on both of them, before shoving them ahead of him and into the hall.

"Hey, pal, easy," Poe warns. "That's my woman you're shoving around."

Bexley giggles under her breath, not sure how she could possibly manage to do that at a time like this. But the trooper doesn't hesitate, or reply. The only thing they get out of him is a stern, "move."

He holds his gun to Bexley's back, making a shiver go up her spine and her hand clutch Poe's even harder. "It'll be okay, I won't let him hurt you," the pilot assures her, shooting a glance down at her. "We'll be fine."

But he was saying it more to himself, as a sort of assurance. Once they're nearly twenty feet away from the interrogation room, the trooper says, "turn here," before pulling them into a small space between two rooms. Poe and Bexley look to him in pure confusion, watching as he turns to them.

"If you do exactly as I say, I can get you out of here." He states, putting his blaster away and pulling the white helmet from his head. "This is a rescue, I'm helping you escape."

His skin is dark, as well as his cropped hair. Sweat resides on his face, and his eyes look serious, but nervous at the same time. He scans the two of them, before looking to Poe. "Can you fly a TIE fighter?"

"You're with the Resistance?" Poe asks, suddenly out of breath. Bexley moves closer to his side, letting out a sigh of utter relief and happiness. This was it, they were actually going to get out!

"What?" The man questions, his face scrunching for a moment, before he shakes his head. "No, no, no— I'm breaking you out. Can you fly a TIE fighter—"

"I can fly anything," Poe says confidently, his arm self-consciously wrapping around the blonde's waist. He grins, letting out a laugh for a moment, before questioning the man again. "Why are you helping us?"

The trooper thinks for a moment, before nodding to himself. "Because it's the right thing to do."

"You need a pilot." Bexley says to him, then elbows Poe.

"I need a pilot," he agrees.

Poe nods with certainty, "we're gonna do this."

"Yeah?"

Bexley's heart swells with the hope she had previously lost. Poe laughs, planting a lasting kiss on her forehead. They were finally going home.

---

The trooper leads them into the ship landing post, his blaster once again planted against Bexley's back. But this time, she was relaxed, and didn't worry about it as much as she had before. There are troopers and guards and pilots everywhere, and the woman thinks of all the ways this plan could possibly go wrong.

"Okay," the man speaks from behind them. "Stay calm, stay calm."

Bexley keeps her head down as Poe furrows his eyebrows and responds. "I am calm."

"I'm talking to myself," he tells them, leading them further on without another word. Poe looks back at him for a moment, then faces forward once again.

"Not yet," he mutters as they pass by a quite large group of guards. After they're gone, he begins again. "Okay, go, go! This way."

The three of them take off to the nearest TIE fighter, Poe lifting Bexley into the chamber by her waist. She glances around the small space, having never been in a ship like this before. Poe plants himself in the pilot seat, and the trooper slides to the back to control the weaponry.

"Bex, you'll have to sit with me." Poe says, flipping switches as the man removes his helmet again. "You can't sit in the floor, it isn't safe."

"As much as I'd love sitting in your lap," she scoffs, "there's no way you could possibly pilot with me on top of you. Poe, I'll be alright."

"Come here," the trooper says, pointing to a spot next to him. He pulls some extra straps out from under his seat, rigging it to be an extra belt to strap her in. "Problem solved."

"I've always wanted to fly one of these!" Poe yells from the front, strapping himself in and getting excited. "Can you shoot?"

"Blasters, I can."

"Okay, same principle," Poe says, reaching above his head for the controls. "Use the shift on the left to switch between missiles, cannons, and mag-pulsers, the one on the right to aim, triggers to fire."

"This is very complicated," he speaks gruffly, just before they take off. But the fighter was jerked back suddenly, jolting Bexley in her spot.

"I can fix this!" Poe assures them quickly.

Bexley knew that it had already drawn attention— it was an unsanctured departure, and someone was sure to come for them. As the ship moved again, stormtroopers began to shoot at them; so the man controlling the weapons shot them down without a second thought, destroying a few other TIE fighters in the process.

"I got it," Poe says finally, flipping a last switch— and finally, they were leaving. "Woah, this thing really moves!"

Bexley grips onto the trooper's seat, breathing heavily. "Tell me about it."

"Alright, we've gotta take out as many of these cannons as we can or we're not gonna get very far," he instructs. "I'm going to get us into position, just stay sharp."

The man nods in approval, glancing down the the woman to his right. "You okay?"

"I will be when you get us out of here," she mutters.

"Sassy, I like it," he chuckles.

"Don't flirt with her," Poe states. "That's my job. Oh— up ahead! Up ahead! Do you see it? I've got us dead-center, it's a clean shot!"

"Okay, got it," he reaches forward, clutching the shift and aiming on the screen in front of him. Then, with a grunt, he holds down the trigger until the cannon explodes. "Yeah!"

"Yeah!" Poe yells back, making Bexley laugh in her spot.

"Did you see that?"

"I saw it!" Poe responds. "Hey, what's your name?"

"FN-2187," he replies.

"What?" Bexley asks in confusion, looking up to him as his eyes find hers.

"It's the only name they ever gave me," he shrugs.

"Well I ain't using it. FN, huh?" The pilot behind them asks, mostly to himself. "Finn. I'm gonna call you Finn, is that alright?"

"Finn. Yeah, Finn. I like that," he grins.

"I'm Poe. Poe Dameron," the pilot tells him.

"Nice to meet you, Poe."

"Nice to meet you too, Finn," Poe chuckles.

"And what about you, blondie?" Finn asks Bexley, leaning back from the controls.

"Bexley," she holds out her hand, giving him a smile. "Bexley Terris."

And after Finn shook her hand, Bexley placed it into Poe's firm grip and stared into his soft eyes with the utmost of hope that her heart could produce. Within the earthy hues of his eyes lied his soul, with the kind of beauty that expanded a moment into a personal eternity, and a piece of heaven that she so desperately wished to be a part of. They reminded her of sienna, of the deep browns that lied within the earth of the winter trees at twilight that she loved to gaze upon while on her home planet. They were a delicate cinnamon like that of her traditional gingerbread cookies for her father's birthday, or the color of soft brown sugar that her mother once baked with.

Because every time she got lost in the depths of his eyes, she found herself wondering what the two of them would turn out being; and Poe, in that very moment, was thinking the same thing. Would they even survive their escape from the First Order? The truth was that both of them were terrified of losing one another— of losing the other half of them that infinitely made them the best version of themself. Poe was no longer himself without the love of his life by his side, and nor was Bexley. And so Poe pulled Bexley into an embrace and relished in the warmth that radiated from her body. He closed his eyes and pulled her as close as space would allow; truth be told, he never wanted to let her go.

One day, Bexley wished that they would share a love as strong as the one that her parents had forged; they had built a family, a home, and a lifetime of happiness from the ground up. Poe wanted to drop to one knee— but perhaps it would be too soon. And, of course, when he did, he would never sacrifice his ego to admit that the gemstone he purchased had been burning a hole in his pocket for nearly a month now.

The two of them were unsure of the future. Poe didn't quite know yet if they would survive the upcoming situation, either— the dangerous mission and the future battle that would test each of their limits. It would shake their world and demolish their hopes for a brief period, and yet their love would still remain.

But Poe Dameron didn't know that.

So for now, he was just going to hold her.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐄𝐍𝐃.
_______

❝ i'm crying now, but i'd just like to
say a quick thank you to all of you who
have made the journey with bexley
such an amazing ride. i am forever
grateful for your support <3 ❞