AN: Life. Has. Been. Crazy. I expected so much more time to write now that grad school is over and I'm working from home, but I forgot about the fact that my kids would have to be homeschooled for a good while there. I finally have my days back to myself 3 Here's a chapter. It's not super long but I kind of like it. I hope you do, too.

Chapter 6

Finn found Poe smelling slightly of alcohol on the outskirts of base. He was finding it easier to let the Force in to guide him and he had followed it's pull to this spot. Poe looked up and smirked at him.

"So, should we talk?" Finn asked. "Or do you just kiss me again and skip the talking part?"

Poe buried his hands in his pockets. "I'm sorry, Finn. I know that was kind of out of nowhere. I should have said something first, but I just didn't know what to say."

Finn shrugged. "I'm not mad. I was surprised, but not mad."

They were standing close together and both took a seat on a rock that overlooked the forest around them. Poe took a small flask out of his jacket pocket and handed it over to Finn. He took a small swig from it and passed it back.

"Does this change anything?" Poe asked. "I can understand if you want some space."

Finn shook his head and reached over to grab Poe's scruffy chin. He pulled his face close to his and their lips locked. They both tasted of the liquor now, but neither was truly inebriated. Poe drew back and his eyes met Finn's.

"Is this what you want? Cause I'm fine with it if you are but you are so important to me. I don't want to mess anything up," Poe asked him.

"Yeah," Finn replied, planting another kiss. "It is. Kind of surprised it took you this long. I thought you were going to kiss me back on D'Qar."

Poe smiled. "I thought about it, but I just got you off of a Star Destroyer. I figured it was a little soon to go corrupting you."

Finn kissed him again and laughed, realizing that they were kissing more than talking. Their bodies were pressed close together and Poe had drawn Finn in with his uninjured arm so that their chests touched. Their hearts both raced and they wore wide grins. Everything about this felt right.

"I wouldn't have minded. Think of how many more minutes like this we could have had if you had planted one on me then?" Finn chuckled.

Poe's fingers found the back of Finn's neck and he cradled the base of his skull, their eyes locked in on one another.

"Finn, you know that I can't do what you and Rey can. I can't feel that, but something is telling me that this is what I need to do. It's like tugging at my stomach and it just feels... right." Poe's lips parted in a wide grin as he spoke the last word.

Finn nodded at him. "Yeah, that's exactly it. Right."

"On a more serious note, though," Poe began. "I know Rey already knows about this, but let's keep it to a minimum around her. She's really hurting and I don't want to be all mushy around her when she's feeling down."

"Agreed. I want to be there for her, but I feel like I keep saying the wrong thing." Finn replied.

Poe ran his fingers through his hair and took a deep breath. "Just, don't talk about Exegol or Kylo Ren, okay? I think it's a really sore subject for her right now."

"Okay, no Kylo Ren talk. Got it," Finn confirmed. "Now, Rey's not here right now so we can still be mushy, right?"

Poe laughed and pulled Finn's face back to his own, both of them grinning as their lips met.

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Kaydel-Ko Connix had a lot of adjusting to do. She was born after the fall of the Empire and raised in the New Republic as a happy-go-lucky kind of girl. That all changed when the First Order came. She knew as soon as she caught wind of the Resistance that was being formed by the famous Leia Organa that she would go and fight. She never could have dreamed that it might mean actually fighting by Leia's side!

She missed her general. Kaydel's family had been loving and kind, but they hadn't understood their daughter when she told them that she was going to go off and fight a war that wasn't directly affecting them on Dulathia. Leia welcomed her into the ranks of the fledgling Resistance with open arms and supported her decision to join from the moment she'd shown up at the door of her apartment on Chandrilla. Connix strived to emulate the woman she so admired, even copying her hairstyles from time to time, hoping that it would mean something to the older woman.

This was the first stretch of time in recent memory where there wasn't a masked enemy hot on their tail or some secret mission to help orchestrate. She knew she shouldn't find her current work to be boring, but Connix was kind of missing the excitement of a battle.

Despite the lack of action and excitement, her day-to-day was still jam packed with responsibilities. The representatives from Naboo were arriving at any time and she was ready with data to share about their operation and why it would be pertinent to be able to work in a furnished building instead of makeshift base that was mostly comprised of workspaces in various ships parked in a cave. It was hardly a glamorous situation.

She had never been to Naboo, but Leia had shared stories with her of her mother's home world. Leia had been granted use of the Naberrie estates in and around the capital, Theed. Connix hoped that now she and the others who had followed Leia into battle would be able to establish offices of the restored Republic in their halls.

"Hey Kay," a voice came from behind her. "Quit daydreaming. D'acy just called a meeting. It sounds like the Naboo delegation is here early."

Rose Tico was one of the sweetest people that Kaydel had ever met, but she enjoyed seeing the business side of her friend come out when it was needed. Rose had grown from an engineer into a capable leader and strategist in the mere months since they'd met.

"Let's go then," she replied, grabbing her data pad and canteen.

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A sleek chrome plated ship touched down on the rough dirt outside of the makeshift base. It gleamed in the late afternoon light and was beautiful, if entirely out of place in its environment. Connix and Rose were joined by the members of their leadership, save for Dameron and Finn. Rose had tried their comms but neither had answered. She assumed they must be with Rey, but when the Jedi arrived to greet the Naboo ship, Rose realized she must have been mistaken.

The ramp opened and small group departed. They were dressed immaculately, their clothes meant for city life on their home planet and not the jungle that they'd traveled to. They were lead by a woman who appeared to be around the same age that Leia had been, her hair delicately coiled on top of her head and her long gown skimming the dirt. She did not seem bothered. She smiled as she approached Rey first.

"You must be the Jedi," the woman said, taking her hands in her own. "I am Pooja Naberrie. Leia was my cousin. It's lovely to meet you."

"Likewise. I'm Rey," she replied, hesitating. "Skywalker. Thank you for coming."

Pooja smiled and Rey could see traces of Leia in her face. Lando stepped forward to play diplomat and ushered the delegation in to the conference rooms. Rey had yet to see them, herself, so she followed his lead. Rose reached out to take Rey's wrist as they walked.

"Have you seen Poe or Finn?" she whispered to her.

"I haven't," she replied. "Something tells me that whatever it is that they're up to could have waited until after this meeting."

Rose smirked. "In their defense, we weren't expecting them to arrive until tomorrow. It's weird being so… diplomatic. I'm used to working on machines or fighting, not leading."

"I know," Rey agreed. "But we've got to start somewhere, right?"